Hi all, first post at this great site! Anyway, right to the point: I have a fairly old Yonex Aerotus-77 SP badminton racket, and according to the bottom of the handle, it was made in Japan. However, I have concerns that it might possibly be a fake racket. It doesn't have the new Yonex logo, but rather has the double Ys with a line going through the top of each Y. Also, I've never seen an Aerotus-77 with the SP notation after it, so that leads me to further speculate this might not be a genuine Yonex racket. There is no serial number, but there's a holographic Genuine Yonex sticker at the top of the handle (the "cone" part) and a 5 to the left of that. Can anyone help me out a bit here? Thanks for all responses!
Uhhh, I couldn't get a pic of the "Genuine Yonex" sticker clearly, because it refracts light, but here it is. There's a "5" printed to the left of the sticker.
I don't think it is fake. I ran a search throughout the forums and it seems to be a discontinued product from Yonex that was manufactured before Yonex started the serial numbers so I doubt it is fake. http://badmintonforum.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3987&highlight=aerotus+77
It is a genuine model. The Aerotus-77 comes in two versions; the original and a SPecial version. The logo is the old Yonex logo with two triangles and circles.
I think it is a real one. The serial number is just behind the sticker. I have sold many YY rackets in this arrangement long time ago in my summer job. Is the racket bought in HK??
Thanks for all the quick responses everyone! This was an urgent matter to settle, because I'm in the middle of trying out for my high school's badminton team and when a few friends of mine noted the fact that they've never seen the Yonex logo before, there was speculation that it could very well be a fake racket. Is there any significance between a regular model and a special (SP) model of the same racket? Um, I actually bought the racket in Beijing, China about 2 or 3 summers ago.
the more important question do you like playing with the racquet? If it plays well, and you enjoy using it, does it really matter if it's a fake or genuine. For instance, prior to your friends questioning it's authenticity, did you smash hard and play well with it? After your friends asked, did the racquet suddenly fail to perform as well as before?
Re: the more important question If it did, then iz jus phychological effects man! dont let it get to ya!
Tell your friends that they were babies when this racket was made. It is probably about 10 years (or more) old. Ron
i don't get it. so your team won't allow you to join if you are using a fake? the racket is genuine. the logo is the old Yonex logo. as for the SP, it doens't stand for special, but instead singapore, which is the distribution designation for countries in the SE Asia region.
Which store u bought this one? Is that www.bbesports.com (xin lan tian)? If yes, I guess u don't have to worry. They are a reputable store, and should not sale the fake stuff, even though I don't think they are an authorized dealer, that's why the price is kinda high.
Yeh, once I saw it on that site, I remember that I've been linked to this site several times and figured it was definitely not a fake.
I can't believe people still continue to think that SP stands for Special!! It's not! As kwun mentioned, it stands for the designated countries (region) in which the racket is suppose to be sold in. I suppose this Aerotus 77 comes in many models?? Eg. JP, SP, US, etc. Confused?? Look in this thread for more details.
It is not the SP designation after the serial number but rather SP after the model number on the shaft. I don't see Aerotus-77 CD painted on the shaft for Aerotus-77 but have seen Aerotus-77 SP with serial number and a different designation code. BTW, the FAQ stated that the SP should be engraved on the cone NOT painted on the shaft!
BTW, why would a store in China sell SP-designated racquet? Besides the racquet shown do not have SP engraved on the cone although I am sure there is a code underneath the hologram sticker. The SP is painted on the shaft right after the model name and I don't think that is the destination code.
