Background

Wilson has re-launched their legendary Vertex series again this year, being the flagship of Wilson Japan's badminton lines. The headline racket of this prestigious speed series is the Vertex 9000 v2, a 4u speedstick which incorporates their Power Rod 2 shaft/handle tech. This racket represent the very best effort of Wilson's badminton branch - let's see how it stacks up.

Handling

The Vertex 9000 is ultra-manoeuvrable and dexterous in the hand. It has a stiff frame and a cutting head. A true head-light balance. The stiff shaft and small heads means that it has a smaller sweetspot and is relatively unforgiving, but shot quality just feels excellent when the birdie is struck well. This is the most nimble 4u racket I've come across. The Inbata 220 foam handle and the carbon shaft extending to the butt cap (Power Rod 2) lends great feedback and shock absorption.

Control

The stiff frame imparts excellent precision. Net play and control are reasonably easy despite the rigidity, largely due to the head-light balance. Most types of shots are easy to execute in the swinging phase, also due to the well-adjusted head-lightness. However, finishing the shot requires good timing due to the smaller sweetspot.

Speed

The Vertex 9000 is the sharpest and fastest 4u racket I have ever tried.

Power

Surprisingly, I am able to generate faster birdie speeds during smashes than other flagship speedsticks (1000z, Arx-100x) with the Vertex 9000. Extension is also excellent, and the weight of the smashes is average. I am not sure what technology or adjustments Wilson has added to this head-light frame, but the ability the one-shot opponents was truly a pleasant surprise. Other longer strokes such as drives and clears are above average, and again, the Vertex 9000 doesn't eat any of my power despite the balance being towards the handle.

Overall

Wow, Wilson knocked this one out of the park. The Vertex 9000 is my favourite speedstick at the moment, and I can't wait to compare it to the new Li Ning BladeX 900new. This is Wilson's summit racket, and impresses with unrivalled speed and a degree of power play which was entirely unexpected. Some similarities to Victor's HS based on brief comparison. Definitely a racket that must be sampled if you are a speedster.