Hi everyone, I’ll review and compare the Yonex Astrox 77 Tour and Yonex Astrox 77 Play alongside their top-end sibling, the Yonex Astrox 77 Pro in this blog post.
In my previous posts, I have made full comparisons of Yonex Pro, Tour, Game and Play model rackets, but this is certainly the first series with a model in the middle of the range missing. In this instance, the Game model is missing from this lineup. However, as usual, these three models are in different price ranges, with the Pro at the top, then the Tour and ending with the Play. If you want to check out my in-depth review of the Astrox 77 Pro, click here.
Review of Appearance & Materials Of Yonex Astrox 77 Pro, Tour and Play Badminton Rackets
In terms of visual differences, there are not a lot of them at first glance. However, I quickly noticed that the Astrox 77 Pro has four sets of single-pass grommets at the top of the racket, whereas the Astrox 77 Tour and Astrox 77 Play have the more commonly seen three sets of single-pass grommets at the top of the racket.
Additionally, upon closer inspection, the Tour model seems to have an extra grommet’s width in terms of the recessed area. So I would say the Tour model has a 55% recessed area and the Pro and Play models have a 50% recessed area, although I don't think these are going to make a significant difference to how the rackets are going to play.
Besides that, the Pro and Tour models have the same Energy Boost Cap Plus design on them whereas the Play model has a more basic cone applied.
As usual, the Pro model is made in Japan, the Tour model in Taiwan and the Play model in China. I do have to say the finishing quality of all 3 rackets is really good and they are pretty consistent, so well done to Yonex!
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Specifications & Measurements Of Yonex Astrox 77 Pro, Tour and Play Badminton Rackets
In terms of measurements, I’ll start with the frames as they are almost identical for all three rackets - around 23.8 cm in height and 18.7 cm in width. Frame thicknesses are slightly different though. The Pro model has a 9.9mm thick frame, but the Tour model is thinner at 9.8mm whilst the Play model is the thickest at 10.3mm. In terms of the handle length, the Pro model has the shortest handle at only 16.5 cm whilst the other two models have 17 cm long handles.
If we move upwards and look at the shaft lengths of the rackets, they consistently get shorter as we go down the models. The Pro model has the longest shaft at 22cm and goes down to 21.5cm for the Tour model before ending at 21cm for the Play model. In terms of shaft diameter, the Pro model measures at 7.1mm whilst the Tour and Play models measure at 7.2 mm.
Here are also some Precision Scan measurement numbers for those of you who are interested.
For stringing, both the Tour and Play models come strung with factory strings and I would strongly recommend you guys restring the rackets with your favourite string and tension before you start playing with them. If you are stringing the rackets yourself, you might want to be a bit more careful when you are removing strings from your racket as some of the grommets came off when I took the strings off the Astrox 77 Play. This can happen when the grommets are not sitting snug on the holes that are drilled for them. If they do come off, simply take the grommet off the string and place it back in the frame.
I restrung all 3 rackets with my usual string and tension of Aerobite at 27 lbs by 29 lbs and had no problems at all. All 3 rackets here are in my usual 4U G5 spec and all 3 4U models are rated to 28lbs in tension and 3U will go up to 29 lbs.
Playing Feel & Performance Of Yonex Astrox 77 Pro, Tour and Play Badminton Rackets
In terms of playing feel, the Astrox 77 Pro is a very versatile racket and it's pretty much an all-rounder. It's smooth and has a decent amount of head weight. Not overpoweringly head-heavy but easy enough to get good power whenever you need it. It's not a super stiff feeling racket as it’s got a medium-stiff feeling so it's pretty user-friendly and easy to play with. You can see why this racket is so popular with many players, including the top-level pros.
For the Astrox 77 Tour, I was amazed at how close it felt compared to the Astrox 77 Pro in my first testing session. I think if I had been blindfolded in that session, I don't think I would be able to tell the Astrox 77 Pro and Astrox 77 Tour apart, especially when both their cone caps are similar too. There was only a slight difference in overall stiffness between them, with the Astrox 77 Tour being just a touch stiffer compared to the Astrox 77 Pro. The Astrox 77 Pro’s more premium materials and construction methods just gives it that extra edge in terms of feel and it is also a bit more pliable compared to the Astrox 77 Tour, but that’s me being picky. I would recommend people to go for the Pro model if budget allows as you will no doubt get the best feeling and performance. I would also happily recommend the Tour if you are looking to save some cash.
However, the difference between the Astrox 77 Play and the other 2 higher-end models is quite pronounced. Don’t get me wrong, the Astrox 77 Play is always designed to be an entry-level racket without the more premium materials and manufacturing techniques. At the same time, you could probably get 2 or 3 Play model rackets for the price of 1 Pro model racket so you do have to keep this in mind. The Astrox 77 Play, when compared to the Astrox 77 Pro and Astrox 77 Tour, feels a bit head heavier, stiffer and not as user-friendly. It just feels a bit less tuned compared to the higher-end models and has simpler characteristics. It's just a bit more rigid in its response compared to the Astrox 77 Pro’s more refined feel.
I’ve been trying to think of an analogy to best describe the difference in feel. I guess it's like comparing a basic BIC pen to an expensive well-weighted fountain pen. They both get the job done but you get more enjoyment out of the more refined product.
In summary, the Astrox 77 series again is another good batch of offerings from Yonex. Keeping in mind that the higher the price point, the more premium feel and response you'll get and all 3 Astrox 77 models performed well for their price point. What other new model racket do you think Yonex will be launching next? Let me know in the comments! I’ll see you in the next post!