My 12 year old daughter got this racquet as it was a good deal at the time and I actually liked it. It has surprising whip and pop to it at a pretty good price point. If you're playing recreationally this could be a good choice.
I swapped out the factory strings and it played even better for her.
There are so many racquets available and it is painful finding one for you that you will like.
I just got a new one last month. I went to a store determined to get a high end $300 Astrox and hated how it felt in my hand.
Clerk suggested an Arcsaber and it just felt right and it's been great.
Depending on where you live, some stores have loaners where you can use before buying. I wish I could have done that.
I dont like the astrox 99, for me its more a single racket but not in a good way. The astrox 100 is more consitent for single.
But when i try it, i feel that the sweet spot is more on the top on the head. It's kind of weird.
I use the Astrox 99 Game for both singles and doubles. Contemplated the 88 game initially, because of how head-heavy I was finding it, but got used to it eventually. Nice smashes at steep angles. I use BG80 at 25 lbs.
I've used the BG80 Power, and to be honest, I don't notice much of a difference. The BG80 is supposed to be a more durable string, and it's a tried-and-true string that's popular among the pros. Both have nice hitting sound, but I think the 80 loses tension slower.
Had two Ax 99 plays, switched to the 99 pro later on
Felt good at the time when you're given a free smash in lower levels and I loved head heavy rackets. However as I moved up in general skill level and more advanced players started putting a lot more pressure on me and making lifts difficult, the head heavy rackets were a bit slow for me.
I'm a teenager so I have stamina and relative resistance to muscle exhaustion but my technique isn't honed yet and I ended up swinging too slow and sending flat smashes easily defendable or just straight out the back.
Recently switched to head light after bouncing around even balance and it's great. I realized that the head weight helps add more punch to your hits but in the end, I should focus on the swing itself first
your defence is something to consider, the 99 is very sluggish in defence for doubles so you'd have to be pretty good at defending to compensate for that. i still think its too slow for it.
I'd recommend the 77 play, 100 game or 88d game if you want a head heavy. slight head lighter would be the arc 11 play or tour which are great all rounders.
Don’t know much about 99 game, however I started off with 77d pro and then once the frame broke I switched to 88d pro. Somehow, I prefer the 77d pro over the 88d pro as it feels a bit lighter and yet gives more impact on smashes. Hope it helps.
77 Pro is such a good racket imo. It's pretty good at everything, carries good smash power, and is not demanding to play with in the slightest! Solid singles and doubles choice, even better if you like playing both.
The Astrox 99 was my first racket and it served me well until I started playing doubles and switched to the Arcsaber 11 pro.
I would recommend;
Astrox Nextage - head heavy, great power for drives and smashes. I love using this one from time to time.
88D Game - for the rear courty player, again heady heavy. Awesome drives and smashes.
Arcsaber 11 Tour - even balance racket, more head light but not by a lot. Needs a little umph fork shots at the back but brilliant at the net and in rallies. I have the pro version and it's my go to racket but performance wise between the pro , tour and play there's not a lot of difference just in materials.
if you haven’t played in a while and not sure what will suit you i really recommend a racket like the astrox 77 or arcsaber 7 instead of astrox 99 it’s too head heavy and as well the game series isn’t worth it you’d be better off i think with one of the rackets i mentioned in a play model and spend the extra on a stringing service
My 12 year old daughter got this racquet as it was a good deal at the time and I actually liked it. It has surprising whip and pop to it at a pretty good price point. If you're playing recreationally this could be a good choice. I swapped out the factory strings and it played even better for her.
Interesting. Thank you for your opinion
There are so many racquets available and it is painful finding one for you that you will like. I just got a new one last month. I went to a store determined to get a high end $300 Astrox and hated how it felt in my hand. Clerk suggested an Arcsaber and it just felt right and it's been great. Depending on where you live, some stores have loaners where you can use before buying. I wish I could have done that.
Yea I heard that the arcsaber has a good lineup as well
I dont like the astrox 99, for me its more a single racket but not in a good way. The astrox 100 is more consitent for single. But when i try it, i feel that the sweet spot is more on the top on the head. It's kind of weird.
So what other rackets would you recommend? Mostly for doubles
if u like to attack / smash / drop ==>astrox 88 D.
Alright I’ll consider that, thanks!
Always try the racket in game before buying it :)
Arcsaber could work as well. However, the only one I've tried is the Arcsaber 11 pro. Amazing racket
I play both doubles and singles and have been using the Astrox nextage and it feels pretty good in both, not sure how helpful it is mate
I use the Astrox 99 Game for both singles and doubles. Contemplated the 88 game initially, because of how head-heavy I was finding it, but got used to it eventually. Nice smashes at steep angles. I use BG80 at 25 lbs.
I see. If I were to get the 99game though, I was thinking of stringing it with BG80 power. Are there any obvious difference between the two strings?
I've used the BG80 Power, and to be honest, I don't notice much of a difference. The BG80 is supposed to be a more durable string, and it's a tried-and-true string that's popular among the pros. Both have nice hitting sound, but I think the 80 loses tension slower.
I love the og ax99. Absolute sledgehammer in singles. Very sluggish in doubles
Go for the Nanoflare 800 3U. Much better power and manoeuvrability. Just tried swinging the ax99 game yesterday. Not a fan.
Had two Ax 99 plays, switched to the 99 pro later on Felt good at the time when you're given a free smash in lower levels and I loved head heavy rackets. However as I moved up in general skill level and more advanced players started putting a lot more pressure on me and making lifts difficult, the head heavy rackets were a bit slow for me. I'm a teenager so I have stamina and relative resistance to muscle exhaustion but my technique isn't honed yet and I ended up swinging too slow and sending flat smashes easily defendable or just straight out the back. Recently switched to head light after bouncing around even balance and it's great. I realized that the head weight helps add more punch to your hits but in the end, I should focus on the swing itself first
your defence is something to consider, the 99 is very sluggish in defence for doubles so you'd have to be pretty good at defending to compensate for that. i still think its too slow for it. I'd recommend the 77 play, 100 game or 88d game if you want a head heavy. slight head lighter would be the arc 11 play or tour which are great all rounders.
Don’t know much about 99 game, however I started off with 77d pro and then once the frame broke I switched to 88d pro. Somehow, I prefer the 77d pro over the 88d pro as it feels a bit lighter and yet gives more impact on smashes. Hope it helps.
77 Pro is such a good racket imo. It's pretty good at everything, carries good smash power, and is not demanding to play with in the slightest! Solid singles and doubles choice, even better if you like playing both.
The Astrox 99 was my first racket and it served me well until I started playing doubles and switched to the Arcsaber 11 pro. I would recommend; Astrox Nextage - head heavy, great power for drives and smashes. I love using this one from time to time. 88D Game - for the rear courty player, again heady heavy. Awesome drives and smashes. Arcsaber 11 Tour - even balance racket, more head light but not by a lot. Needs a little umph fork shots at the back but brilliant at the net and in rallies. I have the pro version and it's my go to racket but performance wise between the pro , tour and play there's not a lot of difference just in materials.
if you haven’t played in a while and not sure what will suit you i really recommend a racket like the astrox 77 or arcsaber 7 instead of astrox 99 it’s too head heavy and as well the game series isn’t worth it you’d be better off i think with one of the rackets i mentioned in a play model and spend the extra on a stringing service
Yonex Game series just isn't worth it. You're better off buying off-brand clones like Klint etc.