YONEX Nanospeed-9900 DEBUT !

YONEX NanoSpeed 9900 Review （by Ants） http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65744&page=3 Review Date : January – February 2009 Launch Date : Feb 24 2009 Racket Type : Yonex NanoSpeed 9900 Specs : 3UG4 Strings: Yonex Nanogy98 ( Supplied ) Tension: 30lbs , 1 Piece Stringing Stringing Machine : Yonex ESPRO Technology : Nanoscale Technology, Elastic-Ti (GuMMetal) , High Modulus Graphite ,Solid Feel Core + Special Fullerene Grip: Original Grip Shuttle Used: Yonex Official and Yonex Tournament

First Impression: I have not been receiving a lot of samples lately from the “EvilEmpire” as some who have quoted about Y Company. But when they deliver,they really deliver. With the latest batch of goodies, one item thatstrikes my eyes when the box is open is this piece of racket, whichI’ve summoned to do something about it. Curiously and delicately I openthe piece of plastic. I feel somehow like a child receiving a Christmasor Birthday gift. So in my heart I must be thinking... hey this must be the latest NS9000series that I’ve been told before. True to it looking at the logo onthe shaft and grip “NanoSpeed9900”!. It confirmed my excitement. Atleast now I have some toys to try out. As I’ve mentioned before in my old Review on NS9000 X/S. I don’t liketheir color initially. But then it grew on you eventually. Probablyit’s the vision of the designer to make the NS9000 stands out and havea “Futuristic” look. But then the NS9900 looks much better than itspredecessor I would say. After using Armortec900 and Armortec700 for sometime. I’ve decided toswitch back to NS9000 in order to adapt to the weight balance of theNS9900 before I do the post mortem of the specimen. It feels comfortable when I handle the racket. Seems to feels at homewhenever I use a genuine high-end racket. The weight balances well witha tiny head heavy feel even when it’s a head light racket.

Stringing Impression: This racket is easy to string. I don’t see much movement of the racketframe when it is pulled at 30lbs on both main and the cross. It reallyfeels solid. Technically this racket can be strung up to 38lbs based onthe unofficial report. So I think that there is a improvement on thedurability.

Warm Ups: I love the flex of this racket. Mixture of Stiff to Extra Stiff when Ihit the shuttle. Probably it’s the feel of a new racket. Everything isso crisp. Swing wise is not as hard as compare to the NS9000 X/S.Probably because of the design of the racket frame. During initialhits, I did feel some vibration. Nevertheless it does not interferewith the control of the shuttlecock as well as the fine touches.Baseline to baseline hits is easy, as I do not need to “force” hit it.Overall, smashes seem bit more powerful but drives need a littleeffort. The racket head seems to move faster with the swing.

Game Time: I like the way of the racket movement when I swing. When it passes thruthe air I don’t feel much drag compare with the rest of the NS rackets.Even it’s a head light racket, you can feel the precision and the touchof the shuttle. The placement of the shuttles around the court iswithout much effort. The delivery of the signal from the frame to mybrain seems much clearer when I was executing drops and net play.However I was not so happy when come to flat drives, the racket needsmore of my effort to produce the momentum when returning back theshuttles. However the maneuverability of the racket is easy and fasteven when comes to doubles play. I’m satisfy with the overallperformance. Smashing power and hit feel wise does reminds me of theAT900 Technique which surprises me since NS9900 is a head light racket.Long drives is good and I can execute them with much ease even when I’mtired. Less drag does makes a lot of difference when comes toperformance. I love the handling of the racket during returningsmashes. However I have to be more careful to adjust the power as sothe shuttle won’t fly over the baseline. Defense wise this racket isexcellent.

Conclusion: Its been almost 3 years since the last Nanospeed 9000 series and Yonexhas been working diligently as well as going thru the fine details andspecs into producing this latest piece of Technology. NS9900 boast tohave the fastest racket head swing compare with the rest of the NSSeries. Technical wise thus produce more power in the smashes anddrives. For those who fancy Yonex NanoSpeed Series. NS9900 will beanother breakthrough in terms of technology, design as well and itsusability on court. Durability of the racket frame is enhanced thusmaking this racket more long lasting on court and as well as holdinghigh tension and frequent stringing. For the advance players, I would suggest to use a 2U specs instead asgenerally 2U rackets is more durable therefore your racket willprobably last longer for the regular play with high tension string. Notthat 3Us spec is not good, some may find 2Us too heavy for them to use.For those who is looking for an upgrade from NS9000 S/X to NS9900…thisis the time to do so. Definitely you will not regret making thedecision. As to quote this racket … “moves like a butterfly sting likea bee” as it strikes like a head heavy racket and easy on handling. Yetagain Yonex and its R&D team has always made the best racket thereis in Badminton. This time with the arrival of NS9900 your game won’tfeel the same again! I would rate this racket in terms of Feel, Control, Power and Defense.However it is based on my own test and review. It may vary depending onthe player, tension and what string you use.

Feel: 9.5/10
Control: 9.5/10
Power: 9/10
Defense: 9/10
Maneuverability: 9/10
Pros: Design,Technology, Fast Racket Speed, Durability, Good control and
Maneuverability
Cons: Price
Suitability: Intermediate/Advance. Singles/Doubles Players
BY Ants