revisited: how many rackets of your favorite to buy?

Discussion in 'Badminton Rackets / Equipment' started by kwun, Aug 11, 2010.

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how many of your favorite racket do you buy?

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  1. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    i think this topic needs to be revisited.

    as badminton enthusiasts, we have tried many different rackets. after a while, we have found our favorite, one that feels good on our hand and deemed suitable for our style of play.

    then we say, ok, we should buy 2 of them, as most of us wants to have a backup just in case, esp if one plays tournament.

    then later on we will find that, ops, Yonex decides to discontinue that particular model. now we scramble to look for a couple more just in case of the inevitable: breakage, and often at a higher price because of shortage.

    so the question then is, if we have found a great racket that we like, how many should we have bought in the first place? 2? 3? 4? 5? more?

    discuss.
     
  2. visor

    visor Regular Member

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    2 T2's for me for now.

    For the level that I play, intermediate to advanced, I still have some room for improvement in terms of my swing, timing, etc., so I'm sure my future racket spec requirements will change as I progress.

    Plus, I'm pretty sure there will be improvements in racket design and technology as time goes by... I don't think we're anywhere close to the peak or plateau of racket development.
     
  3. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    i always thought racket development has plateau'ed long long time ago. now all we get are new fancy design with nice names.
     
  4. visor

    visor Regular Member

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    Material-wise, there haven't been any real progress since carbon fibre, whether sheet or woven. Whatever sprinkles of titanium and unobtainium Yonex adds into the mix don't really count, imho. I'm not sure what Yonex's new Voltric will have, piezoelectric fibres?:rolleyes:

    Structural-wise, Victor has been exploring with inside wave for strength and thin cross section design for head speed. Yonex also meddled with the head shape in the Z-Slash with its hybrid isometric-oval shape. And the kickpoint of the shaft has been recognized and designed by manufacturers to provide more snapping power, like in golf club shafts.

    However, racket design, ie. synergy of parts to make the whole, is interestingly more complex and I'm sure there is much work and experimentation to be done. Just ask Panda!:D
     
  5. RSLvictorSOTX

    RSLvictorSOTX Regular Member

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    3 rackets is always a good start. Goes with the ''Always, Seldom & Never'' rule!

    - Always use primary racket.

    - Seldom use secondary (backup) racket.

    - Never use tertiary (off-site backup) racket.

    Of course we are talking about one specific racket we love the best or deemed the best for our style of play. Ergo, (3) Victor Super Inside Waves 35:cool:!

    In actuality, the fourth, fifth or sixth and to the umpteenth rackets are there to collect dusts, appreciate in value and deteriorate as time goes by;)!

    ...my two pence.
     
    #5 RSLvictorSOTX, Aug 12, 2010
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2010
  6. jamesd20

    jamesd20 Moderator

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    With rackets the the design may have plateaud, but only due to our physical limitiations IMO. There is no point making the strongest racket, the stiffest racket as it won't play well due to our physical limitations. Some people like flexier rackets. There is also no point build a 60g racket as no one could get any power from it. There is a weight range for most people between 80-90g which all rackets can be made durable with adequate power/defensive production.

    I persoanlly think woven is a step forward as the woven rackets I have used were very good, however rackets can't fully explore the capabilities of materials such as woven as for example Formula 1 cars or space technology can. Until we have the ability to smash at 700kmh and play with rackets at 55lbs tension nothing will change.

    As visor says synergy of the compenent parts of the racket are more important.
     
  7. weeyeh

    weeyeh Regular Member

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    Always have my 4 TC700 in my bag. I always play with 2 of them, one with BG80 @27lbs, and another BG66M @27lbs. I rotate them in play.

    The 3rd racket has an older string BG80@28lbs and the 4th is a slightly longer racket. These 2 are "seldom" used.

    Never used the 5th TC700 left at home, still unstrung.
     
  8. thejym

    thejym Regular Member

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    I used to have three of the same singles rackets and three of the same doubles rackets. My hands would sweat a lot so during tournaments I like to switch among rackets instead of having to constantly regrip my racket. Also, having numerous rackets allows you to experiment with slightly different string tensions. I might string two rackets at the same tension and a third just a pound or two lower, and depending on how I feel that day I might use one tension over the other.

    You can never have too many of your favorite racket though...
     
  9. jhirata

    jhirata Regular Member

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    Since I got used to the TC700, I don't feel comfortable using other racquets. The TC700's been discontinued so.. is NOW the time for me to stock up ?
     
  10. Danstevens

    Danstevens Regular Member

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    This is always an interesting question because there is no right answer for everyone. Each person has a different minimum number of rackets. In order to find that number, there are a few things you need to consider;
    • How serious you are about badminton
    • How often you play
    • Whether you play tournaments, league matches or just for fun
    • How frequently you break strings
    • How good your access to stringing is
    • Whether you play doubles or singles
    • How hard you are on rackets
    • How old your chosen racket is/whether it is discontinued

    That probably isn't an exhaustive list but it's a decent start - I think those are the main things to look at.

    If you're not that serious about badminton, one racket might be enough. If you break your strings or (hopefully not) your racket you can either call it a night or just borrow one from someone else. For more serious/competitive players, this just isn't an option. If you play seriously then I think you need a minimum of two usable rackets. Both being the same is preferable but if you don't compete then perhaps not 100% necessary. If you play for your club or in leagues and/or tournaments then having two matched rackets should be a bare minimum if you're trying to be competitive. That way, if anything should happen to one racket, you have another that is exactly the same and you can continue playing the way you were straight away. Tournament players as a general rule will need more rackets than league-only players because tournaments usually involve more matches in a day than leagues and there is less time between matches for stringing.

    It should go without saying that the more often you are playing, the more rackets you need because there is less time to restring between matches.

    Once again, it should be pretty obvious that those who break strings frequently will need more rackets than people who don't. On that note, if you have to travel a long way to get your rackets strung or your stringer has a long turnaround time, it's good to have more rackets to make sure that you always have enough to get through every session that you play. If you're traveling all over the country (or maybe the world for some of you?) then it's good to have more rackets; you never know what the stringing service at a tournament is going to be like and a lot simply don't have them so always bring enough rackets to last you to the end of the tournament and longer. Having just enough is tempting fate so add one more or maybe two more to the amount you thought was enough.

    If you play doubles, I think that it would be prudent to stock up on more rackets than what you thought the ideal amount was. Clashes can and do happen at all levels of the game so it's best to be covered for breakage by having another racket. Some singles players can also be hard on their rackets and if you do break rackets more than usual people, it is again, best to get more rackets.

    If your racket is discontinued or soon to be then it's best to stock up if you intend to keep playing with it for a while to come. Soon after a racket is discontinued you can also usually capitalise on better pricing and maybe afford to stock up more.

    I don't recommend stockpiling your chosen racket right away though - you might find something you prefer so maybe just buy one spare to start with. Later on you can start looking at adding more to your collection to allow you to play with your favourite racket for a long time to come.
     
  11. thejym

    thejym Regular Member

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    Another item to add to Danstevens' list: How much money you are willing to spend and/or how expensive the racket is.
     
  12. RSLvictorSOTX

    RSLvictorSOTX Regular Member

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    It fits to categorically call your 1st duo an ''always''; your 2nd duo a ''seldom''; the 5th or final duo (if you got it) a ''never''!

    Same deal when applied to buying cars or houses! Unless, money is no object at all! Putting into perspective how we weigh our options; the things we can afford or willing to depart our money with (to a point). Therefore, owning a ''seldom'' and ''never'' used car or house makes for a deft self evaluation. Needless to say, the excesses that we can absolutely afford can be an investment! Like that unstrung TC700 of yours:D!

    again, my two pence.
     
  13. RSLvictorSOTX

    RSLvictorSOTX Regular Member

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    I think (without knowing the exact science I must admit...just plain conjecture in my part) Victor's Super Inside Wave is euphemism for SoTX's Woven:)? WAVE sure is not a great leap from rewording the word WOVEN; their common denominator being ''weave'';)?
     
  14. jamesd20

    jamesd20 Moderator

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    houses have a lot longer life expectancy however.

    I have rackets that I have bought & may never use. I bought them as collection items. They aren't an investment as I don't intend to sell them at all, however I have bought multiple items of certain rackets at the right price with a few to trade them for some rackets I don't have.

    the thread refers however to rackets you use & how many you should have. dans criteria can help answer the individual.
     
  15. LD rules!

    LD rules! Regular Member

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    For me, I reckon 2-3 SW35's should be enough, no need for me to try new rackets out any more, I am very happy with SW35. So I would say 2-3 should be enough.
     
  16. biggybil

    biggybil Regular Member

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    i's say the more the better, i loved the MP99 went through 6 of them since they came out and now i have none left .. all at the cemetery :( ... so if you really love a certain racket wait for a sale and grab as much as you can. I only wish i grabbed more of them MP99 when i had the chance too.
     
  17. LD rules!

    LD rules! Regular Member

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    You cab still buy MP99 if you want. Www.sohubuy.com they still have some left I believe.
     
  18. RSLvictorSOTX

    RSLvictorSOTX Regular Member

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    However, wouldn't you sell if some in your collections appreciated ludicrously in value?

    On the other hand, I would use my ''never'' (3rd) racket as collection or bartering chip in the future (even sell it depending on value).
     
  19. RSLvictorSOTX

    RSLvictorSOTX Regular Member

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    I suppose there are no blemishes or tiny chips in your current 2 SiW 35s;)?
     
  20. biggybil

    biggybil Regular Member

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    yah i did get 2 SP version and they broke faster then those i had before :(.. and that when i moved on hehe
     

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