Hi, I have noticed that a lot of people don't know about the codes that are on genuine Yonex rackets, so have difficulty deducing a real Yonex from a fake. So, if we had a thread clearly detailing what the codes are, what they stand for and the differences between real and fake, then forum members can have a better understanding as a whole. So, I'll start with what I know: Cone codes are in the format DDMMYXCC (e.g. 140726UK). DD is the date the racket was made (14 = 14th) MM is the month the racket was made (07 = July) Y is the year the racket was made (2 = 2012) - With the year, 2 could mean 2002 as well as 2012; but a racket is normally not produced for 10 years. No-one knows what the X stand for; Yonex keep this disclosed CC is the distribution code/country code (UK = United Kingdom) PS: Could we have a list of all the country codes Yonex uses? UK = United Kingdom US = USA JP = Japan SP = Singapore And there are many more. So, moving on to the shaft serial. The shaft serial is a 7 digit number unique to every racket made in the same country. The country the racket is made in affects the shaft serial. Rackets made in Japan have a serial beginning in a 2 or a 3 (2XXXXXX/3XXXXXX) Rackets made in Taiwan have a serial beginning in a 7 or an 8 (7XXXXXX/8XXXXXX) Rackets made in China have a serial code beginning in a 4 or a 5 (4XXXXXX/5XXXXXX) Of course, the serial codes will all eventually increase to 9999999; but the codes are accurate at the time of writing. There are a lot of details that are either incorrect or missing, but this is just a draft. Feel free to add or correct any details here. Also, if you know any more country codes, please post them. Thanks in advance.
we already know what the X stands for. it is a revision number. eg. rackets like AT700 which has a lot of generation gets a higher number.
There already is a list with practically all country codes somewhere around here and probably a post like yours as well floating around [only the link is still broken in post #1 of the serial number thread, but perhaps it can now be linked to your post ]. Also rackets made in Japan starting with 2 or 3 is not accurate, it is only accurate for rackets produced in recent times . There's probably loads of old stock left in shops that is not covered by this range ... and we have reached the 4's end of 2012/beginning 2013 . It is also impossible to explain in practical terms a fake code that is reasonably accurate from a genuine one therefore it is still best to focus on the physical aspects of a racket and logic or common sense.
The problem is more that people are too lazy to read/figure it out for themselves . After all there has been a perfectly useful guide around for 4 years: http://www.badmintoncentral.com/for...2-Guide-How-to-Spot-Counterfeit-Yonex-Rackets
I have a racket (VTLDF) where the serial code simply writes ‘LIMITED’. It’s still laser engraved but I’m not sure whether it’s still a genuine. Everything else is usual though, such as holographic sticker.