Some story This racket is super duper popular and in super high demand that victor TH stocks literally ran out. I'm also in the market for a "speed - control" type racket as well and my senior who own 4 of 100X rackets tout this racket to be "Best speed-control type racket in the market and BS12 is not even close to this racket" so I decided to pull the trigger. My current racket: Victor Auraspeed 100X (Victor VBS 66 Nano 26lbs) Victor Jetspeed S12 ii (Li-ning No.1 Boost 27 lbs) Jnice Black Panther 4U (Exbolt63 26.5 lbs) I own and operate badminton court for rent in Rayong, Thailand, I play + train 6 days a week to rapidly increase my skill since I just started playing when I open my own badminton court (6 months ago). Specs Victor Auraspeed 100X 2022 Power Ring Weight (with Victor grip and without string): 84.1 grams Swing weight: 83 kg Balance point (with Victor grip and without string): 298mm Shaft: rated as stiff Initial Thoughts - Confident - Lighter in hand - Superfast through the air Swinging 100X through the air feels light and swift which is weird since the balance point is 300mm, I thought it should swing a bit slower than BS12, surprisingly it swings as fast as BS12. I will be comparing 100X with BS12 a lot since both rackets are built of similar purposes which are "racket that is easy to play with and racket that have extreme speed" 100X frame is not as aerodynamic as BS12 but it doesn't make the swing feels any slower. Clears Anyone that have played with BS12 before will understand that "smooth feeling". Clears are effortless. I have to adjust my power on clear a bit since on my warm-up I overshoot the court every time I hit. Back hand clears are now super easy. Drives On drive situation this racket is a BEAST. The repulsion I get from this racket is insane and the handling speed is super good too. You can basically drive and keep pressure while walking forward since this racket will make you be able to keep up with the speed. This racket is built for dominating the frontcourt. 100X have more repulsion than my Jetspeed S12ii. Smash Even though this racket is classified as a "speed" racket. This guy packs a punch on smashes, this racket not gonna give you super hard and heavy smashes like 88D pro or TK-F SE. What this racket provides you are solid and effortless smashes. I would say 100X smashes are "fast" but not "heavy", front - midcourt smashes are killer. Rear court smashes are good but not as deadly as my old trusty Jnice Black Panther. You probably won't be able to brute force your way through with rear court smash like 88D pro if your opponents got decent defense. But this got better smashes than BS12, if you like BS12 but wanted more smashing power from it. 100X will do the job. Defense With insane repulsion and good handling speed. This racket is great at defense. 100X gave me a shot that I don't have before which is the drive counter if the opponent smashes trajectory doesn't point downward, I will be able to drive it straight back to the smasher which he/she doesn't have a chance to reply, or I can just smash the shuttle back if the timing is right as well, super satisfying. Control This racket is one of the best in control department IMO. Super easy to guide the shuttle to where you want it to go. The racket doesn't have that "hold time" that Arc 11 pro have but you normally wont need that much holds time if you're not a player who likes deceptive shots anyway. Because the racket is on the lighter side. the "double-action" or hold flick shots are easier than ever for me. Mishits The reason why I'm now a Victor fanboy is because of the free-core tech. The unwanted vibration-absorbing is super good for both elbow and shoulder. Don't misunderstand, this technology wont make your mishits fly better. It only makes your body feels less awful when you mishit which is what I think everyone will be ok with. 100X is an excellent choice for all-around players that are looking for a racket that provides great speed, ease of play, and decent power. 100X will now be my replacement for Jetspeed S12ii when I play male double and I will still use my Jnice for mixed double since I will primarily be in the rear court, but will change to 100X on my bad day or when I'm not 100% healthy. If you're more of a power smasher, I would suggest TK-F SE or 88D pro instead since you will find 100X lacking in power and that "oomph" when you smash. For those who's in the market for 88S type of racket, I think you should give 100X a chance. For those who's looking for BS12, just buy 100X instead.
This review came out perfectly as I'm contemplating on buying new racket. I currently own two of the three rackets you have. In the Jetspeed 12ii and BP 4U. I've taken a liking to my jetspeed alot more recently and it's been suffering a few mishits so I'm worried it may give up on me all of a sudden. Would you say the 100x is similar to the jetspeed?
100X is lighter than Jetspeed S12ii. I would say smashing wise 100X and Jetspeed S12ii have the same power but Jetspeed S12ii is a bit more whippy, so 100X is kinda more consistent for me when I went 100% on smashing. Jetspeed S12ii is sometimes too whippy and my smashing went shallow through and out of the court on me. only thing that Jetspeed S12ii is better for me is the defence situation where I need to do cross court return which that "whippy" helps, but that's about it. I would say if you're think of picking between 100X and JetS12ii. I would pick 100X if you're physically strong since you have to use a bit more power of smashes than Jet S12ii to produce decent smash and there will be a certain point where you swing JetS12ii too fast and the head cant catch up in time causing me to miss and hit the top area of the racket which feels awful and sometimes it produced that fly smash that just rocket off the court. if you have anymore questions feel free to ask, I'm not native English speaker so my grammars and explanation will be a bit vague. But will try my best to explain.
Have you played any single matches with 100x? i'm looking to use 1 racket for all disciplines, would 100x work? The only difference will be that I will get the 3u version. So maybe a bit better for singles. Beside this how are the faster drop shots when you cut the shuttle to slow down, Dont really know the english word for it, when you slice your dropshots to put your opponents off.
4U version is not suitable for singles for sure. Unfortunately, 3U version are not available in Thailand. But according to specs, 3U version should do great in both singles and doubles. I've tried both the Yuta jump drop shots (Yuta Watanabe go to drop) and reverse slice drop shots. Everything came out easy especially the Yuta's drop shot. 100X is easy to handle, so control and deception type of players will like it.
Jetspeed also 4U yes. Using 3U I found myself losing in terms of fast exchange so I only play 4U rackets.
Is the shaft of the 100x same or shorter then the 12ii? Also what was the final BP / Weight after strung and grip of the 100x vs the 12ii? I remember from your Jetspeed review it was around 92.5g with your setup which is pretty heavy for a 4U. Tried a friends 100x 4U signature edition tonight. Its quite a well rounded racket but not excellent in everything. But my other friend who has the newer power ring version says that theirs is lighter and more powerful then their signature edition and completely swapped over. Not sure if its just hype/victor tech / quality control with weight and bp. Gotta try sometime this week.
Yeah, I'm wondering this too. Gonna be visiting my parents in Thailand soon and will probably look to buy a racquet while I'm there. I've been wanting the 11 pro, but the Ars100x also looks really interesting. @Zoap San do you have experience vs nanoflare 800 or 88s? Since those are my main racquets, I am very curious.
I would assume. The NF800 would be better in swing speed. But then again I found my NF800 being too light and fast for me. That's why I sold it. The compact frame was also a little unforgiving. 88S is pretty similar to the Black Panther 4U. Perhaps lacking a tiny bit in smashing power Comparing to the Black Panther. But trust racket overall.
Great timing! My friend just brought Arc 11 pro yesterday so I've got a chance to try it for 30 min. Arc 11 pro (String BG 66 Ultimax 26 lbs) Victor 100X (Lining No.1 27 lbs) Power 100X is better in term of smashes compared to Arc 11 pro. Not to mention 100X got a better feeling too or maybe I'm just not used to the hold time that Arc 11 pro is known for. Speed 100X is way better in fast exchange like drives. 100X got better repulsion. Ease of play Even though arc 11 pro is said to have a bigger sweet spot, I don't really feel it. 100X clears are easier and I don't need to put as much effort compared to arc 11 pro. Mishits feels a lot worst in arc 11 pro than 100X (maybe because of free core). Shaft Stiffness wise, both are close while holding. But 100x feels smoother while playing. Control I got a better control over the shuttle using arc 11 pro. The hold time is insane, deceptions is easier and there are some shot that I decided to change direction midway through impact and somehow pull it off. Just that I'm not used to the feeling of the shuttle melding into the racket so I feel weird and not confident playing arc 11 pro. I've you're stuck with choosing 100X or Arc 11 pro. My suggestion is to try the racket, if you really don't have a way to then. If you're purely a player who mainly use deception and shuttle placement, go for Arc 11 pro. Anything else I would suggest 100X. Maybe TK-F SE or one of the 88 series for better smashing power.
I only have 5-10 min with NF800 so my thoughts might be different from other players. My thought is that 100X falls between 88S and NF800. Speed : NF800 > 100X > 88S (although NF800 doesn't differ by much, only thing that get NF800 to be faster is the thin frame) Power : 88S > 100X > NF800 Feeling : If you like "smooth" go for 100X , if you like "oomph" feeling go for 88S and if you like "hollow" feeling go for NF800 Control: I can't compare the control since I don't have more than 10 min with NF800, but 100X is better at controlling the shuttle than 88S
Would you recommend the 100X or 90s for power/clears and which is easier to use? Is the 100X slimmer and compact frame?
Unfortunately, I only have 3-4 hours with 90S so I my opinion might differs from 90S users. 100X and 90S have similar swing weight at 82.5-83 Kg. This makes both racket super easy to play with, clears both are easy. 100X feels lighter in hand but I found that 90S is faster through the air. 100X edges 90S out in ease of play because of the free-core tech and power ring, makes 100X super smooth with little to no unwanted vibration. Smashing power wise, 90S have a bit more power than 100X. On hard smash 100X might feel too "hollow" for smashers but you'll get used to it. Unfortunately 90S production stopped, so we won't be able to find 90S 1st hand in the future unless they restock it somehow. since you're choosing 100X or 90S, I would assume you'll be mostly operate in mid to front court anyway. I would recommend 100X, since the smashing power doesn't differ much. If you really want racket with heavier smash then 90K would suit you better.
Hey man how can you tell if the 100x is the power ring edition? Can you send a photo? Planning to get one
It has the gray transparent clear cone and if u look at it from from the shaft towards the handle u can see a red ring inside. Maybe a flashlight can help as well if you still can't see.
There are no 3U version available in Thailand. So I really cant give you definite answer to that. My play style is kinda all round and speed-oriented so I don't really like heavy racket. 4U smashing power is good enough for me, but if you're a power player then look else where because 100X is def not for pure smashers.
Just received my 100X and sent for stringing. Can't wait to try it out!! My current racket setup: JNICE Black Panther Victor Jetspeed S12 Victor Jetspeed S12 II
