I've narrowed down my choices: Opinions Appreciated

Hi,

I'm new to the forum (obviously) and somewhat new to badminton; prior to this year I had only gotten the opportunity to play for a week or two per year in high school gym class. Granted, I usually dominated my peers with relative ease and even gave the teacher who studied the sport in college somewhat of a challenge, but I still lack experience. Accordingly, I'd like a racket that will suit the level of play I've achieved thus far, but will also reatain the capacity to satisfy my skill level as it increases with practice.

Since I'm open - and would almost prefer - additional recommendations of rackets that I had not considered, I'll offer a little more info about my game: I can get by with almost a strictly offensive approach, but prefer not to. Instead, I tend to be more of a defensive/opportunistic player as I'm extremely quick and rarely fall victim to passing shots. With that in mind, I've been lead to believe that a racket that is at least somewhat flexable would suit me well but, on the other hand, I'm a little concerned that I'll get stuck with one that will feel like a wet newspaper; i.e. I'd still like to be able to generate power at my leisure without nearly swinging my arm off. I've just begun to explore the degree of touch that should be employed in various situations and certainly still have a long way to go with that endeavor, so I guess interpret that as you will.

The racket I've been playing with is a piece of junk rental one from a gym near where I live, so that can pretty much be disregarded in consideration. I'll post some rackets below that have caught my eye, but will still mention that I'd like to stay below $80 in the amount I spend.

Hopefully that's all the info needed. If not, feel free to ask. Thanks again for an recommendations/advice. Below are the ones I've come across thus far that I'd be interested in purchasing barring any red flags you guys throw up.

http://www.badmintonalley.com/Yonex_Armortec_150_Badminton_Racquet_p/racket-yonex-at150.htm

http://www.badmintonalley.com/Wilson_nCode_n5_p/racket-wilson-ncode-n5.htm

http://www.badmintonalley.com/Carlton_Powerblade_Titanium_p/racket-c-powerblade-ti.htm

http://www.badmintonalley.com/Yonex_Muscle_Power_23_p/racket-yonex-mp23.htm

 

I'm a singles player and, as far as I know, I do not have any way of testing out the rackets as badminton is not at all popular around where I live. Providing that info didn't even cross my mind - good questions.

 

I'm really not sure about the head shape. I know I could immediately be successful with an oval head, but I've had such limited experience with the sport that I can adapt rather quickly to subtle nuances in equipment. What's more, I did play a little with a racquet that had an isometric head and really didn't notice much of a difference.

But I'm thinking that an oval head would lend itself well to my current approach to the game which is essentially outlasting my opponent before capitalizing on even a subtle mistake of theirs. But again, I know I wouldn't have much trouble adapting to an isometric shape.

As for the Yonex suggestion, I noticed that they seem to specialize in higher-end (or at least higher priced) equipment; I just happened to pay attention to specs that seemed to suit me well within my price range. But if the other brands tend to do a better job at producing racquets within the price that I'm willing to pay, then maybe I will pay closer attention to their products.

 

I like what I've read about the n-code racquets, but the second recommendation is a little out of my price range.

 

I only noticed $85.00. My bad. How much does it weigh though? The only spec I'm seeing is 78+/- 2g, which seems considerably lighter than any racket I've come across thus far. Am I misinterprating that number, or what?

 

I think that might be a little too light for me, considering that my roommate's racquet - which is heavier that one - seemed to be a little too easy for me to overswing with.

 

I think I'm going to go with the Wilson n-code n3. Now I'm just wondering about the strings: what do the options even mean, and will my racquet come strung with them? I'm referring to the site below, btw. Thanks for any additional info.

http://www.badminton.net/cart/product_info.php?cPath=1_16&products_id=295&osCsid=ee36657d0eb42ca9bdb52b152f7ba42b

 

Do they usually string it themselves then? Because I have no idea where I would go around here to get something like that done.

Also, any idea where I would get more info regarding what the different strings are supposed to be good for? I assume it has something to do with the gauge or material, but I can't really tell what either are based on the names provided on the site. Thanks.

 

I was actually planning on ordering from Badminton Alley instead.

 

Should I be wary of those strings or that tension at all?