After reading so much raving about those rackets, I put my Wucht P6 back in the bag a couple of weeks ago. I got it as a demo racket about two years ago and also really liked it back then - still it somehow ended up as my training racket for wall drills and footwork practise in the garden. And what should I say... maybe I should have given it more testing time back in the days, cause I clicked with it a lot(!) this time. In my original review, I've described it as kind of a compact frame version of the N9II, and that pretty much nailed it. Balance is very similar, the P6 is a bit stiffer (more like N7II) and offers that snappy feel that you know from compact heads which can be a bit addictive (hello, JS10). So looking at the whole package and other brands, it seems like the P6 is very similar to a Z-Strike, but less stiff and more forgiving. Long story short, the P6 will stay in the bag and I'm starting to wonder if a P8 in 4U could be the ultimate weapon in terms of speed/power ratio. Swing weight of 90 kg x cm^2 for the 3U is clearly sledgehamer territory...
Nice work, thanks Dave. Next up: all the ratings out of 7. So I can go from a certain racket starting point, then decide how I would like different Balance/Stiffness. However, rule of thumb seems to be that head heavier is stiffer. We've got pics of most in this thread i think. P2 has arrrived, hoping to test this week. Its within my spec despite being 3U and I'm looking forward to trying it out. Im trying to put together my own little matrix for those of us who have tried at least one racquet and will try another, help for which makes sense to try next.
The past two weeks, I've played (almost) exclusively with the Kalkül A3 to write a small review. A lot has been said already... About the balance... To me, it feels like a dead even, but rather light racket. My dry measurements were... For those who are interested in the full manufacturer's specs, including the grade of the carbon used... I think it's funny that they say "greater weight" about a racket that sits just on the border of 3U and 4U, but then, I'm pretty happy with my 3U P8s, so I might nor count and compared to the other Kalküls, that statement is valid. The feeling of that racket is great, a feeling that probably only box frames can give. the first time I strung it, I strung it with my well known G-Tone 5, now I chose BG65, because I had it in black and that looks just great. That way, I can also say, that it's still better feeling than most other rackets with BG 65. That's totally subjective though, but normally I cannot stand that string. I can play with it, I jiust don't like the feeling. When I first tried that racket (months ago), I thought it was great, just way too light for me. It might be the heavier string or just plain psychology - expecting a very light racket - but this time, I didn't miss too much (head) weight. I certainly get more power with my P8, but that Is just close to perfect for me and I do like head heavy 3U rackets. Keep that in mind when I call a racket "light". The racket it reminds me of certainly is a stiffer Babolat Satelite 6.5 Essential, but since most people won't kow that one either, it's an even balanced racket that is just in between a clear 3U and 4U. I can react quickly without loosing awareness of where the head is. A counter attack doesn't need too much movement, so it's still controlled. In my opinion that's where it gets tricky with too light rackets, because I have to move them faster, which is a little less precise. Stiffness wise, it's on the stiffer side, but far from beeing an 'unforgiving bitch'. I can certainly feel some flex, but not too much. I don't get the same amount of power as I get from the P8 (which again, seems to be almost custom made for me), but it's still more than expected and easily accessible. Control wise... well, that depends on you and your fit to the racket more than anything, I can say that it's stable. Even when hitting off center, the result is still acceptable. It does not feel like the T twists. Despite this racket being not in my preferred specs range, I really like it. I like the feedback it gives, I enjoy playing with it, and I think it will fit many players. It might be perfect for those who want an even balanced, rather stiff (but not to the extreme) racket. I gave it to a few people who normally play a Yonex Arcsaber 11 and they all liked it. For one of them, the string was too tight and they all said that it might be a little bit too light for their liking, but all of them came back to trying it again. The AS11 being a living legend of rackets, that says more than I did before. I think the RRP of 115€ is fair. Overall, I like the pricing of the Adidas rackets for the quality (let's not look at the P7 and P8 for now)... Here, it sells around 10% below the RRP and I think for around 100€ and with a recommended tension of up to 13.5 kilo, it might be worth considering if you like the specs. At least give it a try, if you have the chance!
I totally agree with you with just how good the A3 is! I had a match last night so decided to use the A3 and A5. I warmed up with the A5 initially, it still surprised me how fast the rackets is! I still think I need more time to adjust my smashes with the A5, they haven't got the power I would like but have great placement. I manage to slice easily with the A5. I switched to the A3 at the end of the warm-up and immediately had great power on my smashes with hardly any loss of speed. For me who has used fast Victors mostly in the past it doesn't feel as light as it would to @speCulatius who uses the P8. To me the A3 has the weight, speed and power in perfect amounts, very reminiscent of jetspeed 12. I used the A3 for the rest of the night and really enjoyed using it. The only shots that didn't find the sweet spot I put down to my lack of time on court recently. A few people asked what racket it was so I was more than happy to tell them. It does look great and not the normal Yonex, Ashaway, Apacs or Carlton that most players were using. I will definately be using it again in my next match while also trying to get used to the A5 a little more. If you want a great all round racket I would suggest you give the A3 a try!!!
Ist not only me though, just last night I have it to a kid (taller than me) I coach who has played some international tournaments before (not too many though). He's one of the guys with an Arcsaber 11. If the A3 was just a little more (head) heavy, he would already have switched. I think there is a (head) heavier Kalkül missing... not in an extreme way, but a little more than the A3 can offer. @Dave1011 How big is the difference between the A5 and A3 in your opinion? Do you think it would have hurt to either add a little bit of weight to the A3 or add an A4 that's stiff and very slightly head heavy, total weight between 85 and 87g, continuing the direction the line up goes from A1 through A3 (getting stiffer, heavier, and head heavier)? Looking at the specs, the A5 doesn't fit in there... my suggested A4 would. I totally agree, it's still a great racket and I'm sure many people will like it even more than I do!
The spec of the A4 sounds good, it would suit many players in my opinion. There's enough weight in the head of A3 for my taste though. The A5 just lacks a little weight and head heaviness for smashes, the weight differences are minimal but do make a difference in the power shots. For anyone who prefers control over power the A5 would suit better, the frame is very fast and feels great. I plan to use both to suit my mood, shuttle differences and hall temperatures. The uberschall range also impressed me but didn't have the same feel/feedback as the kalkuls.
Even if this will end up in a bit of torture over the coming lockdown weeks, I'm still very excited... Color of the bag is off awesome and is simply impossible to capture in a picture. Once you expose it to daylight, it starts to glow more orange'ish. Measurement data of the Wucht P8 to follow, but I'm afraid it will be a number of weeks before I can say anything about its performance. Same goes for the strings.
Let the torture begin... Decided to start with my go-to string LN1 @12/12 kg and thought the red one would fit nicely. And I think it was the right decision. I’m a bit surprised regarding the specs tbh. It’s a 3U, and I got the following values. Dry (with original grip and plastic foil): Total weight: 86.2 g Head weight: 38.2 g With the foil being 1.5 g, this puts mine borderline between 3U and 4U. So they also seem to be using the whole available weight range. Wet and ready to play (strung with LN1, original grip, plastic foil removed): Total weight: 87.7 g Head weight: 40.36 g So if I’d expected a ZF2’ish sledgehammer, I would have been clearly disappointed. With these specs, it puts it more in the JS10/Z-Strike ballpark - which is not bad, don’t get me wrong. But it somehow doesn’t match the 5/5 head heaviness in Adidas’ balance rating. The stiffness rating seems to be spot on though. Dry swinging it, you can barely feel the shaft flex at all. So that is one stiff b@stard, let me tell you that. So now it will be all about Mr. Covid to be contained and then back to the court asap.
Sorry I completely forgot to share this information. In general, it is possible to source them. Best option is probably too either ask your trusted shop or PM me when you need some. I'm not sure if your shop knows that it's possible, but if they have any kind of service, they'll contact ADIDAS for that. They might not be listed anywhere, but they are in stock.* *this is true for Europe at least, but since we're more of a developing region regarding badminton, it's probably true elsewhere
Has anyone tried A1 or F1? If anyone can compare to other Adidas or Victor rackets that would be great. I've tried many of the Adidas range and use A3 as my main match rackets.
If you like the A3, you won't like the F1. The A3 is even balanced and rather stiff, while the F1 is a little lighter and has plenty of flex. It's a light and easy to play with racket that supports weak players rather well, but it's different from the A3. Due to the different frame shapes (hexagonal vs. box) and stringing pattern (open vs. very dense), they give a very different feedback, too. The F2 still feels a little less stiff than the A3, maybe because it carries a little more weight in the head, very comparable to the Arcsabe 11 in terms of head weight. The other differences are still there.... I've only had the chance to try the A3 from the Kalkül range, so sorry I cannot say anything about the A1. There should be a nice review by @s_mair on one of the first pages of this thread.
Adidas is really lame......nowhere in this country i can find kalkul a3.....not in official shop.....not in online shop.....can't place back order too - i know coz i asked around in the official shop in the mall Hmmm i guess i would have to import the stupid thing.....oh the aqua color uberschall f5 does look very very nice n feels quite good too when i handled it in the shop...paint job really is a sight to behold.....very impressive This lockdown better end soon or i build a court in my backyard n train everyone in the house including the maid...
Thanks for the info, I was looking at possible back up rackets to my A3's. The A1 and F1 didn't look too bad but If very flexible then no good for me.
Of the rackets I've tried, the F2 is the closest in headweight and stiffness. There might be other options, but why not just get another A3 if you like it? Spec wise, the A5, F5, and maybe the F3 might be options, but I didn't have the chance to try them. There's some reviews of the first two in this thread, iirc.
Yes F2 was good when I had it briefly, that might be an option. I have more A3, I just like a change sometimes. I have an a5 so may use that more to try and get the best out of it, I feels great but just lacking when smashing.
Well, the difference between the F2 and F5 shouldn't be all that huge. On paper, they're basically the same, just 2g apart, only considering the basic specifications... Why do you think it's lacking for smashes? What doesn't match your swing? The specs are made for at least decent smashes for most people. Nothing too extreme, sightly head heavy and the stiffness should keep up even with slightly faster swings. Again, nothing extreme. If you're looking for something stiffer than the A3, I can only think about the F3 or P8.
It's the a5 I have, I tried the f5 which had good power but I preferred the feel of the a3/a5 over the f5.
