Customworqs

A good question tranqq, I will try to answer it as best I can. As a product manager in any badminton brand, at the start of the development of a specific racket, putting "technology" aside, you will be thinking about the type of player you are aiming to develop the racket for and trying (in the majority, there are exceptions) to ensure you can sell as many rackets as possible to that type of player. Therefore the racket has to be easy to play with. From this you will decide on a range of specifications and lay-up combinations that you think will work. What specification / lay-up combinations you think will work will be dependent upon your knowledge of previous specification / lay-ups you've used which have / have not worked as well as your overall understanding of what makes a good badminton racket. These samples will then be ordered and playtested. This is the most crucial element in the whole process as understanding how the racket plays and translating this information into the racket development process is fundamental to creating excellent playing rackets. Now here's the interesting bit. Who do you think normally play tests these rackets?

1. The Brand Product Manager? If so is he/she up to a sufficient playing standard where he/she can understand what's going on with the racket?
2. The type of player whom the racket is aimed at? If so European Players? Far Eastern players?
3. Elite badminton players?

In my opinion, these stages are hugely overlooked. I believe options 1 to be crucial as it's so important for the person who is developing rackets to be able to feel what's going on rather than giving it to someone else and expect them to explain to them how the rackets is playing. Option 2 is also crucial as you quite rightly point out, playability of a racket is so subjective. Therefore you need to engage the consumer whom you are aiming the racket at. In my opinion many brands rely too heavily on giving their rackets to their top players (option 3) to play test and rely on their feedback. A top player has a very different perspective on racket playability vs a good club / league player for multiple reasons.

In summation, every racket you purchase is based on the robustness of the development process and to a degree, the judgement of the product manager to develop that racket is the best way possible. Established racket brands have shown they can do this and sometimes do it extremely well. Take the success of the Yonex MP99 - an excellent playing frame. I don't have this brand history and therefore, as you quite rightly point out, you are purchasing based on my judgement. My offer to the badminton market is I believe, through my playing history, my exposure to racket development in the far east and understanding the true foundations of racket playability, I can design and have manufactured by a premium rackets factory, excellent playing badminton rackets at given specifications. 2 years for racket development is a long time, I hope the results speak for themselves.

Re not being able to play test them pre purchase, I take your point here. I guess where I'm coming from is that if you look at the wider badminton market that purchases rackets, 80% do not play test them before purchasing. I also come back to the robust development process I have been through to create Customworqs. What Customworqs also offers is the ability to continue with a frame rather than having to move to a new frame in 18 months because your frame is no longer available.

I hope this answers your questions.

 

I'm a big fan of the classic head shape still and have agreement that once I've a hit a specific number of sales, I can introduce this as well as what some people term the smaller isometric head shape. I went for the Isometric head shape to launch Customworqs because this covers the majority of players today.

Thanks

 

Anyone going to question his username and his name within his post or do I have to point it out?

 

Maybe it's his favorite person???

 

Already tried googling that name.

 

I think a number of forumers here just "give up" after reading some of the posts here esp on the "marketing" tactics used.

I know I definitely would not buy one - too risky and dodgy ... concept/idea may be good but approach is all wrong.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Hi f1rst, yes its reverse scale to Yonex, therefore our Grip Size 2 is 3 1/4” / 82.5mm which is very close if not the same as a Yonex G4. Our Grip Size 4 is 3 3/8” / 85.5mm which is similar to the Yonex G2. I've asked our web programmer to put some additional information into the website to help with this in the future - I appreciate the feedback.

Re sensigel grips, this comes with a gel layer underneath the PU layer which makes the grip feel as though it molds around your fingers. Being non technical, it feels a little squigeey to hold.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Mat

 

Hi Tommi, I'm not sure I fully understand what you're after. If it's why my username is different to my actual name, then this has been answered in one of my responses in this thread.

Thanks

Mat

 

Ordered a pair of 90g, 312mm, 6.5mm rackets yesterday. Will be interesting to play with them. I'm currently using the BS-LYD, but want something a little stiffer and a bit more head heavy. Hopefully these should do the trick. If people are interested, I'll post my thoughts up on here when I get to play with them, which will be after Christmas because they are a present from my parents! I'm a county player here in the UK, so not completely clueless. =]

 

bandit 1281: Please do post your impressions and pictures, if you would be so kind (and not clueless ).

 

I love the idea of custom rackets - this was initially the idea that I was going to pursue but couldn't because I didn't have the right connections. In SE Asia, they couldn't fathom the concept of making half the amount of rackets for double the price. Go figure.

Mat, can I give you some advise?

Don't get embroiled in the troll wars on forums. You need to let the rackets do the talking. Get them in the hands of good people, and let positive word-of-mouth get the message out there for you. Trying to duke it our with Flametards in forums isn't positive and just drags you down. You need to get the product out there, and you need to focus on the positive.

Oh.....and we're up to page 5 and I still haven't seen a photo of an actual racket!

Also, be careful about what you say in regards to what is and what is not marketing. Giving something a cute name IS marketing - it doesn't matter whether you attach a percentage performance benefit to it or not. Let's face it - it's all marketing. If someone is pathologically 'anti-marketing', there's not a lot you can do to stop that.

Let the products, and the happy users to the talking. Once you start an endeavour, you lose your voice. That's just the way it is. You gather feedback, and then communicate through product improvements.

Hope that's not too preachy, but the more scarce you are on forums the better.

Let the rackets sell themselves.

 

Good advice Miklike Tier, and as you suggest here are some images of the rackets

 

I like the butt cap.

 

Are you using the same factory as Carlton are?

 

that probably would get taken as an insult in a lot of cases

Can you imagine your wife showing a new dress and asking 'how do I look'? Then you reply 'I like your tights'

LOL

 

Hi LD rules! I'm afraid I couldn't say. What I can say is it's one of the premium racket factories in China.

Thanks

 

some pics of the gloss pearl white design option + sensigel grip

 

i knew that question will surface sooner or later, maybe i just read this post late

 

LOL, not giving up huh, Maxout?