Hi all, I am looking to start over with my choice of badminton racket. Reason for change? - Simply just wanting a change (psychological effect) - Looking for a more flexible racket as my technique is not that great (2/5 with 1 being the lowest and 5 highest) and my current racket is too stiff for my liking - I tend to get a sore shoulder as I tend to swing my arms more often using my wrist(ex-tennis player), but I am working on changing that How often do you play, how serious are you? - Once or twice a week; each session about 2 hours - Have been playing consistently playing every weekend for the past 1 year What style of player are you? - All rounder; I always stick to the basic simple shots and don't do trick shots - I play mostly doubles but am starting to play singles more regularly, with an aim of being adapt in both - Predominantly attacking, but am learning to play control. Would want to achieve a healthy balance of both. Overall skill level? - 2 (from a scale of 1 being complete beginner and 5 being Yoda) - lots of stamina; I play badminton 2 hours on Saturday afternoon and a good hour plus worth of outdoor football the following Sunday morning Weaknesses? - BACKHAND! though I am improving it Do you care much about durability or is it all about performance? - All about performance How much money do you want to spend? - Not more than RM 200 (around US $55) Rackets owned previously? - Gosen FP-6 (broken) - APACS Edgesaber 10 (current) With that in mind, I have came up with the following criteria for my next racket: - weight: 3U - balance: even or slightly headlight - shaft: semi-flexible (2/5; 1 being flexible, 3 being medium, 5 being stiff) - make: prefer a brand name as opposed to clones - budget: < RM 200 (around USD $55) - a racket friendly enough for me right now - a racket that will grow with me for my all round singles/doubles games I have scouted the local badminton shops, maker's websites and catalogs and this forum with the above criteria in mind and I have come up with the following racket shortlist which I hope you can provide your opinion and suggestions. Please keep in mind that the local shops here have majority of the Yonex range, and selected models of other brands and the usual clones. The below models are what is available and to what extent that I believe that will suit me, but if you have a better recommendation, please do share so I can try to see if the local shops stock them. 1. Wilson [k]strike or Wilson [k]brave 2. RSL Millennium 6 Nova 6160 or Nova 6170 3. Ace Power Muscle Ti-380 (comes in 3U and 4U) 4. Yonex Isometric 75 MF LT I would appreciate it if you can provide me with your thoughts on the matter above. I do not want to clutter the forums, as there are simply a lot of such threads, so I have tried to make mine as specific as possible. If you wish for further information, please ask. Thank you and kind regards, Justin
With your pre-requisites, the best racket that come to my mind for you is the good old Cabonex 8SP. The only thing is that this model is already out of production. Maybe you can buy one from the after market, use it for a few years to hone your skills level. When your skills level pick up to enable you to wield a stiffer racket, you can switch back to your Edgesaber 10 (I think should be a good racket if the Apacs's website statement is true that it is exactly a YY ARC10 clone). That's my 2 cents worth here.
Hi laivc, Thank you for your opinion. Don't think I have come across a shop still selling the Carbonex 8SP. I was also not paying attention to Yonex models as they were quite pricey for a decent model, and they don't really fit with in the more flexible requirement (correct me if I am wrong). I will still keep the Edgesaber 10 and restring it lower (< 20 lbs) for the girls in our group to use when they occasionally come. Or I can just sell it off and use the spare change for the new racquet. I just don't feel 'it' with it. Though if I do come across a mint Carbonex 8SP, I might just get it for novelty sake Thank you laivc. Would like to hear more from the rest before I make an informed decision. Thank you. Justin
i think a racket that would suit your would be the MP 45. its everything you mention, however its price is a bit higher.
Hi jymbalaya, Yea, the price of a MP45 is about RM 375-ish here. That's half my car monthly instalment I guess it'll be among those 4, since all 4 of them are roughly around the same price, but I am more inclined to the [k]brave or Novas for some reason, and the ISO 75 MF LT last ... unless someone talks me out of it Are you planning to get the Victor VT-7000 shoes? Justin
Rackets which may be suitable for u If u are able to come to singapore or if u are in singapore, may be i can bring u around and show you some brands of rackets which are lighter (but it do not reduce your performance) It seems all the brands and models mentioned by u are heavy series; basing on what you yourself said, i personally feel u will injured yourself if u are to continue to use the heavy ones No offend
Hi pchospital, What brand and models of racquets are you recommending? Perhaps they also might have it here in Penang. Please share The ones I listed above, are all normal weigh (3U), and the Ace Power also comes in 4U, which is quite a package, flexible, headlight and light. And no offence taken, no worries Justin
ah, why dont you try and get a Zelm Racket. they seem to preform excellently, and that probably should fit your budget with all the freebies that come with it. I plan on it, just choosing A/C.
Suitable racket tailored for u I definitely do not wan to be branded as a dealer Bcos of the limitation of market in Singapore, what we have here may not be available in Penang. Those rackets u mentioned are brands widely available in M'sia and some are not common in sg. What about if u can name me all the brands u can get at the nearby shops? Then i can give some advise?
Will look at ZELM racquets. Saw a post in the Equipment forum and I will check it out and see, thanks. All right. I am sure the shoe will serve you well. Others have pointed out to change the in soles, but mine is still the stock in soles and has performed well so far. Point to consider. Justin
I wonder if proace/apacs are widely available in Penang. They are certainly worth a look. You are using the ES10 now anyway. ZELM is certainly worth looking into but it's somewhat stiff at the shaft. It's a friendly racket though. It is certainly worth stringing your ES10 with a tad less tension. That might totally change the way it feels.
Hi pchospital, Cool! Appreciate it. I'll have a look at the shops after work, and will reply back later Thanks!
Hi weeyeh, Yup. You are right. There are a lot of APACS, Pro-Ace, Pro Tech, Ace Power, Fleet etc. in Penang. I had a look at the ZELM racquet in the Equipment forum and it seems to be head heavy and a bit stiff, so will have to sadly scratch it off the list. I have tried changing the string tension a number of times. It has been at 24, 23, 22 and 21 lbs. I have used Ashaway Micro Power, Yonex BG-65 and Yonex BG-66, but lately on BG-66 as I am more concern with playing performance than durability. I think I have spent more on strings than the racquet itself, haha! So far, for local brands, I have narrowed it down to the following: - Ace Power Muscle Ti-380 (3U and 4U version) - Pro Tech Synergy Series 3 (4U) Both are even balanced/head light, flexible and light. I will be checking out some stores tonight to add/scratch off from my list. If you have recommendations, hit it this way. Thanks Justin
Hey Justin, I just like to share my opinion with you. As I know Shoulder sore because using arm to smash instead of wrist work. ( Since ex-tennis player ). Try just use wrist work to smash. If possible get some advice from badminton Coach give you a right technique to smash. Then later you can add arm and body weight to produce more powerful smash once you strong in wrist work. Regarding Racket may be you can try this few model below. 1) ProAce Ti11 (Heavy Head with nice feel) Around RM200 +/- 2) ProAce Dream (Light Head) It is a light racket. Price range RM200 to 250. 3) ProAce Ultra Light (Little Bro. ProAce Dream) Price around Rm170 +/-. 4) Protech Max Nano 9900/9000 Kelvar. Price around Rm160 +/- or lower. I hope my opinion might help you. Regards Kawai.
Hi Kawai, Thank you very much for the Pro Ace and Pro Tech suggestions. Will go back to the shop later and have a look at the models. Your suggestions will certainly come in handy. Thank you Justin
A major misconception Dear Kawai, It is unfortunate but it is a fact that many many players are not using rackets suitable for themselves! I myself have observed many players are not using the right rackets on the courts. Shoulder sore could be due to mainly the racket is to heavy cos use too much strength on shoulder to smash or hit the ball. When we choose a racket, it must not be hear what ppl say or see what the champion use but rather see and try out which racket are u comfortable to use. Why do the champions can use Arc 10 and we can't? Number 1, we are not sportsman like them. Some of them start to train as young as 5-6 yrs old Are we? And they do not start off with Arc 10 too Number 2, badminton is their job and what about us? Number 3, how many hrs do they play at one time and how many hrs do we play? I would say a great number of us can play better when switch to a lighter racket We can then think about Arc 10, Edge Sabre after we have acquire some skills. Among many of us who play are some who in between age 30-40 or some have not exercise after a long number of years, start off by using a heavy racket will definitely injured he or herself badly Badminton is meant to enjoy and not meant to get injured No offense
Correct. So this is my first step to 'starting over' and doing it right. Will post later on what racquets the shops have, but on top of my head: - Yonex (majority of the series) - Pro Ace - Ace Power - Fleet - Pro Tech - Wilson [k]factor series - Yang Yang - RSL - Victor - Apacs Thank you. Justin
Justin, You may also consider the ProAce thunderbolt 2/3. Both are slightly head heavy, has a medium flex shaft and should be available under RM200 strung (at least in Rawang). A few of my fellow players like the Thunderbolt 5 but it is too head heavy for my liking -- it's light though. Avoid very stiff or headlight racket for now as you will tend to hurt yourself by swinging harder to compensate for the "lack of power". Those rackets can be very powerful if you can generate the swing speed needed. You can afford to take your time so hit the halls instead of the shops and try out as many rackets as you need. Ask questions about the string tension used and note the string. You can make a more informed call.
Hi weeyeh, Yup, have been doing that also but the group I play with are mainly using head heavy rackets and/or stiff rackets. Nonetheless, I have had a go at some of the rackets whenever I can, but so far to no avail. I will look at the Thunderbolt II that you have recommended. As for string tension, I will be sticking to BG-66 at 22 lbs, as I feel it is just right for me. Thank you weeyeh.
Update. Browsed the shops and this is my updated shortlist and personal take on them: 1. Wilson [K]Blaze 2. RSL Millenium Nova 6160 and 6170 3. Pro Ace Platinum Dream 4. Ace Power Evo 2 and Muscle Ti-380 1-3: Even balanced, 3U, medium flex. Feels really nice. 4: Even balanced, slightly head light, available in 3U and 4U, flexible. Feels nice and light. It feels right with all 4 racquets, so it is hard to pick a winner out of the 4. The shop keeper (who also coaches), said I can't go wrong with any but warned me that the Ace Power models are flexible hence I need a fair bit of wrist work and technique to fully utilise it to its potential. I want to play safe and pick a safe bet out of the 4, hence any opinions on the above? In addition, there were the following models which didn't make the cut: - Victor Super Star: Even balanced and medium flex, but felt heavy even though it is a 3U. - Pro Tech Nano 9000 and Synergy series: Head heavy and not as flexible as I want it to be. Heard that Pro Tech models in general suffer lots from vibration (?) but it could be a string tension problem. Anybody to clarify? Thank you. Justin
