RKEP PRO6000 PRO9000 badminton racket

RED PRO9000 review

So, I finally had a good session with my new Pro9000 and am really happy how it has worked for me so far. Here's a short review of what I felt playing with it! Please bear in mind that I am no expert in rackets and this is purely based on my own amateur observation and feeling of the racket. Pl do not bombard me with denials and rebuttals if it turns out that someone does not agree with it...!:p

My main go to racket has been the VT70 4U and I have been playing with it from more than 3 months now. I am very comfortable with it and have gotten used to the swing and flex of the racket. Hence my review of the PRO9000 will be relative to the VT70!

The first thing you notice about the racket is the bold orange frame swathed in shades of black on top and shaft. It is one of the most gorgeous rackets I've ever come across! There is actually no RED on the frame so RED Pro9000 is actually quite a misnomer. The racket specs I ordered was 84 gms, with Ashaway Zymax 65 string at 25 lbs. My current VT 70 (also 84 gms) is strung with BG66UM at 25lbs but since I've been playing with it for so long, I'm sure that the string tension has come down substantially. I measured the BP in a very crude manner and found out that the VT 70 has BP of around 302mm while the PRO9000 has a BP of around 298mm (Both are wet specs, stringed and with an overgrip on top of the original grip).
Also the PRO9000 is about 3-5 mm shorter at the top as compared to VT70 but it is also more stretched out in the middle. It's like, the PRO9000 is more flattened at the top and there's a resulting bulge on the horizontal sides of the racket. This means a much increased sweet spot for the PRO9000.

Finally on to the court for some hitting time! I expected to face some problems adjusting to the higher stiffness of the PRO9000 since it is definitely more stiffer than the VT 70 but I honestly I couldn't feel that much of a difference. In fact I took to the racket quite easily. Since the BP of the VT 70 was a bit higher, it is supposed to be more head heavy (theoretically at least) and more powerful but it was absolutely the other way around! The PRO9000 offers immense power and my smashes were really zooming past yesterday. My regular opponents at the Club were surprised at the speed at which the shuttle was flying towards them and told me so quite frankly! The swing feels meatier than the VT 70, not faster though, mind you! The VT 70 definitely is the faster of the two through the air and this I found during the defense. Since I am used to the VT70, the PRO9000 was a tad bit slower for me during defensive shots and net play. It took a wee bit more time to change from a backhand grip to forehand or vice versa when caught in a tight situation. With some more practice obviously, I'll be able to counter this problem though.

Final thoughts?? Well, I am in love with my new racket and it definitely is money very well spent! The extra power that it offers, is a boon and I'm sure that as I keep strengthening my wrist, I'll be able to wield this beast even more powerfully. Its a racket very well recommended!!:)
 
I just received my orange pro9000 and green pro9000. The orange version with red BG66UM is simply stunning. Now I have all three colours and will not change rackets for a long time. Thanks to Eric for making this fantastic product at very affordable prices. I'd post some pictures but my camera has been sent to the repair shop.
 
First impressions.

Placed order on Aug 9th in the evening and received shipment on Aug 15th in the afternoon from Taiwan to Vancouver. Knowing what type of service to expect from Eric, it is still amazing to experience it first hand. Transaction went smoothly and the goods arrived in great condition and in a timely fashion.

I ordered an orange rkep9k weighing 83g w/ 295mm bp and green rkep9k weighing 85g w/ 290mm bp.
Both strung with Ashaway Zymax 65 Red @ 22lbs by local stringer. I am using the G11 red wet grip on the orange and G08 green grip on the green.

With string and grip, the orange has a 288mm bp. The green has a 285mm bp. This is a fairly rough estimate using the finger method to measure the balance point. Will experiment with and without the original grip some more. Still unsure why the bp decreased by so much.

Hitting wise, they both feel fairly powerful. Honestly it is hard to distinguish which racket was which except for the bigger G08 grip. I prefer the G11 grip since i have small hands. May remove the original grip and replace with just the G08 green overgrip to see how it fits.

The G08 grip is noticeably thicker once it's on the handle and definitely tackier than the G11. The G11 just feels and fits just right over the original grip.

The stiffness of the rackets are rated a "4". Not as stiff as i had expected. Maybe an "extra stiff" is in my future? I am just an intermediate intermediate player however.

Overall, very happy with the purchase, especially for the price.

Have played with :
VT5 w/ BG80 @ 23lbs and w/ BG66UM @ 24lbs
MX60 w/ VS850 @ 24lbs
Lethal 9 w/ BG66UM @ 21lbs
ArcSaber 002 w/ BG80 @ 20lbs
Li Ning UC2200A w/ BG80 @ 21lbs

Now just need a 6 racket bag and i am set for awhile. :)
 
Last edited:
Thanks for your review... since you have played with MX60 and now the RKEP 9K, how do you compare both of these?
 
MX60 w/ V850 @ 24lbs slightly head heavy vs
Rkep9k w/ Zymax65 @ 22lbs even balance

Power - Rkep > MX60
Control - MX60 = Rkep
Maneuverability - Rkep > MX60
Stability - Rkep > MX60

I had a hard time defending with the MX60.:o
YMMV
 
Whizzard said:
MX60 w/ V850 @ 24lbs slightly head heavy vs
Rkep9k w/ Zymax65 @ 22lbs even balance

Power - Rkep > MX60
Control - MX60 = Rkep
Maneuverability - Rkep > MX60
Stability - Rkep > MX60

I had a hard time defending with the MX60.:o
YMMV
Click to expand...

RKEP Pro 9K isnt supposed to be even balance if I'm not mistaken
 
When I first saw the descriptions of the RKEP 6000 and 9000, I figured that the 6000 was more suitable for me. Stiff shaft and "headheavy" rackets were purged from my collection when I realized my wrist injury was not going to heal 100%. I tried the 6000 (see my previous review) but curiosity got the better of me and I ordered one of these 9000 "red" ones.

I ordered 86g 298BP. I checked it on my scale and it is 86g and BP seems right about there. As someone else mentioned, it is not red but orange. Very close to SOTX Woven 8 orange. Cosmetic finish is 8.5/10 if typical Yonex Japanese made is 9/10. There is one small <0.5mm void in the epoxy near the "Titanium" thread and surface. It's not noticeable except for those who are picky. The rim seems beefier than the 6000. I strung it with BG66UM white at 25lbs and gripped it with the RKEP G09. Final weight is 94g.

It is an easy racket to string. Nothing unusual except I ran 25x25 to keep the shape vs 24x26 when I do rackets such as Arc 7.

Swing feels heavier than my two RKEP6000 (87g/292BP) even though those are 97g final weight. The racket feels very solid when hitting. Shots feel more precise than with the 6000 but defence speed is not as good due to the extra "weight". Although this type of racket does not suit me, I was able to adapt to it and not get blown away during games.

My feel is that this racket is another excellent offering from Eric for those who like a stiffer shaft and those who are more powerful hitters. It would be a good racket for me 10 years ago or when I am using PEDs.

*Counterpoint*
I asked my wife to try this out for her opinion. She had tried the 6000 and gave it a thumbs up. For this one, her response was, "It's solid and precise but it feels crude compared to the NS 9900". I tried to get her to explain that further but she couldn't elaborate. About an hour later, the RKEP 9000 showed its strength. It took over her mind during a game and made her swing the NS 9900 into the floor and killed it. The RKEP is that powerful. It can mess with your opponent's mind.

Here are some close-up photos of the RKEP. (Notice the two types of metallic mesh and also the "muscle-type" shaping between grommets near the top half.)
 

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davlee said:
RKEP Pro 9K isnt supposed to be even balance if I'm not mistaken
Click to expand...

I ordered an orange rkep9k weighing 83g w/ 295mm bp and green rkep9k weighing 85g w/ 290mm bp.
Both strung with Ashaway Zymax 65 Red @ 22lbs by local stringer. I am using the G11 red wet grip on the orange and G08 green grip on the green.

With string and grip, the orange has a 288mm bp. The green has a 285mm bp. This is a fairly rough estimate using the finger method to measure the balance point. Will experiment with and without the original grip some more. Still unsure why the bp decreased by so much.
Click to expand...

I realize the RKEP9k is suppose to be head heavy but after applying string and grip, the bp changed.
 
Whizzard said:
I realize the RKEP9k is suppose to be head heavy but after applying string and grip, the bp changed.
Click to expand...

when we talk about head light, even balance, or head heavy
the racket should be measured without string and without additional or replacement grips (this is what we called dry weight)
main reason for this is since string and grip vary in weight (it will change the BP depending on the weight of these two items), therefore we need to use one single measurement which can measure every single racket (the dry weight)

so it doesn't really matter how much the BP after you strung it and apply another grip on to the racket
 
Avenger said:
when we talk about head light, even balance, or head heavy
the racket should be measured without string and without additional or replacement grips (this is what we called dry weight)
main reason for this is since string and grip vary in weight (it will change the BP depending on the weight of these two items), therefore we need to use one single measurement which can measure every single racket (the dry weight)

so it doesn't really matter how much the BP after you strung it and apply another grip on to the racket
Click to expand...


Thanks for the clarification. I know this and was just replying to the comment "davlee" made in Post #350.
 
Just wanted to get my thoughts in too. Got the 6000 from Eric, amazing service, super fast shipping to Canada :)

I'm only a beginner, so please keep that in mind when you read my comments about racquet comparisons :P

I was always used to using a BK Photon XL, as my arm and forearm strength are pretty poor :P I recently got an N90 II S and i just couldn't get used to it. Way too head heavy, and I just couldn't get any power out of it. However, I got an N80 from a fellow BCer, and it just felt really good. Doesn't tire me out like the MX80, and I got good power and defense from it (my smashing is terrible, but the N80 gave me more power than the BK and the N90IIS). I got the 6000 after reading these reviews and thought it couldn't be better than the N80, but I was wrong. The 6000 felt even better, clearing was even more effortless, and power is a bit better. Defense was really good too, i'd say slightly better or about on par than the N80. I love this racquet so much it has become my go-to racquet, with my N80 as backup :P

Actually I like it so much that I just bought the 9000 too, it should arrive soon and I can't wait to see how it compares to the 6000. On a sidenote, the 6000 is strung with BG66UM, and this is my first exposure to it, as i'm a BG80 user usually. I really like the BG66UM, I can see why everyone is raving about it. The high pitched "ting" sound took some getting used to for me though :P
 
It is a bad day last night. I got a Pro9000 red(24,26 lbs) for a few weeks, only used about 10 times and just a small clashed with my daughter at 10 o'clock position last night. The racket is broken and finished. It is a very good racket, light weight with power, very good for playing double. bye!
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