Hello All, I am new here. I play badminon twice a week in the UK and and professional training. I have several rackets of which my Voltric 70 is my favorite being a head heavy player. Can anyone help me please I went passed a charity shop yesterday local to my work and for some reason my eyes lured me to this badminton racket (Blue/ Purple Kennex Carbon Pro B 787 Extra with silver case and light blue/ white writing on the case). So I went in, after carefully checking out the racket I decided to get it. Only cost a £1, yes only £1. Now the racket needs to be re-strung and also needs a new grip, all easy to do. I have NEVER seen a racket like this EVER, I mean EVER, this racket is moulded into one, I.E. no joins whatsoever not even on the handle. It’s a graphite type frame and lighter than my voltric. After taking the racket grip off I can confirm the whole racket is made of graphite even the handle. How strange, never, ever seen one of those before and it’s so light. I have goggled it, no pictures however 5 star rating. I can’t even find this racket on eBay, so must be rare?? All I know is it’s from the late 1980’s – early 1990’s. Anyway, will be good to repair and see how it plays like Can anyone tell me the actual date this was made and if the racket is any good or if it's a rare racket?
I think I read that there are some rackets like that I forgot the model. it is an old model I hope some other members could give an enlightenment to this racket
Thanks for your reply. My Badminton Coach is eager to try it out once I have had it repaired. Looking at the artwork on the racket, it looks more of an old 80's racket. My Badminton coach said it’s a well known good make but never seen that model or type before, she has been playing for 20 years plus but mainly uses Carlton rackets as she get sponsored by them. I hope the pictures have come out. Please, please, if anyone knows ANYTHING about this racket, please let me know as this is bugging me. I have no doubt in my mind this is a genuine racket and not fake. Cheers Chris
Opps Sorry, I didn't do it right, Lets try again with the pictures. I'll post up on photobucket in a mo and attached the URL.
Some more pictures here, sorry about the quality, my iphone is the old generation so pictures not great. You may think the handle looks like wood but I can assure you it isn't.
it's probably mid 90's. I have the 787 from late 80's and early 90's and the paint is different to this one. The case looks the same! Probably the first racquets to introduce a fully one piece design were the Carlton Powerflo.
Excellent, thank you for letting me know. Are those Kennex 787 rackets any good to play with? For £1 UK sterling you can't grumble on the price, plus £1.50 for new grip and £10 for it being re-strung, so all in all not bad for £12.50 UK sterling.
Could you kindly post up some pictures of your 787 for me to look at please? I read on the internet there is a green 787 going around which is from the 1980's.
I have lent it to a friend at the moment. The green one is a similar design to your blue one except with green as the background. It cannot be strung more than 25 lbs tension because I tried that already the earlier generation is gray with a different pattern. I know this model well because I used to have 6 of them as a student and used them for a couple of years after graduating. It wasn't the top range of prokennex - I bought them figuring it would be better than having expensive ones that break and not being able to afford a spare. For 1 quid, you got a bargain.
Thanks Cheung. How much money do you think the racket is worth once fully repaired? I found a lower version simular style and same brand on USA eBay site for $199 dollars. WOW, pricey!!
I forgot to mention that the $199 US Dollars is for a new 727 1980's kennex racket and it's not molded at the handle.
the old 787 from the late 80's early 90's were excellent rackets. string it up in the low 20lbs and try it out!
its great that someone post a thread about some random racket and suddenly all these useful info start popping up in response. guess there's a lot more to learn for me!!!
A racket is worth what one is willing to pay. An ambitious price for a 727. Perhaps somebody is willing to pay that price for an unused one. In its time 727 was also a popular mainstream racket. However, I think it cannot compare with those oldies such as Carbonex 8, 9, 20, 21, boron 2 because there weren't any players who won major tournaments with a 727
that is a good deal. very hard to find one piece rackets nowadays. i was previously looking for kennex legendary but near impossible to find one for sale.
Here is the vintage 727 on USA ebay site: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vtg-Rare-...171?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35bdd8b33b
Thanks to all who has replied to this thread It has given me recognition that an old skool rackets still have the respect and shouldn't be neglected. I have played badminton for 16 years and never seen a B 787 extra EVER, even my coach hasn't seen a racket like this before. I certainly won't ignore or complain about going into a charity shop or bootsale ever again!! Since having coaching lessions, I decided two years ago to get a decent racket, since owning a Voltric 70 and now a Voltric 80, all I can is those rackets are the best in my opinion. I know there are alot of fake rackets out there so have to be careful where the racket is purchased from. It's like a film, that someone goes into a bookstore, and right at the back of the shelf finds a rare book for peanuts then finds out it's worth a fortune. I have re-gripped the racket using a light blue Karakal PU Super replacement grip, which I thought was quite fitting for that racket. Now will get it re-strung next week. Thanks to all. Chris
I played with a Pro Kennex B787 when I was about 14 years old which would have been 1986. I remember it being my favourite racket for at least a couple of years, and thinking it was super cool because it was all in one piece! Don't have it any more though...!