Yonex Astrox 88D vs 88D Pro Badminton Racket Video Comparison

Here are the quick links to my individual written reviews of the original Astrox 88D & the 88D Pro.

On this video I am comparing a couple of the Astrox 88 D’s.

So I have with me the original D, which you’re probably familiar with, with the red & the green. And I now have the Astrox 88D Pro so we’re going to be comparing those two but also still to come is going to be the 88 D Tour and 88 D Game, so there’ll be future videos on these & then I’ll compare all 3 of these particular new rackets.

So let’s start with the original. And if we compare the original to the 88 D Pro, the first thing we’re going to notice, if I can get close enough is that the D Pro is a fully recessed frame, compared to this, & you’ll also notice that the head shapes are different. String pattern on the D Pro is exactly the same as the original D. So not like the S pro which was a completely new pattern. This is the familiar pattern that we’ve had on the Astrox 88’s since inception.

Aside from that if we put the rackets together we can see yet again the shortened shaft of the 88D Pro, longer handle & looks slightly thinner than this but that could just be cosmetics that are doing that but definitely a difference, which means that when the racket bends, it’s going to have a slightly different flex point, than this one, still feels about as stiff as this one, but probably a little bit stiffer because obviously it’s a little bit shorter.

So what have I discovered with this?

Well, what I have found is that this particular racket (88 D Pro) is a little bit quicker and we had the same thing with the S that the frame seem to be a lot faster than the original, which is a good thing. It means that you’re quicker in defense, a lot sharper around the net and it just means it swings really, really nice.

Aside from that I feel that there’s been a shift in the weight of these particular rackets, so compared to the original where we really did feel the weight was up here, with this particular racket (88 D Pro), it seems a little bit more evenly spread so I don’t feel it’s as top-heavy, although balance point on this was somewhere around 317, so it’s definitely in the head heavy range, but for some reason it didn’t seem to feel as if it was all up here and it made the swing a lot faster.

Does it hit as hard?

Well that’s down to the user. I actually preferred this (88 D Pro) in terms of hitting for power, then I did this (88 D) but I know a lot of players who have got this particular racket may find this (88D Pro) is a little bit light in the head compared to what they’ve been used to in the past. But the upside is, obviously faster defense, sharper in the fast flat exchanges, and very quick around the net.

Not much more to say apart from that in comparing the two. I did feel that this (88 D Pro) still hits hard, it’s just the fact that we didn’t have that extra top edge that some players need to hit with power.

For those who like a more even based racket, something like the Arcsaber 11, this is going to feel a touch top heavier & maybe that would be a nice & welcome upgrade for them. If you’ve used the old S, you might prefer this version (88 D Pro) than the new S. You might find that you prefer the way that the weight is distributed here. Nothing wrong with the S Pro by the way that’s still a great racket, but there is a noticeable difference in the way this swings. It could just be that because the shaft is shorter, we’re not feeling this the same.

Really really good racket well worth testing.

So if you get a chance to go to a demo event or you have an opportunity to demo these at some kind of retailer event then go along & have a go, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the speed at this frame. Really, really good.

For anyone whose used to the existing racket is it an upgrade?

Well, I think it is.

Whether you will prefer this (88 D) because it had that extra head weight, so be it, fully understand why you’d want to keep that but you know, all it takes is a few little pieces of lead tape in here and you’ll get that same feel but you’ll also get the faster frame as well.

So there we go. There’s a quick comparison Astrox 88 D Pro vs the original. And remember, there are still two more Astrox 88 Ds to be reviewed yet.