Yonex Astrox 99 3rd Gen Pro vs Tour vs Game vs Play - Badminton Racket Review & Comparison
- CKYew
- 19 minutes ago
- 4 min read
The 3rd generation of the Yonex Astrox 99 series is here - Astrox 99 Pro, Tour, Game and Play! Four identical-looking rackets at four different price points. Here is my comparison of all four models, let's go!
The Pro is the highest-end racket, followed by the Tour, Game, then Play. I've already done an in-depth review dedicated to the 3rd generation Astrox 99 Pro here, so be sure to check that one out first if you haven't already! Also, the Pro racket is produced in Japan, Tour and Game in Taiwan, and the 99 Play, coming from China.
Similarities & Differences Between The 3rd Generation Astrox 99 Pro, Tour, Game & Play Badminton Rackets
These 3rd generation Astrox 99 rackets have inherited a lot of Yonex’s latest technologies from their racket development, and amongst themselves, they get trickle-down materials and technology too.
However, with each release of new rackets, the similarities between each variant seems to get closer. So close that even the measured specs are almost identical! For example, every single measurement for the Pro, Tour and Game rackets are identical from the shaft diameter, shaft length, frame height, frame width, recessed frame area, and handle length. Completely indentical!
The only minor difference was the frame thickness, where the Pro came in at 9.8mm and the Tour and Game models at 10mm, which is very minimal. The Play is a much more basic racket where its specs are just a bit below the 3 higher-end models.
So if they all measure the same, what’s the difference then?
Well, it’s always down to the materials and production technique. Higher-end materials and production techniques will often yield a better-feeling product. So for the Tour, the immediate difference lies within the shaft material and using CSR (Core Shell Rubber) instead of CFR (Carbon Fibre Rubber), which is found on the Pro racket.
The Game version is then another small step down, where it doesn’t have the second-generation NAMD material, and its stiffness is also tuned down towards a more medium feel instead. The Play racket then ends up with none of the premium racket material, as well as a normal cone cap too.
So, how do they all play?
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Playing Feel & Performance Of 3rd Generation Astrox 99 Pro, Tour, Game & Play Badminton Rackets
All the testing models here are in 4U except the Astrox 99 Tour, which was only available in 3U to test. I also had all the rackets strung with my usual setup of Yonex Aerobite (UK here) at 27 lbs x 29 lbs. Now onto the playing performance!
To recap, the Astrox 99 Pro is incredibly head-heavy and not the easiest racket to handle. Anything that comes from up top in a downwards direction is super fun, but bringing it up there isn't, and most of us might struggle to generate enough racket head speed to maximise this beast.
But if we look at the Tour - very nice and very smooth! It's heavy overall, and not only just in the head. For me, the Tour in 3U felt a lot better balanced compared to Pro in 4U, which was just incredibly head-heavy!
I enjoyed this Astrox 99 Tour a lot more than usual compared to the other Tour rackets, probably because it was better balanced. I was able to easily generate a lot of power without feeling slowed down by the racket head. So it was a very pleasant surprise!
When I moved onto the Astrox 99 Game, it felt whippy and actually a lot head-lighter or even balanced when compared to the Tour or Pro. It felt good in terms of the overall swing weight, and it actually felt fast and smooth. close to the Tour.
However, when we look at the swing weight numbers, it's still very clear that this is a head-heavy racket. But ONLY when compared to the Pro and 3U Tour, it does feel much more gentle with the head weight.
The more flexible Astrox 99 Game also made things a little easier to play with, so I certainly recommend this for anyone who’s looking for the head-heavy, power-based racket but still wants a bit of flexibility with most of the features from the current generation Astrox 99 Pro.
Lastly, the Astrox 99 Play. I quite enjoyed playing with the 99 Play because it felt pretty fast compared to the Pro and Tour racket. It clearly lacks all the nice bells and whistles that the higher-end rackets have and felt quite one-dimensional in terms of its racket response, but that’s to be expected keeping in mind of its cost.
It also comes strung, but with a very basic string, so I would thoroughly recommend you get a fresh restring on it because it’s much nicer if you have a good string on the racket. No issues with any area of gameplay at all - really, very happy to recommend this if you’re looking for something slightly head-heavy and within your budget!
If you want to get any of these rackets, you can get them from Central Sports. Don't forget to use my code 'CKYEW' for extra discounts, let me know if you have any other questions and I'll see you in the next one!