I was looking for a replacement racket recently and to my surprised a few shops very strongly recommended me other brands such as Winex, ProAce, Toalson etc etc instead of Yonex. They are not just saying that these 3rd party brands are good but they are also saying that Yonex is not so good, too stiff & blah blah blah. One shop in Bras Basah actually saying that practically all rackets by Winex are good and all Yonex rackets are no good. I find it hard to believe when I know that most international players are using Yonex rackets. What is your opinion? Are they really speaking the truth that these brands are better than Yonex or is Yonex controlling the prices and not giving them good margin and so they are trying to sell other brands? Your opinion and view are appreciated. Thanks.
They probably do make more money selling other brands. BUT what they say *is* true. Unless you have good technique and power, buying a very stiff racquet may well hurt your game. And stiff racquets are pretty much what Yonex specializes in (unless you go into their low end stuff that's not made in Japan with poorer QC, in which case you might as well buy another brand like Winex or ProAce.)
some of my friends played with Winex and they liked the rackets. But they switched back to Yonex for some reason.... maybe because of the name?
Overhere in Germany the margin you gain when selling yonex goods is between 20% and 30%, so most of the shops will recommend other brands (like carlton, babolat, victor), if you're not insisting on buying yonex. Stiff vs. flexible, heavy vs. light don't make any difference - it just comes down to personal preferences - but regarding the sheer technical quality of a racket (durability) yonex is just the best (imo ). Good proove: gosen/carlton sponsored players, who have painted their brand on the strings, but are playing with yonex rackets (Lee Wan-Wah, Rasmussen...).
Thank you all for the reponse. Hmmmm..... so the shop was half rite. Winex may not be bad as I could be thinking of them after all. Like all of you have said, I guess no brand can be 100% good and its still left to the individuals preference. But I guess many of us are still more confident on Yonex products.
I am not very sure that's the case or not. Maybe they are having multiple contracts. I remember someone metioned in the other thread, player might have different contacts for rackets and strings. Therefore, u will see some "combo" as metioned above.
I agree. Some clonex brands do have decent models avaiable in the market. If such models fit for ur needs, then, the quality vs ratio surely won't disappoint u. If we can obtain a racket with good performance but only 50% of the price, why not? It's like "digging out a gem". However, I have to agree Yonex offers the largest selection. Therefore, it's a "safe" choice to look for ur rackets within yonex, never have to metion decent warranty issues, higher re-sale value, etc. With much more choices (models) available in Yonex range, it tend to be easier to get a racket which suit for ur games. Therefore, Yonex is a "safe" choice if u don't want to spend too much time to think and test. Other clonex might be a little bit risky, however, the enjoyment of finding a treasure with ordinary price is great. This is always my own "excuse" to spend more $$$ on more less known brand rackets.
You were rite LazyBuddy. I think I will go for a "safe" choice. I have never doubt the quality of Yonex rackets from young but I always have doubts on other brands when it comes to badminton racket. From the past all my rackets were Yonex and I have never bought any other brands before. It was other players' comments in this forum about the quality of other brands racket that made me wonder a while. Now my heart is backed with Yonex.
If u have confidence and enough $$$ for a yonex racket, surely go with it. Overall, u are not going to buy 1 new racket everday, therefore, the $$$ difference might not be a huge impact in u tend to use it long. There's always better deals around the world, but we just try to get a good deal within a reasonable range. There's no need to always thinking about "there's a better one, according to others..." all the time. As long as u can settle on a reasonable deal, satisfied with the performance, and enjoy this sports, all good.
Just for info. Those Winex rackets were not cheap too. The shop quoted me in the range of S$130~S$170. I hold a few of them yesterday and all of them feels the same to me. Overly light. At that price I might as well settle down with Ti-10 without any doubt on its quality. More importantly I never need to lose my sleep.
In Asia, Yonex stuff are way cheaper than it is in Europe or North America. If the price does not make too much a difference, and u r sure Ti10 will serve u well, then, go with it. In my area, top of line Yonex could be $150 - $200, while decent clonex models might be well below $100, then, many of us do have to squeeze up our brain cells then make a "gamble" sometimes. That's why BC/BF is useful. Instead of throwing $$$ around randomly, and test all the models, we can at least eliminate a lot of choices base on the info and reviews.
best thing would be for you to demo them all.......in UK the sports shops dont let u do that.....the most they go to is to let u maybe return and swap for another model if u really dont like it......so for us its basically buy the same racquet as your using.....or go for something you've played with b4....or yonex....hehehe....not much choice