My girlfriend is looking for a new, racket shes currently playing with my very old yonex Iso 86 VF (I think...its something like that). Which i personally think is awful. I've just replaced it with a Karakal Mtec 80 tattoo which we both really like, so much so that she plays with it more than me. To ask the question properly.... 1. How often do you play, how serious are you? one to two hours a week. I would say she is beginner to advanced beginner. neither of us are very good and could do with some coaching but we both play for fun and manage to have an enjoyable game. 2. What style of player are you? (Aggressive smasher, net player ...) She doesnt really know which is why its making it so hard to advise her on what sort of racket to get. Shes not brilliant at smashing or powerful shots which makes me think she would be better with a more flexable racket but im not to sure on this. She plays an awful lot better with the Mtec than the Iso. 3. Do you care much about durability or is it all about performance? Dont play alot so obviousally durability isnt a huge concern but she doesnt want anything to fragile either as if it breaks too soon its alot of money to replace considering wwe only play one to two hours a week for fun. 4. How much money do you want to spend? Budget is approx 55-60GBP. 5. Make of racket? Any make is welcome I have looked at allsorts for her but it is so hard to know what is good and what is not from the online descriptions. 6. The girly bit The racket needs to look nice lol. I know i can't really talk having spent that bit more for the tattoo paint job but still... its gotta look cool. Every post I read on here seems to say try it before you buy it but as we play together for fun and are not part of a club or anything where can we actually try rackets it seems near impossible. Any help much appreciated. GRIFFO
It's a definate possibility but she wanted a few options to look at. plus she doesnt like the normal blue mtec 80 and isnt sure she wants us both to have the same racket. She has looked at a bright pink one. http://www.milletsports.co.uk/productmore.php?pid=21563 Is this just a gimmick or is it actually an ok racket?
also way out of budget i believe. Is it not designed for advanced players too? I thought it might be a bit hard for her to use. she hasnt got very much power and with the Iso shes using she struggles to hit to the back of the court. admitidly the stings are the origionals and are now probably 7 years old(ish). She does like the look of the arc9 though
try the kason carvel or one of their light rackets...it's around 60-80USD and from what i hear, they're light enough to use for females, and yet, provide enough power for males...
Seems like you guys play a fair amount, not too serious, but you two are regular players. If you dont know what playing style she is, its hard to match a racket. I would either say get the lightest or heaviest, and leaning towards heaviest. Reason I recommend heavy rackets to newer athletes is because its harder to move up in racket weight than it is to move down. Id recommend checking out the Apacs line, they have a lot of great rackets and yonex clones in case you want similar performance with out the excessive price tag. Try the Amp85 for med/heavy swing power at a reasonable price.
http://www.yehlex.co.uk/productdetail.aspx?prodid=478&prodgroupid=19 Pink,flexy and light for £54.99 it's a bargain...
MTec 70? Not the same as the Tattoo but has the same fantastic Karakal build quality and design. It's incredibly light (frame weight of 70 grams) meaning it's very easy to move round at the net. It also generates excellent power. Infact, the MTec 70 is the racket I currently play with (attacking male player).
thanks for all the suggestions guys. Am I right in thinking medium to high flex to help her with power as she's not very strong? I was a bit worried that the Mtec 70 could be too light and she may struggle to generate the power to hit the shuttle to the back.
Yeah, you are right about the flex thing. If she has slow swing speed, flexible rackets will help. The MTec 70 isn't very stiff so it's not too hard to generate power with. I think that the improved swing speeds you get from the MTec 70 compensate for the light weight. There's the MTec 75 as well.
the 70 is maybe a little expensive but the 75 is deffo with in budget. only thing is she may think its too plain or something. the tattoo is hard to beat lol does anyone have any exerience of the ashaway electro pink? that and the yehlex are definate possibilities
I have used the Yehlex (blushes) and it's too flexible for me...however it's a lovely racket and know some great female players who use it. For 55£ i thik the racket is great value for money and the quality of Yehlex proucts are generally very good. If i'm being honest though it would be better for your girlfriend to try the rackets before she or you? Buys...
whilst that is true. I have no idea how either of us could go about trying rackets. We dont belong to clubs or have friends who play. The shops around here only seem to sell yonex or cheapo rackets. Unless there is a badminton specelist around the yorkshire area (preferably leeds/bradford/huddersfield area) then I dont see how we can.... :-(
To let your girlfriend to make the decision herself . Actually, the decision making before buying a racket is the same as for buying a pair of socks, a pair of shoes, a dress, a bicycle, a car, a house, etc... Sometimes she can try (using) it before buying, sometime she can't. My suggestion is to let your girlfriend to make the decision herself. .
She doesn't have the time (or patience) to actually do a little it of background research into badminton rackets and as we cant really try them first she'd just end up picking one from the picture (and possibly the weight) from a website. I was asking so I could try and steer her in the right direction. At the end of the day she will still be picking from website but hopefully it will be a slightly more informed decision.
I was asking so I could try and steer her in the right direction . So you are saying you could be better informed, to advise her what is best for her. Wait till you go to more expensive items, such as a car or a house. .
lol, noooooooooooo shes asked me to look what might be best for her. But im not relly sure so I asked here. I learned long ago. She is always right about everything!!! lol
