If you're talking about Yonex and badminton, then this has nothing to do with recommendation. It's purely that as the largest of the companies that produce badminton products, it has more sponsors for their tournaments and have the ability to sponsor more players to advertise their products. They also probably have the longest standing history in the sport, so more people have tried and liked their products. There are many other smaller manufacturers that aren't as well known, but still produce good products that a smaller number of people use. Forza, Black Knight, Gosen, and Victor sponsor some top players. They just don't have as large a radius of influence. They don't spend as much on advertising, and most of them are based in Asia, so Westerners might not be as knowledgeable of them. At least, we know that Yonex does not hold a monopoly, and probably won't buy out any others.
Thanks, Tsumaranai. Yonex success is well earned for sure. It's my impression that badminton would grow faster as a sport worldwide if more manufacturers would step forward to promote the sport.
Yonex domination "Good or Bad" ???? This is a hard question...at what point does this domination turn from good to detrimental??? Yonex has been great for badminton...But now they have such a strangle hold on the sport that the other companies can not compete on an even playing field....Yes there are exceptions and others have sponsorship of some players but how many in the top 20??? Are there any??? And how many in the top 300??? They start with sponsorship of the children and this is part of the reason for the domination...Our city team here in Ho Chi Minh is sponsored by Yonex and the kids are 9-17 yr old....They grow up with a Yonex in their hands...Other brands dont have a chance, esp. here in Asia...This domination has not produced any break throughs in racket technology...Nano Tech did not come from Yonex... I feel a more level playing field would be better for the sport in the long run just like it has been for Tennis
Well, I just checked his ranking on BWF, and from videos of the recent India Open, I saw he was sponsored by Gosen. Also, we need logical commercials.. Not like the Vitamin Water one..
:crying:There are sooooo many things we need to promote the sport and one major thing is the changing of the shuttlecock color...Tennis did it, and even table tennis did it...This is not the thread to discuss this, but it would sure help the sport to change the color...Maybe we need a grass roots approach to getting the IBF to make a change?? Time for a new post???
Domination by one company is never good for the sport. I found it interesting that in the India Open, Andrew Smith (who played disappointingly) seemed to be wearing a Nike outfit. That would definitely be awesome if Nike got into it. I'm the hugest Yonex fan and don't care so much for Nike/Adidas etc, but their support is definitely essential for the sport to become big at least in the US. I think one difficulty is shuttlecocks - Yonex really does great shuttles, and it would be a large investment for another sporting company to start the manufacture of shuttles and break into the sport of badminton (again though, only a relatively "small" entrepreneurial venture from someone like Nike).
I just want to bring up a few points. 1) Please look at the following price from BadmintonAlley. http://www.badmintonalley.com/SearchResults.asp Wilson top of line shuttle is $23. Yonex AS50 is $25. From our experience , AS50 often last 1.5x longer than Wilson TL100. Yes, shuttle is expensive, that is why you want to balance the durability vs cost. 2) At the pro level, every little edge count. If top of line Wilson racquet is as good as Yonex top of line and Wilson is welling to spend money on sponcership, pro will jump ship. 3) Yonex spend a lot of money in R&D over badminton. Why shouldn't they enjoy the fruit of success? Yes, we do pay more for Yonex equipments and often time wait longer than other manufacture because short stock list. 4) On the other hand, domination of Microsoft, Intel and other examples do produce less desirable products at higher price. 5) If you feel newer model Yonex racquets are too expensive, why not try out some classic Yonex? I still use my RQ180 tennis racquet once a while and it is one of my best racquet. I still hang on to my Cab30ms because it is a racquet suit me the best. IMHO, a company domination is not necessary a bad thing as long as that company continue to produce good products people want and buy. Even if it is just a minor improvement and 95% hype... You can always sell it on buy and sell forum...
No disagreement with anything you say. I have noticed a level of irrational discrimination among players especially when it comes to something like shuttlecocks. I have been playing for some time with a very good quality. goose feather, Vietnamese shuttlecock that plays every bit as well as the Victor Green (which seems to be the standard around here) and . It lasts 4X as long (I've played as many as 6 singles games with one without any broken feathers - casual games, of course) and flies beautifully. Yet when people see the label, they automatically prefer the Victor. The funny thing is, when there is no label, there is no such reaction. Perhaps their level if discernment is higher than mine, but I can't help but think there is prejudice at work, here. People go to what they know and predict, I think that is much the same for Yonex. People buy Yonex because it is the industry leader and defacto sets the standards.
I agree with Your observation. People consider Yonex as standard in badminton. However, there are some products out there better than standard and cheaper (Like your example) works for many folks. That is why I just tell people, don't just try out Yonex racquets. SOTX, MMOA, Gosen and other also makes great product and they might suit you better. It is just like buying a Japanese brand name car, you are buying a name brand and less chance in getting a crappy car. I just want to say, There is nothing wrong for a company to dominate 1 area. As long as they do not abuse the consumer and continue to put out good products, that is fine. However, do not over react when 1 of the product disapointed you. Yes, do voice your opinion when you some issue. You can not be hear if you do not speak up.
Good or Bad domination No one can argue with what Yonex has done in badminton...the question is....is it now good or bad for the sport of badminton...my contention is that it is detrimental to badminton now because the other companies cant even sponsor the young players because they are already sponsored by Yonex...At least that is the case here in Asia....yes there are a few top players sponsored by others but very few...Badminton needs more competition within the sport to further the advancement into television where the sport would gain the world wide recognition it deserves.....The Yonex "strangle hold" on players only diminishes the sport world wide...Here in HCM Yonex sponsors the players on the City team starting at age 12 and sometimes younger...The vast majority of players in the US only seem to know Yonex products....they are the Standard for the sport for sure....but I am afraid that Wilson, Head, Prince and the other manufactures will ignore badminton in favor of tennis and badminton will always be the "step-sister"....One can not fault Yonex as they have only taken advantage of the situation and exploited it fully...
