fake yonex with lasered serial numbers?

[bigredlemon]

It seems to me that the most common way of determining wheher a yonex is fake or not is to look at the serial number: mainly whether it is lasered or silk screened. I've heard from a friend of a friend that many counterfeiters have recently (this year) gotten their hands on laser etching machinery. They are currently using it produce high-profit fakes right now, like computer chips and ram. No doubt they will move on to yonex racquets too, soon.

I'm currently in China right now, and actively looking for fake yonex racquets. So far i've only seen fakes with silk screened serials, and identical to the real in all other respects. (so far as i could tell, since they asked me to leave after i stared at the fake for too long.)

anyways keep in mind that a laser-ed serial number isn't absolute proof of authenticity anymore. (i've seen the fake ram myself and it shouldn't be hard to point the laser at a racquet instead of a chip.)

[jkusmanto]

Well,
It seems that Yonex can't get a way from his 'thief'.
I am sure that the 'best fake' Yonex racket has already launched.
So people, be carefull.
To be sure you get a real one, go to the Yonex dealer.

[bluejeff]

Exactly, people should go to Yonex stores only.

I would only go to Yonex dealers or stores with great reputations for now.

[Aquarian]

I bought a yonex NS8k (bar code 5431096 100352GR) from a guy who was selling it cos he had another. Laser number, design, everything is in shape and you can't say it's a fake. I also found out that there are more than one racket with that serial number. But the icing on the cake was today when I found an NS8k at Sport Experts today exactly like my racket, bearing the same serial and date codes! Any opinion guys?

[Aquarian]

correction: I mistyped the serial number. It's 5430196.

[cooler]

I bought a yonex NS8k (bar code 5431096 100352GR) from a guy who was selling it cos he had another. Laser number, design, everything is in shape and you can't say it's a fake. I also found out that there are more than one racket with that serial number. But the icing on the cake was today when I found an NS8k at Sport Experts today exactly like my racket, bearing the same serial and date codes! Any opinion guys?

2 legit rackets dont have same serial number.

[SaintDragon]

they can have the same numbers on the cone though

[Linus]

they can have the same numbers on the cone though

The number on the cone is the Production Date + Distribution Code. Since rackets are produced in batches, they can share one same production date.

But the number on the shaft is individual serial numbering, so NO 2 rackets share a same serial number.

[the_oro]

yup, first hand experience shows that fake rackets can have engraved serial numbers. i bought an mp100 on ebay (i'm so stupid) and the serial number was just about the only thing right with it. so preformed the only sure fire method i know to make sure it was really fake, by finding the t-joint and sure enough it wasn't there.

[johnnytanki]

can u explain what u mean by finding the T joint? i would luv to know how to identify a fake yonex too. thank

[LazyBuddy]

can u explain what u mean by finding the T joint? i would luv to know how to identify a fake yonex too. thank

Unless you have x-ray eyes, I doubt you can identify the t-joint. :p

[the_oro]

it was pretty drastic, it's probably a better idea not to do what i did. my resolve when finding it was 'ok, i'm not playing with it anyways because i'm confidant that it's fake' so i took a hatchet and cut through where the frame meets the shaft

[DarthHowie]

it was pretty drastic, it's probably a better idea not to do what i did. my resolve when finding it was 'ok, i'm not playing with it anyways because i'm confidant that it's fake' so i took a hatchet and cut through where the frame meets the shaft

and imagine the sight if it did have a t-joint...

I'm not sure if this is true but i saw a club member knock/tap where the T-Joint would be on the racket.. he says that a fake would make a different sound compared to one with a T-Joint (which he had on hand)...he even had two cut up as a comparison.

[LazyBuddy]

Regardless whatever verification method, the well made fakes are harder and harder to be identified these days, especially if you don't have a real one (same model) right next to it, to do a head-to-head comparision. :(

The safer approach is to shop from reputable stores/retailers. The price might not be that attractive than some "too good to be true" ebay deals, but you are paying what you get.

[johnnytanki]

Thanks for all the explanation.!

[cooler]

Regardless whatever verification method, the well made fakes are harder and harder to be identified these days, especially if you don't have a real one (same model) right next to it, to do a head-to-head comparision. :(

The safer approach is to shop from reputable stores/retailers. The price might not be that attractive than some "too good to be true" ebay deals, but you are paying what you get.

or even worse, paying for what you don't get;)

[CoolDoo6]

or even worse, paying for what you don't get;)

Or worst than that. You could get what you paid for, and what you paid for isn't what you are buying for. Then when you ask for a refund, ebay will send you round in circles, finally they will demand you get a proof from yonex that they didn't make your fake racket. When you present the proof, they will say ahhh the proof didn't arrive within the 10 day (including weekend days and public holidays) deadline that was set.

The best thing to do is not buy from ebay, because sooner or later it's going to cost you a lot of money and hassle.

[Barca]

Regardless whatever verification method, the well made fakes are harder and harder to be identified these days, especially if you don't have a real one (same model) right next to it, to do a head-to-head comparision. :(

I'm just wondering how similar is the fake as compared to the real one in terms of look. Has anyone seen a fake which look exactly like the real one or at least very similar?

[CoolDoo6]

I'm just wondering how similar is the fake as compared to the real one in terms of look. Has anyone seen a fake which look exactly like the real one or at least very similar?

Fakes look close enough to the original to fool most people. They are also very easy to spot by the experienced eye - cheap grommets, bad logo at the t-joint, painted over serial (engraved through mould rather than by laser) on the cone, etc, etc. Fakes also perform differently. In the case of fake NS8k's used by a couple my fellow club members, the rackets were extra head heavy and had superior power to the real NS8k.

The question arises that: would you want to be told you are using a fake if you were but didn't know you were ? Also if you see others using fakes that they believed to be non-fake, do you have the heart to tell them ? MY personal policy is not say a thing.

[DivingBirdie]

can you perhaps post a pic and teach us how to spot the differences in the grommets

[CoolDoo6]

Yonex grommets are precisely moulded. Grommets on fakes often have bits of plastic hanging off the end. Every thing on fakes screem out: this is cheap, and funnily enough they often can be bought at a cheap price.

[Matt]

DivingBirdie,

Just go to an authorized store and look at the real thing. Then when you look at a counterfeit, it speaks for itself.

It's bascially reconizing what a racket looks ike.

Some people have claimed and they have seen "pefect" countefeit rackets and showed it on the forum - When a few members such as myself look at it, it is an instant give away from looking at it within seconds. Then they start questioning why - The answer is, have they actually looked at the real thing? None of them are "perfect".

[m_hael99]

Yeah..i agree with Matt..I just bought myself a NS9000x that really fooled me for the past few days until i removed that stupid hologram yonex sticker which covers part of the buttcap serial numbers. It looks good, feels good, laser serial engraving and the PBSI logo looks real. The biggest give away is the production dates. Mine is 206348SP -__- and upon closer inspection, my fake NS9000x is dark purple instead of dark blue.

[Matt]

the color of the NS9K has looks more purple than blue, depending how rackert is being looked at.

[February]

Do TH versions of Yonex rackets have a country initial engraved in front of the handle?

How the 1341312SP version has the bold "SP" in front.

[silentheart]

Do TH versions of Yonex rackets have a country initial engraved in front of the handle?

How the 1341312SP version has the bold "SP" in front.
1) no
2) the sp with that cone code is a fake.
3) some sp coded racquet do have sp "printed" on the shaft in front of the cone.

[Smichz]

This is not a new thing.The lasered serial exists in china market for around 3 years already.Like i said in some other threads b4..in china,there r many kinds of racket.The poor ones,even the colours is not the same,the weight n the stiffness is poor as well.Serial number r just paint printed.The good ones,it looks exactly the same like the genuine one.So does the weight n stiffness.Can hold up to 24 lbs.Lasered serial number n in the right format.
The other unique one,is i heard there's some rackets that uses the genuine racket's grip to cone.The shaft n the frame is the fake one.How's that?

[AZbadman]

I have a genuine NS9000 and a fake one, and it's hard to tell them apart. Even the paint colors are identical. The only thing that gave it away was the date code.

[Terraglow]

A real racket will have a Nicely laser printed fonts on it. And also the stripping of the racket. The stripes printed well. ( where the fakes stripping is rough and improperly printed.). Real Yonex racket will have good grommets. And the string pattern wont look awkward.

I went to the shop, asking for an ArcSaber10. they show me both the real thing and the counterfeit. The real ArcSaber will feel stiffer than the counterfeit.Try to flick on both racket ( frame and Shaft ). By doing it, we can tell whether it is real or counterfeit product.

[at900_power]

hey can anyone tell me what the set of serial numbers plus the code represents??

[phandrew]

hey can anyone tell me what the set of serial numbers plus the code represents??

The serial means the production date.