chances are I'm horribly wrong, but I'll just say what I'm thinking. Out of the accounts AS1984, F1rst, BaddersUS, I think there's some identity overlap. I wish you all the best with customworqs, If I had 150 euros to spare I might've given one a go, but for a student it's beyond my budget. I'm signing off
alright gentlemen. give Customworqs a break here. while they started off with the wrong foot, let's look into the positive side. they are still currently a small operation and we should be happy that someone takes the effort and risk to do something different. afterall their effort will play a part in making badminton more popular. maybe we should forget and forgive and move on.
I don't buy the argument that all marketers post under false names and drum up sales, it is like Lance Armstrong arguing that he doped because everyone in cycling doped. It doesn't excuse him for keep lying for years and years. Please stop using that argument in the future if you want everyone to forgive and move on.
Soulless - I understand your point however if you take your example and say that Lance Armstrong doped for years and years and then was the first one to admit it (as we have admitted our username) whilst others continued to dope (other brand pseudo names), he'd probably been given some credit. Engaging with forums under the brand name and other names (mystery shoppers if you want to give it a term) is an integral part of many product marketers roles in rackets and other non-sporting product and service categories. Customworqs
Thanks for the update everyone, I wasn't aware and hadn't really been following the early chat. From what I know, the racket my friend ordered (yes genuine friend in case someone thinks that's a fix too), should be due in 2-3 weeks. Hopefully readers of my blog will allow me to review the racket and accept this will be unbiased. Paul www.badminton-coach.co.uk
I'm happy to hear you have taken my concerns seriously Eddie. My next biggest thing would be price... which could be low for you already.. but for me.. after converting it to canadian funds cost me around 200 dollars.. which is way way more than I pay for top of the line victor racquets. So the question is.. do I find your racquets better than victors? Not even close right now.. but I like what you're doing and I know you will keep improving. the racquets aren't bad.. it is an enjoyable doubles racquet.. but it's just not worth the price yet... cheers
Since my last post, and in anticipation of being able to play test my friend's racket when it finally arrives, I began thinking about the pros and cons of this concept. Firstly, let's put aside loyalty to brand - not always easy I know. Afterall I have been associated with Yonex for over 20 years. So if I can do it and think purely on concept and practicality then I'm sure anyone else can. I receive around 5 emails per day from players asking me which racket i recommend for them. I won't recommend and have always said choosing a racket is a personal thing. If there is no way you can test, which happens to most players, then you are effectively blindly buying based on reviews. It's risky. I suppose there is the same risk looking at this concept. We know that most, if not all manufacturers change their rackets every 2-3 years in general. This means that if you have a favourite racket, if it breaks or wears out then you have go through the whole process of finding the ideal replacement. I can imagine this happens many times over for some players in their badminton "career." This is where the custom concept for me is strong. If you find the right combinations that create your ideal racket, then surely you would like to be able to obtain the same again, year after year. As I understand it, your details and the details of your racket are stored in a data base. Therefore if you break the racket you can easily replace for an identical model. This is very clever and for those players who like consistency in their racket, it means you don't have to spend a lot of money or considerable time testing to find which of the latest models are closest to your beloved racket. I think it will take time to establish this brand and concept, but, if the quality is good, playability is good and delivery is good, this could very well be the future for many badminton players. I appreciate looking at previous posts the brand has possibly not made the best start in terms of communicating on this forum. However, I think you should give some credit here to the people behind the business. This is a very bold move in badminton - taking a decision to launch a new brand. But instead of doing a "me too" policy of bringing out a range, they have created a brand around customising the characteristics of a racket to fit the player. For that alone they should be congratulated. No doubt there is a lot of improvement to come in terms of the process, colourschemes and the range of choices for players, however the concept is incredible and could become known as the brand that revolutionised the badminton market. So let's not get too overly critical here because this could be the start of great things for all of us. Paul www.badminton-coach.co.uk
I agree with you Paul. This is a great concept and such reactions on the way they communicate through this forum arerather uncalled for. After all, Eddie Hang is just trying to convert his passion in the game into action. he has just started so there is no need to throw a verdict immediately. Give him some time and cut him some slack. Maybe hemight be able to change things for the better. I don't think all the manufacturers had rave reviews the moment they started out. What is most important is whether Eddie Hang will accept the feedback of his customers and improve on his products and service.
Jason Great point. Any serious manufacturer will listen carefully to feedback. Badminton players can be a fickle crowd which I believe can be positive. You need time to listen and act. After all you don't act on one comment but when you notice a trend or common thread developing. Paul www.badminton-coach.co.uk
Not really convinced of customized rackets. In my many years from teens to adult to old fogey...my preferences (racket specs) have changed through out the years. And technology changes as well. Not to mention injury problems to boot. What I like today is probably not what I will like 5 years from now. And I don't break rackets on a consistent basis to justify a customized racket. If it was cheaper, I would consider purchasing one just to try it out.
First, I think the price is going to be a problem when savvy internet buyers can obtain two rackets for the same price. There are companies that offer a full range of rackets so they have something most people are looking for. The second problem is that custom worq's customization ability is limited at the moment, maybe it will change in the future. The third problem is that most people do not really know what is best for them unless they have tried to whole range of products, unlike tailored suits, the lack of self-insight make it particularly risky to invest in a $200 racket that cannot be returned...just my two cents
this is indeed an interesting business model for badminton rackets. something that doesn't come with a big surprise but also at the same time, first time that we see someone do it in such a systematical way. I have gone through and tested the whole customization process. and honestly, i think within the bounds of manufacturing tolerances and human perception of balance and weight, that's pretty much the most one can do to offer 3 types of weight and balances. customization is always going to cost a bit, a custom fitted suit is going to fit someone much better than Armani, and will probably cost more if the same material is used. i do agree that not everyone know their "perfect" spec. even myself, who has probably owned and tried more rackets and string than most people cannot tell u if i have a perfect weight/balance/swingweight/string combo. there are just too many combinations out there. what would be ideal is if there are sales from customworqs who have a whole bag of rackets, all of different specs for the customer to try out. the problem is that there are so many combinations out there we are probably talk about at least a few dozen rackets to have decent coverage over the possibility. they do offer some good looking design with 6 color choices. i can see a lot of thoughts have gone behind the color choices and will appeal to different tastes. i wonder if the next step will be even more customizability. let anyone upload their own design. that would be cool. there must be a minimum order to justify the extra work though. maybe it will appeal to school teams or clubs, or maybe even someone who want to run their own brand. i understand that there are companies who do that for bike jerseys. have some basic designs, let the customer add their own logo and wordings. only time will tell if this works out. good luck to them.
i went thru their website trying to figure out the kind of racket that suits my preference and had left my email with them. i got an email just now announcing that they have launched a racket that can take up to 30lbs string tension. i always like to hear that because i feel safer stringing it at 24lb. i know 24lbs will not break any rackets, but it's just the peace of mind that i get when i know i'm stringing it waaaaaaay below warranty limits
Why don't you get an Apacs then . Some are warrantied up to 40lbs (and more I think) and we have succesfully tested/strung the Slayer 99 @ 37lbs several times (with ten different rackets, challenged by the seller; warrantied to 35)
damn, thank you for the info, i guess i was sick in bed the day that thread was current since i didn't know about it at all. eventually, i'll get to panda power rackets and the apacs racket.
Good point well made, however we all know that most players will not be capable of playing with a racket strung over 30 lbs anyway. I have no intention of opening the debate on string tension here, but I consider 30lbs more than enough for 95% of the players. A manufacturer saying their rackets can be strung to such a high tension is obviously thinking about the discerning player and their needs. For most of us, myself included, I would not be interested in stringing to that level. Compared to some brands quoting much lower tensions should be considered good news. Paul www.badminton-coach.co.uk
I've had the fortune of getting 4 Customworqs demo rackets and have had a little go with them. I'll get some pictures up soon. The specs I received - 312mm, 90g, 6.5 stiff, matt silver with orange, yonex g4 (bp gripped and strung 315mm) - 303mm, 86g, 6.5 stiff, matt red, yonex g5 (bp gripped and strung 303mm) - 295mm, 90g, 6.5 stiff, gloss white with green, yonex g4 with sensigel (bp gripped and strung 283mm) - 303mm, 90g, 8 med stiff, gloss gun metal with yellow, yonex g4 (bp gripped and strung 307mm) First impressions are good. All 4 rackets produce good power with obviously the head heaviest doing it the best. They have a solid feel to them with the 295mm being the pick of the bunch. The racket is really cohesive in terms of shaft, weight and balance point compatibility. I personally love the looks of the rackets but you can decide for yourselves once the pictures are up. The frame is definitely where these rackets beat others quite considerably... Very aerodynamic. They really cut through the air and even the head heavy one moved like a bravesword I'll update with pics and more information as I test them out more but so far so good.
