I'm a high school student who has been wanting to get into badminton for awhile. Unfortunately, there are no clubs or anything around here so it'll only be for casual use/recreation, so preferably something $100 or less. For rackets, I don't have a preference for stiffness (I'm not too much of a fan of stiffer rackets, so nothing to stiff, although this experience is with tennis rackets). I do have somewhat poor upper body strength though, so that would be something to keep in mind. For balance, I prefer neutral or head-light (slightly head-heavy would be fine for me. Again, this is experience from tennis). I love having a maneuverable racket since I have a fairly decent reaction time. I don't really have any brand loyalties, but I do feel comfortable with going with Yonex since I have tried out their tennis rackets and have had a good experience with them. tl;dr: I'm looking for a racket for casual, recreational use. Preferably something that has a good balance of power and control and is maneuverable.
Also, I like to play singles (and I probably will be if I can get enough people to want to form a team for my school). And I'm sorry about the double post. I can't find the edit function.
I'm pretty much the same like you nothing to stuff I would recommend a yonex nano speed 100 not to stiff not to flexy it's just right
I was actually looking at the ArcSaber 001 and 002. I'll take a look at the Nano Speed 100. I developed a dislike of stiff rackets when trying out my friend's Babolat AeroPro Drive (tennis) with some Babolat Tour RPM Blast (I think. It was strung at 70 pounds I think) with two vibration dampeners. Even without the vibe damps it hurt my elbow (it was that stiff).
I'm pretty sure those would work too! It's almost the exact same as the nano speed 100 :3, anyways my nano speed 100 is strung at 25 pounds with adi power pro and Adidas power tour I use plastic shuttles.
Are they? I thought the ArcSabers were supposed to be more flexible than the Nanospeeds and they're supposed to be more "control" oriented as their little 4-quadrant graph points out (I'm aware the translation from Japanese to English for the graph wasn't so good).
Arcsabers are more stiff I'm pretty sure ;0 well most of them the lowend ones are flexy but an arcsaber 7 is a mid flex
Unfortunately, my budget is limited to $100 since I don't want to spend so much for just recreational use. I would if there was a team here but as of now, there is not a team (that and I would also need to make sure other schools that are nearby have a team).
Yeah I suggest you get a low end yonex racquet then like the ones you suggested above and the one I did, I see, I'm 14 a junior player going into high school soon I play competitively singles
I think you are on track, NanoSpeed 100, Arcsaber 002 should be on the top of the list. You could throw in a Carbonex in the list too I guess (8000 series)...
Glad to hear you are interested in badminton. Where are you located in the US? It may help guide you to check out some local retailers, clubs, etc. I am not knowledgeable of all the racket varieties out there but I will say, don't worry so much about Yonex vs other brands. Definitely don't spend a lot of money on rackets until you figure out how much time you will play, otherwise it will be a waste of money. Even then, you are not going to be 2x the player if you paid $100 vs $50 for a racket. Also, I wouldn't necessarily compare the stiffness of a tennis racket to badminton racket. Different game, different animals.
Will take a look at the Carbonex rackets. Connecticut, 2nd district (basically all of Eastern CT). There are literally no sports stores nearby. Only a ****'s Sporting Goods which as far as I know only carries Wilson badminton rackets most of the time (I haven't seen anything else).
Currently looking at the NanoSpeed 100, ArcSaber 001 and 002, and the NanoRay 10 and 20. Has anybody tried any of these? Carbonex I could only find the 8600 which is pushing it a bit for price.
well the aeropro is a decently stiff racket with the blast which is a very stiff string, so of course, and, if your friend actually strung it at 70, then you're basically playing with a piece of thick wooden paddle. i strung it at 57 and it was tough for me coming from a boron tennis racket with gut strung at 70lbs. back to badminton, the arcsaber 002 is my 1st recommendation for all beginners and most low intermediate players because it's so forgiving and the weight is just right. if you can try it out, do so!
He bought it at a local shop and they put a sticker on it with what they did to it and it listed Babolat Tour RPM (I think that was the string, I know it was one of the RPM strings) at 70 lbs. I was staring at him like he was insane. I don't know why I didn't go with a Yonex. Went with a Mantis 295 Pro (great racket, great company. They're big in Europe for...I think it was squash) instead. Anyways, back on topic, ArcSaber 002 seems to be my best choice as of now. Looks like the ArcSaber 002 is what I'll get. Hopefully I can get it by the end of this year.
