Saturday 22 November 2008

Badminton Racket Review- Apacs Nanopower 8000

The next badminton racket on review is the Apacs Nanopwer 8000, which is new to the UK and as yet is not on sale at the Apacs website, so this is a little bit of a secret test so to speak. I am guessing it is based on the nanospeed 8000 from Yonex. First of all there is no spec for it, so i am going to give you my best estimate as to what i think the spec is.

The weight is around a 4U, it really does feel light indeed, and the balance is even, but when you add the overgrip, which almost everyone does, it becomes head light, much like the nanospeed series are. The grip is certainly G2, ie very small diameter. Of course this will increase when the overgrip is added as well.

Maximum stringing tension is 30lbs, just like the Edgesaber rackets are, which is good news because the frame must be able to take this tension, so it will be strong. The string in here is an Apacs 0.66mm.

First impression is that this is very easy to swing with due to it's light weight. You do get a very solid feel when you hit the shuttlecock, it feels different to the edgesabers in that there is not as much feedback, but this is replaced with a solid contact feel. Both are equally as good to me, they just take a bit of getting used to. The shaft is very slim, which is designed to help you swing this racket faster through the air and increase the swing speed. Well, it felt about the same as both of the edgesaber's did to me, and the 4U weight made it travel through the air quicker as well.

The trade off with this is that you don't get the same power as you would with a heavier model, it's the laws of physics coming into play, and so if you are a touch player or a defensive player then this racket will be more suited to you, simply because it is light and has a more even balance.

You can get power out of the nanopower because it does give a solid feel when you hit the shuttle, but as always it is down to your technique. The nanopower does have a stiff flex, and so there is added control to shots. I had no problem controlling the shuttlecock, and the racquet head is very stable through contact, even more so than the edgesaber's.

The string tension in the nanopower 8000 i tested was around 25lbs, which is a fairly average tension for most players, and the frame coped with this no problem at all. This tension is a combination between power and control, it's not too tight to wreck your arm after two hours, which is one of my main concerns, but you just will not have maximum control, like you will with high tension. So there is a trade off, and it all depends on how you like it, or if you can adjust your game to get used to it.

I would have it strung a little tighter, but not much, so it didn't take long to get used to it. I would say that the nanopwer is a very capable badminton racket, you would not be dissapointed if you like the feel of a top end modern racket with the stiff flex and head light balance.

My rating for power would be an 8/10, it is very easy to swing through the air and increase your swing speed with the nanopower 8000. If it had a bit more weight it would have got an 8.5/10.

Control is also very good, i would rate it as an 8.5/10 because it has such a solid feel when you hit it just right. You get the rewards when you use it right.

Value for money? Err... there is no price yet for this racket, i guess we will have to wait and see. I would expect it to be around the same price as the edgesabers, there is nano technology and high modulus graphite in it, and it doesn't usually come cheap.

Overall rating is an 8/10, certainly a very well made, quality racket, i enjoyed testing it, more suited to all round play/ defensive, but aimed at more experienced players due to the stiff shaft. Put it this way, this badminton racket will probably be half the price of the Yonex nanospeed 8000, and after testing it, there is not much difference between the two.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

hi there

Thks for your great Apac rackets' reviews. I live in Vietnam and I'm really interested in Apacs Edgesaber 7 based on what you wrote.

I wonder which countries Apac rackets are made in? It will be really appreciated if you can tell me more about Apacs brand.

Looking forward to your reply

Thanks

HP

antony said...

Hi there Huy
As far as i can tell, apacs rackets are made in Taiwan, at the same factory where they make Yehlex, fleet and HiQua. There is some info on this at the yehlex uk website. A bit of snooping on the internet will probably get some more info on this, and there is also an apacs fan club thread at badminton central.

Unknown said...

hi there

Thks 4 ur reply. So it's better if I buy it in Asia, rather than UK. I live in Vietnam now.

In general, I am an all round male players (60% offensive and 40% defensive), I don't have really strong arms (but not too weak). I am now playing with FZ Forza Armor Speed (4UG2) and I can do well with it but I'm really interested in Apac rackets. It will be really appreciated if you can recommend a racket that best fit with me.

Thks 4 lot and look forwad to hearing from you.

HP

antony said...

Hi Huy
The apacs rackets i tested were all 4U G2 so you will be able to relate to them. It seems you are a bit of an all round player. My favourite apacs racket was the edgesaber 7, and at 4U it was easy to swing around. It all depends on whether you want power, or a combination of attack and defense. If you need a bit more power then go for more weight overall, or a head heavy balance. The apacs edgesaber 7 in 4U form feels very light, so it will be upto you to generate the power, but on the plus side it will make defensive shots easier because it's so light. You can of course modify it for more weight with lead tape, if you look through some of my older posts you will find what i mean by this, it will certainly help you get more power from any racket. I would recommend the edgesaber's either 7 or 10 because they are similar in weight to the forza you already have.

Unknown said...

Hi Antony,

Thanks a lot for your support.

To be honest, I got interested in the Apac rackets since reading your great reviews. We don't have Apacs here in Vietnam. My friend will buy it in Singapore for me.

Actually, I made the decision to go for the edgesaber 7 (since it got the great review from you). I was the pure power player one year ago, but since I got the FZ racket, I moved a bit to all round. I think it was a good decision also, since now I moved to play with better players (most of them) so it's hard to put them UNDER ATTACK all the time.

My friend will bring the Apac to me this Saturday, I'll make a try on it. But the way you suggested to increase power with lead tape sounds great. I'll tell you the result.

Thks a lot

PS: many people say that the Nano Pro 9600 Tour from Apacs is the awesome one. Give it a try if you have chance.

HP

antony said...

Hi Huy
Add the lead tape to the bottom of the handle, not the top of the frame. Read my previous posts titled "the badminton racket experiment" for more information. I have not tried any other apacs models yet are they are not available in the UK at the moment. However, as new models come into the country i will be able to test them, so i will look out for 9600 tour.

Credit Guy said...

I'm Currently using this Apacs Nanopower 8000 and it gives me very comfort when i'm playing, but it weight sometimes bothered me.