Yonex vs LiNing vs Victor

[twobeer]

Firstly, with respect to Li-Ning, I don't have links, but just search the N90 forum, especially the N90 II. Droves of people have had cracking grommets and so forth. I even made a few posts saying I thought it was unacceptable given the extortionate price.

I also have to disagree about Yonex's pricing. However you look at it, £190 RRP on a thin graphite racket is ridiculous. The mark-up must be exponential. Well over 100% if you ask me. That just isn't right. Honestly the RRP imo should be no higher than £120. Victor have far more reasonable prices and with better materials.

Lastly, from the many posts I've read talking about SW35 owners measuring their BP's (Jump-smash, Imaster, Maklike, CycliverBadminton etc), I'd say the racket's BP was closer to the 295+ mark. The majority seem to be below 300mm but a few break the 300mm barrier. With the VT80, N90 etc, I've not heard of a single one not being above 300mm BP, most are 305mm and above. So they are on average still head heavier by a decent margin.

The N90 feels quite alot head-heavier than VT80 (at least the ones i have tried).
I have had two SW35s and they both measured well above 300 with unwrapped orig. grip.

If you judge the quality by some forum-posts on broken rackets I would say Yonex is the worst :-). I think it is quite a poor indicator of quality.. Better just ask a stringer or shop who sells lots of racket, how many gets warranty claims etc..if you want the feel of quality for a certain model.
Do you own any LN rackets yourself?

[Naim.F.C]

The N90 feels quite alot head-heavier than VT80 (at least the ones i have tried).

If you judge the quality by some forum-posts on broken rackets I would say Yonex is the worst :-). I think it is quite a poor indicator of quality.. Better just ask a stringer or shop who sells lots of racket, how many gets warranty claims etc..if you want the feel of quality for a certain model.
Do you own any LN rackets yourself?

Nope. I was tempted to buy an N90 but after reading comments about broken grommets from all over the web, I decided against it. Plus, I read several comparisons that said the VT80 and N90 were very similar, but the VT80 was slightly faster and more precise. So in the end, that coupled with the better (imo) art work of the VT80 made me go with that instead.

[ssj100]

The N90 feels quite alot head-heavier than VT80 (at least the ones i have tried).
I have had two SW35s and they both measured well above 300 with unwrapped orig. grip.

What exactly is the BP of the N90? From what I've read, the BP on the VT80 is at least 305mm on average. I doubt the N90 is much more?

If you judge the quality by some forum-posts on broken rackets I would say Yonex is the worst :-). I think it is quite a poor indicator of quality..

Not really. It could simply mean more people use Yonex, and therefore more people report broken rackets.

[greblu]

What exactly is the BP of the N90? From what I've read, the BP on the VT80 is at least 305mm on average. I doubt the N90 is much more?

The BP of my N90 are 304mm, 305mm, 306mm. But the 306 has thicker strings than the 304^^(all S2 with a thin overgrip on the wood handle)

[ssj100]

The BP of my N90 are 304mm, 305mm, 306mm. But the 306 has thicker strings than the 304^^(all S2 with a thin overgrip on the wood handle)

Thanks. So the BP of the N90 sounds objectively the same as the VT80.

[Naim.F.C]

The BP of my N90 are 304mm, 305mm, 306mm. But the 306 has thicker strings than the 304^^(all S2 with a thin overgrip on the wood handle)

My VT80 has a BP of 314mm with Super Grap overgrip (on top of the original grip) and BG66UM strings. It's at 306mm BP now, but that's with RKEP G11 (a very heavy over grip) with quite a lot of overlapping, and gripped quite high up the handle. I'd imagine the average VT80 has a higher BP than the N90. I've heard most VT80's are anywhere from 305-308mm BP without strings.

[ssj100]

I think the 4U VT80 has a higher BP than the 3U, perhaps to compensate for the lighter weight.

[Naim.F.C]

I think the 4U VT80 has a higher BP than the 3U, perhaps to compensate for the lighter weight.

Maybe, who knows. But I'm glad I got the 4U Serving me well so far.

[ssj100]

Maybe, who knows. But I'm glad I got the 4U Serving me well so far.

Who knows, maybe you would have enjoyed the 3U more (eventually)!

[Naim.F.C]

Who knows, maybe you would have enjoyed the 3U more (eventually)!

Doubt it tbh, though always a possibility. Because in doubles, smashes are only a portion of total requirement. Drive and defence speed is often more important. That said, I'm not sure I need more power than the VT80 is giving me at the moment lol. Against my usual group of friends etc, the vast majority of the time they can't return my smashes so I don't care either way lol. In-fact, I didn't really need more power than the MX80 offered, I just got greedy lol.

I think I'm at saturation point now though, any more and I fear I could do long term damage. Smashing 60+ times in the space of a few hours cannot be healthy for one's shoulder. Not that I have any major pains or anything, but it is worrying.

[ssj100]

Doubt it tbh, though always a possibility. Because in doubles, smashes are only a portion of total requirement. Drive and defence speed is often more important. That said, I'm not sure I need more power than the VT80 is giving me at the moment lol. Against my usual group of friends etc, the vast majority of the time they can't return my smashes so I don't care either way lol. In-fact, I didn't really need more power than the MX80 offered, I just got greedy lol.

I think I'm at saturation point now though, any more and I fear I could do long term damage. Smashing 60+ times in the space of a few hours cannot be healthy for one's shoulder. Not that I have any major pains or anything, but it is worrying.

I think just do more gym-like exercises and you'll be fine. Who knows, your friends may eventually get better at defense and start returning some of your power smashes!

[CarbonexFan]

From the rackets that has been listen (added the Victor SW35) these are the rackets I've played with or still playing:

Li-Ning :
N90 I & II

Victor :
BS11 / BS10
SW35

Yonex :
VT70 / VT80
ArcZ-Slash / Arc10
AT900P / AT900T
NS9900 / NS9000X

Li Ning is very expensive and the N90 is the most powerful racket I have in my collection. But even top players that used my racket admit that after a game, the starting to have problems with their arm. Although the N90 series are powerfull, the are not fast. I have problems with the grommets from the N90 II, but the N90 does not seem to have this problem. I like the color and quality of the N90 II. The N90 looks cheap. The range of Li Ning is somewhat limited compared to the other brands.

The Victor rackets are just as wide spread in terms of types and design. Just as Yonex, there are good Victor rackets and bad rackets. The old series seems what out dated, but Victor is continuesly renewing their range, and maybe faster than Yonex. The range of victor is not as transparant as the other two brands since every range has rackets that are suited for different type of players. In terms of quality for the price you pay, I would rate Victor as the best of these three brands.

Yonex is not overpriced since they still are the pioneers in badminton rackets. And the difference is not only the price, the quality of each racket is still superiour compared to the other two rackets. Even the cheapest ones has a decent paint job. So Yonex is not the best of all brands, but I do think Yonex has the best quality control and are almost always the first with material and design.

So in my opinion, no brand is better than the other. If price is a concern, you can't go wrong with the Victors. As a collector or if you want a racket that will be sold in the future, the return of value of Yonex is the best. Li Ning has not be proven yet on the longer term, but the specifications of the N90 I and II has not been matched so far by Victor neighter by Yonex. In all cases you have to choose the right racket and not the right brand.

[ssj100]

CarbonexFan, why do you think the N90 is the most powerful racket for you?

[CarbonexFan]

CarbonexFan, why do you think the N90 is the most powerful racket for you?

Good question. I can simply generate the hardest smashes with this racket. I cannot give you exact measurements, nor can I prove it. It's just that I don't have to put much effort to clear the shuttle compared with all the other rackets I have. Even nowadays, I have problems keeping the shuttle in the court when I play lobs from the net. And not so subjective, but the returners have more problems returning the smashes with this racket. The only problem is that I need to have more time to generate the power. It's not a fast racket.

[arfandy]

there seems to be 3 types of LiNing N90 today! N90 1st gen which LinDan uses, N90 II, and N90 II-S. My favorite racket is Victor The Legend (most suited for single-play), which i'm pretty sure the stiffest among any other Victor lines. Aside from being very stiff, it is head-heavy balance as well. I've tried N90 II and not even closer to the BP nor the stiffness of Victor The Legend. I wonder if N90 might surpasses Victor The Legend or maybe at same level? Well, i have no idea about N90 II-S, so some advices would really be appreciated.

[Polaroid]

Man after hearing all the stuff I'm giving up on Li ning LOL now its all about Victor and Yonex.

[adrian88]

Everybody have their own perception about the brand. For me, i think i should get one racket for each brand lol. Missing Yonex so far ... feel sorry for those who got the faulty racket though, it happens sometimes .. manufacturing problem but rarely