Hey BC, I play the Li-Ning N7II since January 2018 and it served me well since now. Shout out to @Ch1k0 for the recommendation. After nearly 6 years I think it is time for something new. Own 4 N7II, they are all still in good conditions, each racket had 20-30 stringing jobs and to be honest I could also still use it forever due the outstanding quality. Actually I have the feeling that I want to buy something new. Why? There is no logical reason behind it. I feel that the N7II lacks a bit on feel and control on softer shots and pushs. Maybe it is just me. What I'm looking for: 41-42g headweight strung, 38-38.5g dry I don't care about 3U or 4U, headweight is important Grip length is also important (200mm and above, I play mainly doubles) no compact, we all get older, gain weight which becomes harder to loose 76 holes pattern, nothing fancy, nothing oldschool shaft shouldn't be too stiff. I liked the N7II shaft, very slightly stiffer is okay, much stiffer not, more flexible not Li-Ning or Yonex (Yeah I know here are lovers of the most unknown brands, but I want to buy here instore, use a racket for a longer time so availability and easy to get for a few years is important) Grip Size S1 or S2, G4 or G5 I also observed the market a bit and Arcsaber 11 pro or tour should tick this boxes, right? I have also a crush on the Axforce 80, but don't know if the 3U or 4U suits better. It seems 4U is too light, 3U too heavy. Axforce 70 seems headwise better as 4U, but more flexible? Maybe too flexible? I also seen some Halbertecs...8000, 9000, 5000. 8000 seems too stiff, and 5000 too flexible, waiting for the 9000. If Axforce 90 Dragon tick also all boxes I need to decide if this gorgeous paint job convience me to buy a 72 holes one, but 76 is for me as important as the grip length. About me: I play mainly XD, MD. I'm not the big gun, but have some talent for placement and variations according to friends and club mates. I can play backcourt and frontcourt depending on partner. I can smash, but know that I don't will hit instant winners, others hit harder than me. I would describe me as a controlled attacking player. In short I look for something which don't slow me down on fast and flat game, but still give me enough weight for overhead shots. Mainly I'm looking for a good racket which is not too extreme in any department, an allrounder. Not too light, not too heavy, not too stiff, not too flexible and quite versatile or universal if this makes sense. At the end if the market don't have something for me, I will stick to the N7II instead of buying something which don't satisfy me in the long run, because I can also wait 1-2 years longer.
Mizuno Caliber S Pro, might be difficult to find but it is pretty cheap in India(₹7000/US$85), feels premium, adequately stiff, perfect for my game and most importantly even balance. Comes in 4U and man can I not let this go off me. It has a very unique swing sound. I would have recommended you the TKFE 4U but that freecore makes it feel flexible, even though the shaft is stiff.
Also whatever you do pick in the end, pair it with the Exbolt65. That has been a game changer for me mostly in the feel department as it just sounds amazing, and even though I have juggled through a pretty hefty amount of racquets by now, that is going to stay( prev LN1 user).
Thanks. I don't want to import rackets. Mizuno is not available here and with custom, taxes and shipping costs it turn out expensive and can't get my hands on it before. Also resell value is low if they don't suit me. Was long term Victor user and I reported often why Victor rackets are no option anymore. BTW does anybody know something about sinking issues on the Arc11 Pro or Tour? Thanks for the hint with the Exbolt. I have still a few restrings on my reel of No.1 and no issues to restock. I have also two sets of N63 to try. I will keep it in mind.
Good luck with your search. I’m already curious as hell what you will end up with. What a shame once again that Adidas pulled the plug on their badminton adventure. You would have been happy with something from the Kalkül range, I’m sure of it.
Thanks. Tbh my guts tell me that I must stick with the N7II. If you use a racket for such a long time and bought multiple times you have high expectations for a new racket. That's not an easy task. The swing weights by various shops don't help me much because the results for the same racket differs. Adidas handles were too short for my liking and was never interested in their rackets due these special grommets. To be fair at the Arc11 Pro and Tour this also bother me.
Funny enough I had the same discussion with a club mate using the N9II for a couple of years now. And that thing is bruised and battered like crazy but without any serious cracks or sinking. My recommendation for him: Play with it as long as it’s possible! I just don’t see any logical replacement anywhere in the market. N7II/N9II were the pinnacle of Li-Ning racket design. @everybody: Feel free to correct me if I’m missing something.
I agree no other racquet from Li Ning comes even close to the N7II/N9II in terms of feel and performance. There’s always something lacking in the other models, whereas these two felt complete, especially the N7II. In the adidas range, it was the Kalkul A3 which felt pretty good for me as it had everything I was looking for but alas the cone felt pretty frustrating for me. Hence I looked up in the Mizuno area and well who would have guessed an 80 dollar racquet would trump it all (goddamit I will have to hoard all the remaining ones if any enthusiast in India even gets a whiff of it)
For me, both Axforce 100 and Axforce 80 have much better performance and feel than N9II, or Aeronaut 9000/9000C and Halbertec 8000 to a lesser extent. Perhaps it comes down to our different play styles and preferences. I haven't tried N7II though, is it more flexible than N9II? For current rackets, I would say you can't go wrong with choices like ArcSaber 11 Pro, Axforce 80, Halbertec 8000, TKFE, DriveX 10 Metallic etc. Halbertec 9000 is stiffer than 8000. However I think it's hard to recommend rackets if you already have a preferred racket/ developed a preferred play style for many years.
Thanks. This is helpful. Have you tried 3U or 4U of the Axforce 80? 100 is too expensive here to buy 3-4 rackets. The N7II had by a very small margin less weight in the head and was stiffer. N9II was 8.5, N7II was 8.3 in terms of stiffness. Actually I don't know if the 3U or 4U version would be better. I forget to mention that I also multifeed shuttles in training, so it can't be too light. I collected these nummers from the internet from a Yonex precision scan: head weights: AF80 3U 39.1g AF80 4U 37.5g Arc11 Pro 3U 38.6g Arc11 Pro 4U 37.8g AX77 Pro 4U 38g It seems I need to gamble for a heavier 4U or a lighter 3U of the AF80. For Arc11 I lean more towards the 3U since I will replace the grommet strip before the first stringing job. The AX77 Pro seems to be exactly what I'm looking for head weight wise, but I guess it will be too stiff.
Dry weights? Placed order for 77 pro yesterday, it might have a shorter grip. From what I can find online it is not too stiff, can comment on stiffness once I have it.
If you can look past the ugly colour scheme, there's the newly released Halbertec 7000, which is between the 5000 and 8000 in terms of stiffness (predictably). Weight: 3U G5; 4U G6 Full Length: 675mm Grip Length: 215mm Flex: Hard Tech: 6.8mm Hard Flexible Shaft; T1100 + TB NAno + High Desnsity Carbon Fiber; ACC-Rif Tech; HDF Shock Absorption System https://www.shopnings.com/li-ning-halbertec-7000-badminton-racket/
Yes, dry. Thanks for the info with the shorter grip. So I will ignore it, but I would appreciate if you let me know how it plays for you.
@CanucksFan Thanks. Actually the 8000 and 5000 were available here. 7000 sounds interesting but will take a half year until it is here on the european market.
I have both 3U and 4U Axforce 80, but as I prefer heavier and siffer rackets (mostly playing singles), the 3U suits me more. Specs wise, a 3U Axforce 80 is quite similar to a 3U ArcSaber 11 Pro, it's just not as stiff as the 11 Pro. And I think the 11 Pro and the 77 Pro are similar in stiffness too.
If any consolation, the N7II in my opinion is probably the numbest racket I have in my collection so anything else is going to be a big upgrade. It's also on the more flexible side, so the 11 pro and 90 dragon are definitely out. The Halbertec 8000 is the most flexible racket I've handled, so maybe you actually prefer something closer to medium/slightly stiff. Sorry if this all comes off wrong, I'm sleepy lol
Using my scale + setup like in Visor thread, just took whatever rackets I have that were unstrung to measure. Arc11pro 4U: 37.15g 36.95g 37.08g 37.11g NF800LT: 34.97g 88S 3u (old color): 39.55g JS12ii 3U: 38.47g, 38.76g, 38.15g, 38.32g I tried a TC75i before since it was literally 50% the cost of a Yonex when I wanted to switch brands, but it was just dull and too flexy. The aero frame wasn't like stable imo either, but it had a huge sweetspot. Never touched Li Ning until the axforce / bladex started to come out but just played a few points with them and can't really remember anything notable to use them. I am not sure about Victors current lineup meeting all your requirements, may have to compromise on 1-2 requirements. One of my suggestions would be JS12ii 3U, as many of my friends who main Arc11's/Arc11pros like the feel. But grip length I measured to the bottom of the cone is around 175mm (top of cone 205mm). If you want something newer the hypersonic was suppose to be the successor, but I found it more sluggish and not as repulsive as I thought from an ARS lineup. DriveX10 I would put as a must try, very solid and surprisingly punchy but still good enough for front court.
@what07 Thanks for the measurements and your efforts. Helps a lot to lean more towards the 3U Arc11Pro because the head of 4U is too light. JS12II is a good candidate, but can't get a 3U here. @raven1121 It seems that I played with the worst racket of a decade. But do you mean the N7II or the N7II light? The N7II light was kinda flexible, the N7II was medium-stiff and not much more flexible than the JS10 and Duora ZS I played before. Maybe just different feel? @gimmeracquet How would you feel about playing doubles with the 3U Arc11 Pro/Axforce 80?
ahahaha, well we all like different things right? I have the N7II, not the light. I had the Arc11P and sold it after two weeks, the lack of head weight and the stiff shaft makes it hard to get power out of it imo. I've only ever had 2 rackets that were too stiff for me, that and the Duora ZS. I used to use the ZFII and now the 100ZZ and I can feel a nice whip from both.
Definitely a JS12ii 4u wouldn't be the call I think. Just measured the ARS-HS 4U strung (BG-65ti) @ 40.55g, was pretty close but I guess not enough ;p
