My experience in China for buying an MP99

[frhout]

I'm just back from China. I was in Kunming, in the province of Yunnan. Most Western travellers stay in Camillia Hotel or Camillia hostel which are excellent value for money, 20 euros for a double and 26 euros for a family suite, buffet breadfast included. The address is 96 East Dongfeng Road (Dong Feng Dong Lu in Mandarin). It also happens that along this thoroughfare are twenty of so sports shops. I checked most of them and bought a Yonex MP99 and an Isometric 025.

I told the owner of HSports just outside the hotel that I would only buy them in a week's time after my return from Li Jiang before returning to Europe. I did return to the shop and he was very glad. I paid 700 yuans (70 euros) for the MP99 SP model and about 265 yuans for the Isometric 025CH. He recommended Yonex Ti65 string for its durability and stringed them for me within an hour, for free, with Kawasaki handtape, free as well. He also gave me a Kawasaki shuttle (made in China) and told me to run it under cold water for 10 seconds before I played, in Kunming, as this city is at 1800 metres above sea level.

The two rackets come with their original carrier (padded for MP99, unpadded for Isometric). The owner showed me a Chinese badminton magazine with an article saying that the SP model is made in Singapore, the CH model is made in Japan for the Chinese National Team. This particular shop where I bought the rackets did not have the CH model. Most other shops along the road did sell the CH model for 1330 yuans (130 euros), they normally give a 20 percent discount which comes to 1046 yuans (104 euros).

On the MP99SP, it has the PBSI logo, 3U/G3, 18-22lbs/8-10kg. The serial number is a large 050676TW and a smaller 4735155 on the shaft near the handle. At the bottom of the handle says "Japan". On the Isometric 025CH, there is a YY/CH logo, 3U/G4, 15-20lbs/6.5-9.0kg. The serial number is a large 180153CH, and a small 7685644 near the handle. At the bottom it says "MADE IN TAIWAN".

As I'm not a specilist, I can't tell whether or not they are fakes. They do look genuine, otherwise, they would be excellent fakes.

I hope this is helpful for your purchase, and am glad to have any comments.

[kwun]

On the MP99SP, it has the PBSI logo, 3U/G3, 18-22lbs/8-10kg. The serial number is a large 050676TW and a smaller 4735155 on the shaft near the handle. At the bottom of the handle says "Japan". On the Isometric 025CH, there is a YY/CH logo, 3U/G4, 15-20lbs/6.5-9.0kg. The serial number is a large 180153CH, and a small 7685644 near the handle. At the bottom it says "MADE IN TAIWAN".


if the date code highlighted in RED isn't a typo, then i am afraid that is a fake racket you bought.

[Arief]

On the MP99SP, it has the PBSI logo, 3U/G3, 18-22lbs/8-10kg. The serial number is a large 050676TW and a smaller 4735155 on the shaft near the handle. At the bottom of the handle says "Japan".

it is fake... the date of production is 5 june 2007

[storkbill]

The ISO 25 is an aluminium/steel racquet: http://www.yonex-th.com/detail_bmt_pd.php?id_bmtproduct=015 . 265 yuan or S$55 is pretty pricey.

The ISO 65LT, which is full graphite, costs only S$49.90 in Singapore.....

[other]

ouch....you've been had if those serial numbers aren't typos...

and would they be making the iso 25 for the chinese national team in japan, if the racquet is steel/aluminium and hardly every used in international tournaments? And plus if it said made in taiwan on the racquet while the "article" said that CH are made in japan, surely something is wrong?

[Mag]

Perhaps he means Isometric 250?

[david14700]

I've never heard of the Chinese national team using CH rackets made in Japan.

I thought most national teams either use JP rackets or their own country code which are the same as those available in the country.

[other]

I've never heard of the Chinese national team using CH rackets made in Japan.

I thought most national teams either use JP rackets or their own country code which are the same as those available in the country.

all high end yonex racquets are made in japan, the code is the distribution code not the manufacture code;) (that is if they are genuine)

[storkbill]

Perhaps he means Isometric 250?

i'm not sure, but isn't ISO 250 a higher end model thats made in Japan? His racquet says Taiwan.

One more thing, has anyone seen a G3 grip version for a 3U MP99 SP? I thought its mainly G4/G5 for Asia....

[LazyBuddy]

The owner showed me a Chinese badminton magazine with an article saying that the SP model is made in Singapore, the CH model is made in Japan for the Chinese National Team.

On the MP99SP, it has the PBSI logo, 3U/G3, 18-22lbs/8-10kg. The serial number is a large 050676TW and a smaller 4735155 on the shaft near the handle.

1. Many sports writers are NOT expert in spotting fakes. They might as well provide incorrect information, which become a "proof" for the fake sellers. And who knows, if the magazine is not a fairly reputable one, it might be published by certain individual for "whatever" purpose.

2. The MP99 is a fake, according to the serial #. 5th digit is 7, means 2007.

3. Don't let the friendly smile fool u next time. Of course, I can show a big smile, when i know I just did a $100 business, and my cost is only $5. :cool:

[cooler]

the free string, labor, grip and shuttles "aren't" free as u think. ;)

[silentheart]

Don't buy any thing in China unless you have a friend who knows the shop and personally takes you there and stake his own life on it. Really, would you spend another $700 airfair to exchange the racquet for another "REAL" yy?

[cooler]

BTW, what speed were those kawasaki shuttles?

[silentheart]

BTW, what speed were those kawasaki shuttles?

My guess is 200mph. (~320 km/h)

[other]

The address is 96 East Dongfeng Road (Dong Feng Dong Lu in Mandarin). It also happens that along this thoroughfare are twenty of so sports shops.


lol it also happens;) hehe maybe they spot many lao wai/tourists walking around looking for "bargains"? I suppose frhout could have meant brand sports shops such as addidas/nike/kangwei etc but i would not be suprised if they were general sports shops selling all kinds of equipment.

Same with some sports shops around sport centres/stadiums/colleges although the bbeshop/bbesports one is close to the capital gymnasium in beijing and they actually sell proper stuff. Rumour has that there are loads of fake sellers there as well in some kind of underground shopping complex? could never find it:(

next time come to BF before buying stuff in china! and don't believe anything the salespeople tell you...it becomes rather fun catching them out if you know what's going on.

"Which grip tape do you recommend" me
*points to the most expensive one*
"what's so good about this one?"
"it's made in japan while the others are made *somewhere else*"
"but all these ones all say MADE IN JAPAN (in both english and chinese)"
"hey you're right"

duh:rolleyes:

[Locomoco]

Really, would you spend another $700 airfair to exchange the racquet for another "REAL" yy? It might be kinda satisfying to spend $700 airfare to beat the fake racket over the vendor's cranium. :D

[frhout]

if the date code highlighted in RED isn't a typo, then i am afraid that is a fake racket you bought.

The number 050676TW is engraved, not printed. What do you mean by a "typo"?

[Neosakai]

The number 050676TW is engraved, not printed. What do you mean by a "typo"?

The serial above states that the racquet was made in May 6, 2007... Or was it June 5, 2007..... Anyways the point is that the year code on the serial above saids 2007. And since we're in the year 2005, there's no way that can be real.


http://www.badmintoncentral.com/badminton-central/content/view/78/33/

Here you can learn about how to read the serials on yonex's racquets :X

[frhout]

The ISO 25 is an aluminium/steel racquet: http://www.yonex-th.com/detail_bmt_pd.php?id_bmtproduct=015 . 265 yuan or S$55 is pretty pricey.

The ISO 65LT, which is full graphite, costs only S$49.90 in Singapore.....

It says Isometric 025CH Full Carbon Graphite Racquet Develped by YONEX Japan. There is no "VF" though.

In that case, this model doesn't even exist.

[frhout]

BTW, what speed were those kawasaki shuttles?

How can you tell the speed? There is the figure "50" on the inside label.

[frhout]

lol it also happens;) hehe maybe they spot many lao wai/tourists walking around looking for "bargains"? I suppose frhout could have meant brand sports shops such as addidas/nike/kangwei etc but i would not be suprised if they were general sports shops selling all kinds of equipment.

duh:rolleyes:

Quite a few shops sell badminton and tennis. Some don't do Yonex, those with Yonex sell MP99CH. Spalding basketballs for 180 yuans (18 euros), one table tennis store, and I think genuine Converse All Stars with the label All Stars on the heel. Mind you, I haven't seen a lot of tourists in those shops, or indeed even local shoppers.

[frhout]

The serial above states that the racquet was made in May 6, 2007... Or was it June 5, 2007..... Anyways the point is that the year code on the serial above saids 2007. And since we're in the year 2005, there's no way that can be real.

Here you can learn about how to read the serials on yonex's racquets :X

Interesting article? Shame that I didn't read it before. In any case, any idea who manage to make these fakes?

[cooler]

Interesting article? Shame that I didn't read it before. In any case, any idea who manage to make these fakes?

there are many discussion in BF about counterfeit/fake rackets.
Yes, most are made in china.

[cooler]

How can you tell the speed? There is the figure "50" on the inside label.

it just show the shop owner knows nothing or dont care much about badminton. At Kunming, you said this city is at 1800 metres above sea level, the shop should be carrying shuttles with 47 and/or 48 label on it. 50 is way too fast for the locals.

[bluejeff]

Fake racket, no doubt.

TW is not in SP region, hence, it should never has anything related to SP or PBSI mark on the racket.

[storkbill]

Not sure if this link has been posted before. Model number 88/99... sounds familiar.. :p :

http://xinnexsports.en.alibaba.com/product/50038826/50175943/Badminton_Rackets/Full_Carbon_Badminton_Racket.html

[hongkie]

Can i ask when was MP99 released? cos i have seen a MP99 with the fifth serial number as 0 which it is made in year 2000

[LazyBuddy]

Mind you, I haven't seen a lot of tourists in those shops, or indeed even local shoppers.

All the retailers who carry fake stuff not only target the tourists. If a person does not know how to spot fake vs. real, he could be fooled, regardless he lives 20,000 miles away or just next door. Many ppl fell into the trap, due to the much cheaper price.

Of course, the tourists are the ideal targets, as they have more $$$, and can't come back easily to hunt the fakes down. :cool:

[frhout]

if the date code highlighted in RED isn't a typo, then i am afraid that is a fake racket you bought.

I sent an email to Yonex in Japan to enquire about these two rackets. Just received a reply from them. They confirmed that the MP99SP is indeed a counterfeit whereas the Isometric 025CH (Full Carbon Graphite racquet) is a genuine Yonex product.

[chickenpoodle]

I sent an email to Yonex in Japan to enquire about these two rackets. Just received a reply from them. They confirmed that the MP99SP is indeed a counterfeit whereas the Isometric 025CH (Full Carbon Graphite racquet) is a genuine Yonex product.
a friend has a couple iso 025 CH's.
i dont' know which series they belong to anything. its quite the puzzle.

[valkyier]

http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23562&highlight=fake+MP99

This should help most of the new buyers;).

[frhout]

http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23562&highlight=fake+MP99

This should help most of the new buyers;).

I'll try to post a few pictures of my fake racquet this Thursday when I have more time.

[scchang]

About 2002, Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto used Muscle Power 99 in the finals of Thomas Cup in China.

-SC

Can i ask when was MP99 released? cos i have seen a MP99 with the fifth serial number as 0 which it is made in year 2000

[westlake]

in china,CP(china professional) or CN(china national) means the racket for chinese badminton tean

[westlake]

not every badminton shop in china gives counterfeit!!!!

[LazyBuddy]

not every badminton shop in china gives counterfeit!!!!

I agree. There are still reputable shops around. However, just need to be extra careful when u see a deal "too good to be true". ;)

[frhout]

not every badminton shop in china gives counterfeit!!!!

That was the only shop which sold this racquet at this price. All the other shops had it for 1330 yuans. What the owner told me in mandarin, I understood the word "stolen" or "stolen from somewhere", and I didn't quite get the rest. As I didn't think or believe they meant actually a stolen product, I was quite happy to buy it. They might well have told me the "dodgy" origin of the product. I now regret I didn't ask for a more detailed explanation of what he meant.

[silentheart]

not every badminton shop in china gives counterfeit!!!!

If the deal is too good to be true in china, it is usually a fake a fake or stolen good. There are a lot more fake seller in china then good seller. They are businessmen and they are not going to loose money.

There is a good saying in Chinese. There are someone welling to do business that will get them kill. No one will do business that loose money.

[General Foo]

If the deal is too good to be true in china, it is usually a fake a fake or stolen good. There are a lot more fake seller in china then good seller. They are businessmen and they are not going to loose money.

There is a good saying in Chinese. There are someone welling to do business that will get them kill. No one will do business that loose money.

Hang on a minute. I think you should first know that many rackets are manufactured in China and then shipped to japan for painting and finishing touches. But some are completed in china and these are the "fake" ones that are sold at cheaper prices. They just dont have things like ultimum ti etc but they are definately not stolen. You can pick up one of these for about 100-200 yuan.

Trust me i am chinese, you only find fake sellers in busy markets and leisure centres but all reputable official retailers sell genuine rackets. (I have held them).

And of couse, no one wants to do unprofitable business - anywhere.

Regards

[silentheart]

Hang on a minute. I think you should first know that many rackets are manufactured in China and then shipped to japan for painting and finishing touches. But some are completed in china and these are the "fake" ones that are sold at cheaper prices. They just dont have things like ultimum ti etc but they are definately not stolen. You can pick up one of these for about 100-200 yuan.

Trust me i am chinese, you only find fake sellers in busy markets and leisure centres but all reputable official retailers sell genuine rackets. (I have held them).

And of couse, no one wants to do unprofitable business - anywhere.

Regards

I am sorry if I offended you in anyway. However, what I posted was "If the deal is too good to be true in china". There is an international rule on the good with "Made in XXX". YY can be sued for making a racquet in China and printed on the racquet "Made in Japan". If you have a chance to look into a YY catelog, the lower end racquets are made in China. The mid range racquets are made in Taiwan. the good stuffs are all made in Japan.
There are people here in US selling stolen good on Ebay. There are also people who sell stolen goods in HK. If a new high end NS8000 racquet is real and selling for 100 yuans in a shop, the racquet is either stolen or from some questionable source. As you stated in your post that "no one wants to do unprofitable business - anywhere", that is how I come to my opinion in the prior post.

[General Foo]

I am sorry if I offended you in anyway. However, what I posted was "If the deal is too good to be true in china". There is an international rule on the good with "Made in XXX". YY can be sued for making a racquet in China and printed on the racquet "Made in Japan". If you have a chance to look into a YY catelog, the lower end racquets are made in China. The mid range racquets are made in Taiwan. the good stuffs are all made in Japan.
There are people here in US selling stolen good on Ebay. There are also people who sell stolen goods in HK. If a new high end NS8000 racquet is real and selling for 100 yuans in a shop, the racquet is either stolen or from some questionable source. As you stated in your post that "no one wants to do unprofitable business - anywhere", that is how I come to my opinion in the prior post.

Thank you. i am not offended in any way and i appreciate your contribution but i still believe that most of yonex rackets are base produced in china and the finishing touches are added in Japan, at least that's what the reputable retailers tell me. But obviously this could be wrong.

Regards

[LazyBuddy]

Thank you. i am not offended in any way and i appreciate your contribution but i still believe that most of yonex rackets are base produced in china and the finishing touches are added in Japan, at least that's what the reputable retailers tell me. But obviously this could be wrong.

Regards

The truth is, there indeed some lower end models are made in TW or CHN, however, all the higher end are made in JP. If a retailer tell u such stories, either s/he does not know the truth (i.e. get tricked from his/her business partner for lower quality fakes), or s/he hides the truth away from you.

I have no doubt about their reputation, but such things does not guarantee all their things are real or come with a legal path. Look at ebay, a lot of fake sellers indeed have a lot of positive feedbacks (hundreds) as well. They get those, just because the majority in public does NOT know the truth. :(

[other]

but i still believe that most of yonex rackets are base produced in china and the finishing touches are added in Japan,


well most of the yonex racquets produced are not the high end ones, so yes seeing as they are marked made in china/taiwan, then that is probably true. I don't think they will bother to ship them to japan to add touches to the low and mid-end racquets.

how much trouble would yonex be in if they actually made the ns8000 in china and shipped to japan to paint?

[General Foo]

well most of the yonex racquets produced are not the high end ones, so yes seeing as they are marked made in china/taiwan, then that is probably true. I don't think they will bother to ship them to japan to add touches to the low and mid-end racquets.

how much trouble would yonex be in if they actually made the ns8000 in china and shipped to japan to paint?

Probably a lot!

I am not sure what is true but what i have heard from many county coaches in china is that the base for a racket is produced in china. (for example for yonex armortec 700 and apacs equivilant) and then ive been told that yonex buy these bases and add their own personnalised touches and sell them over-priced.

[other]

Probably a lot!

I am not sure what is true but what i have heard from many county coaches in china is that the base for a racket is produced in china. (for example for yonex armortec 700 and apacs equivilant) and then ive been told that yonex buy these bases and add their own personnalised touches and sell them over-priced.

not meaning to be disrespectful of their knowledge and expertise, but do they really go and visit the factories, or are they told that by their apacs, fleet etc etc sponsors' sales reps? i believe many coaches in china do not use yonex, probably due to the high price and maybe sponsorship from other companies.

i think that for yonex to be doing activities such as buying oem and only touching up in japan, well surely it would have been proved by now (such as opening up a at700 and the apacs equivalent and comparing) if it was true?

I'm intersted to know if the apacs racquets include the built-in t-join, which yonex has patented. there was a thread on this forum where a yonex and a sotx racquet were x-rayed, and only the yonex had the built-in t-joint.

[oneshot_onekill]

no offence... however your argument to this topic are OPINIONS rather than facts.. we need facts not VIEWS or OPINIONS. dont "I think" and "I think"... its not working.

[oneshot_onekill]

Hey and by the way, there is a large amount of facts that can be found on the web that says yonex does not nessisarly manufacture rackets in japan. Probably everything in your house.. perhaps even 80% of the materials that makes your cloths, shoes, house building materials.. they are all manufactured in china and shipped out overseas, so that others can put a name on it and paint "made in usa" or whatever. Do you think companies would pay triple the price for land, labour, machinery, factory just to sell products that says "Made in USA" or "Made in Japan"??? The main reason why they manufacture things in china is because there are large amount of unemployment, the labour costs are low and for the price they pay in US they can get double the amount of people working in the same factory. And more importantly, land is much cheaper compared to others regions in the world... There isnt a doubt. ITS A FACT!

So.. consider it again... think about the amount of money, profit, losts... and in the end the conclusion is that they do manufacture in China... or whereever.. eg. thailand or india. MUCH CHEAPER.. LOWERCOSTS... the thing is that these "made in bla bla bla" things happen so much that government or law cant really control it... as long as it reaches a point in japan where they had put a little work in it... its "Made in Japan"! -.-

Look down at what you are wearing!.. nikes? addidas? reeboks? They are all made in CHINA OR INDIA or somewhere that has cheap labour and land costs. Look ast what u hit in a badminton game... shuttles... RSL? YONEX? HI QUA? AEROPLANE? CARLTON? VICTOR? Hey! Guess what?! they are all made in the same factory... to tell you the truth.. over hundreds of famous brands of shuttlecocks are made in the same factory in shang hai, or Shao Xing in CHINA... the shuttles are made by another CHINESE brand name which you probably never heard of... DOUBLEHAPPINESS! THEY MANUFACTURE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF SHUTTLES EVERY MONTH! They had exsisted even before you were born! Hey.. look at the economy... soon you all have to learn CHINESE.. MANDERIN.. cuz the future is in CHINA. China is set to grow.. and its growing bigger and bigger.

The US says "China is a sleeping dragon"... you should know what it means.. US is even scared of CHINA cuz china manufactures goods for world wide and more importantly.. its size.. much bigger than the USA and CHINA has much much more people. If you mess with china.. SOMEBODY'S GONNA GET HURT REAL BAD........

[General Foo]

i am only giving an account of what i have heard. If you dont agree then fair enough.

No offence, but your arguments are that if a racket is made in japan then it is mass produced, painted etc in japan. But where is the evidence that if a product is made in japan then everything has to be done in japan. if you do only a little bit in japan then you can still say made in japan, because part of it was. This is a legitimate writing technique called "telling nothing but the truth" - often used by marketing. Take a TV for example, if you buy a japanese one abroad then they may well tell you the tv is made in japan. however, when you open it up i think you will find that some components are not made in japan.

My accont is along these lines but where's the "fact" behind the other argument. It's easy to pick holes but it might be sensible to find some evidence rather than just giving your own opinions.

[SandeepD]

Hey.. look at the economy... soon you all have to learn CHINESE.. MANDERIN.. cuz the future is in CHINA. China is set to grow.. and its growing bigger and bigger.

The US says "China is a sleeping dragon"... you should know what it means.. US is even scared of CHINA cuz china manufactures goods for world wide and more importantly.. its size.. much bigger than the USA and CHINA has much much more people. If you mess with china.. SOMEBODY'S GONNA GET HURT REAL BAD........

It sounds to me like someone here doesn't like China :rolleyes:

[General Foo]

Hey and by the way, there is a large amount of facts that can be found on the web that says yonex does not nessisarly manufacture rackets in japan. Probably everything in your house.. perhaps even 80% of the materials that makes your cloths, shoes, house building materials.. they are all manufactured in china and shipped out overseas, so that others can put a name on it and paint "made in usa" or whatever. Do you think companies would pay triple the price for land, labour, machinery, factory just to sell products that says "Made in USA" or "Made in Japan"??? The main reason why they manufacture things in china is because there are large amount of unemployment, the labour costs are low and for the price they pay in US they can get double the amount of people working in the same factory. And more importantly, land is much cheaper compared to others regions in the world... There isnt a doubt. ITS A FACT!

So.. consider it again... think about the amount of money, profit, losts... and in the end the conclusion is that they do manufacture in China... or whereever.. eg. thailand or india. MUCH CHEAPER.. LOWERCOSTS... the thing is that these "made in bla bla bla" things happen so much that government or law cant really control it... as long as it reaches a point in japan where they had put a little work in it... its "Made in Japan"! -.-

Look down at what you are wearing!.. nikes? addidas? reeboks? They are all made in CHINA OR INDIA or somewhere that has cheap labour and land costs. Look ast what u hit in a badminton game... shuttles... RSL? YONEX? HI QUA? AEROPLANE? CARLTON? VICTOR? Hey! Guess what?! they are all made in the same factory... to tell you the truth.. over hundreds of famous brands of shuttlecocks are made in the same factory in shang hai, or Shao Xing in CHINA... the shuttles are made by another CHINESE brand name which you probably never heard of... DOUBLEHAPPINESS! THEY MANUFACTURE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF SHUTTLES EVERY MONTH! They had exsisted even before you were born! Hey.. look at the economy... soon you all have to learn CHINESE.. MANDERIN.. cuz the future is in CHINA. China is set to grow.. and its growing bigger and bigger.


I agree with the quite above, but im not sure about the people getting hurt. Rather controversial i would say:p

[SandeepD]

Yes, and the days of comparing population size between countries to see who could win a fight are long over. Also, we should have learnt over the last few years that you mess with any country and there will be some sort of retaliation that will cost you - that's just the way the world has been heading for quite some time now.

Anyway, back to badminton........ :)

[other]

Hey and by the way,[.................................................. .........]f you mess with china.. SOMEBODY'S GONNA GET HURT REAL BAD........

yup rather interesting to read, bit funny to have that preached to me being a chinese who knows (albeit poorly) Mandarin. oh well:)

Hehe, i know about the feather shuttles, but i don't buy for the brand name, i buy for the performance and durability, i don't care if its made in the same "shuang xi" factory, as long as i get what i pay for:confused:. you'd be slightly naive to believe that yonex have their "own" shuttle factory...

i don't have any proof, but my belief is that the high end models are made in japan, and the fake sellers (as in making their racquets look like the real yonex ones) have been spreading this idea that they can get the same OEM semi-finished racquets as yonex "buys". Therefore people will think their fakes are of the same quality and that they are getting a bargain. Same as how the fake sellers can say that yonex only touch up their racquets in japan (debatable-where is the proof, pictures that you would expect them to release to as many people as possible to back up their claims), then i can say that the fake sellers are not telling the entire truth.

However, this doesn't mean I think it costs yonex ~£80 to make one racquet, yes they are very overpriced in my opinion, but if you don't like that, then don't buy yonex:D

ps oneshot you need to calm down slightly. this isn't a political forum;)

ps gen. foo, i am just saying what i think about this matter, no aggressive intent implied:D

[cooler]

Thank you. i am not offended in any way and i appreciate your contribution but i still believe that most of yonex rackets are base produced in china and the finishing touches are added in Japan, at least that's what the reputable retailers tell me. But obviously this could be wrong.

Regards

General, u have been ill advised.

[cooler]

My accont is along these lines but where's the "fact" behind the other argument. It's easy to pick holes but it might be sensible to find some evidence rather than just giving your own opinions.

however, if u gave facts or backed up with facts, there wouldn't be any holes to pick on.

[cooler]

Hey and by the way, there is a large amount of facts that can be found on the web that says yonex does not nessisarly manufacture rackets in japan. Probably everything in your house.. perhaps even 80% of the materials that makes your cloths, shoes, house building materials.. they are all manufactured in china and shipped out overseas, so that others can put a name on it and paint "made in usa" or whatever. Do you think companies would pay triple the price for land, labour, machinery, factory just to sell products that says "Made in USA" or "Made in Japan"??? The main reason why they manufacture things in china is because there are large amount of unemployment, the labour costs are low and for the price they pay in US they can get double the amount of people working in the same factory. And more importantly, land is much cheaper compared to others regions in the world... There isnt a doubt. ITS A FACT!

So.. consider it again... think about the amount of money, profit, losts... and in the end the conclusion is that they do manufacture in China... or whereever.. eg. thailand or india. MUCH CHEAPER.. LOWERCOSTS... the thing is that these "made in bla bla bla" things happen so much that government or law cant really control it... as long as it reaches a point in japan where they had put a little work in it... its "Made in Japan"! -.-

Look down at what you are wearing!.. nikes? addidas? reeboks? They are all made in CHINA OR INDIA or somewhere that has cheap labour and land costs. Look ast what u hit in a badminton game... shuttles... RSL? YONEX? HI QUA? AEROPLANE? CARLTON? VICTOR? Hey! Guess what?! they are all made in the same factory... to tell you the truth.. over hundreds of famous brands of shuttlecocks are made in the same factory in shang hai, or Shao Xing in CHINA... the shuttles are made by another CHINESE brand name which you probably never heard of... DOUBLEHAPPINESS! THEY MANUFACTURE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF SHUTTLES EVERY MONTH! They had exsisted even before you were born! Hey.. look at the economy... soon you all have to learn CHINESE.. MANDERIN.. cuz the future is in CHINA. China is set to grow.. and its growing bigger and bigger.

The US says "China is a sleeping dragon"... you should know what it means.. US is even scared of CHINA cuz china manufactures goods for world wide and more importantly.. its size.. much bigger than the USA and CHINA has much much more people. If you mess with china.. SOMEBODY'S GONNA GET HURT REAL BAD........

u can not use the shuttle and shoes examples and extended to say, high end racket. The latter product isnt competing only on the labor component, yonex has the secret sauce.

yes china is growing fast but it has its own growing pain that u didnt talk
about.

[cooler]

i am only giving an account of what i have heard. If you dont agree then fair enough.

No offence, but your arguments are that if a racket is made in japan then it is mass produced, painted etc in japan. But where is the evidence that if a product is made in japan then everything has to be done in japan. if you do only a little bit in japan then you can still say made in japan, because part of it was. This is a legitimate writing technique called "telling nothing but the truth" - often used by marketing. Take a TV for example, if you buy a japanese one abroad then they may well tell you the tv is made in japan. however, when you open it up i think you will find that some components are not made in japan.

My accont is along these lines but where's the "fact" behind the other argument. It's easy to pick holes but it might be sensible to find some evidence rather than just giving your own opinions.

people who knowingly makes, distributes and/or get sponsored by fakes can be considered as crooks and conman. Somehow, some users suck up their words like gold :rolleyes: If u dun come up with a good story, how can they sell a 5 euro racket for 70 euro? 65 euro, that's like he dont have to work for like for a whole month. For a peasant, maybe even longer.

It is changing now, most fake sellers arent selling at high prices like before.

[silentheart]

people who knowingly makes, distributes and/or get sponsored by fakes can be considered as crooks and conman. Somehow, some users suck up their words like gold :rolleyes: If u dun come up with a good story, how can they sell a 5 euro racket for 70 euro? 65 euro, that's like he dont have to work for like for a whole month. For a peasant, maybe even longer.

It is changing now, most fake sellers arent selling at high prices like before.

I just want to add. If by saying "Made in Japan" add so much value for Yonex product, shouldn't Yonex just put "Made in Japan" on their feather shuttle? However, Yonex is being honest and telling us that their feather shuttle are "Made in China". In my opinion, Yonex will not risk their reputation by labeling racquets that made in China with "Made in Japan". Look at the SONY TV. They tell you it is Assumbled in Mexico (my 7 yr old TV). There are very strick rules on labeling where a product is made here in US. Company can be liable for class action if they miss label their product. General Foo, would you like to lead a Class action law suits against Yonex and we will get some money back from Yonex's miss-labeling policy? I think NOT!

[cooler]

I just want to add. If by saying "Made in Japan" add so much value for Yonex product, shouldn't Yonex just put "Made in Japan" on their feather shuttle? However, Yonex is being honest and telling us that their feather shuttle are "Made in China". In my opinion, Yonex will not risk their reputation by labeling racquets that made in China with "Made in Japan". Look at the SONY TV. They tell you it is Assumbled in Mexico (my 7 yr old TV). There are very strick rules on labeling where a product is made here in US. Company can be liable for class action if they miss label their product. General Foo, would you like to lead a Class action law suits against Yonex and we will get some money back from Yonex's miss-labeling policy? I think NOT!

Yes, yonex shoes are also stamped with made in china. Low end racket printed with designed in Japan, with some end caps showing 'taiwan' or just blank.

Another point i forgot to mention: U think yonex freely give away the chinese makers the secret sauce after spending $$$ on R&D and marketing? use common sense and not drools over some conman stories as gospel.

[LazyBuddy]

Another point i forgot to mention: U think yonex freely give away the chinese makers the secret sauce after spending $$$ on R&D and marketing? use common sense and not drools over some conman stories as gospel.

Very good point from cooler and silentheart.

Overall, all the suspecting topics about "yonex makes its higher end in CHN" are come from fairly un-reliable sources. Ok, maybe the "story teller" could be a respectful person, but s/he could either be fooled or mis-understood something when s/he gets the "original version".

Remember, "3 ppl say there are tigers in the market" can make a lot of ppl think that's the truth, but in reality, it's not. ;)