Hi, I used to play with a Carlton Ultrablade 350 when I played badminton for fun; but after I got serious and I noticed my Carlton was bent at the shaft and the T-joint after 2 years, I got myself a new Yonex Nanospeed Alpha X. The racket bend in my Carlton was probably due to me putting it in an overcrowded bag; and I don't want that happening to my new Yonex; which I will only use in comps and with feather shuttles. However, at my school, there is a lunchtime badminton club where we just turn up and play; and we use plastic shuttles there; not good for my Yonex. So, I would like a cheap(ish) racket, below £10-£15/$20 that would suit my needs. It doesn't need to be a particular brand; just durable and pre-stringed. My preferences are: - G3 grip (Yonex G4) - 1U/2U weight - Have a tension suitable to play with both plastic and feather shuttles (maybe 18-19 lbs) These don't need to be the exact specs; only a rough guide. It will only be used for half an hour per week. So, what are your ideas? Thanks in advance.
I don't understand your problem. With your cheap Yonex you can play feather and plastics. A bend racket due an overcrowded bag? Have you fold it? I read that the shaft of this NS is aluminum, too. So you will have this problem again and again and again and will waste money. I'm sorry, but your "pricey" NS is just new rubbish and cheap, too. You should switch to a graphite racket.
I used to put my racket directly in my bag with many books and other stuff in; now I have it in a full length racket case to avoid the same problem. I am clumsy with my rackets, so I wanted one that was cheaper that I'm not as worried breaking it to play for half an hour a week with players that aren't as experienced. I suppose another alternative is to get some cheap, reasonably durable feather shuttles to play with; see if I could get one to last a couple of sessions. Or I could take the left over ones from my club.
One feather birdie for a couple of sessions? Are you kinding me? The left ones at my club have lost more than one feather, so they are really useless for serious playing. Badminton is a quite expensive kind of sports. The best methode to avoid breakage is to handle your racket well. You can teach players with less experieces on court about don'ts and does if you play doubles or you can avoid to play with them. I prefer the second method. People will think that you are a badass but it's better for your nerves. Or you spend some money on rackets which were made for backyard shuttling. You can get them at around 10 to 15 $ but there is no choice of balance and stiffness.
For the lasting two sessions bit, I meant new shuttles. Used shuttles would only ever last one half hour session at most. I did find a used shuttle that had feathers in almost perfect condition except for one feather that had a weak stalk higher up. I suppose new feathers aren't necessary; most of the people in our group are beginners and aren't serious; we almost always end up playing either killer/around the world or king of court.
eh yeah, i don't think you need a cheaper racket, just use the racket you have right now, that one is cheap enough. and there is no such thing as a feather shuttle that could last a whole session. and if you can actually deal with playing a feather shuttle throughout a whole session assuming it'll last at least an hour, then obviously you're not that serious about badminton, or you really don't hit hard at all. just so you know, a good feather shuttle will last a whole match given that all the players have good form and can strike the shuttle properly. a match is either two or three games, btw.
The sessions are only half an hour, and most of the people I play with are beginners. So, I should be able to get one to last.
Hi ThomasJE, I sent you a private message about some Karakal rackets I have for sale cheaply. Let me know if your interested.
