So why are the non-Yonex pros using Yonex

[Pecheur]

This may be better on the equipment forum.

Is Yonex really better, or are they sponsoring non-Yonex pros as well?

Okay here's a few examples, not even remotely complete (and that's not the point of this post):

Majority of Malaysian team: sponsored by Gosen, use Yonex racquets.
Mia Audina: sponsored by Winex, uses MP 88 (this is probably the worst since she has at least two signatured Winex racquets)
Anders Boesen: sponsored by Wilson, uses Ti-10.

So I suppose the ultimate question is: Is Yonex really better?

Now we've all gone around this buoy many a time in various guises and I've deliberately made a new thread instead of tagging onto TRFred's simply because my real question is: Why are these non-Yonex pros not using their sponsor's racquets, is it because Yonex racquets are demonstrably better than racquets made by their sponsors?

From all reports on this site (I've not personally tried many) Winex makes racquets that are as good as Yonex's, Gosen makes a couple of really nice racquests, so why use Yonex (personally I think Wilson baddy racquets are crap, tennis on the other hand ...)

So can you people who made comments that pros only use Yonex because they get paid to do it, and those reps of other companies answer these questions?

PS I'm deliberately playing devil's advocate here (how unusual ;)).

[JChen99]

I believe there's a penalty when a player signs contract with one company then ditches it half way through and signs contracts with another. I think in many of these cases, Yonex is just dumping a large sum of money and covering for their penalties so Yonex gets more pros to use their rackets. They may not be better, but pros use them because the fact that they're paid more.

My guess... dont know if it's true though

[Dill]

Could it possibly be that Yonex sponsors the rackets whereas Gosen, Winex etc sponsor clothing, bags or strings etc.

A player does not need to be only sponsored by one company

[Cheung]

Originally posted by Pecheur
Majority of Malaysian team: sponsored by Gosen, use Yonex racquets.
Mia Audina: sponsored by Winex, uses MP 88 (this is probably the worst since she has at least two signatured Winex racquets)
Anders Boesen: sponsored by Wilson, uses Ti-10.
Most of the M'sian team do use Gosen, a minority use Yonex racquets;)

[kwun]

one thing i'd like to clarify. the Malaysian team is composed to two separate teams. BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia) and Nusa Mahsuri, a professional club. BAM players are players like Wong, Lee/Choong, and Nusa players are the Hashims and some others. BAM is sponsored by Gosen, and Nusa sponsored by Yonex.

most of the BAM players do use Gosen, as Cheung says, a handful of them don't, namely Wong, Lee & Choong. even so, they have Gosen logo stenciled on their Yonex rackets.

[Cheung]

Having said that, I saw Lee WW racquets waiting to be strung at the HK Open..all Gosen (didn't look at the model number or the actual racquets he was using in the match).

[cooler]

which team does Muhammed Hafiz Hashim (2003 all england MS) belongs to, BAM or Nusa Mahsuri?

[peyter]

Hafiz is with Nusa I think

[cooler]

thanks peyter. I'm blind today, this was spell out in kwun's post.
I dont think all players that uses yonex rackets are been sponsored by yonex. I think it was mentioned in other thread that there are several levels of sponsorship; team, individual, monetary, equipments, etc. Also, i doubt yonex would sponsors someone knowingly if that player had been sponsored by another brand ( I don't mean in situatiion where a player is sponsored under different term and product lines). It makes no sense for a sport company to pay a player to use certain product (ex. racket) while he is been paid to use equip (ex. racket) by another company. A player not playing straight with you will bite you back with same ease.

[ants]

Hafiz and Roslin belongs to the Nusa Mahsuri Stable. Currently Nusa Mahsuri is handled by Rahman Sidek younger brother of Rashid and Misbun.

[fhchiang]

hmm... well.. i'm just wondering.. the Carbonex Series espescially 20 and 21 are at least 15 years old..... why do some of the PROS still use them>?


is those two racquet really really good?

[tihocan]

Originally posted by fhchiang
hmm... well.. i'm just wondering.. the Carbonex Series espescially 20 and 21 are at least 15 years old..... why do some of the PROS still use them>?


is those two racquet really really good?

fhchiang, i started to play badminton 2 years ago and used 4 racket b4. first with prince racket, dowan to say bout tat racket anymore sigh...with yonex i have tried the lesser known titanium pro 60 very bad quality built the shaft was loose from the handle after a year+ of use then mp55 oso a good racket in its own right but now i m much more happier with the cab21sp. at first i tot wat the heck i purchase this racket after some words with my over 20 years of playing exp. uncle, i never regretted buying this racket. if your strokes with any oval racket is always on the sweetspot then with the cab21 it is even more wonderful.

there's a few threads here u have to search for it but believe me the cab21 WILL also rectify and perfect your strokes if u have any. just get one and try it out i m very very sure that u will not regret and happy with the purchase.

last not least, if this old racket is not good why would u think the pros are still using it even if they have rackets tat are newer and more technology injected into them to make the rackets more powerful etc etc?

[Neil Nicholls]

Originally posted by fhchiang
hmm... well.. i'm just wondering.. the Carbonex Series espescially 20 and 21 are at least 15 years old..... why do some of the PROS still use them>?
is those two racquet really really good?

and similarly in tennis, Jimmy Connors continued to use a small head racquet when the bigger more powerful heads came out.

[cooler]

for some, old habits are hard to change;)

[ants]

i think Cab 20 and Cab 21 is a Classic Racket. It is a epitome of the so called perfect racket of all.

[eggroll]

People get used to a specific feel and keep going towards equipment that have or replicate that feel. Each generation of players in a sport latch on to a technology that they connect with. I still have players that beg me to find them the original Cab 8 and will pay a premium for them.

[ants]

Good thing i still have my Original Cab 8 and CAb 15. :) Not selling them for any price. Sentimental Value

[PoseidonLee]

guess you really have to use it to understand.

I bought a Cab20 Special in may, used for 1 month, upgraded to the higher ends MP and ti series. Over last weekend, after changing/trying diff rackets over the past few month, finally switch back to cab20 special, and the feeling and gameplay improved!

Results: just bought another CAB20 original last nite. :D

[wilfredlgf]

Originally posted by ants
Good thing i still have my Original Cab 8 and CAb 15. :) Not selling them for any price. Sentimental Value

My brother had one Cab 8 SP blue that my dad bought for him for RM 45 in 1985 and he is still playing with that racquet after almost 18 years. Better still, he can still kick the backside of some of us younger players who are equipped with Tis and single-frame Cabs. ;)

[Winex West Can]

Originally posted by Pecheur
This may be better on the equipment forum.

Is Yonex really better, or are they sponsoring non-Yonex pros as well?

Okay here's a few examples, not even remotely complete (and that's not the point of this post):

Majority of Malaysian team: sponsored by Gosen, use Yonex racquets.
Mia Audina: sponsored by Winex, uses MP 88 (this is probably the worst since she has at least two signatured Winex racquets)
Anders Boesen: sponsored by Wilson, uses Ti-10.

So I suppose the ultimate question is: Is Yonex really better?

Now we've all gone around this buoy many a time in various guises and I've deliberately made a new thread instead of tagging onto TRFred's simply because my real question is: Why are these non-Yonex pros not using their sponsor's racquets, is it because Yonex racquets are demonstrably better than racquets made by their sponsors?

From all reports on this site (I've not personally tried many) Winex makes racquets that are as good as Yonex's, Gosen makes a couple of really nice racquests, so why use Yonex (personally I think Wilson baddy racquets are crap, tennis on the other hand ...)

So can you people who made comments that pros only use Yonex because they get paid to do it, and those reps of other companies answer these questions?

PS I'm deliberately playing devil's advocate here (how unusual ;)).

It all boils down to two things: $$ and preference. Yonex is the market leader and can afford to throw $$ at sponsorships.

I think we have a few different issues:
a) Mia & Winex - her sponsorship contract doesn't expire until 2004. Why did she use Yonex MP88 for the WC2003 onwards? Well, that's an issue that is currently being dealt with by the lawyers.

b)Gosen & the Malaysian National team have a sponsorship package. Players like Rashid, Hazif are non-BAM players and so could play with Yonex (or sponsored by Yonex) but for the others like Wong CH, I can only guessed that Gosen's terms and conditions allows the player to do so as long they have the Gosen logo on the string.

c)Not all sponsorships include everything (e.g. you can have shoes sponsored by Head, clothing by someone, etc) as long you don't have sponsorships by different manufacturer for the same thing (although I've heard that Simon Archer got a different racquet sponsorship in Germany other than Carlton).

My personal opinion is that the players can play with whatever racquets they want as long they don't try to mislead the public (e.g. paint their Yonex racquet to look like their sponsor's racquet, etc).