KAWASAKI Badminton

Discussion in 'Badminton Rackets / Equipment' started by KWSKJP, Apr 30, 2019.

  1. missclicked

    missclicked Regular Member

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    Received my King K9, swing it around reminds me of my old voltric.

    Hopefully it will fits me[​IMG]

    Sent from my POCOPHONE F1 using Tapatalk
     
  2. Curvy

    Curvy Regular Member

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    Has anyone tried the new Ninja series or reviews?
     
  3. Curvy

    Curvy Regular Member

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    How u find the K9 so far?
     
  4. missclicked

    missclicked Regular Member

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    I have been rotating playing with the K9 and my 88s as I bought them at almost the same time, so I cant say I get to know my K9 so much.

    Indeed the K9 is a "undemanding" racket like being said, easy clear and smash.. Shines better at mid to back court. (IMO, few can rival 88s in front courts). Using the very bottom of the grip and I will notice the flexibility of the shaft, around mid grip its already as stiff as my other yonex shafts.

    Very good looking rackets, as if it's a high-end racket aimed at beginners/intermediate (flexible shaft).

    Still can't rival the power/clear of the zf2 (3u), but quite a forgiving racket. My K9's clear and smash power felt like almost like the 88d 4u (borrowed a friend for one game), at least in my hands that is.
     
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  5. Tennyson

    Tennyson Regular Member

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    I had the fortune of trying both the 4U and 3U versions of K9 for a couple of sessions. The 4U is nuff said with all the positive reviews. The sweet thing is it doesn't feel as flexi as it actually is. Though i can't really say it plays like 88d as it is just different. 88d is more solid while K9 is easier. But agree that they pretty much arrive at the same objective. The 3U is way different. Looks more like a K9 for 'Men' with a more serious color tone and somewhat stiffer and head heavier than the 4U. I like it more than the 88d 3U i was using before. Same prowess but with a more slim frame, bigger sweet spot and slightly less demanding.
     
  6. ice man

    ice man Regular Member

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    [​IMG] As I’m getting more into 4U racquets recently I gave the K8 a shot. The K8 is a stiffer and more head heavier version of the K9 that some of you already demoed.

    Had two sessions so far with it, and it’s playing extremely well. For the record my main racquet is auraspeed 90K 4U, which is very good but quite demanding to access power. K8 is playing very much the same but is easier on the arm and much more powerful. I lose a little on precision / net play (auraspeed 90K is a ****ing scalpel!) but it’s so much easier when at the rear court that I can live with...

    A very good racquet for the price I paid (70€ on AliExpress). Really powerful for its manoeuvrability and not too taxing on the arm. Don’t hesitate!
     
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  7. Father Parrot

    Father Parrot Regular Member

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    Is your main still the 90K?
     
  8. ice man

    ice man Regular Member

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    It’s still in my bag but I’m moving towards K8...
     
  9. ice man

    ice man Regular Member

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    Third session with K8 and honestly this thing is incredible. Manoeuvrability is top notch for the power it packs. I’m an intermediate player with good athletic qualities / defense / counter attack and everything else is average. Played against two advanced players tonight and they really had a hard time breaking my defense. This K8 moves bloody fast and grip size is perfect to change grips quickly.
    Power is really awesome for such a light racquet. Hits way harder than 90K and is more accessible.
    I was the kind of player who plays well with racquets such as BS12 but who was lacking power to penetrate from back court... this problem is no more!

    I’m so happy with it I just ordered two more... for around 70€ a piece it’s a steal
     
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  10. KWSKJP

    KWSKJP Regular Member

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    A review for Master 900
    https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/c-TikSk4KDrdg9wPYrP2qg (for those who can read Chinese)

    Translation:

    Review of Master 900
    The star of this review is the latest chapter in the Kawasaki “Mao” series. This racket is designed and developed jointly by Kawasaki and coach Li Mao, bore from the collaboration of the Kawasaki R&D team, professional players from the Kawasaki Badminton Club and Toray Japan where it underscores true ‘Maoist’ principles from design to performance.

    One may be familiar with Mao 18, Master 800, and so on when it comes to Kawasaki products. Now in 2020, Kawasaki released the latest member of the Master series, The Master 900. I happened to have a friend who got this racket, so together, we are reviewing the Kawasaki Master 900.

    We first begin with the principles and objectives of the design. The design consultant for this racket is Li Mao, the pioneer of ‘霸王杀’ (All Conquering Smash) and China national men's singles coach. With that in mind my initial expectation is likely a head heavy racket suitable for singles. The specification of the racket in review is 4u with an obvious head heavy balance point coupled with a shaft on the stiffer side and able to handle 18-32lbs. Strung in Victor VBS66N at 26x28 pounds.

    Racket parameters
    Weight – 86g
    Balance Point – 300mm
    Tension – Max 32lbs
    Length – 675mm

    Frame and shaft
    Frame: Aerodynamic reinforced composite with super high-density carbon fiber reinforced frame. Toray Japan's hi-modulus carbon material is used to enhance the overall strength and toughness of the racket.

    Shaft: Strengthen inner core resulting in a more solid and stiff shaft, not yet extra-stiff though. No sense of energy loss during the hitting process. The repulsion is very good and requires a certain degree of explosive force of the fingers and wrist.

    Swing speed
    First impressions on dry swing. The Master 900 has an aerodynamic frame with a higher balance point. The swinging feel is obviously head-heavy compared to Yonex NR900. There are still certain requirements on the player’s strength. The thick aerodynamically designed frame comes as a reprieve as it added the power advantage that comes with a high balance point yet also possess the ease and guile of an aerodynamic racket.

    On the whole, it is very similar to the Yonex Voltric series racket but with an aerodynamic frame, or simply a ZF2 with an aerodynamic frame. The swing speed is suitable for defensive counterattack, control and those who likes to leverage on the power from a higher balance point. For one on a decent level of skill and power, it is equally suitable for both singles and doubles, after all it all boils down to 70% skill and 30% racket.

    Smash
    As mentioned above, the swing weight of the Master 900 feels similar to the power of Yonex ZF2 yet with speed of an aerodynamic frame, making it easier to control. The stability and rear court pressing efficacy is one of the biggest advantages of this racket. Be it slice or smash, even the very repulsive Victor VBS66N string does not feel wobbly. The shaft is stiff and the entire package has a solid feedback especially during smashes where there is a clear sense of stability. Compared to speed rackets like Yonex NR900, Master 900's smash is heavier and more oppressive which is ideal for players who enjoys a heavier swing weight that wields more power.

    Drives
    Be it in attack where one requires more explosive power or defense where one requires good anticipation and reading, the stiff and solid Master 900 shaft provides a very solid and swift response like a master adept in striking a balance between power and delicate touches at the right place and time.

    Control
    Control another major strength of this racket. The stiff shaft provides crisp and refreshing feedback which can be easily felt by players of a decent level. The control is most evident in clears and delicate net shots.

    As mentioned earlier, the Master 900 is very comfortable to use. If you have good control of power, clears can be excellent. Net shots felt pretty good. Frame size is conventional and the 80 holes gives a wider sweet spot which improves the fault tolerance rate to a certain extent. While the shaft and frame are stiff, there is a good degree of solidness and repulsion. Delicate movements do not require too much force and it can be easily controlled with the fingers.

    Defense
    This racket is great for defensive block and placement returns typically used in singles. In contrast to defensive drive returns typically used in doubles, the Master 900's temperament is more sophisticated. It isn’t just good in ton for ton defensive returns but it is equally adept in defensive placement shots like cross court returns. For players with good wrist and finger power control, everything is within your absolute control.

    Feel
    Comparing with rackets of similar profile, the racket has pretty good feel. When you get too much of something, something else has to give. It is the same concept between tensile strength and tensile modulus where a playable racket can’t be stiff yet brittle at the same time. What I feel is that players who have decent physical strength and good technique can bring out the best attacking prowess of this racket.

    Head to Head
    The racket is more of a control racket with a moderately head heavy profile, thus a comparison with the classic Yonex Arc 11 seems appropriate. Overall due to a slightly stiffer shaft than Arc 11, the Master 900 has a more direct feedback from the string bed. Placing it alongside with Yonex ZF2, the Master 900 has lesser air resistance, so it can be somewhat regarded as a ZF2 light with about the same stiffness but a lower kick point.

    Summary
    This Kawasaki Master 900 is the most dominating racket in the rear court. From the rear court, shots are crisp and precise, clears felt solid, undemanding ease of recovery on each smash. The thick frame profile, repulsion and aerodynamics is a perfect foil in the front and mid court kills.

    Therefore, if you want a heavy head, 90K is not enough and ZF2 is too much. Kawasaki Master 900 is just right.
     
  11. Dave1011

    Dave1011 Regular Member

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    It sounds a bargain, @ice man, where do you buy Kawasaki rackets from? Ive seen a few sellers in UK but the price is much higher.
     
  12. ice man

    ice man Regular Member

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    Kawasaki’s official store on AliExpress!

    Honestly it costs 149€ in France. I would never buy this racquet at this price because it’s not that hyped compared to Yonex and the likes. But 70€?! It’s a steal! The racquet is really well made. Really powerful considered it’s 4U and incredible manoeuvrability...
     
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  13. Martynas

    Martynas Regular Member

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    yea k8 is much better than 9 :).. and the whole current range is a joke, ok masters are fine (for singles), ninja 66 is not playable due to being very flexy, s6 is much better than s7 and so on....
     
  14. Tai Yuan Sin

    Tai Yuan Sin New Member

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    Quick question about the 3u and 4u King K9, how big of a difference is the balance and stiffness?
     
  15. Rimano

    Rimano Regular Member

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    Don't say that about S7, I've got 2 sitting around just waiting to be used.
    Also, are these opinions based on personal testing?

    Sent from my MI 8 using Tapatalk
     
  16. Tennyson

    Tennyson Regular Member

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    I don't exactly feel the same having played with them before. There are merits in them and due credit should be given. Will post a review in due time.
     
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  17. Tennyson

    Tennyson Regular Member

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    The 3U has a 4/5 balance rating to the 3/5 on 4U. 3U is slightly though palpable stiffer than 4U. The 3U is way different with a more serious color tone. I like it more than the 88d 3U i was using before. Same prowess but with a more slim frame, bigger sweet spot and slightly less demanding.
     
  18. Tai Yuan Sin

    Tai Yuan Sin New Member

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    A comparison I got from a local shop is that the 4u is comparable to the 88s while the 3u is to the 88d. Would you say that its accurate? Also have you tried the master 900?
     
  19. Tennyson

    Tennyson Regular Member

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    88S and K9 4U are hardly like for like since 88S is stiffer and have a shorter shaft. What is sure is K9 4U is very all around good mix of attack and defense and the mid flex makes it very easy to handle. 88D 3U and K9 3U are closer and i felt K9 3U is easier to achieve the same effectiveness. Master 900 is nice and responsive, stiff yet not considered demanding at all. There have been reviews on this thread that you refer.
     
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  20. Tennyson

    Tennyson Regular Member

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    Hi All, This is my review of the Kawasaki S7 racket. This is one of the new 2020 launch from Kawasaki.

    Specs:

    83.5g (4u), BP 286mm dry, Yonex BG66 Ultimax at 26 lbs, 2 knots, Around the world.

    Dry Swing:

    This is yet another delightfully boxed racket that comes with a racket bag, grip and string. The tech behind it is a blade frame that is quite slim and chiselled very similar to the Victor sword frames but sharper. This is said to strengthen and stabilize the structure for better precision and solid feel which is supposed to be an improvement or alternative to the very easy all around Honor S6 released in 2019.The frame indeed makes it very manoeuvrable and aerodynamic which produces a swordish sound. Air resistance on dry swing is comparable to Victor Jetspeed, Auraspeed series yet felt a little more solid suggests a speedy all round racket.

    Gameplay: The slim shaft certainly enhanced the control and feel. Power is pretty easy from base to base clears without feeling too flexi nor too stiff. Just about the ideal stiffness. The blade frame seems to enhance the solid feel and control. It has a slightly larger frame than usual rackets giving it a good sweet spot. Note that the slim graphene shaft is supposed to provide added repulsiveness to a mid stiff racket. I didn’t feel extraordinarily repulsive which is a good thing that keeps it in control. Perhaps it made a mid stiff racket have the repulsiveness of a stiff shaft. Extremely easy one to get used to. Isn’t as floaty as some Jetspeed series. I would describe it as having a AWD feel that has a certain gravity keeping it stable in control on the ground as opposed to a floaty FWD in handling corners. The stability and relative ease makes it very easy to generate power and even decent precision despite being a speed racket. It is very easy to manoeuvre and very quick in defence.

    Rating:
    Clear: 8.5 (Jetspeed 12 as 8.5, Auraspeed 9k as 9)
    Netting: 8 (Jetspeed 12 as 8, Auraspeed 9k as 9)
    Defence: 9 (Jetspeed 12 as 8.5, Auraspeed 9k as 9)
    Accuracy: 8 (Jetspeed 12 as 7.5, Auraspeed 9k as 8)
    Drive: 9 (Jetspeed 12 as 8.5, Auraspeed 9k as 9)
    Smash: 8.5 (Jetspeed 12 as 8, Auraspeed 9k as 8)

    Overall:
    This racket is easy to adapt and very attackingly all round, suitable for all sort of players, be it singles, doubles, attacking or defensive. In fact it is pretty all round despite being an even balanced racket. The aerodynamic layered graphene coating on the very slim shaft probably added more speed and control. The only gripe being not having the power of an attacking racket but is ahead of the usual speed rackets in terms of power.
     
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