Yonex SP if it was fake if they know what's genuine I was one of the distributors had indonesia.tidak racket in Yonex SP thinks all is false because there is no official statement from the manufacturer according to my knowledge SP code means this racquet for distribution in South Pacific area
I know your english is not great but we are discussing a chain of sports stores in Canada where the stringing technicians are saying that SP are fake, not those of us posting here...
Guide: How to Spot Counterfeit Yonex Rackets Many people have fallen victim to counterfeit Yonex badminton rackets. To make sure you are not one of them, read this guide and realise that there are actually many ways to identify a counterfeit racket. 1. Observation 1.1. Price Many fake rackets are extremely cheap. However, what you get is a racket which is made of very cheap material. It is obvious that Yonex will not sell their rackets at such price as it will not cover even the production costs of the rackets. For example, it is not possible for Yonex to sell their latest product range, Arcsaber, at $50. Remember, what you pay is what you get. However, be aware that there are some fakes which are sold at the price of the original. For such rackets, further observation is required. 1.2. Serial Code There should be two serial numbers on every Yonex racket, one on the shaft and the other on the cone. The one on the shaft is the serial number which increases with every racket manufactured. The one of the cone represents when your racket is produced, in the format DDMMYXCC, with DD and MM respectively being the date and month of production. The most important information is the year of production Y. For example, if Y is 2, then the racket is produced in 2002. If you spot an Arcsaber with Y = 0, it is definitely fake since Arcsaber did not exist then. CC represents the country which it is distributed from. Serial code should also be laser engraved and not printed. However, the fake rackets are improving in the sense that the serial codes used are so real that it may not be possible to spot any flaw through mere inspection. In such case, you can always check your serial number with Yonex representatives or with badminton enthusiasts in forums such as Badminton Central and Badminton Forum. If a racket with 7 digit 1234567 is supposed to be distributed in UK but it has distribution code (CC) CH, it is definitely fake (can be verified by Yonex representatives) Some fake rackets have hologram stickers covering the serial number. 1.3. Additional Minor Details In many instances, the carry cases supplied with counterfeit rackets are of cheap quality. Carry cases should have internal thin paddings. Many Yonex rackets have CSC cones (above the handle) with a slightly curvature. However, this may not be true for all models (e.g. Nanospeed Series) Grommets are thicker and of higher quality Authentic rackets always come with tight plastic wrap around the handle with a bar code printed on 1 side. The tight plastic wrap around fakes do not give the "wet/drench look" like the originals. The orginial grips of some latest rackets (e.g. Arcsaber 10) have yonex logo pattern. Fakes have the plain red grip. Compare labels around the racket with a genuine one. (I have spotted a JP racket which was perfect in every aspect but had a "Elastic Ti" label on one side of the frame. Genuine rackets with other country codes should have this label but it is not true for JP rackets.) 2. Testing 2.1. String Tension If you buy the racket from a store, (pretend to) get the stringer to string 29 lbs. Genuine rackets without manufacture defect should be able to withstand string tension up to 31 without breaking upon stringing. Do not do this if you are buying over the net since they may claim that the racket broke during postage and blame you for your own decision. 2.2. Communicate with Seller Most of the time, fake rackets sellers use the words "Brand New" in their listings and do not dare to include the word "genuine" or "authentic" in their product descriptions, as buyers can always ask for refund as the "item is not as described". So, ask the seller regarding the authenticity of their rackets. Replies such as "What you see is what you get" or an evasive "This is made in Japan" should serve as a big red warning sign. 2.3. Weight If you have been in the field long enough, you should be able to know how genuine rackets feel with just a few swings and hits. In most cases, a counterfeit racket is lighter than the genuine version of the same model. 3. Miscellaneous 3.1. Distribution Codes Some distribution codes are more likely to be a victim of counterfeit products due to bigger market. Some of such distribution codes are TH, CH, and SP. The Australian code, AS, is definitely safe although who knows counterfeit rackets will adopt "safer" codes in the future to avoid detection. 3.2. Warranty Many Yonex rackets come with warranty. For example, AS coded rackets are covered by Yonex Australia warranty for 12 months. If your racket does not come with a warranty, it is time to do a racket "background check". Ultimately, the most obvious feature of a counterfeit racket is its price tag. Always remember, what you pay is what you get. If you want to get cheaper rackets, you may want to settle for other brands, which would have much better quality than counterfeit Yonex rackets of the same price.
List YY rackets region U.S. - Australia BR - Brazil BX - Benelux CD - Canada CH - China CN / CP - Chinese National Team DK - Danish FR - France GR - Germany HK - Hong Kong ID - India IN / IP - Indonesia National Team JP - Japan KR - Korean MA - Malaysia NZ - New Zealand SD - Sweden SP - South Pacific SW - Switzerland TH - Thailand TW - Taiwan UA - United Arab Emirates UK - United Kingdom U.S. - USA
I don't mind bringing my tennis racquet to be strung at places like sportscheck or sports experts if it was the only place close. They probably do a decent job as the volume for tennis stringing is a lot higher and their stringing machines were probably made for it. Tennis racquet also not so fragile. Would never let them touch my badminton racquet though.
To everyone from outside of Canada... we are NOT discussing fake rackets here... we are discussing a local sports store and how ignorant they are. Please let us stay on topic and stop posting what SP rackets aren't fake and how to spot fake rackets... there are enough threads about that already.
Bad experience at Sports Experts This is quite an old thread, but I wanted to add to it due to an extremely unpleasant experience, this past Sunday, at a Sports Experts located in a suburb of Montreal. Rackets and Tension IP coded AT 900T: 23 x 25 lbs SP coded Ti-10, 3rd gen: 24 x 26 lbs I was not familiar with the new stringer but he assured me that he would be able to do the job. He asked me to sign a release form for the Ti-10 because the 'recommended specifications' say don't go over 22 lbs. Fine, I had no qualms, and expected as much. I proceeded to pick up both rackets near the end of closing, and inspected them carefully only when I arrived home. My almost perfect condition AT 900T was cracked at the 12 o'clock, and one of the crosses was cutting into my frame! Holy hell I thought! My Ti-10 didn't fair too well with a bulging hairline crack at 12 o'clock. I went to complain the next day, and spoke to the shop floor manager who proceeded to defame both my rackets as fake. He proceeded to mouth off on subjects to which he is no expert such as graphite composition, torsional strength, and flexure. I didn't care at all about his story about playing the game for 40 years, and telling me he's acquainted with national players using only 21 lbs on their rackets. It does not make him a Material Science expert. He conducted a ridiculous bending and twist comparison with an Arc9-fl with my AT900. When I went ahead to bend the shaft he tells me not so hard. Ludicrous! At no time did I use vulgarity, in spite of how frustrated I became. He used the F word twice. Unprofessional at the minimum! He also motioned that all stores in Hong Kong, where I received my rackets from a trusted forum member, don't receive stock from Yonex distributors. Ignorance in full display! He wasted my time by 'calling' Yonex Canada to determine whether or not my shaft and cone codes were real. No surprise, he tells me they aren't. His theatrics didn't stop there and told me a Yonex rep would pick up my rackets and ship them to Calgary, where Yonex Canada resides. It's a good story to cover his own mistake and behind! I'll be getting my stringing service fee refunded, and nothing short of a free, and brand new AT-900T will suffice. I accept responsiblity for the damaged Ti-10 because I signed the waiver form, but the stringer was inexperienced, and the manager insulted my intelligence with his ignorance. He told me they won't string my rackets if I bring a non-CD coded racket. As a person non grata, I'll take my business elsewhere. They lost a customer for life!
unpleasant experience at Sport Experts wow! sorry to hear! (btw, I wouldn't even string my tennis racquets at sport 'experts')
I had a similar unpleasant experience at the Sports Experts in Brossard. The stringer damaged the paint on the frame of my racquet, and when I went back to the staff to voice my disatissfaction, and asked them if they had white paint to repair what they had caused, they left me very bitter, telling me to go to Canadian Tire to buy paint to cover up their mistake, offering no appologies. I ended up going to DeSerres, spending an additional $$$ on oil based paints markers to "repair" their mistake, but to no avail. The dents remained after applying the paint job and are still clearly visible. I had taken pictures of my racquet prior to the stringing, which revealled no such missing chunks of paints and visible dents. Seriously folks, DON'T RESTRING your racquet at the Brossard Store...
