In Germany 19% sales tax (value added tax) is included in the price, as well as longer guarantee . Longer guarantee applies to the US as well I believe ... (Shipping and 6% PayPal fee is not included in the $140 and if you need to claim warranty you need to ship it back to Hong Kong at your own cost) But besides this it's still strange, as I've mentioned before, in Japan it is priced midrange (on par with NS6600/6000)
I think you're supposed to cut the strings immediately after they break, no real need at lower tensions.
Hm the guarantee is pretty much useless as it's void after my first stringing of the racket and I already have the machine, fanatic - finished 4 rackets on it today, actually. 2 for getting used to it, and 2 serious stringjobs (PP T2@26 & YY Z-Slash@25,5)
Mine broke string many2 times as well, most of the time i cut the string asap, and its fine. The same with my other rackets, so i would say AT900T is as durable as others. This is ofcourse only my experience
This may come as a surprise to owners of modern carbon fiber rackets that almost all racket breakages are due to human error and not due to manufacturing defects. Even the cheapest carbon fiber rackets can withstand the forces of power play and do not break by themselves. Breakages are due to bad stringing (the biggest culprit) and from racket clashes. The only defect one can find is an occasional broken handle. Guarantees are no reflection of racket quality because all modern rackets do not break by themselves. Manufacturers give warranties solely for marketing reasons. In countries where there are high claims it is an indication of abuse of warranty by owners and in such a situation some manufacturers will almost never honor such claims because they are frivolous. Lesser known brands or brands that are new or expensive may give extended warranty that are easy to claim because this is one strategy to get more market share.
Yes I think that applies to most but it's still required by german/eu law. I don't think they even can give a discount if you wave your right or something .
Yeah, but the warranty is actually not important at all for me since all companies deny your claim when there are paint chips - and since I play lots of doubles, nearly every racket I own has several. So it doesn't matter to me if the warranty is for 1 or 2 or even 10 years - the only rackets I could claim warranty for right now are the PP Precisions (strung below guaranteed/recommended tension+no paint chips). All others are either strung too high or too damaged by minor clashes.
My dad bought one from HK ... the price is 10-15% lower than other top of the line racquets (eg. AT900, Arc10). I played with it for 30mins last weekend, it was strung with Ngy95, probably 22lbs cuz it's my dad's ... I think it is a good racquet. It didn't make me feel like it significantly improved the power on smashes, but I had no real issues with the racquet, I would say it feels and performs very similarly to AT900T. The swing is a bit faster than AT900T in my opinion, so defense is a bit better. I think if it was strung with higher tension, then I will probably like it more than my AT900T. (I also use Arc8DX.)
Yeap..did cut it right away , but then when I just tried to check for any bad grommets ( which may cause the string breakage) that's when I discovered the crack. oh well~
I had a short 5 minute demo session with the VT70 yesterday. I will give a very brief comment as I am pushed for time. I tried the 4UG4 UK version. It is very light, baseline clears were easy, as expected, but I didn't feel it had any more power than the AT900p that I also had a short demo with. It was quite easy to drive with the racket, but I think it is too light. I won't be changing to it anyway. Maybe if they bring out the 3U version I might try that. Or possibly a VT90 in the future. One thing I will say though, the VT70 has definetly got quite a few users, at a junior tournament this morning I say 4-5 users of this racket.
Paul, Maybe you could relay a question from me to your Yonex contacts (my local rep was pretty clueless). What is their official explanation of making the wider parts instead of keepng the slim frame in these parts as well and use stronger CNT etc to reinforce these spots instead of saving cost on the carbon and strengthen by widening? keéping it slimmer would reeduce air-resistance more? Is it the "sound" that is their prio?? Cheers, Twobeer
Twobeer Call me cynical but I don't think there is anyone in Yonex UK who can answer that question. If it's not in writing somewhere from Japan, then you've more chance of playing doubles with Lin Dan than you have getting a decent answer. I honestly don't know the answer and I'm not convinced by the sound filters either. But, the racquet is very good and from what I understand, the sponsored pros are being told that they cannot play with obsolete models next year. Personally, I think this racquet is extremely good and does what Yonex set out to do. I also believe it can be improved and perhaps we will see a higher rated Voltric launched at All Englands in 2011. The Voltric 5 and 7 will be launched in 2011 although no date is set. From what I know, the racquet has sold reasonably well. Those players that have bought one, in general have loved it. It's probably a little too early to really get to grips with this racquet. I'd love to have more time with it but I have to return it as there is a queue of players waiting to test it. Never mind, I'll be collecting Arcsaber 5DX next and give that a testing. Paul www.badminton-coach.co.uk
I think twobeer is implying that YY are using inferior material to make their product as compared to the competitors. But I think that it makes sense to apply some engineering know how to reduce the cost of production (at the same time increasing their profit margin) if the added bulge is indeed for cost reduction purpose (keeping the frame strong enough). Despite all the marketing bull for noise filter, etc, etc... the output of the product is the most important thing. If the user feels great playing with it and there is no compromise in strength, why not? It's definitely not for cosmetic purpose. Maybe if someone breaks their VT70, you can ask them to crack open the bulging area to see whats inside. If one is unhappy with YY products, move on.
I think Twobeer has a valid question, and the inference is a fair one. If I were about to part with more than $200 for a racquet, I would be entitled to ask a few questions as well, especially when I read many others asking questions, or find a few mixed reactions. I would be perturbed if a product design is radically defferent from its predecessors, and would want to know if there is a downside. After all, it is my money I am parting with, not my rich uncle's. I also think any large company can do without the negative publicity that arises from their inability or refusal, to explain some issues that are causing wrinkled eyebrows. YY has the right to ignore this, but imagine how many positive points they would reap if they actually did respond! YY has a rich legacy of products; no one can take that away from them. They have done much for the game; no one denies that. But in an age where most customers are empowered with more information and knowledge to intellgently make conclusions decisions, their often archaic approach and attitude to customer relations is not very encouraging.
did someone mention if someone break their VT70? here you go my first "expensive" racket, 9 Nov - 20 Nov now replaced by Apacs Tantrum 200 & Yonex Armortec 70 MG2
Ouch! That's why I don't use rackets more than $100, not enough marginal benefits. How did it break? Clash or collapse on its own? What tension? When I checked out the VT 70 is stores, I notice the frame was much thinner than any other rackets, maybe that's why its strength is reduced.
clashed at 24lbs, NBG98 when it broke it looked like those ugly out of shape frame, but since its only 1 "crack" i pushed it back to look better Date taken: 17 Nov, 3 days before it left me, was planning to sell it cause I am still not used to it after 1 week.
well the Arcsaber Z Slash is one of the thinnest racket frame on the market and most people i know that have it havent said that the string grommet has collapsed
