*Wrote this up on Discord a few weeks ago and am now sharing it here.* Soooo I said I would test the Apacs Pro Commander (3U) at my session, and I did... sorta. I stopped playing with it after one match because, honestly, I wasn't having much fun with it. I'll give y'all a little on-court first impressions. First off, power is very good and easy to squeeze out thanks to the head heaviness and medium stiffness. Even my opponent had to comment on how powerful my smashes were. Lol. Control-wise, things were going where I wanted them to, but the medium stiffness and the feeling (more on that later) kinda threw me off since I'm used to stiffer racquets. Due to this being the first true medium stiff racquet I've played with in awhile, I'll give myself some more time with it before I have a full opinion. Speed and maneuverability were... fine? I don't know, a bit sluggish but not the worst, but I was really excited about seeing how well it performed here because the dry swings REALLY impressed me, but on the court it just wasn't that great and I ended up very disappointed. I'll attribute that to the head heaviness (keep in mind I've been playing mainly with my NF800 and AS11P) and the fact that I over-hyped myself from those dry swings. Haha. Again, more testing and playtime needed before I have a full opinion. Okay, and here's why I didn't wanna play with it anymore after that first match. It just wasn't fun for me to use. The shaft, while initially feeling stiff to me during bending tests, was definitely medium-stiff when taken to the court. It's got some whip to it which is something I don't like (though I wouldn't list it as a con in my final review because that's just my own personal preference and Apacs do have it noted as medium stiff). Yeah, I remember now why I don't like non-full stiff racquets. Lol. Swinging back to what I said about speed and maneuverability (and this is my own fault, not the racquet's), I was very disappointed here. It wasn't what I expected, and, in simple terms, it bummed me out. Now, what I've mentioned so far are simply faults of my own and not the racquet, but the next point is what really soured it for me. The feeling is just dull. Yeah, I was getting great power and decent control, but I couldn't feel any of it. The only reason I know power and control are good is that I was watching the shuttle, and my opponent was telling me they were good. There was so little feedback in my shots that I couldn't tell how powerful they were or how well my shuttle contact was if my eyes were closed. Now, that might be attributed to the Apacs Virtuoso Pro Super63 strings that were strung on it. Apacs strings have a reputation for being bad, and even though they say these are their high-end, pro-level strings I can say they live up to Apacs' string's reputation. Maybe the strings helped with the good power and control I was getting, but if I can't feel that performance through my hands, they're automatically junk to me. However, Apacs' racquets also have a reputation for being slightly dull in feeling, which is a consequence of having such high stringing tension limits and something I've experienced personally with my Tantrum 500 International. I won't make a conclusion about the cause of the dullness just yet because the Pro Commander is much newer than the Tantrum 500, has better materials, and I wanna give it a fair shot. The plan now is to get it restrung with my preferred string and tension, and then spend a few more sessions with it in order to adjust to the stiffness and balance, eventually leading to a full review. Usually at this point I'd just call it "meh" and shove it to the bottom of my bag or sell it off, but considering this was a gift from my little sister, I gotta give it my all with this thing before making a decision. Hopefully y'all enjoyed my first impressions of the Apacs Pro Commander. Please don't take this as a final review and a bash on the racquet because most of the issues I had are due to my own personal tastes and the less-than-ideal string setup. Apacs is an underdog brand I'd love to see more people enjoying, so I'll do everything I can to push out a final review that's as fair as possible. Feel free to ask any questions or share your thoughts; I'd love to see 'em. PS. It's also gripped with Apacs' PU overgrip, and it's the best PU grip I've ever used. I'll see how it is once it's worn down a bit more, but so far I'd consider swapping all of my racquets to this should I ever get bored of towel grip.
*One week later* Had another session with the Apacs Pro Commander today. Much better than my last one. I think once I was able to forget about my previous expectations, I was able to have a much better time with it. Power, still awesome. Control and feel, still not the best but I am looking forward to getting it restrung tomorrow with my usual strings. Speed, much better than I had originally mentioned. On bad days where my conditioning is severely lacking like today, I can definitely see myself picking this up more. Or even on days where I just wanna chill and not go all out. Really looking forward to playing with this thing more, which I wasn't able to say the last time I played with it. Lol
Freshly gripped and freshly strung (BG80 25lbs) Looking forward to seeing this girl's full potential PXL_20220424_210956345_1 by John Xina posted Apr 24, 2022 at 11:21 PM
I find Apacs rackets are usually better at higher tensions. At least 28lbs. Sent from my SM-N985F using Tapatalk
I'll take your word for it, friend. Unfortunately, my competition days are over, and 25lbs is where I'm comfortable at as a casual player.
Any recommendations for a widely available, head heavy, medium to stiff, 3U (by Yonex's metric), Apacs racket?
Hello apacs experts, first time here and looking for your advice What would you recommend as space equivalents on the yonex 100zz and victor thruster f claw ?
Not an expert, I was also searching for a cheaper alternative of 100 zz. After reviewing and trying some APAC racquets in person, bought the Thunderdome 6.2 4UG2 because it shares some similarities to 100 zz, these are my findings; 1) Similar compact head frame 2) Stiff but not extra stiff shaft, which some users have complain about 3) Slightly head heavy 4) 100 zz feels more agile with a smoother swing 5) Colors are nice, but horrendous finishing Paired it with BG80 Power, and after a few weeks, I love the racquet but used it on and off as it's not very forgiving with its compact frame.
Hello apacs fans, Is there a apacs range or model that's similar to the specs of nanoflare 800? Nf800 was unbelievable suitable for me, but out of my budget (as always). Thanks
hai... what's the current Apacs racket with head heavy and stiff shaft? light years ago, i loved my Lethal 70. now i use VZF2 and Astrox 100 ZZ. looking for a cheaper alternative
Just lost my favourite sword. Don't know why. It comes with 27 lbs in manual machine. Normal playtime twice a week.
Has anyone tried av ziggler power ? Seems to be heavier version of normal ziggler at 88g Also whats the best apacs racket for someone looking for a racket in 3u preferrable around same weight ( 88g ) and preferrably it being head heavy and shaft being on the stiff side ?
Seems like Apacs hasn't been talked about in a while. What are the most outstanding rackets that APACS produced that are still available at the moment? I'm looking forward to getting an APACS racket that is highly recommended. Seeing from past forums, it seems to be the Apacs Virtuoso Performance, Pro Commander, Assailant Pro, and Tantrum 200(ii). Please know me ASAP!
Has anyone tried the latest pro version series from Apacs (Fantala Pro 101, Honor Pro & Imperial Pro)? If yes, please share with us the experience using those series, thank you. Sent from my YAL-L21 using Tapatalk
Hi all,.don't know if this is the right page to ask this, however I'm trying to purchase a Apacs Nano Fusion Speed 722. The only place I can seem to purchase this from is badminton bay but with postage and added taxes etc adds £33 to a £50 racket seems a bit much.. Does anyone know where else I would be able to source this? Thanks
No, it's fine! You should consider Apacs UK's website since you are from London! You can try contacting Apacs UK's website (https://apacs-badminton.co.uk/) through their contacts (info@apacs-badminton.co.uk) and message them through there if they have the specific racket you are asking for in stock. At the moment, they don't have it in their catalog so contacting them would be the first thing to do.
