YONEXNanoFlare 1000 Play Badminton Racquet (4UG5) - Prestrung

Hi! I was able to test out the Yonex Nanoflare 1000 Play for about 3~4 hours (~1 hour against the wall and 2~3 hours with other players on a good court with a net)~Reception: The badminton racket came in an oversized cardboard box which was rather odd given the size of the badminton racket.~Contents and Case: When I purchased this product, I received both the Yonex Nanoflare 1000 Play and a Yonex Nanoflare Badminton Racket Case. The case looks quite similar to the badminton racket cases used for the Yonex Nanoflare 1000 Game, Tour, and Z badminton rackets. The outside of the case looks premium with the Yonex Logo and labeling. The zipper works seamlessly for quick and easy removal and replacement of the badminton racket. The inside of the badminton racket case is soft padded and will do well to protect your new badminton racket. It features a little loop at the head-end for it to be hung on a hook and an adjustable strap to hang over your shoulder.~Protective Material: The Yonex Nanoflare 1000 Play should be covered by a plastic bag. Do not attempt to play with the plastic cover on unless you want to lose.The Yonex Nanoflare 1000 Play's:~Black grip is covered with a plastic wrap. Removal of the wrap can easily be done from the bottom of the handle, utilizing the perforations that run along the side of the handle. The badminton racket grip is imprinted with Yonex branding. It feels durable and tacky. Smaller hands should have no problem with the G5 small size grip. For larger hands, an overgrip should be applied to make the handle feel larger.~Cone Cap (from the handle to the shaft) is yellow and has two small sides for assisting in control. The Cone Cap is imprinted with the Yonex branding, PBSI logo, the Yonex authenticity sticker (?), and the racket specifications sticker (Labeling: 4UG5 / 20~28lbs / 9.0~12.5kg)~Shaft is oddly colored, featuring a distinct, bright solid, matte yellow at the ends near the racket Cone Cap and the T-Joint shifting to a more metallic yellow towards the middle of the shaft. This separates it from its Game, Tour, and Z counterparts. Throughout the shaft, there are holographic arrows and black decals. The shaft feels quite flexible and should be great for beginners who don't know how to generate power. (Labeling: NANOFLARE 1000 PLAY - SLIM SHAFT - HEAD LIGHT BALANCE/10mm LONGER - made in China - Developed by YONEX Japan - FULL GRAPHITE RACQUET)~Racket head looks interesting with a solid black background mixed with gray decals. The left side of the racket head reads “PLAY” in light gray metallic font. The right side of the racket head reads "SONIC FLARE SYSTEM” in the same color. The top of the racket head features a touch of yellow with “ISOMETRIC” in black font.~Prestrung Strings on the badminton racket are white and features the Yonex logo in red stenciling. Unfortunately, I was unable to determine the type of string or tension that the racket uses. The stringing tension and quality of the prestrung strings are designed with beginners in mind. The strings feel durable and bouncy (lower tension) for a larger sweetspot and power generation.~Performance: For this review, I will try my best not to be biased since my earlier badminton racket (Yonex Isometric Ti Swing Power: SR) was a more headlight racket suited for me and my playing style. I am a self-proclaimed intermediate-to-advanced level defensive player in badminton suited to playing the faster paced doubles. The Yonex Nanoflare 1000Z is incredibly great for playing badminton at a beginner’s level. I believe that this racket is designed for singles and doubles offensive players since it feels more towards head heavy, contrary to being labeled head light. This may be due to the racket’s design (the goal was to produce a head light racket with greater offensive power than most other head light rackets), but this may also be due to a quality control issue as it was made in China. Even though being made in China may sound bad, this badminton racket was developed by Yonex Japan and is able to play powerful clears, drops, drives, backhands, net play, and smashes well, with special emphasis on drives. It is important to note that the prestrung strings are strung at a lower tension and will affect the accuracy of the shots, making shot placements slightly harder (please keep in mind that shot quality and accuracy are mainly, mainly based on your training and skill level). This badminton racket is lightweight at 4U (overall mass of the badminton racket, not to be confused with swing weight). I did not feel the shaft’s flexibility affect my shot timing since my previous racket also had a similar amount of flexibility, so using this racket felt normal except the head heavy difference.~Advice: I recommend getting the strings upgraded and strung at a higher tension (20-22lbs for beginners, 22-24lbs for intermediate players, and 24-28lbs for advanced players) after the factory prestrung strings break. I couldn't really get as much "feel" as I did from my previous racket. Again, for larger hands, try using an overgrip to increase the handle size for better handling. Make sure to spend some time with this racket and learn to cherish what it is worth and made for.~Note: I was not able to weigh the racket in order to find out if it was actually meeting the racket specifications as being a 4U-class racket. Additionally, the red stenciling on the strings will gradually fade over time due to use and will rub off onto the birds and shuttlecocks naturally. Please note that the strings will also naturally break due to being prestrung onto the racket, mishits, and normal wear.Thanks for reading and have a great day.

Liked it a lot. It’s a very light racket

Not very good. feels alright but strength is so so.

Good Quality

the handle was easily broken. but the seller refund me the money. The racquet was light and easy to play with

excelente raquete para avanzados

Great racket for its price!

good as $60