This is the comparison chart extracted from the 2012 Yonex catalogue available from the Yonex site. Already the Nanospeed series has nearly disappeared.The cheap and superb made in Taiwan Nanospeed 800 and 850 have been replaced by a made in Japan high end Nanoray 700 or maybe the cheaper Taiwan made Nanoray 60 or 80. Time will tell which the replacement is or whether they will perform better or at par.
The more advanced Nanoray700 RP and FX are probably more advanced and specialised versions of the Nanoray 60 , RP means more repulsion for sharper drives and FX more flexible to deliver stronger clears.
After having spent a small fortune trying out various racquets,to me, the best way to buy a racquet is to refer to the chart and buy something cheap and average first ie.choose one that is balanced all round,not too head heavy or light, and not too high in repulsion or hold for eg.the Nanoray 60 or Carbonex 20. After using the balanced racquet for some time,if you think there are parts of your game that needs upgrading eg.harder smash requiring a heavier head,or defence and drives too slow requiring a lighter head and more flexible shaft, then its time to try out other models in the upgrading exercise. The last thing to do is to buy the racquet used by Lin Dan or Lee Chong Wei and string it to 30 pounds and hope to play like them!Neither are the charts accurate representations of how the racquet is going to perform, you really have to try out the high end racquets in the Court first as they may turn out to have completely the opposite effect of what you expect from their description in the chart in practice. You pay for what you get,but the difference in performance is relatively small(but probably means a lot to the pros), and the charts will not solve the problem,its the actual testing that counts.
So far I have tried out the Nanoray 60. Retailing @rm200+ and made in Taiwan.This has to be the closest replacement for the extinct Nanospeed 800 and 850. Nanoray 60 is a balanced racquet slightly head light.It is a light flexible racquet,has a aerodynamic tapered frame allowing quick swings especially in defence and drives.Smashes are not powerful but clears and lobs very very accurate and well controlled and there is little likelihood of over or under-hitting encountered when using head heavy racquets. This should be a perfect racquet for budding players, players over the hill and pro ladies and in fact should suit just about every player.If you play like Eriko Hirose or Du Peng Yu this should be a suitable racquet.Accurate placements,controlled shots,flexible but slightly slow and but unlikely to make miss-hits.Very little can go wrong as it compensates for a player's physical shortcomings such as lack of strength and control. Nanoray 60 is light and powerful because of the very strong Nano material.It is different from the Ns800 in that it is extra long and has a slightly narrower frame,but adjustments can be made by holding the racquet grip slightly higher if flexibility is desired. It should be a good entry level racquet before going for the more specialised Nanoray 700 FX and RP Japanese versions.Using Nano series racquets is basically something like driving a car assisted by power steering,it sure makes driving easier.
This is the comparison chart extracted from the 2012 Yonex catalogue available from the Yonex site.
ReplyDeleteAlready the Nanospeed series has nearly disappeared.The cheap and superb made in Taiwan Nanospeed 800 and 850 have been replaced by a made in Japan high end Nanoray 700 or maybe the cheaper Taiwan made Nanoray 60 or 80. Time will tell which the replacement is or whether they will perform better or at par.
The more advanced Nanoray700 RP and FX are probably more advanced and specialised versions of the Nanoray 60 , RP means more repulsion for sharper drives and FX more flexible to deliver stronger clears.
ReplyDeleteAfter having spent a small fortune trying out various racquets,to me, the best way to buy a racquet is to refer to the chart and buy something cheap and average first ie.choose one that is balanced all round,not too head heavy or light, and not too high in repulsion or hold for eg.the Nanoray 60 or Carbonex 20.
ReplyDeleteAfter using the balanced racquet for some time,if you think there are parts of your game that needs upgrading eg.harder smash requiring a heavier head,or defence and drives too slow requiring a lighter head and more flexible shaft, then its time to try out other models in the upgrading exercise.
The last thing to do is to buy the racquet used by Lin Dan or Lee Chong Wei and string it to 30 pounds and hope to play like them!Neither are the charts accurate representations of how the racquet is going to perform, you really have to try out the high end racquets in the Court first as they may turn out to have completely the opposite effect of what you expect from their description in the chart in practice.
You pay for what you get,but the difference in performance is relatively small(but probably means a lot to the pros), and the charts will not solve the problem,its the actual testing that counts.
So far I have tried out the Nanoray 60. Retailing @rm200+ and made in Taiwan.This has to be the closest replacement for the extinct Nanospeed 800 and 850. Nanoray 60 is a balanced racquet slightly head light.It is a light flexible racquet,has a aerodynamic tapered frame allowing quick swings especially in defence and drives.Smashes are not powerful but clears and lobs very very accurate and well controlled and there is little likelihood of over or under-hitting encountered when using head heavy racquets. This should be a perfect racquet for budding players, players over the hill and pro ladies and in fact should suit just about every player.If you play like Eriko Hirose or Du Peng Yu this should be a suitable racquet.Accurate placements,controlled shots,flexible but slightly slow and but unlikely to make miss-hits.Very little can go wrong as it compensates for a player's physical shortcomings such as lack of strength and control. Nanoray 60 is light and powerful because of the very strong Nano material.It is different from the Ns800 in that it is extra long and has a slightly narrower frame,but adjustments can be made by holding the racquet grip slightly higher if flexibility is desired.
ReplyDeleteIt should be a good entry level racquet before going for the more specialised Nanoray 700 FX and RP Japanese versions.Using Nano series racquets is basically something like driving a car assisted by power steering,it sure makes driving easier.