Yonex Armortec 70MG Badminton Racquet

This my last review of Armortec series racquets from the selection of top-of-the-range and newly introduced in 2009.

Not that it matters much, but why Yonex chose to name this different to the rest of range is a mystery.

On with the review. Out of the bag, yet again this is a striking racquet in red, yellow and silver – a really nice combination.  It’s got as lovely balance, similar to 600 and 50 and thankfully not head-heavy like 30. Strings are nice and tight and suitable for most levels of play.

Technical specs for weight are handle size are 3U (85-89g) G3, the larger of the two grip sizes on offer. Again, this can easily be altered to suit. Whilst adding grips affect the balance of the racquet, it’s certainly not detrimental to playability.

The difference between this and Armortec 50 is the flexibility in the shaft (medium flex) so it will suit players who need the racquet to help them with power shots.  It’s one of two  racquets in this range with a medium flex shaft so if this is important to you and you wish to play with Yonex racquets, then you’ll also need to test Armortec 30, Arcsaber 7, Nanospeed 4500, 500 & 300. These are all good racquets to suit your budget.

As with all Armortec racquets, 70MG delivers power shots really well – drives, clears, smashes are nice and crisp and there’s little adjustment required to cater for the medium flex shaft.

Around the net, it’s a similar story. The racquet is quick, but not as fast as the Nanospeed series which are more head light. All this means is you need to work it a little more which could be plus really as it makes you play the shot fully and with purpose. Defensively it’s a little slower compared to the Nanospeed but, when you’re playing with one racquet consistently, you won’t notice it.

RRP is £90.00 so it will sell between £75-80.00 from many retailers. I’m giving this a three and a half star rating because it delivers in all areas and is pretty good value for money. I’m not sure why it’s priced more expensive than Armortec 50 when the difference appears to be the flexibility in the shaft. Perhaps it costs more to make a flexible shaft?

This racquet will appeal to social and league players. If you need a little help with power shots then Armortec 70MG racquet will do that. If you’re an out and out power player it’s unlikely to suit your game. But, as I always say, you need to test the racquet to know for yourself whether it’s the one for you this season. Finding a retailer with demo racquets is difficult. Check Yonex website (www.Yonex.co.uk) for demo days in your area or look up the Yonex retailers on their website and contact them direct.

Yonex Armortec 50 Badminton Racquet

This is my third review of a new Armortec racquet. I must confess at the outset that I’m a big fan of the Armortec range.  There’s a racquet to suit any standard of play here.  As you’ve come to expect from a racquet in the Yonex family, you’re buying quality.

Out of the bag the racquet has a nice balance. It’s not head heavy like the Armortec 30. It’s striking in appearance with purple, yellow, red and silver graphics – Yonex really seem to have escaped their bland past where every racquet was black.

The racquets has been factory strung and is pretty tight. For many players this will mean they don’t need to pay extra for a re-string thank goodness.

Technical specs for weight and grip size are 3U (85-89g) G3 which is the larger of the grip sizes offered in the Yonex range. It’s a nice size but potentially too big for those with smaller hands. That said, it’s easy to adjust the grip to suit and a good retailer should carry a range of grips and be able to re-grip the racquet in minutes.

Although the Armortec  50 is priced towards the budget end of the market, surprisingly it has a stiff shaft which I prefer. This is ideal for the bigger hitters who don’t need a flexible shaft to boost their power shots.

Being so familiar with the Armortec range, it took no time at all to get used to this racquet on court. It’s nice! With the balance slightly weighted in the head, you do feel that there’s some “meat” in the racquet. It’s still quick and the heavier head means you can really feel where the racquet is in relation to the shot, which helps with control.

Drives, clears, smashes were easy with this racquet, it delivers easily. Around the net and in defence you need to work that little bit harder compared with a Nano series racquet which is more head light but there’s the trade off.  It’s still fast, but as I say, you have to work it a little bit more. That’s not necessarily a bad thing because it means you’re playing the shot with more purpose and meaning because you’ve got to do a little bit more to get it in position.

The difference between this and the top of the range Armortec 900 Power is hard to define. The 900 is made from stronger materials which allows for greater stringing tensions. The shafts are also made from different materials but I’m not sure how much difference this makes. I assume the stronger graphite used in the top of the range 900 significantly reduces the chances of breaking when the top players generate so much power.

Under my rating system the racquet scores four stars. It’s a really good all rounder. RRP is £80.00 so shop prices will probably be less than £70.00. It’s really good value. So why the four stars? Compared with the Armortec 600 it’s just not as good. Remember, this is my personal opinion and racquets are personal to you, the player. The racquet delivered in every department, but the 600 or my 900 deliver better and this has to be reflected somewhere.

Bear in mind that these other racquets are significantly more expensive. It’s feasible that you could buy two Armortec 50’s for the price of an Armortec 900 so you’d be getting a great deal. For league play I advise buying two racquets because the last thing you want mid game is to break a string and then play with a different racquet.

Whilst the Armortec 50 is placed in the lower end of the Armortec range, it’s a really good racquet. Sometimes players buy top of the range racquets when they’re not going to get the best out of them. Put this on your list and give it a try if you’re a power player – it just maybe a late runner that will steal your heart.

Yonex Armortec 30 Badminton Racquet

If you’ve read my review of Armortec 600 you’ll know that the Armortec range has grown this season with the introduction of 600, 70MG, 50 and 30.

Having tested the new 600, the next racquet I chose to test was Armortec 30.

Straight out of the bag, the racquet has striking graphics in copper (my description), black and silver/grey. It’s a nice looking racquet.

Technical specs are it’s a 3U, G3 which means it weighs 85-89g and has a large grip than Armortec 600. Grip size is nice although won’t suit smaller hands. That said a good retailer can build a grip to suit your hand size.

Even before I went on court I felt this racquet was heavy. The weight is in the head which considerably affects the balance. Personally I didn’t like the balance at all, but it will suit those players who like lots of “meat” in the head to thump those smashes on the floor.

As this racquet is at the lower end of the price spectrum, it’s factory strung probably around17lbs or so. I had to make a lot of adjustments to play with this racquet, although with time got used to it.

There’s no doubt that this racquet packs a punch for overheads, it scores highly here. The combination of a heavy head and medium flex shaft means it’s some “kick.”

Where this racquet struggles is around the net and defence. The heavy head makes recovery harder and slower. You need to ensure your technique around the net is good, otherwise you’d be unable to play a number of shots around the net in succession.

RRP on Armortec 30 is £60 so you’ll probably pick one up for under £50. Value for money I’d give it 2 stars because I feel there are other racquets that perform better for the same price.

Will this racquet suit your game? As you know choosing a racquet is very personal. If you like a head heavy racquet to give your smashes a bit more “beef” then this racquet does the job. If you spend more time at the net or are a very defensive player then this would not be my first choice for you and certainly would not make the top 5 racquets for testing.

Yonex Armortec 600 Badminton Racquet

The Armortec range of racquets has improved in 2009 with the introduction of 4 new racquets – the 600, 70MG, 50 and 30.

The Armortec 600 is positioned towards the top of the range. As I already use Armortec Power 900 I was looking forward to comparing these racquets.

Straight out of the bag the racquet felt nice. It’s well balanced, nice graphics with a mix of sliver, purple and black. It’s strung reasonably tight although considerably less than the 24 lbs tension in my racquet so I knew I would have to make adjustments to my shots.

The racquet is available as a 4U G4. This means the weight is around 81-85g and the grip size is small. This didn’t matter as it’s the same as my 900 although for this test I didn’t build the grip to my specification.

As you would expect from a racquet at this level, it performed admirably in all areas. The nice balance meant it was quick although not as fast as a Nano series racquet. There’s plenty of power and a little extra “kick” courtesy of the flexible shaft.

When I chose this racquet, I hadn’t read the specification in the Yonex catalogue so I was very surprised to read it had a flexible shaft – I really hadn’t noticed during my test. Perhaps I’m so familiar with the Yonex range now having tested a number of their racquets that it’s like going over old ground again – very familiar.

There were no surprises with this racquet, it’s a good solid racquet with plenty to offer you. It’s one of those racquets that you know you can depend on no matter what your opponent throws at you. With tighter stringing and a grip I’d be hard pushed to distinguish this from my Power 900, it’s that good.

RRP is £110 so expect to pay under £100. Value for money I’d rate the Armortec 600 as a 5 star racquet – my first 5 star rating. It’s got everything although I suspect that power players may avoid this racquet because they don’t need the flexible shaft. If truth be told, there are very few out and out power players in league badminton. There are one or two very hard hitters but if every player’s smash could be analysed, only a small percentage would qualify in this department. So, overall this racquet will suit the majority of players.

Because racquet choice is so personal I urge you to try as many as you can before making your choice. Find a retailer who supplies demo racquets so you get the best chance of finding the right one for you. Unless you have a smaller budget, make sure the Armortec 600 is on your list to try this season, you’ll be glad you did.

If you’ve already read my other reviews, then you’ve already noticed certain similarities in basic Yonex racquet design. Notably, they are a good solid racquet with little “lateral” twist due to the built-in T piece.

As this is another top of the range racquet, it is strung slightly tighter. I do wish at times that all racquets were sold to retailers unstrung so that you can then decide on the racquet of your choice with the string and tension of your choice. It’s very popular in Europe but sadly not over here. I guess there are too few sports shops that have the ability or skill to string a racquet well.

Straight out of the bag, this racquet had a very different feel to it. This is because of the balance and weighting in the lower part of the racquet head, more towards the T piece.  Whereas the Arcsaber 10 felt like an old friend or a comfortable pair of shoes, this feels like the same pair of shoes that have been re-soled and re-heeled – not quite right at first.

That’s not to say it’s a good racquet, because it is. It’s because this weighting is unusual and takes a while to get used to. Being fair, I didn’t play with the racquet all night to see if my opinion changed at all. I gave it a fair amount of hitting, about the same as I’ve done for my other reviews.

The racquet is designed to give the player more control, to paraphrase Yonex’s description of this racquet. Perhaps. It certainly wasn’t a slouch in the power department, as there’s plenty of power to draw upon when required.

For all aspects of the power game the racquet performed well. I had to adjust a little because of the difference in balance, but after that it was OK. The racquet also performed well in defence and around the net. It was fast and sharp.

I understand what the control element of this racquet is about. With a stiff shaft and the weight shift, there does seem to be a “delay” in the hitting zone.  It’s almost a different solid hit as the focus in feel moves towards the T piece rather than the top of the racquet.

I began to wonder what type of player this would suit and it soon became evident that if your style of play is accurate placement to hurt your opponent, then this racquet delivers by the bucket load. I don’t know whether it will suit a power player, so if that’s your game you’ll need to try it for yourself. But, for a thinker and a good tactician, this could be a potent weapon.

I rated this just under 4 stars in my system. Again it lost a star in the general value for money criteria. At RRP £150 it’s expensive. Best you try one before you buy one, as you would with any racquet to make sure you’re really happy with it before parting with your hard-earned money. Look at www.yonex.co.uk “demo days” for one appearing near you. Make sure you take the opportunity to test as many racquets as you can.

When I was initially testing racquets to choose for next season, I got my choice down to 4 racquets, Arcsaber 10, Arcsaber 7, Armortec 900 Power and Technique. This was such a hard decision. Having played with them all and I then spent another hour mulling over which one I’d choose. For some strange reason, that I don’t know to this day, I kept returning to this racquet, trying it again and then putting it down. I must have done this 6 or 7 times before eventually ruling it out. It just seems to be one of those racquets that’s got a piece of magic but you really can’t explain it.

As you know, if you’ve read my other reviews, I eventually opted for the Armortec 900 Power as my racquet of choice. I could easily have chosen any of the 4 racquets and been happy. To this day, I don’t know why I continue to wax lyrical about this racquet – it’s just got that kinda something to make you want to pick it up and play.