Victor Auraspeed HS Plus: the speed racket that turned into a smash weapon
Victor's hardest shaft in a small aero frame: specs, WES 3.0 construction, on-court character across every phase, and where the Auraspeed badge misleads.
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Overview
Victor Auraspeed HS Plus is the Hypersonic successor that stopped pretending to be a soft speed racket. WES 3.0, a stiffer shaft, Free Core, and a small aero head turn it into a doubles rear-court weapon that still swings fast. I treat it as a flagship Auraspeed, not a gentle Hypersonic refresh. That reframing matters before you buy. The Auraspeed badge has historically meant approachable speed — light, forgiving, easy to keep swinging. HS Plus keeps the swing speed and throws out the forgiveness, and buyers who order it expecting the old Auraspeed character are the ones who end up disappointed.
Construction and shaft technology
Three things define how this racket behaves, and none of them is head weight. The shaft is the headline. Victor's whip enhancement system in its third revision bends hard, snaps fast, and stays more stable than the wilder older whip setups the brand used to ship. At 6.8 mm it is not an unusually thin shaft, and it is the hardest one currently in Victor's lineup — harder than the Hypersonic it replaces, harder than the 100X SE, and the reason the entry threshold on this frame is genuinely high. The frame is a dynamic aero profile with a small head and thin, sharply cut side geometry. That is what keeps the swing quick despite a swing weight that is not especially low, and it is also what shrinks the sweet spot. Free Core is the handle system, and it ships with the cone cap separate from the handle. The upside is fit flexibility for anyone who finds standard Victor handles chunky. The downside is that fitting the cap properly is fiddlier than simply adding a towel grip, and it is worth doing at a shop.
On court
Swing speed can approach old Auraspeed 90S aero manners even when swing weight is not light. Shaft response is quick on takeback and brake — early sessions I mishit the small head more than I wanted until timing caught up. Once centred, the bed is hard-spring and direct; flat drive and mid-court exchanges feel like the racket arrives with your hands. WES 3.0 bends hard, snaps fast, and stays more stable than wilder older whip setups. Full smash gets a sharp downward angle from shaft whip more than from extreme head weight — easy to forget the near-even balance. Penetration is real for a speed frame; this is not old Hypersonic HS. Frame manners split for me: upper third holds for net spin when centred; lower face stays crisp on cuts and taps. Hard flat players can over-bounce on backhand push if they load the soft upper zone carelessly. Versus Jetspeed 10: similar small-sweet demand, a decade of tech between them, HS Plus more stable after the swing but still punishing off-centre. Defence is the weakest phase and deserves a plain warning. Off the sweet spot the smaller frame gives back noticeably less than a conventional speed racket, so passive blocks that would sit safely on a larger head drop short here. Driving the shuttle rather than absorbing it works far better, but that is a habit measured in weeks, not sessions.
Versus Auraspeed 90K Metallic
90K Metallic usually feels harder in the frame with a wood handle and higher swing weight; HS Plus shows clearer WES 3.0 whip and Free Core manners. 90K Metallic wins torsion and point accuracy for me; HS Plus wins swing quickness and doubles mid-court tempo. I point singles-minded control players toward 90K Metallic and aggressive doubles rear-court players toward HS Plus — neither rule is absolute. Against Victor's own older speed frames the pattern is consistent: HS Plus is the hardened version. Set beside the Hayabusa SE it has a harder shaft, faster output and more rigid feedback, and it smashes better than both the Hayabusa SE and the Brave Sword 12. Set beside the 100X SE it asks for meaningfully more active force before it gives anything back.
Stringing
The frame is already crisp and the shaft is already hard, so the usual instinct to string high in search of more bite is the wrong lever. VBS-63 near 28 lb is the setup that comes up most often and suits the racket's character, but anyone still learning the sweet spot will get more from the mid-twenties and a livelier thin string, which buys back a little of the forgiveness the head shape takes away.
Limits
Small head, high demand, arm tax late in matches. Passive defence needs adaptation; mishits rise until the sweet spot is automatic. Singles is possible with power and stamina, but the frame rewards doubles pressure more honestly. The arm cost is the part to price in properly. A hard shaft that only pays out when you drive it means the third game is where this racket stops flattering you, and that is exactly when club matches are decided.
Who should buy it
Advanced doubles players who spend real time in the rear court and want a speed frame that still threatens, and singles or mixed players with the power to load a hard shaft consistently. It suits anyone moving up from a Hypersonic or a Hayabusa SE who found those frames a little soft under a full swing. Skip it if this is your first speed racket, if your defence is mostly passive, or if you want Auraspeed forgiveness — the badge is the same and the racket is not.
Verdict
HS Plus is a speed racket for players who still want a threatening rear-court shot. Buy it if you can centre a small head and load a stiff shaft. Skip it if you want Hypersonic forgiveness or easy clears.
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