I've broken my last 3 AT500s in the last few months, so I need to source some new rackets for next season. For cost reasons I'm probably looking to move away from Yonex but am open to suggestions. I'm having difficulty finding demo rackets to try, no shops around here will do demos, except for Yehlex/Fleet. So I don't really know what the alternatives feel or perform like. I'm not really a singles player any more, more an attacking doubles player. There seem to be lots of deals around on Head Metallix 10000 tour/8000 tour/8000 at the moment - any ideas on how I might get on with these? Its been a few years since I went through the whole racket selecting and buying process so I'm a bit out of practice! Any help appreciated!
well, i am assuming you want a head heavy racket, at a decent price, that is pretty stiff. the Met.10000 is a good contender, as is the Nano 900 Power Red/White.
J,, please forgive me for my disagreement. I have both the AT500 and the Apacs N900p White. I find them completely different kettles of fish . The Yonex is head heavy, stiff and pretty powerful, whilst the Apacs is lighter, less stiff, softer in feel and a lot less head heavy. In my mind, if you want a head heavy, stiff racket at a decent price, go Victor. Either the current SW31 or SW33P, or the up and coming SW35 or Broadsword 10 maybe ??? O.K. the Victors may be a bit more expensive than the Apacs and Head, but I still feel they are at a 'decent price' .
I bought a Victor Super Inside Wave 33 a few days ago. Stiff, but not too stiff. Head heavy (Balance 300 mm), very good smashes. Suprisingly combined with tremendous control and precision even in defensive situations makes it a very recommendable racq. I tested also the new Head Power Helix 8000(successor of Metallix 8000): flexible, good control, very quick reactions possible, but lacks of powerfull smashes. And Victor Total Inside Wave 4800: classic head, very stiff (too stiff for me), pretty heavy racq (94 g), difficult to recover from my own really powerfull smashes=> reaction bad. Bad defensive features. Remembers me somehow to AT900p. SIW33>PH8000>TIW4800 Price: all around 105€
I've decided to sell my AT500 - mine is a 3U and I tend to prefer 4U rackets these days. But I would like a replacement, so I was pleased to see this thread was already here So I'm after a lighter racket with a similar "feel" to the AT500, like the OP I'm not looking for another Yonex. My ideal replacement would have a little more flex than the AT500 but pretty much the same balance. I LOVE the look of Victor's rackets right now, especially the Bravesword 09 - is this a good fit or should I be looking at the SuperWaves? Thanks!
If you have looked at the reviews on the Brave Sword 09 on this site, most people say that the racket is similar to the Arcsaber 7; it's just a little bit more head heavy. So I am not sure whether it would be a good replacement for the AT500. Try looking at the other Brave Swords, or the Super Waves
I've now briefly tested a bunch of victor rackets - so far I like the Total Inside Wave 5000 and the Ripple Power 12. I didn't seem to get on with the Super Inside Wave 32, I think it seems maybe too stiff. I also like the bravesword 08, it feels light and manoeuvrable, but possibly a little too light for me. The Victor websites and rackets seem to contradict each other - the uk website lists the bravesword 08 as flexible, but the racket and international site indicates its stiff. Also the international site has the Total Inside Wave 4800 as "dynamic" flex and JavMen11 says it is stiff!
