Yonex Voltric 80 Badminton Racquet Review
Posted by in Sports Equipment on July 15, 2011
I am in love…let me introduce you to Yonex’s new flagship racquet, the Voltric 80.
This racquet was launched at 2011 All England Badminton Championships, where it proved to be a real winner on court through Mens Singles Winner Lee Chong Wei, and Mens Doubles Winner Mathias Boe (his partner used VT70).
In my review of VT70 I raved about the new technology and design and said that Yonex had really got it right with this series of badminton racquets. In my opinion, somehow Yonex have managed to go one better with VT80 as it’s got a lot more to give.
The Voltric arrived in a full length bag, which is now standard for the Voltric range. Yonex have continued to improve on the graphics and this racquet is very striking in red, black, white and gold. It’s looks so much better than VT70.
This particular model is only available in 3U (weight 84-89g) in UK, and grip size G4 which is the smaller of the grip sizes usually on offer in UK.
This is a remarkable racquet in terms of what it’s meant to do. In essence, Yonex have combined the aerodynamic qualities of a Z Slash with the thin frame of a Nanospeed 9900 (not as thin as VT70, although the shaft is the slimmest in Yonex range) and given the racquet the head weight of an Armortec. Ingenious. We already know the technology works from my review of VT70, so how much better can this racquet be?
Balance wise, this is a head heavy racquet, but certainly not as heavy as AT700. I’d say this is very close to the weight on Armortec 900 Power which is therefore why Lee Chong Wei likes the racquet.
This racquet has a thin but stiff shaft which appears to be slightly longer than conventional racquets by around 1cm, which is very similar to Z Slash. This should therefore have a broader appeal to players especially fans of Armortec 900 who are looking for more from their racquet.
The frame is certainly thin although I’d say it’s an even size rather than the super thin with bulges we witnessed on Voltric 70. Yet again, the weight is at the top of the head. This racquet also has the sound filters although to my mind they don’t add anything to your performance.
Maximum recommended tension on this racquet is 27lbs. This is certainly going to appeal more to the players who like higher tensions and have been disappointed with previous offerings from Yonex. No doubt the pros had their Voltric 80′s strung much tighter at All Englands, but there again, they do not have warranty issues to consider.
On with the review…
The string tension on this racquet feels OK at around 18-20lbs which is more than adequate for many league players. I do tend to like my racquets strung tighter but readers of my reviews know that I also like to test racquets “straight out of the bag.” As you can imagine, I’m looking forward to testing this racquet again with a higher tension.
It’s hitting time… Read the rest of this entry »
Best Deals On Sports Equipment
Posted by in Sports Equipment on July 15, 2011
Being able to save money with discount sports equipment is something that many people will be keen to get. But actually finding the best deals will often be a little more difficult, and will require some thought and care as to where to go buy these items. There are plenty of ways to cut the costs of buying sports equipment, and whether it is by choosing equipment made by smaller brands or by buying items from the end of lines, it is possible to pick up discount sports equipment.
Vouchers and Coupons
The boom in the number of vouchers and coupons which are available both online and in newspapers and magazines has become big business over recent years. Finding ones that offer discounts at sports stores can be the first way to find the best deals on discount sports equipment. The most useful coupons are the ones which can be combined with in store discounts to boost the savings, and are well worth consideration.
Sale Items
One of the other places to search for great value sports kit is by looking at the sales when they happen both in high street and online stores, and for those who are more interested in the price than the brand, there are some excellent deals that can be found on discount sports equipment.
As well as the individual sales when they are occurring, there are certain periods within the year when many stores will be hosting sales at the same time, so comparing the different prices on discount equipment can be great to help people to get the best deal.
Shopping Online
Depending on the type of sports equipment that is required, it may be the case that it won’t be available on a discount in the high street sports stores. The more specialized a piece of equipment is, then the less likely you are to find it on sale, unless you’re going to a specialist retailer which focuses on that sport. Read the rest of this entry »