Hi, a little background from me. I'm starting to play badminton again after a year off due to an injury and abdomen surgeries, I'm perfectly in shape to play now though. I have been using my friend's Yonex Voltric 0.9DG Slim with BG66U string @24lbs tension, towel grip since I sweat a lot. I prefer all rounded but slight offensive playstyle, having no trouble using 300mm balance 3UG5 rackets (my friend's racket), though I'm not entirely tied to that. However, I do notice some problems while playing. I sometimes can't hit deep court shot from the back, even with new string in its first 2-hour lifespan. My smashes are not steep and strong (arguably because of my weak wrist or improper technique), Net play is fine though. So I'm currently in the market for a personal racket, initially been looking at Adidas Wucht P7 and P8, but I would like to hear from y'all for any suggestions, my budget is around US$110, I'm in Vietnam so rackets are a tack cheaper here. Sorry for the long post, I can't find any better way to make it shorter.
If your struggling to hit to the back of the court and say you a weak wrist and bad technique then i wouldn't suggest the Wucht P7 or P8. They are great rackets but not if you don't have the strength or technique needed. I think your string tension may need to lower if you can't reach the back of the court. I suggest a restring if your friend will allow that or to buy yourself a mid balanced and medium stiff racket to help you work on strength and technique. The Kalkul A3 is a great all round racket that's more user friendly than the Wucht P7/P8. I would advise stringing at 20 or 22lbs initially with something like bg65 string.
Hi, thank you for your feedback first hand, really appreciate it. Regarding the wrist or technique problem, it's really more like I just need a bit more time to get back to where I was, so it's not too big of a deal to be honest, the string tension I find it suitable since I have no other problems other than occasionally failing to hit to the back of the court, and my friend's racket is a Hi-flex one as well. Maybe let me try lowering the tension until my technique is up again, thanks for the tips. KalKul A3 is not available in Vietnam or that's what I ended up with after many searches, so do you any other recommendations? I did lurk around in the forums for a while but still nothing fits my preferences.
Its a shame if the Kalkul A3 is not available, the Uberschall range are very good too so it may be worthwhile seeing which of either of those two ranges are available.
I just read @Mark A KalKul A3 racket review and I think I have a very high chance of having success using the A3, can't find KalKul or even Uberschall here in Vietnam though. So does any racket pass through your mind having similar specs or feel like the A3 (maybe better feel as well)?
Yeah its a great racket, i would offer to sell you one of my A3 rackets but the shipping to Vietnam would be very costly. If Adidas aren't available then Apacs Virtuoso Performance or Virtuoso Pro would be good alternatives
Where exactly are you in VN? I check there are some stocks in HCMC. If not, the biggest retailer has a wide range of Spieler, probably @Dave1011 can have another suggestion.
The Spieler A09.1 is great value for money, I suggest you replace the standard string. Maybe its best to see what is available and then we can suggest the most suitable.
Here are what available https://shopvnb.com/vot-cau-long-adidas.html Please ignore those with red label on topright.
The pricing is very strange! The A09.1 is more expensive than Europe (around £67) but the P8 is reasonably cheap (around £96). I think the A09.1 is still a good option.
Yeah the price is mostly based on market demand. When first released if it is a well-marketed product from well-known brand, the price is quite high, but if the sale is bad, then the price quickly declines. Not as stable as in Eu.
I’m in HCMC, ShopVNB is my go-to badminton retailer, they offer a wide range of products for a relatively reasonable price, I believe you can buy combos as well, a great bang for the buck.
Are there any Yonex counterparts? It’s a shame that I can’t find the A3 anywhere, maybe international site would do. The P7 is a little bit more forgiving than the P8 though, the new color in 2020 really has caught my attention for a while, do you think the P7 is a good fit, given my skill improved over the years?
One of the reason I was considering the Wucht line was the pricing as well. Rackets are cheaper in Vietnam, you can find a Voltric ZFII LD for as low as US$100.
1st technique. Probably you need to polish your technique for that, but without seeing you playing, i cant tell much. 2nd 3U & 300+BP. 100gr (the heaviest racket nowadays, exclude training racket) weight is light enough that even 3yo slim girl can lift it & toying it. But swing it in controled way (badminton stroke) repeatly are different story. Heavier & head heavier racket give the most punch coz of its swing weight but if you cant generate the speed needed for optimal stroke, then your hitting will be weaker. So maybe you want to try lighter racket (4U) or less head heavy (balance) racket instead. Maybe it will sync better with your swing speed & strength.
http://trangsports.com/en/product/kalkul-a3/ https://luongsport.com/san-pham/vot-cau-long-adidas-kalkul-a3/ You need to polish your google skills as well.
From what you wrote in the beginning, my first thought went to the P2 or a Spieler A09.1 (maybe P09.1, but I didn't have the chance to try that one yet), but the A3 might be a good fit, too, but on the lighter side. Unfortunately, I don't know the recent Yonex rackets well enough, but the Babolat Satelite Essential is very close to the A3. Slightly more flexible maybe... Price wise, the A3 and P8 are around the same?! That's insane! If you can get a P7 for below 100$ (around 2,500,000?), it's worth a shot. You say you like the colors and the specs, but be aware that it's a compact head racket, judging from your first post, I don't know if that would be the best choice. Do you hit the sweet spot consistently? With a 30$ difference between the Spieler and the P8/P7, I'd go with the higher quality and better feedback of the latter ones. I prefer the compact head though. edit: Even with much higher tension than they usually use, not many people disliked my P8s when trying them, even when they're used to lighter, more flexible, regular head sized rackets and don't have great technique. I never tried the P7, but judging from the spec (in comparison to the P8), I do not think you need to be too shy about that either.
@speCulatius isn't the P8 an extra stiff racket which is ZFII/DuoZS like with a compact head? I wouldn't recommend anything close to it, if somebody struggle to hit back to back and came from injuries. I know many here are on the Adidas hype train (that's fine if you like them), that many people here like stiff compacts (that's fine if you can handle them), but do you think that the OP match the requirements for it? Even if people like your P8 with weak technique, the liking is just a short time impression. Testing and ownership a different story. Do you think this racket is a long term solution for them? If it must be Adidas there must be somthing more forgiving and I think there come something different in your mind.
TrangSports is one of the sites that sell rackets at really silly high prices, not only me but many other players also don’t purchase from this site at all. But thank you so much for making the effort ^^ I really appreciate it.