It's okay, I (and probably many others) already expected that you would review Z-Speed unfavourably - I'll try to find and quote my comment about this from about two months ago. If I recall, I predicted you'd give it 3.5 stars. I don't know why I was so sure, but looks like I'm right yet again.
The rules of journalism suggest that as long as you give full disclosure then it's really up to the reader to decided how biased you are or not. If you're an honest person I think basically that that shines through. A way to enhance this Paul is perhaps to reformat your reviews. I like the idea of having a 'pros/cons' section as well as 'who would this racket suit?' Etc.. Anything that makes it look like you're actually reviewing rackets and not just trying to find your dream racket is a good tactic IMHO.
I think a lot of "bad" reviews have already been published about this racket. So, it's not a problem if you add yours ^^
We shouldn't undervalue the fact that Yonex is at least innovating with the Z-Speed. The badminton industry is rife with companies that think innovation and respecting others intellectual property is an 'option', so when companies do something different or edgy we should all be thankful because from a design perspective badminton is pretty rubbish. While the mix-flex point on the head is a bit questionable, concepts such as the horizontal drilling and the head shape that's smaller where it should be and not where it shouldn't (think: Z-Slash) are in this designers' opinion at least moving racket design in a positive direction. I can almost guarantee you'll see a flurry of 'Short ISO' headforms in the next 12 months.....
Maklike I completely agree with you. I am all for innovating and Yonex has been at the forefront since 1970's. For me, I did not suffer the frame shot syndrome aka Z Slash, so there are positives to take forward and build on. Occasionally players fall for the last technology in respect of frame composition which to most us is a set of words that rarely mean anything as it doesn't translate into playability. Paul www.badminton-coach.co.uk
Paul, it's still a real problem in the badminton industry, that Yonex does all the innovating and still has to hid behind bogus speed records that have zero baring on reality, even for the pros. And people still lap it up, but then come away disappointed! I wonder how many have gone down "Z-Road" only to lose faith in Yonex despite them doing some quite innovative stuff? For me, I would've done the Z Series as a stand-alone range of rackets, a "Black Ops" range, if you will. Then used the successful parts of the technology in the main ranges. I wonder if the Z Series might be driving people away from Yonex, which I'm sure is not what they were hoping for. Regardless though, there's a reason why Victor is on the lips of a lot of people in recent years, but on a whole I think the badminton market is very 'immature", which means as a bonus at least the future looks more interesting than not. If Yonex were smart, the NR900 would have the same basic design as the Speed but without the flex points on the head and more stiffness. That would potentially be good move, because the basic premise of the Speed is very good.
In my opinion, it would be advisable for us to firstly understand what are we "actually" looking for from a racket. Do we seek for benefit of game improvement, then it could only be enjoyed by seeking and finding a racket that provides comfort, and the playing characteristics what we wanted; or, on the opposite, we are also entitled to opt for a racket merely based on consideration of racket's popularity; or perhaps, it is being used by our favorite professionals; or, because many other users / reviewers provide their positive remarks to a product. This kind of discussions have been occurring in several top badminton forums all over the world, i.e., BC, badmintoncn, tepokbulu, etc... Each of the current famous brands (Yonex, Lining and Victor) claims to develop unique technologies, and advertise their best marketing scheme to the public. The public are divided, and some even become fanatics to certain brand, which is based on personal consideration, and very subjective in its nature. Up to the present, I agree that Yonex is still the pioneer in Badminton's development. and for the past 2 years (2013-2014), Yonex shows us that their finest products are led by Z-Series, consisting of Z-Slash, Z-Force and Z-Speed. These Z-series have several similarity in specifications, i.e., compact frame, and stiff/very stiff shaft. However, please note that Yonex also declares, in their Japanese catalog, that Z-Series' products are intended for advance - pro players, and might not be suitable for common / recreational players. Just sharing my 2 cents.
Anyone know how this compares to the VT-ZF in a direct comparison? I just tried it last night and I found that it wasn't really that stiff/head heavy and could really pack a punch. But mostly I thought the ZF had a nice dampened but solid feel when hitting a shuttle. First time I've ever liked strings at a higher tension too. Really puts in perspective on how "perspective" in itself really changes from person to person. After reading a lot of comments on the ZF I thought it was gonna be some super stiff anvil that only super skilled people could wield and what I got was a slightly head heavy feel with a "just right" stiff feel that I think could be used by anyone who's intermediate and above lol. Any comparisons would be lovely!
Never mind on the comparison stuff I found it in the earlier sections of the thread. Really makes me wanna try this racket now since the 3 qualities that I've despised in my 2U MP100 is it's a little too heavy, a bit too stiff and doesn't absorb shock like a lot of the newer rackets now.
Nothing more than a ready-made excuse, IMO: "If you like it, great; if you don't, you're not good enough to use it. (Heaven forfend we would make an inferior product, much less admit to it.)"
Reminds me of the Apple iPhone 4 debacle. "No, it isn't a design flaw causing the massive signal drop outs, the users are just holding the phone wrong".
Let's not blame the racket for a in by Tago. He is a very good player. But, let's face it LCW has not had a good year compared to previous performances. He's had a number of injuries and most agree he has simply not been at his best. And, at this level a drop of 5% in form is enough to change the outcome even if it means a win for the opponent for the first time. Let's also be fair to Tago, he's been more consistent this year and that has shown in his placings in tournaments. Paul www.badminton-coach.co.uk
@Maklike Tier He sure doesn't look it... I don't know any Japanese, but if I were to translate it, it would be "you #@$%^$^$#@!*?! racket... "
