When does the "need" to try new rackets begin to impede development?

[latecomer]

Can anyone explain the urge to buy rackets after rackets other than being an shopaholic. In golf, a new driver, the manufacturer claims it will be 20 yards further than the old model. In badminton, assuming one can clear from baseline to baseline without labouring, hitting the bird further doesnot do one any good. Therefore a new racket will not help you beating a player better than you. With string tension and strings variety come into the equation, a non-pro player will not know the precise different between rackets unless you have time to expriementing different strings and different tensions on each and every one of your rackets. Do not forget the tensions different between main and cross too. Plus one has to play a certain amount of games to fully know the pros and cons of the racket. Who will have this much time and energy to invest especially if you are married.

[gundamzaku]

Can anyone explain the urge to buy rackets after rackets other than being an shopaholic. In golf, a new driver, the manufacturer claims it will be 20 yards further than the old model. In badminton, assuming one can clear from baseline to baseline without labouring, hitting the bird further doesnot do one any good. Therefore a new racket will not help you beating a player better than you. With string tension and strings variety come into the equation, a non-pro player will not know the precise different between rackets unless you have time to expriementing different strings and different tensions on each and every one of your rackets. Do not forget the tensions different between main and cross too. Plus one has to play a certain amount of games to fully know the pros and cons of the racket. Who will have this much time and energy to invest especially if you are married.

for me personally, it's my curiosity that gets me every time. when i see a new racket, i ignore the marketing/advertising, but after reading about the pros of a racket on this forum, i feel an urge to buy it. my desire to buy a new racket will never be because i can hit further because that's not what i look for in a badminton racket anyway furthermore, i actually have time(probably because i'm not married) to experiment with difference in tension and thickness of strings as well as the structure of the string, tho i'm not a pro, not even close. my arm and hand, however, is sensitive enough to know the difference, you don't really need to be a pro to know. i truly believe that if you play badminton long enough, you'll gain that type of experience. i also have a stringer, tho not the best, but i can switch to a different string by impulse since it's convenient to me in the end, it's my passion for the sport that drives me to allocate the time needed to do all of the above and also, some of us, not me tho, are actually racket collectors, so maybe that's why we buy so many rackets. the only time i bought more than one racket was a purchase of 4 carbonex 8600ti for two reasons, i love using it, and because i love using it, i can use this model to test out different strings however, they are only $45USD (on sale) per racket, so it's on a very very low budget

[latecomer]

"gundamzaku", may you tell us how many rackets you test on a yearly basis.

[amleto]

"gundamzaku", may you tell us how many rackets you test on a yearly basis.

Why did you put quotes around his nickname?

[latecomer]

Why did you put quotes around his nickname?

Can you show me the proper way. Thanks in advance.

[gundamzaku]

"gundamzaku", may you tell us how many rackets you test on a yearly basis.

The only rackets I've tested are the ones I own. And because I have no plans of selling any of them, I can always go back and retest them and judge them appropriately according to the change of my game as well as my lack of skills, lol

[maxout]

Can you show me the proper way. Thanks in advance.

The convention used in this forum (from what I have observed) is: @gundamzaku - ... (message)

[latecomer]

The convention used in this forum (from what I have observed) is: @gundamzaku - ... (message)

Thanks, over 350 posts in 4 months, amazing.

[latecomer]

The only rackets I've tested are the ones I own. And because I have no plans of selling any of them, I can always go back and retest them and judge them appropriately according to the change of my game as well as my lack of skills, lol

Then, how many rackets you have tested and what is the average time needed per each racket.

[Danze]

72 rackets, WOW.
But you know that there are really only 2 main types of racket. I don't know why you need 72 rackets none of which suit you.

Head Heavy
Lightweight

then you have flex which is really just 1. stiff 2. middle 3. flexible

I think you are more interested in badminton rackets than badminton.

[maxout]

Thanks, over 350 posts in 4 months, amazing.

Oh, it is easy to rack up the numbers when you start to help people seeking racquet recommendations - unfortunately, I realised MAJORITY "don't like" my choice of the "magic wand" - Carbonex20sp hahahaha ... too old-fashioned (oval) ... but it is a GREAT RACQUET , so far, the BEST I have ever played with ...

[gundamzaku]

Then, how many rackets you have tested and what is the average time needed per each racket.

well first i'll need a default racket, meaning a racket that i will always go back to for comparison. and only recently i've found a decent racket that i enjoy playing consistently, the yonex arc002. it's considered a low-end racket, even balance, flexible shaft. the reason i picked the even balance is because my lack of strength to play with a head heavy racket consistently (tho i love my victor superwave 35). the arc002 is just easy to play and very forgiving because of its shaft flexibility. the other go to racket is the carlton vapour trail vanquish which is also even balance and medium stiff. the yonex felt like a high 3u and the carlton felt like a low 3u regarding weight. i used to use the yonex carbonex 8600ti which is an oval head racket. tho yonex rated that racket medium stiffness, it felt stiffer to me than that. i now no longer use it since my strength had decreased a bit. i have four cab8600ti and those are the rackets i used to test different strings these days.

because i continue to go back to the arc002, i have a "constant" i can use to compare with other rackets. testing for me takes time. i usually play with a new racket and try to adjust just my hitting style so that i can perform the same as if i was using the arc002. sometimes it takes days, sometimes it takes weeks. there are also times where i just gave up because i couldn't achieve what i had just mentioned. because i don't play tournaments anymore, my playing style or my hitting style doesn't matter to me that much. that's the only reason why i can afford all this change. if you are still into tournaments or even playing competitively, i would suggest you not to do what i did. you want a racket that would enhance your game, not the other way around. to be more accurate about the time spent "testing" or trying out rackets, i would measure it in terms of playing sessions. usually my playing sessions lasts between 2-4 hours. so since i'm used to my arc002 or my vt vanquish, it would only take me 1hr to get use to playing with them. if it's something new, like the vtzf ltd, then i'll probably need2-3 sessions to get use to. i have played with it in warmup rallies, but not in a game.

lastly, your opponents also make a difference. if you're can, try to play with opponents of the same skill level so that the technicality of the game is consistent. usually when i "test" my rackets i play with people at a skill level that's a bit lower than me, so that i can actually pay attention to the racket during a game and not need to completely focus in a game. this might not work for you, but it works for me

[visor]

@gundamzaku:

you really have to try out the precision pro or the revelation... that should be the end of your racket searching for a bit ... they are that good...

[gundamzaku]

@gundamzaku:

you really have to try out the precision pro or the revelation... that should be the end of your racket searching for a bit ... they are that good...

ahahaha, this is the second time someone suggested that to me, and i will once i figure out the exact specs i want, and i'll order one along with an order from customwerqs, hehe

[maxout]

ahahaha, this is the second time someone suggested that to me, and i will once i figure out the exact specs i want, and i'll order one along with an order from customwerqs, hehe

And BOTH racquets will set you back around USD400 .... Never mind, do pm me when you want to get "rid" of them at KNOCKDOWN PRICE .... your prefered Arc02 is not that far off my fav Cab20sp specs .... so whatever you spec, I am sure I can "use" them too !!

[gundamzaku]

And BOTH racquets will set you back around USD400 .... Never mind, do pm me when you want to get "rid" of them at KNOCKDOWN PRICE .... your prefered Arc02 is not that far off my fav Cab20sp specs .... so whatever you spec, I am sure I can "use" them too !!

unfortunately i have never sold any of my athletic equipment. i still have an 8lbs bowling ball sitting in my closet somewhere with my brunswick shoes, hahahahahaha.

to be honest, i especially treasure lesser known brand rackets since they are probably made in very limited quantity, and in this case, both rackets will be "custom" made (which makes me feel special like LD or LCW) so i probably will never sell it and if it works out (rarely with me and rackets) i'll probably order a few of the same racket and that would be the end of racket research, tho i'll still be buying "limited editions" from yonex and victor.

right now i'm just pondering on whether i should bite the bullet and buy a few different models from Head since they are getting out of badminton? i'll be in HK in mid of Jan so that's when my shopping "spree" starts...luckily, there's just one racket i want, the VT88LTD. badminton alley selling at 260+tax while HK sells it at under 200USD, so since i'll be in HK anyway, i'll save myself 60USD per racket

[latecomer]

@gundamzaku so, when would you stop testing one racket and move on to the next one.