Saturday, September 24, 2011

Badminton Racket Review: Yonex Voltric 60

White blue and hot all over. This racket just calls out to be reviewed, and I obliged like a drunk walking into a 7-11.

The design of the Yonex Voltric 60 appealed to me first of all, and then the G6 made to take a second look. The racket feels really light, and cuts through the air with a nice and crisp swoosh.

On first use, the level of the control that the VT60 gave was amazing, and it continued throughout the testing period for the review. I must admit that the play time that the racket got wasn't as much as the rest, but good things can't wait, and here I am writing about it.

Let me first state that I am no pro, and this is just my evaluation of the racket to my playing style and experience with it, If anything, I'm a low-intermediate level player looking to improve myself by playing more often and taking the lessons that I learn from the court away with me as pointers for the next session.

I play a mix of aggression and control, alternating between drop shots and sharp smashes to get the job done. I believe that the main goal of the wonderful game is to get your opponent moving so much they can't reach the shuttle eventually, and the loud thunderous smash is just a bonus that you get in between. As such, footwork is key, and technique supplements that so that you get the most out of your strokes. Power is nothing without control, and control is nothing without the proper strategy.

With that said, now on to the review.

Yonex Voltric 60 (New Hotness)
Dry Weight: 84g (4U)
Grip Size: G6
Balance: Slightly Head-Heavy
Max String Tension: 24lbs
Flex: Medium
Strings: BG66 @ 24lbs


Technology
- Tri-Voltage System
- Super Slim Shaft
- Sound Filter (BOOM)

Defense
I like to play a nice defensive game instead of a strong attacking, mostly because I don't think I'll have the strength to carry on with the smashes and drives and clears and smashes and drives and clears... The Voltric 60 gives me the perfect excuse to lift and wait because the racket just delivers when it comes to taking the hits.

Lightweight frame and quick swing speed gave me such quick response time. Couple that with the small grip size that allowed me to use more wrist to give variation to the returns, and it's a great defensive line-up that brings lifts, drives and net blocks to wonderfully enjoyable level.

Attack
This guy is no Voltric 80, and it shows in the speed of the shuttle off the smash. The light weight just doesn't cut it when you want to deliver a fierce check smash to unnerve the opponent. I found myself relying on the excellent control factors of the Voltric 60 to move the opponent instead of kicking the game up an offensive notch.

But the sound filter seemed to have gotten an upgrade with the VT60, as I noticed a "bark is louder than its bite" effect coming off my smashes.

Control
The Yonex Voltric 60 is a sniper when it comes to placing shuttles. The ease at which I could move the opponent around the court is amazing, and the accuracy rating of my shots skyrocketed once I started using the VT60. 6 corners, varying speeds - amazing.

Net play was superb, with tumbles and fast drops and net returns comparatively easier than with the other rackets that I brought to the game.

The increased confidence from the control also gives me more chances to try the trick shots and double motions that I've been meaning to practice on, so that's a plus I guess.

Looks
Holy crap this racket looks good! A more elegant version of the Voltric 80, the VT60 takes away the brutality of the heavier racket and replaces it with the cleanliness of thinner lines and more white space on the shaft. Turquoise and gold lines stream up the shaft to the head from the silver cone, ending near the YY logo at the T-Joint.

The frame continues the sleek design from the shaft, away from the louder tribal swerves of the VT80. Clean lines and short curves dominate the design, turquoise and a slight tinge of gold dominating the color palette.

The racket's strung with turquoise strings, and it completes the look. What a gentleman's racket.

Comparison
The Voltric 60 offers probably the highest level of control that I've experience from my rackets, with the Carlton Fireblade FX8 coming in at second. The ease of control translates into better footwork and a clearer mind when playing, and this affects the game a lot more that we usually give credit for.

I think that from watching international competitions, we're all sort of attuned to the overly offensive nature of the game. It's time to revisit the strategic aspects of the beautiful game of badminton and start thinking about making your game play an art form instead of chasing after loud smashes and snapped strings.

And what better way to start than getting yourself a Yonex Voltric 60.


Yonex Voltric 60
Defense: 10
Attack: 6
Control: 10
Looks: 10,000,000,000

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

damn, this racket looks soooooooooo elegant and handsome...i think the colour looks like the old AT600....

do u have ever tried VT70??
if yes can u compare it with VT60??
im thinking to get one of these with VT7 also in my wishlist....

Zarul

jtkg11 said...

Hi... I'm deciding to on two rackets.. Voltric 60 and voltric 70.
Any advise..? Really appreciate..

Arthur said...

I've a VT70 3U and comparing that with the VT60, the VT70 comes with a more flexible shaft, and should help you with the longer shots that you'll have to make.

Between the two, I've grown to like the VT70 more because it offers a wider range of shots. I've yet to write a review on it though... maybe it's about time.

Anonymous said...

I have both VT70 and VT60. Two totally diffirent racket. V70 is mid-stiff, and the head heavy is very noticable (powerful smashing, but drain your energy faster, and no so good in defend). VT60 is mid-flex, where you've to swing the racket like a whip to get it full power. You can do this all day and won't get tire. But the problem is, if you're smashing or clearing from baseline, the speed of the birdie is not as fast as VT70... So your oponents will have a lot of time standing in the middle of the court in their ready position. One more thing, Voltric rackets have smaller sweet spot (small area in the upper 1/3 of the racket). If you cannot hit the sweet spot, you'll not hear the big "booM" explosion sound. Either way, I don't really like both of these rackets. I'm now looking for a replacement... maybe Victor Brave Sword Series.

Arthur said...

Good luck with the Bravesword!

I've had a very good experience with the VT80. I'm not a big smasher, so the power isn't very much important to me as the ease of placement.

For me, the VT80 excels above that of the VT70 and 60.

Anonymous said...

in the end, i go for VT70 but just 4U.....
im a control player and just smash when the opportunity arises, so 4U is enough for me....
but even it's a 4U racket, it still give me good power for smashing...
maybe because of the head heaviness...
easy to do trick shots and for defense...
it's an all round racket to me....
so i got to say i love the racket....

Zarul

Arthur said...

Hey Zarul, glad you found a racket that you really like.

I just came back from a singles session and I know how good a feeling using the right racket can feel.

Enjoy your games, and do keep reading!

Anonymous said...

Hey,

Your reviews has really helped me on making the right decision on buying a suitable racket. Thanks !

I'm a female and my style of playing is more of a defender than an attacker.

Almost bought Yonex VZF but after reading your review, I realize V60 is better and it truly is!

The awesome part is it looks so beautiful yay !

Have u tried Carlton Vapour Trail ST?

Lisa

Anonymous said...

Hey,

Your reviews has really helped me on making the right decision on buying a suitable racket. Thanks !

I'm a female and my style of playing is more of a defender than an attacker.

Almost bought Yonex VZF but after reading your review, I realize V60 is better and it truly is!

The awesome part is it looks so beautiful yay !

Have u tried Carlton Vapour Trail ST?

Lisa

Arthur said...

Hi Lisa, I'm glad the review gave you a better idea of how the rackets are like before you commit to purchase.

The VT60 is a much easier to handle racket than the VTZF, and I hope you have as much fun with it as I did.

The Carlton racket seems like a mid-range selection. I would liken it to the VT Vanquish, since stats for both are similar.

The VT Vanquish is a very fast racket, but the lack of weight gives it a little less power compared to the other 3U even-balanced giants like the ArcSabers.

Anonymous said...

Hi Arthur,
Great review! :)
Right now, I am planning to buy one racket, either of these three:
1. Voltric 60
2. Arc saber i-slash
3. Nanoray 500

I was planning to buy arc saber 10 as I heard so much about it, but it is little out of my budget.

I am not a big smasher but I love to hit half smashes, drop shots, play dribbles and flick/trick shots and watch opponent dance! :)


So which one the above you think I should buy?

Thanks

Arthur said...

No question - the ArcSaber 10 is your racket.

Best control out of the lot for me. :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Arthur,
I bought arcsaber 10 yesterday.

I used it and experience was simply amazing!

I could feel that shuttle was just guiding itself to exact position where I wanted to, like some kind of magic!!


This racket :: my mind=blown!!
:)

I can not thank you enough for the suggestion.

Regards,
Sanket


Arthur said...

You're welcome Sanket! The AS10 is one of the best rackets I've used.

Have fun dominating the court with precise control!

Anonymous said...

Hi! Great review!

I bought this racket not so long ago and it's superb for defense!
I love it, but now my offense is seriously lacking power :/
I'd really love to have a racket which gives me a powerful offense, specifically on cleares and smashes, without losing the great control and lightness in defense that the VT60 gives me.

Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks!

Arthur said...

I'll have to go for the ArcSaber 10. Tried and tested in terms of speed and control.

Not tried the AS11 so can't really say anything about that, but the 10 is a classic.

Can't go wrong.

Anonymous said...

Hi Arthur, thanks for your reply and advice!
I've had a chance to test some rackets ( not the arcsaber 10 though) and felt that a head heavy balance is more my thing. Since i have no strength in my arm to keep those clears going...
I'm seriously in doubt about a couple rackets, the VT80 and Carlton VTV, which you both gave an excellent score! I also read a great review about the Yonex Armotec 900 Technique and Power...
Unfortunately I can't test any of these and they're pretty expensive to buy on good luck only.

Your reviews have really helped me though! They're really well written and easy to relate to.

Arthur said...

Thanks for the positive review! Glad you liked reading the site :)

I'd go for the VT80. It's one of the best head heavy rackets I own. Very user-friendly.

Anonymous said...

Hello! I have just restarted to play badminton again after about 5 years hiatus. I may categorize myself as advance beginner.

As of right now, I use a Nanoray 10, an entry level 4U G4 racket. I am thinking about getting a better racket. I dont have strong smashes and more of a "make your opponent run front, back and side to side". Is the Voltric 60 a good one for me as an upgrade? Thanks!

Arthur said...

Welcome back to the wonderful game!

The Voltric 60 seems to be a nice control racket if you're used to a lighter weight, but head heavy racket.

However, the racket was made for smaller hands and larger grip sizes may be rare to find.

I personally find 3U rackets better for placement since it allows me more leverage to adjust strength and get the shots more accurate.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Arthur for the warm comment!

I am so used to playing doubles and I am usually the front person. My first racket was a Carbonex 18 ages ago. Other than that, I only borrow rackets. We don't have a close by badminton shop in our area as we are just starting to introduce the sport here. I am leaning towards the Voltric 60 for singles games and will consider the Arcsaber 10 PG. I love Yonex rackets.

I will keep in touch and continue reading your reviews.

Joseph

Arthur said...

Thank you Joseph, hope you have loads of fun!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Arthur,
As i have already said to you, I bought AS10 and happy with it more than ever. But a week ago 3 yr old my MP29 broke, so I am planning to buy a new racquet. Which one I should go with? As I have mentioned to you earlier, I like to place shuttle more accurately. But with this 21 point system game is becoming more and more aggressive. So I was thinking to buy voltric 80. Would it be a big adjustment to swap between these two racquets, as I am intended to use both? And between these two racquets how much power output difference is there? I am little bit confused now to choose in between arcsaber 11, fb, voltric 80 and if there is anyother good choice from nanoray and nanospeed?
Regards,
Sanket

Arthur said...

Hey Sanket, given how the AS11 is pretty much a souped up version of the AS10, I would favor it over the others in your list.

If you're having trouble clearing to the back court when you're forced, then I would suggest the VT80 since the head heaviness will add to that.

However if you're more in favor of the defensive game, the AS11 or the ASFB would be a lot better when you're faced with a barrage of shuttles from the opposite court.

William said...
This comment has been removed by the author.