BG80 is my reference for control, net play and feel. I never tried better but it's lacking on power for me too. I'm currently trying Aerobite right now and after 2 sessions, I really like it. I need to play more with it but it's a really nice all-rounded string. I get almost the same control and net play as BG80 but power is definitively better. It's lacking more than I would want on feel though but it's nothing that I can't get used to with time and strings move quite a lot.
I had li ning #1 on my n9ii limited, and I didn't like it either, that's why I strung 66FP on it. It was my first zymax string also, and I'm glad it didn't disappoint me. Hopefully, it won't disappoint you. Personally, I would say 66FP brings out the even darker side of n9ii by a little more. I should have tried zymax sooner, but I was satisfied with bg80 for quite some time until there's a comparison. I just wish ashaway could make more colors available for their strings, instead of just white and orange, and only some with red .
BG80 was my go-to string for the longest time also, but I still feel the control is lacking a bit for me. I certainly agree that it is lacking in the power department, especially now that I have comparison. I have never tried aerobite string. Although it was going to be my next test string, if only I didn't try the zymax first and felt in love with its power and control, aerobite will have to wait . But I don't like strings that move quite a lot, it reminds me of the li ning #1. I'm glad both the bg80 and the zymax 66FP have no string movements that I can tell. Well, everyone has their different combo that works for them, so I'm glad I've found a better combo for me and my beloved n9ii. Do keep me posted on your feedbacks on the aerobite string and its string movement, I might want to try it one of these days.
What do we reckon to this colour match? Probably will sub green ln3 in. I can't get over how fast this swings, and I've come from a 4u JS10. Power felt good too but i swapped back to n9 for last match as my timing was off. Sent from my SM-J510FN using Tapatalk
My cousin, who was a ldf user, was amazed at how fast the n9ii was, and he had long switched to an apacs lethal 10, which was a fairly light racquet. After trying out my n9ii, he was convinced that it will be his next racquet .
To be honest, I've been busy for the past couple of days (part-time work and studies) and I didn't get to have much of a chance to play. As of now, these are my thoughts after two successful sessions with the N9II. Coming from a Voltric LD-Force (4UG5 spec), despite the 3U weight, it swings much faster. It feels like a hybrid of my LD-Force and BS12, taking both speed and power. This is subjective but according to my friends, they've commented on my smashes suddenly becoming a lot more deadlier. That being said, they've grown cautious in lifting especially when I'm ready at the back. Do note that I'm no pro but rather a casual player. I do find it hard to maintain control in the net area. Definitely need to be a lot more gentle. Other than that, this has easily become my go-to and favourite racket for my sessions. Also, another one of my friends noticed me with this new racket, tried it out and instantly liked it hahah! Would I be getting another? Definitely (still preferring the black/pink colourway)! Best to save up my part-time earnings while waiting for my go-to shop to restock on N9IIs.
Congrats on making the switch to your n9ii !!! I, too, was a user of a 4u ldf, along with my 3u mx jjs and 3u js10, and had long made the switch after discovering this new gem, which was my first Li Ning racquet. What string and tension are you using on your n9ii? If you love your current string, but find net shots needing more control or need to be more gentle, you can try to up the tension one pound or two, depending how precise you hit . Being a head heavy racquet, it might be too bouncy when using lower tension with bouncy strings, hence requiring more control of power when doing net shots. I now use zymax 66FP @ 26lbs, and it helps improve on my net shots by a good margin. If you are good with your current string and tension, then it's just a matter of time to get use to the control, it will become more natural . At the end, string-tension combo is a very subjective matter, and we all have or will find a combo that works best for us . Dark Side has never been this GOOD !!!
Lol, my cousin is still very attached to his apacs lethal 10, so the n9ii will have to be his next racquet . Not everyone is seduced to the Dark Side with just one try, even Palpatine took a few tries before Anakin gives in .
I used a li ning n90iii for two sessions, a total of 4.5 hours. I didn't really like the way it feels. It's definitely more head heavy than my n9ii, but smashes were not on par with n9ii, even with a heavier head weight. Smashes with the n9ii just felt so much livelier and more powerful. However, I didn't have any timing issue with the n90iii, and I just jumped in and played like I would with my n9ii. The n90iii is definitely not a bad racquet by any means. It performed very well in all aspects. If i had never used a n9ii, it would be a good racquet to use for me. But since having used a n9ii first, the n90iii just felt lacking behind. Oh well! I guess, back to my n9ii limited orange for my regular sessions again .
Hello Guys, I went ahead and ordered the purple/green N9II today (blind buy), after going through this whole thread, originally favored N7II. I have a Duora Z Strike currently and really like the feel of it. Anybody has experience using both and found any differences? Has anybody tried Li Ning No.5/No.1 or Nanogy 99 with this racket ? Can you share your experiences ? Thanks!
Not with this racket but on my DZS and ZF2 I have so I guess I could help somewhat. No.1 at a decently high tension is a brilliant string. Stays playable for so long and has oodles of repulsion with decent control. I really don't like No.5 since it doesn't offer up anything for me. One popped in the bag at just 28 and other popped in less than a week. BG65 seems like a superior string to that (30> lbs). 99 is weird. I'd rather have 66 / 66um / BGAB / 80 / 80p / G Tone 5 than that. Could never gel with it when I tried it a couple of times but hey one man's trash is another man's treasure. As a pure smashing racket, I preferred really repulsive strings a lot more than strings offering up other qualities in my ZF2. No.1 / 66 suited my ZF2 really well and I'm enjoying 66um currently on it. I wonder if same could be said for N9ii. Repulsive strings > Control / Feeling based strings.
I have both the duozs and n9ii and i favour the n9ii only because it doesnt irritate my elbow the next day (getting old...) but when i was fine with the duozs, it is the better racket of the two if you are used to a stiff racket. The feel of impact is also a lot better on the duozs. Both rackets have similar bp and head size although the grip of the duozs is slightly longer (shorter shaft). As for ln no1 ive tried it at various tensions from 25lbs to 33lbs and hated it on both rackets. Tension loss is absurd; losing 10% within the first day after stringing without even playing. I had the nanogy 99 at 28lbs and it was good as is bg80p. Brilliant tension retension and feel. My second n9ii has bg66f at 30lbs and it is alright. Nothing special but it feels better than the no1.
Just had a go with my N9ii, 30lbs BG65Ti. I'm a N7ii user for the past 6 months. First impression: N9ii felt whip-pier than the N7ii, so it felt slightly slower. But it made it easier to generate power. I felt i had to reduce the efforts in my clears as compared to when i'm using N7ii. I think I have a new "favourite" racket, but will have to use it more to confirm. So far am loving the power that i can generate from N9ii, on the small expense of some speed advantage from the N7ii.
Thanks for the input guys, I probably should have provided some info about my background. Im club/recreational player, playing around 8-10 hours a week. I would put myself at intermediate/upper-intermediate level. This is my 2nd high end racket along with the DuoZS (Bought 3 weeks ago) and have been using BG65 before these not really paying attention to racket type, instead focusing on techniques & shuttle placements. I got back again into badminton a few months ago after a couple of years of break. I know 21-22 Lbs(DuoZS+NBG98, had requested for 24 got 22) is quite low tension for me & 28 Lbs (Li Ning no.1 + N9II) is too high to enjoy, to clear end to end, I guess 24-26 would be perfect. I do not have a professional stringer where I live, just a couple of old guys who do it out of their house. So trying new strings on the regular is kind of unreliable and also expensive. So I have to turn to you guys to get as much info as I can before making a decision. The N9II I ordered has Li Ning No.5 white @ 26 lbs from racquet force, its not delivered yet. What expectations should I have from this combination ? Will there be noticeable tension loss by the time I get it ? Is the tension retention good ? Is the string slippery like NBG 98 or more rough ? I do not have the luxury to restring every week or so from a reliable stringer, I would prefer a string that lasts 2-4 weeks at that tension. What strings would go best with N9II @ 24 - 26 lbs ? What would be the best qualities of those strings (Speed, Control, Feel, tension drop/retention etc ) ? Thank you
I also tried LN No.5 on the N9ii. It was a wonderful string! (note: was) Smashes had that oomph and strings were not very slippery. *edit* played with it tonight - it is actually quite slippery and strings move a lot - had to fix the mains after every smash (not sure if due to low tension). I strung it at 25lbs and played exclusively with it for 2 weeks (~12hrs), then I got a new string on my other racquet and didn't play with the n9ii. Here's the kicker - I came back to the n9ii two weeks later and the string was quite noticeably more bouncy. I would say it dropped significantly more so than i've ever experienced with other strings since I've never hit shuttles so far out the court before on clears. Though we can probably attribute this to super whippy + hh + low string tension combo... I wouldn't say No.5 is not durable in the sense that it is still shows zero signs for fraying (this is after ~24hrs of play). The main issue is that it loses too much tension. I reckon it loses most tension in the first ~2 weeks as it hadn't seem to lower that much more ever since (currently feels about 20~22lbs) Maybe you can try out No.1? It's an extremely durable string and doesn't lose tension anywhere as much. However, I've also read reviews here that it somehow randomly snaps (not experienced before by myself/club mates who use the CN version). I would recommend against thinner gauges for you since you've said you want to avoid constant restringing. Also, I personally reckon smashing racquets works well with 0.68~0.7mm gauges. If you want to play safe, there is always BG80 and BG65 that will play fine at 24~26lbs and probably last you long enough until you would want to cut them. BG65Ti is very rough if you are into that.
I still havent received my N9II yet. How would you compare DZS vs N9II with the same string/tension combination ? Although my DZS with NBG98 has lost its tension to 21 or maybe lower, I really do enjoy the feel of the racket. I'll have more control once I get it restrung at a higher tension. To get the same control/power as the Medium Flex N9II, should the extra stiff DZS be strung at a lower tension or vice versa ?? So its similar to the No.1 string when it comes to tension ? I only got the No. 5 because they didnt have No.1 at the time of ordering. From what I've read in the BC forums, No.1 loses around 1-2 lbs of tension and then from there it stays pretty constant, so its good at tension retention. No. 5 seems similar to you ? Does tension loss also depend on how good the stringing job was ? I did get a few No.1s from MBS for my other racket. One of them says made in Japan but the others just have a Li Ning hologram. How do I know they are/nt made in CN ? What would you advise for stringing tension for N9II covering for the initial tension loss ? 24 x 26(Cross) or 25 x 27 ? or just 26 x 26 ? I use the stringster app to check the tension What do you mean by rough ? Will that translate to extra friction/control ? Sorry for the barrage of questions; Just aiming to get my best String/Racket combo with the least experimentation possible. Thanks All.
Badmintony, have you had the chance to try the z66fp with your n9ii yet? I've dropped about 30+ hours on the z66fp n9ii combo, and I loved every minute of it. I tried alternating from my n9ii with bg80 and my n9ii limited with z66fp, and I just loved the way it felt with the z66fp string. I just hope you won't be disappointed when you get your chance to try it. Everyone is different, so I wanted to see how you like it. Net shots were really fun with z66fp, and my smashes just felt beefier, not to mention I loved the hitting sounds when smashing.
