NO.1 Badminton review site

I used to use the an9000c, but I couldn't hit very aggressive shots with it, so I switched to this one.
This an9000d is a solidly head-heavy racket with a stiff-ish shaft, but the feel isn't that hard, so I think it's a type most people will like.
Maneuverability and swing are good, and smashes feel great too, so I think switching was the right call.

The ASTROX 99 I used before gave the image of gripping the shuttle and hitting hard, but this one feels specialized in "repelling" it. In terms of smash feel alone, I prefer the ASTROX, but I don't feel the shuttle speed has dropped; rather, my impression is that shots have gotten sharper.

As for the various shots, the repelling feel I mentioned makes it easy to hit overall, but I especially notice the difference from other rackets on drives and push receives.

Even with a light swing, the hollow design adds swing speed, so the shuttle flies with more power than you'd expect, and it's sharper too, so you can easily get past the front-court player.

I used to play a style of hammering smashes, but now I score more not only with smashes but also from rallies that start with drives, and I feel my range of attack has widened.

If I had to name a concern, since it's a racket that boosts sharpness and repulsion, players of the "overwhelm them with sheer power!!" type might be let down.

It's an attacking racket I recommend for players who excel at fast doubles rallies, or who want a doubles weapon on top of their own power.

The shaft is quite stiff.
And the head is heavy.
Since it's 4U, the maneuverability isn't bad, but I think someone with strength could hit brutal shots with it.

Both the color scheme and the smash-focused design make you think it was made with the Z-SPEED in mind.
It's head-heavy, but since it's 4U, it doesn't feel heavy.
Smash speed feels fast. Rather than a heavy smash, you can hit smashes that feel like they pierce down.
It has great repulsion, so I think shots will fly farther than you expect. That makes returning to the back of the court very easy.
It's aimed at rear-court doubles players, but it feels light, so it's fine for singles too.

I'd like even people who aren't comfortable with head-heavy rackets to try it.
I thought the 4U would be too light to give smashes any punch, but you can hit really satisfying smashes.

○ Pros
- Light, yet smashes feel incredibly solid
- Great repulsion, easy to hit deep (actually it goes out, lol)
- Drives and fast touches gain speed (in my experience)

× Cons
- Hairpins and drops tend to go long (until you get used to it)
- The grip is long, so people who hold near the cap will feel the racket is short until they get used to it
- This applies to LI-NING in general, but the sweet spot feels small compared to YONEX

So far I've tried all kinds of rackets: YONEX, Babolat, adidas, VICTOR, Apacs, Wilson, MIZUNO and KUMPOO.

I'd been curious about LI-NING for a while, but the shops near me didn't carry it so I couldn't try one and never bought it. Then Watanabe signed with them, and after reading the reviews here I wanted to use one.
Without even touching one, just from reading reviews, I bought 2 at once Σ( ꒪□꒪)‼
And on top of that, I gambled on a high tension I'd never strung before.
When they arrived, I just wanted to hit right away!
Is the repulsion really that good...

And finally I used it in practice.
Because it's HH, I thought my receives would be late unless I was careful, but it swings really easily!
I could feel the repulsion on drives too, like, so this is it!
I feel like I've gotten better!
Strung at high tension, so it sounds great✨

For me, both the swing and the repulsion were good.
Clears go deep easily, and even strung at 29 lbs my arm didn't hurt.

I think some people don't get along with HH or with springy rackets, so with that in mind I gave it a middle rating, but personally I've found a wonderful racket.
I'm glad I found it this year.

This is another crazy racket.
It's a 4U and super head-heavy, but thanks to the holes in it, it doesn't feel as heavy when you swing as when you hold it.
I recommend it for rear court players in doubles.
What I felt during basic hitting practice was that the repulsion is incredible!
It feels like extra weight has been added to my usual drives.
For clears, if you just make clean contact, the shuttle flies off on its own, so I actually felt less strain on my arm and shoulder.
The hard part is hairpins.
The repulsion is so strong it's out of control...
I felt I'd need a bit of practice.

Even in fast exchanges, every shot is heavy so you can keep pushing, and big lifts are easy to hit too.

In terms of feel, my impression is that it combines the repulsion of the NR800 with the heavy shots of the VT80ET.

This is purely subjective, but
if the NR800 goes 'shwing!'
the VT80ET goes 'dogohh!'
and KUMPOO's PS-F3700T goes 'baaang!'
then

this AN-9000D goes
'chu-dooooon'
That's the feeling.

I'm not kidding. It's true.
It feels like some other force is being added to the shuttle apart from the power I put in.