Yonex Nanoflare 800 Pro Tour Review
Nanoflare 800 Pro is billed as a Pro upgrade of Nanoflare 800 — compare the silhouettes and the link is thin. Wide frame wall made me think Nanoflare 700 in the…
Overview
Nanoflare 800 Pro is billed as a Pro upgrade of Nanoflare 800 — compare the silhouettes and the link is thin. Wide frame wall made me think Nanoflare 700 in the family. Like Nanoflare 1000Z, Yonex could not ignore Nanoflare 700's performance — extract the strongest 700 version. I grouped Nanoflare 700, 1000Z, and Nanoflare 800 Pro for analysis, plus 800 Tour, Game, and even pre-strung Play. Overall feel 4U G5 Nanoflare 800 Pro feels light and agile. At 295 mm balance, head weight is not obvious. 78-hole design — bed pressure clearly higher. Crisp contact obvious regardless of string. Face one full size larger than 1000Z — higher forgiveness. Most obvious: Nanoflare 800 Pro feels soft and delicate to control — net small-ball retract and release especially. Closer than Nanoflare 700 or 1000Z; larger rotation range on support. Same net release action feels smooth on 800 Pro. Control means slice, hold, brush, chop indispensable. Small-force wrap is one thing; large-scale whip with high precision is control's real test. Contact length and clean release without stick — 800 Pro's control upgrade. With higher-friction AeroBite Boost, overall wrap control clearly speed-type positioned, but retractable wrap reaches Arcsaber 11 Pro control level. Offence: point kill very concealed and comfortable — low drag, low swing weight, small flick easy. Less arm and wrist burden — ideal surprise point attacks. Downside: balance point hinders attack. High swing speed sometimes compensates downward angle; mid-court scoring not a big problem. Light head means insufficient overall downforce — lacks overbearing violence to "cover" the ball. Nanoflare 800 Tour Surprisingly easy to kill — better pressure, lower threshold, more amateur-friendly. I also bought Game same series: fluid box frame — swing not as fast as Pro and Tour but stability better, ball more solid. Shaft power transmission slightly inferior — most cost-effective of the line. Pro demands Nanoflare 800 Pro demands overall force consistency — not calm on many passive returns or clears you cannot whip; hard to force power. Not as tolerant as forgiving rackets. Achieved control peak among speed rackets as singles-balanced feel — but positioned doubles racket. Offensive changes not a big breakthrough. Without hard rebound string you may still feel 800 Pro slightly weaker than Nanoflare 700 — consistency and accuracy improved, control of the frame a lot, harder to escape extreme passive environments. Control improvement obvious — more suitable for advanced doubles. I also highly recommend singles control play.
Extended Pro and Tour review (merged source)
After the Nanoflare 1000 series launched, Yonex opened a new branch on the Nanoflare line — hoping to diversify the speed-racket road. The Nanoflare 800 Pro series landed as a market thunderclap; national team men's doubles Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang won the China Masters and reached the World Tour Finals runner-up wielding the Nanoflare 800 PRO. Aesthetics: Matte dark green base paint with blue-green lines at frame top and bottom, plus exposed carbon stripes that shift under varying light. Shaft gradients from matte at the T-joint to glossy at the cone — colour-shifting ink effect, low-key from afar, luminous up close. Measured specs (review units): | Spec | 800 PRO (3U) | 800 TOUR (4U) | |------|--------------|---------------| | T-joint thickness | ~12.79 mm | ~12.91 mm | | Head width | ~12.21 mm | ~12.25 mm | | Strung weight (overgrip, cap on) | 97.2 g | 91.3 g | | Shaft diameter (with paint) | ~6.95 mm | ~6.92 mm | Stringing reference: EXBOLT 63 at 26×28 lb. Both use wide wind-cut frames with relatively large face area, narrowing from T-joint toward the head. Technology: Enhanced Sonic Flare System — high-elastic carbon at frame top and strong, resilient M40X carbon (PRO) at frame bottom, plus copper foil at the frame bottom to raise rebound. Enhanced Rebound String Pattern adds one cross string and tightens spacing for more flat-drive speed. Four models launch — PRO, TOUR, GAME, PLAY — for different levels. First impressions: PRO grip moderate; 3U weight evenly distributed. 4U TOUR lighter head, weight more on frame sides. New string-hole design gives higher bed pressure than usual 76-hole rackets. Both shafts marked hard officially: PRO feels light-elastic with excellent anti-torsion and fast rebound; TOUR slightly tough — same force gives larger shaft bend and better single-shot downward press. Copper foil improves stability and adds metallic hit sound. Speed and defence: Wide frame, astonishing swing speed; light head reduces wrist burden — excellent flat drive. PRO anti-torsion and rebound stay sharp through long rallies. TOUR matches PRO in regular amateur games with more shaft bend and sharper downward angle; in fast high-level rhythm it lags behind PRO on multi-shot links. Defence exceeds expectations for speed rackets — PRO responds fast under fierce attack with smooth next-shot links. Large frame forgiveness boosts counter and placement. PRO light-elastic trait shines on low shots — light block clears the net. Net and offence: Both are touch-and-go light-elastic — fast shuttle speed and fast decay; drops threaten. Hold is weak versus classic Nanoflare — newcomers need short adaptation. PRO elasticity at net needs force control before adapted; TOUR trades some light-elastic feel for slightly better control. One-shot offence is not the headline — fast continuous press and direction still win rallies. Fast shuttle but limited energy transfer — steep decay after the net. Continuous drive or precise placement force errors. Buyers: Nanoflare 800 PRO — series high-end; addictive sweet feel; excellent shaft for high-level play. Light body tests your force generation; one-shot kill is limited but continuous press and speed excel. Budget-rich fast-continuous players; men with solid base choose 3U, lighter players choose 4U. Nanoflare 800 TOUR — closest to PRO in the series; speed and sweet feel match PRO with more flexible body and better downward press. Near half PRO price with far more than half the performance — strong pick if budget stops at PRO. Nanoflare 800 GAME/PLAY — entry models with low threshold and friendly price; taste high-end speed without flagship cost. New Nanoflare 800 Pro beats predecessors in continuity and fast offence but did not break Nanoflare's weak one-shot offence mould — excellent elasticity, sweet feel, and pleasing sound bring a smooth experience. Break force with extreme speed — that is the new Nanoflare 800 Pro series.