Jayce
Many players have expressed that PYROFIL Carbon as VICTOR racket’s leading technology, also known as the soul of VICTOR racket, then I think: the best “body” to carry this soul is the origin of China and Taiwan.
Since the launch of DriveX, the first DriveX 9X produced in Taiwan has finally met with everyone, and see what kind of black technology has been used this time.
The main body of the DriveX 9X still adheres to the traditional low-key characteristics of the DriveX family, with the main body of the racket covered in navy blue and bright peach color embellishments, revealing a hint of dexterity and movement in a calm and stable manner.
A silver and white laser sticker is attached to the inside of the frame at the 5 and 7 positions.
In addition, the DriveX 9X also features a technological blue decal on the 2 and 10 o’clock positions of the frame to enhance the racquet’s overall recognizability.
Detailed Specifications
Empty Racket: 86g, Specification: 3ug5 Handle length is 175mm; Balance point is 295mm in empty racket, and it will be increased to 297mm after putting on the rubber; Middle barrel flexibility: hard; Middle barrel diameter: 6.6mm; Frame area is larger and comparable to the frame area of DriveX 8S.
Evaluation environment: VBS-66n+28lbs Viktor two-section threading method, hand rubber GR-253 Due to the sweaty summer, I chose a PU flat rubber with air holes – GR-253, GR-253 is thinner than other rubbers, which has a relatively smaller impact on the overall feel and balance of the racket.
DriveX 9X has a backward weighting, no obvious head weight, and a slightly slower swing speed than DriveX 7K and DriveX 8S. Players who require a faster swing speed can choose the 4U specification.
The feel of DriveX 9X is in the medium-hard position in the coordinate system. The lightweight center tube of DriveX 9X is adjusted by the laminated design and physical properties, which not only maintains the original toughness, but also balances the overall weight distribution, and with the 6.6mm diameter center tube, it can be used for both high-range and passive pick-and-push, which is a great way to make the racquet more comfortable for players to play, as compared to the DriveX 7K and DriveX 8S. The DriveX 9X is a much easier racquet to use than the DriveX 7K and DriveX 8S.
The large racket face also makes it easier to handle, and as the name suggests, the “Drive” means easy to handle. However, unlike the DriveX 7K, which is stiff, and the DriveX 8S, which is fast, the DriveX 9X is familiar to me. Yes, it is a good “sugar water”, and it still has a familiar feel.
Bilo Carbon + Strong Core Filler + TR Toughened Nanotube, three core technologies of VICTOR are all in action.
As early as when the JS-10 was introduced, many enthusiasts were deeply attracted by the explosive power of Paro Carbon, so much so that they favored the use of Paro Carbon racquets in their future products. However, the majority of players who are able to use PALO Carbon may not be able to handle it, which is the main reason why many players reacted to the JS-10’s stiffness, and the unlimited power of PALO Carbon needs to be tapped into.
The fusion of TR toughening technology with BALO carbon does lower the driving threshold to a certain extent, and the outstanding explosive properties of the DriveX 9X when hitting the ball on the hand come from the torsional adjustment of the frame as a whole, and in the DriveX 7K and DriveX 8S of the Harness series, in order to increase the speed and offense of the racket on the basis of the control properties, it is important for the players to have a better understanding of the characteristics of the racket. In the DriveX 7K and DriveX 8S, in order to add “speed” and “offense” to the control properties of the racket, the multi-foam technology is utilized to fill each position of the racket frame with different foams to create a more delicate feel. The spiral frame of DriveX 9X maintains excellent stability while improving elasticity and feedback.
The most valuable thing is that DriveX 9X has a high consistency of power feedback and transfer when hitting, which is crisp and direct without dragging or stagnation, and it can achieve a more precise control of the landing point and excellent directionality when hitting the ball with a closed split shot.
As a balanced racquet that focuses on control, offense is not the biggest highlight of DriveX 9X, which is different from the rigidity of DriveX 7K that also focuses on control. The new lightweight center tube makes it easier to press down on the attack, and the precise landing point is the most direct feedback I got from the DriveX 9X on the attack.
The combination of two major technologies, Bellow Carbon and TR Toughened Nanotubes, gives the DriveX 9X a powerful explosive feeling when fully whipping the ball, making it comfortable to attack, and the excellent ball control ability is mainly shown in the active attack, with a strong explosive feeling when whipping the ball, and a fast rebound speed when passively returning the ball. The most crucial thing is that it is produced in Taiwan! So, the familiar flavor comes from here.
The DriveX 9X uses a 76-hole racket frame with a large racket surface, and when comparing it, I found that the frame is equivalent to the DriveX 8S, which also focuses on handling, and the larger racket surface makes it possible to improve the tolerance rate when hitting the ball, and the DriveX 9X performs even better when playing passive defense, as it is easy to catch the kills and quickly block the ball and bounce it to the opponent’s backcourt, and the feedback of the frame is crisp and clear with the Bailo carbon. In the process, the crisp feedback of the frame and the explosive feeling of Bellow Carbon require attention to properly control the return force to avoid hitting the ball out of bounds.
Power Fluid Hexagonal Frame with Lightweight Hard Center Tube with FREE CORE Technology
The spiral frame breaks through the traditional hexagonal frame shape and introduces different frame cross-sections at the top, middle and bottom of the frame according to the racket settings, which greatly improves the stability and smoothness of swinging, disperses stress and increases downward pressure, and designs different characteristics of the core filling technology according to the frame design, which makes the frame’s strength and elasticity even more excellent.
Spiral frame designDriveX 9X adds a spiral frame design to the fluid hexagonal frame type. This is similar to the previous “Phantom Sword” frame, which was described in the tech sheet as having increased downforce on the ball compared to traditional box frames, resulting in increased swing inertia. The torsion design also achieves the effect of stress dispersion and enhances the toughness and torsion resistance of the frame. In practice, as a handling racquet with a balance point of 295mm, the DriveX 9X has more downforce than the DriveX 7K/DriveX 8S. So much so, that the downward pressure was more of a problem at the net in the initial handshake. However, apart from the increase in swing speed, the spiral frame design concept did not bring me any other amazing experience. Of course, the DriveX 9X’s spiral frame is higher than the “Phantom Sword” frame in terms of overall stability, which is also a good point.
Summary
DriveX 9X is a control racquet which is located in the center of the Viktor axis, and it is undoubtedly a control racquet which focuses on control and stability. After Taiwan tuning, it has more explosive characteristics in control, and the control feeling of both stability and comfort will be better than that of the HX series racquets which came out before. The DriveX 9X may not give you a fresh experience, but it will give you a little bit of stability and trust in the middle of the ordinary.
The use of a spiral frame and a nano handle also improves the feedback of the DriveX 9X, and increases the playability of the racquet while increasing the security of identification.
Stringing
If you’re a fan of rhythmic control and easy take-downs, choose the VBS-66N to maximize your DriveX 9X’s handling performance.
If you like to play defense with ease, choose the VBS-63 for a more intimate feel that will make the DriveX 9X more comfortable to handle.
Or if you like to play a different kind of defense, then you need a VBS-68p, which is a little bit more attacking in a stable way.
