Li-Ning Axforce 90 Dragon Max vs Yonex Astrox 100 Tour
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 90 Dragon Max
A head-heavy racket (307 mm balance) with a stiff 6.2 mm shaft, built for players who want a solid, heavy smash with a slightly more stable feel than the Axforce 100. Best for advanced attackers with a full swing.
Full specs →Astrox 100 Tour
A cheaper route into the Astrox 100 family that keeps the head-heavy, stiff character with a slightly more accessible feel and lower price. Good for intermediate attackers who like the 100ZZ concept but are not ready for its price or demands.
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 100 Tour 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 90 Dragon Max is rated to 31 lbs against 28 lbs for Yonex Astrox 100 Tour. That only matters if you string above the mid-20s; see our string tension guide.
- They are pitched at different levels in our database: Li-Ning Axforce 90 Dragon Max as an advanced racket, Yonex Astrox 100 Tour for intermediate players.
- Play style tags differ: Li-Ning Axforce 90 Dragon Max also carries the doubles tag, which Yonex Astrox 100 Tour 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: Carbon fibre (box wing frame) versus HM graphite, Nanomesh Neo, tungsten, Namd; shaft: Carbon fibre, 6.2 mm shaft versus HM graphite (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.
- Yonex Astrox 100 Tour is typically around US$10 cheaper (≈ US$220 against ≈ US$230; prices vary by region).
- Li-Ning Axforce 90 Dragon Max is the newer design (2022 against 2021).
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.