It seems like the Astrox 77 Pro is getting more popular these days. I went to my local badminton store and the owner said his stock was sold out. He said not many people are buying the Astrox 88D Pro these days. After coming from my retired Z Force 2s, I've played with both the 77 Pro (4U) and 88D Pro (4U) for a couple of months each. My feeling is that they are both equally good rackets. Obviously people's opinions and experiences will be different, but being an all rounder type of player, my preference is for the 77 Pro. However, I must say, smashing with the 88D Pro is rather delightful and it's definitely not just a racket for smashing. The Astrox 77 Pro allows for great control shots, yet when the chance to attack comes, it still has even power for playing an outright winner. Added with the faster swing speed, it can really catch your opponent off guard. Even though smashes are weaker than the 88D Pro, I find the control, angles and even steepness of smashes even better with the 77 Pro. The 88D Pro definitely has more power, but for me personally, I find that there is sometimes too much power. A simple clear sometimes sends the shuttle too far and out of court, and I am hardly even putting any effort into my overhead swing, which unfortunately reflects on my lack of finesse at times. I don't have this issue with the 77 Pro and I often find my clears lands very close to the rear tramline/singles service line. For defensive play, I find both rackets equally great to defend with. Even with the 88D Pro being more head heavy than the 77 Pro, defending and swing speed is not a problem at all. The edge will go to the 77 Pro for more directional control when returning smashes. Drives are definitely more punchy with the 88D Pro, and backhand clears/drives are also excellent, this racket definitely has the horsepower. I also prefer slice drop shots with the 88D Pro, seems absolutely effortless and very very consistent. For interception, pushes and net shots I feel these are better with the 77 Pro. Also, as briefly mentioned, the control aspect of the 77 Pro is awesome. Perhaps owning it to be less head heavy, I find it enjoyable to place shuttles where I want, with very decent accuracy. The 77 Pro is also more forgiving when I'm having an off day and not timing my shots as well. I don't use very high tension. The strings I have been using lately is either the Yonex Exbolt 63 or the Victor VBS-66 Nano, at my standard 26x28lbs. I'll welcome any string recommendations for the 77 Pro, as I am open to experimenting too. It would be great to hear from more players regarding their experience with the Astrox 77 Pro too.
Recently got an Astrox 77 pro. I swapped my Duora 8XP for it. Other rackets I have are Astrox 99, one of the initial releases in 4ug4. And the thruster FE in 4ug5. The racket is in between these two in stiffness. However, a bit more headweight than the FE, or perhaps it is just the 3U effect. The swingspeed and feel is close to the 4U 99. The feeling of hitting is a bit less solid than the 99, but more than the Thruster FE. I find it a bit too whippy sometimes, but definitely better than the FE for controlling. Overall, it's a quite nice change from my Duora, which I found unappealing because of a damp feel and no headweight. I use it for doubles as my primary racket instead of the 4U FE. Quite happy with it.
Do you mind sharing which racket is easier to use? between the 77pro and tkfe and what are the main differences, like smash , defence etc
It is not a 1:1 comparison because I have the thruster in 4u and the 77pro in 3u. However, I would definitely give the edge to the 77pro in both of these areas, as it is quite a smooth swinging racket with great control. With defense, I mean a stationary receive of a smash, drop etc. I cannot comment about the more dynamic singles defense, as I only use my 99 for singles. The flat game is where it falls behind, as well as things like front court interception where I have to be choosing very carefully what to try to get and not.
