Detailed pics of "fake" MP 90 [Archive] - Badminton Central Discussion Forums

kwun

12-20-2002, 02:54 AM

the quality of the print makes it looks almost like a real one.

i am even thinking that it may came from the Yonex factory, but came out as a reject.

the serial number indicates that it is a CH (Chinese, but not CN/CP). look at teh "UltimumTi" print and "Muscle Power" print, it is rotated 90 degrees. that may be the rejection.

all the fonts and things seems to be ok. the handle cap has poor "JAPAN" characters.

if they were to paint it yellow, it will be damn hard to tell it is a fake.

LazyBuddy

12-20-2002, 01:40 PM

With all kinda mixture of serial # and destination codes, I think it's a fake.

However, agree with that black color appears to be really nice on this racket. How much did u pay for it? Do u like it? Give us a little "review" on this racket. It the price is good, and fit for my style, never know, I will go to look for this "unique MP90". hehehehehehe...

kwun

12-20-2002, 03:57 PM

loverlionus,

can you make a closeup pic of the other side of the cone? the part with the grip size and weight sticker?

kwun

12-20-2002, 04:01 PM

Originally posted by LazyBuddy
With all kinda mixture of serial # and destination codes, I think it's a fake.

However, agree with that black color appears to be really nice on this racket. How much did u pay for it? Do u like it? Give us a little "review" on this racket. It the price is good, and fit for my style, never know, I will go to look for this "unique MP90". hehehehehehe...

LB, i don't understand how you arrived at the conclusion by the serial #. the range of the serial number and also the destination code seems to be valid. ie. the serial number is around where Yonex is manufacturing, and the dest code falls into the DDMMxx format. the CH code is also valid.

this appears to be a fake just because of the color. and the Ti-mesh. the quality of fake job is really good. i think it will not take them much effort to make it look almost exactly like the real one. how difficult will it be to paint it yellow instead of black?

jsevalle

12-20-2002, 05:14 PM

loverlionus, how much you paid for it?

lsgreydvm

12-20-2002, 07:29 PM

It is indeed a fake. Genuine MP90s do not have titanium in their frames right? A lot of those things are going around. A friend of mine showed me his racket, a Yonex Ti3, orange, blue and black. What caught my attention was it being a 1 pc racket, meaning the handle, cone, shaft and frame is literally 1 pc, & the serial number is printed in gold. Bought for around US$25.00 equivalent. Very light and nice looking, though.

yonexfanatic

12-20-2002, 08:06 PM

OUCH...if i were looking at it in stores.....i certainly wouldn't buy it because from what i see......yes, i agree with lsgreydvm...90's do not have titanium...plus the "TI" is printed in what looks to be "arial bold"...kinda looks corny compared to what the other yonex ti rackets, which print the "TI" in italize print...hmm...

loverlionus

12-20-2002, 10:19 PM

I remember posting this picture but maybe I'm wrong so here it is again.

loverlionus

12-20-2002, 10:25 PM

Originally posted by jsevalle
loverlionus, how much you paid for it?
I got it for P 3,500, which is around US$ 68. I later heard from others in our club that this was pretty high because others got it in the P 1,500 to P 2,000 range (US$ 28-38).

loverlionus

12-20-2002, 11:34 PM

I'm just a beginner, I started playing last October. My first racket was a Wilson Match Tour, a real beginner's racket made of what feels like steel ("lightweight titanium alloy" it says on the shaft, buy 1 take 1 with a bag for around $ 17 at a sports store). I was pretty happy with it, learning the basic strokes by playing. I even had it re-strung with BG-65, but the stringer was afraid to string it at 20 lbs., so it was strung at 18 lbs. Well, the tension was pretty low and soft, but still an improvement over the original string. Unfortunately after a couple of games the shaft became loose against the handle, so you could sort of twist it and it moves. I definitely couldn't continue using it so that's when I started loooking for a new racket.

A relative is a member of a club at work and when I saw her Yonex I was impressed (I didn't know this site back then). So I asked where she got it and for how much. When I learned the price (it was about a third of the store prices) I asked her to buy 1 from me. Since she bought from an instructor in one of the clinics she attended, she had to contact him first. It took around three weeks to get the racket and by that time I had discovered this site (the best badminton site, imho) and pretty much had an idea of what a fake should look like.

When I first saw the racket, I said "OMG! It's a fake!" and I asked my relative to return it. She tried, but as with these types of transactions, the seller refused to accept the racket back. I couldn't put the burden completely on my relative, so we split the cost between us (definitely very kind of her). So that's how I ended up with this racket.

jsevalle

12-21-2002, 12:06 AM

I see, you know the common price i saw for the MP90 is about PHP10,000+ , pretty expensive compared to yours, its a big gap

Baddie

12-21-2002, 01:44 AM

Hi Loverlionus,

The only place i saw a MP99 SP is in Tobys (megamall) and they sell it for P13,000 which is way too expensive. I got mine in Japan (a MP90JP) for a little less than P8,000 and JPs are supposed to be a little more expensive than SPs. I have never seen a black/gray colored MP90/MP99. They should be yellow in color. Get the real one, its much better I can assure you.

Baddie

LazyBuddy

12-21-2002, 01:49 PM

Originally posted by kwun
LB, i don't understand how you arrived at the conclusion by the serial #. the range of the serial number and also the destination code seems to be valid. ie. the serial number is around where Yonex is manufacturing, and the dest code falls into the DDMMxx format. the CH code is also valid.

I mean, on the cone, the serial # end with CH, which is fine. But the base cap it's another serial # end with SP. I never saw anything like this before.

Or, actually, just because I never noticed that?

loverlionus

12-22-2002, 10:31 PM

Yes LazyBuddy, it was definitely weird to have a CH serial no. on the cone and an SP one one the end cap. Another big factor in my thinking it is fake is the ordinary looking grommets. Aren't MPs supposed to have different kinds of grommets on some parts of the frame?

LazyBuddy

12-22-2002, 10:47 PM

Originally posted by kwun
LB, i don't understand how you arrived at the conclusion by the serial #. the range of the serial number and also the destination code seems to be valid. ie. the serial number is around where Yonex is manufacturing, and the dest code falls into the DDMMxx format. the CH code is also valid.

Plus the serial # on the base cap ended with SP is surely not in DDMMXX format.

LazyBuddy

12-22-2002, 11:23 PM

Originally posted by loverlionus
A relative is a member of a club at work and when I saw her Yonex I was impressed (I didn't know this site back then). So I asked where she got it and for how much. When I learned the price (it was about a third of the store prices) I asked her to buy 1 from me. Since she bought from an instructor in one of the clinics she attended, she had to contact him first. It took around three weeks to get the racket and by that time I had discovered this site (the best badminton site, imho) and pretty much had an idea of what a fake should look like.

So, what kinda racket that ur relative was using? The same racket? Or, a real Yonex? How much did her pay for her racket, if that one is real?

BTW, can u give us a review on this racket? Actually, if u really like it, it would not be a bad deal at all. U actually got a replacement racket, which fits for ur play, and save some $$$ as well.

zerochillnet

12-23-2002, 02:41 AM

i have a fake yonex mp 99 which looks exactly like it. Its made from fleet its called the fleet mp 9900 i have it stringed on bg-70 on 21 pounds

LazyBuddy

12-23-2002, 08:27 AM

Originally posted by zerochillnet
i have a fake yonex mp 99 which looks exactly like it. Its made from fleet its called the fleet mp 9900 i have it stringed on bg-70 on 21 pounds

I would rather call ur racket a "clone" than fake. I think fake means, it has the exact brand and model name being printed on somewhere on the racket.

jwu

12-23-2002, 09:06 AM

well just from the model # it would seem like a fake one since I think mp90 is only JP and not CH, SP, or any other codes, which should be mp99 instead. fake or not, how does it play? if you like it, it's a great racquet. :D

zerochillnet

12-24-2002, 03:20 PM

yeah i like it a lot and its half the price of the yonex mp 99

loverlionus

12-31-2002, 12:29 AM

I've played around 30 games with the racket, mostly doubles save for around 5 singles games. Based on my extensive history of using rackets (two:D ), I can say that this is a lot better than my first one. It takes less effort to hit the shuttle and I think it has improved my overall game. I can hit clears to the baseline more consistently, the drives seem to be faster, and even the drop shots are more accurate (after adjusting, the first tries were really way up and perfect set ups for smashes).

So I'm happy with the racket, but I'm still looking forward to having the real thing.

Cheung

12-31-2002, 04:58 AM

That's good. so don't worry about the racquet so much.

At least you didn;t pay so much for a racquet you don;t like. And if you are playing mainly doubles, you are going to get those dreaded racquet clashes anyway. Much better to have clashes with a cheaper racquet than an expensive one.

LazyBuddy

12-31-2002, 02:29 PM

Originally posted by Cheung

At least you didn;t pay so much for a racquet you don;t like. And if you are playing mainly doubles, you are going to get those dreaded racquet clashes anyway. Much better to have clashes with a cheaper racquet than an expensive one.

Totally agree. As a 85% double player, every time I got on the court, I was like, "is this the last game for my beloved racket??":o :(

AE_SHADOW

12-31-2002, 05:32 PM

MP99 gourmets are rounded off on the edging and there is a 6 piece bared slightly at the bottom of the head on both sides...

daym i'll get a pick of the "REAL" MP99 SP... with a broke top though hahahaha

legal strike

12-31-2002, 07:46 PM

and the shaft indicated as mp90sp! i think mp90 should be jp and sp am i right guys?

legal strike

12-31-2002, 07:47 PM

oops! i mean mp 90 should be jp and not sp

AE_SHADOW

12-31-2002, 08:09 PM

to my knowledge, yes

loverlionus

01-21-2003, 07:20 AM

I think the replies about the racket clashing and breaking jinxed my racket and it finally happened. We were playing doubles last week, the opponent tapped the bird over the net. I moved in and raised my racket to tap it back. My partner moved forward at the same time, lunged and smacked his racket right into mine. The racket broke at a maybe half an inch above the 3 o'clock position. His racket, a Talbot Arrowspeed 660, was unscratched. Thus ending the life story of this racket.

In the interest of "science", I experimented on my broken racket. I tore apart the t-joint to see if there was an internal bar. Not surprisingly, there was none. What is interesting is the shaft and frame is made up of what seems to be carbon graphite. I also took a look at the inside of the handle cover to see if there was a bar code, no luck there either. The end cap was made of 2 pieces much like original ones (the white piece for the "YY" and the green piece for the background).

So now I'm going back to my old Wilson steel racket and I figure I might as well improve my strokes first with this one before buying another racket.

Thanks for all those who replied to this thread.

Winex West Can

01-21-2003, 11:04 AM

That's too bad but clashes do happen and racquets will break regardless of the brand if the clash is of sufficient force. Upside is that you didn't pay an arm and a leg for the racquet. Imagine if it was a genuine Yonex MP99 (CAD$250) and it broke from the clash!

As for "t-joint", I would be surprised if you will find it in other brands other than Yonex as that is patented Yonex technology (the other manufacturers can always license the technology).

Originally posted by loverlionus
I think the replies about the racket clashing and breaking jinxed my racket and it finally happened. We were playing doubles last week, the opponent tapped the bird over the net. I moved in and raised my racket to tap it back. My partner moved forward at the same time, lunged and smacked his racket right into mine. The racket broke at a maybe half an inch above the 3 o'clock position. His racket, a Talbot Arrowspeed 660, was unscratched. Thus ending the life story of this racket.

In the interest of "science", I experimented on my broken racket. I tore apart the t-joint to see if there was an internal bar. Not surprisingly, there was none. What is interesting is the shaft and frame is made up of what seems to be carbon graphite. I also took a look at the inside of the handle cover to see if there was a bar code, no luck there either. The end cap was made of 2 pieces much like original ones (the white piece for the "YY" and the green piece for the background).

So now I'm going back to my old Wilson steel racket and I figure I might as well improve my strokes first with this one before buying another racket.

Thanks for all those who replied to this thread.

bigredlemon

02-20-2003, 01:36 PM

Originally posted by Winex West Can
That's too bad but clashes do happen and racquets will break regardless of the brand if the clash is of sufficient force. Upside is that you didn't pay an arm and a leg for the racquet. Imagine if it was a genuine Yonex MP99 (CAD$250) and it broke from the clash!

As for "t-joint", I would be surprised if you will find it in other brands other than Yonex as that is patented Yonex technology (the other manufacturers can always license the technology). LOL... if they are going to make a fake yonex racquet, I don't think they'll be too concerned about whether or not they pirate the t-joint too!

Ay33

02-23-2003, 12:15 PM

Originally posted by loverlionus
I've seen pictures of the MP90 and they are always yellow/orange and black. My racket is only black/silver/gray white. Has anybody ever heard of a different color for the MP90?

Er... I have never heard of a black/silver/gray mp90/99, and to my knowledge, i think that the racquet you have is a fake

emjay

03-02-2003, 05:12 PM

OK, I agree that the black MP99 is quite easy to spot as a fake, but what about this one?? I picked it up on Monday and have just played with it today - it felt very good actually, and I will be keeping it as I didn't pay that much for it, but I have no idea about it's authenticity!!

The main thing I guess is that there's no etched serial no., unlike my MP100, but apart from that the paintwork is good, MP grommets present and correct, all logos look the real deal... It's a CH model so I don't know if that makes a difference??

emjay

03-02-2003, 05:13 PM

2 of 6

emjay

03-02-2003, 05:13 PM

3 of 6

emjay

03-02-2003, 05:13 PM

4 of 6

emjay

03-02-2003, 05:14 PM

5 of 6

emjay

03-02-2003, 05:15 PM

6 of 6 - so what's the verdict?! :)

JChen99

03-02-2003, 05:21 PM

If anyone had ever botherd... I notice that when you take off the original grip off an Yonex racket, there's that sticker between the original grip and the wooden handel(on the handle). It would say the model, the grip, and the weight of the racket and would have a long bar code on it

Just a thought! :D

emjay

03-02-2003, 05:49 PM

Yeah I heard about that but I'm not that bothered to start peeling off the overgrip and original one just to check ;) As far as I'm concerned the racquet gives me as much power as the MP100, but is much lighter and more manoeverable, so it suits me just fine!

cooler

03-02-2003, 05:56 PM

IMO, emjay, that mp99 is a fake, a very good fake i might add, very good paint job replication.

Ay33

03-02-2003, 06:09 PM

I have a method of checking if a yonex racquet is real or fake. THE LIST:

1. If the serial number is present (If so, than check if it is engraved into the racquet. Usually if it is not engraved into the racquet and it is smooth, than it should be a fakie):(

2. Check the Paint Job, if the letters and shapes feel like they're sticker-like, than it should be a fakie. :(

3. I forgot, but I know I had a third method to check if it is a fake racquet. I will reply to this thread as soon as I remember.

Winex West Can

03-02-2003, 06:16 PM

emjay,
I gotta agree with Cooler, the racquet is a very good fake. Only give-away is the serial number(s) which are not engraved (should have been engraved).

Just imagined if they had engraved the serial numbers instead. Then, it would be almost impossible to tell it apart from the real McCoy.

Bottom line - as long you are happy with it and you know you didn't pay the hefty price (as you would for a real Yonex), keep on using it :D :D

Yodums

03-02-2003, 06:20 PM

Wow, that's one hell of a fake. If it wasn't for the SN many wouldn't have even guessed that it was a fake.

Winex:

Bleh, but then you gotta play with all this guilt that it isn't a genuine Yonex racquet :)

Winex West Can

03-02-2003, 06:35 PM

Originally posted by Yodums
Wow, that's one hell of a fake. If it wasn't for the SN many wouldn't have even guessed that it was a fake.

Winex:

Bleh, but then you gotta play with all this guilt that it isn't a genuine Yonex racquet :)

No, if you bought the racquet knowing that the possibility of it being a fake is very high because of the price, then you do not have the expectations that comes with a geniune Yonex.

BTW, I forgot, in one of the pictures where emjay shows the Ti-mesh on the frame; on a real MP90/99, it is black (not mesh).

emjay

03-02-2003, 06:55 PM

Thanks for the replies guys... You've just confirmed my original suspicions :) As I said, I'm not that bothered as it performs well and was about half the price of the genuine article - I'll probably get the real one at some point, when I have some cash to spare!!

Chia

03-02-2003, 11:16 PM

that is a pretty good fake, i like how you have the yellow strings with the fake mp99

cooler

03-02-2003, 11:47 PM

chia, that is lime green color sting, not yellow.

Just from the attached photos of the fake mp99, i counted 8 to 9 differences that are not consistent with yonex mp99. However, it is amazing how good and fast copies can be made though.

emjay

03-03-2003, 01:19 AM

Actually the string is yellow, it's just in the pic that it has a green tint to it. I upped the exposure a little as my initial pics were too dark!

fhchiang

03-10-2003, 09:04 AM

hmmmm..............

fake racquets usually will break during clashes with other genuine racquet...

well....

a genuine racquet would used good materials to ensure the racquet is light and the frame is very strong to withstand clashes......

a fake one.... they'll use normal/cheap materials and make the racquet weight to exactly the genuine ones...... and usually.. since they use cheap materials.... clashes with other genuine racquets will break it......

BTW...

u'll get different feeling when u are playing with a genuine and a fake racquet

LazyBuddy

03-10-2003, 10:54 AM

Originally posted by fhchiang
fake racquets usually will break during clashes with other genuine racquet...

Errr... can't really agree on this statement.

Although, never really tried to do some experiement on this (I don't anyone really want to risk a nice MP90/100, or so), clashes will dmg. rackets, not only base on the material difference.

Depend on the position, tension, material, action vs re-action, etc, not really always the genuine rackets will survive. Saw a case of genuine cab20 broke into 3 pieces, during a "battle" with a fake cab20. The fake one only got a little bit pain chip on the shaft.

Well, maybe I am wrong. But, don't need anyone to really try it to prove anyone of us is right. :D

bigredlemon

03-10-2003, 01:01 PM

I know in China, some fake companies form their own "trademark" and attach it to the fakes they make. Some good fake rippers have a very good reputation for quality, sometimes surprising the originals or even offering better features than the original. They usually put a tiny "clue" somewhere if you know where to look. As for racquets, I think Yonex will still probably make the better one, but we shouldn't just discount all chinese fakes as "crap."

Btw, funny story, I have seen other cheaper fakes than are knock offs of more respected and expensive fakes.:eek: There is no honour amongst theives! I've never bought racquets in China before so I can't tell you which groups make the best fakes but i'm sure there some people here who can enlighten us.

vishal daswani

03-13-2003, 11:15 PM

loverlionus, yes your racket no doubt is a fake! how do i know? well our circumstances are the same ito bought the same racket froma trainer in manila. Same price P3,500. And yes its a fake coz i went to yonex directly and they confirmed its a fake. PLs get in touch with me north@vasia.com maybe the same person sold it to us. my cell is 0917-8986579

Heath Ledger

08-13-2003, 01:43 PM

Originally posted by forrestyung
The base cab shows that it is a fake racket!!

The material of my Fake iso 800 also is so thin. Only RMB$200 with BG65 strings.
how do u noe ur iso800 is fake?rgds

cooler

08-13-2003, 02:59 PM

i don't how i've missed this thread and i have not read all the posts here but
from the pics, the black mp90 is a fake.

abeku

08-13-2003, 04:34 PM

All these reports about fake yonex racquets is going to make me think twice before paying such a hefty price for a good yonex racquet. Might as well switch to other companies rather than stick to the rolls royce of badminton.

cooler

08-13-2003, 04:40 PM

just buy it from an authorized dealer and keep the receipt.
It's isn't that hard to do.
I got it for P 3,500, which is around US$ 68. I later heard from others in our club that this was pretty high because others got it in the P 1,500 to P 2,000 range (US$ 28-38).

Do u really think 30-50 USD will buy a real JP MP90, ha.

This black mp90 is sooooo cheap that for one thing(among many), it's strung with crappy string. The more i look at it, the more flaws and weakness i see. It worth 10 USD, including string.

frictionman

08-13-2003, 09:01 PM

Originally posted by fhchiang
hmmmm..............

fake racquets usually will break during clashes with other genuine racquet...

well....

a genuine racquet would used good materials to ensure the racquet is light and the frame is very strong to withstand clashes......

a fake one.... they'll use normal/cheap materials and make the racquet weight to exactly the genuine ones...... and usually.. since they use cheap materials.... clashes with other genuine racquets will break it......

BTW...

u'll get different feeling when u are playing with a genuine and a fake racquet

What kind of fake or cloned racket do you have? maybe it's an old model coz my cloned Ti-10 which i strung around 25lbs still alive and kicking... and love the metallic sound it makes especially when i hit it really hard...

fhchiang

08-14-2003, 07:23 AM

hmm by the way..

the frame of the MP99 that i saw in my country is a SP version.

around the frame.... they have muscle bumps.... not only at 12 and 6 o'clock.... but they have it from 8 o'clock to 4o'clock...

bluejeff

08-14-2003, 01:32 PM

About the frame, the fake one above doesn't have the ms.power strips at both sides.
(I am talking about the little strip, not the bumps.)

My MP99 has that!:)

tranvi007

01-21-2005, 08:54 PM

bluejeff

01-21-2005, 09:11 PM

I've seen fake one piece racket, where overy thing including the cone is one piece. Some fake rackets work as well as the real ones. The best fakes are the lighter ones. The weigh as light as any normal racket. The only bad thing is the quality and durability. But for like 1/4 of the price, its not bad...
The problems are:
1. People sometimes paid near the full price and receive a fake! :(.
2. Sellers do not state it's a fake!! and people don't know what they are buying.

I have no problem with fake rackets selling at the price is should be. Overall, fakes are just generic rackets, which means the price should be generic as well. But if people are selling fakes as genuine racket prices, then there will be a problem.