I'm looking for a new racket, any suggestions?

[Taligent]

Hi,

we just started out in a badminton club. I'm playing with a 12year old racket from my girlfriend. I'd like to buy a new one, does anyone has any suggestions what to look at?

thx for your input!

[Mag]

What's wrong with the old one?

[Henry]

There are many place to buy a good racket. It you just start playing badminton, entry level will be nice. You could search through yahoo.com for the best price. Just type like "Yonex Muscle Power 100" or whatever you are looking for. By the way, Yonex Muscle Power 100 is latest racket and the most expensive racket on this planet. My advise is that unless you will be playing very often, buy this racket. Else try to bid on ebay.com. I saw Yonex Cabon 8100 for about $30 plus shipping. In my opinion, this is a fair price and a good piece to start....

[badrad]

unless you will be playing often, buy this racquet? or did you mean the opposite? ;-)

[Jeetz]

Hey Bud,
Just go pick up any racquet for around $30. Abuse this racquet as you wish. After several months, if you decide to stick with badminton, you will need to upgrade to a better racquet in the $80-$120 range.

[TDotSmAsHer]

get aeropro from blackknight around 80 canadian i think. or mp55 for around 100 canadian.... or... rapier pro for around 110 .... those are decent starting racquets in my opinion... mp-55 and rapier pro should even work well playing advance. I don't like the feel of mp-100 and seems to me, it breaks easily from the people in this forum... also expensive... if u can afford mp-100 get ti-10 or mp-77....

[Brett]

Hey Newbie, if Tal is, as he implies, a beginner, why on earth should he be considering top of the line pro-level racquets like the MP-100, MP-77 or Ti-10? No way someone below an intermediate level is going to do well with one of those racquets. You might as well have told someone looking for their first car that they should buy a six speed Lambroghini.

Tal, talk with people in your club to get recommendations (while you are secretly softening them up to ask to try their racquets). Try as many racquets in person as you can. Figure out how interested in the sport you are, then set yourself a budget. Look at the Equipment Retailers section on www.badmintoncentral.com to get a general idea of the prices of various racquets. Then check in the review section for racquets you are considering.

[Mag]

Henry, I really must say this: anybody who recommends the MP100 to somebody who has just started out is either

1) a complete newbie himself
2) daft
3) employed by Yonex

Make your pick.

[Taligent]

thanks for all the info guys,

I appreciate it! Why did I brought up the MP100 in the first place? Well it's not like I'm a complete newbie in the sense that I have played squash on a competition level some years ago. I had to give it up because I just didn't have the time anymore. now I still play at least once a week.
I joined the badminton club last week (because my girlfriend is better at it than squash) and after they explained the rules to me it didn't take long before I was playing along with the ones that played there for a year and a half or more... the trainer said I was quick in apprehending the technique but I think it's definitely thanks to my squash background!

I must say I haven't had that much fun in a long time so I'm sure I'm gonna stick with it. I'm used to play with good equipment though and it's probably a "bad" habit of me to go look straight at the top line

I'll value the input though and after reading through it all I think the MP100 may be a bit overpriced for what it's really worth except maybe for the real pro's. but then again I doubt I would know the difference between MP100 and one that's a bit cheaper at my level (not)!

thx, this is a great resource btw...

[badrad]

buy what you can afford, if it is top of the line so be it. the only concern with the MP100 is I had seen three break with three different players (not from clashes) - so the durability of that racquet in my mind is questionable. otherwise, a very nice racquet and you could buy worse.

[Matt]

You can try using the Ti Swing Power SA =) I actaully have to SP(s), SA and SS. It maybe out of your cost but I have those.

[Mikie]

Brett gave you a very good advice - try as many of them as possible, then buy what you liked the most.