Yonex Nanoray 900 / NR900

Discussion in 'Badminton Rackets / Equipment' started by demolidor, May 12, 2014.

  1. madcarrot2007

    madcarrot2007 Regular Member

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    I'd recommend this racket to any head light(Yonex's stiffness) racket players in a heartbeat. Coming from ti10 3rd gen racket, I have no problem to adapt NR900 quickly. My playing style is not offensive. My nr900 is 3UG5, Strung at 24lb with bg66 ultramax, balance is around 285mm wet, the length of this racket is the same as my ti10, but the shaft is an inch shorter. i played with plastic birds for 2.5 hours before this review.

    This is a stiff racket, not extra stiff. I feel slightly stiffer than ti10 rd gen but less stiffer than ti10 limited. ti10 limited is too stiff for me.

    i feel nr900 generates more power than my ti10-3, drives seem to be improved. Clear is not effortless, but not a problem if I hit the bird within the sweet spot. Smashes are great, I have been skeptical about their cut smash theory, I didn't feel any bending on the head frame so far , but somehow my smashes are slightly different, like the bird is slightly angle on the way down.

    Control and maneuver are superb. Net shots is the same as my ti10, but my drop shots seems to be better.

    The defense is as good as my ti10, I was able to swing the racket very fast and return the shuttle to opponents back court. Smashes are of course not as good as head heavy rackets but all my smashes are still decent, able to generate a lot of power smashes when everything is done right. For me, I wish the racket colors could be a little more striking, I'd do the same as the other user on the post above, to use green strings and perhaps a grey color grip to make the racket looks even cooler.
    This is an awesome racket, for me, this is an upgrade version of ti10 3rd gen. I wonder why there are not many people talking about NR900 because it is such a wonderful racket. My search of replacement of my ti10 purple is over, I was gonna replace with ns9900 but I wanted a new model, and NR900 is the one.

    Cheers
     
  2. JasonJenn

    JasonJenn Regular Member

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    Nanoray 900 Review

    Hi everyone I’m been following this thread for awhile now.

    Here are my views on this particular model from Yonex.

    But first, a brief background of my level of play.

    I would consider myself an advance player (have undergone proper training since young and currently still play competitive badminton).

    Here’s video links of some of my teammates playing to give a gauge of my skill level. I would consider myself equal with the players that u see in the link.

    http://youtu.be/EWhlUFDZbaU?list=UUGzbHNqPRd9N-EqOGhJfUcQ

    http://youtu.be/Xy3Y1qisQF8?list=UUGzbHNqPRd9N-EqOGhJfUcQ

    http://youtu.be/uyAqEoNX6lI?list=UUGzbHNqPRd9N-EqOGhJfUcQ

    I have in my possession and/or utilize the following racquets:
    i. Victor MX JJS
    ii. Apacs Tantrum 200
    iii. Wilson K Blaze
    iv. Voltric 80; and
    v. Kason F9 Twister

    Even though I have in my possession highly recommended racquets listed above, I still was not satisfied with those racquets for these reasons:

    a. I’m a double player, hence defense and counter attacking is key to my game.
    Especially when I play against fast and skill full opponents.

    b. Both tantrum and jjs are wonderful at smashes and driving the ball down but due
    to the racquets being head heavy, I personally find my defensive returns were limited. Both JJS and Tantrum are ok defensively but I was still looking for a more maneuverable racquet.

    c. My favorite winning shot is the jumping slice smash and jump slice smash (I have 85% chance with my first attempt of landing my shuttle within the first half of the court). Being 183cm tall it helps to get the shuttle down easily. However to whenever I use a head heavy racquet I can’t maintain the same level of accuracy and power, as I will tire easily after the second continuous smash.

    d. Jump slice smash involves using both your wrist and the speed of your swing. With head heavy racquets you will find it harder to do both things simultaneously on a constant basis especially in rallies. Heavier racquets makes it much more harder to flick the wrist down to add slice to the shot in order to make the shot steeper

    So when Nanoray 900 came out I bought it after reading about its capabilities to land the shuttle closer to the net.

    Here’s my review of Nanoray900

    The racquet is slightly head light leaning towards even balance

    It swings faster than all of the racquets that I’ve referred to above. As a result I had to get use to the swing speed.

    My defensive returns improved tremendously. Immediately I have plenty of variation of in my returns and my smash return clears were effortless

    After getting used to the racquet’s swing speed, I finally got the timing right and able to unleash a constant barrage of jump slice smash consistently. I even after my fifth continuous smash, I was able to maintain the accuracy and steepness of the shuttle.

    Here’s conclusion after using this racquet for three weeks.

    To be able to use this racquet to its maximum capabilities, the player must be skilled with jumping slice smash. Only then he can appreciate the extra dimension to play that this racquet brings to the table i.e. consistently landing the shots closer to net;

    This racquet swings very fast and very maneuverable which make it very good returning smashes and deft net play;

    This racquet suits advance players who like to perform trick shots and have good wrist work;

    This racquet excel in drives and pressing shots;

    This racquet lacks the power that of all the other racquets that I’ve own but since its way lighter I can smash continuously without feeling tired and losing momentum; and

    Below average players may not be able to use this racquet to its maximum capability.

    In summary my rating are as follows (10 being the best in comparison to the racquets that I currently own)

    Defense : 10
    Net Play/Net Tap : 10
    Hard Smash : 8
    Slice smash : 9
    Mid Court Control : 10

    At the risk of repetition, in order to appreciate this racquet you must be an advance level player who prefers placement accuracy of the shuttle over smashing power. You will definitely need a good wrist to execute the shots that Yonex claim this racquet would improve.

    Hope this helps.

    P/S:

    I still use jjs and apacs when I play with weaker opponents with weaker defence and/or when I have to take the lead in attack.

    Since I’m slower than my younger and stronger teammates, I have to be the playmaker and set the shuttle for my stronger and faster smashing partner, hence in these situations, I will prefer to use my nanoray 900. Different racquets for different needs.
     
  3. visor

    visor Regular Member

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    Good review. Tks
     
  4. Steve the noob

    Steve the noob Regular Member

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    [MENTION=52774]paulstewart64[/MENTION]

    Have you gotten a chance to post your review yet? I'm curious to know what you think.
     
  5. paulstewart64

    paulstewart64 Regular Member

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    Steve

    No I haven't as I launched Voltric Z Force 2 and am about to launch my video coaching program next. Then I'll be posting the review.

    I had the opportunity to study this racket alongside NS9900 which was interesting. They are identical except materials and make up of Nanoray is different and head weight too. I don't think you could really call NR900 a head light racket if NS9900 is the benchmark for what head light means.

    Overall, a very good racket so congratulations to Yonex. I did have one issue with it and thankfully it wasn't just me who noticed it.

    Paul
    www.badminton-coach.co.uk
     
  6. Mark A

    Mark A Regular Member

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    My money's on vibration (like the NR800);).
     
  7. Dimon75

    Dimon75 Regular Member

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    Paul has posted his review. Very nice. Now i'm eager to try this racket.
     
  8. slvrdrgn123

    slvrdrgn123 Regular Member

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    Review is spot on.
     
  9. soulsync

    soulsync Regular Member

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    Right on ! Those who can get over the dull feeling may find NR900 rewarding
    I find the head frame "react" faster compared to NS9900 though having higher BP
    Playing drives and counter defense is a pleasure for sure
    Just wish the racket could have provide better feedback in certain shots :(
     
  10. Optimal

    Optimal Regular Member

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    I'm an average club player and thought it may be of interest to put a small review for players of a similar level.

    The racket was strung with BG80 @24lb

    I've played with the 900 for around 3 sessions now and coming from the 9900 which I've been using for
    around a year and a half I feel is a totally different racket. The head weight is I'd say around an additional 20% on the 9900. Due to this 'for me' has given me more power with my smash and attacking play which was what I was looking for.

    Back court drop shots/ slice drop shots, feel good and firm. Back hand clears feel good swinging the extra weight, even my back court cross court smash is making a come back, a shot I have not really played as much since using the 9900. Drives feel crisp and direct.

    Defence for me is a little slower, think it may be due to the head weight, just feel the racket moves a little slower round the court than the 9900 although I'm still getting use to the racket. A little confused as all the comments on here rate the racket highly in this department, it may be due to lack of my lack of ability.

    The sound from a lot smashes I've been doing is quite shocking, the bangs an pops are awesome, a few players have even made comments. Something I assume Yonex have been working on.

    For the money I'm sure there are rackets out there that will match the 900 but for me being a Yonex head I just had to give it a go. I've tried to replace my 9900 with a few other rackets but nothings really tempted me to put the 9900 down. I'm really happy with the racket and hopefully with a few more sessions I will be more at one with it as I was my 9900.

    As someone said previously, the 9900 got a few bad reviews when it was released so there will obviously be the same with this racket. For me the 900 defo gets a thumbs up.

    Thanks to Jason the advanced player who posted his review, this helped me with my decision to buy the racket.
     
  11. silentheart

    silentheart Regular Member

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    Please be more specific on what kind of shots. You might be able to adjust the string tension or string to get what you looking for.
     
  12. soulsync

    soulsync Regular Member

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    Not really on a particular shot. Just has this "soft" feel upon contact when playing.
    I'm usually on NBG98 or BG66U at 25lbs.
    It has good feel with other rackets like NS9900 or Victor MX series.
    I guess hard feeling string works better for NR900.
     
  13. slvrdrgn123

    slvrdrgn123 Regular Member

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    The only time the racket feels dull to me is when I mishit. Otherwise most shots have a nice pop to them. Not sure if it's the stiffness, but I get much better feedback compared to the NR750. I'm using BG66U at 25lbs. Definitely feels much better than the NR800 too which provided very little feedback.
     
  14. shosasakigamba

    shosasakigamba Regular Member

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    With the launch of the NR900 (top of the Nanoray family tree?) I wonder what is left in store for the Nanoray line?
    I dont consider the NR Z Speed as a real Nanoray as its more suited to the Voltric or Arcsabre range in specs.
    I like the NR900 it does everything well, a solid contender, no quasi oval/iso head shapes and its not fluorescent. So it may not appeal to the youngsters and fan boys. Best racket since the Voltric 80.
     
  15. Blitz

    Blitz Regular Member

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    Does anyone who has use a NR-750 before got their hands on NR-900? How is NR-750 compare to NR-900?

    Thanks :)
     
  16. ShuttleCocks

    ShuttleCocks Regular Member

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    I recently switch to the Nr900's from arc 11's and that "dull" feeling that everyone has talking about is true. But the benefits this racket provides in the front and mid court area is more then enough for me to get over that dull feeling. I feel like I did lose some power, but I feel like there is a lot more angle in my shots now, and people agree as well ( maybe it's just psychological ).
     
  17. slvrdrgn123

    slvrdrgn123 Regular Member

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    I used the NR-750 since they came before switching to the NR-900. The feel is similar so it won't take long to adjust. The extra stiffness gives a good boost to power and also makes dropping and slicing easier too. The only complaint that most people have is that it feels dull sometimes. For me, it only happens when I mishit so it's not a big deal. The racket is very fast so defense with it is great and much more responsive than the NR-750 since it's stiffer. You can easily deflect smashes and it won't feel like the shuttle is being held on the racket head for too long. Driving with this racket is better than the NR-750 if you can put power into the drive. Overall, I think it's a better racket and worthy upgrade. Let me know if there's anything else you want to compare between the two.
     
  18. gy79bc

    gy79bc Regular Member

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    NR900 vs NR750

    NR900 is stiffer than NR750 and heavier because it is 3U, as far as 'dull' feel, I guess it is when you hit with top tip part of the racket, I think every racket has such feel.
    For me, power wise not so much difference and when I am tied, I actually like NR750 better. I would prefer NR900 just stiff, not extra stiff racket. If I borrow the badmintondirect site's flex index concept, the flex index would be 53 (they do not have the index for NR900), NR750 would be 58.

    Here is the list of flex index of common Yonex rackets (the one with start * is my estimates, after playing)

    ARCZ 58, ARC11 54, ARCISlash 61, ARCFB 59, ARC 9FL 60, ARC8DX 55 (57 *)

    NRZ 61, NR900 53 *, NR750 58 *, NR700FX 58, NR700RP 54, NR800 53, NR600 60, NR60 56

    VTZF 53, VTZF2 52 *, VT70 55 (58 *), VT7 58, VT80 55

    Many people like VT70, however I feel it's shaft gives me crack feel and not much power either, less than NR700 serials, even though it is head heavy. Many people do not like NRZ, however, I found it is good racket, however, the ideal one would be
    NRZ 4U, flex 59.
     
  19. kienloon

    kienloon Regular Member

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    Hi gy79bc, do you have the index for NS9900? Thank you.
     
  20. :renegade:

    :renegade: Regular Member

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    Hi,

    Anyone switch from BS12 to NR900. Just want to know your experience.

    FYI, I played with BS12 for sometime and just bought NR900 last two weeks.
     

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