SOTX rackets

Discussion in 'Racket Recommendation / Comparison' started by LuckyBoy, May 2, 2006.

  1. jerby

    jerby Regular Member

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    ai yes...
    I play with a w7 myself, it swings slightly heavier than a cp6000. good power, nice flex (for me)
    the w7i is right between the cp6k and w7 (weight-wise) but extra stiff..

    I personally have a hard time playing with the 7i, it's just too stiff for me (except when I smash, then it's nice ;) ) I like the stiffness of the w7 and cp6k. Very comfortable...

    As for the cp6k, excuse the shameless advertisement, but I have a few left ;)
    http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=834226#post834226
     
  2. Arceid

    Arceid Regular Member

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    Actually, I'm an intermediate player so maybe the w7i will be too stiff for me too. I'll see which one I prefer between the w7 and the cp6000.

    i'll buy the racket in at least in a month because it will be my birthday, so my parents will buy it for me :) Anyway, thanks for your help.

    Arceid
     
  3. hunkajunk69

    hunkajunk69 Regular Member

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    If you like slightly more head heavy the Woven 10 is more head heavy that the woven 10i. I actually really like it and own 2. It packs good power but is responsive enough to play good defense with.

    I'll sell you one if you want :D
     
  4. weinsteinium

    weinsteinium Regular Member

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    I've been trying to justify buying a Woven 7 but from things that you and DinkALot have been saying it seemed like it might not have enough defense for my tastes.

    So what has changed for you two that brought you back to the Woven 7.

    As for me, I'm currently playing with a 8 year old Yang Yang Tactic 9000 (88-92g, balanced headweight (mine is 282mm with strings and overgrip), 667mm long, aerodynamic head). I'd like to keep the defense and add more power. I don't have any problems with defense with the Tactic 9000 so I think that I could handle the weight of the Woven 7 but I'm not sure that I like the idea of the headweight. I'm a pretty big guy 6' 210lbs and would probably be described as an arm player (i.e. I generate more power with my arm than my wrist).

    I was thinking of getting a Woven 2 from puppysports 'cause DinkALot rated it as having almost as much power as a Woven 7 but better defense.

    As for other racquets I've tried, I've been mostly borrowing light racquets because that's what people I know have. I really liked the Armortec 9000T (good defense and good power) but that's hardly comparable to the big power Woven's.

    Will I be disapointed with the Woven 7's defense.

    ben
     
  5. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
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    88-92g is a very big difference in weight.

    If you get a 89.5 - 91g Woven 7, I think you'll be fine.
     
  6. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
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    All-around for me, it has the best combination.
     
  7. weinsteinium

    weinsteinium Regular Member

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    So when people buy their Sotx racquets have they been able to specify and exact weight and balance point?

    I sent an email to puppysports asking about that but haven't heard back.

    I talked with Lap Nguyen at http://www.sotxsports.com.au and he was very good about emailing me the exact weights for the Woven 7i's they had in stock (either 90.5 or 91.5). From your racquet reviews there doesn't seem to be much difference between the Woven 7 and 7i except that the 7i is slightly stiffer and on average lighter.

    If I got the 90.5g 7i would you consider that to be about the equivilent of a 90g 7? Or would you consider the 7i to be a more difficult racquet for a beginner/intermediate player because of it's stiffness?

    On the Woven 2, there is a huge weight range from 84-92. You didn't specify in your review what kind of Woven 2 you tried but would it be fair to assume that an 84g Woven would be relatively weak (similar in power to a woven 8 or 9) while a 92g Woven 2 would be closer to a Woven 7?
     
  8. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
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    I need to update all my reviews to the weight reviewed. But that's not so easy as some of the reviews were a few years ago and/or some rackets were not weighed.

    Recommended SOTX Dealers:
    Lap in Australia
    MJ of Strings Attached
    Jerry of SOTXsports.nl

    Any of the three can help you with all your needs.

    I had a few Woven 7is and they were lighter than the regular 7. Somehow I just didn't like it as much overall. The 7 for me is a more comfortable, safer bet.

    I have to also update my racket reviews. I just prefer the Woven 7 over the 2. Hard to explain why. The 7 is just better suited for me.



     
  9. ormy4

    ormy4 Regular Member

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    W9 is not a weak racket by any stretch I am at least your size and find the w7 [89 g's] too slow on defence. I like the power of the 9 and the defense is so much better. Don't use the w7 anymore it is even up for sale in the forum if you have the money the w16 is what I would be curious about . Making a nice return is similar to laying down a nice smash so its a balancing act on what makes you happy.
     
  10. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
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    Yep, personal preference, it just depends. For me, the W9 is too light but yes, fast and has good defense, much better than the W7. But the 7 is just much more powerful for me and a worthy trade-off on defense.

    So, again, each person has his/her personal preference, that's why there are so many different rackets. :)
     
  11. weinsteinium

    weinsteinium Regular Member

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    When I said relatively weak I didn't mean compared to racquets in general I meant compared to 90+g Woven 7. :D

    I've been fluttering back and forth between convincing myself that I want to buy the Woven 2, 7, 7i and 9 at various times. I had finally decided on the Woven 2 when suddenly Jerby & DinkALot proclaimed the refound greatness of the Woven 7 thus throwing my plans into doubt.

    I'd say that I'm about 60/40 offense and defense. When I played with a Kason ultralight my defense improved about 10-15% but my power went down by 50% and I realized that I didn't like playing defensive. My control and placement isn't great on drops. I'm really not a finesse player, but on the other hand I do a pretty good job of covering the court and I hustle pretty well on the court (I'm a quick 210lbs) I don't think that I'd be happy with any racquet that left me defenseless.

    So Ormy4, how would you rate the power and defense of the Woven 7 vs. Woven 9? And have you tried a Woven 2?
     
  12. weinsteinium

    weinsteinium Regular Member

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    Unfortunately mjstrings.ca and sotxsports.com.au are out of the Woven 7. With the weakness of the US dollar and the power of the Euro, sotxsport.nl is pretty pricey. My cheapest Woven 7 option would be ibuysports.com. Anyone able to get specific weight on racquets from them? I've read that that they can be slow to respond to emails.
     
  13. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
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    If you are looking for a Woven 7, I have a few I can spare. :D
     
  14. GT0ro

    GT0ro Regular Member

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    ibuysports.com also has a combo deal for 3 sotx racquets @ $230 USD + a multi-racquet bag. If you ask, i believe you can get any combination of w7, w8, w9 racquet. but yeah, i chipped in with a friend and got 2 w8 and 1 w9 for $230. shipping took longer than expected but everything else was fine.
     
  15. ormy4

    ormy4 Regular Member

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    Had a w2 briefly along with a w4 from D as a matter of fact. Power very similiar w4 felt faster in D but since w2 is shorter is in fact quicker.

    w7 power 9.5 defence 8,

    w9 power 9, defence 9

    w2 power 9.2, defence 8.5

    w8 power 8.8 defence 9.2

    w16 power 9.5 defence 8.7 best control

    w4 power 9.2, defence 8.3


    singles w16 , w7
    doubles w9, w8

    these are the ones I tried
    easiest one to use w8, most enjoyable w9, best quality w16

    My doubles partner used my w7 for quite a while tried the w9 and we both agreed the w9 for us didn't give up much power and the defense was great. My w7 is suppose to be 89 g but when all strung and grips put on it was actually 3g lighter than my w9a so this is also a factor. Lots of nice rackets out there don't buy a racket based on other people. I have learned heavy 4u to light 3u's are best for me for doubles. Tension put at 22 or 23 lbs and work your way up as higher kills your arm until you get used to it. Plus they break faster from miss hits.
    Have fun
     
  16. Fidget

    Fidget Regular Member

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    The Woven 2 is a nice racket with a good smash, and it is cheaper than any other Woven. What do you have to lose?

    Like you, I anguished over the threads until coming across Dinkalot's brief note on the w2 in his chart. Since I received it from puppysports I have never regretted it. It is more powerful than my woven 8 and not much slower. I had half a mind to buy a w7 just to see what the big deal is....but I think I'd better save the money and put it toward a couple of lessons.
    Good luck.
     
    #176 Fidget, Mar 31, 2008
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2008
  17. weinsteinium

    weinsteinium Regular Member

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    Thanks Fidget. It sounds like you were in the exact same boat. The Woven 2 and 9 are my safe rackets. Either one has solid defense and better power than what I have now. It's the lure of the huge power that the Woven 7 offers that is forcing me to think.

    Btw, Fidget, do you know the weight and balance point on your Woven 2?

    Also, I quite like the Armortec 900T when I played with it. Specwise the Woven 9 seems kinda similar (average weight 84g, rated Good+ defense/power by DinkALot). Does it actually play similar?
     
  18. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
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    If you have the funds, I'd say get them and try for yourself. No one can tell you for sure what's right for you. Heck, from day to day, you may even change your preferences.

    Like I've said before, everyone's different. I love the W7 and W11, didn't really care for the W16 no matter what the specs say. Some others swear by the 16. It's all relative.

    To know for sure, you have to try them. And even then it's tough because you have to have the same string, same tension, or different tension to optimize...

    ...case and point, when I first tried the Arc Saber 7, it was strung with BG65 at 24lbs. crank. It played like @ss. A month later, I tried another one, strung with BG66 at 25lbs. crank. It played much better but was still just OK in my book. Then yet another month later, I tried the AS7 with BG66 at 28lbs. constant pull. OMG! What a difference. The racket was awesome in everything but power. From a scale of 1 to 10, 5 being average, 7 being good, the first one was a 4, the second one a 6.5 and the third one, an 8.0-8.5. So you see, just the string and the tension was a huge difference.

    It's a crazy badminton world with too many variables. :p
     
  19. jerby

    jerby Regular Member

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    wow... I sure did miss something, darn timezone:p

    I agree with Dink, we can't decide for you whether it's going to be a w9 or a w7... I actually quite liked the w9 as well, but the w7 is more stable (and somehow, feels less flexy)
    the 7i is too stiff for my taste, in any other stroke except smashing it just feel too rigid...

    you could always try a D900, which is slightly flexier, but right in between the w7 and w9 ;)
    being the popular racket it is, if you don't like it...selling one here on BC shouldn't be too hard ;)
     
  20. Fidget

    Fidget Regular Member

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    Sorry, I'm not so fastidious as to know the weight/balance of my w2.
    I ordered; it came; I smiled.

    You are suffering from Option Dilemma. There are so many wonderful racquets out there that I'm sure several would serve you well. But the idea that there might be a Holy Grail perfect racquet that you might miss is driving you crazy. I can hear your hair turning gray.:eek:

    I agree with Dinkalot...buy two or three of your top choices, if you can afford it, and toy around. Balance points and flex stats don't mean anything if you don' t have one in you hand.
    Cheers.
     

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