Blitzzards
Regular Member
Hi guys, after owning and testing Yonex's top 3 smasher's Armortecs, namely AT700 old colour, AT800 Offensive and AT900 Power, I now feel like reviewing my experiences with them.
The overall feel among these models are as follows:
Head heaviness comparison: AT800OF > AT700 > AT900
N.B. The comparison may look significant, but the truth is the head heaviness feel is only a very slight few millimeters difference among the models. This is only an average view, as there are some minor cases where lets say the AT700 can be more head heavy than the AT800OF (the most head heavy AT700 in my collection is actually slightly more head heavy by 1.5mm than my least head heavy AT800OF).
Armortec 800 Offensive
As you can see, the AT800OF has the heaviest feel on the frame (in this case it's all the way at the top of the round and fat frame) which facilitates full arm swing and a steep but not necessarily fast smash since the heaviness makes it slightly hard to add in explosive wrist flick to the smashes (which generates the speed smash, AFAIK). The smash action associated with the racquet also makes it feel as if you're about to bury your arm into the floor after the smash, which makes it feel like a 2U racquet although by design it is a 3U. Otherwise, since it has the stiffest shaft of the three, it is quick on drives and defenses, provided that you have not been tired out by the head weight. This could be a reason why the professional players tend to forgo this racquet as it really tests your consistency and stamina to the limit.
Armortec 700
Here, we have the AT700 (old colour), and from my experience it is the most balanced of the three. Most people tend to overlook the good qualities of the racquet because of the head heaviness but this racquet is actually very well designed IMHO. When I first switched, it felt like a live beast on my hand; very mysteriously dangerous and needs taming, unlike the other two which felt as if their personalities are stamped on their faces from which I could work my gameplay from. Despite the head heaviness, the racquet is actually very maneuverable, although I think the Ultimum Ti composite on the shaft tends to want to store my wrist flicks even during defensive flicks which may give the feel of being flexible and hard to control for some. Smashing wise this racquet does not need anymore introduction; it awards the full arm swing plus explosive wrist flick dearly for the hardest smash spectacle (if you can do it, IMHO I'm still half way there) while also being more forgiving stamina-wise than the AT800OF if you rely on wrist flick smashes. It is a mysterious racquet to master but once you get there, it feels to me like a dear friend rather than a "pet"
Armortec 900 Power
While ants has already reviewed this racquet, I feel that I can add in some more details on my experience with it. Of the three, this is the most forgiving. Perhaps because of the new Micro Ti and Elastic Ti technological features, the racquet feels the most repulsive (raw POWER, get it?). This means that I don't have to put in as much strength to achieve the same flick shots I can do with the other two. This then leads me to play more defensively or deceptively with the racquet. Otherwise, the racquet does pack a lot of raw power which I feel that I can unleash easily in the middle of a rally. Smashing wise, this is a more wrist flick racquet than the AT700.
In conclusion, my favourite of the three is the AT700 (old colour). I like the way that it feels the most balanced out of the three. Of course there are days when I will rely on the AT900 Power when I feel like playing a bit more defensive and deceptive and also when I feel that I'm having a sugar rush, the AT800 Offensive will be my pick for going all out. Most importantly, the three racquets will eventually all play similar when yielded in my hand, since it is my technique and my form which will ultimately influence the racquet rather than the other way around (in other words, the racquets are only designed to facilitate gameplay not dictate it). I hope I have answered the enquiries of those who have questions on the racquet features I have covered here. Please do reply with more enquiries if you have them and I'll do my best to answer them.
The overall feel among these models are as follows:
Head heaviness comparison: AT800OF > AT700 > AT900
N.B. The comparison may look significant, but the truth is the head heaviness feel is only a very slight few millimeters difference among the models. This is only an average view, as there are some minor cases where lets say the AT700 can be more head heavy than the AT800OF (the most head heavy AT700 in my collection is actually slightly more head heavy by 1.5mm than my least head heavy AT800OF).
Armortec 800 Offensive
As you can see, the AT800OF has the heaviest feel on the frame (in this case it's all the way at the top of the round and fat frame) which facilitates full arm swing and a steep but not necessarily fast smash since the heaviness makes it slightly hard to add in explosive wrist flick to the smashes (which generates the speed smash, AFAIK). The smash action associated with the racquet also makes it feel as if you're about to bury your arm into the floor after the smash, which makes it feel like a 2U racquet although by design it is a 3U. Otherwise, since it has the stiffest shaft of the three, it is quick on drives and defenses, provided that you have not been tired out by the head weight. This could be a reason why the professional players tend to forgo this racquet as it really tests your consistency and stamina to the limit.
Armortec 700
Here, we have the AT700 (old colour), and from my experience it is the most balanced of the three. Most people tend to overlook the good qualities of the racquet because of the head heaviness but this racquet is actually very well designed IMHO. When I first switched, it felt like a live beast on my hand; very mysteriously dangerous and needs taming, unlike the other two which felt as if their personalities are stamped on their faces from which I could work my gameplay from. Despite the head heaviness, the racquet is actually very maneuverable, although I think the Ultimum Ti composite on the shaft tends to want to store my wrist flicks even during defensive flicks which may give the feel of being flexible and hard to control for some. Smashing wise this racquet does not need anymore introduction; it awards the full arm swing plus explosive wrist flick dearly for the hardest smash spectacle (if you can do it, IMHO I'm still half way there) while also being more forgiving stamina-wise than the AT800OF if you rely on wrist flick smashes. It is a mysterious racquet to master but once you get there, it feels to me like a dear friend rather than a "pet"
Armortec 900 Power
While ants has already reviewed this racquet, I feel that I can add in some more details on my experience with it. Of the three, this is the most forgiving. Perhaps because of the new Micro Ti and Elastic Ti technological features, the racquet feels the most repulsive (raw POWER, get it?). This means that I don't have to put in as much strength to achieve the same flick shots I can do with the other two. This then leads me to play more defensively or deceptively with the racquet. Otherwise, the racquet does pack a lot of raw power which I feel that I can unleash easily in the middle of a rally. Smashing wise, this is a more wrist flick racquet than the AT700.
In conclusion, my favourite of the three is the AT700 (old colour). I like the way that it feels the most balanced out of the three. Of course there are days when I will rely on the AT900 Power when I feel like playing a bit more defensive and deceptive and also when I feel that I'm having a sugar rush, the AT800 Offensive will be my pick for going all out. Most importantly, the three racquets will eventually all play similar when yielded in my hand, since it is my technique and my form which will ultimately influence the racquet rather than the other way around (in other words, the racquets are only designed to facilitate gameplay not dictate it). I hope I have answered the enquiries of those who have questions on the racquet features I have covered here. Please do reply with more enquiries if you have them and I'll do my best to answer them.
