Babolat Shuttlecocks

we played a uni using them and they were paying £14 a tube and we were using atleast 2 or 3 shuttles a game and these weren't intensive games, after the match we said something and they agreed and were looking for an alternative.

IMO: stay clear of them

 

i cant remember the model but im pretty sure he said they were the best babolat make.

Head shuttles are useless aswell

my top 3 shuttle brands are
Yehlex(cheapest), SOTX BB-101 more expensive but amazing durability and flight and yonex

 

I doubt they were the "best" babolat shuttles (Tour - red logo sticker on the cork center). Those are $37 CAD a tube and used in BWF tournaments. I have some of these and are VERY good.

You probably used the Starts - entry level and yellow logo sticker on the cork center. A more reasonable $23 CAD a tube. It is a good shuttle

The Pro (blue logo sticker on the cork center) if not a good value. a bit better thatn the Start model but priced around $30 tube makes them a poor value. The shuttle itself is pretty good and same with the durability (good but nothing spectacular).

With ANY feather shuttle, if they are dry then they don't last very long. I would be willing to bet if you were using the Tour or Pro shuttle they were dry. If your were using the Start shuttles then a little surprised they didn't last that long.

Like other "premium" branded shuttles shuttles they have priced their way out of market share.

 

My club buy babolat shuttlecocks (Pro, the blue one), speed 77.
The fly quality Is good but they don't last very long compared
to the Tour.

 

Very interested in Aeroflex Tour. this one has been on the BWF approved equipment list for over 10 years, and hope quality didn't drop as many other shuttles.

Did anyone compare this one to the other shuttles, such as RSL, Yonex, Aeroplane, etc.?

 

I think buying babolat, wilson, forza, carlton, head etc. etc. are most likely to have bad price/performance.. They source their shuttles from China (just like everybody else) and then they want to make a decent business margin on each shuttle/tube... Probably better to buy directly from the Chineese companies that are closer to the "source".. Think SOTX, Aeroplane, Jinque, Li-Ning, Victor etc.. here..

Cheers,
T

 

IF those BWF approved ones (like Babolat AF Tour) are really durable, their current price / performance isn't that bad. This is to CONSIDER that I am located in USA, and won't pay VAT for them if purchased from EU. IF I buy similar ones from China (which I also have access to), their price is even a bit higher even without adding shipping charge from Chinese source.

for example, those top graded ones in China (BWF approved SOTX, Aeroplane, Jinque, Li-Ning, etc ones) are normally ~US$20-23 per tube. However, for me to get Babolat from EU is ~US$17 (SHIPPED).

Therefore, I am very interested in knowing its quality nowadays.

 

The Aeroflex Start are good for training if you can get them at a low price.
Actually I prefer Kason KS88 Tournament which I get a very low and decent price (under 10€ for 12) for training.

 

wonder about the durability difference between the Aeroflex Start, Pro, and Tour. I always wanted to have the top grade one, since they normally last a lot longer and have better flight.

 

We tried the Aeroflex Start about 3 years ago. Obviously things have changed since with many shuttles reducing in quality since. They were crap then! Very durable, but the flight and in particularly the peak/drop from a clear made them almost impossible to use! The deviation was at least 300mm! The feathers were clipped too thickly and thus held an amazing amount of spin which led to the weird deviation drop before the contact point for an overhead. They were so durable I had to result in physically snapping them with a pair of mole grips.

IMO leave well alone

 

Thanks. Looks like the AF Start doesn't worth the money then. did you try the other two? Hope they are good enough.