Hi, i was wondering if this yonex VT80 that i got from my friend is real or fake? Serial number is 7631407 Cone serial is 300602jp I need to know asap before i buy it off my friend. Thanks
Shaft (7 digits ) - example : 1234567 ( This number is UNIQUE to each racket)Cone (6 digist + 2 alphabets) - example 110562JP The first 5 digits show the date of manufacture of the racket.In case of the above example,the racket was manufactured on 11st May, 2006.The meaning of the last digits remains a mystery what year did VT 80 come out?
Is there any JP wording on the shaft? if yes, it is fake for sure. If it is not, it might be genuine. From the cone code, racket was produced at 30th June 2010. It seems okay for VT80. But i don't have any clue to connect cone code & shaft code, some people have the know how to relate shaft & cone code. My suggestion is to walk around at badminton hall if any people out there have genuine VT80 on hand, you can compare it side to side, up and down. Where did your friend buy it from? if he can provide original receipt from reputable store, then most probably it is genuine. If he bought it from Online store or ebay, you need to check the credibility of that particular store or particular ebay username.
Take a look at that picture, he said he got it from a cousin from the States.. Pretty sure its from a store somewhere down there
@Purifiedpulse When you rotate the shaft, do you see any JP wording ? For JP Coded racket to enter US market, are either someone bought from Japan, brought back to US then sell it, or from some online store.
Then you need to take a more detailed photo...JP rackets are known for its detail in cosmetic & perfectness. If the shop, ship it from Japan to states, then less likely it is a fake.
@PurifiedPulse The grip looks a little bit weird, but it just me.. JP racket do come with cloth bag...it can be of any color, but usually it is black. How much did your friend offer you?
Probably a fake. Where's the coffin-like full cover case that comes with it? And $175 for a JP coded VT80 is too cheap to be real. Look at mybadminstore for how much they charge for a JP racket (around $240 at least). Sounds like your friend bought it from ebay from a guy name Big Show (or something like that). A known fake seller as far as I've read in these forums.Locally at Tad's the racket sells for $200.
Ok here's another tip. The first post on the VT80 thread is in Jan 2011 about shuttlehouse sellimg VT80. That's a 6 month differential for a racket to be produced and sold in Japan. Too long in my opinion. I bought 2 x VT80 CD coded and 1 x VT80 TW coded. All 3 came with the coffin-like case. If your friend doesn't have it...I'd be suspicious.
300602 means it is produced at June 30, 2010 which doesn't make sense because VT 80 released in this year, the earliest batch you can find is after October 2010, to be safe, don't buy. And the price he got it for VT 80 does not make sense. The price should be more or less $240. JP rackets come with cloth bag, if he don't provide the cloth bag, means it is not a JP racket.
300602 looks like ok for the date of product.... but then... is it possible VT-80 at Japan had produce 7631407 unit of it ? only half a year... is better post it to the thread which help you check the racket is original or fake... for me.. the racket looks like fake... sorry, no offense