The brand new Yonex Nanoflare 700 Game is one of Yonex’s major releases this year, aimed at intermediate players looking for a blend of speed and control.
After putting in 10 hours of court time with this racket, I’m excited to share my insights.
If you’re not familiar with Yonex’s badminton racket lineup, the Nanoflare series is categorized as a fast and head light racket. This makes them particularly popular among doubles players who prioritize quick reactions and defensive play. But this often comes at the cost of raw power compared to more head-heavy options.
The Nanoflare 700 is marketed as a fast racket that still delivers solid clears, which has been a challenge for me when under pressure.
This piqued my curiosity about whether I should finally consider switching from my all-around Arcsaber 11 Play to this model.
Interestingly, Yonex categorizes this Game edition as ‘hi-flex,’ a designation usually associated with beginner rackets rather than intermediates.
This made me hesitant; I found myself going back and forth on whether to opt for the more expensive Tour or Pro versions, which are classified as medium flexible—which is typically more aligned with my playing style.
Ultimately, I decided on the Game edition for two reasons.
First, I trust that Yonex knows what they’re doing. Second, if I’m uncertain about this racket as an intermediate player, you might be too… So let’s clear this up once and for all.
I bought this racket with my own money to give you an unbiased review, and I got it strung with my usual Yonex BG80 string at 10.5 KG in tension to maintain consistency throughout my testing.
Table of Contents
The Yonex Nanoflare 700 Game review
Let’s dive in, starting with net game.
Net play
When it comes to net shots, the Nanoflare 700 Game requires extra focus and precision. The light head weight provides enhanced control, allowing for delicate touches at the net.
But it also demands a bit more whip to send the shuttle back over without adding too much air, which can lead to easy kills from your opponent if you’re not careful. I found that while I could do tight net shots, the extra control forced me to be extra focused on adding more power.
Midcourt and Defense
Moving on to midcourt play, I found that soft shots required more whip and power than I was used to.
In doubles games where quick reflexes are necessary, I found soft drop shots from the midcourt tricky since you’re moving fast but still have to keep a light touch to avoid giving the shuttle too much air.
If you can manage it, you’ll have more control, but since this racket is so head light it’s difficult to combine the two when things are going fast. This is particularly tricky since many of us intermediate players struggle to generate enough power with a short swing when shuttles are flying fast.
Despite all of this, the Nanoflare 700 felt super fast in defense. Coming from a slightly slower all around racket like my Arcsaber 11 Play, it seemed to move quicker than I was expecting.
I found myself blocking and returning several attacking shots that caught me off guard and I wasn’t expecting to return because of its speed. That extended my rallies as my returns could feed off of the speed from the attacking shot (like a power smash).
Power
Now let’s talk about power—the stuff we all want to know. If you recall, its marketing suggests that it’s good for clears.
It felt decent during easy rallies and warm up, but I found myself struggling with backline-to-backline clears when I was under pressure. I don’t remember having tested another badminton racket as head light as this one, so it’s possible that this could be even more difficult but for an intermediate player like me with mediocre technique, it wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.
Since there’s little help with power on the 700 Game, anticipation and positioning on the court becomes more important in order to produce the power with your technique.
You need to be quick on your feet to get in position if your stroke technique isn’t solid, which it often isn’t for many of us intermediates. There were moments when I felt rushed into making shots due to the speed of play, which led to less-than-ideal contact with the shuttle.
POSITIVE
It feels crazy fast and fun in defense!
NEGATIVE
Power was difficult when under pressure, including clears.
The Verdict
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Yonex Nanoflare 700 Game: the verdict
Summary + the beasty score
While I did manage to return attacking shots that caught me off guard with this racket, I needed to play more intelligently due to lack of power as I often found myself in situations where I knew if I attempted to clear it would only reach toward the back of the midcourt and offer an easy attack for decent opponent.
I don’t mind this as I love defending, but in doubles, my opponents often realize this quickly and target my partner who might not enjoy it as much.
This challenge also makes it a difficult racket to use for singles players at the intermediate level. During my half-court singles games, I found myself needing to switch rackets halfway through because of its limitations in power when I was under pressure.
If I couldn’t get the racket towards the rear court, my opponent would eventually just play there and wait for me at their front court, ready to deliver the final knockout blow.
Yonex Nanoflare 700 Game specifications
| Flex | Hi flex |
| Balance Point | Head light |
| Weight / Grip | 4U G5 |
Best player types for Yonex Nanoflare 700 Game
To get power out of this racket when you’re under pressure, you’ll need good technique. At that point, you’ll likely prefer a stiffer racket anyway, so I’m struggling to see the Yonex Nanoflare 700 Game as an obvious recommendation for most intermediate players.
Based on my experience, it seems best suited for low-intermediate or beginner players. It felt far too flexible for me, to the point where even my somewhat flexible Arcsaber 11 Play felt stiffer than the Nanoflare 700.
Perhaps they can get away with this flexibility because it is so head light, but I doubt mid-upper intermediate players will like it.
I guess the Nanoflare 700 Game could suit front-court doubles players who want something faster and less stiff than the Astrox 88S Game. It’s also a good racket for beginners or low-intermediate players who prioritize speed over power. In fact, I suspect my girlfriend would enjoy using this racket as she often gets fatigued with head heavier and more powerful rackets.
Comparing it to other models like my usual Arcsaber 11 Play, that one feels easier to use in terms of power, but sacrifices some defensive speed (as an example to illustrate my point, imagine you gain 25% extra power but lose 15% in defense speed).
