The second generation of the Yonex Nanoflare 700 badminton rackets are here! This includes the brand new Yonex Nanoflare 700 Tour, Game and Play model rackets, alongside their big brother or sister, of course, the Yonex Nanoflare 700 Pro.
I’ve already done an in-depth review of the Yonex Nanoflare 700 Pro here, and I liked it so much that I’m making the swap to them for my day-to-day rackets! But for now, let's get into the review and comparison of the more affordable models, the Yonex Nanoflare 700 Tour, Game and Play.
And by the way, you can get these rackets here:
Similarities & Differences Between The Yonex Nanoflare 700 Tour, Game & Play Badminton Rackets
The previous generation of Nanoflare 700 didn’t have the more affordable versions such as the Tour, Game and Play rackets so these are new products from Yonex. As usual, the Tour and Game rackets are made in Yonex’s Taiwan factories and the most affordable Play rackets are from China. These more affordable versions also employ trickle-down materials as well as manufacturing techniques.
One major difference is that these Nanoflare 700 Tour, Game and Plays have a different colour compared to the Pro models. There’s actually an additional colour scheme of silver coupled with a sunrise feel design to complement the midnight purple and sunset vibe on the other design. The previous generation of Nanoflare 700’s also had 2 colours so it was quite nice to have another colour design for this generation. The 700 Pro is only available in the purple sunset colour. Do you guys have a favoured design thus far?
The Tour and Game’s racket decals do match the Pro’s version with that graduated shadow which does look a bit pixelated compared to the smooth version from the Play. I personally like the Play’s smooth designs a bit more but the pixelated ones are not a deal breaker.
Now here’s the major differences on some of the tech that’s in these rackets. Servo Filter is the new material that’s used in the new Nanoflare 700 rackets and it’s present in both the Tour and Game Models, and obviously the Pro too but the Play doesn’t have this. Also, only the Tour racket will have the enhanced Sonic Flare frame technology whereas the Game model has a more basic version and the Play is just a regular wide frame. You can see from the leading edge of the racket frames that the Tour has the sharpest leading edge whilst the Game is slightly rounder and the Play is the roundest of all.
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Other frame features that have trickled down include the Tour and Game racket frames having fully recessed frame profiles whilst the Play only has a half-recessed frame profile. Additionally, the Tour model also inherits both 4U and 5U weight options from the Pro model whereas the Game and Play models are only available in 4U. Plenty of choices nonetheless!
In terms of specs, all Tour, Game and Play rackets do have slightly wider racket frames compared to the Pro models, but only .1 or .2mm wider. Frame thickness does differ slightly due to the presence of the Sonic Flare design. The Tour model has almost identical frame thickness to the Pro model but the Game is slightly slimmer in comparison. The Play racket does have a similar 12.6mm thickness in the 3 o'clock region but tapers more as soon as the recessed section starts on the Play racket.
Shaft diameters and lengths were almost identical across the board and as were handle lengths. In terms of stringing, I strung all of them with my usual set-up of Aerobite at 27 by 29 lbs and all of them held really well. All the 4U models are rated to 28 lbs whilst the 5U Tour is rated to 27 lbs.
Here are the swing weight measurements for all the models in 4U:
So, how do they all play?
Playing Feel & Performance Of The Yonex Nanoflare 700 Tour, Game & Play Badminton Rackets
You all know these are head-light rackets which are not designed to be very stiff. With the Game and Play rackets, they’re even rated as a hi-flex model racket.
For the 700 Tour, I thought it felt almost identical to the Pro. If I was blindfolded, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell immediately. However, after a while, the Rexis shaft’s slightly hollow feeling was more apparent. Also, I thought the Tour felt that slightly bit stiffer compared to the Pro. Essentially, one tiny step down in feel compared to the Pro. Swings felt incredibly fast and they come off amazing on well-timed shots. Obviously if your budget works, I’d go for the Pro, but if not, the Tour is a great racket to go for too!
When I moved to the Game, it was fairly noticeable that the head had gone even lighter. With the Game, it had moved into a territory where it was personally too head-light for me. Because of that, it’s not too forgiving and anything that is off the sweet spot won’t go and you won’t have the racket head weight to help you at all. So if you’re under pressure, you’ll get punished straight away. However, if you’re looking for an incredibly quick, incredibly head-light and flexible racket, the 700 Game is the way to go.
If we then jump to the Play, it also feels head lighter than the Tour. It felt fairly basic in terms of feel and as the most affordable of the bunch, this is to be expected. The racket spec said it is hi-flex but it doesn't flex in the same way as the Game. Perhaps it’s down to the more basic racket response from the Play which actually isn’t too forgiving. I think the 700 Game and Play are too head-light for my liking, resulting in them being quite unforgiving to hit when you’re off-balanced or mistimed. Not the best feeling if you have an off day with these 2.
When I immediately swapped back to the 700 Pro after testing these, the difference was quite significant. You’ll actually feel there’s quite a difference in head weight and power if you’re coming from the Game or Play. I certainly wasn’t expecting the gap to be so big. The 700 Pro just had so much more power compared to the Game and Play. The Pro certainly also has the best feel but you do get what you pay for.
All in all, the Nanoflare 700 Pro is excellent in my opinion (full review here) but your mileage may vary with these more affordable options as they’re not as easy to play with compared to the Pro version. Rackets that are very head-light do demand better technique and timing to generate good power so there’s a limitation there.
If you prefer super fast, very head-light rackets, certainly look at the 700 Game or Play but be prepared to be frustrated when you’re off-balanced and under pressure. Closest to the 700 Pro, go for the Tour. But if you have the budget? I’d certainly recommend the Pro!
Enjoy your badminton and I’ll see you in the next one!