Being an avid Yonex fan and having played badminton for some time now, I've always known about the Aerotus series as mid-price racquets only sold in Japan but never really thought about it until today, that is: What exactly is the Yonex Aerotus Series? What is its speciality, or what does Yonex try to emphasize in this line of badminton racquets? Having never owned one, as well as never having the opportunity to try one out vigorously, I don't know how well Aerotus racquets perform in comparison to the newer, more popular lines today. A few questions come to mind specifically as I write this, - What is the reason for the name Aerotus? All the other YY racquet lines have names associated with their premier features (eg. Nanospeed with Nanotechnology, Carbonex being made from carbon graphite and classic oval head, Muscle Power with its MP head, etc., you get the point), but I can't find anything that really distinguishes the Aerotus line (I'm completely oblivious to reading Japanese if the answer is in there). - This question ties in with the first one, which is what are the unique features of this racquet line, if any at all? As well, what Yonex features do they use, if any at all? Right now all I know about the A series is that they're made of carbon graphite (most of them), and oval head shape. - Why is this line of racquet only sold in Japan and neighboring Asian countries? Is there something that makes it unappealing/bad to the Western market? (This is a big one I've wondered about, this series has been in production in Japan for a long time, but it hasn't stepped one foot overseas to the Western market). - The price trend for this series is mid-range, even for the top racquet in the line, the A110. Was this series meant to be a mid-range series or something? - What type of play is the A series preferred for? (eg. the Nanospeed series is typically for speed, control, and headlightness, Armortec for offensive power/head-heavy etc.) - Are these racquets for any skill of player, intermediate/novice, pro? (well I haven't seen any pros use it, recently at least). - Lastly, overall, would you find this line a good/intermediate/bad type of racquet? Reading around, I've seen that some people swear by the Aerotus series, while others tend to hate it due to its durability and such. Those are the ones I have off the top of my head, if I have any more, I'll be sure to ask them, as I know the BC community is always willing to lend a hand, . I'm somewhat curious about them, and I may be tempted to buy one and try it the next time I head over to HK for a visit, unless someone steers me away otherwise, . Sorry if this has already been explained before, I did a search, but found nothing specific as to what this series is all about, only reviews on individual racquets.
Another question came to mind, Is the A series pulling its own weight and bringing $$$ to Yonex? Because I've never seen any actual new models come out (except for the occasional renumbering, paint job), the series has pretty much remained stationary all these years. There isn't any heavy advertising or promoting of this line of racquets (or any advertising at all!), yet the A series hasn't been discontinued in 7 years, so are people still buying them in the masses and enjoying them?
I've personally tried the Aerotus 77, a buddy of mine has that racket, personally I didn't like it at all, but then again, I only tried it for like ten minutes and the string and tension weren't to my liking. Another thing, but kinda off topic, what do you think will come on top of the NS, meaning what would come after the nanospeeds and what do you think the name would be?
To David, your question is really way off topic . Would suggest you discuss this via another thread. As to the original poster, Midget_Boy: I have noticed the same for 2-3 years. I can only guess as probably only the Yonex management will know the real reason they continue to maintain teh Aerotus production line when they have decided to discountinue other newest models production. My guess is as follows: (1) if you look solely the models available in Japan, you will find that they are of 2 distinctive ranges, the highest end (which consist of the latest models) and the lowest basic range of rackets. There is actually a huge gap in the mid-range racket market. (2) in Asia, outside Japan, this gap of mid-range market, is filled by the vast range of Yonex's "Made in Taiwan" MP, ISO and AT series, which none is found in Japan's product catelog (and I assume is not therefore available in the Japan market). (3) Japan Yonex has to fill this gap otheriwse they will lose out this considerable portion of customers to the rival brands. Perhaps with this reason in mind, they maintain the Aerotus line exclusively for Japan. (4) One may argue that Yonex Japan can simply introduce the "Made in Taiwan" series into Japan - I guess there could be the little bit of superior-complex and pride when they come to the "Made in Japan" mentality among the general Japanese consumers that they want to maintain. Disclaimer: As I stress, this is only my personal assumption. So don't ask me to prove it!!!
And then there was Carbonex. Well I'm pretty sure Boron was a short flick after Carbonex. And yes, you are correct, Aerotus is an old series (I remember when I 1st started taking badminton seriously they were already there, just a passive series that not many talked about, ). David07, only the researchers and designers at the top of the Yonex corporate line could tell us (which they won't, ), they always find new small ways to astound us. Although if a rival badminton equipment company invented a new technology, Yonex would probably soon follow suit and make their own name and version for it to capitalize off their already huge reputation, . Otherwise, the people up top are probably throwing paper airplanes around and messin' with various elements to make something to "improve" their products further, it's anyone's guess really. And Linus, yeah, you've opened my mind and given me a lot to think about. Really good reasons, never would have thought of it that way. I completely agree with completely is #4 of yours, it's so true. .
lol, ya, i forgot about the carbonex series NS AT MP Ti isometric aerotus---> boron 200 carbonex --> boron-2
I have an AR-80 I retired about 3 yrs ago. I will post some pictures if any one want to see. It is a US coded. It is first Yonex wide body badminton racquet (I think). It was designed for aerodynamic (thus Aero-tus), increase swing speed and increase smashing power. It is a very beautiful racquet. It was the top of the line almost 20 yrs ago. After 20 yr, I feel the shaft is softer. However, the directional control is still great and the torq resistance is good. This is 4th racquet I ever own and I spend entire summer working in fast food place to earn enough money for this AR-80 and a Yonex R-24 tennis racquet. Both are retired.
Let me try to answer Midget's questions. I don't think anybody has given some meaningful answers here. And silentheart is pretty much correct! I used to be a die hard Aerotus fan. I still own three Aerotus 110SP and use them from time to time. Aerotus used to be the top of the line series along with Carbonex 10-15 years ago. There was even way before the Iso series appeared. Aerotus bears its name is becasue of the 'aero' frame design, similar to the Carlton Aerobaldes where aerodynamics is the emphasis for fast swing speed compared to the boxed type frame in the Carbonex series at that time. If you try to look up at Wikapedia, you will find the complete series over there in which I added a few months back. All Aerotus rackets are constructed with the traditional carbonfibre, there was no Ti, Nano or Armortec technology and they have oval shaped heads. The top model AR110 SP uses boron at the frame's head to reinforce the frame and maybe adds a little bit of weight there as well. The current AR100 sold in Japan is all carbon. The AR110 was hugely popular when it was first introduced but it has a manufacturing/design fault, it breaks easily, either the frame and the shaft. But if you ask any of the seasoned badminton lovers, they would know how good the AR110 feels compared to that generation of rackets. If you compared to the latest generations of rackets, AR series seems to be more of the control, precision, balanced type of rackets rather than attacking rackets. Most Aerotus rackets that I have seen are 2U rackets, so they are not exactly lightweight. Also, don't even think about stringing it beyond 23lb, you will definitely regret it. By the way, I don't think Yonex will continue this series anymore, they still make it is probably because due to some sentimental reasons like Cab20 or Cab21. If you want to make the most out of the Aerotus rackets, you most likely need to have intermediate skills or above. Many may find the AR100 (2U or even 3U) a little bit too heavy. The traditional oval head design is also not as forgiving as the Iso frames. So you may want to think twice before you get it.
Sounds like the AR series had a great reputation and enjoyed its time long ago, If you're not busy, sure, I'd like to see some pictures of your retired old friend, Silentheart. As well, thanks for the information Silent and Cooler, I guess the name was fairly obvious, I was just too blind to see it, ahah. And wow, Colekwok, your information and answers were right on the ball, excellent response, thanks a lot! Well having played with steel racquets (for training purposes) and CAB series frequently, I'm intrigued to try an AR now, sounds like a challenging racquet with a good payoff if I can learn it. The tension isn't much of a problem, as I usually string my racquets to a very low tension anyways (I have a problem, fearing my racquets will break if I string them even above 25 lbs.!, so most of the time it's 20-23). I checked Yonex's Wiki page a few weeks back, looks like most of the info your guys posted was overwritten or changed for some reason, so I didn't see any of it, all I see is company history and corporate information.
Actually, the challenge is to find one and buy it. You have to buy one in Japan. If you are looking for something plays like AR line, NS7700 is a good option. Another one that come to my mind will be AT900-t. NS9000-s is a good choice. AT900-t and NS900-s shaft are a lot stiffer than AR. Only thing is all 3 of these racquets are much lighter than AR line.
My very first yonex racquet which I still own is a Yonex Aerotus 110 2UG3 from Canada. It's heavy, has a very flexible shaft, and is more for defensive play in my opinion. Quite hard to generate power on it and the feel is not too great. The racquet is not a beginners or intermediate player's racquet since even advance players have trouble with it. In a nutshell, it's not that great. As for the durability, mine is practically invincible as it's survived countless racquet clashes and has paint chips to tell the story! I've retired mine, but might restring it to 28lbs with bg-80~ see how it goes
Well last time I went to HK for a visit (2 years ago), they still had a fresh supply of Aerotus racquets around, so I assume that HK won't be completely dry the next time I visit (hopefully soon). As well, I generally wait a while before I buy new releases (1-2 years), since sometimes the first few batches of a new racquet are defective, and break easily (case and point, When the Nanospeed series was 1st released 3 years ago, for the 1st year all the NS-7ks and NS-8ks were prone to being broken quite easily, DESPITE its market slogan of being 15% stronger and durable than the average graphite racquet). Also, the newest top racquets are quite pricey, but once another tops it, then its market value quickly drops. So all in all, I like to stick to proven classics, wait for new ones to drop down a year or two, and price, .
to summarize a bit, aerotus is oval shaped, more flexible than carbonex, aero-shaped head frame, durable, and is a nice racket catered more for beginners due to itz flexible shaft. u can say that it has a classic shape bet is better than let's say a carbonex 8k. all on preference. as yonex made more rackets, shaft and head fram got slightly slimmer compared to the aerotus. i believe the shaft is 7.5mm (old standard) compared to the 7mm nowadays. it is also 670mm long and i dun think they have a "long 675-680mm" version. the weight varies between 2u and 3u and nothing lighter. once again, great beginner/intermediate racket. advance players tend to use stiffer rackets. flexible rackets throws off their timing and they dun need to flex to generate power because they got the power.
I tend to disagree with this. Yes, Aerotus rackets in general have a more flexible shaft than the modern rackets. But whether it is for beginners is debatable, as AR110 was used by many top international players at the 90s' era, it was designed for the more advanced players instead. I am an old timer for badminton, I do not entirely agree with the stiffer shaft more power theory, especially the timing problem that you mentioned. If you are used to your racket, flexible shafts will not 'throw your timing off'. As for the avalibility of the Ar rackets in Hong Kong, you may be lucky to find one there. But I have seen some AR100 JP versions in some shops as well, so you maybe able to find one there.
In Singapore, you still can find an odd one or two at some retail shops. But they are old stock with the previous version Yonex logo.
Drowsysmurf, I don't think the AR line is as durable as you think (based on the various complaints and discussion about their fragility). Also, how much more flexible would you say, depending on the CAB? (eg. CAB30 MS is quite stiff, but a CAB8200 or any CAB8k is extremely flexible). Colekwok, once again, good information and advice. And wow Linus! Old AR racquets WITH the old Yonex logo...that's crazy. Hard to believe that there are YY racquets hanging around in shops for 9-10+ years that no one will touch, . Don't happen to see an old Boron-2 anywhere around?
No Baron-2! Yes I always look at that old Aerotus at that particular shop everytime I pass by it. I am very tempted to buy it but it is priced at regular price (around USD80) which is weird consider how old the racket is. I hope one day they decide to slash the price to clear this old stock but it never happens. Maybe, just maybe, one day I will be crazy enough to buy it if that one racket is still around long enough!
