I get a lot of questions about which is the best high-end, flagship Yonex Nanoflare badminton racket: the newest Yonex Nanoflare 700 Pro (UK here), the Yonex Nanoflare 800 Pro (UK here), or the world smash speed record holder, the Yonex Nanoflare 1000Z (UK here).
Well, in my opinion, each one has some great advantages. If you're honest with yourself and pick the correct model for you, you can maximise your enjoyment and performance on court!
I have already published detailed reviews on all 3 rackets which you can check out below. They include all the nerdy specs and numbers there so for those of you who love those, go and enjoy yourself there!
I myself currently play with the Nanoflare 700 Pro in 4U and I’m loving it a lot!
Similarities & Differences Between Nanoflare 700 Pro, Nanoflare 800 Pro & Nanoflare 1000Z
In terms of frame design, all 3 models here have a similar frame shape design where it’s thick and wide. Gone were the designs of the superthin frame design like the original Nanoflare 800 (review here).
I loved the super thin design of the original 800 as that made the racket feel incredibly fast and smooth but I have no issues with these wider frame designs. They are designed for added stability during the contact and swing phase but because they’re head-light rackets, they still swing very fast so no problems there. The only immediate difference is the 1000Z having a smaller and more compact frame compared to the 700 Pro and 800 Pro.
In terms of racket weights, the 800 Pro and 1000Z are available in both 3U and 4U weights but the 700 Pro is only available in 4U and 5U weights.
I normally play in 4U but when I did my testing on these rackets individually, I preferred the 3U 800 Pro to the 4U model. But I was happier with the 4U 1000Z and 700 Pro. An honourable mention does go to the 5U 700 Pro too as it still felt incredibly lovely for power and its ability to get out of trouble is great too, even for a 5U racket!
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So if you really want to find out which of these 3 are the best for you, you’ll have to start by being super honest with yourself about what you’re looking for in your game. It’s important to note what you’re looking to improve to get more enjoyment out of your game too.
In terms of feel, the 700 Pro will feel the softest of the bunch before the 800 Pro and the 1000Z being the stiffest. However, I find the 800 Pro’s stiffness comes from the racket frame and string bed itself whereas the 1000Z is stiff overall so that's the difference there.
I have no issues with the “softer” 700 Pro as you can tune how your racket feels with the strings you play with. For me, I’m on my normal Aerobite (UK here) at 27 by 29lbs and I’m happy with the crispness and feel that’s coming through the racket.
And because of the difference in stiffness, the demands of the rackets are also different. For you to maximise its potential on the court, the 1000Z will be the most demanding in terms of technique, timing and physicality. Essentially, you need to be able to generate enough flex or racket speed to “bend” the racket to use its rebounding or snapback ability to help you get faster shuttle speeds.
There is then a little step down in terms of demand from the 1000Z to the 800 Pro before the 700 Pro being the easiest to play out of all 3. The 800 Pro does have a slightly tighter string pattern because it has one extra cross string, so it will feel stiffer from that perspective.
The 700 Pro is super easy to play with and you can get yourself out of trouble in lots of positions under pressure but it is also the most head-light out of the 3. This also means the 700 Pro has the least raw power out of all 3 due to its racket head being the head lightest of them all.
In terms of head weight, the 700 Pro is head lightest, then the 800 Pro before the 1000Z being the head heaviest. To be honest, I wouldn’t even classify the 1000Z as a head-light racket but an even balanced one as it’s got a nice amount of head weight for that easy power.
I do want to say a few more things about power though. When we talk about power from a racket, we’re normally talking about its raw power which often simply equates to how head-heavy it is or from its overall weight. It’s simple physics. However, how much power you CAN GENERATE from a racket is very different compared to the raw power of the racket itself.
Some of the best smashers in the world don't even use head-heavy rackets and it’s again, down to their technique, timing and physicality. For example, Seo Seung Jae is playing with the 700 Pro, and you wouldn't call him a weak smasher at all! The same for the legendary Fu Hai Feng, he doesn't play with stiff, head-heavy rackets. He famously uses even to head-light rackets and also flexible, whippy ones too. So it’s all down to the player to use the right racket to help him or her make the shuttle go faster or feel weightier from their hits.
So for me, I would compare the 700 Pro to say a Porsche - very calculated, able to be enjoyed by a wide range of drivers, even if they’re not elite like F1 drivers. The 800 Pro perhaps is kind of like a Ferrari/Lamborghini hybrid.. a bit more speed, a bit more flair, and a bit more demanding. Some drivers perhaps would struggle to get it under control under pressure situations. And finally, the 1000Z is like a Pagani.. VERY fast but good luck controlling that under pressure and not too many drivers will have the skill set to fully maximise a Pagani’s ability.
However, in saying that, I also appreciate that if you have the ability to buy a Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini or Pagani, you will have no issues finding ways to enjoy them. And the same for these rackets. Whilst you should be looking to find consistency and enjoyment in your badminton with easier-to-play rackets, there’s no harm in getting a Pagani like the 1000Z from time to time and enjoy that excitement too.
Just make sure you don’t get all Pagani’s unless that’s what you really want! I hope you guys found this useful and as always, leave your questions and comments and I’ll see you in the next one!