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This is the Year of the Tiger, so it's time for some White Tiger action
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And right here we have the latest two versions of the 65 series shoes, namely the 65 Z3 in White Tiger
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which Kenta Momota has been wearing since the Olympics, and we have its budget brother, the 65X
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Here's three things you need to know about these badminton shoes. The 65 series shoes are one of Yonax's classic shoe series, which is updated regularly
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and for some context, I mentioned in my previous review of the 65Z2
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is a super amazing all-round shoe with 9.5s across the board, especially with this amazing cushioning and support
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So I wonder how YonX is going to top that this year. And as a disclaimer, I'm not paid for this review
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so these are the samples provided to me by YC Sports test out, and we'll be looking at three areas for comparison today
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We start with the looks, and the latest version of the 65 comes in a few colours
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The White Tiger Kenton-Mimota version, then there's the black version alongside the white
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with the red for the men. and the ladies have an additional colour with the white and lime yellow
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I'm quite jealous that the men's don't have access to the white lime version with the ladies do
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All looking very good. For the 65x, we have the white and red version for tests
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but I also understand that they have a bunch of other colours available at the same time
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I'm not too sure if all colours are available within all regions, so best check with your local dealers
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For the White Tiger 65 Z3, I really like the design of it, and there's a simple Z letter on top of the shoe in between the laces
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to identify as a top nz model. But there's always something cool about wearing a white shoe
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and this certainly feels it. There's plenty of features carried over from the previous generation
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such as the toasis shape as well as plenty of other materials all around the shoe. The build
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quality of this shoe is certainly excellent, with plenty of soft material around the shoe
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with lots of silver holographic streaks, as well as the grey ones around the ankle area
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Another personal favourite is the white section just beneath the heel where the line green 65 number is That white patch is like an embossed area where you can rub your fingers and feel the stripes around it Very cool If you turn the shoe over and you immediately spot the biggest difference of this version
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compared to its previous generation. The Z3 now sports the radial blade sole design, which I first saw from the Eclption Z2
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again featured in my popular previous review here. The air vent covered by the mesh is again present and the soul is again not fully sealed
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so they'll go walking through puddles with this shoe. For the insoles, they are identical to the previous generation
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so we have lots of ventilation holes on them, as well as the wave design on the top half of it
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They fit really well. If we now quickly take a look at the 65X
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and we immediately see quite a lot of difference in terms of build material technology use
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as well as the feel of the shoe. For a shoe, that's almost half the price of the 65. Z3
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this could be a good budget variant for many of us here. Immediately from the top of the shoe
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we can see that the X is there in between the laces to distinguish itself from the Z
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models. There's also a slightly simpler design and manufacturing philosophy going on, but that's all good
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There's also some very pleasant golf dimpled white mesh around the ankle support area
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which is also cool. In terms of build quality, the 65X, it certainly feels stiffer compared to the Z3
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and is slightly more basic. The outside Robles are completely red, which is pretty cool
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but again, stiffer compared to the 65s. I've had a close to a close
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look on the outsoles of last year's Z2 model, which has also dyed purple in this instance
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and notice that they were different grades of soles. The premium 65Z2 had a better outsole
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which is slightly softer and better made compared to this 65x. There's also no power cushion
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plus on the 65x, which is the higher-end cushioning material as seen from the yellow pads
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on the rubber soles of the Z3. Also, the insoles from the 65x are a lot more basic than the
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The top material from the insoles feel quite similar to car seats so it could be quite slippery depending on what socks you wear but they not very thick at the same time so lacking in some cushioning there The insoles then have an additional stepped piece on the heel section which is glued on which I believe to be power cushion
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material. The insoles themselves also kind of feels like a dress shoe in that sense, but more
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in the insoles later on. The 65x certainly have a similar ventilation holes to the top of the
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shoe like the zed, but doesn't have any of the bottom side of the shoe, so it's completely sealed
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from what I can see. One simple quick way to differentiate a Z-version shoe to a X-version shoe
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is to look for the colours of the soles. All the Z-series will come in natural rubber-coloured
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soles, whereas the X-series will come in dyed coloured soles on the outside. The White Tiger
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shoe will obviously sport a white-coloured sole here. In terms of weight, the 65x is lighter
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at 323-grams per side compared to the 65-Z3, which is 340 grams per side. For reference
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last year's 65 Z2 model was 345 grams per side. So weight savings all around for this year's updated models
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So how does the 65 Z3 feel like, you ask? So familiar is the word that comes to mind straight away
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The 65Z3 fits like a glove and it feels very snug on the upper side
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Not tight, but snug, which is very reassuring and familiar feeling which I had with the 65Z2
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If you're someone who loves the 65Z2, this will be amazing. for you. You'll love it. The 65 Z3 also made me feel comfortable immediately whilst feeling
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very protected, very impressed all round. The good build quality and soft materials around the right
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areas are just plush. These aren't cheap, but you notice them immediately. If we compare to 65x now
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and here's where I had some issues with the fit. When I come to put the 65x shoes on court
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I felt like there were three marbles on my right heel after putting on the 65x. X, and I'm
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and this is only the right side of the shoe. Left side was completely fine and felt good Right side three marbles in a heel So I don took out the insoles to inspect what going on and had a feel but I just couldn find anything wrong with the shoe so I decided to bite the bullet and continue on since this is a review And surprisingly
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within 10 minutes, I didn't notice the marble feelings anymore. This perhaps could be the power cushion
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piece in the insul, had become like a memory foam and formed to the little bumps within the shoe
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Performance-wise, both shoes performed really well. I was in a little bit of the insolule. I was in a able to feel the arch area slightly sore for the first 10 minutes when I wore the new shoes
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but that's normal when I go on to new shoes. The 65 Z3 immediately felt at home and I was a big
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fan of the Radleblade design from the Eclitian Z2 as I thought they did provide more grip and they
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didn't disappoint. The 65 Z3 certainly is very grippy and provides a lot of confidence when you're
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lunging on court, especially at speed. This is certainly a good upgrade from Yonix in terms of
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the soul. The Z3 also never felt bulky, just for felt very familiar and homie. If you're coming from an Aeros shoe, you might feel you might have a
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slightly higher ride height compared to the Aeros with the 65 series, but this is normal and doesn't
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feel clunky or feel like you're going to trip over yourself. This is an excellent, excellent shoe
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The 65x, on the other hand, had actually surprised me, because of a slightly more basic design
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and the material to use, I expected a big gap in terms of performance to the 65-Z3, but this
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huge gap was not to be found. Sure, the 65x feel. feels stiffer, but once on court, I didn't notice the differences in stiffness after I got going
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Grip levels were fine and I never had any issues with sliding, although I was playing on purpose
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built by Merton courts. I think if you're playing on some very dusty holes, you might
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potentially slide slightly with the 65x, if you're comparing to the 65 Z3
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If you have the budget, absolutely go for the Z3. It's absolutely amazing and I thoroughly recommend it
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Otherwise, the 65X is a decent, good-looking budget shoe if you're looking to get started with the 65 series
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I will see you in the next one
