Hi! I was just wondering which brands were considered as respected wooden-frame badminton racquet makers? Thanks!
I think all of them no longer in this line of business However, the popular brands I call still recall are: 1/ aeroplane from china 2/ Dunlop from England 3/ yoneyama (yonex or yy) from japan yy is probably the most innovative of all, Fusing a layer of carbon into the wooden frame and they later also introduced the carbon shaft rackets. So much I can recall even though I never play with them
Here's a thread you may want to visit... http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php/75234-Yonex-B-9100-wooden-racquet/page2
Bamboo racquets, anyone? http://www.manufactum.com/Produkt/193672/1402531/Bamboo-Badminton-Racquet-1-piece.html
Also,it's probably highly unlikely, but do stores still carry these rackets in large cities? Or would I have to stumble across them on the internet?
Hi. I would like to add - 1. Slazenger 2. Silver Grays/ Grays 3. Kawasaki as I came across as well as played with them during the 70s. Of course they are already out of production since then and you'll be hard pressed to come across one in good, usable condition. Rgds, Ubootsg
Hi Cobalt. These look interesting and I would be interested to get a couple. I've checked their website but it looks like they may not ship to Singapore where I am. Wondering if you have any suggestions that may help me get my hands on these? Rgds, ubootsg
I checked the website but cold not find that they will not ship to Singapore. Take a look at this link: http://www.manufactum.com/Kategorie/-22/Terms-and-conditions.html it mentions: At the bottom of that page you could also select if you wish to deal with any of the 4 countries they are based in. And maybe you should send them an email first... info@manufactum.com Hope this helps...
Hi Cobalt. Many thanks for the info...I'll try emailing them and see if I get a response. I would be v. keen to try as bamboo has a great characteristic of flexibility and strength. I think it would work well with a whip-like motion, ie: using a lot more of the wrist and more importantly less of the shoulder, of which I have an old injury. The other advantage I can see in relation to that would be there's less movement of the body during the execution of a stroke (more wrist, less arm swing) and would disguise your strokes better imho. Rgds, ubootsg
I hope you are successful! Let us know how it goes for you! Bamboo is a great material, no doubt, but I have some concerns about how well it will play as a badminton racquet. Traditionally, the good badminton racquets were made of ash, and some of willow; they actually have the whippy characteristics you are seeking. Ths is the reason why willow has always been and still is, the wood of choice for cricket bats. The bamboo racquets may very well end up just a great collectibles, but if I were you, I would not place too much hope in it being a solution to your problem. You may want to look at some headlight of evenly-balanced racquets that are moderately flexible, or have the whippy characteristic you are looking for. I woudl recommend the Trinity2 or the Precision from Panda Power, or maybe even the Arc7. Hope this helps...
Thanks for your reply and suggestions with racket choices. I do have other non-wooden rackets that I play with which have those characteristics you've mentioned, ie: even ballance, light head and at least mid flexibility for the shaft. I also do not string my rackets very high, the highest being a Yonex Armotec 800 at abt 24lbs. These criteria are matched with my playing style/ability as well as considering my old shoulder injury as well. Rgds, ubootsg
Here's a very nice and interesting thread started by Bbn with some great info and pics! http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php/94702-Ancient-Racquets
love to own a wooden racquet again. sometimes feel regret trashed it away last time , it has such a vintage look.