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Tag: ARCSABER 6FL

  • Badminton Racket Yonex ArcSaber 6FL Reviews

    Badminton Racket Yonex ArcSaber 6FL Reviews

    The first update of 2024 goes to an unremarkable mid-range racket from the Green Factory.

    The ArcSaber series is quite interesting—not only has it had a long lifespan, but it continues to be updated, with many people still willing to buy it today. Although the high-end models get the most attention, after trying the ArcSaber 1000 and realizing that the boundary between mid-range and high-end rackets is becoming increasingly blurred, I’m more inclined to keep testing some mid-range models I haven’t tried yet.

    Specifications: 4UG5, bottom cap removed, total weight in use is 86.19g, balance point at 312mm, shaft length of 215mm, low stiffness, box frame, 76-hole string bed, 9–3 o’clock grommets, 24 lbs tension warranty, strung at 25–26 lbs with Gaoshen Steel Armor 5 strings.

    Seeing the “FL” suffix, my first thought was that this is more of a women’s racket, even though its full name is Feather Light, meaning lightweight. From its appearance, it does carry some feminine elements, like pink stickers and a white base coat. This isn’t a stereotype; even though the racket’s decorative details aren’t rich, it still looks harmonious overall. However, the Isometric logo placed at the 1 o’clock position on the racket head triggers my OCD a bit.

    The racket is a 4U model, and after removing the bottom cap, the head heaviness is quite noticeable. Still, before the actual measurement, I didn’t expect the balance point to be over 310mm. The empty swings feel a bit weighted but reasonable, fitting the identity of an FL model, giving it a sense of agility. It’s worth mentioning that despite being made in Taiwan, the frame still retains the use of nano air springs, which preserves the essence of the ArcSaber series.

    This is a typical “sugar water” racket—not heavy but very easy to generate power, and the shaft is indeed soft, making it easy to produce flex. After flexing, the shaft’s rebound feels about 80% as good as the ArcSaber 7, and the sweet spot feedback is almost identical. In terms of difficulty, there’s virtually none, and the sweet spot is incredibly large, with a very high forgiveness rate.

    When trying to hit longer shots with the ArcSaber 6FL, it felt quite normal—no issues with weak shots or lacking control. With some adaptation, it’s possible to control the shuttle’s placement well during clears and drives. Due to the prolonged contact between the string bed and shuttle, there’s a “solid hit” feedback when striking, though the shuttle speed itself isn’t particularly high, and the explosiveness is average. However, since there are no real drawbacks, it’s effortless to use even when fatigued, allowing for relaxed shot execution without any burden.

    The racket retains the signature shuttle hold of the ArcSaber series, with the string bed wrapping around the shuttle very noticeably. This adds more adjustment flexibility when playing net shots and drops, boosting confidence in shot execution.

    The head heaviness of the 6FL provides excellent downward pressure, while its easy-to-generate power and lightweight build give it decent continuity. Even though the quality of the smashes may not be strong enough to finish a rally with one shot from the mid-back court, the continuous output, ensuring each shot travels downward, can still be an effective scoring strategy. This isn’t just due to the quick setup and fast swing speed, but also because of the low physical exertion, which allows for consistent power output.

    Handling backhand shots with the 6FL is particularly impressive. When in a passive position, such as when rotating to defend against a smash or return drive, where the space to generate power is severely limited, the result is often poor-quality shots or incomplete escapes. However, the ease with which this racket can be driven makes up for this situation—whether it’s soft blocks for transition or power returns to the backcourt, it feels very handy.

    At first, I thought that flat exchanges or fast-paced rallies might be a weakness of the 6FL, but in practice, it didn’t make me feel uncomfortable in doubles. While the shots tend to be sticky, this is consistent with the overall tuning of the racket. Despite not having the direct, crisp feel of a quick, power-assisted crosscourt shot, the racket’s more conservative and steady performance in passive or prolonged rallies helps avoid mistakes or being put at a disadvantage.

    Personally, I feel that the 6FL doesn’t stand out in any particular aspect, but it also doesn’t have any major weaknesses. I believe that if its aesthetics were emphasized more, it could take a good share of the Duora 6 market today.

    I almost missed out on this racket at first, not realizing that the ArcSaber 6 and the ArcSaber 6FL are two entirely different models. The latter has a much better feel than the former. However, this was my conclusion before I became familiar with the racket market.

    To be honest, the ArcSaber 7 is quite outdated now, and its performance no longer meets modern standards. Even low-end rackets with decent materials can deliver a similar experience. Therefore, it’s no surprise that a Taiwanese-made, older ArcSaber 6FL can receive a satisfying evaluation when compared to it.

  • Badminton Racket YONEX ARCSABER 6FL Reviews

    Badminton Racket YONEX ARCSABER 6FL Reviews

    The first shift of 2024 is given to a mediocre old Green Factory midrange.
    The ARCSABER series is indeed interesting haha, longevity not to mention the fact that it has been updated until now and there are still a lot of people willing to pay for it. Though the most discussed ones are definitely the ones on the high end line, I’m really more willing to keep hitting some untried mid-ends since experiencing the Bow 1000 has made me feel like the line between certain mid-ends and high ends has become very blurred.

    Parameters: 4UG5, de-bottomed, total weight of 86.19g in use condition, balance point 312mm, mid-pole length 215mm, low stiffness, boxed racket frame, 76-hole string bed, 9-3 point string slot, 24 lbs. warranty, threaded 25-26 lbs. of Takagami Steel Armor 5 string.
    Once I saw the FL suffix, the first reaction was that this was a more female-oriented product, even though its full name is feather light, i.e. lightweight. From the outside it does have some feminine elements such as pink stickers and white primer. This is not a stereotype, and despite the fact that the racket is not rich in decorative details, the overall look of the racket is still coherent. It’s just that the Isometric in the head is placed at 1 o’clock which is more or less OCD-inducing.

    The racquet is a 4U size, and the head weight is noticeable after bottoming out, but I didn’t expect it to be balanced at 310+ until I actually measured it. The air swing felt a bit weighty, but reasonable, and in keeping with the FL’s identity, it seemed light and fast. It’s worth noting that the frame retains the use of nano gas springs despite being made in Taiwan, which should allow it to retain the soul of the ARCSABER series.
    It’s a sugar water racket in the standard sense, not too heavy but very easy to develop borrowed power, and with a really soft center stick, it can be hit very easily with deformation. After the deformation, the mid-shaft has an 80% Bow 7 feel to its rebound, and the feedback in the sweet spot is almost exactly the same. In terms of ease of use, it’s almost non-existent and the sweet spot is ridiculously large and surprisingly forgiving.

    When trying to hit some long line outs with the 6fl, it felt relatively normal, not speaking out of the ball false pressure on the ball, and with a little more acclimatization you can also control the landing point in the high long balls flat high balls. Because the line bed and the head of the contact time is long, hit the ball when there is a kind of “solid” feedback, but the speed of the ball itself will not be too high, the explosive power is average. However, since there are no constraints, you can use it without any worries, and you can use it as much as you want even when you are not as fit as you should be.
    At the same time, after the ARCSABER series of holding feeling can be retained, the wire bed to the head of the ball wrapped very obvious, in the net of the small ball and backcourt of the dangling ball in the shot more room for adjustment, but also more to enhance the confidence of the shot.

    The 6FL’s head weight provides the racquet with a superb downward compression, while the ease of launch and quicker weight give it a usable consistency. Even if the quality of the kills is far from being ready to kill with a single shot from the center or backcourt, it can still be an effective means of scoring with a continuous output that ensures that the ball is going down the court on every shot. This is not only because of the fast racket and swing speed, but also because of the low energy consumption and the ability to deliver successive shots.
    The handling of the backhand path is especially impressive in the 6fl. In the passive state, such as the turn to receive a kill or to receive a flat push, because the power space is extremely compressed, often lead to the poor quality of the ball, not in place to get rid of. The racquet’s easy drive characteristics compensate for this situation, and it’s quite handy for both soft transitions and power shots back to the backcourt.

    At first I thought that flat blocks or fast-paced matchups would be the shortcoming of this 6fl, but in practice it didn’t make me feel uncomfortable in doubles in this regard. The ball is a bit sticky, but in line with the overall tuning of the racquet, and the swing speed is not too low, the body is more flexible, and the follow-through of the draw block to the net is quite comfortable. Even if the pleasure of bouncing diagonally through the power is gone, its more conservative and solid performance in passive or holding situations still allows it to keep itself from falling into errors or underdogs in multi-shot situations.
    I personally feel that the 6fl really doesn’t stand out, but it doesn’t have any shortcomings either, and I’m sure it will steal a lot of the market from the current double-edged 6 when it’s put on its face value.

    I did almost miss out on this racquet, not realizing at first that the ARCSABER 6 and the ARCSABER 6FL are two completely different things. And the latter is a cut above the former in terms of texture. However, this was the conclusion before the author knew the racket market.
    ARCSABER 7 is actually very old, and its performance is so inadequate that any low-end player who is willing to use the material can get a not much worse experience, so it is not surprising that even an old Taiwan-made ARCSABER 6FL can get a satisfactory rating after comparing with it.