I agree with the rest of the comments. The FB doesn't make me sore at all even after 2-3 hours of continuous derbies. I really feel that the modern game rewards players with accuracy, more than power. The only adjustment that's worth noting I feel is in the racket handle control. With such a light racket you should take advantage and use finger control and leave a gap between the racket handle and your palm. With such a light racket it's possible and you won't get palm stiffness.
I bit my tongue and bought the Japanese 5u. I just ordered the 4u nr800 and will use the same ng99 strings to do a comparison. Almost same weight and evenly balanced rackets. So hopefully it will be just a comparison between repulsion versus power. I did not order the arc11. I don't want to bother with anything over 4u anymore.
My take on ArcFB is 50% 50%. Yes, you can do some shots you previously cant. You can now swing the racket till it whiplash at your wrist making great drives and angle cuts. However , if you compare hitting the shuttle at the same strenght with another racket (my usual fleet racket which is 4u headlight), the power is about 30% lesser. I notice some adjustment needed with backhand , as the light racket is harder to gauge and lesser swing weight (that is how i describe the follow through weight of the racket head) upon impact. I like the racket for fancy play, tactical play but not for serious games, it is not an overall racket in my book.
If you want 5U, get the JP. Done!! Not really expensive, besides not to mention I bought a lot of other JP products in general (like, blu-ray, cd etc...).
lol! I don't really get how that's related. Whether the FB is JP coded or not, it's still made in Japan.
Did you actually used an instrument to measure your hit speed? If not, then you clearly made up the 30% figure. There's no doubt that the FB have less power. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. However, if you're going to provide figures, make sure you have evidence to substantiate that claim.
You didn't had any timing issues? I did at first and it took me a while to iron it out. The FB really is a unique racket. Everyone should try it out to see if it works out for them.
The problem with that is that the same can be said for those that say they have no loss of power using the FB or just minimal loss of power. In reality these numbers are all in the head because they can't be quantified correctly unless proper instruments are used. However the fact remains that you will probably have to swing harder to achieve the same amount or more power off this racket. On the plus side, the lighter rackets for recreational play is probably less demanding.
I use 5U rackets for a few years now (since 2007). The problem with using 5U rackets is that once you are used to it, it is impossible to go back to 4U or 3U.
I used a 5U racket for a very long time and now I switch between 6U-5U-4U-3U regularly. If you want, you can
How it's related, well pricing simply because it costs higher over there, that's my point. It doesn't matter if it's made in Japan or not.
actually he did not using a speedometer. Yonex did. 30% increase in racket head sodas is tested and proven by yonex themselves. They use that stat in their advertising for the FB.
Here's my take on it... All "high-end" (AKA "expensive") racquets are made in Japan, the rest are made in either Taiwan or China. The JP distribution code for high-end racquets apparently also signifies a more stringent QC level. That QC level allows Yonex to use the mark that is coveted by manufacturers for the Japan market. And that should mean that all 5U FBs will play strikingly similar to one another, and have more solid build. "More" would be relative to other codes, but since there is no other 5U code apart from the JP one at present, it should mean that the 5U is the premium FB for now.
In regard to the worry about getting used to a light racket (6U/5U) and therefore hard to switch back to a heavier racket (2U/3U/4U), I think that wouldn't be the case if you have more than one racket with different weight size (one is light and the other is heavier) and you switch back and forth between them on a regular basis. Certainly I guess no-one would like to be stuck at the same level all of the time. We surely want and try to improve our game as well as to try new things; therefore we need a tool (i.e. rackets) to help us to get there. It is how we enjoy our game, isn't it? Also, I still don't understand why so many people think and expect that they will get the same or even more power in smash from Arc FB compared to heavier rackets such as VT80 or Z-Force. They are absolutely different rackets made for different purposes. You can read many threads in this forum which say that the most important factors to do a powerful smash are (i) footwork, (ii) footwork, (iii) footwork, (iv) proper technique and (v) rackets. I have seen players using an Arc FB and they still could produce lightning smashes. I think Arc FB is a racket that will improve your speed and control to your game with an adequate power in smash. Try to improve your footwork and technique and I'm sure you will not disappoint with your smashes that you can produce with it.
lol! You need to slow down and read carefully before you address my post. I wasn't questioning Yonex's number.
