Good morning (UK time), After spending the last few days perusing your wonderful forums, I thought I would sign up and see if I could get the opinion of some people in the know instead of reading post after post finding myself getting more and more confused(!) I've just started playing badminton regularly again for the first time in 12-15 years (I'm 29 now) and am looking to get back into it quite seriously, I used to play relatively competitively when I was younger and have recently started playing around once or twice a week with my wife, with the view to joining a local club in the near future. I currently am using a cheap racket to tie me over until I buy myself a "proper" one, but keep going round and round in circles as to what racket to purchase... This is where I need your guys help! I would say I'm looking to spend up to £75 and I play a combination of attacking and defensive play, currently just singles but likely to play doubles in the future as well. I've looked at 10's, if not 100's, of rackets over the last week or so and currently don't know whether to buy a cheaper racket (£30-50) for a few months and then spend closer to £120-150 in 3-6 months time, stick to my original £75 budget or spend around £100 and buy a decent racket that will last me a reasonable period of time. From my own research, my shortlist is currently: - Yonex Duora 77 - Yonex Duora 88 - Yonex Voltric 7000 - Yonex Voltric Lin Dan 3 - Li-Ning XiPhos X1 - Yonex Voltric 7Neo I am totally open to all suggestions... In case it's not obvious, I'm not particularly familiar with much other than the Yonex brand, but I am more than happy to go for non-Yonex if that is going to be the best choice. Opinions please!
Good afternoon! (Brunei time) In my opinion, I would keep using the cheap racket until I honed a skill and that would also lead to what specific details I would need e.g. Head heavy/light and flexible/stiff shaft (not to mention 3U or 4U) Unless maybe some members here have a different view. Good luck and welcome back (to badminton! ) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks for your response all the way from Brunei! I do understand your reasoning for continuing with the racket and believe there is definitely merit in it. The racket I'm using at the moment was literally £5 :-/ and I bought it as a temporary racket until I could get my old Yonex Arcsaber I had at my parents house, but unfortunately that is nowhere to be found (I think my brother has stolen it!) It is for your reasons that I wonder whether to get a "cheaper" racket for now and re-evaluate in a few months. I just don't know whether to keep chopping and changing, or to buy a decent one now and stick with it....?
Hi Joshiajn, According to your list I have used Yonex duora 77 and Lining Xiphos X-1. between both of racket I must say Lining Xiphos X-1 is better at solid feel and duora 77 better at technology. to be honest you cannot compare both of them because they are not on the same level. Lining Xiphos is more expensive from duora 77. but in my opinion Lining Xiphos is better because it give me solid feel when you hit the shuttlecock. the problem is Lining Xiphos X1 have two type, the different is the stiffness of the shaft, one is medium flex and medium-stiff flex. now depend on you which one you prefer depend on your skill I guest. I hope this help. But please remember that this is only my personal experience, others people maybe feel different. best regards, Adi Tariono
I wouldn't recommend the Yonex racquets on your list. Mid- and low-range raquets from Yonex are not of great quality. For the same price you can find better alternatives. Xiphos X1 is a great racquet, but since you just started back after a long break I wouldn't go for the black or red xiphos because they are stiff. The white Xiphos is medium-stiff though, so that should be manageable. My advice would be to try a lot of racquets. Ask your clubmates ! Your goal should be to discover your preferences. They are 3 main parameters : the overall weight of the racquet (3u, 4u, 5u... safe choices would be 3u and 4u), the balance (do you like it more when the weight is toward the head or the handle ?), and the stiffness (do you prefer a plank, or do you like a little flex to give you more power ?) => take your age into account also, I did the same as you, I stoped badminton for many years and went back to it at 31 years old, my body is not healing as quick as it was before, I tried to play with an extra stiff racquet but it gave my elbow pain, I had to reduce stiffness. If you cannot wait and/or don't have many opportunities to try other racquets, then I would recommend to use the market place section from the forum to find a high-end racquet at a small price. If you don't know yet what you like, take a 3 or 4u, medium-stiff, slightly head heavy balance, that would do the trick for both single and double.
Thank you for your responses, some great information that is very insightful! Babar, at the moment I'm only playing with my wife, so don't have the opportunity to try many, if any, other rackets. Given the very informative response you've given, I think I will take up your suggestion of looking for a higher-end racket in the market place as a starting point for now. Do you have any suggestions, or should I search based on the general spec you've given? Also, I know I'm a completely newbie, but what sort of price should I be looking to pay for a decent used high-end racket? Thanks you very much
A lot of good advice in here with very little to add. Except one thing: The Voltric 7 (neo or not) is a great racket that I would always recommend in this price range. Because it is exactly what you describe in your last sentence: 4u, medium-stiff, slightly head heavy balance - and I might add "very user friendly" to the list. What could be an option within the budget could be an Arcsaber i-Slash which is also a very easy to handle allround racket. If OP wants to look out for used high-end rackets, I would consider the Li-Ning N9II or N80, Yonex Voltric 70 (with or without e-tune) and maybe an Arcsaber 11 or Duora10. From Victor it could be the BS12 or maybe the TK Onigiri if you want a bit more weight in the head.
Thank you for your additional information, I will look further into the Yonex 7 Neo, but will definitely spend some time in the marketplace looking at those rackets mentioned. I must say, this is all very exciting and I am itching to get a new racket, but am aware that I shouldn't rush into buying until I'm sure...
Happy to help ! I think s_mair added what was needed to my post. I heard a lot of good things about the Voltric 7 (not the Neo version though), so yeah that would be a good choice (despite what I said about Yonex Mid/low-end products ^^)
Hmmm... is there a real difference in the frame between VT7 and VT7Neo? I thought is was only a repaint/reissue. What I'd like to add is that the VT7 normally comes strung with BG3 strings which are... well... bad. Would be worth to order it with a decent string like BG80 or NBG99 to see its true potential. That BG3 can ruin even the best racket in the world. But that's an issue with almost all the mid-priced rackets I have seen so far. You wouldn't believe how much a change of strings can improve a racket's performance.
To the original poster ... I have also come back to badminton after having been away from it a number of years and I faced the new choices in racquets. I am somewhat skeptical of the idolisation of super expensive "high end" racquets. They may offer something for professional players. If you have a budget of £120, I think you would be better off buying 3 (or 4) of the despised mid-range racquets but of different head balance and shaft flex and different overall weight and play with all of them. You may then find one that suits your style of play -- or even that on different days you prefer one over the other. The bonus is that you will always have a 'spare' modern racquet for your wife! Extra note: Many retailers give good (discount) prices on mid-range Yonex racquets whilst other brands don't seem to atttact such good prices - at least in the UK. Just my 2 cent's worth.
Actually I have no idea if they are identical or not. I was just saying I heard good reviews about the classic Voltric 7. And I totally agree with your comment about string, that changes completely the racquet feel and performance.
Ah, okay, now I got you. All the VT7 I know are the classic ones too. But based on the load of other re-painted and limited-edition rackets that Yonex has released in the last years, I guess we can safely assume that it's still the same racket with different colors.
Hmmm, you make an interesting point about buying several different types of rackets, what do others think of this? I like the idea in principle, but I don't think I'll be using multiple rackets moving forward and feel like buying one good racket now that will stay with me for the foreseeable future will be more suitable for what I'm looking for. I've looked into the Arcsaber 11 and based on the Yonex info on it and what others have written, it seems a very popular all round racket, but not sure if I want to be spending around £130, so will try to find a used one possibly... I have also found a Voltric 70 E-Tune for £100 (new), which I will look into further. Doesn't seem to be a lot of used rackets available in the U.K., but I will keep having a regular look. Thank you everyone!
I would throw Ashaway rackets into the mix also. You can get a Viper 1200 for around the £60 mark - I recently bought one as a back-up but have actually been using it more than my high end Yonex (LDF). On paper, it's similar spec to the VT7, but trust me, it's way better build quality and paintjob. In 8 weeks of use, there are none of the chips/ shuttle-scooping-scuffs that I've experienced with Yonex (esp. Tiawan made). Ashaway rackets also come pre-strung in Zymax to a very decent tension. The Viper is a lovely racket to play with - Ashaway are far better value than mid-range Yonex, IMO.
Hmmm, not familiar with Ashaway, but I will definitely be looking into them! Would you recommend any other models, or is the Viper 1200 one of the better all round rackets? At £60 it seems a bit of a bargain based on your comments! Thank you
Yes, I find the 1200 great all-round. I think that's why I've been using it more than my Lin Dan Force, as I tend to play only doubles. LDF packs more of a punch in smashes but is not as quick or crisp in defence/ net play as the Ashaway. Viper is an older model, now replaced by the Phantom series, but if you weigh up price vs. racket quality, £60-£70 is indeed a bargain, given original RRP was £130. Have a look here
Can't go wrong with ashaway. Ashaway superlight T5 sq was the racket that converted my die hand Yonex friend. Would also look at some of the less popular brands. For example Wilson is very cheap at pdhsports. And I would also walk into a sportsdirect shop and look at their racket range. Dunlop and carlton provide good value for money. Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk
Will put it out here, but don't be afraid to go back in time and pick up a second hand racquet - at your price range, you can pick up a top end racquet from 4-5 years ago at a 9/10 or even 10/10 condition. See the buy/sell subforum for an idea. There are plenty of UK buyers/sellers too (me included), and the UK isn't so big so collection might actually be a possibility. If not, postage is about £7 which you can negotiate with the seller. I personally got my 2x Voltric 80s that way for under £100. That's 2 top end racquets from not too long ago!
