My budget is around 60-70, maybe 80 USD but is pushing it. This will be my first real racket, and I'll likely be practicing a lot with others on a badminton team. I play singles mainly. I've been using a cheap no name Chinese racket or sharing with friends and noticed I play defensively with less focus on smashing, but I'm looking for a good all around racket in case I switch styles. The problem is that I've spent the last 5 hours reading and reading, and can't find enough information to actually make a decision on what actually is a good racket. I read the positives on one brand and then jump to another that's just as good. Where should I buy my racket online and what should I buy? For example, I heard Yonex was manufactured in both Taiwan and Japan (and this is the can of worms I mentioned above)... and so on, and so forth. Thanks!
choosing a racket isnt difficult, first look at the specs. sicne you're a defensive player, try to get a head light racket where it'll be easier to lift the racket in defence, the tradeoff being a head heavy or balanced racket would have more power in the smash and overhead returns. flex shouldnt matter as much, but if you are that strong or smash very often, medium or high flex would be ok. max tension depends on you, i personally like it tied at 28lbs, but it varies from one person to the next. a 4u racket should be the choice since its lighter. idk how is it in your place, but in msia, yonex, victor and li ning are way to exp, so fleet and apacs are my go to. i heard many praises for the fleet duo tech 11, yonex recently released their voltric dg series, it can tie up to 35lbs and its pretty cheap for a reputable brand, apacs has good reputation as well, im using a decent apacs n force III, z-ziggler, its pretty good since i got it on sale. up to you, happy playing!
If he's playing singles msotly, he could even try a slightly head heavy racket like a Voltric 5 or 7. Those a good value, easy to use rackets, so I've heard.
I would recommend, as always for singles, a 3u racket with a slightly head heavy balance point. Nothing too extreme, nothing too stiff. 295 is usually considered even balance, so somewhere between 295 and 300, in my opinion. Light rackets are nice, but the frames are so aerodynamic that sometimes the racket won't generate enough pure force to return the shuttle well. I would recommend something with a box frame shape (more square) to this end. As long as you don't pick up a crazy sledgehammer like the zf2, I don't think your defence will suffer. Not for singles anyway. If you suddenly use a really light, aerodynamic racket, then a lot of other elements of your game can suffer. You'll also have a teething period where you're going to need to get used to the new racket. This is normal. Just expect it. So 295-300, and 85-90 grams, nothing super aerodynamic. Nothing stiff/extra stiff rated. I can't give you a specific recommendation, but that's the kind of racket I think you should look at.
a decent racket for cheap price is dunlop graviton from sports direct uk-change string tension afterwards=good
I would take a serious look at the voltric 5 good racket for the price. I have used the VT5 a lot and it performs well quick and with reasonably good power.
I have been using the Apacs Force 80 racket for the past 2 months and found that it is very impressive. With good power to hit from baseline to baseline, and great control when playing near net.
