Yo, I'm looking at picking up two rackets this week, one of which will be the N55-III (as it's basically a newer version of the original N90). I also want to pick up another frame to try out, one with a more aerodynamic profile. I'm looking at the N80-2 and N90-3. The N90-3 seems to be more head heavy, but the flex seems to be similar between the two according to specs. So far the upside is that the N80-2 would be easier for me to string. I play a mix of singles and doubles, and play a movement/rally game. My smash isn't my killer shot, I generally have to build up to it to make the best use of placement and power. I prefer the front and rear court as against the mid court, and make more use of full smashes than stick smashes. While I can use stiff rackets such as the ZF2, I prefer my rackets to have a little more give and flex in them. I always play with HH rackets these days. Previous rackets include: N50-3, ZF2 4U, Z-Speed, N90, TK9000, Ashaway Sonic Pro 99, Titan (briefly), Voltric 0, Voltric TR So yes, between the N80-2 and N90-3, which do you think I should pick? Keep in mind I will also be buying an N55-3.
The N80-II is quite a bit head heavier than the N90-III. Could you explain your reasoning behind buying two different models? It seems to be better to have at least 2 identical racquets. What do you generally like in a racquet? Btw, I only use the ZF2 3U and N90III and I feel that the ZF2 is the more flexible of the two... if more flexible is what you're looking for, N90III is not much more flexible IMO.
Naah, the N90-III is head-heavier than the N80-II. The N80-II is 298 mm and the N90-III 302 mm iirc. Also the ZFII is no way more flexible than the N90III, but I already told you in the "Li Ning rackets fan club". No offense, but are you sure your ZFII is genuine?
I stand corrected re. the head heaviness, I mixed up the two accidentally. I tried it out for a few minutes and it seemed pretty heavy to me. Yep, I bought it from an authorized dealer. It feels flexible because of the considerably greater swing mass, I can feel the head moving alot. That being said, I train my forearms quite a bit (wall drills for an hour most days).
The reason for two different models is: 1) So far the best racket for me has been the N90. I consider the N55-III a safe choice, given it's basically an N90 with airstream. 2) I am always open to improvement on my likes, tastes, and performance. 3) I have never broken a racket, and rarely break strings. A second racket isn't... particularly necessary for me.
I borrowed N90 III from a friend of mine. It is quite heavy at 303mm-ish. The racket is quite flexible. I am quite certain it is more flexible than my AS11. Recently I got my N80 II (finally). No, it is not as head heavy as N90 III. It is a bit stiffer than AS11 I think. Both rackets are easy to use. But I would give N90 III slight edge here due to its flexibility. If you like N55 III, I think you might want to consider N80 II. Both of them are quite similar in terms of flexibility of the rackets.
If you don't mind, in what way does the racquet feel flexible to you? I'm getting a bit confused. The original N90 has a nice, clean "pop" to it when doing drives while the N55III feels incredibly muted and sluggish in comparison.
So the N55-3 and N90-3 are quite similar? But the N55-3 has less feeling than the original N90? N80-2 is stiffer than the N90-3, but the N90-3 is about the same as the N55-3. Part of the reason for the 55-3 is, I liked the N50-III a lot, and the 55 seems to combine elements from the 50 and original N90. It doesn't seem like a losing combo. The consensus so far seems to be the N90-III and N55-III play similarly, so it's only worth buying one or the other. I guess that persuades me towards the N80-2.
i have N9, N50-iii currently. Had n55-iii, n90-iii in the past. Are you looking to pick up the rackets from directbadminton? coz they're selling them for like 100 pounds each. At this price it's ok to try them for sure. For me it went like this: N55-iii was the head-heaviest, even more head heavy than n90-iii. I dont see it suitable for doubles. N90-iii didn't feel very stiff, definitely less stiff than zf2, less head-heavy too. But still pretty head-heavy, hard to wield in fast doubles game. Didn't see any advantages of the sharpened frame (still dont see any in my N9 as well), the only one being more durable in the clashes - it's like a sword that's more likely to kill the opposing racket than to crack itself ) N55-iii died instantly on the first clash, by the way. And i don't see any perks of the airstream system also. I really hate li-ning stuff for being very much alike on paper, but feeling quite different in real life. It goes for Victor as well. Yonex chart is much more honest in this respect, you basically get what you expect to get.
N90 III is not really flexible. But, compared to AS11, it is more flexible, at least the N90 III I had borrowed. I tested the flex by bending the racket. But again, this is what I feel. N80-2 is stiffer than the N90-3, and N55-3 is stiffer than N80-2. Stiffness IMO N55-3 > N80-2 > N90-3. HH N55-3 > N90-3 > N80-2. N55-3 is a juggernaut, the heaviest of all li-ning rackets I have tried.
yeah that's exactly in line with my impressions as well. I feel keen to try the n80-ii, but i can't see any point buying it, don't see it being that different from my N9 (which i don't really like).
no, i'm kinda leaning towards less head-heavy stuff... have the duo10, it's slightly less head-heavy (than n9) and a tad stiffer (but not as stiff as arc11) - works much better for me. And want to try duo7 for doubles) Thank for the advice though.
I corrected my post, wrote something wrong there. N55-3 is stiffer than N80-2 and N80-2 is stiffer than N90-3.
I dont know if it is because of its lower headweight. It is stiff, but not that stiff. N99 feels stiffer when you play it. When you bend N90-3, it feels stiff, but when you play with it, it feels soft. But this is my opinion, people might disagree.
The N90-III feels soft, because it bends easily during the first few degrees. However, it does not flex excessively if you apply a very large amount of force. Basically, what I mean is that the racquet feels flexible with soft shots but doesn't compromise accuracy with strong power shots. I found the N99 to be excessively flexible possibly because I am used to the ZF2, whose shaft I can also bend easily. I dislike racquets that are flexible to the point of compromising the intended trajectory and placement of the shot. When I am playing tough opponents who are quick around the court and fast with the racquet, I will have little choice but to hit a hard smash very close to the sidelines. With the N90III and ZF2, I am able to do this consistently while the N99 is *much* less precise.
