For the benefit of forum members who do not have tons of disposable cash or who are just plain cheap, can anyone recommend a top quality racket for the price of a cheapie? The choice should be a top quality racket that can stand among the very best of rackets regardless of price, but should be available real cheap -- basically a true high-grade gem quality diamond for the price of glass. The racket must have good build and withstand high tensions. What would be ideal would be a racket of the quality and playability of an MP 100, MP 99, or Ti 10 but for less than an MP22 or the Cab8200. Obviously, one will not find such gems with Yonex (except maybe with older models at close-out sales), but maybe a good no-name brand will qualify. Possibilities include Prince Triple Threat Rip, Genji, Karakal, and others. Why would the racket be considered a top quality racket? Please list the brand, model, features, play qualities, strengths, and weaknesses. Ron
I dont think that's possible. The Cab 8200 at SportsMart is $50 CDN. I have no idea how much a mp22/33 costs since it's not available here yet. For the brands that you listed, the "good" racquets cost more than double that. I think the price range needs to be bumped up to at least $100 CDN or $70 USD.
Oki doki -- quality of a US$200+ racket for under US$100 and preferably under US$70. I have seen top of the line Karakal for US$90, but am not sure how Karakal plays. The Genji line looks very promising for US$70, but am not sure whether the rackets are really good or just hype. Any recommendations anyone? Ron
how about Carlton? i have (actually, had) a couple of Alpha, Winex and have had my hands on Karakal. not used any of the latest Winex, but i cannot vouch for Alpha. Karakal seems to be leaning on the "light is better" marketing trend which doesn't fit my preference. i have used a Carlton AB1000 and it is pretty good. and if you are in the right country, all the Carlton models can be available at less than US$70. they do tend to jack up the price by a lot in the US though.
My vote goes for Yangyang... Anyone tried their lower end models in Ti-Woven series? They are priced for $69.95 in badmintonalley. Also, some lower end Victor rackets are good enough for beginner. Dominator Ti ($55) got my vote, too.
I guess Kason TSF 98 should be listed. This racket is in 3U/G4-G5 format, stiff but not extra stiff like Ti-10 or Ti-8. Many Chinese provincial team players and Chinese Junior national team members use it, even Lin Dan and Chen Hong used it in Chinese internal tournament. Made from High module graphite. Very solid. Can stand up to 28-30lb tension. Price is around RMB400.00, if you can get several(5) people buy some stuffs from bbesports.com or bbeshop.com thus cut the shipping down to US$8, it is a great deal. I have two of Kason 98 and many of my school team memebers have it.
I agree with Kwun.... Carlton's are a good bet, expecially in SE Asia... I recently bought a Carlton Airblade Ti Superlite for just around $40US... the best part of it is that it came with a Carlton Bullet Bag worth $25US and a roll of shuttles worth $10US both for free. This is one of Carlton's top rackets and i have strung it at 25lbs without any signs of deformity or cracking to the frame... using a drop weight machine as well!
Where I live, nearly all of the non-yonex racquets are in the same price range, reflected by their performance. I guess finding the "gem" will actually be finding the sale, and which ever is discounted the most.
actually, i just participated in a "knight to remember" tourney, using only Black Knight rackets. I have to say that I am very impress with the i940 and the rapier (dominic soong model). These rackets looked great and played even better. I usually play with a YY iso ti, but found the transition very nice. another racket to consider is victor, if you like old school and the traditional oval frames
Though i havent been playing for a long time, i have tried out several racquets. and ive found the Rapier BE to be one of the best racquets! It's an inexpensive way to get a reliable awesome racquet. I know there are many other racquets prolly much better in qual than this one...but it has really grown on me. Plus, i really support Soong
After recently breaking one of my yonex rackets I've just started playing with the wilson v6. It's a nicely balanced racket and it'll take 30lbs of tension as well. Another advantage over yonex is if you break the thing in a clash you can just send it back and they'll replace it, whereas yonex are not easy to get replacements out of...
haha, I also got 2 carlton rackets,rasmussen tour and airblade superlite,both 24lbs,both give me lots of fun,especially in double-game.lighter lift and faster smash,never feel so good
Check Out Hi-Que racket and they had pretty good repetition http://www.badmintoncentral.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=312&sort=7&cat=19&page=1 Their US website: www.hiqua.com
you can get fleet its a taiwanese brand. its REALLY good. i think ppl in malaysia have it too. its good racquets are really cheap, u can get them at around 60$ if u get a good dealer
i would recommend proace to you all out there.the feel of the racket is great and unique and packs a real punch in defending or attacking.the top of the end proace rackets may cost us$60.but a racket that is us$50 would be excellent.thunderblot II ,platinum 530 are great.
Hi everyone, RSL make excellent rackets for really cheap. The top models should not cost more than over $70US. Anyways, you can check out www.rsl-1928.com for model info. I use an RSL racket myself and must say it compares pretty well to my Yonex rackets. The rackets are all about 3U in weight with stiffness ranging from flexible to extra stiff. Most of the RSL rackets I have tried are even balanced and some have the Muscle Power frame like Yonex. The one I currently use is a Millenium Attack TI 3200 which has awesome power, is very light and holds tension up to 28lbs. The build quality is excellent, much better than Yonex I think. The paint job etc. is spot on. The only weakness is that for people that prefer head heavy rackets this racket may not be the one for you. Besides that I highly recommend it. Cheers
MP33 Anyday I would say MP33. It has the stiffness and balance of an MP100. Is very powerful as well. Comes for less than US$100. Actually the MRP is around that and then it depends on what discounts you can manage. Unfortunately has been out of production so I am not sure how many of us would be able to get one. Alternatively, Wilson ncode 90, which is priced similar to MP33. Th feel of ncode 90 in the hand is very good and it is a very powerful racket as well.
I'll recommend Babolat Comet. I have most of the Top of range Yonex rackets. I find the AT700 and MP99 are the only can compare with the Babolat Comet. Both the Yonex racket are over $200 AUD here. But the Comet only cost me $150. After playing with the Babolat rackets. I have more then a month not play even one single game with any Yonex racket that I've got.
