Detailed difference between 3U vs 4U, for major brands

C

ChocoChipWaffle

Regular Member
A racket usually comes in 2 versions: 3U and 4U versions, or lately 4U and 5U.

Just wondering for those who have both the heavier and lighter versions, what specific differences did you find between 2 versions.

Victor: Some on BC report that the difference is only in the wooden handle - the 4U has a hole made with a slightly bigger drill. This means the carbon mould (head + shaft) is essential the same. In my experience (tried 3U4U Braveswords, MX's), the balance was a total crapshoot, sometimes even the 4U had a higher balance point than the 3U sometimes. But the interesting thing is, for the most part, the 4U counterpart always played a bit more flexible than the 3U. So I'm suspecting, could they be using a softer grade shaft for the 4U's, or perhaps a shaft with a more hollowed center?

Li ning: I haven't tried

Yonex: Tried an Armortec 700 (original) 3U and 4U. From the few times I've tried them, the extra weight seemed to be more evenly distributed to head, shaft, and handle. Because the head-heaviness and overall balance felt similar, but the racket felt heavier. Stiffness was similar, but the power shots felt more solid, possibly due to more material on the head.
 
If the weight was only added and reducted from the handle I couldn't see how 3u rackets could be claimed as more powerful than 4u.

Also all 4u rackets would have a higher balance point which is not the case from the data I've seen on this thread.

I would think there's some difference to the weight of the head to create a power disparity.
 
I think you're probably right about the handle

But there are people on BC who definitely reported some victor 4U's to have a wider hole in the wooden grips than the 3U's. Maybe they measure the carbon mould's weights before gluing the handle, and then put lighter handles to control the final weights if need be?

But have people noticed any difference in shaft stiffness as well? This is really my biggest question for victors - whether 4U's feel at all more flexible than the 3u's.

People usually say the 3U feel more solid than 4U, and we assume the weight has been distributed equally to the racket. This would mean around 5 grams have been distributed equally to the head, shaft, grip, which means, around 2 grams have been added to the head, shaft, and the grip. If not, that means on average the 3U have a different balance point than the 4U (assuming we're talking about a manufacturer with a good QC like Yonex Japan Factories).
 
The difference between 4U and 3U rackets is not always exactly 5 grams. It could be only 3 grams but it just means a racket slips into a different weight category. 1g off the head, 0.5g off the shaft, 1g off the handle and you could easily go from a respectable 3U (87g) to heavy 4U (84.5g) You could probably achieve that with sandpaper and a bucket of elbow grease.

As paint has weight so could more paint be added to alter the balance and total weight? Also, the weight saving could be in different places for different manufacturers or even the racket range. The mind boggles.

I have played around with lead tape and even 1g is quite obvious. You can't easily hide it under paint or stickers. Therefore, the visual difference between a 4U and 3U should be easier to spot unless the weight is removed internally???

Difference between astrox99 3U and 4U
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I think it just plain simple as production error but it still in acceptable value.
Its hard to maintain the very same spec in all of product especially in a large batch production. Machine error, mould wear/teardown, human error affect the result.

So having a product that vary in a wide range will look bad for them, so instead they hid it with 3U or 4U category & claim the minor error would be +2 or -2. It would be easier to paint the product following the nearest spec rather try to maintain the quality in the production line. Tho with all the technology nowadays, they would be able to minimize the error & get more accurate spec.
 
i'm reading some reviews from other sites, including someone reviewing a nanoflare 700 4u and 5u (both with same setup, measured 4.6 grams apart which is decent QC)... and apparently he preferred the 5u because it felt stiffer! Not sure if anyone felt the lighter version was stiffer for the other yonex rackets.
 
I have measure the exact same racket model and same weight grade, and there are differences. Just go to any racket store with a scale and you will usually find 2-3 gram differences for the same U!

composite racket is a combination of rolled carbon soaked in resin, it is hard to control exactly the weight. the 2-3 gram is just 2-3% variation.

I have a Yonex cab20 U (1U!) which I think was just a off spec outlier but since it measured that way, they just labeled it so.
 
I have a 4U racket which I love the most. This racket is fantastic when play with plastic. When I use it to play with feather, all the power is gone. The feather birdie flew much slower. Why does this happen?

Does anyone use 4U with a head heavy racket to get more power when play with feather?
 
you asked the same question elsewhere already. the answer here is not a gibe at you, but in my experience, plastics are more forgiving than feather, and people who have similar issues as you tend to have poor hitting technique.
 
s6edge said:
I have a 4U racket which I love the most. This racket is fantastic when play with plastic. When I use it to play with feather, all the power is gone. The feather birdie flew much slower. Why does this happen?

Does anyone use 4U with a head heavy racket to get more power when play with feather?
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Thats normal - you can hit hard with even a 5u when you play with plastic. The plastic birdie doesn't slow down as much as a feather, so your can get away with a slow but heavy swing, whereas you need to learn how to put snap into your shots to make feathers travel fast. Swinging to play with feather generally requires more power and endurance to hit hard when compared to plastic.
 
s6edge said:
My simple question is, Will a 3U generate a little more power against feathers compare to the 4U? Assuming the technique is the same level.
Click to expand...
simple answer : yes
But thing are not so simple.
ChocoChipWaffle said:
Yes

But some 4u have more head weight than a 3u. For instance, astrox 88d 4u will hit harder than a nanoflare 800 3u, because it has more head weight.
Click to expand...
this for example.

Being a 3U HH user, i can say:
3U HH racket indeed give more power compare to 4U HH or 3U balance racket. Consider we mortal dont have insane explosive swing like the pros. The added swing weight really help alot. But....
1. To be able to swing this kind of sledge hammer racket you need more strength to give the initial push. Not sure if im the last few decendant of Hercules:rolleyes: but not many of my friend like my 3U HH racket, mostly the prefer 4U HH racket.
2. 3U HH racket are not a lazy racket. Put down your racket & you definitely having trouble for the next shot & this is the most common bad habit among beginner & even intermediate player.
3. 3U HH racket do give power but it also double edge sword. Its after swing force are so great that would be hard to do consecutive fast shot. To overcome this you need to learn to shift your gripping up & down. If you are unable to hit consistently then doing it would makes your consistency worst as you racket basically getting longer & shorter depend on where you hold it.

For my suggestion, try to improve your technique rather than worrying about racket. For example myself.
Im physically strong & fit coz im sport freak man. Do alot of sport when im young (basketball, football, etc). 1st time an advance player i meet tech me how to clear. He feed me clear for 10-15 minute & my face turn white (out of breath, getting dizzy). For someone like me to be exhausted like that... Crazy eeh...:eek:. When he show me the proper technique & im able to master it, turn out not exhausting at all.

So i can say
Doing the right technique would cost you like 10% power & give you 100% result.
Doing the wrong way, it will cost you like 50-100% power yet just give you 50%-80% result.
 
Yeah, heavier doesn't necessarily mean more power, since there are so many factors that contribute to racket power

- frame shape (boxier frames have more power than aerodynamic, sharper frames)
- shaft stiffness (stiffer shafts have a higher ceiling but it's less accessible)
- materials and technology used in racket
- how high of a modulus the graphite is


And on top of all that, how the racket fits your swing is the most important. From my experience, after trying to analyze my swing and trying to find my perfect racket based on specs of rackets, I concluded the best way to find the racket most suitable for you is just trying the racket out yourself. There's a limit to how much you can guess based on specifications written in the racket catalog. The racket that I found most suitable for me, after buying and selling a half dozen, was not necessarily the one best suited for me in theory. Specifications, however, helps narrow down your choices significantly.
 
Im kinda doubt manufacturer intended to makes differentiation on weight.
Im more convinced that at 1st it was their way to workaround manufacturing fault. Well you know, Badminton racket are pretty light weight unlike Tennis & between 3U,4U,5U are just 5gr difference.
So when the final product happen to be heavier, they paint it 3U. Its easier to paint than to manufacture perfect product.

But now with more advance tech, Sensor, Artificial inteligence, robotics, & all manufacturer able to create much better product with very little margin error. But as 3U/4U/5U had become common to us, its now easy to wipe them out. People still looking for 4U 88D or 3U 88S, never we search for 88D/S only.
 
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