Background

As I work for a badminton retailer, I am occasionally asked to review other manufacturer’s racquets. Against this backcloth, I recently tested a number of Victor racquets and got a huge surprise.

A few years ago, the Victor brand was extremely small in UK, mainly considered a European brand. We knew very little about their products and level of quality. That changed just over a year ago when it was announced that they were the new sponsors of the Korean National Badminton Team. This was a serious leap forward for Victor and ultimately gave them an international seal of approval in terms of quality. After all, if a racquet is good enough for Lee Yong Dae, current Olympic Mixed Doubles champion and World Mens Doubles Silver Medallist, and his team, then it must be good!

On to my review…

Super Inside Wave 35

The Super Inside Wave 35 is a head heavy badminton racquet with a super stiff shaft. If I had to give it a more familiar equivalent, then think AT900 Power. In fact there are many similarities between these two famous racquets, and there is some resemblance in look too with red, black and white graphics.

As usual, the racquet arrived in a substantial racquet bag with its name on. Credit to Victor who have chosen to provide decent racquet bags with plenty of padding, compared to some of the feeble attempts in the market.

This racquet is a grip size 3, the smaller of the Victor grip sizes. I’d say it’s around 3.5 inches or equivalent to a Yonex G4. This allows the player to choose whether they need to increase the grip size to fit, although this will change the balance of the racquet a little.

Overhead Performance

Having played a great deal with AT900, this racquet felt very familiar as I walked onto court. The grip size is a bit small for me, but that’s personal taste, not a bad mark against the racquet.

The first hit confirmed that this racquet packs bags of power. Clears were effortless and the extra weight in the head was great as you could feel the carry-through from the swing. But, it wasn’t too heavy that I’d want to put it down after 5 minutes and return to a lighter model.

The racquet is just a solid powerhouse, coaxing you into letting rip as often as you like. And yet, it’s still able to deliver beautiful drop shots and nice subtle changes in pace to fool the opposition.

Additionally, a racquet likes this helps you whenever there’s a tendency to slip into old or bad habits. The weight in the head means you can feel the change in direction and therefore quickly make a correction –  that’s not too easy with a light-headed racquet.

The racquet is pre-strung around 20lbs. This is more than adequate for most players. For me, that’s on the low side and I would have preferred both a higher tension and strung in Victor Nanotec 850 string to really get the best from this racquet. That said, there are no complaints here about how this racquet plays from the rear court – it’s highly dependable and can seriously improve your smashing power.

Defence

Defensively this racquet was relatively easy to use. It’s unfair to label SIW35 a defenders racquet as it’s not particularly made for this purpose. I have relatively fast hands so defending wasn’t much of a problem, although I missed the odd howitzer of a smash that I may have returned with a lighter headed racquet. Again, not so much a negative point, more of an observation. After all, if your game is defending, then you’re going to choose a light-headed racquet to help you play your game better.

If I had more time to get used to the racquet, I’m sure my defence speed would improve to cover the bigger smash.

Net Area

You need to be able to move fast around the net. For me, SIW35 was reasonably quick and I believe, given time, my game would be at the usual speed. The head heavy features do slow the game down a touch but that’s expected. For most net play, it does the job well, there’s only the odd instance where it’s a shade behind the pace.

Summary

This is clearly another winner from Victor. I’d say that this is a racquet for attacking aggressive players, you know, those that like to smash and smash hard. The power qualities of this racquet are certainly going to favour these players and I wouldn’t want to be facing some of the missiles they can fire from this racquet.

As I said earlier, this is not a defender racquet in general and I don’t see many net players using it either. There are other racquets in the Victor range that cover these types of player much better.

But, credit where it’s due here. It’s important to consider various styles of player, their likes/dislikes and make a racquet that will suit their particular style of play. That’s what Victor has done here and done to a World Class Standard.

RRP is £99.95 which is incredible for a racquet of this quality. Retailers will discount to around £90 so you’re getting a massive saving of £40 on the Yonex equivalent… food for thought.

It’s difficult to score this racquet because of its strengths and weaker areas. Based on a value for money overall package, I have to rate this 4.5 stars. I’ve marked it down slightly on the grounds that it’s a lot more than a one trick pony, but will not suit all styles of play.

There’s no question that the Victor brand is now world class. Whilst it’s relatively unknown in UK at the moment, I’m sure that their quality and pricing will easily find a way into the market. You’d be wise to test Victor racquets if you can find them, because this level of quality deserves a place next to the most well-known brands.

Background

As I work for a badminton retailer, I am occasionally asked to review other manufacturer’s racquets. Against this backcloth, I recently tested a Victor JS40 badminton racquet.

A few years ago, the Victor brand was extremely small in UK, mainly considered a European brand. We knew very little about their products and level of quality. That changed just over a year ago when it was announced that they were the new sponsors of the Korean National Badminton Team. This was a serious leap forward for Victor and ultimately gave them an international seal of approval in terms of quality. After all, if a racquet is good enough for Lee Yong Dae, current Olympic Mixed Doubles champion and World Mens Doubles Silver Medallist, and his team, then it must be good!

On to my review…

Victor JS 40

The JS40 is situated in the lower-midpoint of the Victor range. Having tested the racquet, it’s actually difficult to know where to place this racquet. After all, it’s the “signature” racquet of German No1 and current World No9 Juliane Schenk and as you’ll read later, I really got to like this racquet!

It’s a nice looking badminton racquet with grey/green, white and red graphics. Despite the positioning in the range, JS40 arrived in a full length personalised cover in royal blue which stands out well against the rest of the range. Again, this is a high quality full-cover bag too, nothing flimsy here.

Grip size is G4 which is the larger of the two grip sizes on Victor racquets. It’s equivalent to a size 3.5/8 inches or Yonex G3, which is a bit confusing. Perhaps the racquet also needs to be offered with grip size G3 as I consider this could be a favourite with ladies who may require the smaller grip size but don’t want the flexibility of the Castilus 400.

Weight is 82g which is one of the lightest racquets in Victor’s expanding range. Interestingly, this racquet has a maximum recommended stringing tension of 24-26lbs so, as usual, it’s strong and will appeal in many markets where high tension stringing seems to be the norm.

This is a very evenly balanced racquet with a balance point around 297mm. The head is light and feels a little like Nano9900 in terms of look and feel. The shaft is designated stiff.

The shaft also needs special mention here because it is so unusual. The shaft is fully integrated to the grip in one piece. So, whilst the shaft is circular towards the head of the racquet, it is almost octagonal towards the grip. Speaking of the grip, this one felt superb. It’s Victor’s own Fishbone grip. Victor should use it on more of their racquets. It really felt that good and I wouldn’t wish to mess it up with an overgrip. In fact, Victor manufacture this as an overgrip too so you can fit it to all of your racquets. I consider this grip to be one of the best grips I’ve ever used.

The racquet has a beautiful feel, it’s so well balanced – but how will it play? Let’s find out…

Overhead Performance

Onto court and let’s start hitting.

Let me warn you about this racquet. I test a lot of racquets and usually, it takes me a few minutes to get the feel of it and then I’m away enjoying my hitting and thinking what I’m going to say about the racquet I’m testing. This racquet caught me out.

At first I really disliked the racquet. My timing was fine, but I just couldn’t get the feel of the racquet. 20 minutes later…I loved it! I really began to understand what this racquet was about and why Juliane Schenk enjoys using it so much.

When I “got it”, clears were easy. You can’t really feel any weight in the head, but it carries through the shot so well. Bear in mind that this is a truly one-piece racquet so there is a bit more flex compared to others in the range. Whilst I noticed the flex, it wasn’t off-putting, it contributed to what I wanted to do to the shuttle.

Whilst the racquet is powerful, it’s not going to be the powerhouse you’ve come to expect from say, Victor’s SW35. But it still packs a punch and is relatively effortless to achieve it – a big plus point. I also felt that I could get a little more downward direction with this racquet which was great for a player of my height.

Whilst I’ve read that this has been “badged” a singles racquet (I suppose because Schenk is known for her singles ability), I can see many doubles players loving this racquet. It smashes well and you don’t feel fatigued at all from hitting numerous smashes or clears in a row. Once you get it, it really feels like an extension of your hand.

Defence

Defensively this racquet was easy to use. It moved so easily in the air and handled like a Nano9900. This, combined with the brilliant balance made defence a piece of cake. Bear in mind my fellow tester Mat was thundering smashes down with either SIW 35 (a real smashers racquet), BS10 and Spira 21, I felt totally comfortable retrieving the smashes. Occasionally, I was too fast and mis-timed the shot. I really should have stepped into the shuttle and taken the smash even earlier.

Whether I lifted, blocked or drove the shuttle back, this racquet delivered in abundance every time. It’s a dream come true for any player who loves to counter hit and really work the shuttle around the court. I would say, that it lacks a little meat when trying to drive the shuttle back hard, or get the best out of a lift to the rear court.

Net Area

I’ve said before that a racquet that performs well in defence always performs well around the net area. And yes, this racquet was outstanding. There was no need to make adjustments of any kind, just get on with it and it felt so natural. All the touch was there, even with factory stringing, which incidentally, I don’t like. The blue Ashaway Micro Legend string doesn’t enhance the abilities of this racquet. Personally, I would swap this for Victor’s own VS850 which is a far superior string. As I said, around the net, it was an absolute delight. The lighter head, gave me all the speed and control I needed.

Summary

This racquet proves that sometimes, first impressions do not count! I really didn’t like the feel of it at all, struggled to hit anything decent, but I persevered and was finally rewarded…in abundance! No surprises that the JS40 reminds me of Castilus 400, bearing in mind they are virtually the same racquet barring stiffness of the shaft and weight. With this in mind, it was even more surprising why it took so long to get used to it when I immediately loved Castilus 400. I’ll put that down to one of life’s mysteries.

RRP is a mere £79.95 which is incredible for a racquet of this quality. Retailers will discount to around £73.00 so you’re getting great value for money.

With all the good things I’ve said about this racquet, how do I rate it? It’s a tough one because I can see it suiting so many players well but you’ve got to give it time. I’m not the only player to test this racquet and think the same, so I know it’s not just me. I’m also unsure whether it will become a great doubles racquet even though it deserves it. And, whilst the shaft is designated stiff, will it be flexible enough to suit those players looking for that extra help? Mmm, too many questions…

After all this tooing and froing I’m going to rate JS40 a four star racquet – reluctantly, as I’ve grown rather fond of it.  I really can’t fault the racquet performance-wise at all. And, I really don’t want to put it down or give it back.

There’s no question that the Victor brand is now world class. Whilst it’s relatively unknown in UK at the moment, I’m sure that their quality and pricing will easily find a way into the market. You’d be wise to test Victor’s JS40 if you can find one, because this level of quality, and at this price, it is going to blow away most of the competition. But, you’ve got to give it a lot more testing time and then you’ll be glad you did!

Background

As I work for a badminton retailer, I am occasionally asked to review other manufacturer’s racquets. Against this backcloth, I recently tested a Victor Bravesword 169 badminton racquet and got a huge surprise.

A few years ago, the Victor brand was extremely small in UK, mainly considered a European brand. We knew very little about their products and level of quality. That has now changed with the announcement that Victor are the new sponsors of the Korean National Badminton Team. This was a serious leap forward for Victor and ultimately gave them an international seal of approval in terms of quality. After all, if a racquet is good enough for Lee Yong Dae, current Olympic Mixed Doubles champion and World Mens Doubles Silver Medallist plus the Womens Uber Cup winning team, then it must be good!

On to my review…

Brave Sword 169

The Bravesword 169 is the latest racquet in the Bravesword series, the cream of the Victor badminton range. I’m not sure where this racquet sits in the Bravesword series as it’s designated a ladies racquet. This is strange as most of the winning Uber Cup team chose Bravesword 11 as their racquet of choice. Perhaps this is just a timing issue and the racquet will find favour with more of the sponsored players and public alike. It certainly deserves to.

It’s a bright racquet in pink, with flashes of black and white. The demo model was sent without a bag, but knowing Victor’s attention to detail it will be a high quality full-cover bag.

Grip size is G3 which is the smaller of the two grip sizes on Victor racquets. It’s equivalent to a size 3.5 inches or Yonex G4, which is a bit confusing. I’m not sure about the weight without the technical details but would guess around 85g. Interestingly, this racquet has a maximum recommended stringing tension of 28lbs so it’s got to be very strong and should be extremely popular in the Asian market where strings tensions are so much higher.

This is a fairly even balanced racquet, with a touch of weight in the head. The shaft is designated medium to flexible.

Usually when I test and review racquets, I like to play with the racquet factory strung. On this occasion, the Bravesword 169 had been custom strung to around 25lbs. Rather than be disappointed, I was absolutely delighted and you’ll see why when you read on.

Bravesword technology revolves around the shape of the frame – which is actually the shape of a sword. And this racquet certainly sounds like one as you can hear it cut through the air!

Overhead Performance

Do you ever pick up a racquet and it feels like your best friend? When I walked on to court with Bravesword 169, I had one of those moments.

The first hit confirmed that this racquet had that special quality. Clears were effortless and there was plenty of touch for drop shots. The racquet really cuts through the air quickly which allows for great speed, although the control is still there. The string tension felt “right” for this racquet. Sometimes they can be strung too tight that it’s harder to generate power. It would be exciting to experiment with string tensions on this racquet as I feel it’s got even more to offer.

The hint of weight in the head is good as you can feel the flow of the racquet in the swing, which enhances performance and control. Whilst I could feel the flexibility from the shaft, it wasn’t off-putting. In fact, it felt great! There was that extra little kick, similar to Bravesword 11 and I can see this appealing to many players who prefer flexible shafts.

The combination of the air resistance qualities of the racquet, the flexible shaft and the slight weight in the head, generate a lot of power. Yes, this is definitely a powerful racquet.

Defence

Defensively this racquet was easy to use. Again, the air resistance qualities of the head made the racquet easy to manoeuvre and generate speed when required. In fact, the combination worked very well indeed as you felt there was some meat behind drive returns. Overall, it’s a first class performance here from a racquet that must appeal to ladies when playing defensive shots around the net.

Net Area

A racquet that performs well in defence always performs well around the net area. After all, we’re talking about generating controlled racquet speed here, in very short bursts with the slightest touch for the really tight net shots. Again, BS169 was outstanding. This should really appeal to mixed players who need to control the shuttle in tight, pressure situations.

Summary

Victor has delivered another stunning world class racquet that will surely appeal to ladies of all standards – it’s a real winner. It would be unfair to suggest this is Victor’s equivalent to Yonex Arcsaber 9 although I’m sure the comparisons will be made.

The Bravesword 169 was outstanding in every area I tested. RRP is £100 in UK which is a good price for a racquet of this quality. Online discounters will probably offer it for around £89 which is incredible value for a racquet of this quality and therefore secures a 5 star rating from me.

Are there any downsides with Bravesword 169? Well, one guy I lent the racquet to said it was a shame Victor hadn’t made the same racquet in blue. It’s a good point because they could be limiting the racquets appeal purely because of the colour.

The only minor gripe I have with this racquet, and I’m really being picky here, is that the stencil ink was flaking off the string within a few hits. Perhaps there is something wrong with the ink because Victor string is superb – maybe they’re not compatible. A test with a different ink may get different results. Yes, I’m being picky, but I like racquets to look good, and this minor irritation was certainly not in keeping with the quality of the racquet.

The Bravesword 10 has the accolade of being my first 5 star racquet in the Victor range and also my first 5 star racquet out of all the other manufacturer’s ranges I’ve tested. Credit to Victor here for producing such a brilliant racquet – another 5 star rated racquet to sit alongside Bravesword 10.

There’s no question that the Victor brand is now world class. Whilst it’s relatively unknown in UK at the moment, I’m sure that their quality and pricing will easily find a way into the market. You’d be wise to put colour prejudice aside here and test Victor’s Bravesword 169 if you can find one, because this level of quality deserves a place next to the most well-known brands.

Background

As I work for a badminton retailer, I am occasionally asked to review other manufacturer’s racquets. Against this backcloth, I recently tested a Victor Spira 21 badminton racquet.

A few years ago, the Victor brand was extremely small in UK, mainly considered a European brand. We knew very little about their products and level of quality. That changed just over a year ago when it was announced that they were the new sponsors of the Korean National Badminton Team. This was a serious leap forward for Victor and ultimately gave them an international seal of approval in terms of quality. After all, if a racquet is good enough for Lee Yong Dae, current Olympic Mixed Doubles champion and World Mens Doubles Silver Medallist, and his team, then it must be good!

On to my review…

Victor Spira 21

The Spira 21 is the latest racquet from Victor. As I write, I’m not sure where this racquet sits within the increasing Victor range. I expect it’s somewhere at the top end close to the excellent Bravesword series.

It’s a good looking racquet in black and grey, with red, white and orange graphics. As you would expect, it arrived in a really good looking full length, high quality racquet bag in black and red with silver piping and bold writing.

Grip size is G3 which is the smaller of the two grip sizes on Victor racquets. It’s equivalent to a size 3.5 inches or Yonex G4, which is a bit confusing. Weight is unknown as I write this review and will be updated when I have the data from Victor. Maximum recommended stringing tension is 30lbs so it’s got to be very strong and should be extremely popular in the Asian market where strings tensions are so much higher.

This is a head heavy racquet, slightly head heavy with a balance point around 315mm. The slim shaft is designated stiff.

Overhead Performance

I expected this badminton racquet to perform well because it’s a Victor racquet. I wasn’t disappointed.

The combination of a slim shaft on a head heavy racquet works very well. Clears were effortless, smashes remained true in terms of direction and power, and there was plenty of touch for drop shots.

Spira 21 has a completely different feel to a Bravesword – it’s similar to an Arcsaber which I’d say is a compliment. Whilst you can feel there’s weight in the head, the racquet doesn’t perform in a clumsy fashion. There’s just enough weight to bring the racquet head through well but not enough for it to feel heavy. And with the new slim shaft, it doesn’t play like a super stiff racquet, but one that gives the shot a bit more punch.

On performance, it’s difficult to judge whether Spira 21 will become a favourite with singles players or big-hitting doubles specialists as it’s powerful and doesn’t tend to tire the arm.

Defence

Defensively this racquet was easy to use which came as a nice surprise considering it’s deemed head heavy. The racquet was easy to manoeuvre and again, I didn’t get the impression that the weight in the head would become a burden of any kind if you’re defending a lot. Drive returns felt really meaty and easy to perform.

Net Area

A racquet that performs well in defence always performs well around the net area. After all, we’re talking about generating controlled racquet speed here, in very short bursts with the slightest touch for the really tight net shots. Surprisingly, Spira 21 delivered here too, although having just played with new Bravesword 169, it couldn’t quite match the speed of that racquet, although it was still fast.

Summary

I said earlier in my review that I wasn’t sure where this racquet fits in the excellent Victor range. Having tested the racquet I’m still not sure, which actually is a compliment. It’s not a one trick badminton racquet, but not quite the 5 star all rounder of the Bravesword 10.

Spira 21 certainly performed to a high standard in every area I tested. Whether this new technology in a series will signal the demise of other racquets in the range remains to be seen. It could be the replacement for SW35 although doesn’t quite have the power of that racquet.

RRP for this Spira 21 in UK is £120. Online discounters will probably sell it for around £109 which is excellent value for money. It’s the same price as top-of-the-line Bravesword 11 so it’s competing with a great racquet. On this basis I rate the Spira 21 a 4 star racquet because of the quality. Time will tell where it finds favour with players.

The only minor irritation I had with this racquet was the speed at which the stencil ink was flaking off the racquet. There is obviously a compatibility issue or a fault in the ink as we all know the quality of Victor string.

There’s no question that the Victor brand is now world class. Whilst it’s relatively unknown in UK at the moment, I’m sure that their quality and pricing will easily find a way into the market. You’d be wise to test Victor’s Spira 21 if you can find one, because this level of quality deserves a place next to the most well-known brands.

Background

As I work for a badminton retailer, I am occasionally asked to review other manufacturer’s racquets. Against this backcloth, I recently tested a Victor Bravesword 11 badminton racquet and got a nice surprise.

A few years ago, the Victor brand was extremely small in UK, mainly considered a European brand. We knew very little about their products and level of quality. That changed just over a year ago when it was announced that they were the new sponsors of the Korean National Badminton Team. This was a serious leap forward for Victor and ultimately gave them an international seal of approval in terms of quality. After all, if a racquet is good enough for Lee Yong Dae, current Olympic Mixed Doubles champion and World Mens Doubles Silver Medallist, and his team, then it must be good!

On to my review…

Victor Bravesword 11

The Bravesword 11 is the latest racquet in the Bravesword series, the cream of the Victor badminton range, following on from my 5 star rated Bravesword 10 and the current racquet of Olympic Champion Lee Yong Dae, the Bravesword 9.

It’s a good looking racquet in charcoal grey, with flashes of red, white and what looks like a hologram strip along the side of the head and a nice red leather grip. It arrived in a full length bag in red with the name on the bag to differentiate it from the 9 and 10. This is a high quality full-cover bag too, nothing flimsy here.

Grip size is G3 which is the smaller of the two grip sizes on Victor racquets. It’s equivalent to a size 3.5 inches or Yonex G4, which is a bit confusing. Weight is 87g. Interestingly, this racquet has a maximum recommended stringing tension of 30lbs so it’s got to be very strong and should be extremely popular in the Asian market where strings tensions are so much higher.

This is a fairly even balanced racquet, about 1cm different to Bravesword 10, slightly head heavy, but not too much. The shaft is designated stiff. On a head to head test, it was difficult to feel the difference between Bravesword 11 and Bravesword 10 in terms of weight and balance. They feel almost identical racquets, which made me wonder how different Bravesword 11 would feel compared to the 5 star rated Bravesword 10.

The racquet was factory strung using Victor 850 string, which is a beautiful string. It feels similar to BG80 which is probably the most popular badminton string in the world.

Bravesword technology revolves around the shape of the frame – which is actually the shape of a sword. And this racquet certainly sounds like one as you can hear it cut through the air!

Overhead Performance

Having tested Bravesword 10 and liked it so much, I was eager to put this racquet through its paces. Overall, this racquet feels similar, although I do detect slightly more weight in the head compared to Bravesword 10. I feel this is due to the difference in balance. It would have been nice if Bravesword 11 had been strung to the same high tension as Bravesword 10 to help me compare the two, however, I’ll do my best…

Allowing for factory stringing, there is plenty of power in this racquet. Clears flew beautifully with very little effort. I have to question the flexibility of the shaft here, because this felt a lot more flexible than Bravesword 10. Perhaps it’s because the shaft is thinner and therefore whippier but it does feel more like a medium flex shaft than stiff. That’s not a bad point, just an observation. It certainly didn’t affect my timing at all.

The Bravesword 11 design with its air resistance qualities, combined with the flexible shaft and touch more weight in the head worked well in terms of delivering power. I didn’t feel I got any more power than Bravesword 10 although in many respects I should because all the right ingredients were there to make it happen. Perhaps this is just the difference in string tension and that’s why I wanted to test with the higher string tension.

Not taking anything away from Bravesword 11 here, it’s still oozes quality and packs a punch. The slightly extra weight carries the head through the shot beautifully.

Defence

Defensively this racquet was easy to use. Again, the air resistance qualities of the head made the racquet easy to manoeuvre and the slight weight in the head was insufficient to counter this speed. In fact, the combination worked very well indeed as you felt there was some meat behind drive returns.

If anything, and I’m being picky, I could feel a slight timing difference with snappy defensive shots and this is due to the whipper slimmer shaft.

Net Area

A racquet that performs well in defence always performs well around the net area. After all, we’re talking about generating controlled racquet speed here, in very short bursts with the slightest touch for the really tight net shots. Again, BS11 was very good, although not quite as fast as BS10.

Summary

Having recently had the pleasure of testing Victor Bravesword 10 and singing its praises to such an extent that I gave it a 5 star rating, perhaps it was asking too much of Bravesword 11 to surpass my expectations.

Make no mistake, this is another world class racquet from Victor. It’s a beauty, but for me it falls short of the Bravesword 10. That said, Bravesword 10 is so good, it’s always going to be hard to beat. However, being fair, it’s got its place and I suspect those players looking for that additional something from a flexible shaft will love this racquet.

RRP is £119.95 which is still extremely good value for a racquet of this quality. Retailers will discount to around £105-£110 mark so you’re still getting incredible value for money.

In my opinion, Victor have got another winner in Bravesword 11. The difficulty with any range of racquets is how to better the last one. I think with Bravesword 11, Victor have not tried to better virtual perfection from Bravesword 10, but to add a different dimension which would potentially make it more appealing.

Taking into consideration all I’ve said, and really wishing to test with higher string tension, this has to be a 4 star racquet, and very close to 4.5 stars.

Such is my delight and surprise at the quality of Victor racquets, my final paragraph of this review is copied from my previous review of Bravesword 10 with slight adjustment.

There’s no question that the Victor brand is now world class. Whilst it’s relatively unknown in UK at the moment, I’m sure that their quality and pricing will easily find a way into the market. You’d be wise to test Victor’s Bravesword 11 if you can find one, because this level of quality deserves a place next to the most well-known brands.