[Review Experience] ASTROX 100tour/100zx/100zz Full Hitting Comparison

Jayce September 6, 2024 2 0

As a senior citizen who is reluctant to try new things, I didn’t buy the first ASTROX series racket in my life (ASTROX 100zx) until this year’s 618 with the intention of trying it out. Then in August, I couldn’t resist getting the new color 100zz. there have been a lot of reviews describing the difference between zz and zx, but some of them are contradictory. Overseas reviews say that the zx is softer and easier on the hands, but many Chinese reviews say that the zx swings heavier, is harder, and is more difficult to get on the hands, so which is true? After playing for a few months, I decided to carefully write about the difference between them, and also give friends who plan to buy the 100tour (which is supposed to be a skinned version of the zx) to do a bit of reference.

AX100ZX (4UG5) parameters: empty racket weight 84.5g; empty racket swing weight 89-90, handle to cone length: 215mm (handle lengthened by 10mm, cone cover lengthened by 5mm); center tube radius 6.6mm, length of the center tube (cone to the position of the tee): 205mm; the elasticity of the center tube is moderately hard.

AX100ZZ (4UG5) parameters: Empty racket weight: 85.3g; Empty racket swing weight 85-85.5, handle to cone length: 215mm (handle lengthened by 10mm, cone cover lengthened by 5mm); center tube radius 6.2mm, center tube length (cone to tee position): 205mm; center tube elasticity is medium-hard.

The swingweight difference between the two is huge with very similar geometric parameters. Is this actually true?

At least for the two I have in my hands, the swingweight difference is very subtle. zz’s mid-range is a bit lighter, and it’s obvious that the frame is heavier than the shaft, while zx’s mid-range is obviously heavier, or has more wind resistance, and the weight of the frame and the shaft are more integrated when swung. There will not be a huge difference in swing weight like in the center feather review. (I doubt many zx reviews in China say that the huge swingweight of the zx may be a mistake of quality control of the first batch of yy. The mid-range racquets with this swingweight don’t have much of a target audience to hit with.)
In terms of frame feedback, the 100zz has a softer feel with a slight wrap around the ball. The feeling is that of holding and wrapping the ball more in the dzs than in the zsp. It also refers to that extra wrap that the 99 has over the 88d racket face. This wrap is not as sticky and meaty as the Bow Sword, but it gives you more confidence in controlling the ball and makes it smoother.

As an example, the zsp racket face has almost no ball retention at all, even if the poundage is lowered to a very low level, in the skateboarding, chopping, you need to concentrate a lot of energy to control, whereas the dzs racket face has much better ball retention, and the ball control is significantly easier (although the smoothness of the ball ejection has decreased significantly).

On the other hand, the 100zx racket face has only half the level of the 100zz racket face (pulling the same strings and pounds at the same time), and the touch is obviously more rigid or stiff, and it is not as easy as the 100zz to control the quality of the ball in the release of power to block the net, in the overhand fake-push and real-release, or in the operation that needs the racket face friction.

When hitting the ball hard, if you are used to the feedback of the 100zz frame, switching to the 100zx will make you feel the vibration transfer is extra clear, and the feedback of the pressure hand is more obvious, so it can be said that the feedback of the 100zx is a little bit rougher under the comparison of the 100zz.

In fact, when you twist the racket frame by hand, you can find that the 100zx frame is a little bit softer than the 100zz, but it has a different feel. This is probably due to the difference in shock absorption and ball holding properties between the Taiwan-made nanomesh neo frame and the Japanese-made namd carbon frame.

As for the center stick, the zx uses an extra slim shaft that is in the same class as the vtzf2, and it also uses namd carbon, which is also a nissan. In fact, the biggest difference between the zx and zz center shafts is the bend point, which is very far forward, making it easier to hit angles, but it’s easy to lose the speed between power and rebound when hitting a big shot. The flex point of the zx is obviously lower, and the ball will not be as sharp as the 100zz, but is more suitable for powerful long kills, so it has been evaluated as “suitable for doubles backcourt players” in many reviews.

If you are a player who plays hard and long shots like the zsp and zf2 or even the 88d, switching to the 100zz will give you a strange feedback from the midrange, which will take some getting used to. While the 100zx is also a super short midrange, it’s feedback is much closer to the feel of previous midrange clubs, and can be described as a neutralization of the 100zz and traditional midrange clubs, and from that point of view, it’s much easier for most people to get started with the zx.

As for the stiffness of the center stick, I’m responsible to say that the zx center stick is a bit softer than the zz. It’s not much softer, but due to the lower flex point, the zx requires less launch speed than the zz, which means that for someone with a mediocre launch, you’ll be able to hit the ball faster with the zx.

In terms of midrange flexibility, this is very subjective, I can feel the deformation and rebound of the zz, so it gives a very bouncy feel, whereas the zx rarely feels that way, but it doesn’t mean that the midrange is wooden or doesn’t rebound or doesn’t get out of the ball. Without discussing ball speed out of the ball, just the feel of the shot, it’s still the elasticity of the 100 zz that makes it more pleasurable to feel.

If you want to give an overall evaluation, I think the 100zx is to the traditional slightly compromised at the same time slightly rough vibration feel of the 100zz, performance grade can be said to have zz 80% ~ 85%, playing style is about 75% similarity. (As a comparison, the dzs, can be said to have 95% of the performance class of the zz, the playing style is similar to about 55%). zx is my 618 in jd spent 624.26 to buy, and also send line rubber. If zx/tour is 200+ cheaper than yy high end racket, with that performance, I think it’s somewhat cost effective.