[Diary] My Arranged Marriage With The Adidas Wucht P8 3U

Discussion in 'Badminton Rackets / Equipment' started by speCulatius, Nov 9, 2019.

  1. Ouchie

    Ouchie Regular Member

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    Define "normal" :D
     
  2. Borkya

    Borkya Regular Member

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    New Balance, Decathalon, and some other random brands. Just their walking shoes or normal sneakers, not any special running styles.
     
  3. Ouchie

    Ouchie Regular Member

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    Normal used to be leather boots made from cow, horse or goat or if on a tight budget then the skin off whatever rodent you had for dinner.
    Now we see alternatives to leather. Pros are flexibility, comfort and less chance of trench-foot but one of the cons seems to be less abrasion resistance. Maybe it is manufactured obsolescence or just poor design.

    Maybe it is the way you walk.
    [​IMG]

    What are the chances you and speCulatius are foot twins? o_O :D
    Or do you both work for the Ministry of Silly Walks?
     
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  4. speCulatius

    speCulatius Regular Member

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    Like I wrote in the first post when I mentioned it, I pull up the toe when going to a lunge. That's all. It's an issue you don't have, no need to make fun about it. I started reading your post with a smile, but it got just too much, ignoring what has been said before.
    You do not have this issue. I got that a long time ago. Accept that you're not the only person on this planet and skip that piece of information.
    I've seen other badminton players with shoes showing the same wear, not often, but that way I know I'm not the only one, so I think it's worth mentioning it. When I ordered badminton shoes online before, I would have been happy to have this information. Even seeing some shoes in person (Aerus 3), I think they don't have this issue, but I cannot tell until I try them. Please keep in mind that not every word written online is written just for you. Feel free to read it. Feel free to leave a comment. Please accept that everybody is different and making fun of people doesn't help most of the time. Feel free to ignore a part that just doesn't make a difference for you.
    There's so many assumptions I could make from what you wrote to make fun of you, but I do not do that, because it doesn't help anybody and even if it was funny to some people, it would be at your expense and it's not my right to do that. I can make fun of myself when people who know me do it, I do not have a problem with that at all,
    There's a lot written here that I don't care about... I just ignore it. Maybe you can try that approach. And I can honestly not believe that I'm writing this to somebody who claims to be 43. Jokes are great, but not at the expense of others.

    My next post will be on topic again, because at this very moment, I'm waiting for the delivery of the rackets which are only a hundred meters away from me.

    I will ignore all comments on this other than serious questions.

    PSX_20191129_174955.jpg
     
  5. Ouchie

    Ouchie Regular Member

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    Like I said “manufactured obsolescence or just poor design”. Anything else is me being absurd, obviously. It is clear that this not abnormal, when did I suggest it was?

    And moving forward respectfully, what’s in the boxes? I subscribed to your thread out of genuine interest which is waining thanks to the unwanted delays.
     
  6. speCulatius

    speCulatius Regular Member

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    PSX_20191129_234715.jpg
    4 Spieler A09.1 that others ordered in the green cloth bags (that I am starting to like more than the high quality, but heavy racket covers)
    1 Überschall F1 for someone else
    2 Wucht P2 for a highly motivated beginner on the edge to intermediate
    3 Wucht P8 for me
    P7.1 shoes for me
    Some Badminton shirts (shorts, I have more than enough from Adidas), some T19 clothes (the hoodies look great!), some socks. They even included some T19 pants I didn't order, so now I have those and the Response Track pants I had before... very similar in some ways, very different in others. Size wise, I'm an (European) M for Adidas (well, it's M everywhere, but Japan, there, it's an O) while being an (European) L for Yonex (Japanese XL) and I think XL for Li Ning (XXL for some of their sleeveless shirts).

    First impressions: Colors in the catalogue are not accurate to put it mildly, especially orange. I'll try to take some pictures on Sunday.

    P7.1 shoes are more narrow around the forefoot and toe area and feel slightly shorter compared to the Stabil Bounce, but I think that's due to a different shape. They seem to fit my feet very very nicely. The sole and the loop at the top are bright orange. I didn't expect that from the pictures. One shoe weights around 390g (size EU44/UK9.5), that's not light, but I don't really have much comparison at the moment. I didn't expect a light shoe and when I have to choose between a light weight and good cushioning, I'll always choose the cushioning. Cannot say anything about that yet.

    The Wucht P8 racket looks really promising. The T-Joint seems to be very stable (and quite interesting), there's definitely enough head weight for me, it's a more compact head, but I'll get to the details later. Dry swinging the unstrung rackets didn't let me feel any difference in swing weight, so I did weigh them at
    1. 88.6 g
    2. 87.0 g
    3. 86.9 g
    and was surprised about the difference. All of that still includes the plastic wrapper which weights 1.5g (well, it did for the five other Adidas Rackets I had the chance of measuring it yet). That does put them at the light side of 3U which makes sense considering it's advertised as 86 +/- 2 g. Still, I wanted to know the head weight to see if I'm just that insensitive to those weight differences... same number = same racket -> same order
    1. 39.0 g
    2. 39.0 g
    3. 38.9 g
    Do I need to say more? I'll repeat that measurement on Sunday with a little more patience to see if I'll get other results or to confirm them, because that consistency surprises me.
    The grommet strips can easily be replaced by regular grommets, that's a relief, the four bulges look huge and seem to try to get that frame even smaller without sacrificing too much of the size of the sweet spot... by bending it feels only slightly stiffer than the Babolat Satelite Blast...
    They come unstrung, but with a set of P68 string that I'll test, another one will get G-Tone 5 and the third one? Probably some Zymax 68 TX that I wanted to try.
    And as a last word for now, it does look much better in person than in the pictures I've seen.

    I will probably get to take some pictures, make measurements and string them on Sunday, but certainly not before that. Hopefully I'll get to play a little bit after coaching on Monday.

    I'm planning to write more about the shoes as well, but I'll probably not do that here, but use the clothing/footwear forum.

    That's a long post for feeling like I don't have to say anything yet... but I'm excited and my ankle is getting better. I cannot remember to being that motivated to hit the court ever before!

    Feel free to ask questions or tell me things to pay attention to on Sunday.... No, that's not it. Please give ideas and ask questions! Focus on the racket, but if something about shoes/clothes is on your mind, I'll try to cover it as well, just not here.
     
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  7. endFX

    endFX Regular Member

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    If you test the P2, F1 and the A3 you had before, next to each other, it could make a nice little comparison of the three racket series.
    Would be great to see the difference between these three, since their specs are somewhat comparable (at least in balance).

    They also have different string patterns (compressed, aero...).
    Maybe you can measure the difference in string spacing (or show it in a picture) and tell us abit about how this influences the string performance.
     
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  8. speCulatius

    speCulatius Regular Member

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    I agree with almost all of that. I already did cover some of that superficially in some of my previous posts in the Adidas tread. And after that post. Until now, I couldn't do more, because I never got to play with these rackets since others were testing them.... And now I'll start with the P8, sorry for that, but I'm really excited to finally try it.

    I plan to come back to the others as soon as possible.
     
  9. speCulatius

    speCulatius Regular Member

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    PICT_20191201_152614.JPG
    They certainly look better in reality than in pictures. First things first, I think my scale did not stand completely straight/with all four legs on the floor... but it didn't change a whole lot.

    Total weight without strings with plastic wrap (1.5g)
    1. 88.7 g
    2. 87.3 g
    3. 87.1 g
    Head weight without strings with plastic wrap
    1. 39.3 g
    2. 39.0 g
    3. 39.0 g
    I also tried to measure the balance point which should be taken with a pinch of salt and a uncertainty of at least 3 mm (+/- 1.5 mm).
    1. 300 mm
    2. 302 mm
    3. 302 - 303 mm
    First one got the thinnest string, G-Tone 5, second one for Adidas Wucht P68. All at 12.5 kp.
    PSX_20191201_221018.jpg
    Strung the third one Ashaway Zymax 68TX
    PSX_20191201_221129.jpg
    That left me with the OCDly close rackets with a total weight of
    1. 91.2 g
    2. 90.0 g
    3. 90.0 g
    and a head weight of
    1. 41.3 g
    2. 41.4 g
    3. 41.5 g
    all still including the original grip and plastic wrap.

    That all is in a similar range like my Babolat Satelite Blast, overall slightly lighter with a higher balance point, yielding slightly more head weight and around 1g less head weight to what this method of measurement done by me yields for a ZF II (3U). It should give a good amount of head weight and matches the swingweight measurement by racquetforce, who measured the 4U ZF II aber the 3U P8 both at 90 (I do have the pictures they posted somewhere on my laptop if you're interested).

    Enough of pure specs, because there are some interesting Details. Let's start with the compact head, comparable to a ZF II aber put them on top of one another...
    PICT_20191201_151553.JPG PICT_20191201_151513.JPG
    The shape is ever so slightly different, maybe slightly less 'square', but the size is similar.
    All the orange grommets could be replaced by regular grommets...
    PICT_20191201_145637.JPG
    PSX_20191201_223427.jpg
    ...which might be interesting if you want to get rid of some head weight, since they (all orange parts combined) weigh 1.9 g while 4 U shaped grommets plus twenty regular grommets to replace them weigh only 0.8 g. That would make the head >1 g lighter. That's more than expected.
    The bulges look huge, which is hard to show in a picture, but I'll try my best...
    PICT_20191201_144917.JPG
    They don't take any length from the string though.
    PICT_20191201_144612.JPG
    After the experience I had with the X-Feel Blast, I tried to twist the head... nothing, but a quiet laugh, same when trying to compress the head. That raises my expectations even more. One reason is the T-Joint which is... from the side... huge.
    PICT_20191201_150352.JPG
    Again, better to see in reality than a picture.

    Bending wise, it also feels a little stiffer compared to my Satelite Blast, but I'll have to see how that works with the slightly heavier head...

    Overall, my Expectations are very very high right now and I cannot wait to try them!
     
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  10. speCulatius

    speCulatius Regular Member

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    Just to make sure:
    There's two rackets in each of the pictures. ;)

    And some more quick notes...

    ... on stringing. Nothing to say about it, really.
    PSX_20191201_232251.jpg

    ... on the paint job. I like the detail that it's the same on the cone like on the shaft.
    PICT_20191201_144415.JPG

    ... stiffness. Now that they're strung it was easier to compare and it feels quite a bit stiffer than the Satelite Blast. This really could be my racket!
     
  11. speCulatius

    speCulatius Regular Member

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    ... the shoes. PICT_20191201_150652.JPG
    The soles and the loop on top are bright orange, even my picture doesn't show it, but it's better than the catalogue. And the shape is very different from the Stabil Bounce.
    PICT_20191201_150729.JPG
    PICT_20191201_150828.JPG
     
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  12. llrr

    llrr Regular Member

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    That is quite a bulky frame. I wonder if it feels sluggish at all.
     
  13. speCulatius

    speCulatius Regular Member

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    Dry swinging, it doesn't. It does carry quite a bit of head weight, but doesn't feel like additional drag. It's not that bulky anyway, at least compared to a ZF II ans the Babolat Satelite. It's just the four bulges that look big, but are not really that huge looking from the front. As a side note, it's a hexagonal frame shape, so if you believe in aerodynamic frames, it's faster than the box frames of the other two.

    Looking from the side, it's slightly thinner than the ZF II, only the T-Joint is bulky again. You can see that in the picture where I tried to show the T from the side.
    PICT_20191202_140411.JPG PICT_20191202_140933.JPG PSX_20191202_141229.jpg
    The Babolat has the thinnest frame, with wise, the other two look pretty similar. Only the orange parts and the bulges change that.
     
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  14. Ouchie

    Ouchie Regular Member

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    Is there any information about what material the special grommets are made from? Do they feel like normal grommets or the ZFII tungsten strips?
    Everything about the P8 makes it one of the most interesting concepts.

    Going back to the SHB02 shoes...I took a look at all the shoes of the 20+ players at my club last night and only 1 person had the same hole, he was wearing the exact same trainers.
     
  15. Super85

    Super85 Regular Member

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    The P8 grommetstrips feels a bit softer than the tungstenstrips on ZFII.
     
  16. speCulatius

    speCulatius Regular Member

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    Certainly. So far I even feel they make the sweet spot feel softer, taking away some of the feeling, but I really don't have enough data for a serious first impression yet.
    The P2's grommet strips remind me a lot of the Babolat PEBAX Grommets on the X-Feel rackets, the P8's seem to be more like normal grommets.

    I agree with that very very much.

    It's no issue for most, that's true, but it's not the SHB02, it took them longer than their regular lifespan to show this. Durability of them was fine. Good even...
     
  17. speCulatius

    speCulatius Regular Member

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    So far, I was mostly coaching, so mostly using it for feeding, but also played with our little kids (two out of three are taller than me, approaching the 2m mark) and there are some quick notes I think are worth mentioning.

    This is not an easy to use, relaxing racket.

    It's stiffer than I thought. I need to readjust, because it feels quite a bit stiffer than my previous Babolat, but that's what I've been looking for.

    In many ways, this is between the Z-Strike and the Z-Force II, but probably leaning towards the Z-Strike.

    It's a precise racket for sure.

    Let's get to...
    No.

    Not at all. Leading to many mishits at the top third of the head. The stiffness helps, I guess. The head reacts quickly and (probably) the smaller head, maybe combined with the more aerodynamic frame shape makes it feel like a quick racket. When I'm prepared, I don't feel like I'm using a head heavy racket. When I'm not prepared (getting lazy), I realize it again. Overall, I was so surprised that I measured the head weight again, directly comparing it to the Babolats. It's pretty much the same. So for this head weight, this is not a sluggish racket.
     
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  18. speCulatius

    speCulatius Regular Member

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    Quick update:
    I got to play some more last night, below my level, so the speed was slower and in defense, the racket was not really tested yet, but that might change today (XD tournament).

    I still feel like the racket is lighter and quicker than the head weight suggests, but I'm starting to click with it. Mishits are getting less and that also shows me: Feedack is there, at least when you hit cleanly. There's still something a little strange (not harsh, more soft) on off sweetspot hits, but I can live with that since it shouldn't happen too often anyway.

    The handle is long enough for me, a few mm longer than the other Adidas rackets, so it should also be ever so slightly longer than most Yonex rackets, but I cannot compare directly at the moment. The grip size is stated as G5 for all the Adidas rackets, but as other have mentioned before, I also think it's slightly thicker than Yonex G5, but Ok think it's closer to that than G4. G4 is too thick for me to feel comfortable, this Adidas G5 ja perfectly fine for me.

    So far, the P8 seems like the (for me) perfect combination of the X-Feel and the Satelite Blast. Fast, stable, stiff, precise, with enough head weight...

    ... talking about head weight, I just love the way you can play around with the speed your opponents introduce in a rally and just get the racket in the trajectory of the shuttle and block it effortlessly or introduce even more speed by just tightening your grip, but again, so far there was no chance to really test it in very quick rallies.

    By the way, my XD partner picked it up yesterday after she broke the strings on her NR600. "Wow... that's different. Pretty head heavy!" but she liked it anyway. I guess she won't buy it, stiffness wise it might be out of her comfort zone, but I'm pretty sure she'll try it again.
     
  19. speCulatius

    speCulatius Regular Member

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    I read s_mair's review of the P6 again today and realized a few things.

    First of all, I was always comparing the feel to a box frame, but it's not. It's hexagonal and more aerodynamic and for such a frame shape, it's a solid feeling racket. I have held box frames that felt less solid. It's still not the best, but I feel what's happening on the stringbed and that's enough for me. For an aerodynamic frame shape, that certainly is a good feeling racket. Maybe I need BG80 on this racket to be completely satisfied (don't tell Adidas) or up my tension a bit. I was using 13 kp over the past weeks on my Babolat (12.5 on the P8s at this time), and I played in a freezing cold hall today (we were covered in fog from our own sweat, that's how cold it was) and with the stiffer strings, it did feel great. I hate cold halls though and there's one part that makes too high tension difficult to play with.

    It would be a surprise if that was different for the P8 and it's not. The sweet spot is noticable smaller than on other rackets with a regular frame shape. No problem in singles so far, but in doubles, it can be hard to hit completely cleanly when the pace is high.

    That takes me to defense... I don't like too light rackets in defense. With some weight, the movements do not have to be that fast to get the shuttle back. A not only long, but also high defense requires some supination making good timing essential. Hitting the sweet spot perfectly in that situation is not easy with the compact head, especially because the racket still is faster than I think.
    It's fast enough for me in defense, I still need some time to adjust and I did just start the journey to find the perfect match of tension and string for me with this racket, but looking at how fast that adjustment went for overhead strokes so far, I'm optimistic.

    I already had that moment on Friday - the first time I really played with that racket - when slowly getting used to the speed, thus consistently hitting cleanly. That's when I slowly realized that I didn't have to hold back anymore, I could accelerate more and more and the shaft could keep up with it. It's the moment when you realize that you have a racket that matches your swing.

    I was so hoping that Babolat would make a more stable X-Feel Blast. They made new colors, but as far as I know, never worked on that (the T-Joint). The P8 is very much what I was hoping for from a different company. Not quite as stiff, probably, but maybe that's a reason why they didn't call it P9... there's still some room in that naming scheme. So far, I think the P8 is enough for me though.
     
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  20. speCulatius

    speCulatius Regular Member

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    What's the news so far?

    I am still very comfortable with this racket, in 2020 (long wait, I know), I'll probably play around with the ZF II grommet strips and see if/how much it changes the head weight and feeling when playing, because the top parts should fit in perfectly. When there's a chance to directly compare it to a Z-Strike, I'll do that, because they should be very close. I cannot think of anybody I know with a Z-Strike though.
    Only other news: The orange grommets are fluorescent!
    PSX_20191229_135353.jpg
     

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