Well, in terms of badminton retailers, other than Tad's (which probably has more brands than others), you got Abbie's (which I think you have been too); there's Racquets & Runners on Oak/25th, Sports Check and then you got the various pro shops at VRC, Vancouver Lawn & Tennis, etc. Depending on your budget, you have quite a lot of choices to choose from. You got Yonex, Winex, Carlton, Victor, Babolat, Techno, Black Knight, Wilson, etc. Speaking of Winex racquets, the Ti-12 & Ti Swing Power (Audina's Limited Edition) are pretty light racquets follow by the MM100, and then the SQ-800/SQ-600. The MM90 (which is not carried by Tad's) is "lighter" than the MM100.
Matt, As far as I know there is a Winex UK rep. Last I tried to access their site, it came back as unknown so I'm not sure what the status is. He used to post in the old forum. Best bet is to email Taiwan for the bloke's latest contact info. To clarify my previous posts about "lightness". What I mean by "light" is more where the racquet is balanced, head heavy or head light. The Audina's Limited Edition (Ti Swing Power) comes in two versions (MS and MA where MS is 4U and the MA is 3U).
Which Winex model has similar feel to Yonex Iso800 pls? I'm not confident that the new Yonex models have the feel of Iso800... also, I would like to try other brands too. Thanks.
The Winex SQ-800 is a clone of Yonex ISO 800. Other Winex models which are similar to the 800 would be the Ti-9 which would be the titanium version of the SQ-800. I use both models and have found very little differences between the two except that the Ti-9 has a stiffer shaft. You should be able to get these models from the Winex distributor down under.
Hi WWC, Do you know the distributor of Winex rackets in JB Malaysia? What is the shop I can visit? I'm planning to go JB tommorrow to have a look at the Winex Mighty Muscle 100 and 200 racket.. Junhan
winex uk website under construction www.winexbadminton.com his name is Dr Mark Eden, from the Isle of Wight.
Hi Winex West Can, The Brand New Winex Ti-22 Titanium Mesh Badminton Racket is the best racket in UK at present? What is the maximum tension / lbs can this racket support? How about the power and the flexibilty of this racket rated? Junhan
i have just bought a winex armanetic 803 offensive and it performs great !! i have used my friends yonex armortec 800 offensive and to be truly honest if you wer blind folded u wudnt no the difference ... same strin tension and shape and so forth. the winex was £55 tho and compared to the £100 yonex i would choose the winex! basicaly the same racket just nearly half the price
That conflicts with the statements on Winex's site. Winex Armanetic 800 (Offensive). Winex Mighty Muscle 99 Winex Mighty Muscle 77 Winex Ti-25 Winex T-10 This seems like a fancy way of saying: "you're not really getting Yonex quality, but you can pretend it's a good thing."
I don't think that it was meant. The flexibility (same as string tension, head heaviness, grip size, head shape, etc) are just based on user preference. One extreme does not mean it's better than another extreme, or something in the middle. It just means, "they are different". Whether u like it, it down to the users. The winex statement is correct, especially for ppl who do not have ultra strength to handle ultra stiff rackets. It is a bonus for certain type of players, but not all for sure.
Winex Boron 2 Anyone of you heard about this model from Winex ? Because a badminton forum from China (bbesports) claim that this racquet is SUPERB.
Winex's Boron 2 is totally different with Yonex's Boron 2. If you measure the shaft diameter, you will find that it is similar to Cab 20. You can find more information for Winex's Boron 2 from Yonex's Boron 2 equipment review section. I remember somebody (should be YY Fan) talked about it.
My experience: For Winex, I have 3 swing power 900 SS and 1 swing power 900 SR. 2 are still new and unstrung, 1 SS has been playing 3 years with 23 pounds strung -> no problem. The SR strung 23 pounds, played 2 times only. When I mishit the bird at the 10 o' clock position, the frame was cracked. Nevertheless, IMO, Winex's products are reliable.
Most of Winex racquets are medium flex and are not ultra stiff like its Yonex counterparts. It's all preference just like one player preferring head heavy to a head light, etc. What do you think you are getting with Yonex racquets? Durability? Winex and other brands are just as durable if not more. Quality? Ditto. For example Hi-Qua provides lifetime warranty on their racquet (with a charge - read the small print) so what does that say about their quality and commitment? The only thing that I would be leery of are fakes as you don't have a company standing behind the product.
The fact that Winex did comment on their website that the stiffness of their racquets are less than the Yonex model they try to emulate simply show they are not really re-producing that particular yonex model. A lot find this changes for the better (more power because of the flex). In fact stiff racquets are getting unpopular in our area (Manila), there seem to be a preference to other brands particularly RSL (the stiffest models is less stiff than a Yones MP99 in fact). Though this preference is more beacuse of the price of a yonex (IMO, astronomically over-price), most find using this raquets more comfortable. Other would venture saying better but that's a matter of preference of course.
where can I find winex racquets near Toronto ? I'd be interested in the amantec 800 of/de and the ti sp series...
It's stupid to market clones of racquets when the playing characteristics of the clones is not like the originals. A proper clone is one that performs very similarly. If Winex, or any other clone maker, offered models that perform very similarly to Yonex's racquets, they'd be easier to purchase, because players familiar with the Yonex models would know which Winex to get, and they'd be more compelling, because they'd be the same thing for less money. From what I saw, players don't have much of an idea how the Winex models will perform, because they aren't really clones, except somewhat in appearance and name. If a racquet maker is selling racquets that they feel are better than Yonex's, but quite different, they should give those racquets unique names and paint jobs. If a racquet maker is selling clones, the clones should be as close as possible to the Yonex models, without being illegal. Pro-quality racquets (some models) Less-expensive and more flexible racquets from Yonex's line haven't impressed me. Every racquet line markets stiff racquets as their highest-end products. You say it's just a preference, but the only company I know of that offers a flexible racquet as its top product is the one with the 70 gram model. The other thing you get with Yonex are more reviews to help make an informed purchase, although they're often not very helpful because of vagueness.
Stupid? More like marketing and demand. Yonex has done all the marketing and basically cornered the market. As a distributor for Winex, all responses that I get from players are what models are most like Yonex xyz. All you have done have insulate Pro-quality??? What's that? Not all of Yonex racquets are pro-quality? Winex do have their own models but again, you get questions like "which Yonex model is this most like?" I would beg to differ. Not all stiff racquets are considered to be highest-end. Example would be a one with a solid steel shaft. It's all preference as just string tension. You are currently so biased that even if you would try another non-Yonex brand racquet, you will not like it because you already have that dislike ingrained in you.
