Victor JetSpeed S YYS

Chasing a bit of perfection

Hopefully I'm getting my perfect racket shortly - the N50 III TD with a slightly stiffer shaft than the N50 III.

In fact I believe things like the air stream system are evidence that there's room to innovate.

 

...speaking of which... I just ordered a JS10 3U KRP from a fellow BC member. Simply couldn't resist the temptation. And before anyone asks, the 5th digit of the code is a "P".

 

I think Maklike has made a number of good points. For me, being in Europe I cannot see the point of signature rackets. Over here I'll wager 90% of club players have no idea who these players are. They will most likely stay away from these rackets because they are seen as a professional spec. And, if they are released then why not make one racket instead of two versions?

Of course we are not blessed with knowing the numbers behind racket sales which of course is a major influence on the next product launch. Asia is more prolific in terms of racket sales compared to Europe. Across Europe there can be wide differences in resect of preference and the average purchase.

I've said this many times but we sometimes forget the business of badminton which can be different to the sport which we all love. But, I'm sure that if variations on a frame were eliminated, this would reduce the costs to the company, simply by making bigger batches of just one racket.

Yes, i would like to see some of the classics being retained and I consider the racket manufacturers bore of a racket long before a player. This is because they need to sell rackets, hence remove one frame and introduce another.

For me I would introduce BS12 KRP in blue as it's a really good racket. BS10 would also be included. I also agree that it's worth testing new materials on old classics as it may result in elevating the classic.

I hope the powers that be at Victor read the posts in this forum and take note. I don't want to see rackets like BS10 re-introduced if the specs have been changed. Either make it exactly as you did or test with the new materials. But dn't try and palm us off with a second rate version. Badminton players have long memories and generally retain their classic rackets. So, we have the power to compare.

Paul
www.badminton-coach.co.uk

 

Well, what I find strange about this practice, is how popular badminton is globally. Look at the UK, and consider how many people play badminton compared with the Asian market. Even the Asian market, globally, is considerably smaller than something like football.

I do not believe there is enough of a market to warrant making this many different rackets, and handing the professional players another completely different racket.

I don't know how it is for you in Cheshire Paul, but most of the players down here aren't using top of the line rackets. I know maybe 10 people with high end rackets out of 100. The rest are using pretty much whatever they first picked up off of a shelf.

This massive over saturation of the high end market is doing nobody any favours. It's more for production costs, the consumers largely aren't willing to play, and the even the enthusiasts get lost among all of these rebranding, relabeling, and outright shady marketing.

With regards to signature rackets in particular - I wouldn't buy one - on the simple basis that in my eyes, it's tailor made for someone else. Even though it's no truer than with any other rackets, psychologically it speaks to me saying the racket is less likely to be compatible with me.

It really feels like marketing in badminton is stuck somewhere in the 80s, with cheesy glitz and glam that nobody actually wants. I think the entire industry could do with some simplification, a cut back product line, and for goodness sake a naming convention that actually works.

 

Thanks a lot. I will buy another Bs12

If I want to buy JS YYS in the US, where can I buy it from? Or can I buy it from Canada if US not available? Thanks!

 

To be honest, I think LYD is the only Victor player with the clout to shift signature rackets over here, and even that's pushing it.

We then have to ask ourselves the other question: if only a few people are going to be induced by sig rackets, are more going to be put off by them? If not, then it's just a case of the brand shifting a few extra rackets overseas.

An extra wrinkle comes in when the racket isn't just a spray-up of an off-the-shelf one, though - yes, the JSA and JSN are only tweaked versions of the 8PS and 8ST, respectively, but the JS YYS has no production equivalent; if you want that spec, you've got to get the YYS. (And I will say that I find the 3U JS YYS to be very, very good, far better than the bowl of unflavoured porridge that was the BS12.)

 

What about the Bao? Same specs and same technologies as YYS. I guess that both will play pretty close.

IMO Victor makes the same mistake as the 4 4/4 Metoers (70,JJS,90,London) again. I don't want to test 4 similar rackets to make a decision.

AFAIK all Korean pros which use the BS12 use the same KR**P versions. So a korean choice racket wouldn't be so absurd or a stupid move. White and striking red and blue would be awesome. If Yonex can make players move from different rackets(AS11 and ZFII) to Duora 10, then a Jetspeed which is close to BS12 KR**P should be an easy challenge for Victor.

 

The Bao and YYS are somewhat different despite having the same spec on paper. Completely different models too. The Bao has majority of its grommets recessed in a channel from B5 all the way to the other side's B5. However the YYS is like any ordinary racket where the recess channel starts and ends at the middle of the racket.

Personally from experience I think both don't really feel that great tbh. I'm rather horribly spoiled by the classic victor experience heh...I probably will end up selling this puppy.

 

I've never tried the 8PS and 8ST but the JSA and JSN are 2 great rackets. They're definitely much better than what people are reporting for the 8PS and 8ST.

 

To be honest I think there's probably enough fans in YYS and Ahmads' native countries to justify a dedicated model, but then what makes no sense whatsoever, is having LYD - arguably the most heavily publicised mens' doubles player of the moment - not actually playing with his signature racket!

I think as a rule, if I was running Victor's marketing department, I wouldn't bother with signature rackets. As a swansong / golden handshake when they retire perhaps, but like you say Mark, they could theoretically put more people off than suck people in.

Would I rather have a Jetspeed Ahmad, or a Jetspeed 11?

No points for guessing.

 

The BS12 KR**P is essentially the same spec as the Asian spec BS10. Just get one of those, or add some tape to a JS10.

 

Considering that the BS10 actually has a slightly smaller head I wouldn't completely agree. Then there's the fact that it does have a longer shaft and shorter handle as well so I can't agree they're the best alternatives. Also they're not exactly easy to find either given that what you're describing is actually a TW spec BS10 not an "Asian" spec one

 

I'm sure Eric could get you a TW coded BS10.

 

Not worth the money when I can get the far better regular one at 160 locally.

 

Cheap, classic, the spec everyone wants....and yet because it's not the latest-and-greatest, nobody wants it!

That's the badminton racket market right there, in a nutshell.

Maybe I should just go buy a LHI?

 

Overall the UK market and my local market are the same. More players use mid range rackets than the more expensive versions. However, the posts on BC always seem to focus on the high-end.

I think we are all agreed that signature rackets are a waste of time. LYD used his signature for some time before moving over to BS12. During this time the BS LYD was a massive seller for Victor. BS12 still sells very well.

I agree that there appears to be a huge amount of waste in terms of production and I'm sure savings could be made.

But, we all need to realise that we don't know the business of badminton and in particular the key numbers relating to racket sales in Asia, Europe and rest of the world. So, whilst it's great to have an opinion, and I think it's right we share our opinions here, the truth is we'll never know the facts.

Paul
www.badminton-coach.co.uk

 

Sometimes the problem isn't the type of racket or who's endorsing it/who's signature racket it is but just simply the look of it.

If they released a BS12 or YYS or JSA looking like a ZFII, with the sleek looking matt black scheme with slight colour accents then i would buy it, assuming is can get along with the spec. Or maybe i'll just buy it anyway if i really liked the look of it. Wouldn't awfully mind if it has a player's name on it if the styling was way up my street.

I would vouch for the truth in this as i believe the majority of the market buy rackets based on four main criteria: looks, feel, budget, and brand loyalty, and sometimes you can exclude the feel if they're buying from an online retailer without the opportunity to test the racket first. The leaves looks, budget and brand loyalty, and assuming brand loyalty can be levied in lieu of a very good product then we can say looks and budget are potentially the biggest drivers.

What i'm saying is... there's a lot of naff looking rackets on the market, and the masses drive the sales... and often these masses don't actively follow competitive badminton.

If the YYS and a host of other signature rackets looked a lot better than they do, then perhaps we'd be having a different conversation.

 

I'll take 'questions that don't need answering' for 50, Bob.