RKEP AT800Tec Review

RKEP AT800Tec Review

3U

Strung w/ BG66UM at 22x24lbs

Slightly stiff

Strung BP w/ original grip – 285mm

First Impressions:

The paint quality of the AT800Tec is definitely far superior to that of the AT800P. It looks really good in a not-too-attention-grabbing kind of way but still retains some of the looks found on the Yonex Arcsaber Z-Slash and the AT800P. The grommets are improved from before but still look somewhat cheap and breakable. Swinging it around, the shaft feels slightly stiff but not overly so. If I were to compare it to a popular Yonex racket, I would say that it is like the not-so-stiff Arc10. Another strange thing, although the balance point with the racket strung was measured at 285mm, when swinging the racket, you can feel some weight in the head but it might have just been me.

Warm-Ups:

Being slightly flexible, the racket can really launch the shuttle with minimal effort on my part. Clears were good but when you are well rested, the flexibility can really be felt. Drives were a pleasure to do with this racket but the racket isn’t as fast as the Victor BS12 or the Yonex NS9900 but then again, very little are =P On a slightly different note, the one I had felt rather heavy, I don’t have a balance to measure the weight but I suspect that it is on the upper-end of the 3u scale. During warm-ups, everything felt pretty good. The racket feels very solid and there wasn’t too much vibration, kind of reminds me of my Arc10 again.

Game Time:

I had my doubts about whether the racket would work well for me in a fast-paced game but it did not disappoint. Like I said before, it was not the fastest racket in the world, but it was still faster than my AT900P (it better be xD). The flexibility really helps with defence as I was able to block and lift smashes with ease. Smashes were decent. They were not hard and fast like with the AT900P, nor were they slow but what is really good to know here is that it is really easy to generate smashes of consistent speed without too much effort – and I’m talking about decent smashes, not fast drops. Drop shots from the back, forehand and backhand, were fun to do but took some time to get used to. Net shots were interesting, they weren’t great for me but this could be due to several factors. Maybe I’m not fully comfortable with the racket yet. Maybe I’m not fully used to BG66UM yet. Maybe I prefer more feedback (spoiled by the Victor SW35).

Conclusion:

The AT800Tec is a very admirable racket for people who don’t like super stiff rackets but who find medium-flex too soft. It performs well at everything while being the king in none. It’s a very fun racket to use especially if you are at the tail-end of a long tournament or practice session. Everything feels very accessible but it will definitely not suit super hard hitters who prefer really stiff rackets. For the price, you can’t really go wrong with the RKEP AT800Tec. If you’re interested, Eric of Squash Mart will hook you up =P

Ratings:

Power – 8.5/10

Defence – 8.5/10

Feel – 8/10

Value – 10/10

Speed – 8.5/10

Please note that all these ratings are subjective, especially for the “feel” category. I personally prefer a racket with more feedback but the AT800Tec is definitely very solid and well constructed.

Yonex Carbonex 35 Review

Yonex Carbonex 35 Review

Stiff

3U G4

BP – 291mm with supergrap

w/ BG80 at 24lbs

Regular length – 665mm

SP code

First Impressions:

This is my first Cab racket ever so I was a little bit worried about the smaller head and the shorter length. When I got the package, I immediately opened it up to take a few test swings and there was something about it, kind of head heavy and kind of heavy overall, kind of stiff and sort of reminded me of when I play with some cheap Wilson rackets. Then handle is the same length as my Arc-Z and my girlfriend’s AT600 and the head is the same height, so the shaft length is the shorter part. As for looks, the shaft and the lower quarter of the head looks kind of retro with the “non-aggressive” font and the silvery line on the head. It really is hard to describe so you’ll have to see for yourself. There are also some other accents around the head which reminded me of the Arc-Z, mainly the red and black “swirls”. I must admit, at first this racket didn’t really catch my eye, didn’t really stand out in the crowd but it has a very calm look to it and it is really starting to grow on me. I must also note that I have the older batch, the one with the “Even Blance” written on the shaft.

Warm-Ups:

Haha how should I put it? It felt kind of dull, didn’t really have the repulsiveness of a nanospeed and didn’t have the hold of an arcsaber. Clears were effortless nonetheless but I did feel more drag, kind of made me think “armortec” when I swung, albeit without the head heaviness. Drives were ok, but not too fast, I needed to use more of my own strength to really push the shuttle but the control is amazing! Never have I been so sure of where my shots are going (except with the AT900P), especially when it comes to net shots. Backhands were easy as well but again, the control was what sold me. The swing still feels a bit heavy during warm-up and I can feel the momentum on the downswing.

Game Time:

Serves were easy, especially high and deep singles serves. Although the racket felt a bit laggy during warm-ups, during the game, the speed was right where I needed it to be. I was able to execute all my shots with very good accuracy, which was a surprise for me because it usually takes me a few games to get the feel of all my shots. To my surprise, the head size and the length didn’t affect me too much. I compared the head of the Cab-35 to my Arc-Z and actually found that the Cab-35 was the same height but wider around the middle. The one shot where the length did affect me was with defensive drops. There were a few times when I missed the sweet spot or even hit the top of the frame.

As I stated before, clears, both forehand and backhand were simple although they didn’t just fly off the racket. Drives needed some more of my own energy input to get the speed right. Drops from the back were really tight. Net shots were simply amazing! And smashes….. I didn’t find them to be super powerful as I did with the Arc-Z, SW35, and AT900P but they were OKAY. Maybe it was a timing issue so I’ll play with it more this coming Sunday and comment more on it later. Defence was not spectacular but was once again decent enough. Smash returns were easy to steer and smash lifts were easy enough. Like I said before, control is where the Cab-35 really shines. I don’t know if it’s because of the shorter length but everything went exactly where I wanted it to go. Crosscourt nets, straight nets, drops, smashes (although not overly powerful), and backhand smashes (quite powerful). Didn’t have a chance to try any net kills with this racket so can’t comment there.

Conclusion:

As my first Cab ever, the Cab-35 didn’t really disappoint. Instead it kind of teased me a little and made me want to play with it more to see if it was indeed a timing issue. Other than control, I found this racket to be somewhat like a jack of all trades. It didn’t’ perform exceptionally well anywhere, but it performed, I’m guessing that’s why Yonex placed it at the middle of the racket specification chart =P Will I keep using it? As funny as it sounds, I actually like it more than my Arc-Z. I’m more of a counter-attack and defensive player so the control is really a giant plus for me. What’s also great is that it’s not an overly expensive racket so if you have some spare money and want something new to play with, I would highly recommend it!

Ratings:

Power – 8/10

Control – 10/10 (want to say 11/10)

Defence – 8.5/10

Feel – 9/10

Value – 9/10

Wallace

Yonex Arcsaber Z-Slash Taufik Review

Written February 16^th, 2011

Stiff

3U G4 (87g requested)

BP: 291mm with supergrap

Strung w/ BG65 at 25lbs

SP code

First Impressions:

Stunning. I must admit, I’m not the biggest fan of super red rackets, kind of think it’s overdone now but this thing is beautiful. I can do without the white bits but everything is perfect in my opinion. When I held it in my hand, it felt quite evenly balanced, and light. A few swings through the air created little resistance, nice sharp sound as it cuts through. The stiffness of this thing is very similar to that of my old NS9000-S or maybe even a bit stiffer, but not as stiff as the AT900P or the NS9900.

Warm Ups:

Clears were easy although it’s been a while since I last used BG65s so it felt a bit different. There was minimal vibration with every hit and contrary to what many people have said, I didn’t have any mishit but this was only a warm-up. Drops were excellent and drives were simple although I felt I needed to push a little bit more to get it really going. Net shots were kind of everywhere? I found it really difficult to keep it down and in (with cross court net shots) but this could be due to the strings.

Game Time:

Game speed is much faster than warm up! And this racket performs well when the game is fast XD Net shots still remained a bit high and occasionally killable but everything else was easy. Crosscourt drops from the back were simple, and slices were executed with great ease, the lighter weight really helped here. Defensive lifts/ smash returns were surprisingly simple. I expected something really dull but it kind of exploded to the back line. Backhand serves were easy to control as were flick serves, although I did hit it long a few times. Now onto smashes. “Recovery smashes” or half smashes I like to do when scrambling to the back were quite fast and simple to perform. Backhand smashes took some time to get the timing of but the few times I did get it were amazing. Full smashes were simply amazing. So much power for so little effort on my part, this is where the ArcZ excels. Net shots did improve towards the end of the day but I still think it has something to do with me not being used to the strings, might change them very soon.

Conclusion:

The ArcZ was a great racket, nice and fast for doubles, but still powerful enough for singles. I’m really interested to see how this racket will perform with more time so it is now my No.1 XD Overall, I didn’t seem to have the same timing issues as most people seem to have but I might’ve just been lucky, being able to get one with such favourable characteristics for me =P This thing might not suit everyone so it’s best to try it out for yourself before forking out the dough as it is very expensive.

Ratings:

Power – 9.5/10

Control – 8.5 to 9/10

Feel – 9/10

Defence – 9/10

Value – 6/10 (it’s very expensive, just go for the yellow version)

Wallace

Victor Super Waves 35 Review

 

 

Hey everybody, so my order finally came and I could not be more excited to try these two rackets out.   Last Thursday I ordered two Super Waves 35s after heading nothing but good things so I could see for myself if this was truly the racket that will stop me from looking any further. After playing for a few hours, here’s what I thought.....

Victor Super Waves 35

3U G2 (G4.5 equivalent?)

Balance Point -  300mm original grip (blue overgrip à 297mm)

                                295mm original grip (yellow overgrip à 292mm)

Stiffness – Slightly less than NS9900

String – both with BG80 at 25lbs.

Both TW code.

First Impressions – 

This is a really good looking racket by Victor, amongst the best if not the best looking one I have ever used (I kind of REALLY like the NS9900). Paint appears to be of excellent quality, a mixture of red, white, black and chrome. The racket felt very good when I swung them around, you could definitely feel the weight in the head (more so for the blue grip), and the stiffness can be felt too.

Warm Ups – 

Yellow- Clears were easy and smashes were great. The stiffness of the shaft really does help but this one was only slightly head heavy so I was a bit disappointed, although drives were quick. One thing that really stood out for me was how stable and solid the racket felt. Although I would never do this, but it felt as though this racket could really take a beating without me having to worry about it breaking.

Blue- My comment about stability and solidity apply here as well for the blue grip. They felt pretty similar except this one definitely had that POWER I was craving for. Clears were once again effortless and drives were still pretty good but smashes were out of this world.

Game Time – 

Yellow- When I was researching this racket I was really worried that my defence would suffer a fair bit but luckily the balance point definitely helped out here. Smash returns were quite effortless although much slower than when I use my RKEP racket. Smashes once again were quite good but it kind of irked me that they weren’t as hard as I was used to but this could be due to not playing for a week or so, definitely felt a bit rusty. Net shots were superb as I was able to “feel” the shots very well. The only thing that I had trouble with regards to the Yellow one was dropping the bird from the back, a shot that I’m usually quite proud of. Backhand drops though were no problem at all and were a lot more effortless than with my other rackets.

Blue- POWER. POWER. POWER. Although the balance point on this racket was not as high as in some other rackets I have used before, this thing was truly a cannon. Clears were effortless of course and smashes were simply out of this world, for me at least. Backhand clears were easy as well, same as with backhand drops and net shots. Once again, the problem I had was with forehand drop shots, they were quite inconsistent leading to a lot of easy kills. Defence was a bit slower but those armchair exercises by Paul Stewart were of great help. Thanks Paul! In anticipation of the arrival of this racket, I was doing a lot of those with a squash racket to work up some more strength. 

Conclusion – 

Both rackets played really well but the one thing I can say is that like what people have said, the balance points can really vary quite a bit. If you want a power racket, ask for a more head heavy one. This racket is definitely quite difficult to use. For the first game, I was constantly missing or not getting enough on my shots but after a little while, all shots were awesome. Control was generally great and once again, power was out of this world. Although it will take a few more sessions to fully be accustomed to this racket, I can truly without a doubt say this. I have found my racket. 

For ratings, I’ll be giving two scores for each category. The first one will be for the Yellow grip and the second one will be for the Blue grip. 

Power -                9/10       10/10

Control -              9/10       9/10

Defence -            9/10       8.5/10

Value -                  10/10     10/10

Feel -                     10/10     10/10

This is definitely not a beginner-friendly racket. It will take some time to get used to it and there is a chance that you might hurt your arm if you use one of a higher balance point... especially if you elect for high tensions as well. 

This review was done as a hobby and reflects my own feelings towards the rackets. You may not feel the same so it is important to try them out as much as possible before you open up your wallet (although this racket didn’t require me to open my wallet too wide XD).

Wallace

Victor Super Waves 36 Review

3U G2

Stiff

BP – 285mm Dry

NBG98 at 25lbs.

TW code

First Impressions:

This thing looks great, there’s no way around it. The SW35 looked great also, but it was more of a “rebellious teen” good looking whereas this thing is classy. Predominantly red with the head being half white, mixed in with some black and chrome accents throughout the racket. In a small way, sort of reminds me of the Arcsaber 10 by Yonex, although I find that one too red.

Even before I measured the balance point, I could already feel that the racket was very evenly balanced and stiff. Of course it was nowhere near as stiff as the SW35 but it felt... right. Didn’t feel like something that would take too long to get used to but we’ll see.

Warm Ups:

The SW36 does not fail to perform on any occasion. All shots were easy and most of all, stress-free. Clears were simple and drops were dainty, the only area I found difficult during the warm up were net shots. Smashes went where I wanted it to go and anything backhand was amazing, especially backhand smashes.

Game Time:

Played a few sets with the SW36, 4 doubles matches and 2 singles. For doubles, this racket was not the quickest thing out there (especially when compared to my NS9000-S), but it did decently and I’m confident will suit many people. For the first time ever (at least for me), shots made during the warm up carried over extremely well during game time. Shots went where I wanted it to and net shots improved immensely after a few minutes. As for power, it isn’t really fair to compare it to the SW35, but it’s no slouch either. Rather comparable to the Arcsaber 8DX but better (and cheaper). The one area where this racket really shines is on defence. Smash returns and drives were effortless. It won’t beat something head light in its quickness but for the power and stability you get, it doesn’t disappoint. Another area I found quite amazing was the ease and speed of backhand smashes. I’m not the greatest when it comes to these but using this racket really brought out the best in me. Net kills were straightforward so can’t really comment too much on that.

For singles, the SW36 was amazing. I didn’t feel any fatigue despite having played doubles before diving into singles. Drop shots both forehand and backhand proved quite amazing, complimenting the simplicity of clears. Given the specs of this racket, I would say it’s pretty well rounded and would suit either game.

Ratings:

Power – 9/10

Control – 9/10

Defence – 9/10

Value – 10/10

This is definitely a great racket for most people, especially if you are on a budget. I can see this replacing some other rackets I currently use someday, perhaps when I break a string or two. This is by no means saying that the SW36 isn’t better than the other things I’m using, I just don’t want to switch everything up for now XD

This review was based on my own opinions and level of play. Other players may experience something better or worse so it is always best to try things out before committing.

Happy holidays!

Wallace