Wilson Recon BLX

Discussion in 'Badminton Rackets / Equipment' started by ColdSun, Aug 19, 2010.

Tags:
  1. ColdSun

    ColdSun Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2010
    Messages:
    8
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Australia
    I have been searching for a good review of Wilson Recon BLX on the net but to no avail. Can someone comment on this racket, in particular, user experience?
     
  2. smax5001

    smax5001 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Dec 18, 2009
    Messages:
    87
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    Student
    Location:
    Long Beach
    I heard blx series breaks when smashing too hard
     
  3. ColdSun

    ColdSun Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2010
    Messages:
    8
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Australia
    yes i have read this in another wilson thread. I think it was the wave blx that broke. However, one racket cannot represent the whole of the blx series. Moreover, recon blx and vertex blx seem to be the high end rackets while the rest of the blx series are considered mid range. The difference is not only shown in pricing but also in their racket covers. Only recon blx and vertex blx have gold racket covers while the other rackets have black covers. This is my personal opinion and i am not sure whether its true or not. Anyway, thanks for your comment. Cheers!
     
  4. smax5001

    smax5001 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Dec 18, 2009
    Messages:
    87
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    Student
    Location:
    Long Beach
    Have you tried Karakal?
     
  5. ColdSun

    ColdSun Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2010
    Messages:
    8
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Australia
    No, I haven't tried.
     
  6. swaicw

    swaicw New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 13, 2010
    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    accountant
    Location:
    malaysia
    BLX Recon

    There was a promo here and my friends and I bought the Wilson RECON about a month ago.

    Weight feels light on the hand and the length is suitable. On the play side, it provides better control than power play. The frame does feels more fragile in lieu of the lighter weight. Mine is strung at 25lb and I was using Victor Control series previously. In terms of accuracy of play, most of the players do have tendency to hit shuttles at the frame for both control and power play. Could be because we are new to the Recon

    Both my other friends who prefer higher tension at 26lb. Wilson claimed it can be string to 30lb plus if I am not wrong. Unfortunately, one of the racquet warped at the 3rd game play during a smash resulting in total write off. :crying: My other friend has to restring his again after about 12 games:eek:. To be fair, both my friend are POWER player and they do smash hard and fast while I am more of a control player

    Recommendation of RECON is given by the coach and reserve players together with many students on coaching in the sport center that I played and they all are quite in favor of the racket in terms of performance

    Overall, I would give a 7/10 for this racquet. Loved the weight and feel.

    Personally I still prefer my old faithful Victor :rolleyes: but Recon is nicely priced for about US100 per piece
     
  7. ColdSun

    ColdSun Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2010
    Messages:
    8
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Australia
    Hello Swaicw! Thanks for your review!

    I have tried the Recon too! My experience is detailed as follows.

    Initial Impression
    Nice looking racket with polished gold and silver paint combined with complicated design. 3UG5. Even balanced slightly towards head heavy. Weight of the racket is 89g plus/minus 2g. Mine seems to be weighted towards the higher side. Medium Flex with extended shaft all the way to the butt cap (something different from all other badminton rackets...i may be wrong here). The racket feels extremely solid and seems to have alot of potential for attacking or power play. My racket was strung with bg 75-ti using yonex es5pro @28lbs.

    1st badminton session
    Warm-up: Crappy. Clearing from baseline to baseline required extra effort. Swinging of the racket felt sluggish. Maybe I wasn't used to the string tension or the grip size was too small for me (I have always used a g4 racket with an overgrip).

    Play-time: Extremely crappy. Just as what you and your friends have experienced, I had many mishits to the shuttle with the racket frame. Smashes were powerful but not close to what I expected it to be. Drives required a lot of effort and net play was bad. Defense was extremely bad due to bad control coupled with many mishits.

    End-of-Session: Felt very tired (due to the weight of the racket) and frustrated (mishits and game losses). Felt like leaving the racket aside and return to my old racket or get a new one (other than recon). Was wondering what went wrong? the racket itself, the tension, the grip size or myself...

    2nd badminton session
    I added a yonex super grap overgrip to the racket and decided to give the racket and myself a second chance.

    Warm-up: Clearing from baseline to baseline was a breeze. Seems like the grip made a big difference. The recon is now a low work racket for me. Swinging of the racket felt better and faster.

    Play-time: Experience was good. Smashes were much more powerful and fast. My opponents either could not return the shuttle or had bad shuttle placements (out-of-court, mid-court or into the net). Control was extremely good too as I was able to hit the shuttle to wherever I wanted to. No feel though since I am using a titanium string. Defense was slightly weak due to the weight of the racket.

    End-of-session:Felt tired but not as bad as the first session. The grip size really made a difference. I have to emphasize that grip size, choice of string and string tension are very important components and they are part of the racket package. I felt that the racket has heaps of potential for even more powerful and fast smashes. The only problem is myself. LOL. I need to build up my strength and stamina in order to use the racket to its full potential.

    Subsequent badminton sessions
    My confidence and racket adaptability increased with each completed game. The power and control of the racket are definitely there.

    The advantages/disadvantages are listed below:

    Pros: - Powerful
    - Control
    - Maybe feel (if using other strings)

    Cons: - Slightly weak defense (due to weight plus balance point)
    - Heavy (tiring to use for long matches)

    Recommendations
    Suitable for players with adequate technique, high strength and tons of stamina. In terms of game play, it is more suited for singles and doubles backcourt players. As for player type, it is highly suitable for power players and less for control players.

    Added thoughts
    As I feel that the racket has a lot of potential, I am sticking to it and building up my strength and stamina day by day in order to wield it to its fullest potential. A very nice racket. For myself, I rate it as a 5 star racket. The design is nice, performance is excellent (if you can handle it) and the price is cheap for a high end racket. Lastly, this post represents my own opinion and not the general public.
     
  8. ColdSun

    ColdSun Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2010
    Messages:
    8
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Australia
    Oh by the way, this is the Recon blx pic taken from shuttle-house.

    T817120_b.jpg
     
  9. kmyj92

    kmyj92 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2010
    Messages:
    13
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    Student
    Location:
    Australia
    Hi there,

    I'm currently using Wilson Kfactor Klite. From my experience, the racket is too light and it's hard to perform powerful smashes. However, the control is excellent and net shots are easily executed. I am planning to get Wilson Recon BLX as my next racket. The Shiny design of the racket is really cool (Personal opinion). lol. I'm just worried about the defensive play of this racket as I have got used to easy defensive moves using Klite because it is light enough to move around quickly especially hitting back opponent's smashes.

    Should I have a go on this racket?

    I've also tried my friend's Yonex Armortec 900 Power. The weight distribution of that racket makes it easier to hit baselines and smashes. The defense is acceptable too. I wonder which racket should I buy because Yonex Armortec 900 Power is twice the price of Wilson Recon BLX. Gonna string them with Bg-80 anyways. :)

    Any comments? Haha thanks.
     
  10. Yoppy

    Yoppy Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2009
    Messages:
    2,678
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Sydney
    The shiny design is an extra weapon, just wave it around before you served and your opponent will be hypnotised :)

    On you question, defence should not be a problem with recon BLX. I never tried it but i have the vertex which is head heavier and even that is very easy to use and solid
     
  11. ColdSun

    ColdSun Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2010
    Messages:
    8
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Australia
    Hi kmyj92,

    I don't have the Wilson klite or Armortec 900P so i can't give any comment on the relative comparison with Wilson Recon blx. Based on my personal experience, I would highly recommend recon blx. The design is really cool (attention grabbing racket). I totally agree with you. Lol.

    Now, in terms of performance, recon blx performs exactly as the above poster says - 5 stars for power, handling and control. The only downside is the racket swing speed. Since it is heavy, your defense might suffer a little. It also depends if u are using it for singles or doubles matches. I have no problems using the racket as a singles or a doubles back court player. Oh, it is also extremely durable....you can feel the racket's solidness the moment you swing it.

    For the price, what more can you ask for? Go for it.

    Btw, the racket might need some time to get adjusted too. You might hit the shuttlecock with your racket frame quite frequently initially. So don't worry if you play badly in the beginning. It is embarrassing to play badly with such a shiny racket though. Not to worry, you will get better soon enough.
     
  12. ColdSun

    ColdSun Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2010
    Messages:
    8
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Australia
    Lol Yoppy, I like your reply!
     
  13. kmyj92

    kmyj92 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2010
    Messages:
    13
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    Student
    Location:
    Australia
    I guess defense can be improved over time. Maybe.. strengthen the muscles that are necessary to maneuver the racket for defensive plays. I guess I'll give it a try then. Haha thanks for the comments! :)
     
  14. ColdSun

    ColdSun Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2010
    Messages:
    8
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Australia
    Yes. Exactly! Thats the spirit! ^^
     
  15. kmyj92

    kmyj92 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2010
    Messages:
    13
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    Student
    Location:
    Australia
    Hey guys,

    I've been using the Recon BLX since the end of December 2011 until now. I bought mine at the price of RM 260 which is about $85 usd.

    My first impression was the attractive paint job and the weight distribution of the racket. One side is silver and the other is gold. So, sometimes people would thought that your racket is silver but sometimes.. it turns gold... lol.... XD....

    I strung my racket at 24lbs Yonex BG-80.

    Anyways, the first week using the racket was quite... okay.. not as good as present.. since that time I changed from an even balance and light racket (Klite 78~80g) to Recon which states 89g. However, the feel of extra power given was great. I can hit shots to baseline comfortably.. felt like effortless. It took me some time to get used to defensive plays.. since the head heaviness caused me to hamper a bit.. At first, I still prefer to defend smashes with Klite since the lightness gives extra credit in defensive plays. Nevertheless, I was determined to get used to this new racket.

    The following weeks, I played about 4~5 times per week and I got used to the racket. By comparing Recon blx with Yonex AT900P, I found that Armortec 900P has a heavier head which gives extra power while hitting baseline shots and smashes but it hampers in defensive plays. Recon BLX is a head heavy racket but the head is not as heavy as AT900P. For me, it's already enough to send the shuttles far behind the court and hit powerful smashes consistently (I believe technique is the key for improvements after you have a decent racket). Defensive plays were okay for me. You just need to give yourself some time to get use of the weight distribution and practice more to sharpen your skills in order to bond with your Recon. lolz.. the net and drop shots are decent.. but that depends on how good you're... the feel is there though..

    Anyways, I torn away the base grip and I'm now using 2 layers of grips.. thick ones.. cuz I have huge palms.. This actually affected the weight distribution and.. I think I'll change the grips soon to make that part lighter in order to have more head heaviness.

    Oh.. not to bring this racket down but.. I tried Voltric 70 few days ago.. and.. it feels slightly better than Recon.. can't try Voltric 80 since it's out of stock here.. haha.. but if you look at the price.... I'll still choose Recon... come on.. it's 3 times cheaper.. save the extra $$ and get yourself some nice badminton shoes or whatever you like.. haha

    Here are some pictures that I took myself.

    IMG_3815.jpg IMG_3815.jpg IMG_3817.jpg IMG_3816.jpg IMG_3818.jpg IMG_3819.jpg IMG_3820.jpg

    In short, I would like to say that Wilson Recon BLX is a decent racket which is comparable with top ranged rackets.. ;)
     
  16. allyjack110

    allyjack110 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2010
    Messages:
    410
    Likes Received:
    3
    Occupation:
    University Graduate (History)
    Location:
    Scotland
    That's a really good price Dude, especially since the Recon typically retails for around £140 here in the UK. I'm waiting till both the Vertex and Recon come down in price before I think about buying either of them; still undecided which one I prefer. I already have a Wilson 'K' Brave which I really love, that cost me £50.00 brand new.
     
  17. kmyj92

    kmyj92 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2010
    Messages:
    13
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    Student
    Location:
    Australia
  18. ChrisXT0

    ChrisXT0 New Member

    Joined:
    May 14, 2011
    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    uk
    you can find the recon blx on ebay.co.uk for £56 including postage but it's from the usa so if you live in the uk it might take a week or more to arive but it's a great racket, also try out a blade blx if you like the recon
     
  19. Alapongtai

    Alapongtai Regular Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2010
    Messages:
    277
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    SoCal
  20. Alapongtai

    Alapongtai Regular Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2010
    Messages:
    277
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    SoCal
    sorry for bumping but any reviews on the vertex or the recon? ive only read 1-2 reviews on this forum :\
    and nevermind the badmintonalley sale.
    you can get it for cheaper on ebay
     

Share This Page