Guys, I bought a 2U MP99 CH last christmas and am a little disappointed. I found it heavier than my old racket (Iso Ti SS) and slower. Also, while it was of the same length of my old one, it is longer in the GRIP and not the shaft..... I wanted more power than my Iso Ti SS but not at the expense losing that much maneouverability... I am considering whether or not I should buy a 3U version. What do you think?
Your old racquet is a 3U. So there is a difference in weight. The new racquet is fine but I wouldn't recommend you to go for the 3U as I have seen too many breakage of MP-9X in that weight group.
5 gram does make a lot of difference. It's not like u hold a little bit heavier stuff and just standing still, u actually swing ur racket. The formula force = mass * acceleration, means the acutal force u apply for the 5 gram could be hundred times more due to the speed we swing. Imagine we have to do hundreds of swings in just 1 typical game. Plus, 5 gram itself sounds ok, but consider 3U rackets are just 85 gram, 5 gram is about 6%. Consider the amount of energy we spend during practice/games (say, 2-3 hrs competitive games), 6% above beyond the edge is quite a lot.
Swedish cross country skier Gunde Svan cut 1.5 grams off the tip of his poles and improved his times by 5-10 seconds...
Adding approx. 1/2 gram each (of lead tape) to the 2 o'clock and 10 o'clock positions on my 3U head-light racquet is enough to make me noticibly adjust my swing speed and preparation time.
Dear Stantan, I just want to confirm that your racket should be MP99SP with the CH after the serial number or MP99CH printed on the racket? Please check: 1)The serial number is silkscreen printed or lazer engraved. 2)The shape of YY logo on the bottom cap is exactly same as other Yonex racket or longer and shorter? Is it thinner than other YY racket? Since one of my friend bought a fake MP99CH, the paint job is excellent, but lack of power......... Every player should have their preference, but MP99 should not be so dull.........
"Swedish cross country skier Gunde Svan cut 1.5 grams off the tip of his poles and improved his times by 5-10 seconds..." Now I'm convinced that 5 grams make a difference! btw, Stan: Maida now sells Aeroplane shuttlecocks. She has the green and the red of the G1130.
5 grams makes a huge difference. When I added a couple grams weight to my racquet at 3' and 9', it like a completly different racquet. (I took the weight off because there was too much repulsion)
5 grams mean a lot in a game! You can ask my old AB1000 with 1gram of lead tape at the head. Matching that with it's stiff shaft and even balance characteristics, I was able to produce an even more powerful smash than any racquet I have ever owned.
I've visited many sports shops (2 sports cheks, 1 sports mart, 1 national sports, and 2 local sport retailers) and couldn't find lead tape in any of these places! Couldn't find it on badminton alley nor badminton warehouse either but I didn't look too hard. I bought some steel strips from a hardware store instead and taped it myself. I guess it's pretty much like lead tape except it isn't lead. I don't think I taped it too well as there was some significant vibrations. One steel strip was also slightly heavier than the other (by about 0.1 g?) so the racquet head felt lopsided. edit: does ANYONE know where I can get lead tape ANYWHERE in GTA/Missisauga? Not markham. I'm hoping actual lead tape will dispense with these problems.
mp99ch serial no. Forrestyung - The racket is here in front of me, just came from stringers s/n 3977237 (shaft) 28022CH (grip cone) the double ys at the bottom seem identical to my Iso Ti. I bought this at a major department store in Shanghai, it even had a big Yonex Certificate of Authorization and everything... By sheer luck, there was (what appeared to me to be) a fake MP99 there at the stringers as well. I say it seemed fake because it was significantly shorter than mine, and was extremely light for a racket that had a sticker saying it was a 2U. I ran my fingers over the serial numbers, I could feel the etchings on my racket but I didnt feel anything when I ran my fingers over the one I thought was a fake. Very smooth. Opinions?
Dear Stantan, By your statement, your MP-99 should be real one. Is it better after your have re-strung it?? Just try to add the lead sheet for adding the head weight. When I was visit China last year, the price of YY goods is very high in China. The price would be 1.5 to 2 times higher than HK. What is the price that you got your MP99??
Re: mp99ch serial no. Sorry to say this... I visited several badminton forum in china wks ago. According to the expert there, there's no real "authorized" Yonex dealer in china at that time yet. However, that does not mean, ur MP99 is a fake. I think this can answer "forrestyung"'s question, that's why Yonex price is extremely high in China. For certain models, they are over 85% of the price in US market, consider the huge salary differences.
I know where u can find lead tape in US. For CD, no idea. http://www.klipperusa.com/products/productlisting.php?catid=6
Lead tape is available at RA Centre's sports shop (613-733-1302). You get 6 or 7 strips for $6.99 . It is actually in the Tennis/squash section rather than the badminton section, you may want to try a Tennis shop in your area.
thx for the idea. i've found a tennis pro shop in my area that sells it. $7 for enough tape for 2-3 tennis racquets.. which is about 10 badminton racquets i think!
Excuse me if I am wrong, since I never did this before. Seems that u tape the entire head of the racket? What I thought was, u only tape the "top" of the racket, which is like from 3 - 9 or 2 - 10??? If that's a stupid question, don't laugh, heheheheheh...
forrestyung and lazybuddy Guys, Forgot to mention the "CH" and the yonex logo on the cone seemed new. it was in gold and a little funky... Anyone got an idea of the serial numbers I posted above checked out?
