Li-Ning Axforce 100 vs Yonex Astrox 100ZZ
Two head-heavy rackets from Li-Ning and Yonex, lined up spec by spec from the makers' published figures. Rows marked in red are where they differ; the notes underneath say what each difference means on court.
Axforce 100
Li-Ning's flagship attacking racket: head-heavy, stiff and strung up to 31 lbs, with a thin 6.0 mm shaft that gives a sharp, direct feel. It is for strong advanced and professional players; club players usually find it hard work.
Full specs →Astrox 100ZZ
A very stiff, very slim-shafted attacking racket that rewards precise, fast technique with sharp smashes and accurate placement. It is one of the least forgiving rackets Yonex sells and is best left to advanced and professional players.
Full specs →Where they differ
- Both are head-heavy frames, so the basic feel on the swing is similar and the differences below are what separate them.
- Yonex Astrox 100ZZ has the stiffer shaft (extra-stiff against stiff). A stiffer shaft gives more control and a faster recovery for players with a quick swing; a softer one stores more energy for players who need help generating pace.
- Li-Ning Axforce 100 is rated to 30 lbs against 29 lbs for Yonex Astrox 100ZZ. That only matters if you string above the mid-20s; see our string tension guide.
- Play style tags differ: Yonex Astrox 100ZZ also carries the control tag, which Li-Ning Axforce 100 does not. The tags come from the maker's positioning and the balance and flex above, not from our own play-testing.
- The materials listed by the makers differ (frame: T1100 carbon fibre (Dynamic Optimum frame) versus HM graphite, Namd graphite, tungsten, Black Micro Core, Nanometric; shaft: M50/M40 carbon, 6.0 mm shaft versus HM graphite, Namd (hyper slim shaft)). Material names are marketing terms as much as engineering ones, so treat them as a tie-breaker rather than a reason to choose.
- Li-Ning Axforce 100 is typically around US$55 cheaper (≈ US$240 against ≈ US$295; prices vary by region).
- Li-Ning Axforce 100 is the newer design (2022 against 2020).
Balance, flex, weights, grips, tension and materials come from the manufacturers' published specifications; the level, play-style tags and typical prices are our own database fields and are labelled as such. We do not rate rackets we have not measured. Shaft flex and balance are the makers' own categories, so compare them within a brand with more confidence than across brands. Our head-heavy vs head-light guide and string tension guide explain what the categories mean on court.
Specifications side by side
Rows with a red mark are where the two rackets differ. Open in the comparison tool to swap either racket for another.