Thanks for the advise. But strangely today, i had a good time with my VT80 (yeah...wrist still exhausted after 2-hour session, i played with my VT80 for like the first 70 mins only) and i feel i can almost get used to it. Had few clashes with another racket of my partner, but NO paint chips at all! It's like the paint was perfect! Better yet, my gf whom i've been training her myself for 2 years, decided to try my 3U4 VT80 (her first lover was Victor BS11 4U) for the last 2 games (42pts)... and she didn't let go my VT80 ever since until the court light was turned off! It was like VT80 stole her heart despite the fact she was scolding me when i first decided to "waste" money on buying VT80. Well, looks like i gotta buy another spare of VT80 for her. According to her (beginner-intermediate level, 2 years training); VT80 just amazingly boost her power like no BS11 ever did. her smashes were faster, stronger, with perfect boom-sound alike. She wasn't really strong for back to back clear but to my surprise, she hit several clears and most of them were out of the back line. (i dunno should be happy or sad). She mentioned about the downfalls of VT80 were slower maneuver for defensive (BS11 outperform this area) & after 2 games she felt her wrist power was drained off (good thing the court is about to close). Well, another honest & innocent opinion about VT80 from someone whom considered beginner player & never used any other rackets but only Victor BS11.
Again, I think it's more what you're used to. If your preference is to have a slightly lighter overall weight for rackets with BPs over 300mm, then of course you will prefer the 4U over the 3U. The next question I suppose is whether a 5U would be even better for you. I'm pretty sure I started playing badminton more seriously in the era of 1U's, or whatever it was called. That is, the "dry" weight of the racket was probably well over 100g (keeping in mind today's 3U's are below 90g). My smashes back then were very strong and my defense was probably just as good as it is now, despite me being a kid. I think sometimes more weight is useful to compensate for a lack of power or strength, not just in smashing, but also in drives and defense. I think with the right technique and timing, this is very true. As I've said before, I find it harder to defend and drive with my "5U" racket ("dry" weight about 77g) than my 3U rackets. This is probably because I'm so much more used to heavier rackets. I know many beginner level players who think "lighter is better". In fact, when I started playing badminton, I used to think like this. I certainly don't now. By the way, I was asking a semi-pro player in my club as to what weight racket he uses. He didn't even know! In fact, he didn't realise rackets these days typically came in 3U or 4U - didn't even know what 3U or 4U is! And yet, he'd probably thrash me in a match.
I have a theory. G4 helps in those regards as I have a firmer more solid grip. But G5 helps with angles and smash as I can do more of a flick action which has a tiny bit more space for a sling shot like effect. Still not sure which I prefer.
Interesting theory, and makes sense. When I was a kid, I couldn't stand thin grips. I put it down to my hand size being above average in size. However, when I started using apacs rackets (all come in G2, which is Yonex G5 equivalent), I became more used to slimmer grip sizes. Now, my ideal grip thickness in general is slighty thicker than the original grip on a Yonex G5. By the way, I just have to say that the VT80 is the best racket I've used in terms of being super head heavy and yet fast and all round at the same time. I have to admit that Yonex have definitely made a break-through here (I was very skeptical about this until I tried the VT80 personally). I suppose it has something to do with the very slim shaft - it's got the slimmest shaft of all rackets across all brands I think? For those who want to persist with the VT80 and are finding it tiring to use, you'll probably want to do some regular strength resistance exercises. I find doing push-ups really help me in badminton when it comes to generating power and I guess handling head heavy rackets well - helped me a lot when I was a kid to increase the power in my smashes. Haven't been doing them much in recent years, but back doing them now, and it's really rewarding. Again, I wouldn't recommend this racket for intermediate or below level players. I don't think the 4U will be less "tiring" either. No doubt, we'll be seeing many people selling the VT80 because it doesn't suit them. You can mostly blame Lee Chong Wei for enticing them into buying a racket that they most likely can't handle. For those who can handle it, they will likely not use anything else, at least not for a while!
The VT80 is my "go to" singles racket. I also use it for doubles but am considering getting a different racket for doubles.
Strangely, i found myself in-between loving & hating this VT80....depending on my physical fitness during the game session. If i weren't 80-100% fit then i would know VT80 just gonna make me worse. But if i were 100% fit & "on-fire" for the session, then VT80 is very much friendly to me. Anyway, I'm not so sure if you say that VT80 is not recommended for beginner-intermediate players (yeah, maybe NOT if prolong play with VT80). I had convinced my gf to try out my new 3U4 VT80 (NBG98 @26Lbs), switched from her "everlasting" racket 4U BS11. She tried the first game & continued to second game.... short story, now i guess i gotta buy another new 3U4 VT80 for myself. Yeah, she likes it as she admitted VT80 boost up her smash power with very prefect boom-sound! Her back-to-back clears were mostly out of the back line, which while she was on BS11... that was rarely happened. Indeed she lasted only 2 games (42pts) and got her wrist very exhausted!
I measured them unstrung on an ALPHA VIPER balance board and the 4Us measured an exact 312 while the 3Us came at 308 and 309 respectively. There might be small changes in the balance points moving forward or backwards a little but it should be consistent. Well, I kinda like the AT700 a lot and I don't think the head heaviness of VT80 is gonna make me sluggish on the defensive end. I use a 1 kg dumbbell bar by holding it at one end (the 2 dumbbell collars are secured at the other end...that should be head heavy enough.), mimicking all my racket swinging motions for a good workout before doing away with real rackets, good enough exercise I believe. ...but I think being able to handle a head heavy racket alone doesn't make it my go-to racket just then, therefore, I am still trying to log more court hours. I know that power alone doesn't win it all and so I gotta practice and get much much more acquainted with my racket, else, it'll end up all the same, FOR SALE!
I think a thinner than optimum grip also increases margin of error for shots like drops, precise smashes, even tight net play etc. It may give you the feeling that you have more space to play with but you may also find the racquet moving around too much, especially when you are involved in a fast rally. I believe you need to settle for a size that gives you that "snug" feeling and keep a relaxed grip on the handle, because that is where the technique will benefit you. IMO, only those with a really strong and supple wrist allied to impeccable technique can afford the luxury of a thin grip, so that they can do all sorts of magic with it. Think Lin Dan and his half-bare-wood handles. My 2c...
I prefer 3U for more solid weight and G4 for better grip (My hands are big). That's why I love VT80 although it is tiring after intensive use. What do I found,my offensive play did increase and my smashes are harder to defend according to my friends. But,my defensive play a little bit suffered especially after smashes. Thanks for the advice,I have to practice harder especially my defensive play (My stamina drops very quickly after using VT80)
Okay, finally removed original grip and used a fairly slim replacement grip. Handle feels significantly slimmer and much to my liking. During 2 hour session, found I had even more power and the racket was faster to manoeuvre. No fatigue whatsoever now. Definitely getting used to the racket, and don't feel like using anything else! Defensively, I was better than I've ever been tonight, but that's probably a coincidence - my defense has generally always been excellent. By the way, also felt the racket was even lighter with the slightly slimmer grip. Interesting how changing the grip slightly can influence the racket as a whole.
Removing the original grip and replacing it with a slim grip should actually make the racket a good degree heavier, not lighter. Heavier not in actual weight (it's probably about 5g lighter overall), but feel. Having experimented with this myself, I found doing the thin grip over bare wood griping technique significantly increased BP/head heaviness of the racket. By as much as 10+mm. This completely offsets the actual total weight loss of the racket and actually (imo) makes it heavier to use. I would certainly not recommend it for most players. Not only because it's far more uncomfortable on hands after prolonged usage (expect blisters and sores unless your skin is tough and course), despite offering better feedback to play, it also requires even more stamina to wield the additional head weight.
Well, I'm just stating my experiences. I really found the 3UG5 VT80 felt lighter to use after I removed the original grip. Do keep in mind that with a smaller sized handle, the muscles that one uses will probably be slightly different too (in terms of which ones are used more). Perhaps those muscles are stronger for me personally, hence why I found the racket lighter, faster and easier to manoeuvre. Or it could be that the racket is lighter overall, which it truly is. Anyway, getting more and more satisfied with the VT80. Did some drive drills today too and had no fatigue. I also managed to defend effectively some bombs (smashing from 1/2 to 3/4 court) from an advanced level player wielding the Z-Slash quite consistently. As I said, played almost non-stop for 2 hours and had no fatigue in my arm at all.
There's this thing called finger power...gripping during a stroke, be it a smash or drive, the smaller grip actually benefit the player. Much like holding and flexing a small container with pebbles... I switched to G4 about 6 months ago from G3(15 yrs). The racquet only constitutes 5% of the player's total performance, and I feel the VT80 gives me the most %age, the best among all Yonex top end racquets...my 2 cents.
