Hi all I am having trouble choosing a new racket. I currently use an Arcsaber 11 and really like how it plays. However after all the good things I have read I fancy trying a Victor, but I am not quite sure which one. I want one with similar stats to the Arcsaber 11. According to the info on direct badminton it looks like the Bravesword LYD would be the closest, however after reading some reviews maybe the Bravesword 12 would be closer in terms of play. Any help is greatly appreciated as I wont have a chance to try them. Thanks in advance Tom
If you like the Arc 11 I would recommend the MX90 instead. It plays closer to the arcsaber series as an all rounder than the brave swords do. Unless you are looking for a higher defensive boost.
I have a feeling you'll like the MX80 or MX80N. Try it out. I always try to keep a habit of trying before buying because at the end of the day, you will be playing with the racket for (presumably) the rest of your life or at least for a long time. Don't buy and regret later, that's my rule. Try the MX80N, it's a very good racket. All-rounded and "can" be used for both singles and doubles, but slightly better for singles. Mind you alot of good doubles players have used MX80 in the past in doubles and won titles ie. Kim Ha Na winning AU Open and Choi Sol Kyu winning Asian Junior Champs. The stiffness will come into play though. Personally I like the stiff feeling of the racket because you really feel the full length and complete control from the frame. That might just be me - but the feeling is great and something only the MX80 has that other rackets don't! Balance. Although they advertise the racket as being even balanced, it actually feels slightly head heavy and you'll get that "punch" from your smashes. The weight and balance of overall racket feels good - not too light nor too heavy (just right) and distribution is good as well. Speed. It's not the fastest racket. BS12 is definitely the fastest racket. But what this racket will offer in place of speed is power on the smashes due to its slightly heavy head and lovely touch control at the net. This ain't the best racket for drives, BUT, it doesn't fail at it either. You will be able to return flat returns if you've got the strength to flex its overly stiff shaft consistently. Durability. Very durable racket for a Victor, made in Taiwan, used the finest materials to make a stable enough frame to withstand standard clashes and mishaps. I've had a pretty bad clash with it, but still survived. If it were a BS12, it would've been indefinitely gone. So definitely a durable-enough racket and better than alot of Yonex rackets so it won't rip your wallets to bits. Mind you I have broken 2x NR800s and 3x BS12s. Overall very good racket. I was a previous user of BS12 and have used MX90, but I have to say this is the racket that stood out for me and a racket I will use for a long long time. Until it breaks of course.
Hi guys thanks for the replies, I will try and try them out if I can, it is difficult to find demo rackets and I don't know anyone who uses Victor rackets. I have now read a bit about both of the Meteor rackets. Any idea how they compare in terms of head heaviness to the arc 11? I have a Voltric 80 which is fun, but a bit too head heavy for my liking especially for doubles. I like the fact the arc 11 has a bit of weight in the head, but not a lot. Not sure what the stiffness is like of the arc compared to Victor rackets. Any other advice greatly welcomed.
The general balance of the MX line is close to that of the Arc11 and Arc10. IMO when victor rates their rackets as stiff they really are stiff. The yonex equivalent of stiff is usually half a step or more less stiff. But in this case I do believe the MX90 would be the closest thing to the Arc11 in victor's line up right now.
Hi Tom - I have a full set of VICTOR demo rackets with the exception of the TK9000 (thanks to a courier company losing it). I am just down the road from you in Ipswich so would be happy to meet up at some point so you can have a bash with all of them. Cheers Ben
Hi Ben, That would be awesome I just found the demo page on the Victor site and submitted a form (just before I read your post). I guess this will be passed on to you since you are so close. A meet up would be great, shame you don't have the tk9000 would have been nice to try, but no worries.
