Racket for Men's Doubles

K

KeirTuS

Regular Member
Hey guys,

I need a new racket as I'm going to need a back up or potentially a new main racket for a provincial tournament coming up.

Some info about me as a player:
  1. Currently using Head Nano 500 (been using it for 2 years now)
  2. My partner and I tend to rotate frequently so I play smashes and drops from back court but also need good net play and drives
  3. 17 years old, 5''8
  4. I tend to swing more but my coach is teaching me to use more wrist
  5. I can impart a lot on a clear but my smash isn't as strong as it can be.
  6. I play minimum twice a week upwards to 4 for at least two hours. Two of the days are coaching days

On to the racket:
  1. My current racket is strung at 22lbs and I find it's good to play tight net shots but I can't generate a lot of power on a smash

I was looking at the Li Ning n90ii and the n50ii simply because my club gets discounts on Li Ning :P. However, after further research, there's a lot of mx80 and vt80 lovers out there.

My budget would be nothing more than $250 CAD because if I were to get either n90ii or n50ii from my club, it would only come out to be ~$230 including everything.

Thanks in advance guys

EDIT: I used my friend's voltric 9 today and I feel my backhand clears are better and my smashes are more accurate and powerful. So a stiff racket is fine, at least I think so :P
 
MX80 is way stiffer than the Vt-80. Vt-80 is easier to use as well. MX80 is cheaper however.
Where in Ontario are you located?
You can score one cheaper used.
 
I'm in Burlington. I'm looking at Kijiji however, I don't know if I can trust them. I've seen a Li Ning n90ii and the guy claims it's gold or red edition for $125 and he also has a kason f9 for $130
 
Yeah you have to be careful of fakes unfortunately. I've seen a fake gold and red N90II in Markham that the guys was trying to sell to me for $130.
I have my Vt-80 in the B&S section and located in Guelph.
You can pm me if interested.
Voltric is head heavy and will give you more power in the smash department but whether or not it will improve your game is a different story!
 
After further reading, and price considerations, I'm throwing MX80 and BS10 into the mix. According to Paul who reviewed the Vt80, he said the MX80 is lighter. Also, from another thread here, it seems everyone favours the mx80 in all aspects of play
 
Don't get the Mx80 - it's way too stiff. I'd also put a VT70 over a VT80 for you, preferrably in 4U. That way, it's maneuvrable enough to be a rather all-round racket and won't be too slow around the net and mid-court (after you adapt, of course).

I can't judge your skill level at all, but going by your string tension, you're probably not very advanced (sorry if that's wrong or offensive to you). I'd advise you to go with a medium racket and ignore all stiff ones. I see a lot of beginner/intermediate players using rather stiff rackets (like the Mx80) and/or high tensions, and it only hurts their game. It's more likely you got more power out of the Voltric due to it's head heaviness...

Anyhow, a couple other medium-stiff rackets you might want to take a closer look at are the N55II, N70, Bravesword 09/12 (a lot quicker than the others), and TK-8000 (Victor, pretty head heavy though if this forum is to be believed).

Personally, I'd advise you to go with the N55II or N70. I play well with the N70 in all disciplines, what I really like about it is the longer than usual grip which enables me to grip higher in defense. The N55II is also a pretty balanced racket, but as I don't own one I haven't been able to play around with different strings on one, so I can't judge it as well. It's a bit stiffer and maybe a tad quicker than the N70.
 
If you are considering Yonex or Victor, be aware that they have very different stiffness scales.
The MX80 being the stiffest 5/5 on the Victor scale. JJS is 4/5 and TK8000 is 3/5.
To compare with Yonex, the Vt-ZF is considered extra stiff but compared to the Victor scale it is only 4/5. The Vt-80 is considered stiff and compared to Victor scale it is 3/5.
My JJS feels as stiff as my Vt-ZF and my Vt-80 feels as stiff as my TK8000.
MX80 feels lighter cause it a little more even balanced compared to the Voltric.
Head heavy racquets will almost always feel heavier just because of where the weight is concentrated!
 
That statement is not entirely correct. Victor's scale is just as inaccurate as Yonex' ;)
There are a whole lot of rackets classified 4/5 on the Victor scale, some of them are stiffer than some stiff Yonex rackets, some aren't. Personally I don't think the VT80 and TK8000 can actually be that close to each other in stiffness, I've seen Ko bend it....and not on a smash, but when he dove for a shot and hit the ground with his hand. The racket bent like crazy - that's not stiff!
Having played with the VT80 occasionally, it's deserving of the 'stiff' (or a 4/5). Of course there's the occasional mis-labeled racket (Z-Slash, for example), but generally I agree with pretty much all categorizations, be it Yonex, Victor, Li Ning...

Of course head heavier rackets have the weight concentrated in the head. That's why they're called head heavy ;)
 
Victor needs to stretch their scale to 6 or 7 if you ask me. But owning both Vt-80 and 2x TK8000 I can tell you they flex similarly!
I can swap them during play and notice almost no difference other than the hitting sound due to BG80P vs BG66UM. Different story when I swap to JJS or Vt-ZF.
 
j4ckie said:
Don't get the Mx80 - it's way too stiff. I'd also put a VT70 over a VT80 for you, preferrably in 4U. That way, it's maneuvrable enough to be a rather all-round racket and won't be too slow around the net and mid-court (after you adapt, of course).

I can't judge your skill level at all, but going by your string tension, you're probably not very advanced (sorry if that's wrong or offensive to you). I'd advise you to go with a medium racket and ignore all stiff ones. I see a lot of beginner/intermediate players using rather stiff rackets (like the Mx80) and/or high tensions, and it only hurts their game. It's more likely you got more power out of the Voltric due to it's head heaviness...

Anyhow, a couple other medium-stiff rackets you might want to take a closer look at are the N55II, N70, Bravesword 09/12 (a lot quicker than the others), and TK-8000 (Victor, pretty head heavy though if this forum is to be believed).

Personally, I'd advise you to go with the N55II or N70. I play well with the N70 in all disciplines, what I really like about it is the longer than usual grip which enables me to grip higher in defense. The N55II is also a pretty balanced racket, but as I don't own one I haven't been able to play around with different strings on one, so I can't judge it as well. It's a bit stiffer and maybe a tad quicker than the N70.
Click to expand...

In regards to the string tension, it's that low because I had no say on it. Personally, I would like to try higher string tension. I tried a racket that was 23 lbs (I know it's only 1 lb more :P) but I noticed right away I could clear EFFORTLESSLY

I would consider myself above average for an intermediate player. I recently got permission to train with the elite team for my club. I would love to be able to tame the MX80 because from all the things I've read, it's the racket I'm looking for, and it's not as much of a burden on the wallet unlike the Li Ning rackets :P

Further info on skill. One of the coaches recommended I get the n90ii but I think it's a little too pricey if I can get something like MX80.
 
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Well, just be aware that it's a risk to get it. It's really not easy to play with, and I dare say you'd have to be on (European) National level before you can rightfully say you're using it to it's fullest...before that, you gift away power. An Mx60 or 70 would be better choices. Even an Arcsaber 10 or 11, which is stiff, but not x-stiff (while I think the ZForce is x-stiff, the Mx80 is even further into x-stiff territory).
Balance-wise, the Mx80 is a great choice for doubles. Very well-rounded.
 
The Arcsabers are a little pricey if you think the mx60 or mx70 would suffice. What's the main difference between the two? I might opt for mx60. Paul said it was "regarded by many as a great all-rounder." However, in the future, when my technique gets better, should I just get mx70 and work my up with it? Because I see myself as more of an attacker.

Maybe even the Brave Sword 10. Ultimately, this racket will be the racket I will be using in the long run for if and when I make the university team.

Sorry for being so complicated guys
 
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Racquets are personal. You need to like how they feel in your hands and how they play.
I can tell you that based on the JJS, VT-80, Vt-ZF and TK8000 that I own, the TK8000 is what feels like the extension of my arm!
See if you can test out a few racquets first before you buy one!
 
Lee's Badminton in Markham may let you demo before you buy if they have a pre-strung one.
Have you tried asking your club members if you can test theirs?
 
Lee's only has the mx80, bs lyd and x jjs. since the mx80 is ruled out, do you think the other two are potential winners here? If not, I think I will settle with mx60.

On string tension, do you think 24lbs would be okay to jump up to?
 
They have the Vt-80 and other Yonex there. But not sure if any of those are pre-strung.
I was there 3 weeks ago and they had quite a good selection in the Markham store compared to the Mississauga one!

Tension is a different story which I can't answer for your. Slacker tension gives you more power whereas tighter tension more control. Plus it depends on feather vs nylon.
 
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