Hello, I know i'm new to this board, but i'm looking for a little help. I recently bought a MP-24 Off ebay for 58$ plus 15$ shipping . When I first opened the package, I was a bit skeptical. I wondered if it was a fake, so I decided to search on this board. Some of the qualities on my racket/bag matched with a fake racket, but some didn't. I took some pics (low-qual, compiled into a collage) and I was wondering if you guys could provide me with some helpful insight. Thanks!
There are a few things I noticed on the racket and i'm not sure if it's regular or not. First of all there is no String Bump. There's just a solid curved part. There's also some blemishes in the paint, like little black spots in the "Muscle Power" part of the head. Additionally, on Yonex'es UK website, they say that the head is Ti Mesh. I saw a different pic of the MP-24 and you can visibly see the weaved part (the silver part of the head). It's solid silver on my racket. The black paint on the head part of the racket is also off. It looks like it ends abruptly and jets up, like a bad paint job. The grip part is what makes me REALLY think it's a fake. First off, it wasn't shrink wrapped. There was just a plastic cover tightly wrapped around the handle with some Yonex inking and a label on it (I rubbed some of the ink off on the Yonex part). The clairity on the green part the grip is Semi-sharp(REALLY REALLY bad pics), and I can see two faint white bars going across the back of the "Japan" word. The shaft has painted numbers . , I'm assuming you can physically feel engraved ones. The Grip also has painted numbers, the number is "050168TW" - Made in Taiwan? Crappppppppppp, I think I got a fake racket
I think it's a fake, since the serial # really throw if off. Also, the bar code is 2U5? Really surprised as they even make a fake on lower end model. One more question, the green butt cap, besides the Yonex Logo and Japan, does it has a very light "CH" something on top of the logo? The funny thing is, recently saw a fake AT700 with almost identical serial # on the cone...
IMO...its a fake but i havn't really studied one before so i'm not sure..bout 99% The wrapper looks so fake because its not on tightly and it says MF-VF and all this stuff which doesn't really make sense. Also, there isn't any muscle power bumps which is awkward. but yah...das all i havta say...IMHO just report it 2 ebay an get your money back...and be warned because there are a lot of fakes on ebay...personally i alwayz buy racquets after i've seen and felt them.
1. Lower end of MP series did incorporated with VF technology as well. I think I read it somewhere (BBE?), lower end MP ones are combined MP and VF series technology. 2. Not every MP has MP bumps. MP100, for example.
Also, I have seen an MP-24 up close before, and the paint doesnt seem so shiny, its more of the dull-like MP-88 type paint.
all MPs have MP bumps. but not all MPs have MP strip.... imho, this is a fake. the serial number is wrong. the wrapping, the lack of muscle bumps. most pics are kinda blurry though so not very easy to tell. this also complete destroys our theory that no one will bother to fake a low end racket...
if you can show us well focused pics of the handle cap, the serial number, and the top of the frame. that will make our diagnosis much easier..
i think its definately a fake.. i dont think yonex put the shiny sticker on top of the serial number.. and can u have SP racquet with a TW serial? the bag and the wrap also look suspicious
Yupe, it's 100%.... fake. You guys did some real good investigative look over. Yes, there are too many (to list out) tell tales signs that point me to draw the same conclusion. This case show us that fake rackets can still be profitable even for low model like mp24. Pbanto, with ~$73 (58+15), u can buy a real one from a retailer.
Seems now, some manufacture start to make (import) fakes with "TW". The serial # for the fake AT700 and MP24 are both 050168TW. However, the fake AT700 does not have serial # on shaft, though.
Yeah Dammit, I guess I'll just go to Dave's Tennis near my house, or San Diego Badminton and pick up a 27 or 28 When they come out.. Now the problem is getting back my Shipping $$.. I think I'm going to email the seller and return it through him first, then if he dosen't comply I'm gonna go through Ebay, Then finally Paypal.. Damn this sucks..
Re: Yeah If u ship it back, u will lose the only evidence... I think u should contact the seller first, and see what he say about it.
Of COURSE! Hell yeah I'm gonna e-mail him first. This isn't my first time dealing on eBay. Funny thing is, my brother just purchased 4 items off eBay, and 3 of those times he had to send back! I'm emailing the seller as we speak....
Pbanto , it's good u had found badmintonforum, where equipment freaks, oops, i mean equipment connoisseurs conjugate.
yep! Yeah, I'm like that . There's always forums for everything, where you can get good info from players, i.e. Gopednation or PaintballNation.. Thanks all of ya! I'll keep you updated on progress.
Re: Yeah Hope u dont take offense to our reference of mp24 as being a low end racket. That term is a loose reference to what we are familiar with. Actually, there are 14 yonex models that are 'lower' than the mp24 while only 11 models are higher than mp24.
I tell you what, the only thing that makes this racket to be a fake racket is this: TW rackets NEVER have SP on the shaft, and that's all. The way TW stores wrap rackets are NOT always shrink wrapped. Yonex TW have two methods of wrappings, one is shrink wrapped, and one is the bag wrapped.