Game: Men doubles attacking style I have the Yonex Voltric 7 (medium flex, head heavy, 4U, strung @ 24lbs) since 2010/2011 but could not utilize a head-heavy racket well as my technique/strength were not great back then. However, now I have noticed that my smashes, clears and drops are much better after some practice the last few years. I'm really liking the amount of power (and the lovely sound) I am able to generate with the Voltric 7 compared to the Duora 7. Currently looking at the Astrox 7 or 77 as they are medium flex and head-heavy. Was wondering if it's worth the upgrade or I should just continue to use the Voltric 7? I do not think my technique/strength is enough to use a stiff racket yet... p/s: Another racket that I have is the Duora 7 which is even balanced.
Lin Dan force 4u might be a winner for you! Many say it's medium-slight stiff feeling and it's a head heavy 4u. But that it plays excellently without too much strain like a zf2 4u for instance. You can check out the LDF thread if you wanna research more.
I also had the Voltric 7 before and I loved it. Then I had the Voltric 70, which for many years became my main racket. They play similar but the latter packed more punch on smashes. My next racket was the Voltric LD Force which I liked even more. So maybe these racket upgrades might be applicable to you also. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thank you both for your replies, the LD Force you are talking about is this racket right? https://vsmash.com/product/yonex-voltric-ld-force-red/ Should be stiffer than the Voltric 7. I got a friend who has a Voltric 80 Etune which is rated stiff, might try out the racket to test if the stiffness suits me or not
There's a 2016 and a 2019 repaint. Some people are saying the 2016/Rio edition is the most flex and the 2019 is the stiffest. That's a good idea but don't always believe the manufacturer specs, they are often wrong! Someone on another thread talking about original VT-80 vs. Lin Dan Force "The new Lin Dan Force 4U might suit you. It's more flexible than the VT80 and IMO, even though it's a 4U, it has sufficient head heaviness for some really good smashing yet lightweight but solid enough. According to some, the 3U version of it is even less head heavy than the VT80 so it might be good also for your style of play especially when you're playing singles. I own both the VT80 3U and LDF 4U." and if VT-80 etune is slightly more flexy than original vt-80 then I guess the vt-80 etune and Lin Dan Force are fairly close stiffness wise. So testing that racket may be a good idea. Compared to your Voltric 7 I would assume the LDF will be stiffer but only you will know for sure how much you can handle.
Better to test many different racket before getting new one. Borrow friend racket & have a taste abit on court. Then after testing many different racket, you might get some insight about different characteristic of different racket. By then maybe you can know better of which racket that might suit you. Anyway you might want to add Voltric 8 DG Slip & Astrox 88D to your list.
As someone who has been using the Astrox 77 it isn't exactly medium flex, rather semi-stiff. Ask someone who has it to test it out if you are curious for the stiffness and feel compared to your Voltric 7. If not, I would suggest staying with the Voltric 7(or getting another one!) as you started to use the racket to its full potential with your improved technique!