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Introduction:
The Senston 530 racket is a relatively cheap racket that is is good for beginners. It is usually sold as a set of 2 Senston 530 rackets. A relatively large frame size with isometric shape increases sweet-spot size to be about as big as most rackets.
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
- Default strings are durable and long-lasting
- Low price (34 USD + shipping)
- Default grip can be slippery
- Relatively less accuracy and feel due to low string tension of default strings
- Individual rackets of the same model (Senston 530) may not consistently feel and play the same
Specifications:
- Weight (unstrung): 90 grams +or- 3gm [1]
- Length: 675mm (26.5 inches) [1]
- Balance point: 288mm +or- 3mm from bottom of shaft [1]
- String tension: 20-22lbs [1]
- Frame material: carbon aluminum composite frame [1]
- Shaft material: graphite [1]
- Grip Size: G4 [1]
Appearance
You may notice that the red and yellow colour versions of the rackets resemble the red and yellow versions of the Yonex Voltric Z-Force II respectively (see below image links).
Yonex Voltric Z-Force II Red [2]
Yonex Voltric Z-Force II Yellow [3]
However, the racket is not a fake Yonex Voltric Z-Force II and does not claim to be a Yonex Voltric Z-Force II. While the colour and patterns are the exact same, the Senston 530 does not have the Yonex logo on the frame-shaft joint and does not have the “Voltric Z-Force II” printed on the shaft. Instead, the shaft has “S-530” printed on it, which most likely stands for “Senston 530” (see below figure).
Figure 2: shaft and joint of yellow and red Senston 530 rackets
Performance
I was able to use 2 different Senston 530 rackets as I bought them as a set. I got a red and a yellow one. The physical properties of the two rackets varied somewhat significantly. The red one was also lighter by a few grams and was more head-light than the yellow. The default strings on the red one also seemed to be slightly tighter than the yellow one. You may have noticed near the joint, on the shaft of the yellow racket there is “DYNAMIC” written and the red there is “PRECISION” written. This may explain why the yellow is slightly heavy and balanced more towards the head and why the red has slightly tighter strings (tighter/more tension equals to more precision). That is to say, the makers intentionally made the rackets slightly differ in physical properties. It could also just be a coincidence.
The default grips on both rackets felt slippery and did not allow comfortable control of the rackets during play. However, that was not a problem of the rackets themselves and was easily fixed by wrapping a more grippy grip on top. Luckily, the set I bought the rackets with came with 2 extra grips.
The impressions of the rackets’ performance are based on a total playtime of about 100 hrs with the red one and about 30 hrs with the yellow one.
Rackets setup:
Red: unknown tension with a total weight of about 98 grams with overgrip
Yellow: unknown tension with a total weight of about 104 grams with overgrip
Both rackets were weighed using a digital kitchen scale with 0.1g precision.
The physical properties of the two rackets varied enough that I felt they were quite different. The red one was light and easy to move. The yellow was a bit harder to move but still pretty light.
Results
Below were the results I obtained for using the rackets.
Smashes: I could hit smashes which moved the shuttlecock with decent speed without needing much effort in the swing. I am not sure what the exact speeds are as I didn’t measure them. The shuttlecock easily bounces off when hit and it doesn’t feel like I needed to really push the shuttle to move it. The shuttlecock seemed to move faster with the yellow racket due to the racket’s slightly higher mass and head-heavy balance. Both rackets allowed quick swing without much effort.
Clears: The shuttlecock easily travels to the back court of the opposing side without much strength for both rackets.
Lifts: Lifts can be hit quickly and make the shuttlecock travel far without much effort.
Drives: Drives can be hit quickly with little effort and the shuttlecock travels flat and straight as I would expect.
Drops: Drop shots are probably harder to accurate place due to low default tension of the rackets. There is a tendency for the shuttlecock to bounce more strongly off the strings compared to rackets with tighter strings.
Net shots: Net shots require a more precise touch to make the shuttlecock tightly pass over the net. However, the low string tension lets the strings contact the shuttlecock for a longer time than with higher string tensions which gives more time to control the shot.
Slices: I did not notice anything special with slices. They were probably less accurate than they could be had the strings been tighter.
Blocks: In blocks, the shuttlecock can push into the racket strings more, so more energy is absorbed before rebounding as compared to tighter strings.
Serves: Long serves to the other end of court are easy to hit. The low short serve is more difficult due to lower string tension which causes the shuttlecock to easily bounce too far if not hit lightly enough.
Short-serve-like shots: Shots where the shuttlecock is hit at a height lower than the top of the net such that it moves up to get over the net like in the short serves are good. The low string tension allows slightly more contact time with the shuttlecock than with higher string tensions and gives more time to control the shot.
Conclusion
The conclusion is based on the use of the default strings that came with the racket. With different strings and a different tension, the feel and performance of the rackets would probably change drastically. However, restringing the rackets would cost as much as 2 of the rackets sold in a set and would not be worth it.
Overall, the rackets with the default strings give less feeling to work with when hitting the shuttlecock. Good aim and skill to precisely control the power of each stroke can overcome the lack of feeling, but using a tighter string tension would give the player better control and help them feel the shuttlecock more solidly. Still they are durable low-price rackets which are good for beginners and a play style which involves frequent smashes, clears, lifts and drives. In addition, when bought in a set, there is a chance for the player to get rackets which feel slightly different and allow for slightly different play style.
The racket is available for purchase in a set of 2 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.