Does anyone have any advice on how well-made Yonex rackets are from places like Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan? I assume the Japanese ones are the best quality since so many top international players use the Japanese versions. Most of mine have UK serial numbers and have been fine, but I also have a Singapore-made Ti SwingPower which has lasted me a year already. But I've heard so many complaints about Yonex rackets made in Hong Kong and Taiwan, especially, being fragile. I've seen Ti SPs break after just a couple of months (no clashes, just on a normal clean shot). I'd like to try more rackets made in Hong Kong as the prices are lower and the choice of sizes is larger, but am worried about quality. Can anyone recommend a good shop in Hong Kong? I'm planning to go on business anyway and may buy a racket if I get the chance. Also, is there a Yonex mega store in Japan somewhere, where I can get any racket in any weight and size? It seems quite hard to find a place that has a really wide range of rackets. I know for clothes, there are lots of shirts/tops which you can only get in Japan. Thanks
The two-letter country code designations on the serial numbers of Yonex racquets indicate which country's market was intended to receive the racquet from Yonex, not where it was actually constructed. Do a search for one of Ricky's posts on his travels in Japan or else read his commentary on the Japan Open to find out more information about badminton retailers in Japan.
I have only broken three racquets. A cab8 (with metal frame) and two slim10 SP. I have tried a few asian version of Yonex racquets and they seemed to hold up fairly well. However, I have seen other people break racquets but usually with racquet clashes. This doesn;t seem to be a common event. MP100 seems to have some QC problems so this is probably not a good one to get. If you are coming to HK anyway, why not just buy some racquets anyway to try out? Plenty of shops in HK in MongKok area, Emmy in Sin Tat plaza, Luxis on Parkes St, Jordan. If you are looking for a specific racquet, if not in stock, then it can always be ordered pretty quickly. Look up Japan Open report on the Home page for shops in Tokyo
I've broken 2 Yonex racquets so far, one is a 2U SP racquet, another is a 3U TW racquet. In my personal opinion, 3U racquets from Asia (other than Japan) are relatively fragile. On the other hand, those 2U ones are acceptable in terms of durability. Of course, CN/CP and JP racquets are likely to be more durable (but my friend's 900 SX CN has been broken in 2 months). However, it is hardly to say whether it is worth to get these racquets just because of this "advantage". Consider the price gap, I think 2U SP racquets are very good buy. CN/CP racquets perform apparently better than normal retail racquets, therefore I still think they worth the high price, but for JP racquets - honest speaking, I hardly find any performance difference in compare with other asian racquets. Unless I want to buy 3U racquet or new model, I probably won't consider to buy JP racquet.
I have a 2U Japanese MP-100 that's broken in the handle. I've kept it as my third racquet (which means it's not been used much) for 10 months. That's what I call a bad investment.
CN/CP racquets are heavier overall then SP/TW racquets. So, if your not quite that strong you might think that the CN/CP racquets were meant for body builders. If you have a chance pick up a MP100 SP and MP100 CP version racquet and you would understand the overall weight difference. Durability, CN/CP racquets are more durable for me under normal playing. But any racquet can be broken by anybody if they treat their racquets poorly by always hitting the floor and clashing with other people.
