Please someone help me! I am on the verge of buying a Yonex Arcsaber FB but I basically have the choice of two models. the Taiwan version is approximately 30% cheaper than the JP version. is there really a difference in quality between two rackets? arent they made exactly the same way regardless where the factory is?! please help me.
I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that Yonex racquets are the same no matter what coding they have, the coding is just for distribution purposes only (SP racquets are sent to south pacific region).
if thats the case why is there a price difference in every store i go to? its not just one retailer, i have noticed it in a few places. are they just praying on the fact that people will assume the japanese version is of much better quality parts? if they really are made differently i would not mind paying more for the japanese arcsaber FB. If there really isnt a difference i will by the Taiwan Arcsaber FB. Does anyopne have a solid source that can verify if there really is a difference?
Same reason most things are more expensive in other regions, region based pricing. Yonex most likely sells JP racquets at a higher price to the JP region based on economy of the region (what they think they can get away with), if a reseller wants JP coded racquets they have to pay the extra just like everyone else. Further investigation shows there is no official word from Yonex that there is any difference of quality for different region coded racquets.
I just got a TW coded Arcsaber FB recently, loving it. Read lots of forums (both from here and in the Chinese badminton forum) about how they had accidents with it resulting it breakage (no matter the code). However what really makes a difference after doing a lot of market research, is that only JP code ArcSaber FB have a 5U version. Other than that, it is all 6U/F. So it depends on what you wanna get, the 6U/F or the 5U. If its the 6U, then you might as well save some money for string/grip and all getting a TW version. word of advice though, use it with caution. Try to use it with a partner whom you're familiar with (if you play doubles) as your rackets might crash together and I believe the end result would be more dear to the one who wields the FB.
I just got a TW coded Arcsaber FB recently, loving it. Read lots of forums (both from here and in the Chinese badminton forum) about how they had accidents with it resulting it breakage (no matter the code). However what really makes a difference after doing a lot of market research, is that only JP code ArcSaber FB have a 5U version. Other than that, it is all 6U/F. So it depends on what you wanna get, the 6U/F or the 5U. If its the 6U, then you might as well save some money for string/grip and all getting a TW version. word of advice though, use it with caution. Try to use it with a partner whom you're familiar with (if you play doubles) as your rackets might crash together and I believe the end result would be more dear to the one who wields the FB.
Ok, I just ordered the Arcsaber FB JP F6 directly from Japan. I had a good chat to the owner of this reputable branch in broken English who basically told me what everyone else here in the forums is saying; that Yonex has never claimed the rackets for their own market are superior yet: 1. All the rackets supplied to the pros are JP 2. Japanese consumers are very well aware that Yonex rackets made outside can be bought for cheaper, yet insist on paying more for their own. 3. Quality checks in JP much more rigid. So I decided to bite the bullet and open an account with him and will be buying all my badminton gear straight from him from now on. Once I play for a week or so I will pick up the Nanoray 800 and Arcsaber 11 to compare for myself.
1. incorrect 2. no warranty in Japan when bought outside of Japan (which in the case of FB wouldn't be a smart idea) You are also making the mistake that a TW code must be from the Taiwan factory? This is incorrect, no matter which code the high end models are all labelled "Made in Japan" ... (the code only indicates which distributor the rackets go to/ which region they are supposed to be sold in)
hey thanks for the feedback. i guess he was trying to sell me a racket and he succeeded. To be honest i dont care about the warranty, i have never had such an unfortunate accident with a racket and if i do its only cash. I have never owned a JP racket before, so I guess I wanted him to convince me. I guess what I want to do now is borrow a TW or CH version from a friend and compare the two in a session. I need to experiment with this personally, since I can not be convinced otherwise. I simply can not believe that they are exactly the same quality, yet there is a 30-40% difference in price. If I am wrong then I guess buying rackets will be cheaper in the future as I will only buy TW rackets which are easily available.
1. wrong, Pros gets their country coded rackets. They have a fixed dollar value per year to spend at local Yonex Shop. Yonex pays for those items they pick. As to how it works when they are abroad for tournaments, I don't know. Jp coded rackets are of higher quality. If I want one racket I ask local Yonex flagship store let me choose pick one out of all their stock. This chosen one can be of very high quality,close but still not up to the standard of the JP coded ones. After all ,these stock are disqualified as a Jp coded ones.
You are comparing the most expensive with the cheapest market prices. Isn't an FB in the UK and USA just as expensive as in Japan? (USD ~$220 and ~ $240 respectively aka 22,540 and 24,590 Yen retail, not RRP) UK RRP = 24,850 US RRP = 26,640 JP RRP = 24,150 SW RRP = 24,190 (Switzerland) GR RRP = 25,135 (Germany) (at the current exchange rates) But of course don't let it stop you doing your own comparison
Dunno how many times I've said this, but unless someone comes up ABSOLUTE PROOF that JP coded rackets are any better than any other, it's all conjecture. And even then, I don't see where the 20-odd percent price difference could possibly be. But hey, if they only release a racket in Japan, what choice do you have?
Yonex Japan has agreed to replace my wrecked 6u racket with a 5u however it is because of the poor service I recieved while trying to get my warranty claim. They still claimed that there is no issue with the built of the racket. But kudos to yonex they gave me my pick of rackets from the entire range, they will also string the racket to my choice of string and lbs. so I choose the FB 5U version hopefully it is more strongly built.
Maklike, I'm not sure about the structural quality but I think the JP version has a better level of QC as last time I compared my Arc 10 SP with the JP version Arc 10 owned by a friend, I found that my racket has one misaligned graphic on the shaft. Similar thing happened on few other rackets I have compared side by side. They are just minor cosmetic/paint job issues which I can check through my naked eyes, other than that I did not find any differences.
I'm not sure how your racket was damaged, but I didn't experience any issues with mishits or anything like that with both the 5U and 6U.
I saw Carsten Mogensen playing with AS FB in the match yesterday at Sudirman Cup. So he switched from VT ZF to AS FB?! Have we any comparison between these rackets? Thought the handling between VT ZF and AS FB is MUCH different... Thanks
Not sure why he did it. I frequently do it with Li Ning N90 and Karakal BN60. After 2 tiring games with 1-1, if I shift from LN to Karakal in the 3rd, my stamina goes up. So does my footwork. Though I cannot hit smashes as with LN, other movements become swift. The opponent is taken by surprise. This has to be experienced to be believed
