Hey guys, after using my ancient Yang-Yang racket until it cracked I decided to get a new racket and decided to buy an imitation (read "fake") Yonex NS9000. Before anyone flies off the handle about it, I knew it was imitation of the bat but at this stage of once/twice a week play, it wasn't worth it for me to spend on the real thing. My question now is, for anybody with any kind of experience with imitation rackets, what tension do you go up to? I'm used to playing 25-27lbs and have strung my current racket to 25lbs. Of course there's no warrantee of any kind but I'd like to hear some experiences of imitation rackets being (or not being) able to take high tensions. There's no way to even tell who the original manufacturer was but I kind of doubt that even an imitation racket would snap with anything less than 30lbs....
my friends who tried the "imitation" yonex rackets observed that the tension capability decreases everytime you restring it. for example, if you put 25 lbs on a brand new imitation yonex racket, and say after some period of time the string broke, the next time you let someone string it, the tension should be lower than 25 lbs. already. they also say that the frame tends to sort of "soften" or warps in the long run. i hope this helps.
BadDay, welcome to BC........ as your nickname suggest, maybe sad of bad day for breaking that racket.... however, is that BKK = Bangkok? at Bangkok, yonex rackets are among the cheapest in the world. and yet, you opted the fake yonex racket... ok, as for fake rackets, string tension shall be safe around 21-24lbs.
Thanks for the info guys! Actually "BadDay" comes from "Badminton Day" as in I only play once week (usually) which is paltry in comparison to the veterans on the board that play every day. Not that an original Yonex racket isn't worth every penny but Yonex rackets in Thailand are still relatively pricey (approx 6200 THB = $185 USD). I'm a price sensitive guy!!!! I've got it set at 25lbs now so if it breaks this week I'll let you know haha!!
So a BadDay is actuall a good day? Anyway, let us know if the fake is worth it. If a YY cost you $185 and last 2 year while a fake cost you $75 and last you 6 month. Let me know which one is worth it. Good luck on your experiment. Be sure to send the fake one in to test for lead paint.
which yonex racket selling at 6200THB????? www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23629 as read, cant recall any that is over 5kTHB...........
Hmmm..i doubt that a fake can handle up to above than 24 lbs.Maybe they can,at first,but i doubt they can last long enough.I've given up on fake yonex.I used to play with them during the beginning,but u cant really use them when u're getting better n better.A gun is still a gun,but the good one can shoot better,faster,more accurate than the ordinary one.That's what i believe. Well,of course,if u're just playing once or twice a week,with ur friends..just for sports,not to be serious in this game,of course a fake yy is good enough already.But if u wanna get serious,i bet it's quite hard.
Vibration in every hits is enough to wake up when u fell asleep during ur game. However,i do support ur choice.It's good to have a fake yonex for the beginning.So that u'll know the difference between a real n fake rackets,when u decided to buy a real one in the future.Just dont get a wrong costume.A beginner shouldnt use a high end first,since it'll make ur game worse.So does an advanced,shouldn't use a low end.
Hey thanks for the up-to-date pricing on Yonex. My baseline pricing has been from the place where I get my stringing done - Siam Paragon mall ( [SIZE=-1]www.siamparagon.co.th ). Granted this place is not the cheapest of places but who would have figured a 20% price difference. Anyways, armed with this new information I'm going to try something. Playing my imitation racket this weekend strung at 25lbs actually wasn't bad. I'd consider myself an average player, to the point where I can hold my own but not good enough to strive for "feel" in a racket. When this set of strings breaks I'm going to try gradually increasing the tension to my usual 27lbs. Hey, if it breaks it breaks, and with my new found info I can go buy a genuine Yonex Armortec for a reasonable price (still not my definition of "cheap" but still okay). BTW, this imitation Yonex I'm playing with now was a mere 1000 baht, but you get what you pay for!! [/SIZE]
in the end, it's the player and not the racquet~ personally I would rather buy a decent non yonex racquet than to get a fake one since most of them don't have quality standards. (ie, they don't even have a metal t-joint between frame and shaft)
The problem with fakes is there's no standard. Some "good" fakes can take 23lb tension at least at the beginning. Some "poor" fakes are simply poorly made, could be wasted in 20 minutes, even with moderate tension. I will say, the 25-27lb range you normally played with is pretty much pushing too much to the extreme for a fake. I know Yonex could be pricy, but I am sure there are other reputable non-Yonex brands you can choose from. Still don't know why you spend $$$ just for a fake yonex logo.
at least, i am owning a Yonex racket. top brand in badminton world.... cant play, but, at least look good.......
The problem is, some poor quality fakes don't even look good. The colors and/or even the head shape are poor and funny in a way.
i am playing at the court...... you are watching from 60ft away. nah..... you will not notice mine is a fake racket.....
from far far away..... may see the racket head's colour, shaft colour and the butt cap is green with YY logo(of course, a bit blurry from far). bingo..... it is a Yonex Armortec 900 Technique..........
back to the topic, i bought an RCL Armortx 700 (imitation Yonex Armortec 700) for USD$50 in Malaysia. That racket held 25-27lbs quite well for about 2 years. Then I decided to string it at 30lbs. I left my racket in the car from high heat (summer) to cold nights of summer in california. In the end, my racket just snapped between the 1 and 2 o'clock area. truth be told, there are some really good imitation rackets out there. there are some crappy ones. there's really no point in slowly increasing the tension. graphite rackets do not really warp. the shape might not look symmetrical after stringing, but it doesn't really warp. when it warps, it probably means that it is going to break. just string it at the tension you would like it at. if it breaks, it breaks. if not, then great, u now know the racket will stand up to ur request. plus, spend another 1000, u'll get a replacement racket =P if it breaks and just string it back to the tension that it didn't break at. will still be cheaper than a yonex racket. =D hahaha...
btw... i was able to play at 30 lbs for a good few months before it finally break. but i think itz because i do not protect my racket well enuff. i left it sitting in the high heat in the sun and also at night in the cold. i think all the contraction and expansion rendered the racket's durability. if the temperature doesn't change much, i think the racket shouldn't break too easily if it didn't break within the first few times of heating.
