Usp I think the USP (unique selling point) for high end Yonex to be made in Japan, is the reputation of Japanese manufacturing as opposed to China or Taiwan. Made in China is synonymous with cheap inferior products. Taiwan is sort of middle between Japan and China. It also justify the cost of the racquet as we know the cost of craftsmanship is higher in Japan than in China. For this reason, people are still willing to pay a premium if they think the quality and reputation justify the cost.
actually here is how i see it. if you are currently playing for fun and/or high school level then made in taiwan or japan doesnt really matter. i have a muscle power made in taiwan and it works really well. but if you are a hardcore player in tournaments and those things i think made in japan is your best bet cause you make some insane hits.
ok guys, i am all confused with the answers so far. i think the original thread was asking what is the difference between a TW version and a JP version, comparing the same model. for instance what is the difference between a AT900P TW version with a AT900P JP version. are they both made in japan and just distruibuted to different country hence the country code stamped on the cone or is it a TW version made in TW and vise versa. if that's the case then, no, TW doesn't just produce low to mid range rackets because all of my AT900Ts and NS 9000s all have TW on them. SO back to the orinignal question comparing the same high end model with different country code, what is the difference?
supposedly they are the same but from reading dinkalot review they are somewhat different ? my question is the racket made in taiwan inferior to the made in japan? im talking about the quality of the racket not performance. cause performance is depending on price and the player itself.
There are NO yonex models that are both "Made in Japan" AND "Made in Taiwan". The top-end yonex models are "Made in Japan", the cheaper models are "Made in Taiwan" and "Made in China". "Made in Japan" /= "JP" nor is "Made in Taiwan" <-> "TW" "Made in Japan" can be JP, TW, TH, SP, IP, KR, CH, UK, US, etc. And likewise "Made in Taiwan" can be JP, TW, TH, SP, IP, KR, CH, UK, US, etc.
Tink TS is asking taiwan made vs japan made racket, which one is better? TS is not referring to whether the cone coding TW or JP coded... Look underneath the grip handle, it indicates Made in Taiwan or Made in Japan, Made in China.... dat's what's he referring to.. From what i observed, higher end / cost YY rackets mostly "Made in Japan". Anyone come across the same top of the line YY racket model "Made in Taiwan"? If yes, compare the same racket model - one Japan made, the other Taiwan made, then give TS the answer...
There are no top of the line "Made in Taiwan" yonex models, therefore there is nothing to compare so it's a non-issue. If you want to make a comparison you can just have a look at the technologies incorporated in the different models. The lower you go in a model line the less technology will (usually) be incorporated. If you want to make a generalization: the "Made in Japan" models use better materials and include more technology than the "Made in Taiwan/China" ones. In theory the "Made in Japan" ones should be better. In practice whether you can tell the difference is up to you ...
Then TS question is non-answerable as YY dun produce top end model in Taiwan...resulting in non-comparable situation...
we as a consumer just label the racket made in japan is high end and, regardless the number and the price. are they less inferior? thats my question. for example if yonex did not tell you where the racket was built and the price. is the one made in taiwan somehow less inferior as far as quality ?
Why are JP coded rackets more expensive than other cone codes for the same racket i.e. on mybadmintonstore
Because they are imported ... I was editing/adding when you wrote this so basically what I added in the previous post. You can see on for example yonexusa.com what type of graphite is used and what other technologies are used in the different models.
But if there was no demand for them they wouldn't import them. Why do people want a JP coded racket over another cone code (and are willing to pay extra for them).
wrong. in fact a lot of high end rackets can be found in TW versions. its just aimed for different markets, and people claim that JP versions are better which is a controversy in the world of badminton.
a state of mind some calls it. People have been brain washed over the years.... some of the history were not true...
Wow, this thread is like watching a dog chase its tail in a circle... I think there is still some confusion over the difference of where a racket is actually manufactured and the distribution code found on the cone. We the consumer did not decide what is or isn't high end. Yonex has many different technologies available when designing and manufacturing their rackets. The "high end" rackets have more of that technology. The ArcZ, Arc10, NS9900, Armortec 900's and more are all made in Japan regardless of their distribution code. They are considered "high end" by both Yonex and the consumer. They are also more expensive. The armortec 100, for example, is not made in Japan but probably Taiwan. Is there a difference between the 100 and the 900? YES! Yonex has made the decision that they will manufacture the more expensive, more technologically advanced rackets in Japan. That's it. Could Taiwan produce the rackets as well? Maybe but we don't know that. Another thing to keep in mind is that with all the fake rackets out there, Yonex is probably trying to protect their manufacturing secrets by producing them only in Japan. This makes good business sense. I'll provide another example, my G35 (skyline for those outside north america) is manufactured in Japan as opposed to Canada or the US. That made a difference in my choice to purchase it over another vehicle.
Mast D, Good comments. FYI, Cab30ms is made in Japan. It is cheaper than AT70 or ARC008. Is my Cab30ms better or worse than the other 2 racquets? No, the racquet is as good as the person using it and the player actually like it. Fleet racquet is made in Taiwan and it is as good as Yonex (man I am in shiit now) in some models in same price range. My advice is, if the shoes fit, wear it.
not sure if this has been made clear for those who are new. the distribution code that you see on yonex racket, the JP, SP, TW, TH, CH, are DISTRIBUTION CODE. they tell us where the product are distributed to. they do not tell us where they are MADE. all Yonex rackets of the same model are made in the same location. the top ends are made in Japan, the medium end are in Taiwan, and the very low end are made in China. where the racket is made is specified in a separate location on the racket. after this, i hope some confusion in the discussion will be cleared out.
That is what I thought, kwun. In this case, why are people prepared to pay this: http://www.mybadmintonstore.com/shop/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=11&products_id=428 For a JP code and this: http://www.mybadmintonstore.com/shop/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=11&products_id=430 For an SP/IP code? Is it just a myth which has perpetuated?
I think there are two things to keep in mind... regardless of where the products are manufactured you still get some variations in quality which is where quality control comes in. I know that the Japanese make certain products for the JDM (japanese domestic market) and have no trouble believing that they would hold back the "best" tested products for the JDM. Whether true or not, there is still a certain amount of prestige in owning a JP coded racket regardless of whether there is any difference or not. Whether japanese made Yonex are better than other brands made in Taiwan is a completely separate discussion.
