Thursday, June 25, 2015

Badminton Racket New Launch: Yonex Z-Force II Lin Dan Limited Edition

Hello peeps! It's been a long time hasn't it?! I realise that I've been absent for awhile, but you have to understand that the badminton market's been really slow of late.. Not a lot of nice products being released and not a lot of new stuff to try.

Imagine back in the golden days where Yonex hasn't started to sell all their rackets at rock bottom prices - product releases actually meant something, and companies were vying for attention on your wrists. 

That competition brought players like Pro-Kennex, Bekia, Hart, Dunlop and Prince to the market. I've been fortunate to have been able to be part of that racket boom, and also to be able to bring you accounts of my experiences with those rackets. 

Now, it seems like we're down to the three brands - Victor, Yonex, and a gaping-for-air Li Ning. 

These are dark times, but here's something to make it a little brighter.



That's right. The moment you've all been waiting for. When the legendary showman shook hands with Yonex, we all knew it was a marketing gimmick to milk that cash cow. We knew, Yonex knew, and Lin Dan (and his bank account) knew.

This comes in the wake of Lee Chong Wei's drug scare. Never a better time to release Lin Dan's collection than when his arch-rival was on hiatus, unable to challenge his superiority on court with the new racket.

So anyway, here's what it looks like in the bag.

I know, not an inspiring design.

Hardly anything to cheer about, given how awesome the LCW version looked. But what the hey, it's LIN DAN. He'd have us drinking breast milk in between games if he'd do it first.

The design on the bag carries through to the racket - yellow and black and all things awkward.


I don't like it. Was never a huge fan of yellow rackets, and honestly I was waiting for a freakishly gaudy red-yellow-gold combination like what manifested in the Armortec 700.

But then again (and again) it's LIN DAN. The rackets flew off the shelves. I turned down my stringer's offer of a reserved racket (did I tell you I hated the design?) coz I really don't like the design.

Like with the other badminton superstar reboots, I began to question what bloody difference color made to a racket, apart from my refusal to use it on court?

They told me it has a thicker frame. More power. Heavier. Softer shaft; the exclamations were as illustrious as the flying Super Dan himself.

I didn't believe a word, because paint is paint. Well I suppose if you whiffed enough of it, it would make you fly...

But then.


Well, well... doesn't it feel good to shut someone up? Obviously the online critic didn't get his hands on one to actually bother to find out.

The Yonex Lin Dan Z-Force II Lin Dan Limited Edition definitely has a thicker head frame. I have since gotten my hands on both rackets for a real life comparison.

But what does this mean for on court play? The racket swings well in practice - nice and solid feel with a good weight transfer. But I could feel a loss in power from having to overcome the heaviness and stiffness.

Once again, words. Words to be proven by getting myself one of these ugly ducklings to see if it'll grow into a swan.

Till soon readers.

P.S. There's also a whole range of Lin Dan apparel and bags. The shoes look awesome. 

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi.

Good writen

I have bought a ZF 2 LD racket and when i played it first time i thought it is head heavier and some say it is plycoligic and other say another.
The racket feels heavier than origianal. the balance its 13 mm more into the head ( i have test it) Why did they name it as Z force 2. I feel cheated from Yonex beacause me and many other thougth its same specs as the original Z force 2. They should name it another name so the buyer not make mistakes or else they should informe that the LD version is head heavier the original Z force 2.

im very dissapointet.

Richard said...

Dear Arthur


Breaking news. Go to youtube and search duora yonex. Cant wait for you to write a review.!!

Arthur said...

Hey Richard, thanks for the head's up.

I saw their posting on Facebook. Nice to know they're still keen on throwing out a little innovation once in awhile.

Will be looking forward to trying it :)

navin said...

Hi Arthur,

I am planning to go for VTZF2 (Standard), having you played on both 3U and 4U versions which one do you think has an upper hand for doubles? or is there some other racket that you would suggest for pure doubles play?

Arthur said...

I'm for the 3U version. Attack wins in doubles play and the 3U gives way more in terms of that.

I advocate the ZSpeed for doubles, but that's just for my case. If you've used the ZForce 2 and like it, then go with it.

General rule is, the longer you spend with a racket, the better you will be with it.

navin said...

Thanks for your input. I will be going for the 3 U VTZF2.

I have played with VTZF2 4U on few occasions and i feel it is light and lacks little power but what i like in 4U was that because of the light weight i was able to handle the racket well which helped me in placing the shuttle with great accuracy.

Arthur said...

No worries Navin, I think with time and practice, you'll be able to master control of the 3U racket.

Happy smashing!

Unknown said...

Are prince rackets any good?

I saw a review for some at this site:

http://www.badmintonbest.com/best-prince-badminton-rackets/

Is the prince deliverance of any good quality?

Unknown said...

Hi Arthur,
What if I want to make my choice between Z force 2 LD and Nanoray 900 SE, what do you think will be better considering that I like powergame.

Arthur said...

ZForce man, head heavy for power game always.

Watch the smaller head frame though.

Unknown said...

Hello, Arthur,

I just called the Yonex office in LA and they confirm that the LD edition and the LCW edition are the same as the regular ZF2 except for cosmetic differences. The reason you see difference in thickness in your graph is because the right graph is zoomed more than the left. You can see this by measuring the length of the string in the first row.

Arthur said...

Nice to know Xiang Hui! Thanks for the confirmation!