Chose a racket for intermediate player / no competition

since you have problems hitting from baseline to baseline, and also problems with your backhand, the first and foremost is to find someone who can coach you so you can have the correct technique. if you have correct technique and it's a problem with strength, then go get some muscles

after you have done that, then i would recommend you the arcsaber002, even balance, 3u weight, flexible shaft. this is considered a beginner/intermediate level racket, at least by badminton alley. the flexible shaft will give you the extra power but again, ultimately it's your technique. if you think that you will outgrow a flexible racket very soon, then i would recommend you the arcsaber7. to me, the arc7 is more compact, tho it has approx. the same weight at 3u, and it's also even balance. both of the rackets i recommended above can be played in singles and doubles with the arc7 playing a bit faster with a medium stiff shaft.

hopes this helps

 

carlton vapour trail tour is a wonderful racket that i have used and still love. it might be a bit heavy for doubles but it's pretty much perfect for singles in my opinion. the shaft might be a bit stiff but you definitely will get some power from the weight, it is even balance, around 3u on the heavy side, and med stiff to stiff for the shaft.

wilson BLX Vertex is another wonderful racket that i have used and love as well. it is around the same weight as the carlton vapour trail tour, heavy side of 3u, even balance, but the shaft is def stiff to me. heavy enough for singles, stiff and fast enough for doubles. in fact, i just used it last night playing. the only thing i didnt like is the handle because the tapered area near the butt cap of the handle is not dramatic enough, sometimes i feel that i might not grip the racket hard enough and it would go flying out of my hand however, this is a very easy fix by regripping an overgrip on the racket.

because i'm recommending you even balance rackets in general, i have no come across an even balance racket that has a flexible shaft. i do however came across a few rackets that are either head light or head heavy which has a flexible shaft. however, if you want to do both singles and doubles, the "safe" bet is to get an even balance racket until you've developed your game further and decide on a particular balance yourself

 

victor rackets wise, i would recommend the bravesword11. it is very very slightly head heavy, but very close to even balance, with a med stiff shaft according to victor, but i rate it as a flexible shaft that's a bit stiff. because of the bravesword frame, it swings quick and great for doubles.

i find spira21 and superwave35 played very similarly, which is head heavy with very stiff shaft, so those might not be a good choice for you.

 

i think what i have suggested are just rackets that i have and know about. there are still a lot of rackets out there that i haven't mentioned since i don't know about them or of them. some people, like myself, enjoy playing with a flexible racket even when i see myself improving from beginner to intermediate. so ultimately it's your preference and how you like to play your game. and you won't know until have played enough and gained enough experience. and hopefully with experience you'll also gain more knowledge about different rackets

if you think or want to buy a particular racket after reading all the suggestions and comments, go for it.

 

What's your string and tension? How old is your strings?

 

Jbonlinea your post is kinda creepy because your situation is an almost carbon copy of mine lol. From the playing in highschool, starting competition then quitting and just recently starting up again after 7 something years.

I agree with some of the posters though. The number one thing on your mind should be training up some strength and better technique to get a better baseline to baseline clear and backhand clear. This is what I'm doing at the moment along with footwork and conditioning. All the rackets that I was looking at getting when I just got back into badminton again are getting more different by the day as I'm getting better and my needs are slightly different.

But that being said there is nothing like a solid feeling racket that you just feel comfortable with. The best thing you could do and I'm sure you've already done this is try as many rackets as possible with different specs to see what just feels right in your hand and what feels nice to swing with. I had to spend some money to accomplish this since I live in a small town and not much selection at my club. But now I have a better feel of what I'm looking for which is either a ever so slightly head heavy racket with a medium/stiff feel or a headlight racket that can still generate a decent smash. The 2 I've been personally eyeing were the Apacs Virtuoso Pro which I have and just waiting on getting it strung and the Yonex nanoray 750 3U. But my problem is as I said above that I'm getting stronger. All the Yonex/Victor stiff versions are creeping into my table of potential buys.

Personally If I were you I would hold off on buying a racket until you KNOW which one you really want just for the sake of not wasting money like I did. But if the situation comes up and you just need a decent racket I would look at the Apacs brand of rackets. Reason being is that they are cheap and great value. The finapi 88 gets the best reviews out of all the cheaper ones and the tantrum 200 gets a ton of praise for being a great all rounder but it's shaft is stiff. Both rackets are 285 balance point so good for singles/doubles. No experience with the 2 sadly but if I get another of this brand It's gonna be one of those 2.

Anyways /2cents. Hope it helps =D.

Edit : Oh yea another racket I would look at getting is the Nanospeed 2000. Almost bought that the week I tried it off one of the 15 year olds at out club. Probably the most pleasant all round medium flex racket I've ever tried. Only reason I didn't get one is that the shaft was slightly too flex for me. But if the Virtuso pro racket pans out I might actually come to think of it. That or the nanoray 750. Eh don't listen to me I don't even totally know what I'm doing lol.

 

First, I want to say Gundamzaku has many great points in the posts above.

I asked about the strings because I always think it is good to think about the strings used and the tension used before thinking about replacing a decent racket. What I mean by decent is a racket that is not overly heavy or too light.

This may not be the answer you are seeking. Most want to hear what racket they should get to improve but often that is not the case. Exactly how is your clearing and backhand? With a perfect contact, do you clear to close to the opposing back doubles line? What disappoints you with the backhand? Clear distance, speed of shuttle, weak return?

I'm wondering if a string with better repulsion + correct tension + more practice on technique can help you enough with your goals w/o a new racket. You mentioned your friend's N-Magic being easy to play. I don't know much about the rackets you mentioned but what is the weight of the N-Magic? I found a description on Amazon UK stating 86 grams. If that is correct, with strings it can be around 89-91 grams. Are your other racket weights with strings or unstrung weights? If unstrung, those rackets are nearing 100 grams and over. That itself can be part of the problem.

Also, what feeling did you have with your friend's N-Magic that made you say it was "so easy to play"? Was it the ease of using it for different shots? Was it the repulsion in the your shots? Did you see an improvement in your shots over your existing two rackets?

I know the girls on high school teams that I play recreationally with and against, can easily push me corner to corner and they are not full of muscles. Their techniques have been refined through countless practices. If you have been out of badminton for a while and just got back, it may be a matter of needing repetitions to improve on the clears and backhand.

 

I think you should set aside getting the mid to high-end rackets . And invest on getting a coach , get a low end racket . IMO MusclePower 22 and Babolat Speeder are good rackets for beginners.
This is how your list should be
1.Have a budget of at least $100
2.Get low end racket and custom string it with hard and feel strings (BG80)
3.Find a coach with a reasonable price .
4.Train under your coach and master your weapon. (Be sure to use your coach's teachings)
5.Go pwn some players

 

Try 'Karakal BN60'. Its a featherweight racket that weighs 60G. Of course a lot of people say that due to its seamless swing, it cannot generate much power. However, I bought one and was much suprised. Due to its seamsless swing my swing speed is greatly improved and it helps in my shots without my arm or wrist suffering much at all. You just have to string it properly. I recommend Yonex BG66 Maxima strung at 28Lbs tension using the 4 knots stringing method. If you're looking for a liitle more power than that, you can go for the Yonex Arcsaber FB and even the Nanospeed 9900 if you really want power with a seamless swing.

 

I dont think the high end will do good to the "low-end"

 

But the Karakal BN60 is easy to use as its featherweight and has no timing issues and its swing speed would easily help increase power.

 

I agree , it's strong , it can be stringed 32 lbs. But we have our own opinions , styles , etc. The high end BN60 might be good for you , as i guess you are an Intermediate++ player. But it might do no good to an Intermediate- player. He is still improving and the best racket he is suited is a low end. I hope you understand , thank you for the suggestion btw.

 

It does sound like your rackets are up in weight. I don't know much about the rackets you have quoted in your posts but if you like the N-Magic, why not get that? Is it obsolete or too much money? If so, next I'd try looking in the same brand and try to find a match in one of the current models. Aside from that, hopefully someone else with experience of the rackets you are interested in can comment on them.

 

Hey Guyz..... I am new to the forum.... any review on carlton airblade 30 lite ????