- Yonex Nanospeed 9900
If you already play with a “head light” racquet like the Yonex Nanospeed series, then I suspect the transition to the 9900 will be a doddle.
Currently I play with Armortec 900 Power, a very different racquet with slightly more weight in the head. Because of this, I found the Nanospeed 9900 hard to get used to.
I suspect my test was slightly unfair as the racquets were strung at completely different tensions. My Armortec 900 Power is strung at 22lbs, whereas the Nanospeed 9900 was factory strung. This certainly made a difference with net shots as the shuttle didn’t have the same response off the strings compared to my higher strung racquet. That said, the racquet was very responsive at the net area because of its light head and I soon found that I could move the racquet that little bit quicker. I just adapted my technique to compensate for the difference in string tension.
This racquet is certainly no lightweight when delivering power from the back of the court. It took a minute or two to adjust my timing because of the weight difference. Once I made the adjustment, the racquet delivered every time, although I would have liked the extra string tension.
All Yonex top of the range racquets have a stiff shaft. It’s a personal preference whether this suits your game. Over the years I’ve seen many league players opt for the top of the range racquet with the stiff shaft when they don’t have the power to get the best from the racquet. Egos aside, they would certainly have benefitted far more by choosing a shaft with a medium rating, therefore allowing the racquet to provide additional power for them.
As you would expect with Yonex racquets, you’re buying quality and a nice looking racquet too. Yonex have certainly improved the “look” of all their racquets over the years. The difficulty for most players, me included, is deciding which racquet to choose. My advice to you is to find a dealer with demo racquets which I appreciate is not easy as there are only a few in the country (BWS Sports in Bury, Lancashire is very good for providing this service to local players). Test as many racquets as you can within your budget. It’s a process of elimination. Hopefully you’ll not be in the same situation as me when I really struggled to decide from 3 racquets!
I was recently talking to a scientist who specialises in polymers. He confirmed that what Yonex is doing with carbon fibre and nano science etc is absolutely true – certainly no marketing hype. The frame construction is such that, depending on the “mix” your could actually have a frame that is considerably lighter but up to 600 times stronger! I don’t we’ve heard the last of this particular frame construction and it will be interesting to see where Yonex takes this in the future.
In summary, the Yonex Nanospeed 9900 is a very good racquet. The technology behind this racquet has created a very strong but light head delivering tremendous speed and power. At RRP £170 it’s the most expensive racquet in the Yonex range alongside Arcsaber 10. Is it worth it? Only you can decide. If it helps you improve your game, then it’s a good investment. Try one today and let me know your findings.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Just recently bought the NS9900 racquet and tested it on Saturday. Same as u, am actually using the AT900P racquet as well and its a really good racquet i must say. The performance on the NS9900 is as what u have describe..fast and good for net shots bt as for smashing, i still think the AT900P performs way better. Overall, its a good racquet and glad i bought it, no regrets. String tension on the NS9900 is 26lbs and for my AT900P is at 27lbs.
Hi Paul, I just bought myself a NS9900 just 3 weeks ago, strung it to 23 lbs with BG80 strings. Tonight something happened, i miss hit the shuttle and it bounced off the rim of the racquet head, and i continued playing, after 5 mins i realized that i had less power !! so i checked my racquet.. and i found that there was this crack line.. from under the head of the rim.. the earth-quake crack is diagonal.. omg im very very very sad
pls is there anything i can do ?
Hi Sam
If your racket was strung correctly with 2 piece stringing and there is no sign of a collision with another racket, then i would return the racket to the retailer I purchased from requesting they return it to Yonex. It would help the retailer if you wrote a history of the racket from when you bought it. Things like how often you played, string tension, what happened on the night it broke. In other words, give them the story.
It will then be up to Yonex to analyse the racket and decide whether there was a fault and whether they would replace it free of charge.
That’s all I can suggest. For every one genuine case like yours I’ve seen lots of broken rackets that have had collisions.
Please let me know how you get on.
Hopefully, you’ll win the Nano 9900 I’m offering to sign up for my secret and then the pain won’t be so bad!
To your success
Paul
Paul,
I feel very paranoid at sending in my racquet once more to the retailer, it was because last year i sent my racquet back to Yonex which was the Muscle Power SP 45, similar thing happened but it happened on the middle part, which that was due to racquet collision. Guess what !? they haven’t replied me 
I was wondering if u had free time maybe u could do a review on another fav racquet which i’m using now the NS9000 X/S , i will register myself asap to your secret ! keep up the work Paul.
Thank you for your advice and kind words Paul. I couldn’t sleep till 5am Malaysian time last night. Hahaha how silly !!
Thanks a million times again ! for allocating your time here on this blog to help people like us ! U R THE BEST !!!
Sam
You have a genuine case to take your racket to the retailer. If you have a collision, then there’s no chance of getting a new racket. But this isn’t the case with your racket.
NS9000 is not sold in UK anymore so sadly I am unable to test one in order to write a review. I have played with one quite some time ago and from distant memory it was a nice racket, a bit heavier in the head compared to NS9900 but only marginally. So, I would expect it to be fast in defence and around the net. I’m not sure how much power you get, but that really depends on the player.
Hope this helps
Paul
Hello paul,
i’m playing badminton from age 10 nd my uncle taught me playing.i’ve been using normal light racquets.now,as i played 10 years,i understand tht i have to change my racquet.i’m teen girl,nd gonna go to medical.i havn’t done any pro training,bt i can play well. I have prblem choosing right racquet.i’m right handed.with my normal one,i have to strike much powerfully to take shuttle to other side..bt,i feel tht those strike doesn’t need tht much smash to send to other. Tht’s y i have to find a suitable one..i have money,nd can afford any racquet. Jst need 2 find.i play social nd women club.my uncle says,i can smash shuttle medium powerfully,nd said it’s okay 4 ths age. So,i like 2 play power strike shots,defence shots,back hand stroke etc…i want a racquet which wil generate tht much power i give in tht strike,nt too heavy(i’m 5ft4,52 kg) head light,nd small grip..nd,my footwork is speedy..i got stuck with ns9900,at600,mp99…do u think i’l suit these 3?as u have soo much experience,u tell me.if u need more detail abt me,i can give..i can’t give trial of racquets cz i’m from bangladesh. Plz,paul,help me…i’ll wait!:-D
best wishes
lamia
Lamia
You’ve got three good racquets. You may find that you need to consider changing the string tension to get more from the racquets, but you certainly have a good collection. What tensions do you have in your racquets now?
Paul
And forgot to tell one more thing:
as in one of your reviews(which are awesome!),u said abt aerosensa shuttles. U said to buy aero30 and give tryout to test.bt,as i can’t give every shuttle a test,can u jst make it easier,which shuttle wil give me the perfect shot nd speed?durability is nt tht much important,quality is..plz,paul,solve my problem…
Thanks
No no…i dnt have them…i’m choosing among those…nd,my old racquets string tension is bit loose,whn i press,it get down 1cm..nd,body nt strong..judging my play,nd body measurement,my uncle said i can’t use headweight racquet. Do u think same?as i produce med-power by hand,i want tht i can make power smash..i do ur grip nd wrist exercise..i played with flex shaft racquet in club,nd i dnt like tht.then,can u tell me which model wil suit me?as u said,powerful player dnt need flex shaft,y u use nano9900?it’s headlight,ur old at900p is headweight, so,u need more power to strike frm end line,dnt u? u can suggest out of those 3 i wrote.,i need ur special suggestion…plz,jst tell me which one i shud buy?sometime,whn i strike hard,i get muscle sprain,i wanna get rid of tht,so,i need racquet tht wil generate some extra power with my shot..oh! I talk much..just judge my capability,nd suggest me any,cz only u have best knowledge
thank u 4 reply
lamia
Lamia
What I can’t do is choose a racquet for you as I haven’t seen you play and would need to discuss what your likes and dislikes are in a racquet.
As you say, you’re not really liking a flexible shaft so perhaps try medium flex like Arcsaber 7 or AT600. I’m not convinced Nano9900 is going to help you generate more power, but it may do.
All I can suggest is that you test or borrow these racquets wherever possible and rule out the ones you don’t like.
I understand Yonex may be stopping the manufacture of Armortec series so perhaps it’s better to concentrate on the better racquets that may remain such as Arcsabers.
By the way, are you playing singles, doubles and/or mixed doubles?
Paul
Hello paul
thanks 4 ur comment. U r helping me so so much..Yes,i applied ur suggestions nd chose racket. Nanospeed 850.bt,
i read ths tht,lower string tension(18lb-20lb) create more power,bt high tension create more control and feel of shot.is it true?my currnt one(chinese) string tension 19lb,bt i dnt knw the shaft stiffness..ths creating prb to choose racket.it dnt bend,aluminium alloy(i evn stood on shaft,ddnt change shape)so,can u tel me my shaft type??a site wrote tht,if i mix extra stiff racket and low tension(19lb),,i’l get best use in every style play..is it true?i dnt think so…i’m not pro,so,plz tell it as i’m intermidiate player nd good in defence nd wrist action.hope ths helps
plz reply
thanks
Lamia
If you’re good in defence and have a good wrist action then that’s a good start.
What I usually suggest for any player is that you play with a few racquets and find the one you like best. Once you improve your standard, you may decide you’ve outgrown the racquet and need to change to something different e.g. flexible shaft to stiff shaft.
Choosing string tension is as difficult as choosing a racquet. You need to test, which can be expensive. So if you like 19lbs, next time try 20lbs and continue to increase until you find your best performing combination. So a tension that gives you plenty of power and control is the right one for you.
What I can’t do is say that you should get a particular racquet and string tension. I can only act as guide – ultimately you are the player that knows how a racquet or string tension feel to you. It’s either good or bad and that will help shape decisions in the future.
To your success
Paul
And,i prefer playing single…bt,i played mixed single with my uncle,nd i beat him!! He plays in club
Thank you,paul…i chose mine..ns 850…i’m playing now with 20lb tension..xtra stiff shaft(my oldy one was xtra stiff,i took tht to shop,nd an advanced playr said it’s xtra stiff)..so,as i’m used to play with xtra stiff,i chose not to go lower..new one is much light nd felt good. Now,jst played a game,,checked ur reply…tooo much good performance than i used to…i’m in love with my racket…my arm paining a bit,bt it happens when i play aftr long gap..i’m playing aftr 1.5 years…so,it’s nt great prblem,isn’t it??
Dear Paul
i don’t know whether u know this, a new arcsaber 008 model came to market..it is within £82(a authorised by yonex site)..so,much less price nd affordable in arcsaber series..did u try it? I want to buy another racket,nd wanna buy it…if u can give a small review,i’l b helped a lot…as all arcsaber performs good almost in every point,so if u can just review about shaft,tension,weight,swing speed,string it’l help me lot…
I’l wait for ur great help
lamia
Lamia
I am aware about Arcsaber 008. I haven’t tested it yet as it depends whether the retailer I work it decides to order it.
All I know for now is that it has a stiff shaft. It will play different to your Nano850. Why do you want another racquet that is completely different to your new one?
To your success.
Paul
For my sister…her birthday coming..she plays v good at her age..wanted to give good one..she has mp21…she thinks she should change to stiff racket,tht’s y…she’s good like me,bt she dnt like xtra stiff..so,should i give her that?
Lamia
Why not let her try it first and see if she likes it?
Paul
She likes that…bt,she told me to ask you..arcsaber series are for advanced players,bt she found it friendly to her…tht’s y she’s confused to buy it…then,should i give her?
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