Yonex ArcSaber Z Slash Review

ArcSaber Z-Slash - First Review

I bought my ArcSaber Z Slash yesterday... There was a $40 member discount offer going at the club I play at and it cost me $206 total including tax.

I had it strung at 26lbs strength allowing the racket to get a little seasoned and check if itz holds up. If you like a slightly heavier head, try a heavier string. I played for a couple of hours with it and the feel of the racket is very good. It is well balanced, lighter head and it plays fast. If you are player with a weaker wrist, I wouldn't recommend this beauty as the racket is rather stiff with little flexi-action. The head of the racket is slightly smaller than itz predecessor, hence your sweet spot is also smaller. The Red, Yellow color is jarring, yet fancy.
 
tckang said:
After accumulated 20 hours of play using the Arc Z i must say.......i am starting to LIKE IT!!!.
I dunno how to put it, this afternoon everything just click in. The smash, the overhead clears, the drives, even the net plays, net kiils, drops. And the best "feel" is once everything clicked, ur overall game play actually speed up a lot. It was noticed even by my club captain.
Hope this is because finally i got used to the Arc Z and the reward it brings, Will test again this Tuesday to make sure it wasnt a ONE OFF lucky day for me.
Till then, stay tune.....

TODAY MY ARC Z ROCKS BIG TIME!!!
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tckang,

It might replace and bump off the Zelm and LN from your personal rankings. Ha ha. Enjoy testing and logging in the hours.

I got about 60 hours of it (ZS) and I must say it definitely suits me as I always bring along ovals to alternate with isos to crossover and bridge the feel when transitioning to the ISOval Arc ZS. Btw, I logged in about 6 hours of play with Carbonex 35 and I thought it's a compromise between a Cab 20 and 21 (can't say about Cab 30 Muscle cos I don't own one). Cab 35 definitely is no Ti-10 in terms of feel.

Cheers,
MetalOrange

P.S. Tnx on the zelm info. How about Carlton Vapour Elite and Tour versions, have you had the chance to playtest it in beijing? Are they even available over there at your end?
 
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I collected money since february and was to buy an ARC10 but this one was just so tempting, ^_^
at first, the timing of the racquet was a problem.
I often swung it too earlier.
It's small sweetspot also poses mishits during power shots such as smashing.
But the control and defence was superb and the small frame didn't pose for these kind o shots. Yonex says that this racquet can like 'max' my smash level something like that

After a few more days, it just improves.
I stop myself from expecting strong smashes everytime I smash the shuttle (commercial power, ^_^) and it helps me a lot to get use to the racquet. My smashes then got stronger. Combined with the control and defence, it was just exciting playing with this racquet. Like others said, it is an unforgiving racquet when mishits.

All in all, this is one racquet that can surely deliver. It might not be good for others but for me it sure got power and control. Not a fan of the colour but it still a good looking one. There's still more for me to exploit with this racquet .
 
tckang said:
After accumulated 20 hours of play using the Arc Z i must say.......i am starting to LIKE IT!!!.
I dunno how to put it, this afternoon everything just click in. The smash, the overhead clears, the drives, even the net plays, net kiils, drops. And the best "feel" is once everything clicked, ur overall game play actually speed up a lot. It was noticed even by my club captain.
Hope this is because finally i got used to the Arc Z and the reward it brings, Will test again this Tuesday to make sure it wasnt a ONE OFF lucky day for me.
Till then, stay tune.....

TODAY MY ARC Z ROCKS BIG TIME!!!
Click to expand...

very very good to hear bro. i myself have an ArcSaber Z and an AT900T. Was thinking of getting a Zelm to add to my collection. So it would be good if you could share your experiences and compare the 2 rackets :)
 
tckang said:
This is my SECOND winter in Beijing d. Anyway, to counter the cold dry weather, i normally change to the thicker BG65, maintaining it at my regular 29lbs. So far it works. The other alternative will be NBG98 but in China, NBG98 is not available, so cheapest and realistic solution is to change to BG65 during winter, while not sacrificing your tension.
:D
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erm... a little off topic, but you can get NBG98 from taobao.com(Chinese version of ebay), just need to be careful while selecting the seller:p
 
chianchiek said:
erm... a little off topic, but you can get NBG98 from taobao.com(Chinese version of ebay), just need to be careful while selecting the seller:p
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Yeah. What i mean "cannot get" generally means via retail shops. :D Of course in Taobao u can get everything :p It's OK anyway. I normally send for re-stringing to the same guy, and he has good skills + machine. So, i dont mind using BG65 during winter.
Thanks for sharing.

Cheers.
 
adonis said:
very very good to hear bro. i myself have an ArcSaber Z and an AT900T. Was thinking of getting a Zelm to add to my collection. So it would be good if you could share your experiences and compare the 2 rackets :)
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Thanks.
Like i said, i will give my Arc Z another 4-5 hours of play to double confirm i have finally get used to it, before commenting on the difference between Trixon 8 and Arc Z.
For now, if u can't wait :D, I would say Arc Z, ONCE U GET USED TO IT, is a Very very fast attacking racket, and the defence is there as well. As for Trixon 8, it is also a superb attacking racket (especailly smash), but overall it is a little bit "sluggish", meaning to say, during doubles when you are the back court person, a quick repeated smash using Trixon 8 will be a bit "slower" as compared to Arc Z, same when one is executing quick reflex smash or net kills at the front during doubles play.
But given the price difference between a Arc Z and a Zelm Trixon 8, i would say Trixon 8 is a super deal for such raw power and at such price.

PS: An evil thought - Just get yourself a Trixon 8 and we will almost have the same collection of rackets......just got my AT900T SP version FRESH today .............:D :D :D :D
 
tckang said:
Thanks.
PS: An evil thought - Just get yourself a Trixon 8 and we will almost have the same collection of rackets......just got my AT900T SP version FRESH today .............:D :D :D :D
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haha bro, i just got my AT900T few days ago only! lol sucha coincidence.

based on ur experience and also reviews by other BCers, I was thinking maybe I should just get a Zelm PP9900 instead. I don't really like the idea of a 'sluggish' racket, or a racket that is possibly too head-heavy (for me at least). Do you have the PP9900?
 
adonis said:
haha bro, i just got my AT900T few days ago only! lol sucha coincidence.

based on ur experience and also reviews by other BCers, I was thinking maybe I should just get a Zelm PP9900 instead. I don't really like the idea of a 'sluggish' racket, or a racket that is possibly too head-heavy (for me at least). Do you have the PP9900?
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Unfortunately, i dont have a PP9990 (not 9900). You may take this off line and PM Sgbad. He should be the right person to give you a good comparisons of both Trixon 8 and PP9990.
When i mean "sluggish" it is only for QUICK doubles game. A social doubles game you should not be able to feel it. And the "sluggishness" come only when u smash repeatedly. (As mentioned by some other forum members as well, due to the "shaft reflex time" issue of Trixon 8) Overall it is still a nice racket to play with.
Ok Ok back to Arc Z Slash topic. FOCUS.:D
 
tested it ! didnt like it ! I prefer the good-old trusted Ns9900 for my game ! Iam not spending an extra $300 on a racket just for it to look good in the bag. Not mentioning the time that I need to waste to adjust to the racket .

p.s. this might sound weird but the arc z does feel and play very similar to the NS9000X , anyone else found that ?
 
staiger said:
tested it ! didnt like it ! I prefer the good-old trusted Ns9900 for my game ! Iam not spending an extra $300 on a racket just for it to look good in the bag. Not mentioning the time that I need to waste to adjust to the racket .

p.s. this might sound weird but the arc z does feel and play very similar to the NS9000X , anyone else found that ?
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1) yes, stick with what you like the most. No need to switch to the newer racquet just because it is the latest. try before you buy.
2) yes...
 
I have been testing the racquet lately.

FWIW, I find the focused power on the sweet spot interesting and "saturated", meaning that powerful shots and smashes are easy to generate by inputting the correct technique and not having to use much strength into the racquet (although the racquet can really take the strength input with the stiff shaft). Relatively, the AT900P is similar although I find that I will tend to put more wrist and arm strength into the racquet perhaps due to the heavier head.

Defensive-wise, the Z Slash really takes sometime to get used to. I feel that the racquet has this little lag time before it will snap back into position when you swing and guide it into the defensive position that you're aiming for. The racquet certainly does not feel sluggish though, and I think I could feel that the lag time comes from the flexible frame typical of the Arcsabers (which I'm still not used to yet at the moment). I compared the racquet (2U version) to the classical 2U Ti-10 and somehow find the latter easier to defend with. I believe the lag time coming from the flexible frame is the main contributor to this feel I'm getting now.

Overall, I would say that the Z Slash is a racquet that will take sometime to adjust to. IMHO it is more of an attempt on perfecting the characteristics of the Arcsaber 10, which itself is a fine all around racquet. Being a main Armortec user myself (AT700 old, AT900P), I would not really recommend other Armortec users who like me are used to the quick snap back of the Power Armor system to switch immediately to the Z-Slash.
 
I don't think many people can instant switch to ARCz.
Even as a user of ARC10, it still takes me huge amount of time to get used to ARCZ.
 
foo.tw said:
I don't think many people can instant switch to ARCz.
Even as a user of ARC10, it still takes me huge amount of time to get used to ARCZ.
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For sure. And NOT everyone can get used to it, even after long hours of trying. But for those who succeeds, the rewards are there and sweet ...:p
 
Hi, just to add some comments. I also just got my Z Slash and played with it after 4 days of receiving it. Wasn't completely fit, recovering from a cold, but having that racket and not doing anything, was a sin.

So, took it out from the bag and began some strokes with it. From the first swing, I was in one with the racket. Well, sort off. It felt good to me, I didn't need much time to get used to it.

We played a few sets of doubles and I realized I could attack faster and also, defend faster, whilst wheezing away with my congested lungs..:D

Overall, it was a good buy for me. I only had been playing with my NS 9000S for a couple of months, and was concerned after reading here, that it will take a lot of effort and time to get used to it, but I jumped in anyway to get it.

On another note. Just watched the finals of Denmark Open and realized, that no one was using the Z Slash. Why was that? I would think that with so many players being sponsored by Yonex, that at least one of them would be using this racket.

Was any new racket being introduced at this Open?
 
riccyn90 said:
On another note. Just watched the finals of Denmark Open and realized, that no one was using the Z Slash. Why was that? I would think that with so many players being sponsored by Yonex, that at least one of them would be using this racket.

Was any new racket being introduced at this Open?
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Rackets ususally get introduced during All England and Japan Open... As to why nobody is using the Z, it could be because the pros didn't like it... :rolleyes:
 
Jasonvan said:
Rackets ususally get introduced during All England and Japan Open... As to why nobody is using the Z, it could be because the pros didn't like it... :rolleyes:
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We will see. But I completely understand Koo/Tan choose the NS9900 over the Z. both quicker and stiffer and aslo more forgiving in quick-play/defence.

I don't agree with some comments here about adjustment time.. To me adjustment is finding the timing in the swing.. Adjusting to Flex and forgiveness isn't something I think should be needed :-) . A racket should be stiff enough for control and forgiving enough to help save some points when under preassure.

/T
 
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