Yonex : Preference or Fashion??

[Matt Ross]

Hi all,

I was just wondering, there are ALOT of people who have Yonex rackets. Is this because you actually LIKE the rackets, or because you want to keep up with other people. I'm sure there are alot who dont like their rackets, but dont change to another company because of the name, and the fact it is popular with other people.
If you had the top Yonex racket, then people will give you attention because of it, because it's 'Yonex', but if someone turned and said they had the Yehlex, or Monsoon top racket, they wouldnt get as much because of the name.
So, do you feel people actually buy Yonex just to keep up with the trend, even though they dont like the feel?

Matt

[ronk]

I started with a Silver Grey (remember those wooden rackets anyone) and then went on to a Yoneyama 8000 (precursor to Yonex). I got the Yoneyama over a Carton, because it was a lot cheaper -- remember when Yoneyama was a cheap but excellent racket anyone? I used a Carlton 3.7X for a while, but switched back to Yonex with the Carb 7. Since then I have never bought a non-Yonex and have only used non-Yonex when trying out other friends' rackets. Other brands are okay, but I have never tried them.

Ron

[jwu]

Unless you got the money and time resources to try out the various brand, most people just buy the one they know, can find, and can afford. As far as a "fashion" statement as in people look at you differently if you are using yonex, it doesn't really matter since if you play badly, you still look foolish even w/ a mp100 in your hand; vice versa, if you play good, you might give your generic brand a good name but YOU, the player is the one that really matters.

[benfok]

I agree with jwu. Equipment consititutes about 25% of badminton. The rest is physical&mental strength, skill, and strategy.

One of my coach once said out of defiance, that he can defeat us (me and my partner at the time) with broom!!!

IMHO, any decent racquet can be used to play badminton. And if I have the money, I would try out other brands of racquets.

Ben

[Winex West Can]

Originally posted by benfok
IMHO, any decent racquet can be used to play badminton. And if I have the money, I would try out other brands of racquets.

Ben

It's not just the money, isn't it since some of the other brands are cheaper than Yonex but rather it is a question of availability. For example, you wouldn't be able to find Yang-Yang, Winex, Forza, etc easily. It's a chicken and egg thing too since retailers are more relunctant to carry the other brands because they might not sell as well as Yonex.

[ronk]

Benfolk wrote: I agree with jwu. Equipment consititutes about 25% of badminton. The rest is physical&mental strength, skill, and strategy.

I would say that the gain from the racket is much less than 25%. As long as the racket is decent, well strung, and with decent strings, any competent player can adjust, get used to the racket and play well. A few hours of practice is all it takes to get sufficiently used to the racket.

A bad player on the other hand can use the best racket and still play badly. I have seen players who use warped wooden frame rackets with dead strings and still make amazing drop shots. I have also seen bad players play with better rackets and completely miss the shuttlecock completely.

It is the player's skill that counts and not the racket unless the racket is clearly inferior (like the lawn practice sets).


Ron

[NVIDIA256]

Unless you got the money and time resources to try out the various brand

Which is one problem with badminton, since it's popularity is almost non-exsistent here in the WEST. If badminton ever becomes popular again(which most likely will never happen) there will be rackets everywhere, clubs will have lots lying around for people to try etc.... not only that rackets will become much cheaper like in China

Evert time I go into a badminton shop and see all the rackets there, I always have this desire to buy a bunch so that I can try them out, heck sometimes I just want to own them for the sake of it.

[TOmike]

maybe i'm not as hardcore as you guys, but i just buy the one that suits me.. heck, i didn't even know all this badminton talk until i joined this board like 2 months ago, while searching for a new racquet.. i''ve concluded, like many others, that if u have a big name in the sport, you'll score (no pun intended). thats pretty much the sad truth.. though i tried to put that asided and balance the bias, by trying other racquets, i still ordered the TiSwingpower from Yonex.. i'm a victim of corporate marketing.

[NVIDIA256]

You know other than the fact that Yonex rackets are indeed over-priced here in the WEST, they are still good rackets. I just wish people would pay more attention to other racket companys that make rackets just as good or even better than Yonex.

Today I was looking at Muscle power 88(to flexible) but i really liked the paint job, guy wanted 200 CAN (tax included) and free stringing with the racket BG-whatever one I wanted.

[TOmike]

yo's?

[NVIDIA256]

nope! yo's wants I think $220, this was from local stringer

[Cheung]

Matt,

The answer is simple.

I can afford to buy Yonex now

But I am still not comletely Yonex. My shoes and some of my clothes are Mizuno.
In fact, I quite like Mizuno sign.

[Iwan]

Matt, for me, its just that i trust yonex and know more about yonex rackets than other rackets.. But recently I tried out an Ashaway TMP 500 and quite liked it. It felt really nice and I want one

[LazyBuddy]

I think since Yonex owns the majority of the market, therefore, ppl have more choice to go with Yonex rackets:

1. Beginner: It's safe to go with a big brand, and easier to find a proper model for him/herself. If have to choose from an unknown brand, it's hard to get information from others, and end up with wasting $$$

2. Pro: Unless they being sponsed, the pros really know what kinda rackets are their own choices. Therefore, Yonex may not be as dominate as it in the beginner's market. However, high end Yonex racket are very well designed (MP88, 99, 100, Ti Swing, Iso Tour 800, etc), and are the favorite of many top elites.

3. Int.: This group of ppl have some knowledge of badminton, and already developed into their own style of playing. Base on their $$$, they will share experience around, and willing to figure out a good replacement racket other than the expensive ones. That brought out other popular brands such as YangYang, Victor, Winex, Froza, etc.


Therefore, to me, Yonex will be a "safe" choice, but not necessary to be the best.

[Yong]

In my early badminton years i mostly used other brands than Yonex.
Carlton, Kawasaki, Prince, SP, ........
But from the beginning, i liked Yonex, they just have cool nice looking stuff. Couldn't afford it at that time.
Since i can afford it, i used Yonex rackets and liked them (except for the times that i broke one )
Same for Ashaway strings : i always played with ashaway strings because they were way better than the rest...(at least from the strings available here)
Nowadays there are other good strings on the market, and because i had some bad experience (could be bad luck) with Ashaway strings, i switched to yonex strings.
Still, i think Ashaway is cool, don;t know why
I think i will try their rackets and strings in the future.

[ronk]

Yonex used to be a cheap manufacturer of decent rackets. The Yoneyama/Yonex models 1000 to 6000 were wooden frame rackets that were decent and cheaper than Silver Greys and Dunlops (but more fragile). The Yonex models 7000/8000 were metal frame rackets that were cheaper than comparable Carltons and just as good. With the 6300 (wooden frame Caronex 3 with a carbon shaft) and 8300 (metal frame Carbonex 7 with a carbon shaft), Yonex began to demonstrate innovative R&D. With the 8500, better known as the original Carbonex 8, Yonex had a world class racket as the Carbonex 8 was probably the best racket when it first came out. Liem Swee King won the All-England with the Carb 8 (he probably could have won it with any quality racket anyway). Yonex has been ahead with innovations with the all graphite Carb 15 and Carb 20.

I am not sure whether Yonex still has the foremost cutting edge R&D, but the cutting edge R&D of Yonex in the 80's made it popular (together with its sponsorship of top players like Liem Swee King).

Other manufacterers may have caught up with the R&D of Yonex, but Yonex still makes quality rackets. Also, Yonex may have better QC than other brands. I asked a sports store owner (I knew him) about Carlton, but he said recommended that I stay with Yonex because the quality of Carlton tends to be more variable. The Carltons were comparably priced so price was not the issue. Karakal may make the lightest racket, but I like a U to 2U and do not need a 5U. The Chinese rackets like Yang Yang are copies of Yonex and are of limited distribution. The price of many competitive brands in the US are not that much less than Yonex so I would rather pay the extra and get a Yonex. Anyway, I buy my rackets when I take a vacation outside the US because it is a lot cheaper.

So, there are many good reasons to stay with Yonex especially if the rackets can be got at a decent price and if the buyer is less price sensitive. Yonex still makes excellent rackets. Other companies may also make excellent rackets, but then the issue is to find a racket that fits one's needs. Many buyers may know the Yonex line and may not be familiar with the other brands. I am familiar with the Yonex MP and Carb lines and do not want to experiment with other brands. It is more expensive to buy other brands to try them out and most players in my club (those who use quality rackets) use Yonex, so I cannot borrow and try out other brands. The ones who use non-Yonex use cheapos and I don't even bother trying out those rackets.

Ron

[LazyBuddy]

Originally posted by ronk

The Chinese rackets like Yang Yang are copies of Yonex and are of limited distribution.

Correct me if I am wrong.

I think YangYang, the person was a Chinese elite, but YangYang as a brand has its factory in Malaysia. So, can't say it's a chinese racket. However, I know some Chinese elite did try out his rackets, and gave pretty good rating on several models (Tactic 9000/8500, and Ti Wooven).