Yonex Nanoflare Nextage Badminton Racket Review Video

Launched on the 19th of January 2024, this is the 3rd of the Nanoflare range that has been released in the last 12 months.

Initially we had the 1000 pro, followed by the 800 pro and now we have the very latest.

This is not a Japanese manufactured racket and as such will come with a favourable price tag for club, league and social players.

So what is different about this racket?

Well, Yonex have kind of followed the methods they have been using of late and bringing out a wide beam frame, very aerodynamic.

But this is very very different in respect of the head weight and the 1000 pro and the 800, there was a lot more head weight than this.

I would say that this is a lot closer to the Nanospeed 9900, which was a brilliant seller for Yonex being that it was light headed and really fast and a strong frame.

So what we have here is a 4U G5, so we got a lightweight racket with a small grip.

It only comes in that specification.

This is a medium(ish) flex and as I said, it is head light here but it has a lot more frame mass compared to some of the older Nanoflare rackets.

This is strung in Nanogy 95, no idea what tension but I have played with it, so I would say it’s probably around about 24lbs.

Maximum this can take is 28lbs in tension, so that will cover most players who are playing competitively or socially. Easily covers those requirements in terms of string tension.

How did it play?
That is always the most important question. As you know by now with my reviews, I’m not particularly interested in talk about the technology it’s how it plays.

For me, I prefer head heavy rackets, usually a lot stiffer, so the stiffness didn’t bother me in this at all, quite a bit of flex, worked a treat in terms of any kind of hitting.

What was more interesting was the weight of the head and how that played. Being the fact that I like head heavy and I like to feel the racket when I’m hitting the shuttle this was a little bit different.

Certainly noticed the speed of the racket head coming through when I was hitting my overheads, great for that.

Wonderful on soft touches. Maybe because of the string as well, I had to put a little bit more work into the shot, especially when defensive lifting. Felt it was lacking a little bit in terms of the flat hitting. But again, that’s because I prefer that little bit of weight behind the racket head compared to this.

But, it was incredibly fast. And for that all round the net area, this was an absolute star. Loved it for that.

Loved it for defence as well, allows you to move your hands really quickly.

Perhaps I would have changed the string and gone for my preferred string choice and a different tension. And I think I would have got a lot more out of the racket than I did with this.

I felt with this combination it was a little bit dull, but a thinner string, something like an Exbolt 65 I can imagine this racket really coming to life.

So for me, great at the net, exceptionally good in defence as well, and I think with a string change, and maybe a tension change for my personal preference I’d get a lot more out of this.

I think for those players who are seeking power, if you can swing this kind of racket really quick and you have that general power, this is going to be an absolute beauty for you because it gives you what you already have up top, but now it gives you that faster frame in defence and around the net.

For those who need racket head to gain a bit more power, then this isn’t going to be a racket for you.

Definitely worth testing.

So if you get the chance, give it a go.

Super fast frame.

This is the Yonex Nanoflare Nextage