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Saturday, March 21, 2009

Yonex Nanospeed 9900 review



Flex: Extra Stiff
Balance: Headlight
Composition (Frame): H.M. Graphite, X-Fullerene
Composition (Shaft): H.M. Graphite, Fullerene
Weight / Grip Size: 3U (85.0-89.9 g) / G3, 4, 5 2U (90.0-94.9 g) / G3, 4, 5
Technologies: X-Fullerene, Isometric, Built in T-joint, Nanoscale Fullerene, C.S. Cap

Review Date : 22nd March 2009
Launch Date : Feb 24 2009
Racket Type : Yonex NanoSpeed 9900 JP
Specs : 2UG5 (JP)
Balance point: 285+/-5 mm
Strings: Yonex Nanogy98 Tension 26lbs
1 Piece Stringing Stringing Machine : Pacific Stringing machine
Grip: Original Grip + Wilson Pro Overgrip
Shuttle Used: RSL tourney 1

First Impression: The anticipation is finally over, when I opened my shipment fron shuttle house Japan, I am amazed how beautiful this racquet look. The racquet has 1 dominant color, black. Red is present at 10 and 2 o'clock, striped ala AT900P. The Metallic orange stripes adorned with white stripes looks beautiful, sort of break the silhoullete of the racquet. The orange color reminds me of a twirling stick candy common in Western counries. Moreover, the bright orange also gives the impression that you are charging up power/electricity to be unleashed. It feels comfortable when I handle the racket, I balance the unstrung racquet on my pinkie finger and measured the balance point, which is true to Yonex specs, headlight. The flex of the racquet is rated extra stiff which is accurate. I did a comparison with a 3UG5 SP version as well.

Warm Ups: The racquet has a solid feel, kinda like the NS9000 series. The speed at which the head swings is extremely fast, exactly like a Ti-10. For less advance players, this can cause some pain in your wrist and shoulders. The racquet has a very aerodynamic slim head which translate into superfast reaction/swing speed. During clears/drives I did feel some vibration. Nevertheless it does not interfere with the control of the shuttlecock as well as drop shots. Baseline to baseline hits is comfortable. Smashes are on par with AT900P, and placement is very accurate. The racquet has a combination of the power of a head heavy racquet and speed of a headlight racquet.

Game Time: Accuracy with backhand serve is excellent, forehand high serve goes high and far. Drives are excellent, both offensive and defensive drives, due to headlight balance. Defense is par excellence, especially backhand defense. This racquet is like a wall to repel steep smashes and easy to backhand lift all the way to the backcourt. The new CS cap and the long handle allows thumb grip for faster reaction time and easier for netkills as well. The clear and smashes are excellent. Although the follow through feels like a headheavy racquet, due to the very fast head speed. Lifts and net shots are easy. This racquet has very good playability both front court and back court. This racquet really shines at defense with the backhand. Backhand with this racquet is superb, the swing speed allows easier clears and smashes.

Conclusion: NS9900 is the latest Nanospeed high end series. It definitely has the fastest racket head swing compare with the rest of the NS Series. Combined with the extra stiffness of the shaft, this racquet can really sting with smashes and drives. Durability of the racket frame is enhanced by doing away with the extra grommets of the NS9000 series making it strung the same way as an Arcsaber 10. The 3U version of the racquet is lighter and has the same characteristics as the 2U and but 3U easier to use in doubles. I would recommend a 3U for doubles and a 2U for singles.

Feel: 9/10
Control: 9/10
Power: 9.5/10
Defense: 9/10
Maneuverability: 9.5/10

Total: 9.2/10

Pros: Very fast head speed, excellent defence, power and maneuverability

Cons: Price and probably best used by high intermediate or Advanced players. Owing to the headlight balance and very fast swing speed, it may cause sore joints.

Suitability: 3U for Intermediate/Advance Doubles Players and 2U for singles player

YONEX/Sunrise sports recommendation for player type:
Solid feel impact for smash based hard hitters looking for more power and durability
Yonex rating 1-5
Power 5
Control 5
Flex 5
(Ref: Yonex badminton chart)

Racket Type : Yonex NanoSpeed 9900 SP

Specs : 3UG5 (SP)
Balance point: 285+/-5 mm
Strings: Yonex BG66 @ Tension 25 lbs
2 Piece Stringing Stringing Machine : Yonex ES5 PROTECH
Grip: Karakal super PU grip + Toalson Overgrip
Shuttle Used: APACS Aeroflight 700

Feel: 8.5/10
Control: 8.5/10
Power: 9/10
Defense: 10/10
Maneuverability: 10/10

2 comments:

Dave said...

Hi! Great blog! been reading quite a number of your reviews and I'm quite curious what you thought about the NS9900's power vs. say VT80. It's a weird comparison but I reckon I can't swing the vt80 as fast as the ns9900. So do you think the ns9900 has more accessible power? If say you were out of position and needed to do a running forehand clear? Or woul

badmintan said...

Thanks Dave. Generally, you need to input more strength to whip a headlight racquet (NS9900)to go more work than a headheavy racquet (VT80)on the forehand stroke. With a backhand stroke, a headlight racquet requires less effort than a headheavy racquet. I would say VT80 has more power than NS9900 on the forehand strokes.