Yonex Voltric 7 Badminton Racquet

Yonex Voltric 7

Having just completed my review of the amazing Voltric 80, I must confess to a feeling of dread reviewing the other two new releases in Voltric range. That’s not taking anything away from the racquet I am about to review. It’s just that, having played with the best racquet I’ve ever had the pleasure to use, how do you follow that? Let’s see…

Voltric 7 was introduced at 2011 All Englands, almost under the shadow of top-of-the-range Voltric 80. This, and its stablemate Voltric 5 didn’t seem to get a mention. That said, sometimes it’s a good thing as the racquet can then claim it’s place without the big bucks marketing behind it. And that’s just what Voltric 7 does.

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, with flashes of white and yellow.

This particular model is only available in 4U (weight 81-85g) in UK, and grip size G4 which is the smaller of the grip sizes on offer in UK.

The Voltric range is a combination of Armortec, Nanospeed and Arcsaber science. So far it’s worked remarkably well on the high end Voltrics. But, what about Yonex budget end models? The frame is noticeably thinner all around. There’s no trace of the bulges as we saw on VT70. In fact, I’d say it’s very similar to Nano9900 in frame size.

Balance wise, this is a head heavy racquet, but certainly not as heavy as the other high-end Voltrics. I’d say this is very close to the weight on Armortec 900 Power although wouldn’t say the weight is all at the top. Potentially it could be a good alternative to AT900 T.

This racquet has a medium flex shaft this time which will certainly suit good club and league players.

Maximum recommended tension on this racquet is 24lbs which appears to be a typical feature of Yonex racquets.

On with the review

I always test racquets straight out of the bag, so there’s no surprise that the tension on this racquet is around 18lbs mark and very suitable for club and league players, especially those playing with plastic shuttles.

It’s hitting time

I tend to favour head heavy racquets so there’s no surprises that this racquet played very nicely. I’m not too keen on G4 grip sizes but didn’t have the time to re-build the grip to my liking.

In the power department, clears were effortless, despite the lower tension string. You can still feel the weight in the head however, it’s noticeably lighter than VT80. There isn’t the power I experienced with VT80, however, let’s be fair, this is half the price. However, the racquet displayed the usual expected level of consistency which counts for a lot these days.

In my view Voltric range will soon replace Armortec range of racquets. This made me wonder where VT7 fits in the overall scheme of things. Is it a replacement for AT600, a superb racquet? It’s a tough call. It’s certainly much better than AT70MG which was a very nice racquet for the price. However, I’d also say it goes one better than that.

We’ve established the racquet is pretty powerful although lacking compared to VT80. So, what else does it have to offer?

As usual I asked Mark to thunder a few smashes at me to see how the racquet coped in defence and flat rallies.  The slightly lighter head really came into play and demonstrated superb speed whenever I required it. The weight in the head still gave me enough meat to hit with and feel the direction of the racquet but it certainly wasn’t a hindrance. Interesting discovery.

Onto the net, and as expected, the racquet was great, no issues to report here. It was crisp, it was fast, it was controlled, despite the lower tension

Summary

OK, I’m not going to rave about this racquet like I did VT80. However, it certainly deserves a place in Voltric range. The more I thought about the racquet the more I struggled to place it. However, I finally decided it’s like a medium flex, mid-head heavy Nano9900. It’s got a touch more speed than AT600 without loss of power. That is saying a lot about the racquet because as readers of my blog will testify, my thoughts about Nano9900 and head light racquets in general have changed since my seasons experience of using them.

With an RRP of only £80, this has got to be one of Yonex best bargains! With online discounters you’ll probably pick one up for around £70. Having tested a lot of mid-priced racquets, this has got to be near the top of your list for trying. It’s good looking, performs really well in all departments and it’s a great price.

If there are any downsides to this racquet, then I haven’t experienced them. The racquet didn’t bowl me over like VT80, however, I’m classing that as a once in a lifetime experience. As such, VT7 has done remarkably well to overcome any downers I could have had after my VT80 experience.

So how do I rate this racquet? I compared it to AT600 which I scored 5 stars, compared it to Nano9900 which I also rated highly and yet, here I am wondering why I’m not jumping up and down giving it another 5 stars? Perhaps I am suffering from VT80 withdrawal symptoms?

After stopping this review for a few moments and taking stock of my thoughts here, I think I am suffering withdrawal symptoms and being too harsh on the racquet, comparing it to VT80. With that in mind, and taking into consideration all factors, I really have to stick my neck out and say it’s a wonderful racquet and it really deserves my 5 star rating (sorry VT7 for doubting you for a moment).

As with all my reviews, they are based on my personal thoughts on a racquet. My likes and dislikes will not be the same as yours. Also bear in mind my technique, style, physical build and muscle structure are different so I will always feel a racquet different to you.

To sum up, if you’re looking to spend around £80 for a new racquet, and you want your racquet to pack a punch and yet still be quick in defence and around the net, then this racquet has got to tested. I think it’s the best in Yonex mid-priced range. I’m testing VT5 next and have the feeling this is also going to figure prominently and compete with VT7 for your favour. Watch out because Voltric is slowly taking over.