For some reason, there is no info regarding this racquet on any Yonex websites, I tried Japan, Taiwan, etc. NONE. So I thought I would share some info for anyone who is interested. Also I think this racquet is quite a rare, weird combo in this series. Also just wanna share how beautiful it looks since I tried to find photos on the internet and there was none. Otherwise TLDR, But if u like reading for some weird reason, here it goes: I purchased this racquet because of the Instagram post from Yonex (yeah, super random but it was Christmas and Holidays) and it was so beautiful since I really like white racquet but the type of racquets that I play never available in white. So I bite the bullet and bought it the first day it arrived in Australia. Thinking worse come to worse I will give it to my wife Also because I was so confused when checking the head balance with my finger. Thought I did something wrong. Long story shot BP 320 !!!! Weight in at 84g with string and original grip removed one layer or cushion wrap and one layer of supergrap. (FYI Interestingly the Yonex original grip is 6g while the Victor one is 8g). So the handle of my racquets are normally quite lighter than typical setup with original grip and 1 layer of supergrap. I would say my setup is the same as the Original racquet with the plastic on. I love head heavy racquets but in the lower 4U weight regions. But all the racquets that I own never have this crazy BP. The ZFii I owned years ago was around. 312-315 or so (can’t remember exactly). All the TKFs I have are 309. (Very similar for the TK-9000s I still have in the garage 307 308) All racquets are set up the same. Original grip removed, 1 layer of cushion wrap, then thin layer or supergrap with around 5-6cm cut off. Was sort of eyeing the NF800 though the cracking issue really concerns me since I do hit hard and seems like mishit the frame is a no go. In my experience, the TK9000 is such a tank for example, it can take so much damage but never had any cracks after a few years of “abuse”.
Summary: Thin shaft at 6.7mm. MADE IN TAIWAN. Stiff (indicator all the way to the end). Can someone remind me what’s different between Victor and Yonex Stiffness indicator? I can’t remember it now. Head weight is 40.1g Since its really light (around 2-4g lighters than my other 4U racquets) I can return a lot of smashes even some were half court which is amazing. The aero frame and recessed grommets probably doing its job very well. I have always like to play with boxy frame so the feeling of an aero frame is quite something. Almost feel it’s too fast and my swings are a bit off. Seems like I don’t need to put that much force into a swing. I have never been able to play with a new racquet in any game. Timing is always off and it normally takes me a few weeks to get used to a racquet. I’m very slow to adapt. But for some reason I was able to play a normal game. Though of course the Raw power is not up there with my normal setup. But this was week 1. It’s not far off. I would say I can smash 6-7 out of my normal setup. And normally with trying a new racquet, I can only do 2-3. It's always such a terrible experience trying a new racquet. Transition from TK9000 to TKF was a night mare for a few weeks. Though I noticed straight away the speed improvement so I kept trying. Even changing from TKF new gold version is also so much different from the old blue TKF. Granted, the freecore handle seems so much better on this racquet. I believe this is the freecore 2.0. Freecore 1.0 was rubbish and get some recall from Victor, Wasnt ready for prime time. Background so you can take my opinion like a grain of salt since I never review racquets so IDK much about reviewing, just sharing my interesting interaction with this racquet: I only can … smash Racquets in the past (all head heavy 4U, impossible to play this type of racquets in 3U unless you lift heavy weights): Played for less than a year: Armotec 600, Armotec 700, Voltric 70, BS12, BS LYD, MX80, MX JJS Played for more than a year: ZFII (took 4-6 months to tame, crazy), TK9000 (my go to for 2 years), TKF blue version, TKF improved gold version (these TKF are my go-to at the moment for the last few years since they came out, I can’t play with TKF-C, its too different) Go to string for years: NBG-99 because of its durability. NBG-98 won’t last more than 2 weeks for me. Though recently I went with VBS-66 Nano from Victor and the durability is on par with NBG-99 even though its so much thinner (so its so much nicer to play). It also doesn’t have any issues like you would have with Ultimax 66. FYI they are from the same factory in Japan as Yonex strings. So what is this racquet supposed to be? It’s not top of the line from Nanoflare because It’s made in Taiwan. It’s not a replacement for the NF700. NF800 is technically quite new and the specs are quite different. I have never played with any Nanoflare racquets so I have no idea what Nanoflare supposed to feel like but from what I’ve read, they are not even close to being head heavy. Even this racquet printed as Head Light balance, either I have a dud and off the QC racquet or this new 555 series are quite an interesting racquet that Yonex is experiencing. It has all the Nanoflare features/ shape but with the Astrox characteristics. Look like someone just had fun at the Yonex taiwan lab???
If it is not mentioned on the website than it is just for a minor market. Have you ever heard of these rackets No. So thank you for your effort reviewing a racket that no body can get.
It's true that there are racquets that are available only in certain market but those racquets you listed are entry level racquets. It's basically just a full graphite racquet with different pain job for anyone wanna get into badminton and dont wanna spend big bucks. This racquet has the same price as the top of the line Nanoflare700 800. Also this has been advertised on their main social media accounts everywhere. And i work in digital marketing, whoever wasted a post for a product that nobody can get is just pure dumb. Especially for a big company like Yonex.
I'm guessing the racket you bought is a dud because the promo specifically says headlight. I bet many people might be looking for duds like this though so maybe you can sell it for a higher price than you paid.
Man, what a WEIRD racquet. There's already the NF500 and NF600, so one could assume it's meant to sit in between those(?). Yonex has it on all their social media stating it's released worldwide yet I've found only a tiny handful of shops carrying it, none of which ship to the EU. One site says it has titanium in the frame, which is something I haven't seen in a very long time. Made in Taiwan but up in price with the flagship Japan models. It's so... odd. Lol. I feel like the Nanoflare range already had something for everyone who likes headlight racquets, so this feels like Yonex was bored and just felt like throwing a new Nanoflare out there. Ahaha. What tension are you using? How's the controllability and net/front court play?
lolz, just checked back a few months and just saw your video review. Spot on!!! Exactly how i felt with this racquet. Super head heavy, and not fast at all, idk why it stays in nanoflare line. But anyway, i kinda like it. Not my go to racquet but its fun to play with really
Maybe, perhaps, as we use 5s to represent laughing in Thailand, this racquet was intended as a complete joke to the Nanoflare line Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk
555 is a famous brand of cigarettes. the Singapore distributor here got so rich off them (70s & 80s), the owners' and family cars all come with 555 carplates.
