Is it still worthy to use and buy DZS today in the fact that there is a lot of newly released rackets? I'm choosing between DZS 3u and AX88D 3u, currently using Voltric 10DG strung at 27lbs using Ashaway Zymax 69 fire. I found it really quite head heavy and tires out my arms after few defenses. Been using it for more than a year. what do you think?
I still love mine, but there are more accessible options out there, as the DZS is very, very stiff (DUO 8XP for example). The AX88D is great, but completely different, the 3u will probably be just as heavy and head heavy as the VT10DG, the 4u will be more friendly to your arms and is quite fast. If you can, try before you buy, or try something similar in weight/balance.
Why not? The Duora Z-Strike is a great racquet, be it for singles or for doubles. In fact, I bought a new one about 2 months ago to replace my old one which cracked. I have no regrets buying it at all. It is one of the all time Yonex greats, this racquet. In any event, don't get too hung up with racquet microtechnology, if at all you are. It's really your strokes, technique and footwork that are of paramount importance. Any high-end Yonex racquet currently in production is perfectly good for advanced level play. On another note, might I suggest you to first try out the 4U variant of the Astrox 88D to see if that suits you better? I myself am using a 4UG5 Astrox 88D, strung with BG66UM at 28x29 lbs, and personally I find that the weight is just right without any compromise on power. A number of very seasoned and even former professional players at my local club have tried my racquet and have verified that as well. I am quite cautious about using a 3U Yonex head-heavy racquet because by the time you have it strung up (especially with tensions of 27lbs and above) you may find that executing flicks with your wrist become that much harder. The best test -- try doing a backhand clear to the other end of the court with a 3U Yonex head-heavy racquet strung at e.g. 27lbs or more. Happy playing.
If you feel like stepping away from the higher weight scene, a 4u Astrox (88d /99 etc) would be a stellar choice. Don't be afraid to move down a weight category. DZS on it's own as a separate topic however, remains to be one of my favorites. I'd have been playing happily with one if it didn't crack actually. I think it's better than most yonex rackets out there as a whole package because it suits me. It's not the technology that makes or breaks it. It's how it feels. Like for example, I play much better with my new (yet) ancient (technology wise) n55 than any other 3u racket out there barring few I would rate the same. It will speak for itself. If you're comfortable, you'll know. I defend much better, my smashes are easier, recovery is sublime, touch is fantastic and muscle fatigue is quite low. Again, try 4u's for awhile without a huge bias in your head before playing before settling in. Do you play doubles by any chance?
Yes, I'm a doubles player, but don't mind playing singles as well. Been entering heeps of tournaments as well. At school and at club. The only thing I worry is if the DZS cracked it's frame easily, I read this thread and found that you guys crack your DZS easily. I just tried 4uAX88D this last 3 weeks. It feels good and solid for me, clears, smashes, drops and net drops everything is fine, but because I was using the VT10DG for long time, I felt bit uncomfortable due to the fact that I am finding the heaviness of it to the AX88D. That's why I want 3u. For DZS it's unfortunate that the shoo ee have here doesn't have trial rackets. Been eyeing this racket for long time now as I want a replacement for my current one. I don't mind the long term of getting used to it as I play 4-5 days a week atleast 2 hours each.
I was uncomfortable as well at first with the 4u. But the truth of the matter is, I won more games and played better with a 4u HH than I did with a 3u head heavy as a full package. Seriously consider it and check your stats to see if you have improved. It does feel underwhelming at first but at a much higher paced similar level of game, you'll see.
@swsh how did the DZS with Vinyl Wrap removed compare to the stock DZS in play? Was it still as powerful and was it worth removing the wrap for the small weight decrease? I just got the DZS and while I can appreciate this racket I play mostly doubles and I'm thinking a few grams of weight shed would do no harm for a doubles racket. But only if it doesn't negetively effect the performance! Also how did you remove the wrap? Was it a matter of cutting into the surface slightly or something?
Buy a new racket because I'm curious what -3g of weight would feel like? I like the DZS I'm just wondering if it was worth the effort to remove the wrap.
I would rather suggest working on your defensive skills. There is plenty of people who can play doubles with heavy rackets. The Adcocks for example used 3u Z-Force IIs. Of course theyre pros, but the smash of professionals is faster as well. If you are 100% sure you must remove the paint and dont care about looks or resale value... it's rather easy since the paint is just a sticker and you can peel it of, if i am not mistaken. just give it a try
Honestly it's less about being able to handle it (only have it a few days and I would work on getting used to it if need be) it's more about the benefits of removing the vinyl. I was wondering if it played differently, if the weight difference makes the handling a little quicker without any negative impact on power. Because if the difference is negligible I won't be ruining the racket by removing anything. I've already shaved the grip down from G4 to 'G4.5' or somewhere between G4 and G5 size. Because it was too bulky as G4 for my hand. So I don't mind modding the racket but only if there's actually some performance benefit to it. When you come from rackets like the BS-12 it's tough to transition to something considerably more stiff and with more head weight. But I really do enjoy using the DZS, but if shaving a few gram make it feel a little more comfortable I'll do it, I don't care about resale value as I don't sell my old rackets. So maybe I'll try it. But only if it doesn't effect the power output, The DZS has just about the right amount of power for smashing compared to its overall balance and I don;t want to decrease the power for any reasons.
Maybe I'll just spend a few extra session in the gym and a few extra sessions on court with my new racket instead. Thinking about it now it's probably not the best idea to mess around with the balance too much after only playing 1 session with it. I was just curious about the mod. With string and my current grip the racket weighs 92g, which is actually 1g lighter than my BS-12.
Played a few more sessions with the Z strike and I'm loving it. Perfectly weighted in the head and just about quick enough for doubles. Control is incredible and the smash and clear are very satisfying. Lifts take a little while to get used to coming from the easy to handle bs-12 but it wasn't so bad actually. I just needed to stop playing quick wristy shots over more solid technique for lifts and clears. You need to work harder/focus more with the z strike but the payoff is worth it. I also bought the Duora 8xp and to be honest I've adjusted way quicker to the z strike. I was struggling to adapt to the 8xp whereas with the z strike I was enjoying it after the first hour of play. The z strike somehow feels a bit head heavier but also quicker than the 8XP as it is more aerodynamic. I've got some crazy idea in mind for the 8xp though but we will see if I have the guts to do it haha.
Hmm, I'm curious about your crazy idea. Are you going to shave some of your racket to make it more aerodynamic?
I was considering sanding down the thick paint coat. I've been viewing another thread about doing this and you can shave weight off the racket by removing the paint down to the graphite. I think you can remove 3-5g doing this. Especially with a thick paint coat like on the 8XP. The results reported in that thread are positive. It would reduce the head weight a bit but the swing speed would improve. I'd probably compensate by using a very repulsive string. I just feel the the 8XP sits in a bit of an awkward middle ground of not being particularly light or agile but also not being a fairly powerful racket like the z strike. Don't get me wrong the frame shape/size is very nice and it's not an awkward racket to use but I'm really not liking the vibslayer implementation so any way to make this racket more lively I will try. I've already tried adding a small amount lead tape to the 8XP to make it more powerful but somehow the feeling isn't quiet there. So i think removing some weight might actually bring more feel to this racket assuming the thick paint job dampens the feel a bit or just removing some weight in general will probably make this racket feel a bit more lively on the stringbed. I'm assuming that removing more mass from the head will make it play a bit stiffer probably equal to the z strike but I'm ok with that. I didn't find the 8XP super stiff to begin with, only found its feeling to be a bit dead at times despite being super solid and nicely balanced. I'm almost certain this is the vibslayer technology in the graphite that I'm not getting along and maybe no amount of mods will change that but I'm still curious how this mod would play out. Maybe I'll end up with a 4u 8xp but with all the graphite goodness of a 3u frame ^^ Oh and just to note, since my 8XP was a G4 handle and I wanted something closer to G5 I had shaved down the handle a bit at the start so I've already removed a small amount of mass at that point so removing some from the frame shouldn't cause too much of an imbalance. I reckon I'll only be taking 2g off the head and 1 g off the shaft most likely so it's really only a subtle change. If I do go ahead with this ill probably be cautious not to overdo the sanding as I don't want to ruin the structural integrity of the racket.
If anything, the effort in sanding the racket will increase your muscle mass 5% resulting in a more powerful arm
LMAO Probably so considering how thick a coat of paint the 8XP seems to have. Unlike the Z strike which seems to have a thinner layer of vinyl wrap according to @swsh. Which definitely seems accurate just looking at that racket.
