ok so here's my brief story before the purchase decision of BS12 been a Yonex fan for a long time and played during my school days and picked up this year in April and am in my late thirties. so went to the local badminton store to purchase a racket and was asked the run of the mill questions like skill set/ budget/ style of play etc. etc. and as per my explanation was handed a crisp Yonex Nanoray 750 as the shopkeeper felt that i might need time to develop arm strength back to handle any head heavy or stiff rackets .... point noted and money paid and Nanoray 750 picked and Game starts .... during the first 2weeks i just focused on making clears and contact with the infamous SWEET SPOT of the racket .... it came and went and came and went and finally the shuttle started landing on the sweet spot and felt like i had conquered a mountain .... 2 months past and i felt my arm strength growing back and the nanoray felt like a feather and i felt that there was something missing .... was no not able to make deep back court clears as i would categorise myself as a mid to front court MD player.... the nanoray did a wonderful job in the front court but lacked the oomph of a backcourt to backcourt clear ..... hence i started experimenting with the lead stickers and changing string options but to no real result .... so i narrowed down the problem .... used a few of my friends rackets and finalised that the head not being heavy was the real culprit .... hence a decision was made to purchase the YONEX voltric Zforce 2 .... boy that racket was a beast and hard to tame .... the first month went in a flash and confusion and was happy until the last month when i notices a slight discomfort in the arm .... so the research started again and was narrowed down to the "too stiff" shaft being the culprit and more friends raquets trials and googling and research on this forum ..... finally after a lot of research i narrowed down my requirement to the following .... head heaavy but flexi shaft is the solution .... so it was narrowed down to YONEX voltric 5 .... but when i tried it in the shop i felt like i might loose my arm swinging it around so was back to square one in no time .... never did it occur to me to look elsewhere than YONEX .... after a little bit of more research i felt like my mindset of YONEX only option might be keeping me from perfect racket for me .... hence after a brief research i finalised the VICTOR BS12 as the next racket of choice .... i'm sure its gotten too long of a story already so will post my review of the BS12 in the next post .... thanks for your patience and BTW i have played with it 3 sessions already and have a rough idea and will share my opinion shortly cheers!!
Welcome to BS12.. once u go black, u never go back I had similar experience.. went through Arc 7, Nano9900, Armortec 600, arc 8dx, voltric 80, voltri 70, bs lyd... till I finally found bs12 ..
well said ah_lim .... always wondered if i'm the only one out there ;-)) thanks for sharing your experience .... cheers!!
and now as promised my humble opinion of the BS12 .... got it stung with nbg98 at 24lbs i had read about it on this forum so i had a few ...mmmm... let me be honest here .... hehe ....quite a lot of expectations from BS12 so the first shot was a much expected hit on the frame as you are right i was not able to hit the timing correctly .... the frame is fassssssst .... had it in mind but still missed hitting the shuttle .... and again and again and again ....took a while but when i did finally manage to hit the shuttle it flew like flewwwwwww .... and may i add it felt effortless .... when i say effortless i mean compared to my zf2 as the zf2 gave me a lot of shock lately then came the net play and it was like i had found my lost net skills somehow .... also i would like to add that the nbg95 was a good suggestion by my stringer for this racket .... i have played with the BS12 for about 4 times now and it just feels like i can't get enough .... every time it surprises me and leaves me wanting for more .... i do feel that the shaft is not flexible enough but the flexibility and head weight and the sword shape is kinda spot on for a mixed double bag and if you know how to time it right this racket has the potential to deliver more that what you can ever expect .... not to miss that the accuracy was also one point that made me smile and made me want to try and hit the shuttle at the same spot from all over the court and on more occasions than one i did manage to do so with a little effort and concentration .... i love the way this racket feels like its an extension of my arm "they used this line for the yon doura" but somehow it fits well for me for this racket ..... haven't tried the doura and have nothing against it .... actually i have nothing against any racket for that matter .... its so well said that "you don't choose the racket " ..... " the racket chooses you" and with that i would like to summarise it ..... looking forward to more play sessions with BS12 and congratulations to victor btw my wife is in love with the Nanoray and i can see why .... i will never sell my ZF2 as i'm sure i would need it at a later stage when i have developed enough arm strength to wild it and extract what it promises .... cheers to badminton and cheers to all equipment makers to bringing us joy in form of variations in rackets .... to each one his own selection .... for now y racket seems to have found me and am glad beyond words .... will keep you guys posted on further experience and hope you enjoyed the tri-series of my posts ) keep playing - keep fit
btw sorry for the typo but the string was nbg95 and not nbg98 .... however the next option in line is nbg98 if this one snaps
Very entertaining story and review. It remindes me indeed a bit of the scene in which Harry Potter gets chosen by his magic wand. A very good example why it's always best to test as many rackets as possible before making a final decision. I have used head heavy rackets for many years and I was sure that they fit me best. Just until I laid my hand on a JS10 and learned that apparently head speed is more important than head weight to generate power with my current swing style. Anyway, have fun with your new wand!
wonderful sharing bro ramsey. thanks. glad you are enjoying the racket and the game. that's wonderful. i am still waiting to be chosen by "my" racket. lol.
Im a long time user of ti10 (3rd gen) atm, and looking for a similar replacement. None of the new yonex offering (nanoray zspeed,nanoray 990) can make me play effortlessly like the ti10, which is sad. The zspeed does have more power but always need to work so hard to get it. So now I am looking at victor and it seem BRS12 is a victor's equivalent offering with a slightly more head heaviness? would you guys say this racket would be easy to use coming from ti10 or even better?
Hi James, I think Ti-10 is high stiffness, head heavy with classic oval head but correct me if I'm wrong. BS12 is medium stiff, mid balance and isometric but it feels like head light racket. Give it a swing, it is a very forgiving racket plus easy to adapt to. I would say as it is an all rounder, great for defense and net play, OK for attack. But I see more Ti-10 player especially the single player switching to Voltric as BS12 may feel too soft to them. But if you are looking for less stiff, something easier to wield as age may have catch up, this could be a perfect replacement.
thanks all, My ti10 are all 3U Ti10 has been the most flex racket I've own. (i've got VT80, ZF2, NR-ZS and NR990) You guys are saying BS12 is even more flex than the ti10?? I think i gotta try one to tell for real.
Ti10 3rd gen is a head balance to head light racquet with a stiff shaft, what separate it to the others is the incredible repulsion from the soft frame. Ti10 3rd gen was the go to racquets for myself and my playing partner for many years until they all "gave-in". Both my partner and I have struggle to find replacement for a long time and my partner settled with the old NS9900 which lots of forum members here would agree that is the closest racquet to the Ti10 3rd in lots of ways. For current Yonex line-up, I agree with you and can't really think of any model would be close to your Ti10s. Personally I have find a few models in Victor line-up that are considerably closer and giving the similar repulsion and response that I am looking for from the Ti10. MX90 4U - good repulsion and response, but slower in general, feel more mass than 3U Ti10s and packs a bigger punch JS10 4U - great repulsion and response, fast racquet with a good punch and likely the closet of all to the Ti10 but to me it feel numb for some reason; but my partner and I agreed if he couldn't find the NS9900, this could be what he will settle as a replacement BS12 3U - excellent repulsion and response, super fast racquet but with a flexier shaft so sometimes lacks the directness what Ti10 offers. It still packs a good punch but need to time it properly. I settled with BS12 because it also preserved my shoulder and it gives me the response speed that I have been losing as I aged. I would recommend you test at least the BS12 and JS10 or even the MX90, non of those is a direct replacement but they all process some great attributes of the Ti10s, may be you will find one that works for you.
James, one more thing, if you are into venturing off from the top brands; The Adidas first generation Power Pro (provide if you can still find some) is my top pick for Ti10 3rd gen replacement. But because the modestly head heavy balance, it is swing more like a 2U version of the Ti10. hope it help
Hi Guys, been using BS12 for over 15 games now and with nbg95 strung at 24lbs. was talking to my coach the other day and he suggested i should go for nbg98 japan version. just wanted to know if any of you guys have any experience with nbg98 and how's the feel? repulsion/control/durability wise as i think i'm almost near to breaking my strings and would need a restringing sometime next week thanks in advance cheers to all !
Hi James, i think if you are used to a stiffer shaft you might not like the BS12 as a replacement as yes its a bit flexible. as far as ease of use is concerned, its an effortless racket for those who are looking for the racket to give them feedback and fill the gaps in terms of swing speed and an all round tool on the court (front/mid/rear) but if you are a stiff shaft player and used to the likes of yonex z-speed's i think you might not enjoy the extra flexiness (if that's even a word ) cheers!
