What you can do is buy through a Taobao agent (such as this). Use an agent that has good reputation, check their feedback on Facebook etc. What they do is basically help you order your product + their service fee + EMS charges to ship it to you. I got my F9 from this Taobao seller. Confirmed genuine by checking serial number on Kason's website. I got the F9 LTD so it came with a F9 t-shirt too. IMO, good value for 698RMB (~114USD). You may want to exclude the racket cover that comes with the F9 LTD. It's very nice and feels high quality but it's HEAVY - unless you are willing to pay for the shipping. If you prefer NOT buying from Taobao, then look at Hi Badminton Online and World of Sport as pointed out above. e78 stocks the F9 too.
got my F9 yesterday, yet to play with it though, hopefully with play with it on either sat or tuesday :3 the nice gentleman who swapped it with me strung it with bg66 maxima and original grip etc. Feels great though in the swing and I can see what people mean when they say it might be slightly head heavy when play overhead shots. Shaft is quite flexy too, a lot less stiff than say, VT80 or VTZF
no reviews from me. string snapped after about 5 minutes. still, clears and smashes genuinely seemed effortless with this racquet to me
It's not a slow racquet though, I didnt struggle with drives and defensive lifts (what are those shots called when you lift a smash?)
i think so,The F9 is an even balanced, mid-stiff racket, with positive reviews for it's user-friendliness everywhere.
That's because the shaft is not too stiff so you can have the sort of "catapult effect" especially when you flick/whip the racket using the power from your wrist. Defensively, the larger sweetspot and the "not so heavy" head are very helpful as well. The F9 is one of the best racket for doubles in the current market but for singles, one has to be prepared to pay more attention on controlling the shuttle as it would be quite difficult to aim the opponent's corners as well as to execute tight netshots.
Agreed. I prefer to use C7 for singles. This F9 really friendly racket and in one session that I played, at least 4 other members having it... For doubles play
since I have all the 3 rackets ( F9, C7, N50II)... I would write a short reviews... first of all the player must know what they need? are you a single or a double player? defensive or offensive? my personal opinions is that all the 3 rackets, F9 is the most user friendly. most player started as a smasher...defender...and later becomes a driver... why do I say that? most beginner only use smash and brute strength...as you progress, you will develop a defensive approach (this is where you have a awakening that strength is not everything)... when you develop into a higher intermediate level, you will start to develop counter skills (driving the shuttle back to the opponent court). so based on your stage of progress/level and choose he racket that help you to develop your skill. F9 is not very heavy head and is very flexible... it is good for smash and receiving smash. Can consider ideal for beginner! C7 on the contra, is heavier and is more for control player. N50II... you can forget about this racket as it is neither here or there! N50II is overall heavy even than N90. it does not smash as hard as N90/N90II/ZF... then you will ask yourself " why you need to get a heavy racket?"...
I agree with what you've said about the F9, I can't argue about the C7 because I don't have it and I've never tried it but I don't agree with what you've said about the 50ii because mine is only a touch heavier than F9 and the balance is almost the same, nothing like an N90 I would say nor an N90II for that matter, as I have an N90II and tried my friend's n90
I'll try but I'm not hugely sensitive to the differences in racquets ><' i'll start of with the Arc10 (I had UK coded Arc10PG with BG80 at about 25lbs); the control is superb - it guided the shuttle wherever I wanted it to go, with tiny margins for error. It wasn't a powerhouse, but it wasnt weak either. So in other words, you needed to put a lot of power in yourself. Given that it's even balanced, it does quite well in defence and net shots/kills as well. Obviously not the best choice compared with, say, NS9900 but it gets the job done. In terms of swing, there are obviously smoother racquets and I personally dislike the feel of the Arc10 but it's not a bad feel though, some great moments if you can hit that (as I call it) SUPER SWEET spot which I managed a few lucky times. So in a nutshell, it's an all rounder like it says on the tin. The z slash is somewhat more offensive, what with it's marketing about it being able to smash at 414kmh or something. Note that this is simply implausible and not feasible given that it is MUCH easier to smash with higher power and speed when a shuttle is being fed to you in, say, a training drill than under the pressure of a match. I think someone else already talked about this earlier. Anyway, the smash speed it advertises should really be ignored because that's mostly down to your power output and your technique. E.g, my coach's son (who uses NS9900) can smash harder than my friend who uses VTZF. But having said that, The selling point about wind disturbance I can agree on as the swing feels incredibly smooth with a z slash. It is relatively forgiving, but it again does rely on your power output and technique a bit more for hard smashes as the smaller head makes for a stiffer shaft in the swing. Net shots aren't a problem, lifts aren't hard but there again there are racquets which can help you with that. Overall, I'd say a smoother, stiffer and faster Arc10 really. Finally moving on to the F9, as I don't have and haven't tried a C7, I have an F9 ltd which is exactly the same as a standard one except it has FHF's signature on one side of the cone. mad others have said, it is a very forgiving racquet and gets you out of a lot of scrapes. It generates lots of power (granted you don't mis hit like I do ;D) and the med-flex shaft helps with defensive lifts and all overhead shots (including backhands). Net shots again aren't a problem and drives can be quick but as with all shots, I find the direction can vary slightly. Not hugely, but just noticeable. Although then again that may be down to me :3 so to sum up the F9, I would say it is almost an all rounder, but it sacrifices a little control for a fair chunk of more power. One more note is that I found that the Arc10 and Z slash chipped incredibly easily whereas my F9 doesn't seem to get any scratches or chips or cracks no matter how many time I drop it or clash. i would like to mention at this point, however, that althOugh racquets can improve your play a bit and can feel a lot nicer than other ones, choosing the right racquet isn't going to suddenly turn you into an international superstar (which is why I'm getting a training racquet :3)
Thanks for the comment. I am using an ARC10 and moving to the next level. My opponents are now semi-pro and sometimes the pro themselves. Altho the ARC10 does everything right it is not particularly excel at one thing. I am looking for more power/speed with little sacrifice for feel/control. The ARCZ is a special case tho, the sensation of playing with it is sooooooooooo different than the other rackets. I love it very much but the inconsistency with the smaller head and way too thin and fast frame results in miss hit and cracked head. I'm deliberately into ARCZ, F9, VT70-80 or BS11. The BS11 is sure fast and packs a punch but the feel is not very solid. The Voltric series are nice in attacking and ok indefense with great feel to them but a little demanding sometimes. I still have not had chance to try out kason rackets -_-