I dont think it really matters that much if LCW really uses D10 or the D10 LCW Some might be fans who wan to own something exclusive while some juz like how D10 perform in their games Don't see any harm having an option to own different variant of the racket you like Just like the VT-80 PG, AS-11/10 TH and ZF-II LD
I'm not sure why so many are lusting after ANY commercial blue BraveSword 12 when LYD/YYS doesn't use it at all. He has a custom player specced racquet, DEFINITELY NOT matching the retails, not very widely available, that happens to wear the blue color scheme that is painted like every BraveSword 12 we see on the shelves. In fact, i'm not sure why you can't rate stuff with a YY logo discernibly in recent years. Ah! I know! Money. That's why. Cloudy view much?
Esppy First of all, there is no need to go on the attack. I do NOT get paid by Victor and I ALWAYS review a racket based on how I feel it performs, irrespective of the manufacturer. Your inference to me receiving payment from Victor or possibly payment for my reviews is insulting. NOBODY has any influence on what I write on my website. It belongs to me and not a racket manufacturer. In my opinion, Yonex have been below par in respect of their rackets in recent years and that's not just my opinion. I still maintain good relations with Yonex and always expect them to set the bar in terms of racket development. There was a lot of disappointment about Duora 10 and the Duora series in general. Many of my badminton friends have tested Duora 10 and none of them were very complimentary. And before you assume, most of these players use Yonex rackets. Yes, LYD plays with a KRP version of BS 12, which, by the way, is closer to the general release racket than you would think. And, he doesn't have a bunch of brand new rackets - i know because I restrung his rackets for the last two years at the All Englands. It's unclear which racket LCW is using although the guess is a painted ZF2. Paul www.badminton-coach.co.uk
Everyone wants to be like the Four Legends. There's nothing wrong with Yonex and if there's anything wrong it's the nitpicking from rivaling marketing team on BC who sound too much cultish (brand bashing, ridiculing of the brand, repainted rackets rumor, etc) Yonex is still the leading racket brand and good luck with promoting your brand to beat that!
There is no doubting Yonx is the leading brand and they will remain so for a long time to come. Bear in mind I used to be sponsored by Yonex and have a very long association with them going back to 1982. I earned by stripes with Yonex and did a huge amount of promotion for them, way beyond most sponsored coaches around the world. I expect Yonex to continue to lead from the front and watch the rest follow. I still eagerly await Yonex' latest creations whether this be rackets, clothing, shoes etc. Like most players, I've been waiting for the launch of a new range, knowing the Arcsaber range would soon be withdrawn. Have spoken so highly of the Voltric range, i was hoping for another leap forward in racket technology etc. The Duora range hasn't quite got there in my opinion, which is a shame. I think the concept is great but it doesn't carry through into practical reality as well as it should. The think the legends event is fantastic and no other brand will ever have this. I'm NOT having a go at the Yonex brand. In my original post I wanted to point out the LCW is not using Duora 10 racket so if players are thinking he is and spending good money on the racket, they have a right to make an infomred decision whether they buy or not. It is NOT rumour that they are painting rackets to look like another. It is merely stating a fact. Paul www.badminton-coach.co.uk
These are the leaked pics of LCW's D10 that were shared on a chinese forum. People, who know Yonex rackets well, should be able to tell that the cone belongs to the Voltric series. I personally think it may not be ethical for Yonex to adopt this kind of marketing strategy but I still am going to buy a D10Lcw to try the racket out and for the colour.
LOL - I really hope I'm not perceived that way! Otherwise I'll call my retail connections and ask them not to send me any more Yonex rackets on the basis it's not worth me testing as readers consider I am too biased. Paul www.badminton-coach.co.uk
If you're asking me, why not? I don't base my purchase on any of reviews here so good riddance is all I can say (I can borrow tester rackets from the local shop and I get to use the racket myself before deciding). For me racket reviews are like you're ordering food and let other people munch, chew and then tell you the taste. My 4 last purchases of Yonex are all great and I'm very happy with Yonex. I like the design and performance so it's good for me. I just don't like how Yonex was unfairly bullied here. As much as you would regard yourself as neutral, you obviously played down Yonex and overrated all Victor rackets (I mean what do we suppose to expect from a Victor stringer team and racket review website powered by Victor?). There's no need to call them names and all (evil empire and such). Yonex seems to look after the badminton heroes well and they keep encouraging the younger ones to build their dream toward this sport. Their doing their job to their best so you could always stick with what you're doing best too ie stringing and promoting for Victor.
This is interesting considering that both ZF2 and D10 is listed as having the 'control support cap'; i.e. they use the same cone type according to spec. Has anyone verified that they're actually different? (I don't have either racket and have no idea about cone types but will check when I go play tomorrow if I remember)
+1, Then don't review Yonex rackets. There's no need to repeatedly state all the evidence that suggests bias towards Victor. One piece of evidence we generally ignore, 2 pieces we get take note, 3 we get suspicious but when it reaches about 10+ that's like at least 4 standard deviations from the normal it's basically worth the risk of signing you off as incorrectly rejected since the chance of you telling is truth is virtually none.
A review is an opinion, not a matter of objectivity; you can never be objective in a review. All that you can ask is that politics are left out of judging a product. I think it's unfair to say Paul shouldn't review Yonex products because the opinions do not reflect what you believe they should reflect. There have been an increasing number of rackets that feel dampened, and as if they lack performance; overall YY's top range has been lackluster, and this is from someone that's using a ZF2. You should also note that Yonex UK are abhorrently expensive. For whatever reason, we get charged almost 50% more for Yonex products in the UK. A ZF2 ranges from £150 to £170, with it recently dropping to £127 on Central Sports. I ordered my ZF2 4U from Australia, because Yonex's depressingly small range of rackets in the UK didn't even include the 4U variant of their flagship racket, and paid £103. We have a 20% Value Added Tax, some import taxes, but nothing that comes close to 50%. For the record, £150 is around $210 at the moment. Go back to 2007 and this would've meant that these rackets cost over $300. It is difficult to support a company that inflates prices on a more selective range of products based on your country; and when the lineup hasn't been that amazing, I'm inclined to agree with Paul's opinions on many of the rackets - including statements about them not being worth the money. And for the record, I've not had good experiences with Yonex UK. They don't seem to care about the customers at all. If Yonex have a good customer service base, it's not here. They have a monopoly that they do not need to improve upon here.
I think this debate is quite useless. We should not choose our rackets because of the brand or the players using it (of course this influence us as more people would be interested in buying lin dan's racket) but the principal criteria of choice should be that the racket suit YOU. I've tried a lot of rackets these past years from different manufactuers (APACS, panda power, yonex or victor) and currently playing with an old MX80 from victor because i think it suits my game right and not because it's made by victor. I also find that yonex rackets are damnly pricy and the feel is too dampered (tried duora 10 recently and the feeling was horrible for me). If you guys think that the duora 10 is a very good racket for your game then ok, but don't avoid buying a victor or li-ning racket oneday if you find it better just because of the brand. This should not interfere in your choice (don't make like iphone/android war ... )
Note this isn't a debate on whether Victor is better or YY is better. This is accusation of bias towards Victor and part of this involves squishing YY. If you read other forums, you'll know both Mike and I play with Victors and like them too. Me and Mike aren't saying he shouldn't review it because it does not match our opinion, we are saying he shouldn't review it because he is associated with Victor and we think there are personal gains from him pushing Victor, despite him denying it. Less relevant points: Reviews can be objective, IF it is an honest opinion and sufficient major points are covered. (Take a look at my review instead, but I forgot the page.) YY more expensive in the UK and customer service/options being terrible should not be part of the review of a racket on how well it performs. I note Paul has not used this point, so this part is not an attack on him. Opinion: The damp feeling part is kind of funny to my eyes, because you two are sort of indirectly indicating the racket is 'too damp', pretty much saying it's the racket's problem. In reality you are not strong enough to utilize its full potential.
I stated for the record that my website belongs to me and nobody has influence on what I say or advertise. If you recall from previous years I gave Yonex the same advertising priviledges that I now give Victor. Victor has no say whatsoever in what I print. It seems to me that you take one aspect of my discussion and have a go without looking at my other comments where I fully support Yonex and all of the good things the company stands for. I still maintain good relations with the guys at Yonex. In my opinion Yonex has not released a really great racket since Voltric 80. Z Force was good and also ZF2 however, they've not quite got it. Perhaps it's because the UK doesn't have the same range of weights as the rest of the world, as I know ZF 2 has been successful as a 4U model with the professional players. I speak to a number of retailers who tell me Nanoray range has not been as good as Nanospeed. Indeed the new marketing from Yonex is moving us away from their traditional thinking of head heavy, even balance and head light ranges. Previously they had this so right and it made selling Yonex rackets so easy. During the last few years the lines of distinction between each range are not so clear, hence the new descriptions? And, come on guys, advertising Nanoray Z Speed as the fastest racket with a smash speed of 493 km/hr is rediculous. Nobody hits that hard on a badminton court. Tan Boon Heong, the current record holder is consistently out powered in tournaments which tells us there is something seriously wrong with marketing in this way. I'm not saying Victor doesn't do this either before we set off another discussion. But, as the market leader and the most prestigeous brand, surely we should expect something better than that. You obviously skipped over my comment that i am as eager to see new products from Yonex. A market leader needs to lead and continue to set the bar for the competition. It's important that Yonex continues to do this. I talked to a number of retailers at the All Englands this year and none of them were excited about the Yonex range. I find this quite sad because that's not the reaction any of us want to hear. Paul www.badminton-coach.co.uk
@xiaoqiao I think the price is a very important element of a review. If you have an 8/10 at £50 and a 9/10 at £150, there's an obvious disparity in the quality you get for that extra £100. You simply do not get objective reviews, they don't exist. Instead, we rely on the subjective viewpoint of someone with a wide array of knowledge and experience to tell what they thought was good or bad about something. That is how professional reviews work. I think this is wildly off topic and those allegations should be left out of further discussing this racket.
So, I just saw a d10 that my friend had, and bloody hell , strung it in bg 65 at 21 pounds. Isn't that like sacrilege?
