YONEX ASTROX 99 (AX-99)

Discussion in 'Badminton Rackets / Equipment' started by konww002, Jul 2, 2018.

  1. s_mair

    s_mair Regular Member

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    Dude, you seriously need to give a hint when you are so convincingly sarcastic. Now there is a bloody stain on the wall in the shape of my forehead...
     
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  2. hm_andhika

    hm_andhika Regular Member

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    I tested AX99 4U few weeks ago (not mine, i just borrowed it from a friend) and it feels light but the punch doesnt deliver the expected power. I think AX99 more like a control racquet.

    As for the handle size and how you set the grip is a matter of preference and comfort. It will only help to maximize your game but the racquet characters remain the same.
     
  3. j4ckie

    j4ckie Regular Member

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    That is faulty arguing, lots of Bruce Lee fans fell into the same trap and confused kinetic energy with momentum, and while the equation is correct, you calculate momentum and transfer impulse (i.e. MOM = mv). I'll leave a link explaining those for anyone interested.

    I would never in a million years trust the Yonex marketing department to explain any vaguely scientific concept.
     
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  4. j4ckie

    j4ckie Regular Member

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    The 2 most important factors when you hit the shuttle are the racket head speed and its mass. Multiplied, they give you the momentum of the racket head. There's other factors involved as well (example: the athlete continuing to exert force/torque to the racket handle, which can decrease the deceleration of the racket head as it makes contact with the shuttle), but they are not as important as the aforementioned ones.
    A helpful way to picture the racket is to look at the shaft as a storage for kinetic energy or impulse - mechanically you can describe it as a spring. Different from most mechanical applications though, neither end of this spring is fixed in space, and this is where your acceleration comes in. If you take two rackets of different stiffness, hold their head in place, and apply torque to the grip, they will bend differently - the stiffer one bends less. However, they store the same amount of energy, and release the same amount of energy when you let go of the head.
    When you hit a shuttle, however, the racket head is not fixed in space. So how do you bend the shaft? The intertia of the racket head basically acts as a force resisting acceleration, while you accelerate the racket by moving the handle (a mix of linear and angular movement). That means that the racket shaft will store kinetic energy if you accelerate the racket fast enough - the inertia of the racket head will "want to" keep it in place, while you want to move it forwards. Once the accelerating force is smaller than the inertia of the racket head, the shaft will start to unbend and accelerate the racket head in the process. This is where it gets tricky. For maximum racket head speed, you want to contact the shuttle as the shaft is juuuust about to be perfectly straight again, as it will start to decelerate once it bends forward. I will not go into details here, partially because I would have to spend even more time doodling out equations and stuff and even then couldn't give any definitive answer, but the factors influencing this are numerous. Head weight (determining the inertia of the racket head), shaft stiffness (determining the stiffness of the spring you use to mechanically describe this), accelerating force (basically the athlete's explosive strength, which is not constant throughout the motion) all influence this.
    What you can take away is that - generally speaking - a softer shaft will still yield results with slower, larger swing motions, whereas stiffer rackets require a hard, usually more compact swing (as they start to unbend more quickly) in order to actually help your power output. One of the results is that a softer racket can be easier to use, as they help slower shots like clears more, whereas stiffer racket will be more reactive and might give a slight edge on the smash. That being said, a lot of players use too stiff a racket because it's what pros use and because it's the top model....me included, although in my case it's a conscious trade-off for better control (especially drives and stick smashes), since my smash is nothing to write home about anyway :D
     
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  5. llrr

    llrr Regular Member

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    My apologies!
     
  6. Yong

    Yong Regular Member

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    I wonder what the shuttle impact actually adds to this equation.. imagining that hitting the 5 gram object will result in deceleration (managing to decelerate a racket after a complete mishit on a smash attemp would be awkward/painful). Could the racket characteristics help to decelerate the shuttle more on impact (maybe the holdingtime theory) compared to other rackets, giving an advantage and thus less human effort in deceleration?
    Sorry if i talk nonsense, not my particular area :D
     
  7. Rob3rt

    Rob3rt Regular Member

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    Tried the 4UG5 version yesterday. Didn't feel too stiff to me, but very very head-heavy. Not my cup of tea.
     
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  8. j4ckie

    j4ckie Regular Member

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    Theoretically, yes. The racket head flexing inwards more or less can have an effect on the time the shuttle spends on the strings, as does the tension of the strings. How much this would change about the shuttle speed and thus racket deceleration, I can't say. At all. I'm guessing it's not all that much, but I could be wrong, it's just a gut feeling :D
    If the heads of two rackets were indeed deforming differently in such a fashion that they had different contact times with the shuttle at the same string tension, you could adjust accordingly with a difference in string tension though.
     
  9. Carbonex_7

    Carbonex_7 Regular Member

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    LOL, Al Bundy, my all time favorite.
     
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  10. s_mair

    s_mair Regular Member

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    Ever watched "Modern Family"? If not, then do it NOW!!! The funniest TV show ever IMO. One of the reasons is that tiny pinch of Al Bundy in each scene with Ed O'Neill in it.
     
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  11. Micael

    Micael Regular Member

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    Little question for you guys that tried AX88S, AX88D and AX99 in 4U. How does the feeling, power and speed differ from each other from a backcourt standpoint in doubles?
    At the moment I enjoy 4U rackets a bit more than 3U for the extra speed and enjoy my 88s extra punch compared to my 4U JS10 but I’m wondering how the 88D and 99 compare. Is there a lot of difference and does the full namd 99 makes any difference and as a 4U is the 99 even viable for doubles or it’s rly head heavy and should be left for singles mostly?
     
  12. Ch1k0

    Ch1k0 Regular Member

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    Oh that's easy. 99, 88D, 88S in descending order of power. The 99 is the most unwieldy due to the sheer head weight but it is not unusable. It would be akin to saying the ZFII isn't usable. It is however not recommended IMO. I could cope with it in doubles of similar or higher skill level but more often than not I found myself blocking smashes more than lifting.

    Sent from my LG-H930 using Tapatalk
     
  13. LinHalu

    LinHalu Regular Member

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    I'll say that I can use the 3U AX99 for doubles, its fast enough to use doubles (and that is also the case for a 3U ZF2), but it really depends on what type of player you are when it comes to doubles. I normally am the back court player (I play mixed doubles, and I'm male) so it fits me well. So, if I dont have any problems with manouverability for 3U I'm guessing I would be very comfortable with a 4U AX99, but it really depends on you.

    I've also tried 4U 88D in the days where i still used 4U, its really quick and neat, also has some good power packed into it. Despite feeling really head heavy, it is still quick enough for fast play in doubles and really enjoyed using it.

    I don't know about you, but I prefer 3U models even in doubles (looking fwd to getting 3U 88D), but I'll assure you would love to use a 4U 99 in doubles!!
     
  14. ucantseeme

    ucantseeme Regular Member

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    I personally think that it really depends what level of doubles and mixed doubles somebody play. If you play lower level where you opponents more clear, lift and lob and smashs are not dangerous and their best return of serve is the lift to the backhand corner you can really play a sledhehammer and win with the first or second smash the rally. If you play at a level where each player on court don't want to lift and keep it flat and play to prevent the opponent from smashing and controlling the rally, a sledgehammer become less important. I wouldn't chase somebody with a battle axe carrying over a mountain to slay him. I never bet everything on power, my opponents will have something against it, that I control the rally and smash like a berzerk.
     
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  15. LinHalu

    LinHalu Regular Member

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    well...my ax99 FINALLY has sinking issues:/

    that marks the end of my bumpy ride with the ax99. looking elsewhere for options now...might end up w/ 88d or n99, or stay with my good ol' zf2 till AX-Z comes out.

    or...i might get another ax99, with a different set up this time... 25lbs/27lbs BG80P or good ol' BG66F.
     
  16. ucantseeme

    ucantseeme Regular Member

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    Sorry to hear. Really annoying to hear sinking on 27lbs jobs after such a short time. It seems that after Victor, Yonex also try to outplay themself. Will make a lot easier for Li Ning to get a bigger piece of the cake.
     
  17. LinHalu

    LinHalu Regular Member

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    literally cried cos 200$ just went in the bin.
    WHY.... TT
     
  18. LinHalu

    LinHalu Regular Member

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    Wish:
    Li Ning's durability
    Yonex Solid Feel+RGS

    pls pls AX-Z PLS hv both of these...
     
  19. ucantseeme

    ucantseeme Regular Member

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    Go with LN and BG80. Solid feel and superb durability.
     
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  20. swsh

    swsh Regular Member

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    Surprising. My 88s had no issues despite me being unreasonable with my tensions. Guess me skipping 99 was a blessing in disguise afterall.

    Thanks real life issues.
     

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