Yonex Voltric 70 E-Tune Badminton Racket Review

Background

Towards the end of 2014 Yonex launched a revamped Voltric 70, namely the Voltric 70 E-Tune. It’s been met with mixed reviews from a gimmick to a revelation, marking a step forward in racket development.

The main discussion surrounds the new weighted grommets around T 3-4 and 10-11 1-3 positions. The player has the choice of exchanging the throat grommets for heavier versions or to clip on weighted strips towards the top of the racket head.

This isn’t a new idea but as usual, Yonex have borrowed the idea and refined it. The system presents numerous weighting options to customize the racket for the player. In this review I have tested one version which is the original spec.

I’ve already re-strung a few VT70 E-tunes and was asked to insert new grommets to increase the weight. There are three colours of grommets, black which are on the standard version, orange or purple. The throat grommets are easy to replace. It’s a simple pop out, pop in procedure. The strip is a little trickier aligning the two sets of integrated “pins” into receptive holes on the original grommet strip rather than replace the original grommet strip entirely. The string will ensure the additional strip remains in place. The only issue for me is that the string sits proud and is exposed, which in turn could cause more breakage through scraping on the floor when flicking up shuttles.

The remaining grommets are also different with more bulky heads and sitting higher rather than flatter on previous models. I also noticed the bumpy parts of the head seemed prouder and bulkier compared to the less noticeable smoother lines of the original. Altogether this is a different racket and not the original with a grommet upgrade.

VT70 E-Tune is a medium flex, head heavy racket. This model is predominantly white with grey/orange decals and arrived with standard Yonex cover. It’s a 4U (weight 80-84.9g) G4 model (standard grip size). The racket has BG65Ti string which has always been a favourite of mine and feels relatively tight. As usual the stencil ink flaked off after only a few minutes of play which is not impressive for a racket priced  in this range. It’s becoming a pet hate of mine and is so disappointing considering Yonex heritage.

It’s hitting time…

The initial feel is very similar to the original although I would dearly have liked it there to get a better comparison. As always I test with Mark to get a second and most valued opinion.

The racket has a nice familiar Voltric feel which is hard to beat if you like head heavy rackets. With this being a lighter model it would be interesting whether it wimps out a little or still shows it metal.

After hitting a number of clears I was initially taken aback by the flex in the shaft. I expected this to play stiffer and yet I could have sworn this version played more flexible. Clears were clean and I enjoyed the feel of the head, which is my usual preference. I wasn’t expecting to feel the vibration which this sample clearly had. Mark mentioned it too, without any discussion on the subject, which was a bit concerning. The racket still swings and plays well, making allowance for lower tension. Considering the weight of the coloured grommets, I cannot see this making a huge difference in the feel of the shot and had no intention of restringing this racket several times to find out.

Drops were good, solid and precise as expected. I haven’t detected any drag on the frame but there again, I’m used to this weight and spec of racket.

The smash was pretty good too, accurate and consistent. I’m not a big hitter, that’s Mark’s role although he wasn’t hitting as hard as I know he can even allowing for the string. However, I could feel the flex in the shaft and maybe this had something to do with it.

Flat drives were a little more difficult. More concentration is required and you need to work the racket hard. Being fair, I expected the racket to perform better here, especially as it’s a 4U version.

Readers of my reviews will know I prefer head heavy rackets. They need a lot more work in defense to return the shuttle well. VT70 E-Tune is relatively fast and handled blocks very well, with that weight in the head that provides such great touch and feel. Drives and lifts were harder to achieve requiring good technique, strong forearms and wrists. I expected better from this racket in view of the weight.

Around the net the racket is reasonably quick although lacking compared to Thruster 9000 and the original VT70 from memory. It still handles well but good preparation is essential. Net shots were fine but it’s the faster exchanges where I had to push harder when I would have preferred more speed.

Summary

Overall this is a nice racket but please do not expect it to play the same as the original Voltric 70 but with extras. That would be unfair. It’s a completely different feel and spec and I expected to get more from this than I did the original.

RRP is £175 which is higher than the original – fair enough. Online discounter will no doubt offer around £150. The question is whether the additional grommets will be easily available as Yonex have struggled historically to supply grommets and strips n a timely manner, usually appearing months after the racket is launched – a potential nightmare for stringers.

On balance I’ll push to give Voltric 70 E-Tune a 4 star rating. Gimmicks aside, this is still a good racket and whether this will prove to be a one-off or the way forward in racket customization is difficult to predict. I believe there are other rackets with similar specs and price points that perform better but if you love your Yonex rackets then this is one to add to your list and demo.