So I was at a tournament yesterday and one of the guys sat next to me was playing with a racket that looked a lot like a Yonex Nanospeed 9900. I took a look and saw that it was actually an Apacs racket that looked similar. Really similar. Actually pretty much exactly the same. The racket was called the Nano 9900 and had pretty much exactly the same design as the Nanospeed 9900. My question is, how did a well known brand like Apacs ever get away with making and selling an obvious knockoff of another brand's racket (or the other way around if Apacs made their racket first)? I've attached a photo I took of the Apacs racket and one of the NS9900. Sent from my SM-J500FN using Tapatalk
Well, if you came to Malaysia you will more rip off design from others companies. Apacs, Fleet, Maxx and many more using High End Design. Apacs Lethal 10 is Victor BS12 Rip Off. Apacs N-Force 3 is VTZF2 Rip off. LOL
Apacs is known for ripping off popular rackets. It's not like they are trying to sell it as a Yonex racket or anything, and I doubt Yonex has patented their rackets or owns the come scheme as intellectual property. So yes they can get away with it. Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk
Hmm I just didn't realise companies could get away with that kind of copying. Thought Yonex would hit them with a copyright claim or something. Sent from my SM-J500FN using Tapatalk
Uh no it probably costs them more to sue or carry out a lawsuit against these companies than the actual potential revenue they might recover. In layman terms: not worth it to sue these companies.
That's probably true. I wouldn't have thought many people would buy an Apacs copy over a high end Yonex. People know the brands too well. Sent from my SM-J500FN using Tapatalk
I got the impression and was kind of surprised you're not that aware that APACS has been cosmetically copying mostly yonex rackets for sometime now, if not for a long time already. If you look at many of their rackets, they are dead ringer Yonex rackets. I had A finapi 88 before and it looks almost every bit a VT80.
My guess is that in countries like Malaysia there are probably more Apacs racket grade owners than Yonex owners. To be frank, Apacs is phenomenal for the value. Although they will never entirely re-create the feel of a Yonex racket, they come so close that you wouldn't believe they were a fraction of the price.
Look/design wise they r YY replicas but 'feel' wise do they play similarly? Also their QC is not that good, qualities varies within d same model. Different batches feel different, n wayyy too mny models. So I prefer to stay away from them
Apacs clone rackets feel no where near anything they are trying to copy. They are all basic graphite racquets repainted to look like a Yonex racket. Companies that do this basically produce thousands of rackets in a batch with the same initial specs and then sort and paint them according to their final specs. They are mostly medium balanced and medium flex rackets, which is why they are so popular. Some things explain Apacs' success: People who buy fake racquets and clones are usually beginners and low intermediate players, so the medium flex rackets benefit them very well. In their mind, their racket is exactly the same as the real deal, but they paid much less for it, so it looks like an incredible deal. Ensues the "Hey man, chek out this racket, it's the same thing as thiss 200$ racket, but costs 50$" word of mouth, which carries the brand pretty far. Coming up with a good racket design is pretty hard. When your whole line up is copied from other brands' success, your whole line up looks great! Their main (non clone) racquets are actually decent and well priced, which helps their credibility in the intermediate+ market.
I'm not very up to date with their line up. Back in the days, their popular lines were Slayer, Tantrum, Lethal, Feather Weight
I believe the Featherweights, Virtuoso and duals are some of the others I can think of. But with my experience (though limited) on APACS rackets, Tantrum 200 II was the best for me so far.
I tried dry swinging strung Tantrum 200ii but didn't like d 'feel', like the frame is smwhat 'left behind' or not too integral to the shaft The Duals r not Duora's clones? I am just interested in non-clones Apacs rackets. Thanx anyway..
Not sure what to make of that frame description on the Tantrum 200II, but to me and some other more advanced guys we simply love how it plays, especially with the right string and tension.
blend duos I mean This range for what i know preceded the introduction of the YY Duora. APACS also have the Ziggler series with some models on this range a favorite with some pros
I held a new unstrung Ziggler LHI Pro, it was excellent but a bit too heavy for me as now i rarely play singles. Is Z LHI a bit lighter n more suitable for doubles? For singles I hv Victor Artery Tec99, Tsai Tzu Ying's ol racket
Frankly i haven't used a Z LHI so i can't tell. Sorry about that. But for what i know it's Lee Hyun's racket, a korean men's singles player. Sent from my SM-J320F using Tapatalk
