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Introduction
The Yonex Voltric Z-Force II is a Yonex badminton racket which advertises support for the player to handle the racket fast and hit heavy smashes [1]. It has been used in official matches by long-time world number 1 players Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan. It is a relatively expensive racket.
Pros
Cons
- Easy to generate power
- Light-weight and fast to move
- Isometric-square frame increase sweet-spot area
- One-piece and resin T-joint adds to racket durability and stability
- Expensive (~$200 AUD)
- Smaller racket frame/head resulting in less area for contacting shuttlecock
Specifications [1]
- Weight (average, unstrung): 83g (4U) or 88g (3U)
- Length: 675mm (26.5 inches) [1]
- Stringing Advice: 4U 20-27 lbs, 3U 20-28 lbs
- Frame material: H.M. Graphite, Sound Filter, NANOMETRIC, Tungsten
- Shaft material: H.M. Graphite, EX-HMG, NANOMETRIC
- Grip Size: G4, G5
- Flex: Extra Stiff
Racket technologies [2]
- TRI-iBUMPER
- Aerodynamic Frame Construction
- TRI-VOLTAGE SYSTEM:
- SOUND FILTER
- Compact Frame
- NANOMETRIC™
- NEW Grommet Pattern
- SOLID FEEL CORE
- AERO+BOX Frame
- NEW Built-in T-Joint
- Control Support Cap
Performance
I have played with this racket for a total estimate of about 8 hours.
Rackets setup
The racket I used was strung with an unknown string at 26 lbs of tension. It also had an overgrip which felt a bit like Styrofoam.
Results
The following are the results I found playing with this racket.
Smashes: I did not have any problem swinging the racket and could smash the shuttlecock with a decent speed. I am not sure what the exact speeds are as I didn’t measure them. Due to the relatively high string tension, the shuttlecock felt solid on the hit and travelled accurately.
Clears, lifts & long serves: The shuttlecock required solid technique and hit to travel to the back court of the opposing side.
Drives: Drives can be hit quickly and the shuttlecock travels flat and straight as I would expect.
Net shots, drops, short serves & slices: Net shots, serves and slices were precise. The stiffness and string tension of the racket allowed precise control over the direction and distance travelled by the shuttlecock. Excess propulsion of the shuttlecock through flexing of the racket and propulsion of the strings was not an issue.
Blocks: High string tension and stiff racket helped to rebound the shuttlecock without needing to apply much of my own force.
Conclusion
Overall, the light-feeling racket helps to be able to move the racket fast to get into position for all the basic shots and to hit fast for the heavy smashes and far clears/lifts. However, adequate technique and strength is still required to do so.
At a high enough string tension, the racket offers good precision to hit the various control shots such as net shots, drops, slices and short serves.
I rarely mishit the shuttlecock. I think most players would not have any problem with the narrower width, since most hits would contact the shuttlecock near the middle line of the frame anyway.
However, the racket is quite expensive at about $180 AUD from even the cheapest sellers. It may not be worth it for those who are not skilled enough to fully utilise the racket and it may not even be affordable for some players.
The racket is available for purchase at the following links:
See and compare other rackets from our racket list or strings from our string list!
Feel free to comment any questions, concerns or other.