[Discontinued]

Everyone's rating [Performance] Swing and Maneuverability rated highly

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Average review score

  • Rating: 9.26 / 10
  • Number of reviews: 27
    • Swing: 9.78
    • Maneuverability: 9.59
    • Control: 9.26
    • Touch：9.48

    Specifications

    Producer
    YONEX
    Series
    Model number
    4550086522294
    Grip size
    3U5、3U6、4U5、4U6
    Color
    Matte black
    Weight
    3U,4U
    Shaft stiffness / feel
    Hard
    Head balance
    Slightly head light
    Recommended tension

    3U: 21-29, 4U: 20-28

    Frame material
    High elastic carbon frame + M40X + EX HMG
    Shaft material
    High elastic carbon shaft + nanometric, new built-in T-shaped joint
    Frame shape
    isometric

    User Review SummaryAI Summary
    The racket's excellent swing-through and maneuverability are highly praised, earning strong support as a doubles front-court racket. However, the stiff shaft and compact head require adequate power and technique, making it not suitable for all players.
    ■ Frequently mentioned points
    • Superior swing-through and lightweight handling ideal for doubles
    • Excellent repulsion performance producing sharp, penetrating shots
    • Stiff shaft effectively transfers power
    • Compact face and even balance require advanced technique
    • Several reviews note adjustment period is necessary for adaptation
    ■ Representative voices
    ▲ PositiveThe swing-through quality is outstanding. Among 10+ rackets used, this is the best. Once accustomed to it, switching to other rackets becomes difficult due to this racket's exceptional characteristics.
    ▽ CriticalThis racket is not universally appealing. Compared to Nanoray 800, it has quirks unsuitable for beginners. The stiff shaft and compact face may present high hurdles even for intermediate-advanced players.

    User reviews

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    All Monthly
    • Kerolin

      Kerolin （Experience：6-10 years） A seriously demanding racket

      Compared with the 700, it's a far more demanding racket.
      Even with a light swing, you can't feel any 'flex'. The face is about one size smaller than the 700, so I think the string bed feels slightly tighter. The balance seems closer to even, so it has quite a solid feel when you swing it. As for whether the maneuverability is good or bad, I'd say there are rackets better suited to beginner and intermediate players. Maybe because of the small, thin frame, the head cuts through the air exceptionally well. Still, if you're used to lightweight rackets, it will be a fair burden.
      The feel is hard, like the power of the shaft gives the shuttle a solid smack; it doesn't have the soft feel of the 700. In exchange, control is good and you can place the shuttle where you want, but when you're under pressure, the racket doesn't help you out. I feel that unless you hit the center of the compact face squarely, you can't use the racket's true power. I think it's a racket for intermediate-to-advanced players who prefer a head-light to even balance and have a fast swing speed to fully swing every shot. It's probably a bit too high a bar for me.

      2019/09/09
      Overall
      9/10
      Swing
      9
      Maneuverability
      8
      Control
      10
      Touch
      9
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    • Enjoy Crowd

      Enjoy Crowd （Experience：6-10 years） Easy to use

      I've used more than 10 rackets so far, but this is the easiest one to swing.
      The shaft is stiff, but not so stiff that it doesn't flex, so placing shots to different spots is no problem.
      Be careful, once you get used to this one it becomes hard to switch to other rackets.

      2024/06/02
      Overall
      10/10
      Swing
      10
      Maneuverability
      10
      Control
      10
      Touch
      10
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    • a certain high school student

      a certain high school student （Experience：4-5 years） A well-balanced racket

      These are my impressions after using both 3U and 4U.
      The 4U is just really easy to swing, and the head stays light even after removing the original grip. If you hit the sweet spot properly, you can hit fairly fast shots. I recommend it for people who mainly play front court in doubles.
      The 3U is of course easy to swing too, and when you remove the original grip it goes from even balance to slightly head-light, so power shots work better than with the 4U. You can use it for both singles and doubles.
      Maneuverability is of course excellent too, and I think it's the best among head-light rackets.

      2022/11/13
      Overall
      10/10
      Swing
      10
      Maneuverability
      10
      Control
      10
      Touch
      10
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    • Nariyuki Badminton Papa

      Nariyuki Badminton Papa （Experience：2-3 years） A pretty strong racket

      These are my thoughts after using the 4U.
      The balance is even to slightly head-light, and its swing speed is second to none among any maker's rackets.
      Some people say clears don't go deep, but others manage to hit them deep, so I think it partly comes down to the player's technique.
      As for performance, rather than hitting a weighty smash with power, if you relax at the moment of impact, the shot cuts down sharply, and when receiving, it handles fast shots easily.
      The face is a bit small, so it's hard to handle at first, but maneuverability is the best.
      Repulsion is its core concept, so I think a string with good shuttle hold will give your shots more power than a high-repulsion string.
      If anything, I felt it's more suited to doubles.

      2021/11/22
      Overall
      10/10
      Swing
      10
      Maneuverability
      10
      Control
      9
      Touch
      10
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    • Hiiragi

      Hiiragi （Experience：11-20 years） Amazing once it clicks

      I bought the 4U.
      - There aren't many stiff, even-balance rackets, so it's tough until you get used to it, but once it clicks it's the best. It swings so easily that I don't feel any weight in my arm when hitting.
      - The balance feels very slightly head-light
      - The shaft is very stiff, so you hardly feel any flex. Without a certain amount of strength, it's hard to hit clears deep.
      - You can't put weight behind smashes, but you can hit sharp shots, so once you're used to it you can use it for singles too. You're never late with the swing, so it pairs well with lunging jump smashes and makes it easy to hit them steeply.
      - Maneuverability is excellent, so drives, push receives and net play are incredibly easy.

      2021/11/18
      Overall
      9/10
      Swing
      10
      Maneuverability
      10
      Control
      10
      Touch
      9
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    • The Uncle Who Loves Badminton

      The Uncle Who Loves Badminton （Experience：6-10 years） You can smash surprisingly fast

      My recent main racket, the NANOFLARE 800
      First, the feel. Then the shaft. It's stiff.
      Rather than the swing flexing the shaft, it feels like a racket where you create the flex yourself through forearm pronation and how you squeeze the grip. You don't get the sensation of the head weight guiding you like with head-heavy rackets, so opinions will probably split there. If you use a wrist snap and hit as if flicking the shuttle away, you get an incredibly satisfying feel. There may be unit-to-unit variation, but it's close to even balance, and if you go from relaxed to a fast swing and flick it, smashes sink and have speed. This feels insanely good. Though if you miss the sweet spot, the feel is terrible...
      Honestly, I don't think it'll appeal to everyone, but people who like it get hooked to the point that they can't use anything else.
      Also, I recommend a thin, high-repulsion string. Even when you're jammed, just a light flick of the wrist lets you escape deep.
      With head-heavy rackets trending, this is one racket I hope sticks around: a racket whose selling point is repulsion like this.

      2021/08/31
      Overall
      9/10
      Swing
      10
      Maneuverability
      10
      Control
      10
      Touch
      10
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    • Buena Vista

      Buena Vista （Experience：11-20 years） A good racket

      Among current YONEX rackets, if you're a doubles front-court player, I think it's either this or the ASTROX 88S PRO.
      I think its repulsion and swing speed are the best among YONEX rackets.
      The slim shaft is probably what makes it so easy to swing. The shaft has a fair amount of stiffness, but it's not ridiculously stiff like the 8XP, so it's easy to handle. Personally, I think the shaft could be a little stiffer.
      It's head-light with good maneuverability, so receiving feels good too.
      When I play opponents with faster touch than me, I end up receiving a lot more, so I use this racket often.

      2021/07/07
      Overall
      8/10
      Swing
      10
      Maneuverability
      9
      Control
      8
      Touch
      9
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