I have been playing with my beloved Arc 11 for the past 1 year and I love it. I only play doubles and my strengths are clears, smashes and fast net play with solid defense. Arc 11 has been a very good racket so far and am thinking of getting a decent back up for it. What do you guys recommend? I dont want a drastically different racket - would like to stick with a similar one so I dont have a tough time adjusting. I have been hearing a lot about Victor BS 12. Any opinions on this ?
My recommendation is always to just buy a second of the same racquet as a backup, but if you really want something new, I think the jetspeed 12 from victor is probably closer to the arcsaber 11 than the bravesword 12 is. I found bravesword 12 lighter and more flexible than the arcsaber 11. Kinda like an arcsaber 7 to be honest. Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Second this completely. If you don't want to get a second Arc11 and if you're tending towards Victor, JS12 is indeed the one which is closest to Arc11 IMO. The 3U carries more weight in the head than an Arc11, so I would say that you will be on the safe side with the 4U.
If ARC11 was the perfect racket for you, and you play at tournaments or league, everything which is not an ARC11 isn't smart. If ARC11 failed in one department or more, you should sell it and buy 2 rackets which suits you better. I never understand these jumping on the new toys for collection...If I choose a new racket, it must catch me and beat my go-to otherwise I stick with my go-to. Never understand people who buy the closest racket to their go-to from a different brand at same price level.
Thank you for your opinion. I guess I should clarify. I have never really used a different racket once I started playing more seriously. Maybe back up to ARC11 is not the right question.
I can totally understand wanting to have a variety of rackets but also agree that for every day use, you're better off having multiple of a racket that you really like. Having said that, life is about variety and none of us play for money so really there's not much on the line but pride. To each their own. I suggest both approaches if you can afford it. I went through many rackets until I got the mx80 a few years ago and loved it. So I bought 2 more of them. That didn't stop me from buy any other rackets though. Right now I'm really liking the duora 10. Gimmicky or not, it works for me. As I get older I find I'm leaning more towards 4U rackets as well Life is about change and trying new things. You don't have just 10 sets of the same clothes right?
In which area the ARC11 don't shine for you and what would you change if you can? Maybe you find what you are looking for not in the new BC biased trickpony JS12... I don't play for money, but I play for winning every game, rising a league higher with my team again etc. For this aims, which are not earning money but don't mean they are less important, changing to a different racket during the middle of 2nd set, because of string breakage is to me a pure nightmare. My racket is my tool for my game, but what I wear everyday has a different purpose which is less important and not a sensitive thing. Maybe I'm a freak, but I don't want to ask myself during a league game or tournament which racket should I pick up etc. I want to be focused on my game and this means to answer any disturbing question in my head before I stand on court.
and for your situation, you've done what most pros do..... have many of the same racket. That makes sense..... but don't make it seem like a bad thing if someone wants to try something new. Maybe he just plays for fun on club nights? We all play for different reasons, at different levels and different intensity. I do think the title of the thread referencing a "back up" was maybe the wrong word choice as it confused many
You are lucky, I cannot even find a spare backup to my Cab20sp !!! The shops do not sell them anymore finally have to resort to trying out Lethal 10 as a backup.
After reading all the different threads, I'm more confused than before. Like stated before, I'm trying to find a replacement and not a backup. I'm torn between js10 vs js 12 vs bs 12 and unfortunately I don't have a store anywhere to try these out. What would you guys recommend? I'm not a wrist player however I do have a decent smash using a lot of power. My fast play is my biggest strength. Which of the victor rackets will suit me best?
Mate, it's impossible for us to answer this question for you. I depends on so many little things in your technique and playing style. And most important: It's the way a certain rackets feels in your own hands if you will like it or not. All we can do is to tell you the differences in specs and based on our own perceptions of the rackets in question. And that's what I'm going to do: JS10: To me, the best racket on this planet. The undisputed king of fast game and stick/half/wrist-smashes. Incredibly fast, stiffer shaft and smaller head than JS12/BS12. Coming from Arc11 you shouldn't have big issues with its stiffness though. Still it will be a totally different racket with a totally different swing timing compared to the Arc11 - so switching rackets might cause some timing issues. For the big full-on smashes, I expect the Arc11 to pack a tad more punch. But in fact that's a question of having a matching technique. JS12: Closest to the Arc11 in terms of speed an balance. Shaft is more flexible than JS10 and Arc11 which makes it a bit easier to use. Stiffer than BS12, but slower than JS10 and BS12. More solid feel on impact than JS10. If you are in doubt and want to make a safe choice, than it would be JS12 in 4U which is a great compromise between the best features of all three rackets in question. BS12: More flexible than Arc11, JS10 and JS12 which puts it farthest away from your Arc11 I would say. Some love exactly that flexibility since it makes it very easy to get length in defence shots. Personally, I found it too flexible and I had the feeling that the head lagged too far behind the rest of the racket, especially during fast drives. Less punch on smashes than all the other candidates. Speed: Arc11=JS12<<BS12<JS10 Flex: Arc11=JS10<JS12<BS12 Punch: BS12<JS10<JS12=Arc11 You want the most radical one and take some risk? JS10 it is. You want the safest one? JS12 4U it is. You want to get a true flexible classic? BS12 it is. But again - all based on my subjective experience.
Problem is, even a guy who has played all of the mentioned rackets Wong be able to give you a proper answer. I for one only posess the js12 wich i like very much (though i have some trouble with it in the last two weeks) I was considering all your three choices myself so i can give you some insight how i have chosen. Js10 has a smaler Frame and is very stiff, so while i was looking forward to play one the fastest rackets ever build, i was unsure in my own skills to control it. Bs12 was likely to chose, but i was hearing about it beeing fragile, breaking easy and people who could not get any power from it. So i went with the js12 since it seemed the allrounder for me.
I can't recommend JS12 unless the sinking grommets problem have been fixed. My JS12 is still in good condition (albeit a lot of paint chips) but my friend's already cracked without any clash. His tension never went above 25 lbs. JS12 used to be my go to racket until I switched to Lining's n7ii. Easy-to-use racket but looking back, it does not offer anything special. I never like my JS10. Maybe because I am too used to playing with 3U rackets. Does it have to be victor rackets? Lining makes a lot of exciting rackets (n7ii, n9ii, n90iv). I can't shake the cheap feeling from the top end victor rackets (esp BS12).
HX900 felt pretty similar to Arc11 for me https://badminton-coach.co.uk/8710/victor-hypernano-x-900-badminton-racket-review/
