Li-Ning AxForce 80 II review: the all-round attack racket, in 4U and 5U
AxForce 80 II keeps the original all-round attack and gives it a faster, cleaner recovery in 4U and 5U.
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Overview
AxForce 80 II keeps the original all-round attack and gives it a faster, cleaner recovery in 4U and 5U. This is Li-Ning model AYPW049, sold as AxForce 80 II in Electro Purple. The Taiwan Li-Ning listing and a matching Hong Kong spec sheet agree on the skeleton: a box-section frame in M46, T1100, and ULTRA high-elastic carbon, with a polymer energy-storage layer in the layup, and a shaft in ULTRA high-elastic carbon plus high-density damping. Overall length is 675 mm. The Hong Kong sheet prints a 6.6 mm shaft and calls the flex medium-stiff. The Taiwan sheet prints hit feel as moderate on every weight, and swing weight as slightly heavy, moderate, and slightly light for 3U, 4U, and 5U. Warranty tension is 31 / 30 / 29 lb. Grips are 3U G5, 4U G5 or G6, and 5U G6. It ships unstrung. I have had the 4U and the 5U in hand. I have not played a 3U. Li-Ning's global site still does not have a product page for AYPW049, so the numbers above are from the Taiwan store listing and the Hong Kong sheet, checked against the frames. One court description called the head a fluid box. The spec sheet does not. It still calls the frame a classic box section, then raises and thins the top and adds grommet mass at 12 o'clock so the balance stays forward while the swing gets a little quicker. That eight-pin head is the part you can see. Treat "fluid box" as a description of the rounder top, not as a new frame family.
4U
The 4U is the weight that still feels like the original 80. One 4U G5, underbase left on, LT61 Power at 25–27 lb, landed at 92.54 g in playing trim with the balance at 301 mm. Shaft length on that frame was 220 mm, stiffness a notch over medium. Another 4U, L66 at 28 lb with a shock film and one GP100 Pro, logged 88.8 g and 307 mm, next to an original 80 at 88.6 g and the same 307 mm on EXBOLT 65. Those two weighing methods are not the same job, so I am not averaging them into one "real" 4U weight. Both sit where a head-heavy 4U should. First swings are familiar if you already know the 2021 80. Head weight is there, the long shaft keeps the drive inside a normal amateur budget, and the face does not wobble once you are through the shuttle. What actually changed is the recovery. The shaft comes back faster, the face tells you more clearly where you hit, and residual buzz is lower. On a heavy, fluffy shuttle you can still see the shaft bend. On a fresh shuttle the shuttle is gone before the shaft looks late, which is the complaint I had on the original during full smashes. Clears are easy when you swing on purpose. Direction is honest: a small face change shows up in the landing. Passive lifts and receive-kills still have a useful sweet spot, about even with the original. Flat drives are stable and a touch quicker than the first 80. They are not a speed-frame drive. Net kills and diagonal hooks are where I liked the II more than the original. The face is crisper, so a short whip and a finger change actually leave. It is still an all-round attack racket. It is not an AxForce 100, and it is not a 90 Dragon. If you want one heavy smash to end the rally, those frames still hit harder. If you want a frame you can clear, drop, drive, and finish with, without spending the next point recovering your grip, the 4U II is the one I would keep.
5U
The 5U is the same racket with the free power taken out. My 5U G6, base removed, LT61 Power at 25–27 lb with about 10 percent pre-stretch, plus an overgrip, weighed 83.28 g with the balance at 306 mm. Handle 200 mm, shaft 220 mm. The 29 lb warranty on that frame matches the spec sheet. Two weeks of singles and doubles, mostly doubles. It does not feel hollow the way a cheap 5U does. There is still some head mass, and the shaft is stiff-elastic rather than soft. It also does not loan you power. Clears that would float deep on the 4U sail long or die short if the swing is lazy. Heavy smashes lack the thick, gathering hit of the 4U and of the original 80. Point kills, slice drops, and the next smash after you have already moved are the 5U's actual game: the shuttle leaves quick, the landing is precise, and the racket is back in position before a 4U would be. Flat drives and blocks are the surprise. Among attack frames, this is as tidy a midcourt racket as I have used at this weight. Anti-twist holds up in a long drive exchange. Wrist and forearm fatigue over a doubles night is low. Defence lifts do not travel as far as on the original 5U, because the shaft and frame are firmer and the shuttle leaves earlier. You have to add a little of your own swing. A pure sit-and-block game sends the lift short. Net touch is good enough. It is not a soft control frame. Pushes are excellent. Rolls depend more on the string than on this head. Against the original 80 in 5U, I would take the II for swing speed, crispness, and continuity, and I would take the original if the only job is a heavy smash or a grabbed push that needs the shuttle to sit in the string. That trade is the whole update.
Strings and tension
The frame is not fussy. I liked it on LT61 Power, and it has no argument with EXBOLT 63, EXBOLT 65, BG80, or BG65 Ti. A very dead, mushy durable string throws away the crispness you bought. Stay inside the warranty: 30 lb on a 4U, 29 lb on a 5U. My useful range was 25–28 lb.
Who it is for
Buy the 4U if you liked the original 80 and want the same job with a faster shaft return and a clearer face. Players who found the original a little soft can move over without relearning the racket. Buy the 5U if your swing is complete, you play doubles rear court or a lift-and-kill singles game, and you want the 80's attack shape without a 4U's fatigue. Skip it if you need the racket to supply the smash, if you are still repairing the swing, or if you want a one-shot cannon. The 3U exists, with a slightly heavier swing and a 31 lb cap. I have not hit one, so I am not going to guess how much of the 4U's forgiveness survives the extra mass.
Verdict
AxForce 80 II is a real second generation, not a paint job. Materials, the raised top, and the faster shaft return are on the spec sheet and on the court. The 4U is still the all-round attack racket people meant when they recommended the original. The 5U is a lighter attack frame that asks you to swing. Pick the weight for how you score, then stop looking for a different racket under this name.
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