Jayce
The AX88S/D PRO was a great success, and the AX99 PRO was a great success. It’s easy to see that YONEX is obsessed with “PRO” racquets.
Today, 9 years later, the familiar racket cover, retro coating, this time the racket crowned with PRO is actually the dusty ARCSABER series-ARC11 PRO (ARCSABER 11 PRO). As the ARCSABER that carries several generations of Olympic athletes and helps them build their dreams, it crosses the era and comes to us.
The matte metallic covered body of the shooter is separated by red, black and silver colors.
There is no pomposity, no redundancy. The simple retro elements with the design seem to pull one back to the era of CAB instantly.
The top of the racket frame is equipped with an anchor-shaped T-shaped connector, which matches the 8 holes of the wire spikes to enhance the rigidity and stability of the racket frame and at the same time effectively avoid the risk of collapsing part of the racket head.
The design of the upper and lower cross-section segmented grooves is not as simple as the full groove design of the ZF2 and NF800. However, the ARC11 PRO utilizes two new cross-section shapes to improve stability on the ball. On the top and bottom of the frame, a highly rigid grooved frame shape is used to improve the stability of the racket. On both sides of the frame, a non-grooved frame shape is used for easy deformation, which works with the sweet spot to provide ball retention and a unique hitting sensation. In addition, a highly rigid, high-strength anchor-shaped T-joint is used in the joint. This prevents frame shake during ball striking and improves the stability of the racket face.
Practical experience sharing
The ARC11 PRO in my hand is 4UG5 specification, origin: Japan; marking threading poundage: 19-27lbs;
76 thread holes overall racket frame area is large, racket body length: 675mm; empty racket weight: 84.3g (94.5g after the upper line on the hand glue);
Empty racket balance point: 296mm (296mm after putting on hand rubber on the line);
Official logo center tube direct 6.8mm (actual measurement 7.01mm) old color ARC11 (actual measurement 7.2mm) center tube elasticity moderate, hardness feedback is greater than the ARC11, handle to the top of the racket cone length: 207mm;
Cone cover design: E.-B. CAP plus, the shape is not the same as AX100Z, shorter than 100ZZ (215mm);
Threading: AB thread, 27lbs;
Perhaps in order to meet the needs of most consumers, the ARC11 PRO is very similar to the rest of the racquets with PRO upgrades: the ARC11 PRO tends to be balanced in terms of the feel of the empty racket. After measuring the balance point data is 296mm; head weight is relatively weak, when swinging the racket, the thin frame and light body structure is the first thing that makes me instantly feel the ARC11 PRO conveyed to me – “flexible” but only 207mm handle length is a sign that this ARC11 PRO is a very good racket. However, the handle length of 207mm indicates that the ARC11 PRO is indeed a singles racket.
Since ARCSABER 11 PRO is an upgraded derivative of ARCSABER 11, it is natural to compare it with ARCSABER 11 in terms of hitting experience. I was fortunate enough to get an old-colored ARCSABER 11 in 2014 (8 years ago), and I have been using it as a substitute for the main racket in my bag for many years, and I still play with it to find out the feeling of the ball after a decline in the condition or a long period of inactivity. Yes, the ARCSABER 11 is certainly a racquet that you can use as long as you want, and it will never get tired of you.
Although the hole diameter of the ARC11 PRO is not as obvious as that of the 88S PRO, during the actual experience, I can still clearly feel that the wiring in the middle of the sweet spot of the racket face is more dense, and the cohesion of the power is more concentrated and stable, and the metallic sound effect of the blow is particularly obvious. Sweet spot on both sides of the distribution of gradually sparse vertical line non-sweet spot position hitting feeling is wrapped, adsorption feeling stronger.
Although I was really amazed by its precise control of the landing point during the small ball and hanging ball sessions in front of the net, unlike the 88S PRO which is so exaggerated, the ARC11 PRO does not need to intentionally raise the hitting point in order to avoid going down to the net, to grab the net and roll the net. The control is more like the steady and delicate control based on the ARCSABER lineage, and the comfort is still the same as before! The delicate wrapping and spinning of the net in the familiar way seems to bring me back to the youthful era when I first came into contact with badminton.
Through the frame and the middle tube of the physical sense of the “PRO”, ARCSABER 11 PRO is faster, if the swing speed is only one of my experience, in the draw gears out of the ball crisp and clear is unprecedented in the ARCSABER series (excluding the A10 with BG65 line after the experience of the high poundage), although the author in the AB line with 27lbs. Although I experience in the AB line 27lbs environment, the hardness of the racket frame to improve the 11 PRO in the hardness of the ball feedback has also been significantly improved, although it can not be as aggressive as the 88D PRO that active acceleration of the aggressive pushes pouncing, but in the mid-court in the scramble in the slightest does not occupy the wind, not as old color ARC11 when the initiative to retreat, to avoid the sharpness of its edge.
The change in the center diameter (from 7.2mm to 6.8mm) makes the old-color ARC11, a racquet with a basement-low threshold for getting started, get a PRO evolution again. This also makes me very curious, if the ARC11 is like this, how can it be after PRO?
Unlike the old ARC11’s stable, fast and comfortable, the ARC11 PRO’s center tube hardness is higher than the old ARC11’s, but it is able to more easily hit the center tube’s deformation and explosion of the feel, and the whipping power is amazing. This is naturally due to the reduction in the diameter of the center tube, and the deformation rebound is faster, with which the overall feedback speed of the ball has been significantly improved.
However, the “fastness” of the ARC11 PRO also affects its offensive ability. The powerful one-piece kills have always been the old color ARC11’s key to victory in multi-tap pulls and slings. With its 300+mm balance point and rugged center tube diameter, the ARC11 PRO is able to outperform the NR, even if it is not as good as the VT.
Weak downward pressure feel is indeed the biggest problem facing the ARC11 PRO, the author’s hands of the 4 specifications of the heavy kill when the performance of the impact of the feedback and the speed of the ball will be significantly weaker than the old ARC11, and due to the distribution of the sweet spot of the surface of the racket has been slightly changed, the process of killing need to pay more attention to the fine adjustment of the hitting point.
The ARC11 PRO, with its weakened ability to defend itself, is not going to stop on the offensive side of the ball. The increase in speed gives the ARC11 PRO more diversified means of offense, fast-paced articulation corresponds to the fast rebound, swing speed of the overall characteristics of the ARC11 PRO’s means of attack in a coherent point kill, and for the control of the kill line and the precise control of the landing point to a higher level.
It’s good to know that the strange and familiar ARC11 PRO is designed with the same recipe and the same flavor, IOS square racket face layout.
The ARC11PRO is also slightly wider in comparison to the racket face, and in the passive defense getaway session, this allowed me to pick up the ball and catch it as if I was using the old ARC11 with impunity.
The E.-B.CAP PLUS is not only longer (+5mm) but also more ergonomic and easier to hold. I rarely have the opportunity to hold the racket so far forward except for serve-receiving, but I tried it out and it was much more comfortable than the traditional tapered cover. As a singles racquet, ARC11PRO seems to have improved its compatibility with E.-B.CAP PLUS, so it can be used as a doubles racquet from time to time.
summarize
While retaining some of the unique wraparound feel of the ARCSABER spectrum, the handling feel and hitting accuracy have been improved, and the fast and agile nature does give up some of the absolute offensive ability. This may disappoint some of the old ARCSABER 11’s loyal fans, but the balance between the reduced head weight and the overall distribution of matches in order to adapt to today’s fast-paced game has raised the racquet’s overall agility and compatibility by more than one notch.
The ARCSABER lacks novelty, but the moment you get your hands on it, you’ll realize that what ARCSABER brought us in that long ago era was not the ultimate control in a delicate package.
When you play a board of the long-lost familiar net hanging and accurate edge of the kill, you will remember, the original PRO brings us not only the product derived from technological progress, there may be a good sentiment that we do not forget the original.
