I'm an intermediate player and broke my racket recently. I'm not sure how to choose my next racket given the wealth of options out there. Looking to string at about 28lbs. Here's my experience with rackets so far. LN GForce Lite 3100i (4U, Even Balance) - This has been the best racket I've used. I liked how it was balanced and pretty light. Yonex Voltric 5 (3U, Head Heavy) - I didn't like the head-heavy nature at all. It caused shoulder pain if I didn't time my smashes correctly. Carbonex 7000EX (2U, Slightly Head Heavy) - I didn't mind this racquet even though it was on the heavier side. Maybe it was slightly head-heavy but I didn't really notice, it felt quite balanced to me. So in conclusion, I'm looking for an evenly balanced racket that can string to about 30lbs, affordable and sturdy enough to handle a few hits and bumps here and there.
You may struggle with that. Yonex Arcsaber 11 pro is recommended tension 20-28lbs, and Arcsaber 7 pro (4u) is recommended 19-27lbs. They both might be higher price point than you are looking at. - Astrox nextage is a great racquet. Previously I have used astrox 100zz and it ended up hurting my shoulder. Nanoflare 800lt ended up hurting my elbow. Astrox nextage has great performance for its' price point and you can string it up to 28lbs. In the 2 odd months I have used it, i've only scratched some of the frame by picking shuttles off the floor and one paint work chip from a collision with another racquet.
Based on what you looking for, i could recommend a few racket, some i used personally, the others are quite favourable among my friends. From Yonex side, arc 11, arc 11 pro and arc 7 pro maybe will suit you best. I've used all of them, and still use 7pro. They are quite similar racket with a few differences, most notably speed and power. If you want more power, go with 11 pro, if you want more speed, 7 pro is the best among them. The old 11 is somewhat in the middle. From victor, maybe try drive x 9x or the old school Bravesword 12. While i never tried the drive x, some of my friends use them. For the BS12, thats the best even balance racket in LYD prime era, and a little bit comparable to old gen arc 11, with BS12 is quicker, and arc11 a little bit more powerful. A couple of them can withstand 30 lbs and so far have no issues with their frame, like drivex 9x, arc 11 pro, and arc 7 pro, but make sure you replace the grommet as soon as they show signs of wear and tear. Oh, I cant say anything about LiNing, as im not much of a fan of their racket.
Well if it's even balanced 4u that's a generally considered an all round racket. If you're after an affordable all rounder that can withstand 28lbs of tension I'd probably say the yonex astrox 6, yonex arcsaber 7 tour, Carlton vapour trail 82, Karakal er zen pro, or the Victor jetspeed series. These cost in the range of 70 to 100 pounds and tbh I found some of these even better than some professional rackets
All of those are 4u, even balanced and medium or medium/stiff shaft, can take high tension and affordable
Though just bare in mind at 28 or 30 lbs of tension all rackets will be more vulnerable to breaking. If you want to conserve your rackets life span either try a slightly lower tension or be careful not to mis hit the shuttle often.
I can recommend Tectonic 7 (4U no options) and felet aerocarbon (4U). Very good control, easy to play and good smash power. Both rackets in my bag. Compared in last 6 months with arcsaber 11 pro, astrox 100zz (3U), astrox 99 play (4U), honor S9 (4U), windstorm 72, abroz nano 9900 power and armothec 900.
