Li-Ning Bladex 800 Speed: the tough-elastic answer to Yonex and Victor
Most speed rackets fire crisp-elastic. Bladex 800 Speed deliberately does not — and that may be exactly the racket you are missing.
Overview
Auraspeed 99 and Bladex 800 Speed launched close together. I bought both at first release — same delivery day. Both are large-head speed frames, so I planned a side-by-side. After hitting, Auraspeed 99 does not feel like a doubles speed racket at all. Shaft and frame are very stiff — stiffer than Auraspeed 90K Metallic — with noticeable swing weight and a brutal entry bar. Rivals should be frames like Astrox 88D Pro, AxForce 90 Long, Black Dragon Tooth: single offensive rackets at the same force threshold. Original Taiwan-made 90K is still unforgettable — speed and offence in perfect balance, strongest back-court attack among large-head doubles speed rackets. Alloy carbon fibre on Auraspeed 90K Metallic and 99 raised the bar hard, shifting the line from offensive speed to speed-type offence better suited to singles. Bladex 800 Speed adds M46X carbon to the frame — same design logic as alloy on Auraspeed 90K Metallic and 99: rigidity for control precision and stability. Difference: 800 Speed did not lose much elasticity or add head weight from M46X, so entry is clearly lower than Auraspeed 90K Metallic and 99, though it lacks their crisp, decisive offence. vs Bladex 800 New For review I rebought 4U G5 800 New — one of only two three-star rackets in my collection (the other is Astrox 100X Ultra). Standards may be high. When I first got 800 New I had just finished 1000Z alongside Arcsaber 100X SE, Nanoflare 800 Pro, and Nanoflare 800 LT — all high level, stiff shafts, fast ball speed, excellent direction. Switching to 800 New felt like a cliff drop. Shaft is relatively soft. Yuanshi machine data: 800 New hardness 8.58 — softest among tested premium speed rackets. Among the slowest, least precise, weakest back-court speed frames I have used. Beginners or average power may love it; that is not what I want from a high-level speed racket. Bladex 800 Speed hardness 7.83 — big jump from beginner-friendly 800 New to advanced speed, with gains in ball speed, precision, and back-court attack. M46X in the frame lifts torsion resistance and stability too. Yuanshi: 800 New torsion ~23; 800 Speed 18.72 — only tested speed racket under 20, even better than 99 Pro Gen 2's 19.87. Identical frame shape and head size — both large-head wind-cut. My 4U G6 800 Speed: 85.2 g bare, 90.8 g strung with shrink wrap and overgrip, balance 299 mm. My 4U G5 800 New: 84 g bare, 89.3 g strung after cap removal, balance 297 mm. Both 26–28 lb N65. My 800 Speed is 1.2 g heavier bare with 3–4 mm higher default balance — swing slightly slower than 800 New. Equal bare weight and the gap would be tiny — normal wind-cut speed territory. Simply put: 800 Speed stiffer shaft, higher entry — solid fundamentals required. 800 New softer, easier for average amateurs. Happy with 800 New and no complaints? Your power level likely will not match 800 Speed. Think before trying. I bought 4U G6 and 3U G5 800 Speed. 3U G5 suits cap removal: bare 89 g, 91.4 g strung after cap removal with overgrip, balance 302 mm vs 4U G6 at 90.8 g and 299 mm without cap removal. Swing weight gap is not huge — 3U is not heavy and may swing lighter than some 4U offensive frames. Tested both in singles, mixed, and doubles. 3U: more swing weight, solider back court, easier clears and drops, clearly better full smashes than 4U. 4U: faster, more agile at net — better flat drives, rush-push-kill, point smashes, defence, passive recovery. Used to 4U speed in doubles, 3U is manageable but not optimal — I only use 3U for singles or mixed. vs Arcsaber 100X SE Bare 84.5 g, playing 89.6 g, balance 302 mm. Head sizes almost identical wind-cut shapes. 800 Speed frame slightly thinner — swing a bit faster. Arcsaber 100X SE is balanced overall: sharp front court plus relatively solid back-court attack among speed rackets (vs regular 100X), stable control, top-tier counterattack. One of two T0 speed rackets in my mind — the other is Nanoflare 1000Z. Arcsaber 100X SE is not speed-first; it diverges from designs like Hypersonic, Nanoflare 800 Pro, Halbertec 9000 New, Shadow Blade that push extreme wind-cut or ultra-thin frames. Thicker frame means solider contact; control ranks among the best large-head speed rackets. Harder shaft than regular 100X with higher flex point — crisper, more transparent transfer, stronger back court. Regular 100X smashes can feel floaty with fast tail decay; Arcsaber 100X SE lands solid with slower decay, likely because the stiff shaft supports late rebound. 800 Speed shaft is also very stiff. No public Arcsaber 100X SE machine data — by feel Arcsaber 100X SE plays harder than 800 Speed. Arcsaber 100X SE is standard crisp-elastic: shuttle leaves fast, small shaft deflection, weak dwell. 800 Speed is resilient-elastic with store-and-release — slightly slower but more wrap, stability, damping. I wonder if Li-Ning launched 800 Speed and 800 Power to target Astrox 88S Pro and 88D Pro. 800 Speed is a speed racket; 88S Pro is balanced — but doubles positioning and design feel similar: add dwell for control, emphasise front-court organisation and precise placement rather than extreme swing or ball speed. Counter-mainstream and quite fresh. Among crisp speed rackets Arcsaber 100X SE control is good; versus resilient 800 Speed it falls slightly short. 800 Speed has a deflection phase but still feels fairly crisp — not obvious 88S Pro dwell. Pursues control without sacrificing too much hardness: hard with resilience, excellent direction during elastic release. vs Nanoflare 800 Pro Bare 85.5 g, 89.7 g after cap removal, balance 301 mm. Similar head size and wind-cut shape; 800 Pro's sharper wind-cut angles and edges make swing slightly faster at similar bare weight. Almost tailor-made for fast doubles: wide wing wind-cut frame, obvious drag reduction, 78-hole bed (one extra cross vs 76), higher string bed pressure, copper foil at frame bottom for rigidity and stability. Extremely crisp-elastic — shuttle leaves instantly, solid contact, no floaty smashes. Downsides: weak dwell, weaker control and precise placement — not ideal for control-heavy drop-and-drag play. Light head — harder to borrow head weight on downward shots, needs more wrist. 800 Pro has extreme ball speed, excellent shaft snap, top defence and passive play. But Arcsaber 100X SE has more precise placement and more penetrating counterattack. Biggest difference: ball speed and feedback type. 800 Speed resilient — less instant, slightly more dwell, softer control feel, placement-focused smashes. Not especially fast or heavy but very precise. 800 Pro crisp — faster, higher bed pressure, faster swing, more agile front court, aggressive flat drives and rush attacks, speed-based smashes. 800 Speed's stronger dwell gives better stability and direction — superior on delicate net shots and drop control, lower error rate for placement-and-rhythm players. 800 Pro faster in chains, more aggressive flat drives, better shaft snap, slightly better defence and passive escape — suited to fast-attack doubles. Entry barriers for 800 Speed, Arcsaber 100X SE, and 800 Pro are similar — mid-high among speed rackets, clearly above soft-shaft frames like 800 New and Nanoflare 700 Pro, but below ultra-stiff small-head egg-frame Hypersonic and far below the nearly non-assisting, extremely stiff Auraspeed 99. vs Nanoflare 700 Pro 4U G5 bare 83.6 g, 88.7 g after cap removal, balance 299 mm. Similar head size and wind-cut shape; 700 Pro's sharper wind-cut makes swing clearly faster despite lower bare weight and balance. Clearly defence-stronger, front-court-leaning — softer shaft than 800 Speed but crisper feel, less dwell, weaker control versus 800 Speed. Light head, fast swing, better flat drives and rush at net, easier defence. Weaker full smash threat, better point smashes. Entry barriers differ greatly: 700 Pro is beginner-friendly, popular with female players. 800 Speed is like a balanced racket among speed rackets — no single extreme stat, but rare for combining speed and control. Crisp vs resilient feel Crisp speed rackets give direct feedback, short dwell, small shaft deflection, efficient power transfer. Even imperfect concentration converts swing to speed for a "brick flying" effect. 800 Speed adds store-deflect-release — larger deflection, slower recovery, wrap during loading for finer control and longer elastic release. Small force can still produce good snap. Quality snap depends on swing speed and concentration; insufficient speed or focus may feel soft or hard to borrow power. That is technique, not a racket flaw — similar to 88S Pro. Not instantly easy; needs break-in to find optimal force, then opens a new world. The biggest gap between resilient and crisp speed rackets.
Standalone Bladex 800 Speed launch notes (merged)
After AxForce 90 New and Halbertec 9000 Power landed well, Bladex 800 Speed and Power arrived as the third generation of the 800 line. I waited from the September preview until the Speed version finally shipped in March — worth the delay. Looks: pure black with storm-blue and laser silver lines — abstract butterfly motif, fish-mouth cap, lake-blue T-joint logo. Deliberately low-key versus older colourful Bladex paint; the blue-gold shaft lettering is the highlight. First sessions: M46X carbon in the frame makes 800 Speed clearly harder and springier than 800 New while keeping the same 6.8 mm shaft diameter and old 800-grade stiffness without old 800 head weight. Integration and torsion resistance stood out after two weeks — no frame-shaft split, truly point-and-shoot. Pair with moderately soft, high-rep string if you want less arm shock. Takeaway: light swing weight, stiff shaft, excellent anti-torsion, hard-springy speed racket — high entry bar, best for players who already drive stiff speed frames cleanly.