I am using my ZF2 4U. I love the power it generates but my defense suffer a little due to it's head heaviness. My spare is an Apacs Ziggler 535. It's light and good in defense but lacks power when smashing. I am willing to give Victor a try. I read from other threads that BS12, Jetspeed 10 and 12 are the ones to go. If I get anyone of those, should I stick with the 4U version or should I go for the 3U one since they are less head heavy than my ZF2? I am usually smashing from my back and would like to improve my defense reaction time.
Victor Bravesword or Jetspeed frames are faster and feel lighter than some other rackets. In some frames I use 4u but in BS/JS i use 3u because they swing easier and faster
JS 10 4U hands down. very similar spec to ZF2. Similar shaft stiffness and compact frame size, ZF2 is head heavier so JS10 should improve your defence. I have both rackets in 3U so JS is my recommendation for double.
VTZF2 is offense heavy head racket from Yonex Voltric series. So on Victor side, it must be Thruster K Series. JS & BS is speed series of Victor which is NR or NF from Yonex.
In the same boat as you mate, looking for an upgrade from my ZF2. I play mostly doubles with my ZF2 4U. I enjoy the power I'm able to generate from the back of the court. But I recently noticed for quick exchanges at the front and middle court the racket is a tad slow always for where I need it to be. Lot of miss hits with the frame. I got a 4U JS10 earlier. I loved how fast it was but the compromise in power was too much. I sold the 4U JS10 and went back to the trusty ZF2. Now I'm looking at the victor TFK or the TFK claw as a possible option. Yet to see some detailed reviews on them. Let me know if you find a great ZF2 replacement for doubles.
Another option is 88D/S. I have both and incline towards the S but D is closer to VTFZ2, you also can try the 99 which is the successor of VTFZ2.
My go to rackets for doubles that have a ton of punch but still very fast: 4u 88S 4u TKF When I get tired of those I always go back to my JS12s. There is just something about them I love, just don't punch as hard from the back court. But the front court is unreal with it.
Get the new version of MX80, it is stiff, fast and powerful, preferably a 3U. https://www.victorsport.com/product/48085/MX-80N
IMO a technical problem. The heavy one shine in smashing but lack in defence, the lighter one shine in defence but lack in smashing. Instead of buying a new one I would think about training my defense with the heavy or training my smash with the light one first. Since both are 4U (head heavy and even) very difficult to get a tweener with solve your problem up to satisfying result because the area between both is very little.
How does 4U TKF compares to 4U VTZF2 ? front court and back court, smashes, control, racket speed etc ? Thanks.
Thanks you saved me from getting a JS10. One shop owner recommended me apacs commander pro. The racket that is currently being used by Ko Sung Hyun. It's labelled as a double specialist and I might be giving it a try.
That's true...There's always a trade-off. If I had to choose, I would use the lighter one and train my smashes. Lighter rackets is easier to produce steeper smashes provided you have the correct technique.
Completely different racket. The ZF2 is just a single based powerhouse racket. The TKF is less stiff, larger head, the weight is more in the T then the top of the head. I would say the ZF2 if you are technical enough would hit harder then a TKF but in my opinion from using both, the TKF is superior in every other way. It is also way faster to swing. However, that is not speaking on a professional level that use certain rackets for a reason. I love my TKF for both singles and doubles. It holds a ton of power. When I first picked it up I struggled to keep it in the court for a while. All my clears and power shots were just harder then I was used to
I agree with you, but it depends the games you play. In my double games the smashs which are the winner are the result of placement+created situation, angle and tactic. The games are not these clear, smash, lift and drop shot games, the most shuttles are fast, flat and into the mid or at the net. I seldom get lifts with plenty of time. I also experience that if I play vs. better players that I really need to fight for the winning smashs and while I know that they are better than me, I don't want to lose many points in defence, while knowing that my smashs with a sledgehammer wouldn't penetrate their court deadly.
I'd love also my vtzf2, and have same feeling with you. Good punch a bit slow on the defensive. And not found any racket yet for make it perfect, please share if you found one.. imo only a slightly HH 3U racket will have the same amounts punch with vtzf2 4U. But it will consumes more energy in return. If you want to trade off power vtzf2 4U with lighter racket and train your steeper smash, you can try ax88d 4U. Or any ax88 3U if want to get same punch, and train your strengths. I use all weights of ax88 families, except ax88s 4U. And enjoy the different feeling when use them. Now I understand why mostly doubles pro player use ax88s as front player and ax88d as backcourt. when somebody review about another racket brands examples lining n7ii or n9ii, I can imagine the 'taste' of the racket. I use different racket, depend on my condition and opponent style. It'll help a bit my limited skill and physical to win my games. Maybe, coz not much pro player use new victor model recently, many BC also use and talk about yonex or lining.
Whenever I read this, I have to think of the Babolat X-Feel Blast, so if either of you is willing to give Babolat a chance, try it. It's not as unbalanced (head heavy) as the Z-Force II, so it might be a nice compromise. It feels stiffer than the ZFII and it does have at least one downside, but overall it's a great racket!
Are you sure? It's a 3U racket, even balance with BP 290mm, stiff shaft. Based on specs, i thought will be more like arc11, but have slightly oval head like carbonex. And it's an old racket, not sure for the availability of a new stock on the market.