RKEP PRO6000 PRO9000 badminton racket

Discussion in 'Badminton Rackets / Equipment' started by Squash Eric, Feb 4, 2012.

  1. madbad

    madbad Regular Member

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    Ditto. Might jump back into a group buy after tax season is over.

    BTW Iori, where do you play?
     
  2. Iori

    Iori Regular Member

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    Mostly Clear One Leslie and Richmond Pro. But Clear One just increased drop in fees to $5 >< time to find cheaper place! Can't wait till Badminton Vancouver opens haha, its closer for me.
     
  3. madbad

    madbad Regular Member

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    What days do you play at RichmondPro?

    I'm normally there Mon and Thurs morning drop-in
     
  4. Iori

    Iori Regular Member

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    I don't play regularly at RPRO. I'm usually at C1 Leslie on Saturdays 9am - 1pm.
     
  5. madbad

    madbad Regular Member

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    Well, hope to play sometime then. Maybe at the next BC gathering.
     
  6. Benwilluk

    Benwilluk Regular Member

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    Just wondering whether anyone else from the UK are interested in either of these rackets?
     
  7. Frosty

    Frosty Regular Member

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    Review of RKEP PRO6000 and PRO9000

    Before I start, I need to emphasise that one of the reason of me getting the 6000 and 9000 was because of the option to get rackets with specifications close what I like. Dry weight, grip size and dry balance point to me are crucial factors which heavily decides whether a player likes a particular racket or not, asides from the string and its tension, of course. So, keep up the good work, Eric!

    Specs
    =====
    Dry specs I asked for both rackets : 88g 295mm
    Dry specs I got for both rackets ( handle plastic removed ) : ~88g ( +- of less than 0.5g ) ~295mm

    All in all, I am very satisfied with the actual specs I got.

    Stringing
    ==========
    The two racket frames seem quite strong, given the fact that I string using a 2 point support machine. Granted, my tension ( 24 x 26lbs ) is not high compared with others, props must still be given as very little visible frame deformation was observed during the stringing process. For those who string themselves, you will be pleased to find that there are less shared holes at the top.

    Hitting time
    =============
    Okay, I'll start with 9000. I must say that I really, really love this one. I'm sure that the fact that the rackets specs are to my liking must have contributed to me liking and comfortable with the racket, but there's no denying that this racket feels very solid during impact ( box frame ) and power transfer is direct ( stiffer shaft ). For me the shaft stiffness is just nice. Its stiff enough for me to get suffecient feedback when I hit shuttles and direct power transfer, but at the same time not so stiff up to the point where I can't keep using the same racket for a 2-3++ hour session. I have had my share of stiff rackets, such as the RSL X2 Gold, Panda Power U2 and U2 Pro, which I rate them at a slightly higher stiffness than 9000. Overall, I think this racket would definitely work nicely for players who have higher and more explosive swing speed ( compared with the average level social players here in Malaysia ).

    Okay, on to the 6000. To be honest, I haven't played as much with the 6000 compared with the 9000. I guess I made the mistake of trying the 9000 before the 6000. Big mistake. I kept going back to the 9000. But, having said that, after trying the 6000 for some games, I think the 6000 would make a wonderful racket for a much wider range of players, ranging from beginner to advanced players of different age. The reason is because I feel that the 6000 is very easy to use, mainly because of its less stiff shaft ( compared with the 9000 ), hex frame which reduces swing resistance and also the slight head-heaviness). I have never used the BS09, but having tried BS10 before, my guess is that Eric is trying to get the 6000 to play like the BS09, albeit at a lower price than Victor ( hex frame for reduced swing resistence, not too stiff shaft and slightly head heavy )? While it might not provide the same potential power as the 9000 when making power shots, I think that is fully compensated by the fact that it easier to defend smashes using the 6000.

    Paint-wise, sorry, I didn't really took much notice, nor am I really sure on how to gauge its quality. Just not too particular with the looks of my rackets. Heck, I wouldn't have minded even if there's no paint whatsoever on my rackets. ;)

    Do notice that I did not give out ratings on power, accuracy and etc as normally seen as I feel that a lot of variables can affect that rating from player to player.
     
  8. a|extan

    a|extan Regular Member

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    any1 in singapore here interested in group buy?

    i am interested in PRO6000
     
  9. visor

    visor Regular Member

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    @ Frosty:

    Very useful and concise review. :thumbsup: I also love the feel, directness, and accuracy of stiff rackets, the MX80 being my favourite go-to racket. :)

    I can't wait for the next 2-3 days time, when I should be receiving and playing with a 85g 294mm bp Pro9000! :)
     
  10. Nauroa

    Nauroa Regular Member

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    Gonna go pick up my RKEP Pro 6000 and 9000 at the postoffice today.
    Then off to the stringer to get them strung with BG80 at 24x26 lbs.
    Hopefully it will be done by Thursday or I will have to wait all until Saturday to try them out. :/
     
  11. Nauroa

    Nauroa Regular Member

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    Collected my PRO 9k and PRO 6k from the stringer on Tuesday and brought them to badminton practice.
    Didn't expect to use them much though since I got a badminton club match on Saturday, so didn't find it to be the best time for a racket change.
    "Unfortunately" I broke the strings on both of my normal go to rackets, so I got to play one match with the PRO 9k.

    I have to say the power of the racket got me very excited, so I'll bring it to practice again today at do a full two hour session with it.
    Hopefully by then I'll be able to come with my initial impression without too much clouding from all the timing issues I experienced on Tuesday.
     
  12. Nauroa

    Nauroa Regular Member

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    Sorry for stealing your template Frosty but it looked good. :eek:


    This is only an initial impression of the RKEP PRO 9000 after a 2 hours training session yesterday. I bought both the 9000 and 6000 and once I’ve have more time with both a full review can be written.


    Initial Impression of the RKEP PRO 9000

    One ting that made me want try this racket was the fact that I could pretty much tailor the spec to suit my style of play, something that has been a problem when buying rackets online.
    Big props to Eric for making this possible.

    Specs
    =====
    Dry specs I asked for: 85g / 290mm
    Dry specs I got (plastic on handle removed ) : 85.35g ~291mm

    Wet weight I was aiming for: 95g / 290mm
    Wet weight I got after strings and grip was applied: 95.05g / ~290mm

    Right where I wanted it! :D

    Stringing
    ==========
    Got the RKEP PRO 9000 strung @ 25lbs with my favourite string the BG80.

    Hitting time
    ==========
    Wow, what power! That was literally the first thought that went through my mind when I started hitting with this racket. I have never been much of smasher since I have always felt that my smash was so weak that it did more bad than good for me.
    But with this racket I kind of feel like I’m cheating on it if I don’t unleash the power through some smashed every now and then.
    My full body smashes was powerful and often resulted in weak returns from my opponent and my half smashes/ stick smashes were sharp as hell and often caught my opponent off guard.
    The power also enabled me to recover and reset rallies from difficult positions in the backcourt, when the shuttle had actually gone past me. Something I have not been able to successfully do with my other rackets.

    Needless to say baseline to baseline clears was a breeze.

    My touchshot at the net was not optimal for the first 1½ hour but towards the end of the session they stared to feel about better, so the jury is still out on how this feels, until I have had some more playing time with it.

    Defending has much like my touchshot at the net. In the beginning my timing wasn’t too good but after almost two hours it had improved some. Jury still out on this one as well

    No doubt that defence and manoeuvrability of the racket was not as good as i.e. Victor BS series, but that is to be expected, and in no way did it feel bad.


    Final thoughts from my first encounter with the RKEP PRO 9000 is that it feels very solid, and provided me with a so far unseen amount of power.
    This could easily turn into my go to singles racket if it keeps improving in the finesse areas as I get more and more use to it.

    Regards,
    Morten
     
  13. blindfury

    blindfury Regular Member

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    Nicely reviewed Morten, looking forward to your thoughts on the 6000 :D
     
  14. visor

    visor Regular Member

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    My turn at reviewing the Pro 9000! :cool:

    Background:
    Ok, so I got sucked into buying this racket 2 weeks ago. :) I was looking for the recently released SW30 in 4U form and it so happened that Eric also had the 6000 and 9000 released at the same time, so since the 9000 and SW30 both have the same specs and the box had room for another racket, I thought wth, try one out.

    And I'm glad I did... because after playing with both for 3 hrs and despite both having almost identical specs, I actually like the 9000 more! :D

    A bit about myself: advanced intermediate all-around doubles, tactical style, prefer stiff rackets with dry specs of 85-86g with slight head heaviness around 292-295mm bp.

    Current go-to is MX80 (85.1g, bp 293mm). For the occasional singles, I switch to a 4U VT80 (82.9g , bp 310mm!)


    Specs of 9000:
    85.7g, bp 294mm dry
    Strung with my favourite VS850 at 24 lbs

    (in comparison, the SW30 is almost the same at 85.3g, bp 295mm and is also strung the same)


    Dry swinging:
    The 9000 had more air resistance when swinging thru the air when compared to MX80 and SW30. It sounded like it was slower, most likely due to the box frame cross section design ... but when actually playing, it was more maneuverable than the SW30!


    Playing time:

    Amazingly it only took me all of 5 minutes to adapt to the 9000, while I'm not sure even if I can adapt to the SW30.

    Power is effortless. Clears, smashes, drives all very easily accesible and user friendly. Very easy to hit crisply and cleanly. Power shots feel solid and meaty.

    Shaft during playing feels stiffer than SW30 but not as stiff as the super stiff MX80.

    Accuracy is amazing during blocks, and especially drives. The frame provides a very stable and solid hit and the stiff shaft helps in this regard.

    Feel is very important to me in my tactical plays and this racket has a nice direct and immediate feel. Not as excellent as MX80 mind you, but still much better than the SW30. IMO, the stiff shaft and the 76 hole system (with less shared holes up top) contributes to this great feel. This gives great confidence in net play, drops, slices, defensive blocks.

    Maneuverability and defence is great. More maneuverable than the aero framed SW30. I totally forgot it is a box frame design while playing!


    Overall:
    An excellent racket! And at such a steal too! :p
    I might just pick up another heavier and head heavier one for singles play! :D
     
  15. Nauroa

    Nauroa Regular Member

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    I'd didnt want to mention value for money since some thinks it's a "if-it-wasn't-cheap-it-wasn't-good" stamp, which absolutely isn't true.
    I just ordered 3 more RKEP PRO 9000 before people catch hold of how nice it is and the price goes up. :eek:
     
  16. blindfury

    blindfury Regular Member

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    Is there any distinct chinese metaphoric "feel" to RKEP rackets? Eg. yonex bouncy, victor small wood, li-ning big wood, etc... lol
     
  17. visor

    visor Regular Member

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    I would say "bouncy". It is quite repulsive... and I don't mean ugly. :p
     
  18. visor

    visor Regular Member

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    Wha!? I better order mine soon before he runs out of my specs. :)
     
  19. blindfury

    blindfury Regular Member

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    nnnnnnnnnnnnnice.
     
  20. Maklike Tier

    Maklike Tier Regular Member

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    I just wish Eric would do his own graphic designs.
     

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