ZELM Badminton

Discussion in 'Badminton Rackets / Equipment' started by Sgbad, Dec 28, 2008.

  1. Gold-

    Gold- Regular Member

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    i knew some 1 will comment that. the reason i ask so much question which because i am curious about other rackets.

    is off topic lets get back to zelm.
     
  2. Sgbad

    Sgbad Regular Member

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    Glad you like the Powerplay9990 gold.:)
     
  3. alana07

    alana07 Regular Member

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    wah this one sure sell by the carton loads...:D
    any specs of this beauty yet, 3u or 4u? B/P? head heavy/even balance?
     
  4. jymbalaya

    jymbalaya Regular Member

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    that should be it....
     
  5. teoky

    teoky Regular Member

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    I had an opportunity to try the Trixon for a while. I didn't play with it, just stroke around and my initial impressions :

    1) More flexible than the Powerplay.
    2) Higher flex point than the Powerplay. This is a good thing especially since it is more flexible.
    3) Head heavier than the Powerplay.
    4) Nice color and design !

    Clear is pretty effortless but since this isn't my own racquet, I didn't smash with it for fear of mishitting and leaving chip marks.

    Current opinion is for those that find Powerplay abit stiff for them, they can definitely consider the Trixon which will give them the same level of power but probably at slight expense in terms of control.
     
  6. Sgbad

    Sgbad Regular Member

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    Yes, that is the specs. Thanks jimbalaya.

    Yes, i agree with teoky's review. I feel, the main difference between the trixon8 and powerplay9990 is that the trixon8 is more powerful on all out smashes. The whip/ flexpoint seems to be working for me. But, i will try it out more before i give a opinion on what i feel.:)
     
  7. Sgbad

    Sgbad Regular Member

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    This jersey is currently the latest design.:)
     

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  8. Danstevens

    Danstevens Regular Member

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    Any chance you could share more information about the Trixon? Do we know anything about pricing yet?
     
  9. smash_master

    smash_master Regular Member

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    I received my ZELM sponsorship stuff on saturday past so i will post up a full review with pictures and everything sometime this coming week. initial response i really enjoy the racquets and the shirts are nice too.
     
  10. Tsumaranai

    Tsumaranai Regular Member

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    In your mind
    I thought you were sponsored by Black Knight? Also, I bet those people complaining about the color choice for the Arc Z Slash will like this blue. :p
     
  11. weeyeh

    weeyeh Regular Member

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    Well, if smashing power is the forte of the ArcZ, it's up against the tremendous black beauty.
     
  12. smash_master

    smash_master Regular Member

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    for the 2008-2009 season i was sponsored by black knight but due to better sponsorship offer and terms from ZELM i switched over so for the 2009-2010 season i will be using ZELM exclusively and hopefully for many more years to come.
     
  13. punchclear

    punchclear Regular Member

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    Trixon 8...

    I had the benefit of testing the (pre-production) Trixon 8 over the past few weeks. Here are some of my opinions of the racquet which I hope will prove useful... :)

    DETAILS:
    Racquet Model: ZELM Trixon 8
    Strings: Yonex BG 66
    Tension: 25 lbs (ECP)
    Grip: 3 1/4 inch (Yonex G5), Towelgrip over electrical tape on handle
    Strung Weight: 95 g
    Strung Balance (from butt end): 295 mm
    Racquet Length: 677 mm

    FIRST IMPRESSION/S
    Similar to the Powerplay 9990, racquet head was stable during stringing. However, the head profile was observed to be somewhat thinner than that of the aforementioned model.

    The racquet features a 76-hole configuration. Mine was strung up to 25 lbs (ECP) with BG 66 using the 1-piece method.

    I observed (as pointed out by Teoky) the shaft to be less stiff than that of the Powerplay 9990, but with a higher (closer to the throat) flex (or 'kick') point. I'd rate it as med-flex to mid-stiff.

    The Trixon 8 also felt more head-heavy than the Powerplay 9990.

    DURING PLAY
    On overhead shots, clears were accurate, drives were crisp and smashes did not lack 'zip' :) with the Trixon 8. Perhaps the flex of the shaft had this positive effect :D. On a personal note, I found no problem adapting to the swingspeed and timing with these shots...

    Perhaps owing to its slighter head profile, the (perceived) drawback of 'slowness in defense' associated with the more head-heavy racquets seems to have been negated. Personally, I feel that the higher flex point played a part as well ;). No deterioration in my defensive ability was observed when using the Trixon 8 :).

    SUMMARY
    As with the Powerplay 9990, build quality is good :). The colour-scheme is (very) pleasing on the eye :) (although I personally believe that it does not add to the overall playability of the racquet :p).

    Its headweight gives the Trixon 8 an augmented sense of 'sureness' when swung (think: punchclears, lobs, drives, lifts, etc). This is a racquet that begs to be swung, so if it is in your nature to hang-back on the baseline waiting to gobble-up 'attack-able' lifts... you might like this one (despite its apparent lack of stiffness ;))

    The higher flex point lends a certain crispness and accuracy to taps, flicks and the like. Poignantly, this contributes to the 'well-roundedness' of the racquet, in that it does not restrict the Trixon 8 to being strong in one area and deficient in another :D.

    AFTERTHOUGHTS...
    Cosmetically, the Trixon 8 is glossier and 'prettier' than the Powerplay 9990 :rolleyes:.

    The Powerplay 9990 is simply a well-built, solid performing racquet :).

    The Trixon 8 is physically a fundamentally different racquet.

    I personally gyrate towards the stiffer-shafted offerings out there, but this model has opened my mind to the fact that there really is more than one way to 'skin a cat'. In manipulating the head profile, balance point and flex point of this racquet, ZELM have shoe-horned so many characteristics that wouldn't conventionally fit into one particular model :eek:!

    In a nutshell: "I like this racquet!" :)
    ... (and I'm not likely to be the only one, either...;):p)
     
  14. Sgbad

    Sgbad Regular Member

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    Here is what i feel about the trixon8.

    I do agree with what both teoky and punchclear said.

    Stringing up
    Stringing on the trixon8 was easy. Frame was stable throughout the whole stringing process. The 76hole stringing pattern contributed to the ease of stringing as well.

    During play
    Racket was great on the offense. The high kickpoint and the slightly flexier shaft (comparing to the powerplay) worked to my advantage. I could feel the, extra whip on all out smashes, which actually "stunned" me when i first experienced it. It was on a unbalanced forehand drive, and the shuttle went MUCH faster than what i can usually play. Control and defense wasnt lacking, as the Trixon8 is slightly head heavier compared to the Powerplay9990, it did make my arm sore during the transition from the powerplay9990 to the trixon8. But after playing for 2weeks with it, i am used to it now.

    Summary
    The Trixon8 is a very assuring racket if you are an attacking player. Even on days when i feel "sluggish", i will still pull out the Trixon8 from my bag. The swing speed of the racket and head heaviness, (i dont know if its just me), but on smashes, it feels better. Control and defense, they are around the same, when you get used to the head heaviness. The Trixon8 has not dissapointed me once.

    Comparing to the powerplay9990, (just like what teoky mentioned), the Trixon8 is a more forgiving racket compared to the Powerplay, but zelm, packed in a bigger punch in the trixon8 with its slightly head heavier balance. (Great graphics as well.:D)

    I hope i will be able to try out the head helix series soon and do a comparision. From what i read here in the forum, the head helix also features a flexible shaft, which gives the user more power, without compensating on its power and control. If i do get to try one, i will do a comparison with the zelm Trixon8.:)
     
  15. Sgbad

    Sgbad Regular Member

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    How is your black beauty working for you?:D You have 2, the zelm powerplay9990 and yonex cab30muscle.:)
     
  16. weeyeh

    weeyeh Regular Member

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    Talking about smashing lah.. on top of that, this is a ZELM thread, which one do you think :p:p...

    looking to add a blue beauty soon. :D
     
  17. Franck2

    Franck2 Regular Member

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    After reading through all the pages, I really want to try one of those Zelm rackets :p.
    To Sgbad: Do you think there's a Zelm provider in HK? since my friends and I are planning to order quite a few things from there. In case there isn't, is it possible to order one from you? and how much would the racket + accessories included be (if not 140$ SGD) and how much would it cost to ship it to Quebec (canada)?

    Thanks in advance!
     
  18. Sgbad

    Sgbad Regular Member

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    Shipping to canada should be around SGD$35. I will pm you:)
     
  19. hideko

    hideko Regular Member

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    i guess ZELM cannot be found in malaysia at the moment right?
    looks cool and would like to try it if possible.
     
  20. teoky

    teoky Regular Member

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    PM Sgbad, he may be able to work something out for you.
     

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