Yonex Astrox 88S Tour Curious Review
Plenty of players still look down on Yonex mid-tier gear, but in my trials Yonex quality has climbed even if prices stay stiff. The Pro / Tour / Game / Play tie…
Overview
Plenty of players still look down on Yonex mid-tier gear, but in my trials Yonex quality has climbed even if prices stay stiff. The Pro / Tour / Game / Play tier split on Astrox was the starting point; Astrox Nextage marked the mid-range push. Rumour says some Taiwan-built frames now use Japan-made shafts — Astrox 99 Tour already felt close to flagship quality to me. This sample belonged to a colleague who had just bought it; I watched him struggle all day and sometimes swap back to his old-colour Astrox 88D Pro. The 68-hole bed is still picky — that part has not changed.
On-court feel
Owner feedback: light on scale but shots feel weak — energy does not reach the head, contact feels vague, rally quality suffers. Credible enough that I quote it: I do not recommend this for beginners regardless of budget. When I tried it I had form and experience on my side. Agility is very high — swing weight feels lower than same-spec 88S Pro, so net rush is fast. In doubles up front you can cheat aggressively on net spins when focused. Above-net blocks, kills, and pushes stay simple — flexibility is the win. On flat drives the 68-hole sweet spot problem remains — right place, wrong centre, quality drops; rhythm rises and mishits multiply. Same for Tour: watch the sweet spot on finger/wrist flicks. Cap is not heavily trimmed though — backhand drive feels good; Tour flat-drive is not worse than Pro to me. Under pressure, lift defence is normal; lift reply is harder — light head needs active input low; miss the sweet spot and it hurts. Weak backhand technique shows up as mid-court lobs. Surprise plus: rear-court scoring when you must — not a bomb frame, so pure smashers can pass. With good mechanics, penetration matches 88S Pro — sweet-spot hits are fast, and agility enables sneaky attacks. Shaft feedback runs firm; full swings through the sweet spot do not feel dead. Astrox 88S Tour feels lighter than 88S Pro — not a simple high/low pair; Tour has its own fun.
Verdict
Borrowed from our team captain’s new stick — I meant to criticise after recent 88S Pro time, but I was too quick to judge. Tour’s problem is still price: fun, but 600+ RMB in retail will not satisfy most advancing players.