I'm an intermediate player looking to purchase my second badminton racket. I am currently using a Precision, as said in the title, and there are a lot of things that I like about it. However, I am hoping to find something a little different to try. As an intermediate, I don't really want to spend a whole lot of money on a racket, especially since I don't know if I am going to like it or not. There's nowhere close by that I can test rackets. Since the Precision is all that I've known, I'm not really sure what to look for. I definitely want something with more power. I am a fan of the Precision's defensive capabilities, but I think that I would like to diversify and try other rackets, so that I'll know what I do and do not like. My question for you all is, how much should I diversify? I just want to try something different. Thank you all so much.
If you like a lot of things about the precision, but need more power, why not try a Trinity? This is the PP racket which would satify your wishes & is reasonably prices. Be wary though that by wantingmorepoweryou will sacrifice the defensive ability somewhat.
So you think that I should just make minor adjustments to my current racket, rather than trying out something completely different to try to find what I do or do not like.
so.. before telling you further about Trinity pro what is you PP precision spec? (before strung and with original grip)
The usual reasons for lack of power (after poor technique), are the shaft being too flexible or the racket being too light / head-light. Since you got a moderately light Precision, maybe try something heavier, but still not too stiff - eg. AT600? btw: IMO, the Precision hits harder than the Trinity 2 - at least at light/medium weights (I haven't tried a very heavy T2, but with a heavy Precision you really start to reach the limits of the shaft's stiffness, so the T2 may perform better in that case). Still waiting to receive a TPro to compare...
Yes. if you have got it almost right, then why change completely? You could end up buying a rackets you don't like at all, whereas if iti s only slightly different, you should at least get along with it, even if you don't love it. Best thing is to try them out before you buy. My AT600 is more flexible that my precison.
If I did decide that I wanted to try something a bit more offensive, what would you all recommend for me? I've been looking at SOTX Woven 8A and the APACS Lethal 90. I've found them for under $100, but I'm a bit worried that they will be too much of a jump. Any thoughts on these? Or any other APACS or SOTX rackets?
You should give the T2 a try. Same specs if possible. The stiffer shaft will give you more power and attack than Precision. I have both and find that to be the case.
Personally, at those specs I think the Precision hits harder than the T2. I have both rackets at 84.9g/286mm (very close to HotSauce's 84.1g/288mm), and that is what I found. And it's really not because the T2 is too stiff - I love the UPro, which is obviously even stiffer. Just a matter of taste I guess. If it were me, I'd go for something much more head-heavy (maybe wait for the next shipment of Trinity Pros?). Why spend another $100+ on a racket that's only going to be a slight improvement at best? (I'm assuming you're not super rich, and don't need a backup for tournaments).
You would be absolutely correct in doing so. Yeah I think that this was more like my thought process. I know what the Precision has to offer me and I can appreciate those things, but I don't really know any differently. I guess I can't be sure that I like the flex of it unless I've tried stiffer rackets. I can't be sure that I like those specs unless I've tried something with other specs. I won't know that I prefer a defensive racket unless I've used an offensive one. Is that a reasonable way to look at it?
I will definitely agree to that. Especially since I'm not by any means an expert, or even playing in tournaments, I will NOT be buying any of the really high-end stuff. I mentioned in post #8 that I had been looking at $100 or less.
I wouldn't argue with that - but $200 on 2 quite similar Panda Power rackets Vs $200 on 1 Yonex is less clearcut (since one of the PP rackets is just going to sit there gathering dust). I'm not saying you shouldn't get another Panda Power - I just don't see the point in getting another one with similar specs.
So, Hotsauce, what do you feel about the Precision is lacking in power for you? If it's the flexy shaft that you feel bends too easily when you hit a hard shot eg. smash or clear baseline to baseline, then you will benefit from going to a stiffer shaft. Btw what string and tension you using?
Alright. Here's my dilemma. When I first started playing, I just played with the club at school. We had various rackets stored in the closets, none of which had string tension above 18 or so and I'm going to go ahead and say none of which cost more than $35-40. So I used those for a while until I got my Precision, strung at 24 lbs with BG-65. I was very impressed with the results that I got from it for 3-4 months. Then I noticed a significant decrease in power. I played with it for another couple of months, just thinking that I had bad form. However, no matter what I did, I still couldn't get that "pop" like I did when I first started. So I came to BC to ask about it. BC said "the strings probably stretched out and lost tension," which seemed like a no-brainer once I thought about it. So I got it restrung at 26 lbs, knowing that a) after playing for months, I should be able to hit harder, and b) the strings would again lose tension after a few weeks or so. We're about a month post-stringing, and I still don't have the smash back. The only thing that makes sense to me is that I have "outgrown" the flexible shaft.
so.. let's compare those three rackets with your precision SOTX Woven 8A and the APACS Lethal 90, and Panda Power Trinity pro NOTE: I never use the rackets, this is based on the spec alone Panda Power Precision: SOTX woven 8A: http://www.ibuysports.com/Woven8A.html did you notice the shaft stiffness? SOTX shaft stiffness, the greater the number the more flexible the racket and SOTX woven 8A has same or even more flexible shaft than you Precision, so it is out of question if you want stiffer racket the length is a little bit unusual which is 670, it is not a big problem though APACS Lethal 90: http://www.apacs-sports.co.uk/catalog/apacs-rackets/lethal/lethal-90-badminton-racket/prod_75.html APACS Lethal 90 is stiff (but I don't know how stiff it is) based on the spec, you could get the one 287-290mm which means you might not feel the differences as your Precision is 288mm (actually 288mm is balance toward head heavy) you will only get stiffer shaft but with almost same BP (except you can get the one with 292 or 293mm) Panda Power Trinity Pro http://dcbadminton.net/product.htm?id=0 you could see the shaft stiffness is noticeably stiffer than Precision or SOTX Woven 8A you could also choose your BP (wether head light, even balance or head heavy) if you want more power, go for head heavy such as 295-300mm out of 3, I would go for Tpro or APACS Lethal 90
You're right, that was a silly mistake. It's a good thing that I came and asked about it instead of just jumping right in! That was extremely helpful. I'll definitely keep this in mind as I continue to think about it.
so.. any other racket in mind? I'm sorry I cannot help too much as I never use any of those rackets I think, about the string if you said 4-5 months it is still impressive, that means you played with 21-22lbs and your new Zymax 70 is 26 lbs which would drop to 24lbs actually you should try 24lbs again because you said that 4-5 months is still impressive (so you can compare it directly) do you notice any problem? such as the shaft is too bend when you do a smash? or is it only in your mind? as you got your first racket, you feel excited and believe it is pretty good, and then after that you become less excited and understand that you feel that the smash is not hard?
