The Victor Thruster Ryuga 3 badminton racket arrives as the fifth generation of Victor’s Ryuga bloodline, introducing structural updates including Free Core 2.0 handle technology and a revised aerodynamic frame shape, according to product reviews from equipment analysts at ckyew.com.
Equipment reviewers note that this iteration represents a genuine design shift away from earlier iterations, blending high-end aesthetics with technical adjustments aimed at mitigating historical drawbacks found in synthetic handle designs.
Aesthetics and Design Features of the Ryuga 3
According to equipment reviews from ckyew.com, the Victor Thruster Ryuga 3 features a predominantly pink and magenta colorway. The T-joint incorporates split branding, displaying the Victor logo on one side and the Ryuga logo on the reverse.
A standout visual detail sits on the racket’s butt cap, which utilizes a 3D effect. When tilted in one direction, the cap displays the Victor logo, and when tilted the other way, it shifts to display the Ryuga logo.
Technical Specifications and Free Core 2.0 Integration
Under the hood, the racket introduces Victor’s second generation of non-wood, plastic handle technology known as Free Core 2.0, as reported by ckyew.com. Historically, Free Core handles made rackets easier and more enjoyable to play with, but they occasionally suffered from a softer, more damped feel and a loss of torsional stiffness that made the handle feel twisty. Traditional stiff responses required pairing a racket with a wooden handle, which separated models like the Ryuga 2 and Ryuga 2 Pro from their wooden-handled counterparts.
The Free Core 2.0 system in the Ryuga 3 aims to resolve these historical weaknesses by providing a more solid feel during play. The frame features a twisted style running from the 4 o’clock to the 8 o’clock region, drawing a direct line from the Dynamic Hex frame concept seen on the Drive X 9.
Swingweight and On-Court Performance
The tested model utilizes a 4U G5 specification, rated for string tensions up to 32 lbs on the 4U frame, and was strung with Yonex Aerobite at 27 lbs x 29 lbs during testing, according to ckyew.com. The bare handle records a balance point of 331mm, marking the highest balance point recorded for a Victor racket so far.
Adding a single layer of grip reduces the balance point to 315mm. Further grip additions bring the balance point down to 303mm while keeping the swingweight number relatively stable, indicating that the head carries real mass rather than relying purely on grip weight adjustments. Reviewers note that the Ryuga 3 emerges with lower swingweight numbers compared to the Ryuga Metallic, making it less physically demanding to wield despite its heavy-head design.
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