[Review Experience] YONEX ASTROX 99LCW

Jayce September 6, 2024 1 0

Some time ago, I complained that I hadn’t used Green Factory products for a long time. We all know that under the tide of price increases, the impact on the equipment party is not small, and as the “best” in all aspects, YY has been gradually away from me, there are a lot of things I want to try, but ultimately, it is becoming more out of reach.

ASTROX, the attack series of the current year, before the pro generation came out, it is generally recognized that the 99 is the most pure one. My wrist hasn’t recovered yet, but after receiving it and cautiously bumping the ball a few times at my place, I decided to greet it with a good form.

Parameters: 4UG5, de-bottomed towel rubber, 95.0g total weight, 300mm balance point, 215mm center bar length, hard tuning, 3mm concave depth in the tip cone cover, 76-hole wire bed, 8-4 point wire slot, boxed racket frame, 28lb warranty, 26-28lbs of drawstring bg66force.

This forest green finish has actually been used on the VTFB. Despite being a commemorative model for Lee, the racket doesn’t have more other linkages through the body, probably only the signature on the accompanying set. I don’t really eat up the color of this racket, but the 99lcw paint job is down right good, with a bling bling effect on the primer, and with the usual ASTROX series asymmetrical frame paint job, the face value is okay. However, get on the court more golfers side-eye estimate just recognize this racket, because at a glance you know this is ASTROX 99lcw.

The reason why I said I decided to meet the racket in good shape once I received it is because the way it felt in my hand immediately reminded me of the Friend’s 88D, a very solid and comfortable feel. The current cable is high in poundage, and 66F is also a hard bouncing cable, so the hard bouncing sensation is very obvious when bouncing the ball. The head weight is noticeable and the swing speed isn’t exactly top notch, but the relatively rounded box frame finish of the ASTROX series serves to reduce wind resistance. It’s an offensive racket that I can’t wait to get out on the court and play against.

There’s an argument to be made that this is a fresh addition and spiritual sequel to the Green Factory attack racquets after the Second Sisters, but on first contact, it didn’t come across as the usual unapproachable high-flyer that the Highlander is.

Although the balance point has been adjusted to a more comfortable 300mm with the larger towel rubber, the head weight is still present in the actual swing. This head weight is not uncomfortable, and the rounded and narrowed frame has lower wind resistance than I expected, which led to a few instances of hitting my head on the 12 o’clock frame during the acclimatization period.

In addition to being faster than I expected, the 99lcw also drives better than I expected. The center stick itself can only be described as being on the stiff to stiff side of all the stiffness levels of the YY, and I personally feel it’s a little bit softer than even the Z series. On top of that, the center stick itself is as long as 215mm, and with the fish mouth cone cover, it is easy to borrow power when warming up for pulling high shots, and you can experience the feeling of hitting the center stick out of shape.

And the texture of this center stick, at any midpoint between hard and tough bouncing, is kinda amazing, because the more you give up on your stamina in an active overhand shot, the more whip you can get out of it. With the high-pitched sound of the ball being hit, the 4U 99lcw releases all the kinetic energy stored in the mid-range to the head, and although it’s not difficult to hit the shape, the energy stored in this mid-range is not easy to bottom out.

I’m sure the 3U will be more than satisfactory for the aggressive player, especially the advanced power player who desperately needs a powerful shot to nail the floor.

But the stiffness of the frame doesn’t seem to be that high, and in trying it out I could feel in that it increased the lcw’s sense of holding the ball and made it more manageable. Of course, 66F itself is also a good manipulation of the wire, I’m not really good at small ball, it’s hard to tell if this is the effect of NAMD. However, inheriting the ASTROX series’ large sweet spot and high torsion-resistant frame, there is no doubt about the directionality of the ball. Especially on point kills, it makes very sharp shots.

In addition, even though it is an attacking racket, its performance in flat blocking is obviously a bit more to my liking than the 88D. It’s true that long center shots with high head weights tend to be limited by longer center shot reps in more fast-paced mid-to-front half-court matchups, but the 99lcw’s agility once again exceeded my expectations, with a slightly crisper delivery and quicker racking under the spin generation system that allowed it to hold up effectively on level, fast draw blocks. Anything less and a lending bounce backcourt would be nice.

ASTROX 99lcw even helps you take care of it in a wide range of passive situations, which is something other killers can’t even think of. Due to its driveability, against incoming balls from the backhand area and overhead area, even if you don’t have the time to fully power up, you can achieve a better getaway by simply relying on the power of your wrist rotation. In the same way, I will not be afraid to encounter but continuous defense, as long as I can react, the heavier the opponent kills the ball, the easier it is to use the power to return to the top.

Indeed, all aspects are beyond my imagination, and there is a huge difference from the hardcore feeling I had when I tried the 99p. At first, when I heard that this is an offensive racket that pulls 26-28 I was worried that it would be too heavy for my body, but my borrowing partner told me that it is not too hard to use, and actually tried it out, the 99lcw is indeed aimed at a much wider range of people.