I agree completely! Actually, it was thought that the wrong pattern increases the warranty claim. If he gets the replacement probably nobody will care a lot about the wrong pattern. If not it will come back into focus again and the "smart guy" who came up with that, too. Anyway, nobody's perfect and **it happens but two mistakes on a stringing are not advertising for perfect work either.No matter who revealed that and if it caused the crack or not. Will let you know then how the situation turned out.Let's get back to the real point of this thread: LiNing rackets.
Got yesterday the chance to have a few hits with a Bladex 200 (3U). It was at the end of training and playing. Just did 2 drills with it (drop, net, lob or Wechsel-Drop and smash, block, lob also known as Wechsel-Smash). Really noticeable was that it swings slower than a Turbocharging (I play the 70/N7II) despite less headweight (1,4g headweight difference). The feeling is more "compact". I had the impression that the sweet spot is smaller and more concentrated which gave a very direct feel without vibration. After that my N7II felt hollow and the sweet spot much larger. Mine is strung 2kg higher that the Bladex I tried. Blocking, net was accurate and good. Never got into trouble with the smashs of my partner. Dropshots were for me quite hard. Not used to such headlight rackets since a few years and need adjustments for my swing if they are not sliced. Smashing was good in terms of angle and power, but I guess I hit harder with my own racket. The hitting feel beats my N7II. Hard to describe the feel. Not like my SW35 or a Yonex, which feels more damped. I would also rate it better than on my SW35. Kinda more "compact and beefy" like there is more material in the head, even this makes no sense. I think it is the distrubution of the material and the frame profile which gives this impression. I'm quite impressed by this racket for this price. Would describe it as a boxier Jetspeed 10 (4U) with a slightly more flexible shaft. If I would just play men double, I would think to buy two, but for mixed doubles or singles it is too headlight for my liking. IMO a good budget racket from Li-Ning and worth a try. IMO a great racket for female players or players who don't rely too much on their smash and play a more controlled and counterattacking MD.
The 900b (n90iv) is even-balanced (possibly slighty head-light but not much if it is) and is medium stiff Very nice catapult feel on the stringbed =)
The Halbertec 8000 is now available from several stores including e78. Priced below the Axfore 90s and similar to the Axforece 80 at 1390 HKD or ~179 USD/170 EUR. Spec sheet according to Shopnings and e78: Style Code: 3U AYPT013; 4U: AYPT015 Color: Green/Pink Release Date: 2022 Q4 Frame: Med Carbon Fiber; Size 355-360cm) Grip: T1100+ Polyurethane + non woven (First in Tectonic line) 3U G5; 4U G5 Full Length: 675mm Grip Length: 215mm Grip size: S1 Flex: Hard (Sililar with BX700, softer than BX800) Balance Point: 301mm Tech: 6.8mm Hark Flexible Shaft; T1100 + TB NAno + High Desnsity Carbon Fiber; ACC-Rif Tech; HDF Shock Absorption System Balance point sits higher than I would have expected although it is not specified whether the 301mm refer to the 3u or 4u version. It sits quite close to the Axforce 80 with 300/302mm and doesn't really seem to close the gap between Bladex and Axforce series which I assumed it would.
The Halbertec 8000 sounds kinda disappointing on paper. Actually LN don't hit my sweet spot in terms of headweight which is around 41,5g. They are 1g heavier in 3U and 1g too light in 4U when I just look at 76/78 holes models. A real replacement which is N7II-ish is missing and the Bladex 800 seems too stiff and headlight for me. Actually nothing interesting for me on the market from LN.
That's the best possible outcome and a big plus in my book for Li-Ning (after a long streak of minus'...). And I guess he didn't even had to send in the racket? That's impressive. I'm in no way surprised. The more rackets I try, the more I'm convinced that the the way it flexes is more important that sheer head weight when it comes to generating "easy" power. If I remember correctly, the N9II isn't that much heavier in the head (maybe 1 g?), but noticeably more flexible. So if you've developed a short and snappy stroke that works well with the N7II, this will give you issues with the N9II. Tell me about it. I know perfectly well that racket technology hasn't made any noticeable step forward in the past 5 years (or even 10...), but then there is this damned "new is always better" illusion that drives us nuts. Currently I'm having the Victor Auraspeed 90KII revolving in my head and I can't even really say why that is.
You do not need to speak Thai... I buy all my rackets from a shop in Bangkok and all the transactions, discussions, arrangements are made in English ... So I get rackets pretty much as soon as they are released in that country , which by any standard is much faster than Europe/UK, and at a price that is more reasonable
I do not wish to pay inflated prices, do you? Also, my purchasing abroad it is not just about the local pricing, but the lack of availability of most Li-Ning top end products here. BTW, I am not telling you (or even trying to explain to you) what to buy... I am sure you are quite capable to make decisions for yourself. I hope this has cleared up matters for you
Thanks. I found it just hilarous that you defend Li-Ning's pricing (and want to silence critism by a user) on one hand and on the other hand you recommend to fool the customs to keep the price low, which is a crime. If I would order regular from Mr-C and pay the customs, I don't get any huge price advantage. I personally purchase local for warranty regulations inside the EU. IMO a big plus to pay extra. Maybe you can share your experiences in this regards with Mr-C and how warranty is handled in Thailand? I also had the experience with a different brand, which hold my racket back at the custom office. There is also a few years back the story about @freewilly who got trouble with a brand here due importing rackets and forced a punishment. I don't know how Li-Ning Europe treat it, do you? I'm sorry, that I'm a bit sceptical in terms of ordering from Asia to save money, because I'm also another user here who lost money. I'm sorry, if I offended you.
Availability has actually cought up with most highend rackets being available from the European LN distributors (except the new Halbertec 8000) and a few badminton shops also carry several newer models. Black Friday prices were extremely competitive and beat the prices that Mr.C sports currently offers (even excluding any possible currency conversion fees and shipping related costs. Right now the prices are higher but Axforce 80, 90 Max and BladeX 800 are available for 190-210€ from LN Denmark f.e. Not cheap by any means but considering the fast shipping, easy RMA process and the reliability from these shops I personally would spend these ~40€ more. Btw, thanks for pointing out Mr.C sports. Will be in Bangkok for a few days soon if everything works out. Will give them a visit and hopefully come back with one or two new toys
No worries... I do not import for resale ... So far, all my rackets have arrived safely but I am aware there could be the problem you mention.. ie lost or damaged racket
what is the main difference between these 3 ?. N7 II (white) , Tectonic 7, Turbocharging N9 FHF Model Year - Stiffness - Ease of use -
All three have different balance points and stiffness, you can look these up yourself. Turbo Charging and Tectonic frames are pretty different too. The original N9 is from 2013 if I remember correctly while the N7-II should be from 2015/2016. The former has 2 successors with the N9-2 and Turbocharging 75 while the latter has one (Turbocharging 70), all discontinued by now. The Tectonic 7 is rather new in comparison and from 2019 or 2020 iirc. All three rackets are not particularly hard to use. The N9 probably the easiest with the flexible shaft, followed by the Tectonic 7.
Yesterday I had the chance to play with the Bladex 800. warming up and one set men's single. I'd classify it as even balanced to headlight and stiff. It's fast due to its balance point but overall for me it was rather underwhelming. Although it was strung at low tension it could not create power that easily I expected. May be not the appropriate discipline for that racket but I don't like to play doubles with borrowed rackets.Nevertheless I guess it would not fir my needs in other disciplines.
N90-III pretty powerful but rather slow singles racket, N90 IV balanced and fast doubles racket. Both 3u and on the heavier side iirc.
