One of my two Yonex Astrox 88S OG broke and I need a replacement as a spare. Since the 88S is no longer in production, is 88D Pro a good replacement? (I hear people say the 88S Pro has less power than OG, and I play doubles exclusively and smashes a lot.)
If you are mostly a mid-back court player and loving smashing you will love the 88dp. It packs a good punch with solid feedback. I use it paired with BG66UM @ 25lb and loving it.
I like to play both front and back. Will I lose agility as a front player with 88DP compared to 88S OG?
it's not as slow as you may think it is. As with any head heavy racket you will lose some speed, but it's decent for front court play if you're strong.
I think the 88D pro 4U is pretty fast for all around play in all areas of the court. Had a 88Sp 3U and felt the control was much better, speed slightly slower then 88Dp 4u but I would say around the same power but for the long run, more tiring. Regular 88S 3u had more omph then the pro but just a touch slower I feel. OG 88S's been popping up used occasionally so you may just get another instead of trying something else.
if your concern is the smashing power, but at the same time don't want to compromise the front court, then yes the 88Dpro is a good choice. You might also want to look at 77pro. It has practically same head weight, but longer shaft than 88Dpro that could translate to bigger swing and good power, while it was speedy at the front. I heard some ppl said 77pro is the better version of 88Spro
If what you want is something close to the 88s then no - a 88DP would be a terrible choice. I would argue that a Victor Auraspeed 90k might be closer to the 88s. If you want a different racquet then the 88s the 88DP is a nice one. It plays fairly fast and do have quite the punch. As someone who went from the 88s to the 88DP, i would however recommend that you take a look at the Victor Thruster F enhanced.
