Panda Power: A Racket That Can Take 40lbs. String Tension!

Discussion in 'Badminton Rackets / Equipment' started by DinkAlot, Apr 22, 2009.

  1. ctjcad

    ctjcad Regular Member

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    ..master Dan, if only you would lower the price...:(;)
    Btw, i tried your PPP this past weekend. Okay, only swung it for less than 5 min. Felt quite light, I think the one i tried is the 83+/- grams. But I think i prefer the overall feel of the Ultra and Trinity as the PPP, i tried, felt head-light.
     
    #3281 ctjcad, Nov 15, 2010
    Last edited: Nov 15, 2010
  2. what07

    what07 Regular Member

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    Panda should create a "frequently buyer program." Buy 5 rackets get the next half price, Buy 10 get 1 free, Buy 100 get 50% off for a lifetime. etc :D
     
  3. j4ckie

    j4ckie Regular Member

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    Oh joy. That would be nice :D Even though I'm not rich and thus cant afford 100, I'd probably get a few extra back-up rackets just to save half on the next one :D women's logic, really. But when it comes to badminton rackets, my reasonable side just regresses to an 8-year-old that cant wait for Christmas.
     
  4. singnflip4life

    singnflip4life Regular Member

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    Haha having bought a dozen rackets from the panda (literally, maybe even a few more), that would be nice if it were applied retroactively. Heheh but I can't be greedy, Dan has had much much much much patience with me and explained a great deal of the technical aspects of things.

    That being said, tech doesn't matter to me, experience does, and I'll probably a buy an ultra pro or two, and a revelation or three, and a precision or four..... Guess I'm addicted. Time for an intervention?

    Oh and if anyone is interested in an 84.1-84.3g/287-289bp Precision, strung once and wrapped with a lightly used overgrip, give me a PM. I've got one with about a half hour of light hitting on it (so ZM67@26lbs is still good) that I'm looking to sell.
     
  5. dimcorner

    dimcorner Regular Member

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    So is the stringing pattern for the Revelation the classic pattern or the new one?
    I'm probably going to get me one as well. I really like the Precision but some days I'm wishing for just a TEENY bit more umph from it.
     
  6. cayzi

    cayzi Regular Member

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    I do not see good reason why are you against thermal protection. Sure for badminton bag is not worth it but if you play tennis outdoor in sun a lot then there is a big help for racket.
     
  7. j4ckie

    j4ckie Regular Member

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    So, although by now there are probably enough reviews out there, I said I would do this, so I'm gonna chime in with my opinion of the Precision, for what it's worth.

    Firstly, and most importantly, I've never used a racket below 86-87g (unstrung) and BP 295 seriously for a longer time. My current go-to racket is the Li Ning N50II, for singles and doubles, although sometimes I prefer the lighter N50 in fast doubles where I don't smash as much.

    So, when I ordered two Precisions with weights of less than 85g and BPs of 283 and 287, I knew they would feel quite strange at first, but I wanted to have a lighter racket available for doubles, and also get the hang of smashing with them (I still have 2 T2s which I have yet to restring).
    On saturday, my shipment from Mark arrived, containing my two rackets, weighing 83.2 and 83.4 respectively. I really love the design, and I've never seen anything similar before, which makes it even better. Rackets are strung with VS850@24lbs (BP287, 83.4g) and NBG98@25lbs (BP283, 83.2g). I tested them yesterday and today in training, and played them for a total of about 4.5 hours - 4 of them the BP287.

    First impression: wow. These rackets are LIGHT and FAST. The closest in speed are my BP283/83g T2s, but the Ps are even faster - the BP287 by a small, the BP283 by a big margin.
    Of course, being used to 89g+ rackets, every shot was off at first. When I started clearing, I was really surprised by how difficult it seemed to time a simple warm-up clear. After 10minutes of continuous clearing, I only mistimed 1 out of 8, so we proceeded to drop shots.

    Again, timing was an issue, but the accuracy was also quite bad (with the BP283, it was way better, but lacked power for clears and lifts). It got better and better, and by the end of yesterday's training, the accuracy was just outstanding. I've never played such accurate drop shots when under pressure - even the crosscourt drops around the head from the far backhand corner landed before the service line 80% of the time. Disguise was also better, as the light weight of the rackets enables me to change directions at the very last moment to slice across the shuttle, or even make it a clear just by flicking my wrist.

    Lifting was a bit more difficult, I had the hardest time here adjusting timing and power. Only after more than 2 hours I was able to play consistent, long lifts. What annoyed me was the vibration I felt so often - 8 out of 10 in the beginning, 3 out of 10 lifts in the end of the first training session. But today, I didn't feel any vibration at all.
    The reward for spending that much time to get the lifts right was better disguise, like with the dropshots - very quick changes in direction make even lifts dangerous shots, and often I could send my opponent into the wrong direction by holding the shuttle and making him believe I'd play a net shot. Once the timing was correct, lifts were getting effortless.

    Netplay was the next important factor - as I originally bought these rackets as a doubles weapon, precision and speed around the net are absolutely vital. Of course, speed was quickly checked off, as these are the fastest rackets I've ever played with, and the lightness make close net kills so much easier without hitting the net. As I had already played the racket for quite some time, I was getting used to it's light weight, and didnt take long to adjust - and the result was pinpoint accuracy. I've never played such precise net shots. Even in singles, when rushing to the front after a smash or drop and taking the shuttle below the net, I managed to surprise myself and my opponent by playing very very tight shots.

    This was getting better and better, but the most important part of my play had not been tried out yet - the smash. I knew this would be the hardest thing to get right, and that it would take more than one training to get at least 90% power. I was right - yesterday, smashes lacked power. The angles were very good, on par or even slightly better than with my trusty N50II, but they didn't create the kind of pressure I needed. It was enough for finishing off short lifts or finding an open area, but when my opponent was in a balanced defense position, I couldn't break it up most of the time.
    That is where I made the most progress today - I concentrated on smashing more than usual, even when it eventually cost me the game, to adjust timing and technique, and was rewarded with a much better smash. It's still not quite up there, but at least I can create pressure again.

    And last, but not least: defense. It has been mentioned before, but still, I'm gonna repeat it - this is where the racket excels. It was quicker and more accurate than with any other racket I have used, although high defense still needs some serious work. But I could pretty much decide where I wanted the shuttle to go, and could often turn defense (especially against drives) into offense. Not much equals the satisfaction of your opponent getting frustrated because he just can't put the shuttle on the floor, not even after you played a bad, low lift he intercepted easily. The racket just seemed to be everywhere at times...

    So, this racket really delivered what it promised - precise, controlled drops, accurate netplay, fast defense with super placement. Power is an issue for me, but the racket is not really designed for big smashes, and I still haven't completely adjusted. It's reasonable though, with the right style of play, you can create openings to play to the racket's strengths and outplay your opponent with an accurate or disguised shot and punish loose net shots.
    I'm very fascinated with this piece of work and will definitely continue to use it - perhaps I'll give a short update on Friday after training regarding the power issues I have.
    Another thing I have to mention is Mark's angelic patience and friendly attitude - I must have changed my order more than 10 times, going from one to two Precisions, changing the BP of the second one, changing the strings and tensions several times - I must have been a nightmare of a customer, asking for updates on shipments countless times once Dink had sent them out. The delivery from UK to Germany was quick (not as quick as I had hoped for, but DHL being slow isn't news), and the rackets were well-packed and secured against rough handling and even against rain :D
    All in all, he's amongst the best regarding customer care. Looking forward to repeating this when the Revelation is available :)

    Edit: Sorry for the big-ass post.
     
  8. Destricto_Ense

    Destricto_Ense Regular Member

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    No need to apologize, very informative and helpful, thanks j4ckie! I'm still eagerly anticipating my 287/85 PPP, but have to wait for the latest zymax spool to arrive with Mark before he can string it.

    Your post makes the waiting easier, and yet harder at the same time...
     
  9. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
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    Hi Chris, who's Precision did you swing?

    And hmmmm... ~83g and BP probably around 280-285 which was the design intention, it should swing light.

    Why?

    1) It's called physics
    2) Precision = a counter-attacking racket.

    :D
     
  10. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
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    Panda will try to get shirts and racket bags made early next year. Especially the shirts.
    Will try to distribute free shirts to previous buyers if an when possible, especially multi-racket purchasers such as yourself. :D

    Regarding your remark on experience and technology. It's an interesting one. For Panda, which he relies on depends on the situation. For computing and computing type applications that are mission critical, technology is going to win out. However, for badminton, which Panda believes you are referring to, agree, experience is more important than technology.

    Ideally, the synergy of experience and technology is ideal in badminton. And that's what we are trying to achieve here. And we'll continually try. Thanks for your support! :)
     
  11. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
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    Panda does not play tennis anymore and we are on a BADMINTON Forum. :p
     
  12. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
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    A bit more ummmph = get a Precision;) 2-4mm more "BP-heavy". Is the the first time that word was used? :p
     
  13. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
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    Yep, if you mishit/hit off-center, even the most stable racket will give you vibration. It's all about getting your timing down.

    And yes, MarkA is AWEsome! :D

    Thanks for your review.
     
  14. Mark A

    Mark A Regular Member

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    I can always send it unstrung if you find you can't stand it any longer...:D
     
  15. ixoye

    ixoye Regular Member

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    If anyone from Manila, Philippines is planning to buy a Panda Power racket, please PM me. Let's consolidate and save on shipping cost! :cool:
     
  16. ixoye

    ixoye Regular Member

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    Whoa! I'm stunned at the BP's and weights you people at! You guys must be really good! I can't do a decent clear with anything less than 290/86! Well, I can but it takes so much effort!
     
  17. alexy

    alexy Regular Member

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    Tried 6/6 revelation prototype tonight, all I can say is, it's very a bad news, for your wallet...again!

    I believe they are 4 full woven ones and 2 woven frame+cnt shaft ones. All strung @ 27-30lb, one @ 35lb I think, with zm70 zm62, and new prototype zm62(gray color, very repulsive)

    They are all around 288mm+~294mm bp, 87~90g weight if I remember it correctly.

    Under the see through coating, the woven looks like dragon scales, probably the most beautiful texture I've ever see on a racket.

    They are indeed a more powerful, more stable version of t2. This is the first time I tried a woven racket, I must say, it does not feel like any carbon graphite rackets I've tried before.

    It feels that the way woven racket sync the energy is different than the traditional carbon graphite racket, I'm sure there are experts here who can explain how it works.

    The swing feels slightly lighter when compare to a carbon graphite rackets at the same bp/weight.
    The power output is higher than the carbon graphite racket at the same bp/weight, thats for sure.
    Stability is comparable to Precision.

    I'm getting one from Panda for sure.
     
    #3297 alexy, Nov 17, 2010
    Last edited: Nov 17, 2010
  18. OliverHH

    OliverHH Regular Member

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    Which is best then? Full woven or CNT shaft?
     
  19. BOUBOS1957

    BOUBOS1957 Regular Member

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    Funny, I had the same impression, lots of vibration at the beginning, and after a few days of playing and practicing, I am no longer feeling any more. I have BG80 at 23/25. I don't know if Dink could comment, is it because of the strings???
     
  20. cayzi

    cayzi Regular Member

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    So i in preferred T2 with specification 83g/283-285BP which Relevation specification should I consider then according to your knowledge when testing this racket.
     

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