Jayce
Preface
Following the launch of NF1000 series in the first half of the year, YONEX has blazed a new trail on the path of the original NANOFLARE series, expecting to branch out and bring a different experience on the road of speed shooting. Not long ago, the new NF800 series was officially announced on the market, which was a thunderbolt that exploded the market, and the national badminton men’s doubles players Liang Weikang/Wang Chang were both holding NF800PRO to win the title of the China Masters Championships and the runner-up in the finals! The evaluation room of China Badminton Online has finally waited for the appearance of the new NF800 series, and let’s walk into its world together.
Appreciation
The new NF800 series is dominated by a dark green frosted primer, with blue-green lines outlining the top and bottom of the frame, paired with semi-exposed carbon stripes, bringing a different visual experience under different angles of light.
The center bar is a gradual change from frosted at the tee to glossy lacquer at the cone cap, just like the color-changing ink on a banknote, glittering. Similar in style to its predecessor, the NF800 series, it is simple, atmospheric and quite mysterious.
Racket Parameter Analysis
The two racquets that participated in the evaluation of the evaluation room of China Badminton Online are NF800PRO (3U) and NF800TOUR (4U). Both racquets have wide windbreaker frames, with a large frame area, and the width of the frames gradually narrows from the T-head to the head: the thickness of the T-head of the NF800PRO is about 12.79mm, and the width of the head is about 12.21mm, and the thickness of the T-head of the NF800TOUR is about 12.91mm, and the width of the head is about 12.25mm. The NF800TOUR has a T-head thickness of about 12.91mm and a head width of about 12.25mm.
Weight: NF800PRO 3U (97.2g on-line hand gel without bottoming); NF800TOUR 4U (91.3g on-line hand gel without bottoming)
Center bar diameter (with lacquer): NF800PRO (approx. 6.95mm); NF800TOUR (approx. 6.92mm)
Ball line: EXBOLT 63, threading pounds: 26*28LBS
Technology Analysis
In today’s game, especially in badminton doubles, players are gradually weakening the competition for small balls in front of the net, and a faster-paced flat block can better disrupt the opponent’s rhythm and create offensive opportunities in fast counterattacks. The birth of the new NF800 series is aimed at inheriting the excellent maneuverability of the NF800 series on the premise of improving the speed of the flat block to beat the opponent with oppressive speed.
Enhanced Sonic Blitz System
The Enhanced Sonic Blitz System is a precisely calculated combination of highly resilient carbon on the top of the frame and the tough and resilient revolutionary carbon M40X (PRO version) on the bottom of the frame. The sharp edged frame from the string bed area to the T-joint and the addition of copper foil to the bottom of the frame on the new NANOFLARE 800 model are designed to further increase the bounce of the stroke. This carbon material is designed to provide the racquet with a quicker rebound on shots, while the carefully calculated combination of carbon usage and placement is designed to provide stability and maneuverability.
Bounce Enhancing Hole Layout (PRO, TOUR, GAME)
By adding a cross wire and narrowing the wire spacing designed to increase the wire bed pressure, this wire hole layout is designed to enhance the rebound effect when hitting the ball and increase the flat draw blocking speed.
Classification and Positioning
The new NF800 series released four rackets: NF800PRO (professional), NF800TOUR (advanced), NF800GAME/PLAY (entry), so that players with different needs and levels can choose according to their own actual situation.
In this review, we take NF800PRO and NF800TOUR as the main protagonists to start a detailed evaluation, and finally, we will carry out the recommendation of each model corresponding to the crowd at the end of the article.
First Hand Experience
At first handing, NF800PRO has a moderate grip, the weight of the 3U NF800PRO is evenly distributed, and the 4U NF800TOUR is lighter, with the weight distributed on both sides of the frame. Due to the new string hole design, the new NF800 series racket has a higher net pressure compared to the previous 76-hole racket, which is not as strong as the traditional small-frame racket, but more concentrated than the ordinary large-frame racket.
In the official introduction, the hardness of the NF800PRO and NF800TOUR is labeled as hard. After simple use, I believe that the NF800PRO’s center bar is light and elastic, with good torsion resistance, fast rebound, and average driving difficulty; the NF800TOUR is slightly tougher, and the center bar deformation changes under the same force, which makes the feeling of downward pressure better during a single attack.
It is worth mentioning that the new NF800 series added copper foil at the bottom of the racket frame, which improves the stability of the frame compared to its counterparts, and the application of metal materials also gives the new NF800 series an obvious metallic feel to the hitting sound, which is similar to that of the audio filters of the Power series.
In-depth experience
Speed is paramount
With the wide frame, the NF800PRO and NF800TOUR are able to deliver impressive swing speeds, and with their lightweight heads, the NF800PRO is less taxing on the fingers and wrists, resulting in excellent flat draws, and the NF800PRO’s torsion-resistant mid-range is quick to rebound from the ball, with excellent directionality, and doesn’t look weak after consecutive strokes, making it easy to use at high levels of the game.
The NF800TOUR has a very similar configuration to the NF800PRO, and its performance is not inferior to that of the NF800PRO in regular amateur games. Meanwhile, the center stick has a higher shape variable (under the same strength), and the angle of downward pressure is sharper, which gives it a good performance in the slower-paced, wide-open amateur games. However, in the face of fast-paced high-level games, it seems a little weak, the rebound speed of the center stick is slower than the NF800PRO, and the multi-tap connection and continuous downward pressure performance of the NF800PRO is better.
Solid Defense
Defensive performance is one of the most important indicators for judging the quality of a speed racket, and the performance of NF800PRO and NF800TOUR far exceeds the standard I have in mind. The speed of NF800PRO series reaches the top of the same series of products, and it is still able to respond quickly to the opponent’s harsh attack, and the next shot is still coherent and smooth, which brings more possibilities of counterattacks after the defense. The high forgiveness brought by the large frame not only improves the ability to defend against counterattacks, but also its ability to distribute the ball is also unique. Due to the lightweight and flexible nature of the NF800PRO, the performance of the NF800PRO in dealing with underhand shots is impressive, and it is not necessary to put too much force into the shot, as it can go over the netting with a slight block.
Small-ball Speed Racket
NF800PRO and NF800TOUR are the same touch-and-go type speed racket, the speed of the ball and the ball speed attenuation are very fast, the threat of hanging the ball is not small, and the high forgiveness brought by the large racket frame also provides an excellent soil for the split and slice, slice and other easy to miss the action. Unfortunately, the new NANOFLARE NF800 series has a weaker feel, so players who usually use the NANOFLARE series less may feel a little uncomfortable, but it is good that the feel of the feedback is clear, and can be adapted to in a short period of time.
It should be noted that the NF800PRO’s more-than-expected elasticity requires extra attention to hitting the ball hard when coming to the near net, and it’s easy to go out of bounds if you’re not careful before getting used to it; while the NF800TOU performs better, with a slightly softer mid-range and frame that brings slightly better control, but also loses some of the flickiness as a result.
Slightly Soft Offense
The NF800PRO and NF800TOUR are a little lacking in offensive performance. The qualities of the new NF800 series allow for a fast and consistent offense, with a high net pressure and a large frame that brings a high level of sweetness to the ball that is intoxicating, but it is hard to get a high quality shot. The speed of the ball is fast, but the energy applied to the ball is very little, and the speed of the ball after crossing the net is facing the dilemma of extremely rapid decay. Luckily, the new NF800 series is capable of continuous offense with good directionality, which can force the opponent to make mistakes through continuous pressure or precise hitting to achieve the winning effect.
Summary Recommendation
As we mentioned in the previous article, the new NF800 series launched a total of four rackets, respectively, NF800PRO, NF800TOUR, NF800GAME, NF800PLAY, which correspond to different levels of different needs of the crowd, the next step is that I will be the use of each model to match the crowd one by one corresponds to the use of each model:
The NF800PRO, the only high-end product in the series, has a sweet feel that will keep you on your toes, and an excellent mid-range performance that will keep it standing in high-level matches. The lightweight body and even weight distribution puts the user’s power to the test, and the low attacking ability makes it difficult to deliver a one-hit win, but it is good at continuous pressure and fast hitting. Recommended budget, the pursuit of fast and coherent playing style of the player to make; have a certain foundation, the power of the boys recommended to buy 3U specifications, the power of the weaker girls recommended to buy 4U specifications.
NF800TOUR–This is the closest model to NF800PRO among the new NF800 series, with speed and high sweetness not losing to NF800PRO, but at the same time, the racket body is more flexible, and the attacking downward pressure is better. Compared to the NF800PRO although it lacks a little flick, but in exchange for a slightly stronger sense of control. NF800TOUR nearly half the price of the NF800PRO in exchange for far more than half of the performance and experience, if you do not have enough budget to buy the NF800PRO, the NF800TOUR is a good choice, recommended for amateur advanced players to use.
NF800GAME/PLAY – These two racquets are the same as the entry-level racquets of this NF800 series, its lower difficulty of starting and low price is more friendly to novice players, and at the same time, you can also experience the speed of high-end racquets, and it is recommended to buy for entry-level novice players.
The new NANOFLARE NF800 series, as a newcomer to the NANOFLARE series, is slightly better than its predecessors in terms of consistent and fast offense. Although it fails to break the shackles of the NANOFLARE series’ lack of offense, the excellent elasticity and high sweetness of hitting, coupled with the pleasing sound of hitting the ball, bring an unprecedented experience of comfort. Although the new NF800 series does not have the same high-profile, ostentatious design as the NF1000Z, the low-key and simple design is not eye-catching from afar, but a closer look reveals that it is full of color. Speed to break the power, with the ultimate speed to break down the opponent’s defense, this is – the new NF800 series.
