Since summer 2009 I have started playing badminton fairly regularly. I had two rackets before, an older Yonex Carbonex 12SP I had since I was a boy, and a Karakal MTEC 85. I broke the Carbonex last year, and the MTEC has been through not that few clashes which are starting to show on the paintwork, so I am thinking of buying another to act as a backup to the MTEC, or replacement should it be better . I am in the UK and the main brand options I see seem to see a lot are Yonex, Carlton, Wilson, Karakal and Ashaway. Any recommendations/opinions? I am hoping to find something that is fairly forgiving and will still serve me well as I get better. Answers to the questions from the sticky below: 1. How often do you play, how serious are you? 3 times a week, for 4 hours a week in total. Some sessions with feathers and some with nylon. My skill level is probably beginner to improver, I don't find the sweet spot every time and struggle to play slower shuttles base to base. However the people I play with say I'm improving well. 2. What style of player are you? (Aggressive smasher, net player ...) Don't really know, as I am thinking more about getting my technique right than my actual playing style. In doubles I used to be much better in front than at the back, but I can cope with being the rear attacker nowadays. I like to place my shots, but don't always succeed. 3. Do you care much about durability or is it all about performance? Probably durability, until my skills reach a level that a top end performance racquet will actually make a difference. I doubt I'll be stringing more than 22-23lbs on it at this point in time though. 4. How much money do you want to spend? I bought my MTEC 85 for £30 and have never seen even it sell for that little since. (I have the blue one which is no longer made). Definitely don't want to spend £100+, would be happy spending £30-70 but the quality needs to justify the spend. Racquets seem quite expensive in UK compared to Malaysia where I grew up. I tried a friend's AT800DE recently and it was quite nice to use but I feel something that high end is wasted with my current (lack of) skills. Need money for court hire and perhaps lessons too
All this threads can be ended with one answer back in the day. Yonex Blacken. Haha jokes aside Apacs should really see you through.
yonex high end rackets are good. but not the lower range. apacs on the other hand, are much more affordable and the quality is there for low prices. if u r tight in budget, then apacs t200 is good for u. if budget is not a problem, then u can even look at yonex, victor, sotx, panda, or li ning.
I appreciate the advice. I have taken a look at the Apacs UK website, they state that the T300 is a unique UK specification, how different would it be from the same model elsewhere? Also is the G2 grip smaller or bigger than G3? Thirdly, the T300 is specified as a stiff racquet, would this be potentially problematic (from the potential injuries point of view) for someone whose technique is not well developed yet? What would fall under 'high end' and 'lower range' with Yonex? They seem to have at least one model at every price point, starting at £10 up to £160 in £10 increments. In terms of budget, I could spend a lot if I wanted, but given I am not an advanced player (far from it!) I feel it unnecessary.
Well the T300 is only £45 which is quite a good deal. Apacs G2 = Yonex G4. In general Yonex rackets marked as Japan or made in Japan are the high end ones, Taiwan and China are "low end models" It's not a super stiff racket so it won't do damage to your arm.
Apacs have 2 different websites have sold out displayed on most of their rackets on one site, copy yonex rackets but change the name slightly and have reported quality control issues according to posts on BC. Also most rackets are stiff which isn't good for someone who struggles to hit baseline to baseline. I have 2 'low end' yonex rackets, they weigh as said, have medium flex, isometric head and haven't broken yet. The only real difference between mine and top end yonex is marketing and stiffness IMO. For example my armortec 30 is as head heavy as the 700 but it has medium flex, for my level of ability, it is probably the most powerful racket available.
You should be able to get some very good Head racquets for 30-50. e.g. the 2009 power helix 8000 or the metallix 6000 (or 8000/8000 tour if you can still find it) e.g. http://www.sweatband.com/head-power-helix-7000-badminton-racket.html £45 all-in http://www.activinstinct.com/racket...adult/head-power-helix-8000-badminton-racket/ £55 a very good racket, stiffer than the 7000 - depends on your grip and technique which will suit better. I started off with low-end yonex racquets, and when I got better and wanted a racket to suit me a bit more, I went through demoing a very large chunk of the yonex line - nano 300, nano 500, arc 008, arc8dx arc10, arc7. None of them felt as good as the head rackets I eventually chose (the arc 10 felt ok considering the crap strings and was too expensive) - metallix 8000 tour and power helix 8000.
Well. i guess there are too many rackets out there that can suit u, it depends on ur personal preferences. if possible, go try out demo rackets. then u get a feel of wat u want in a racket. personally, if u are beginner, then go for a more flexible shaft to help u out.
Thank you for the advice. The APACS T300 looks like a good option for the money but there does not seem to be anyone in the UK who is currently stocking it (or the older T200), according to recent Google searches. Maybe the next time I go to Malaysia for holiday I'll check it out as APACS seems more likely to be found there. I read many good reviews on the Yonex AT600 and tried looking for it, the shop I spoke to doesn't have any more and has recommended the Arcsaber 008 as an alternative, am considering it since a fairly good price has been offered. However it's still more than the Malaysian RRP of RM250 (~£50)... :S Maybe I should just try not to break the MTEC for now
What about the SOTX Super Light series LG300 more specifically flexible head heavy and not very expensive £45 and a lush colour
Went for the Arc008 in the end as the price offered over the phone was as good as I could get online in the UK and the shop owner was really helpful, recommending strings for the string upgrade as well, and I chose the BG-80 at 22lbs. It's a lot lower than most I have seen around BC so I think it will last longer, and I can always up the tension when my technique improves. Got it in the post today, and he's sent me the Arc008T! (Taufik Hidayat version) OK it's the same frame and the colour is even better looking than the original Arc008 (I had a look at one that wasn't for sale). However there's a small paint chip on the frame, am inclined to think it happened during the restringing, but damage out of the box means it probably has to go back. Was hoping to give the Arc008T a few swings in my session tomorrow, but it looks like the MTEC will be my sole weapon for a while longer.
Further thought says it might not go back after all, if it's just a small chip. Worry was due to concern that there might be damage to the frame itself. Shall ask more experienced player at my next session to look at it and see if there is any real damage (like cracks) before deciding whether to send it back. Also I noticed the string has 4 knots, as opposed to 2 on my Karakal MTEC which I had restrung recently (and it was done right before my eyes). How is the 4-knot stringing different (other than number of knots, and I am guessing 2 lengths of string are used) and what might be the effects?
You're absolutely right about the stringing; 4 knots denotes a two-piece string job (one that's done with two pieces of string). Any differences in terms of the feel when you're playing are probably very small and especially at your level, as long as your racket is strung according to the recommended pattern or another accepted one, I wouldn't worry too much. In fact, as long as your stringer is well respected by more experienced players, I wouldn't worry about his techniques at all. I hope that all is well in the end with your new racket as well.
Had an hour's play with the Arc008 during lunch, and gave it its first shuttle-pick-up scrapes. Have another session later to play with it some more. Initial impression from playing with it, it seemed slightly less forgiving of technique - there was a bigger difference in the result when I got my hitting technique right and when I didn't. Good for practice I think How different it is from the MTEC I'm not sure, too many variables are different between the two (different strings, different grip tape) and variation in skill for the day is probably a bigger factor than anything
I don't know, I bought it because it had a big discount and I didn't know how to pick racquets then, haven't been able to find specs for the version I have. From a very unscientific hand-bending test the MTEC seems a little more flexible, but it's not a big, obvious difference. Had a good evening session with the Arc008, added a few more scrapes (battle scars! ) and had a clash from which it came away unscathed.
