Already writing my review on this racket. Got to say, I love it. Coached and hit shuttles for three hours today and couldn't find fault with this racket...it's a beauty! For those players who like a stiffer shaft but not too stiff, this racket will really suit. It's got some weight in the head although specs say even balance. I liked this racket so much this has shot to my number one position when choosing which Victor racket i will use this season. I didn't even want to apply head weights to this racket, it played so well and delivered so well all afternoon. Buy with confidence as this should really please a lot of players. Paul www.badminton-coach.co.uk
Yeah, I'm not a fan of naming rackets after players, because it polarises opinion even before people have played with them. I guess the good thing is though, the BS line is clearly not dead.
It's a winning formula, so I think Victor has done the right thing in not messing around with it too much. This is a classic design that I hope Victor will maintain for years to come - like the Carbonex family. Use different materials, change the stiffness, BP, tweak a few minor features but don't change the shape!
LHI and is an amazing and totally underrated player. Players like him and TMN need more recognition...
I agree about th whole signature thing. Across Europe, in many clubs players would be unable to name their national champion. How on earth would they be expected to recognise a Korean singles player (no disrespect to the player). This is where marketing of the game falls down. Paul www.badminton-coach.co.uk
It's really an un-evolved marketing style, isn't it. Sure, a big bunch of people are sheep and follow their favourite player and like to pretend they're them, but there's also a big portion of players that don't even watch the comps that much and would have no idea who Lee Hyun Il is. JJS and LYD is a completely different story though. If it was me, I'd not do 'signature' rackets at all. It seems to me to be more as a 'thank you for your loyalty' type of deal rather than any strategic marketing plan that makes any sense, globally. Regardless though, the Braveswords are a standout classic of racket design, and Victor are doing a good thing keeping it going and building on it's reputation. There's still quite a few specifications they haven't done with the design.
Yeah, and then get Lin Dan's shoes and LCW's shirt and you'll magically be the best player that ever lived.
Victor can't change the marketing of game. They are, however, in control of their own marketing and distribution. If they used a more generic racket name (and maybe adjust the paint job or decals) for Europe & America then they would do better imo. This is an area that Yonex have got right (also just imo).
They just need to manage their distribution channels better so that the availability is close to consistent around the world rather than EU having to wait 6 months for a new racket to be available when it gets released in Asia as soon as it is announced. Yonex officially announces the FB and Arc11 and soon it is available worldwide. Victor announces something and it's like a game of treasure hunt trying to track it down locally!
It's not distro, it's production. They sell into the markets that are 'bigger and easier' for them first up when they produce a new model, because they either have production issues or are being conservative with their production numbers so they don't have excess stock and money tied up in rackets sitting in warehouses. The grim reality is that they're an Asian company located in Taiwan, and China is far and away their biggest market, so that's where their focus is.
Paul, interesting that you said this for the mx60 review but didn't keep the fairness for the LHI review What is the main difference between the BS-LHI and your favourite MX racket that lead you to pick one over the other?
Amieto - this racket did not belong to the retailer and therefore I made a choice based on what was happening to the racket next. If I strung at 23lbs then it would have to be restrung again. So it was a dilemma but I had to go with outside pressure. No other reason. Paul www.badminton-coach.co.uk
The specs on the BS series is getting a little confusing to me because of their totally inadequate stiffness/weighting system. The BS11 is my all-time favourite (old spec, stiffer version, although I do hear that it has gone back to it's old spec now). The BS10 is a great racket but too stiff for me. The BS12 was too headlight and felt awkward carrying most of it's weight near the T, and the LYD I played with for a few games I didn't take a shine to, mostly I think because it felt to me to be about 93g wet, which is too heavy for me. Top it off with the fact that the KRP BS12's spec appears on paper to be essentially a BS10, and things start to get confusing! Paul, from your LHI review, I'm not sure exactly where it fits in. Can you elaborate a bit more??
Maklike I wish I could. I tested BS10 and 11 over 3 years ago. Since then, as you say there have been changes and I don't understand why specs were diffierent. Did Victor change factories? If so, why as they manufacture their own rackets. It's a complete mystery to me. BS12 does feel more headlight compared to LHI and I can say this as I have LYD and BS12 in my bag to compare against. LYD needs to be stiffer because there is more head mass and longer shaft. So there is more flexibility in the frame - not a bad thing but my preference would be to stiffen it up. I've no experience of KRP BS12's or where to find the spec. But if they match the old BS10 then I'd be fine with them. However, all I can say is that I thought LHI was brilliant, fast strong and powerful and I thoroughly enjoyed testing it. So much so that at the moment this is the racket I want in my bag this season when my contract begins. At the moment I am still in contract with Yonex, but am testing for a retailer. Considering how much I like head heavy rackets, i really wasn't prepared for LHI to feel so good and tick the boxes. Paul www.badminton-coach.co.uk
Hey Paul, great review!!!! thanks. Do you know if the LHI is identical to the BS-11? It seems the LHI is more head heavier to other BS series.
