RKEP PRO6000 PRO9000 badminton racket

[Squash Eric]

G2 (= YONEX G5)

Here in Taiwan that all racket companies marked their racket as G2
(VICTOR FLEET HEAD DUNLOP BALOLAT WINNEX ...)
except YONEX marked as G5 although they are the same size handle

[Iori]

Just received my PRO 9000, posting my initial impressions.

Specs:

88 grams - my request, heaviest frame weight available
292 mm balance - similar to my arc8dx
Long shaft (1 cm longer compared to arc8dx)
made in Taiwan

By bending the shaft, I find it slightly stiffer than my at900p but will probably play quite a bit stiffer due to lighter balance. The shaft is a bit thicker than the the arc 8dx but not as stiff. I'm pleasantly surprised about the paint quality. It is almost as good as my JP code 8dx and better than the brave sword 10. The frame shape is very similar to the at900p.

Overall this racket has the look and feel of an high-end racket but I won't get to play with it until Saturday. I am hoping the PRO 9000 will be a viable backup to my 8dx. I will post my findings after I play.

On a side note, the G11 over grips have improved tape compared to the G09.

[visor]

Iori, we should've done a group buy, I'm also in Vancouver and I'm waiting for mine to arrive next week!

[Nauroa]

My Pro 9k and 6k are withheld in customs... I want to try them out now!

[Iori]

Iori, we should've done a group buy, I'm also in Vancouver and I'm waiting for mine to arrive next week!

Darn, ya, It's only $70 more for the 2nd one. Did you get the Pro9000 and did you pick your frame weight? I think you'll be pleased with the quality. We can group buy next time if Eric decide to release an extra stiff frame

[CanucksDynasty]

Darn, ya, It's only $70 more for the 2nd one. Did you get the Pro9000 and did you pick your frame weight? I think you'll be pleased with the quality. We can group buy next time if Eric decide to release an extra stiff frame

I can vouch for visor as I did 3 RKEP group buys with him and madbad. Was tempted to get the RKEP PRO9000 racket but decided I wanted the Yonex CAB 50 more. Plus I also need to buy RRSP and pay taxes .

[madbad]

Darn, ya, It's only $70 more for the 2nd one. Did you get the Pro9000 and did you pick your frame weight? I think you'll be pleased with the quality. We can group buy next time if Eric decide to release an extra stiff frame

I can vouch for visor as I did 3 RKEP group buys with him and madbad. Was tempted to get the RKEP PRO9000 racket but decided I wanted the Yonex CAB 50 more. Plus I also need to buy RRSP and pay taxes .

Ditto. Might jump back into a group buy after tax season is over.

BTW Iori, where do you play?

[Iori]

Ditto. Might jump back into a group buy after tax season is over.

BTW Iori, where do you play?

Mostly Clear One Leslie and Richmond Pro. But Clear One just increased drop in fees to $5 >< time to find cheaper place! Can't wait till Badminton Vancouver opens haha, its closer for me.

[madbad]

Mostly Clear One Leslie and Richmond Pro. But Clear One just increased drop in fees to $5 >< time to find cheaper place! Can't wait till Badminton Vancouver opens haha, its closer for me.

What days do you play at RichmondPro?

I'm normally there Mon and Thurs morning drop-in

[Iori]

What days do you play at RichmondPro?

I'm normally there Mon and Thurs morning drop-in

I don't play regularly at RPRO. I'm usually at C1 Leslie on Saturdays 9am - 1pm.

[madbad]

I don't play regularly at RPRO. I'm usually at C1 Leslie on Saturdays 9am - 1pm.

Well, hope to play sometime then. Maybe at the next BC gathering.

[Benwilluk]

Just wondering whether anyone else from the UK are interested in either of these rackets?

[Frosty]

Review of RKEP PRO6000 and PRO9000

Before I start, I need to emphasise that one of the reason of me getting the 6000 and 9000 was because of the option to get rackets with specifications close what I like. Dry weight, grip size and dry balance point to me are crucial factors which heavily decides whether a player likes a particular racket or not, asides from the string and its tension, of course. So, keep up the good work, Eric!

Specs
=====
Dry specs I asked for both rackets : 88g 295mm
Dry specs I got for both rackets ( handle plastic removed ) : ~88g ( +- of less than 0.5g ) ~295mm

All in all, I am very satisfied with the actual specs I got.

Stringing
==========
The two racket frames seem quite strong, given the fact that I string using a 2 point support machine. Granted, my tension ( 24 x 26lbs ) is not high compared with others, props must still be given as very little visible frame deformation was observed during the stringing process. For those who string themselves, you will be pleased to find that there are less shared holes at the top.

Hitting time
=============
Okay, I'll start with 9000. I must say that I really, really love this one. I'm sure that the fact that the rackets specs are to my liking must have contributed to me liking and comfortable with the racket, but there's no denying that this racket feels very solid during impact ( box frame ) and power transfer is direct ( stiffer shaft ). For me the shaft stiffness is just nice. Its stiff enough for me to get suffecient feedback when I hit shuttles and direct power transfer, but at the same time not so stiff up to the point where I can't keep using the same racket for a 2-3++ hour session. I have had my share of stiff rackets, such as the RSL X2 Gold, Panda Power U2 and U2 Pro, which I rate them at a slightly higher stiffness than 9000. Overall, I think this racket would definitely work nicely for players who have higher and more explosive swing speed ( compared with the average level social players here in Malaysia ).

Okay, on to the 6000. To be honest, I haven't played as much with the 6000 compared with the 9000. I guess I made the mistake of trying the 9000 before the 6000. Big mistake. I kept going back to the 9000. But, having said that, after trying the 6000 for some games, I think the 6000 would make a wonderful racket for a much wider range of players, ranging from beginner to advanced players of different age. The reason is because I feel that the 6000 is very easy to use, mainly because of its less stiff shaft ( compared with the 9000 ), hex frame which reduces swing resistance and also the slight head-heaviness). I have never used the BS09, but having tried BS10 before, my guess is that Eric is trying to get the 6000 to play like the BS09, albeit at a lower price than Victor ( hex frame for reduced swing resistence, not too stiff shaft and slightly head heavy )? While it might not provide the same potential power as the 9000 when making power shots, I think that is fully compensated by the fact that it easier to defend smashes using the 6000.

Paint-wise, sorry, I didn't really took much notice, nor am I really sure on how to gauge its quality. Just not too particular with the looks of my rackets. Heck, I wouldn't have minded even if there's no paint whatsoever on my rackets.

Do notice that I did not give out ratings on power, accuracy and etc as normally seen as I feel that a lot of variables can affect that rating from player to player.

[a|extan]

any1 in singapore here interested in group buy?

i am interested in PRO6000

[visor]

@ Frosty:

Very useful and concise review. :thumbsup: I also love the feel, directness, and accuracy of stiff rackets, the MX80 being my favourite go-to racket.

I can't wait for the next 2-3 days time, when I should be receiving and playing with a 85g 294mm bp Pro9000!

[Nauroa]

Gonna go pick up my RKEP Pro 6000 and 9000 at the postoffice today.
Then off to the stringer to get them strung with BG80 at 24x26 lbs.
Hopefully it will be done by Thursday or I will have to wait all until Saturday to try them out. :/

[Nauroa]

Collected my PRO 9k and PRO 6k from the stringer on Tuesday and brought them to badminton practice.
Didn't expect to use them much though since I got a badminton club match on Saturday, so didn't find it to be the best time for a racket change.
"Unfortunately" I broke the strings on both of my normal go to rackets, so I got to play one match with the PRO 9k.

I have to say the power of the racket got me very excited, so I'll bring it to practice again today at do a full two hour session with it.
Hopefully by then I'll be able to come with my initial impression without too much clouding from all the timing issues I experienced on Tuesday.