hmm seems like the lightning is a good fit for me!! i will try to find one around my area... thanks timeless and cappy!! the store near me (canuckstuff.com) only carries the 2004 version.. there is not MAJOR difference between the 2 right? (2004 and 2005)
The Mizuno Lightning is new for 2004 through to 2005. There's only the one model as it's a completely new design. The Canuckstuff website says $20 off, can you find out when you buy yours whether that's $20 off $129, or is $129 already the lowered sale price? Looks really sharp too. Everyone is always eyeing Cappy's Lightnings at the club. I might mail order a pair from Canuckstuff.com as well if the lateral support proves good. Otherwise I'll order another pair of Typhoons.
Oh! Bravo! Fantastic! Gorgeous! So delicate!!! This is too sexy!!!!!!!!!! It's beyond my extravaganza to have it, now! Anyone knows how to get it in Hong Kong?
Dear timeless, I really admire your profound knowledge in these shoes. This thread sounds like a "Mizuno thread" dressed as "Asics": when people wants to buy "Asics" and come here to consult, after reading all the posts here they go home with a pair of Mizuno. So I have a very serious personal question for you: I should buy Mizuno, right? thank you and best regards red
I am a recent Mizuno convert myself, having bought Yonex and HiTec shoes before. I think Mizuno and Asic are almost identical since they often copy one another's model names for their respective lines. Timeless, the lateral support of the Lightning is pretty good although I suspect Stratosphere and Epic to be superior. It's pretty light, so there has to be some compromise made somewhere on the Lightning. Mizuno shoes are superior to Yonex shoes because of the technologies involved. Mizuno Wave technology is the edge over Yonex's Power Cushion and 3D Graphite Sheet composite. I suspect that Mizuno shoes, even with replaced insoles, outlast Yonex shoes because their shock dispersion system is so good. My SHB89's cushion was really good for about 1-2 months and then it just goes down hill from there. Without Yonex original insoles, my 89 is just not the same. I get pain on the balls of my feet when I replaced the insoles with other brands. I wanted to try out Yonex's 98 but changed my mind after considering Mizuno's longer experience and specialty in manufacturing athletic indoor shoes. So far, the Lightning has yet to fail me. I think I have found the "ONE". BTW, the Lightning is a volleyball shoe... Mizuno has yet to release a badminton specific shoe in North America.
Mizuno Volleyball Shoes vs Mizuno Badminton shoes For those interested in Mizuno shoes for badminton playing (instead of using Mizuno volleyball shoes), the following may be worth your attention:- http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19895 http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15091 I believe the following are talking about Mizuno volleyball shoes (which carried art. no. of 9KV-xxxxx) in the thread titled Asics Gel-Tactic or Asics Gel Floater? which started off on discussion Asics shoes for volleyball? or badminto? and then off track to discussion about Mizuno volleyball shoes :- Mizuno Blocker in #15 Mizuno Epic & Mizuno Stratosphere in #18 Mizuno Wave Spike 6 & Mizuno Wave Epic in #20 Mizuno Wave Blocker in #25 Stratosphere 2003 in#26  Mizuno Stratosphere 2003 in #45 Mizuno Epic 2 in #54 mizuno epic and stratosphere in #55 Epic, or now Epic 2, stratosphere, Mizuno Lightning in#56 Mizuno Lightning in #58 Mizuno 2005 Wave Lightning in #60 Mizuno Lightning in #62 Lightning in #66
leehsim, Thank you for your help. I really appreciate your contribution to our knowledge in these shoes. With your super profound expertize in shoes, we indeed would not get a wrong pair. Thanks(also thank you for your help in another thread) Best regards red
Mizuno Volleyball shoes vs. Mizuno Badminton shoes? The only reason I got those volleyball shoes in the first place is because I have little choice. I could ask someone to get them oversea, but then I hate to wait... and one should never ever get a new shoe model online unless one's familiar with the brand and model. It's quite a hassle to return them if they don't fit. Also, Yonex being a racquet company that make good racquets, does not necessarily make good shoes. Whereas Mizunos has specialise in shoes way before their racquets ever come out, so I get which ever brand that has the best track record on its respective area when it comes to equipment. So folks, it's up to you... footwork for volleyball and badminton is very similar especially in overheads and lateral movement. If I had a choice, I would definitely get a badminton specific Mizuno but such is not the case for me.
Don't be too worried: both are for wooden court. My friend has Mizuno's volleyball shoes too. He is very fussy about everything including shoes. He said that M's valleyball shoes is at least superior to YY's and a lot other famous "so called" "Badminton shoes".
I totally agreed to your observation about Yonex does not make good shoes. I used to wear Yonex badminton shoes before. After I was introduced to Mizuno badminton shoes (the only art.no. available in Singapore is 7KM-34009), I dumped all my old Yonex badminton shoes and switched to Mizuno Wave Gate (bought 2 pairs) and hoping that I can buy some other models of Mizuno badminton in Malaysia. I understood your difficulty to own a pair of Mizuno badminton shoes at your place. May be youare lucky if your look hard enough for Mizuno badminton shoes. I really envy those BFers in HK and Manila where they have quite a few models of Mizuno badminton shoes to choose from.
It's quite funny that during the World Jrs. in Richmond awhile back, a friend notice that the Japanese Junior squad wears everything Yonex but their shoes... guess which brand it is? Since the Japanese national team is so heavily sponsored by their own country's badminton company, so it seems to reason that everything should be YY. But that's certainly not the case here. Almost every other country's squad wears Yonex shoes except the Japanese national team.
When my wife was working in Reebok HK, our only "allowed" sports shoes were Reebok, Reebok, Reebok and MIZUNO indoor.
Yes, but everybody outside of Japan would think YY to be the badminton company... not Mizuno. Despite their racquets, Mizuno is still known as an athletic shoe company. So I guess sponsorship monopoly of national teams didn't include the Japanese squad.
Misuno is best known as the best indoor athletic shoes company in the sport World. (By the way, we might get an offtopic warning soon even Kwun participated here. The warning might be issued by cheung though cheung also might put a few words about how good Mizuno before he issue the warning)
I would like to have a pair of mizuno badminton shoes too.. but I cant find find any around my area... and seems like alot of ppl are using mizuno volleyball shoes and have good things to say about them.. i assume that its not much of a big deal if anyone know where to get mizuno badminton shoes in the toronto area.. please post here!
Just so no one gets the wrong idea, here are the plain and simple facts... Mizuno and Asics are equal in quality. Try them on and see for yourself which you prefer! It is an honest choice of personal preference. One thing is for certain though, both Mizuno and Asics have made athletic shoes for almost all sports for decades. Both companies make superior shoes to Yonex. Everyone in Japan knows it, and now you all know it. It is not a coincidence that the Japanese national team always uses Mizuno shoes. If they weren't using Mizuno, they would most likely be using Asics. Mizuno and Asics both make badminton specific shoes, just as they do for volleyball. However, their badminton specific shoes seem only available in Japan, and a few areas of Asia. For those who aren't fortunate enough to find the badminton specific shoes, their volleyball shoes are the next best choice, and are still far superior than Yonex. Just pick the volleyball shoes at your discretion and don't pick models with very high soles or you'll risk ankle injuries.
Well, my bro just bought for me the mizuno lighting. The only badminton model they were able to find in HK was the wave angle which I didnt fancy that much. The lighting for me was more slick in design I really wanted the WAVE SMASH SR but they didnt find it, they went to five shops already Man What is mizuno doing short stocking their dealers e?? If anyone know a shop in Hong Kong that sells the wave smash SR please let me know. Anyways, im getting another pair here in Cebu, Philippines, which is the WAVE EPIC 2. Since I have sweaty feet and I play 2-3 times a week its better to alternate them to preserve the shoe. Who knows maybe a third pair if anyone can tell me where the wave smash is availble in HK I heard from friends here that if you are flatfooted its better to get the volleyball shoes since they make your move more faster whilst the badmiton is sort of like flat makes your flatter feet flatter. I think mizuno considers their badminton and volleyball sorta like the same since they are calling these shoes on some other mizuno sites as "INDOOR" shoes. Which makes me conclude, they are really the same. Come to think of it, indoor volley and badminton really have kinda the same footwork!
If you go around the many sports or shoes stores in Mongkok in HK, you will find a wider selection of Mizuno volleyball shoes than Mizuno badminton shoes. There are more people playing indoor badminton than indoor volleyball in Hong Kong. So you can deduce there are a lot of people who have been misled. This is not very ethical. I play badminton with two different groups of players, almost all wear Mizuno indoor shoes, and more than half of them wear 9KV volleyball shoes. When I told them so, they were mad as hell! This is not very ethical of the stores.
