Just to let everyone know the Babolat website for badminton has been updated!!!:D:D FINALLY!
It's got all the new Satelite series racquets as well as the new X-Feel series with all the information you'll need if you're interested.

[Edit] It's even got 3D views of their racquets!!! Wicked!!!:D
http://www.babolat.com/#/badminton/en/homepage

Not too impressed.
I mean, really, who uses inches and ounces to talk about badminton rackets?
And who's going to buy something called the "X-Feel Essential" or "Satelite Brio"?
Plus the paint jobs are ugly...

Looks pretty cool IMO. Better site design than YONEX which looks pretty bland. However, the player profiles there are pretty weird....and Pi Hongyan looks like she's doing karate with a badminton racquet.

Not too impressed.
I mean, really, who uses inches and ounces to talk about badminton rackets?
And who's going to buy something called the "X-Feel Essential" or "Satelite Brio"?
Plus the paint jobs are ugly...

I've used the new x-blast and it is easily equal to my AT700, looks great in the flesh , much better than the pictures would portray.

Since when??? :confused: Last time I saw her in MO '09 few weeks back, she still on Forza. :confused:

This is weird, I didn't know Tine is using a Babolat ? Under the player's profile, apparently she started using Babolat since 1st Jan 2009 but when I play back the Malaysia Open matches,, she was still using the Forza racquet but the racquet doesn't have the Forza logo on the string.

Definitely a great improvement for the website though they should use standard metric measurement instead.

Couldn't agree more. Just showing a pic from the recent KO '09.

Updated: Just follow this link, this explained a lot:

http://www.babolat.com/#/badminton/en/whatshot/100


This is weird, I didn't know Tine is using a Babolat ? Under the player's profile, apparently she started using Babolat since 1st Jan 2009 but when I play back the Malaysia Open matches,, she was still using the Forza racquet but the racquet doesn't have the Forza logo on the string.

Definitely a great improvement for the website though they should use standard metric measurement instead.

It's great to see that Babolat finally decided to update their badminton site.

Forza also updated their website, I don't see Tine Rasmussen on the list any more.

I've also noticed the new website and believe it to be a vast improvement on the old one, which appeared to be an afterthought.

I'm currently trying different rackets (tried about 5/6 in the last couple of months, including various Yonex and Yehlex) to replace my broken AT900 Power. So far the Satelite Nitro is my favourite, but I'm eagerly awaiting an X Feel Blast to sample, although have no idea when they will be coming to the UK. So quite interested to know where some of the UK players have tried them from...

Yeah, I'm using the Babolat Satelite Star, which plays very similarily the Nanospeed 8000 but i really want to try out the X Feel series,especially the Essential... (I admit Babolat come up with some stupid names).
Carbon Extreme? I think its just marketing gimmick again.

i agree, the site is well designed. however, for the inches thing, just get a converter, or memorize the conversions.. also, the 360 thing is not really 360. i wanted to see different angles as well.

I wish Babolat marketed more in the Bay area...

Huh... the X-Feel Blast has more power than the X-Feel Power, interesting. Anyway, I think the rackets look decent, better than Yonex in my opinion anyway. But the Wilsons still look best. I would love to try one, but since they're a European company, I doubt Canada or my area would have a distributor. Yonex has taken over so easily....

Like that the picture of Tine Rasmussen shows her with forza brand on the strings. Would be wise of them to just take a picture of her with babolat apparel instead perhaps :p

Yeah, I'm using the Babolat Satelite Star, which plays very similarily the Nanospeed 8000 but i really want to try out the X Feel series,especially the Essential... (I admit Babolat come up with some stupid names).
Carbon Extreme? I think its just marketing gimmick again.

This would be my first post, so hi you all !

actually the x-feel essential has been compared to the NS 7700 but packing more power and being quite tolerant if you mishit, yet the feeling isn't really the same

This is weird, I didn't know Tine is using a Babolat ? Under the player's profile, apparently she started using Babolat since 1st Jan 2009 but when I play back the Malaysia Open matches,, she was still using the Forza racquet but the racquet doesn't have the Forza logo on the string.

Definitely a great improvement for the website though they should use standard metric measurement instead.

Switch the language to anything else (French or German) and the mesurements go back to metric. Kinda a hassle but there is a little British flag in the lower left corner and when you click it you can change the language.

I've played with the Nanospeed 9000, and i kind of like it. What would be the one that resembles that the most? I really like my Satelite Star, very fast and precise, but i just want a little bit more power...

I've played with the Nanospeed 9000, and i kind of like it. What would be the one that resembles that the most? I really like my Satelite Star, very fast and precise, but i just want a little bit more power...

According to Ah_Shum:


Essential - like an ns9000 but more powerful
Blast - like a at700 w/ more power..lol
Power - like ns8000/arc7 ish feel..
Lite - just realli lite..lol

Lol! I've actually read that already! Silly me!
Essential it is then! Couldn't Babolat have come up with a better name though?
Does anyone have any ideas? haha!
I found a couple of sites selling it at roughly £80-£90 and that's excluding international shipping (as these sites are not based in UK) that's still alot of money though i think... ach! Anywhere cheaper?

can you post the sites where you found the rackets? I'm looking to buy the X-Feel Blast

can you post the sites where you found the rackets? I'm looking to buy the X-Feel Blast

I haven't purchased one, but based on my research, the cheapest place to buy one in the US would be tenniszon.com. They are a Canadian site to shipping is pretty expensive but the Canadian dollar is relatively weak compared to the US. So $115 US + shipping for the X-Feel racquets.

DISCLAIMER: I don't read chinese so I can't be sure that you can't get it cheaper from Asia, I'm just saying that I have't seen it cheaper.

thanks
A buddy of mine went to Hong Kong and came back with one and I had a chance to play with it last night and I fell in love. It felt great and the design is absolutely beautiful.

Yep! Tenniszon.com is quite good.
There is a HK site that sells them at HK$965, which is pretty cheap (£80). Similar to Tenniszon i think.
http://www.e78.com.hk/sports.htm

Yep! Tenniszon.com is quite good.
There is a HK site that sells them at HK$965, which is pretty cheap (£80). Similar to Tenniszon i think.
http://www.e78.com.hk/sports.htm
I got mine from them. Fast and reliable. Ordered in the morning, paid by paypal at lunch and received shippings details 2 hours later. Received rackets 3 days later. BUT they only convey in Chinese through email. Good if you have someone who could understand Chinese to help you read the email.

I got mine from them. Fast and reliable. Ordered in the morning, paid by paypal at lunch and received shippings details 2 hours later. Received rackets 3 days later. BUT they only convey in Chinese through email. Good if you have someone who could understand Chinese to help you read the email.

Or... just dictionary.com all your e-mails. =D
It genuinly works pretty well! Ok off topic now... haha

Off the topic on Babolat, I did my first stringing job on X-Feel Lite. I pre-mount the string like usual and after I finished pulling the string of the main I already found the paint of the edges came off simply because of the string gliding on it when I pulled. My heart was broken and advice to other members to pay attention when they're doing theirs.

Off the topic on Babolat, I did my first stringing job on X-Feel Lite. I pre-mount the string like usual and after I finished pulling the string of the main I already found the paint of the edges came off simply because of the string gliding on it when I pulled. My heart was broken and advice to other members to pay attention when they're doing theirs.

That's a real shame! My friend has a Babolat B-Force and after more than a year of play it doesn't have any chips at all.

It's also it has a really cool matte finish. Are the X-Feel racquets matte or shiny?

It is shiny. If you don't glide the string along the edge like I do you will never realize this problem.