custom worqs review

**Backhand_Dave** · 01-22-2013, 04:15 AM

Wow.. tough crowd..

(hint: Why dont you just create a new account named "Custom Worqs" and post under that, thats a good start.. doing that from the start may have helped! )

**jerby** · 01-22-2013, 04:40 AM

Originally Posted by demolidor

Wonder jerby, if you complete the racket selector tool if your current racket input comes out of it as well as recommendation

[if you have the time and patience to complete it]

Trying it now, why does it want to know if I'm left/right handen? Do I need a different racket again when I turn 25? If I gain weight, do I need a different frame? ... I don't get this at all...
Anyway, I get a heavy, stiff superheadlight racket. In real life I prefer slightly heavy, headheavy, slightly stiff rackets. So It's close but not quite.

**jerby** · 01-22-2013, 04:53 AM

Originally Posted by Eddie Hang

I've been reading this thread following the comments and now feel that I must post. Some comments from Customworqs:

1.Whilst Customworqs started off on BC using pseudo names to cover up who we really were, as stated in the previous thread, every brand does this, no doubt, it's a fact / part of marketing a brand. Like it or not. We came clean and as such are now taking the hit for this. I find it difficult to understand why we should be given such a hard time for this and not other brands.

You really don't think it's slightly disingenuous to post under 1-2 false names on a forum like this? As far as I know every brand representative is pretty open about it, why wouldn't they be? Can you give us an example?

2. AS1984 was not prompted to post by Customworqs assuming it is who we think it is. Do you really think we would have gone down this route given this backlash caused by point 1 above? No, although it is true Andrew Smith will be playing on standard Customworqs frames which is again being more transparent than every major badminton brand on the market specific to their sponsored players.

Well then, which false names have you used?

3. We've bought a new way to the market for manufacturing rackets based on single unit production. Having seen such a lack of development in rackets for 30 years, I thought fellow badminton enthusiasts like me would be keen to see this type of manufacture develop and evolve rather than being satisfied with resprayed models for another 30 years. Have I missed something? Whilst it doesn't have the customisation levels that you might want in your perfect world, it is a step in the right direction.

I still aplaud the initiative and I hope it will get somewhere in the future. However, I think the biggest problem is that in the current market almost every enthusiast can already get the exact racket they want, if they shop around 4-5 brands.

4.We're being judged without anyone (of any credibility on this forum), except Tranqq, playing with the rackets. Given my professional badminton playing experience combined with heading up a rackets brand for 4 years, I would hope I know a little about what makes a good racket. How about you play test them and give us a fair trial? Either that or wait for the official reviews and then make a judgement.

So far, I've not seen anybody crituque your rackets unfairly. Most of the comments have been about the racket-lineup, the selector tool on your website and the pricing. Also, a small tip from me, saying "I know what makes a good racket" doesn't always go over very well on the internet

5. We're happy to listen. We've taken Tranqq's feedback, discussed it internally and changed the packaging as well as added some additional 40K carbon into the head lay-up to stiffen it in 4 areas. What badminton brand's would be able to be as dynamic as this in its response?

well that's great, keep up the good work.

5. Customworqs isn't owned by some wealthy corporate. It's owned by people who love badminton. We would have hoped this might have given us a little traction with BC members. I wonder how many of you are Yonex / Li-Ning sponsored coaches and players playing the forum?

As a sponsored player, I'm maybe in a glass house here. But what does this matter? Can you name one example where a brand manager has created a dummy account to promote their brand? Do these yonex/li ning sponsored players not love badminton? What is the point here?
If I get my hands on a product that's good, I'll gladly say I like it, regardless which brand it is, why would any sponsored player/coach be less genuine?

**Eddie Hang** · 01-22-2013, 04:54 AM

Backhand_Dave - hindsight is a wonderful thing

**Eddie Hang** · 01-22-2013, 06:00 AM

Hi Jerby

Apologies I don't know how to use the quote marks so have used speech marks instead

"You really don't think it's slightly disingenuous to post under 1-2 false names on a forum like this? As far as I know every brand representative is pretty open about it, why wouldn't they be? Can you give us an example? They wouldn't be open about it to influence the thread." - No I can't give an example because I don't know their pseudonyms. What I do know is that it is acknowledged when brand managers meet, for example, at events.

"Well then, which false names have you used?" - Customworqs is only Eddie Hang. Any others are not Customworqs.

"Also, a small tip from me, saying "I know what makes a good racket" doesn't always go over very well on the internet" - I did say "hope what makes a good racket"!!

"As a sponsored player, I'm maybe in a glass house here. But what does this matter?" - my point is that there are badminton enthusiasts coaches etc who are very 1 brand orientated.

**vajrasattva** · 01-22-2013, 07:20 AM

customization of racquets via 3 parameters of shaft stiffness, racquet weight and balance is insufficient... there are already too many existing racquets at all prices with these 3 permutations from every brand.. even china's pumping out fake racquets, graphite based and all that carbon fibre epoxy stuff for tens of dollars cost.. if one grabs a big pool its possible to sort out a variety of weights, and other properties..

these are not the major issues when it comes to racquet selection for me, i can almost play with any racquet, the biggest difference to me in different racquets i handle is the aerodynamics of it, the contact feel, the frame stiffness, recoil and response, etc.

i would prefer something like an AT900T, with the frame "flexi" point at 10 to 2 o'clock position, with a dominant weight right smack at 12 o'clock for weight, two medium weights at 8 and 4 for stability, good frame stiffness and probably thicker at the bottom like a nanoray, and towards the top turning into a diamond shape like Victor's... etc etc..

if that can be done.. i definitely could be interested in customizing something for myself.

**jerby** · 01-22-2013, 01:19 PM

Originally Posted by Eddie Hang

"Well then, which false names have you used?" - Customworqs is only Eddie Hang. Any others are not Customworqs.

chances are I'm horribly wrong, but I'll just say what I'm thinking. Out of the accounts
AS1984, F1rst, BaddersUS, I think there's some identity overlap.

I wish you all the best with customworqs, If I had 150 euros to spare I might've given one a go, but for a student it's beyond my budget. I'm signing off

***kwun*** · 01-22-2013, 01:31 PM

alright gentlemen.

give Customworqs a break here.

while they started off with the wrong foot, let's look into the positive side. they are still currently a small operation and we should be happy that someone takes the effort and risk to do something different. afterall their effort will play a part in making badminton more popular. maybe we should forget and forgive and move on.

**f1rst** · 01-22-2013, 06:00 PM

To the gallows with them

**LD rules!** · 01-22-2013, 06:24 PM

Ill stick with RKEP/Panda Power, it's practically the same thing anyway...

**soulless** · 01-22-2013, 09:35 PM

I don't buy the argument that all marketers post under false names and drum up sales, it is like Lance Armstrong arguing that he doped because everyone in cycling doped. It doesn't excuse him for keep lying for years and years. Please stop using that argument in the future if you want everyone to forgive and move on.

**Eddie Hang** · 01-23-2013, 02:41 AM

Soulless - I understand your point however if you take your example and say that Lance Armstrong doped for years and years and then was the first one to admit it (as we have admitted our username) whilst others continued to dope (other brand pseudo names), he'd probably been given some credit. Engaging with forums under the brand name and other names (mystery shoppers if you want to give it a term) is an integral part of many product marketers roles in rackets and other non-sporting product and service categories.

Customworqs

**paulstewart64** · 01-23-2013, 08:13 AM

Thanks for the update everyone, I wasn't aware and hadn't really been following the early chat.

From what I know, the racket my friend ordered (yes genuine friend in case someone thinks that's a fix too), should be due in 2-3 weeks.

Hopefully readers of my blog will allow me to review the racket and accept this will be unbiased.

Paul
www.badminton-coach.co.uk

**tranqq** · 01-23-2013, 10:34 AM

I'm happy to hear you have taken my concerns seriously Eddie. My next biggest thing would be price... which could be low for you already.. but for me.. after converting it to canadian funds cost me around 200 dollars.. which is way way more than I pay for top of the line victor racquets. So the question is.. do I find your racquets better than victors? Not even close right now.. but I like what you're doing and I know you will keep improving. the racquets aren't bad.. it is an enjoyable doubles racquet.. but it's just not worth the price yet... cheers

**Eddie Hang** · 01-23-2013, 10:47 AM

No probs Tranqq, as I said before I appreciate the feedback.

**paulstewart64** · 02-03-2013, 11:00 AM

Since my last post, and in anticipation of being able to play test my friend's racket when it finally arrives, I began thinking about the pros and cons of this concept.

Firstly, let's put aside loyalty to brand - not always easy I know. Afterall I have been associated with Yonex for over 20 years. So if I can do it and think purely on concept and practicality then I'm sure anyone else can.

I receive around 5 emails per day from players asking me which racket i recommend for them. I won't recommend and have always said choosing a racket is a personal thing.

If there is no way you can test, which happens to most players, then you are effectively blindly buying based on reviews. It's risky. I suppose there is the same risk looking at this concept.

We know that most, if not all manufacturers change their rackets every 2-3 years in general. This means that if you have a favourite racket, if it breaks or wears out then you have go through the whole process of finding the ideal replacement. I can imagine this happens many times over for some players in their badminton "career."

This is where the custom concept for me is strong. If you find the right combinations that create your ideal racket, then surely you would like to be able to obtain the same again, year after year. As I understand it, your details and the details of your racket are stored in a data base. Therefore if you break the racket you can easily replace for an identical model.

This is very clever and for those players who like consistency in their racket, it means you don't have to spend a lot of money or considerable time testing to find which of the latest models are closest to your beloved racket.

I think it will take time to establish this brand and concept, but, if the quality is good, playability is good and delivery is good, this could very well be the future for many badminton players.

I appreciate looking at previous posts the brand has possibly not made the best start in terms of communicating on this forum. However, I think you should give some credit here to the people behind the business. This is a very bold move in badminton - taking a decision to launch a new brand. But instead of doing a "me too" policy of bringing out a range, they have created a brand around customising the characteristics of a racket to fit the player. For that alone they should be congratulated.

No doubt there is a lot of improvement to come in terms of the process, colourschemes and the range of choices for players, however the concept is incredible and could become known as the brand that revolutionised the badminton market.

So let's not get too overly critical here because this could be the start of great things for all of us.

Paul
www.badminton-coach.co.uk

**jasonteo** · 02-05-2013, 11:58 AM

I agree with you Paul. This is a great concept and such reactions on the way they communicate through this forum arerather uncalled for. After all, Eddie Hang is just trying to convert his passion in the game into action. he has just started so there is no need to throw a verdict immediately. Give him some time and cut him some slack. Maybe hemight be able to change things for the better. I don't think all the manufacturers had rave reviews the moment they started out. What is most important is whether Eddie Hang will accept the feedback of his customers and improve on his products and service.