I'm a new member in this forum and my skill level is somewhere between beginner and intermediate. I have three black knight rackets, two of which I don't like because they're very heavy (the material is tempered steel shaft). Another one seems to be called BK-787 and is more expensive (CAN$80), is made of Ti, C4, and HMG, is 87g in weight, there's a string tension marking of 17-22lbs and I don't know what that means. I'm confused about several things about Badminton rackets. What are the characteristics and differences between all these different materials like Tempered steel Graphite HMG Titanium Carbon and possibly others? What difference does string tension make? What is balance point and what difference does it make? How do stiff and flexible shaft differ in feel? If someone is kind enough to explain at least some of the things above I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!
first of all, tempered steel, i do not reccomend. they are wayyy to heavy. graphite is the most common material in most rackets. there are upgrades to the higher end ones like "hi modulus graphite" or carbon graphite in lower end ones. u must have heard about the new racket nanospeed 8000 which supposively contains nano carbon. the balance point depends on the racket, they are all different. some head heavy rackets are made for offense, while light head rackets are made for defense (easy maneuverability). in my opinion string tension is important. string tension is how hard the string is strung at. if a racket is strung at 21 lbs. its being pulled against the racket with 21 pounds. for me, high string tension ( 24+) is for very good control, but u need a powerful arm for smashes and clears. for begginers u will probably need tension at the range of 20-23lbs. i personally like stiff rackets, because of the power. flexible rackets have less power. i hope i answered ur questions, u can ues the search option and skim through the other threads if i have not answered your question completely.
You might wanna change racquets depending on how serious you take badminton. If badminton is just a backyard game for family fun, then forget it. $10 racquets are just as good. However if you want to get better and win tournaments and such, then you should continue reading this... Some brands have their little "technologies" in the materials they use.... For example.. Having titianium on 3 and 9o'clock of the head will improve the smash, and so on. Steel racquets are bad in my opinion. There is no advantage of using steel racquets and I can go on with the disadvantages... When it comes to string tension... It depends on you. When you first bought a racquet that was prestrung with factory strings.. Do you want to cut them and restring it with the string of your choice? If so, then read on. If not, then this is not something you'd be worrying. String tension referrs to how tight the string is being pulled in the proccess of stringing a racquet. Some people prefer low tension strings and some prefer high. String tension is measured in lbs. The string recommendation they put on the racquet as a sticker or whatnot, tells you if you go beyond the recommendation and the racquet broke.. Whoever is not responsible for it. (Everyone goes beyond the recommendations, nothing for me to worry about)... Nowadays, people use a range of tension from 20-35lbs. You might think 20lb is high judging from what it saids from your racquet, but people consider it low. The professional players use tension in the 30s... A strong arm and correct technique is required to benifit from high tension. Not using the right technique might result in arm/elbow/shoulder injury. Also, stringing a racquet too tight might deform the racquet or the strings might snap. This depends on how skillful the stringer is and the machine he/she is using. Hope I helped ya~
