Ok back to the review. My Voltric 70 is actually a 4U spec, which is pretty rare to find in the UK, most Yonex rackets that come to the UK are 3U. This means it is slightly lighter than usual. I have strung it at 28lbs with BG65Ti string which is my usual tension. The 70 has a head heavy balance and a medium flex, and the Yonex marketing proclaims this racket is the best thing since sliced bread, it gives 5% more power, and although it is head heavy it is still easy to manoeuvre for fast reaction rallies and net play. So in essence you get the best of both worlds. Is this possible? Lets find out...
What Yonex have done is to add weight near the top of the racket with tungsten, and then balance this extra weight by adding more weight at the bottom of the head, on either side of the throat of the racket. One other thing to note is that yonex have added sound filters which are supposed to make the Voltric sound different when you hit the shuttle. Now we have got that out of the way lets get on to what it is actually like to play with it.
As soon as i hit the first shot i could tell the 70 was going to be good. There was no vibration, no distortion from the head, it felt solid as hell, which is what i always look for right away. This was impressive because you usually get some vibration when you string at 28lbs. As far as the sound filtering goes, well i have to say i am really not bothered at all. If you have higher tension you will always get that crisp sound from the racket when you middle that shuttle. I did a few shots with my lethal 70 which is strung at the same tension and the voltric did sound different, but it makes no difference to how you are going to play. A nice marketing gimmick i think.
The 70 is an easy racket to play with, it makes things easy, so for me it is a low work racket, which is the best kind to have. It is a funny combination really, to have a head heavy racket with a medium flex shaft and high string tension, but the main thing for me is that it works perfectly. I have had it for 2 weeks now and i have played with it about 8 times, so i think i have got a very idea of what it is like to own.
Around the net it is very responsive and easy to move around. It appears that Yonex have managed to pull it off by making it easy to work with for fast reaction shots. I also think the fact that it is a 4U helps quite a lot, perhaps a 3U would be a little more difficult for faster shots. Overhead it was also easy to use, exceptionally stable on impact, in fact i have never played with a more stable racket, and that includes my lethal 70, so that is high praise indeed.
I would say the Voltric 70 is a bit of an all rounder. Power players will enjoy the head heavy balance and the stable head on impact. Yet defensive players will enjoy how responsive it is on drives and net shots. It really does offer the best of both worlds.
This racket is probably more suited to intermediate and advanced players. The flex is stated as medium but to me it still feels stiff so you need to be capable of bending the shaft with your swing speed to get the best out of it. The recommended tension is a maximum of 24lbs, but mine is just fine at 28lbs, and it could no doubt take much more than that if you so wish.
The Verdict
I am going to stick my neck out here and say it is one of the best racket i have played with. It suits my game down to the ground, it is more stable than the lethal 70, but more impressively is just how much more responsive it is on defensive shots compared to both my lethal 70 and my 8DX. Yonex have made a future classic with this voltric 70. Next up will be the voltric 80, and i have high expectations for this as the 70 is a pretty fantastic racket.
Just a quick update, the Voltic 70 is selling for £117 from Amazon.co.uk for everyone based in the UK. This is just about the cheapest i have seen it advertised anywhere on the internet. The shipping charge is also very reasonable at £3.99. Click on the link below to take a closer look.
YONEX Voltric 70 Badminton Racket
