Hey guys just want some opinions on something. I helped a friend choose a racket, Had to be light, even balance and medium to stiff in flex. After looking at Victor Light fighter 7000 and Apacs Feather weight 500 we decided to stick with Yonex. Arcsaber FD (Sonic Blue) 2015 Ordered through Centralsports in the U.k and when we got it through the post the owner was happy enough. Looked great and felt very light in the hand. Few swings and it felt nice and light. Its listed at 78g. I put a overgrip on it and whacked on my scales. The same ones i use to weigh all my rackets and it in the wet state with factory strings,plastic removed and overgripped in came in at a whopping 93g. As a quick guide 3u g5 Tk9000 original grip removed and regripped - 92g 3u G5 TK6000original grip removed and regripped - 91g Why is the yonex thats supposed to be light weighing so much. Even if i remove the overgrip i would still say its in the 4u category and not the 5U 78g as advertised what do you guys think ??
All rackets have tolerances and the FD is the lower spec Yonex racket, so it would be 78 plus or minus about 3 either way unstrung. Say it is on the heaviest side, that's 81g unstrung. The factory strings which are used on this racket are of the thick variety so that figure goes up higher than if good quality yonex strings were used. Then this is further compounded by the adding of the overgrip. So having a 78g racket weighing 93g with all those factors is not uncommon. I also bought two of these rackets for a client and even between the two rackets, the weight difference was 2g. It's just how things are. Kindest regards, -Ajay- Quote of the Day Martyrdom... is the only way in which a man can become famous without ability.
Ajay thanks for taking the time to reply. I follow the math behind the weight. I just expected it to be lighter. Its wet weight is higher then my 3U rackets and its heavier then a stock grip with plastic an string 4U tk9000. Its suppose to be 5u. But never mind, lets see how my friend gets on with it. They wanted light without spending a fortune and wanted to stick with yonex. hopefully they enjoy it. Im keen to have a few strokes too.
IMO alot of Victors are offspec and fme alot Yonex are heavier than labelled. I never had a Yonex on the lighter side of the range. Lighter 3U Victors are pretty normal. I have 2 3U SW35 which end up gripped and strung around 83g with a head weight of 44g! Tbh. I use not much string (high tension) and can nearly wrap two rackets with one overgrip on wood. If it performs good everybody is happy. IMO overall weight is unimportant. Head weight gives the feel and punch or maybe not.
There can be big inconsistencies from racket to racket, especially on lower priced rackets. I bought 2 FDs and one was light and other was heavy. I returned the heavy one with a light one.
How is the Arcsaber FD overall? I'm thinking of picking one up because I need another racket but my budget isn't great. It's listed as a stiff even balance. Even with the extra weight, is it still a good racket? Does it perform well?
As with all rackets it helps to try them out before you buy because it really depends on your swing style/speed to see if it's compatible. Personally I found the shaft a bit too stiff so you have to have a fast swing speed to get the proper recoil needed to generate power. It's definitely light enough for me and a decent racket but I recommend softer strings and perhaps lower tension to compensate for the stiff shaft.
Btw, I just weighed the two I have and they came out to 91 and 92 grams .. with factory strings and overgrip (plastic not removed). With good strings they should be 1 or 2 grams lighter.
Well, I've got one ordered. It's strung similarly to my usual (25x25 66UM, whereas my usual would be 25x27). I use a fast swing rather than strong, and I used to use a ZF2, so we'll see how I get on with it. I want a light racket, lighter than 90 grams, so I'll be upset if it comes up being super heavy.
So I got mine through, and wet weight, 1 grip, no plastic, it weighs 81 grams. Grip and string are plenty to put it into the 80s, the 78 frame weight seems suitable. Also holy moly, is it just me or is it really head heavy for such a light racket? I found the BP ends at around the the last letter of 'Arcsaber' printed on the shaft. For reference: Li Ning N50 III, original grip + 1 Yonex 102 grap - 96 grams Prince Lumina (old racket), 1 grip - 105 grams I think I prefer this to the flashboost because it has the extra bit of headweight there.
I agree with you there. That 81 grams is that with the original grip only or with an overgrip as well? I'll have to weigh mine again once I restring with better strings.
Just the original grip. I tried putting a 102 on it, but it knocked the weight up to 85 grams and I removed it.
Hmm .. interesting. I can't believe having better strings (and lighter), and removing the plastic can account for 5-6 grams so it looks like you got a lighter one there.
As with most rackets .. it chooses you and not the other way around. For me I found that this racket is a very good defensive and quick attack racket. It has enough head weight for powerful backhands but light enough to playing attacking drives. I think this is more to my stroke but initially I couldn't get powerful smashes with this racket and that was my only negative but the more I play with it I have adapted so that now my smashes are pretty good. My wife's stroke is more orthodox and she smashes very hard with this racket. It's not as powerful as more head heavy rackets but not bad. It's a great racket for doubles play since it's so balanced and well-rounded. Definitely a great value and not fragile like the FB version. I'm thinking of buying a couple more for spares.
Oh btw, since I see you're Canadian .. Sportchek has this racket on sale as a door crasher .. 40% off plus buy one get second at 50% off. Sweet deal. You get two of these for $100
I picked up two of these tonight. Did some measurements of stock weight before I removed plastic wrap and strings. FD#1 (normal one?) FD#2 (offspec one?) FD#1 seems to be normal spec but FD#2 is a heavy offspec version. I also measured the head weight but didn't take any photos. With stock strings and plastic wrap, FD#1 head weight is 41g and FD#2 head weight is 43g. OP's friend may have gotten a version similar to my offspec one whereas Charlie may have gotten one similar to my normal one. My balance point of the normal one is also at the end of the word "Arcsaber" at the shaft but my balance point of the offspec one is at the "S" of Arcsaber.
It's too bad the variance can be so large on this racket. I've been playing with this racket exclusively lately and quite enjoy it. It is light enough for fast defense and has some power when strung well. It is also a very strong frame. I strung it at 27/28 lbs and the frame took it like a champ.
