KAWASAKI Badminton

I use the Kawasaki hybrid shuttles (King Kong 500) for practice matches and drills and I’m very pleased with it. I also find the pricing of Kawasaki pretty aggressive compared to some other badminton brands. Although their catalogue is pretty filled with racket, shoes and clothes it is unfortunately impossible to find most of it across Europe. Availability in Europe might be something they could work on in the future. Why not an official Kawasaki online shop for the European market?!

 

Thank you very much. I actually didn’t know there was an Europe based online shop (located in Estonia if I understood correctly). The only issue for me is there are no 28 cms sized shoes available hehe but well at least clothes are available!

 

Thanks to Bro F for the try-out on the Kawasaki top end range of rackets. Being a player who was into brute force in my younger days and perpetually still trying to transit to a more controlled and slower paced style for nearly a decade due to creaking joints, I got myself a Kawasaki King K9 and Kawasaki Honor S6 from the friendly dealer who is also a certified ARSF stringer

Kawasaki King K9
Stiffness: Mid Flex
Balance: 295 mm
Weight: 85g
Frame: 203mm x 254mm
Type: All Round
Strings: YONEX BG66 Ultimax
Tension: 26lbs

Key Technologies: C60 Fullerene Carbon, Hexagon Frame, Special T-Joint
Baseline comparison: Victor MX80

Impression:
While Kawasaki is a lesser known brand in the badminton world with sporadic sponsorship of pro players (Nguyen Tien Minh, Deng Xuan), it certainly does not make it any lesser in its quality and effort to create a distinct value proposition in its products. I had the racket first and was pretty blown away by the exquisite matt paintwork with a nice tint of chrome, red and blue that made me ponder what if Spiderman had don this color scheme instead, he would have been the most superhero ever, or it’s just me? The special very solid looking T-Joint reminds me a little of the old school Prince oversized rackets making the sweet spot slightly bigger. The manufacturer claims an additional weaving (no ‘rocket science’ materials as claimed by other manufacturers) process that strengthens the entire structure indeed gave a very solid feel. Up until when I was given the box, OMG nuff said, pictures say thousand words. Just look at the photos below. I was completely bought over! This is a serious company with a serious piece of equipment!


Stiffness:
The scales rates Kawasaki King K9 as mid flex but I simply don’t see it as any flexi at all. In fact, it actually felt stiff on Yonex’s scale for me, probably closer to NR700RP and NR900 and as solid if not more than the latter. Only slightly less stiff than Victor MX80 yet felt more comfortable and certainly feels very solid like a stiff racket.

Lobs/Clears: Can generate power pretty easily base to base without feeling the stiffness and demand of VTZF2 and MX80. It is not the flexi shaft that performs like a catapult but more of a solid, controlled feel with a large sweet spot that gives you every inch of confidence the large and stable frame gives.

Control: The stiffness is just right without being demanding. I am suspecting the overall solid yet undemanding feel is attributed to the special T-Joint that gives a very stable foundation for a very all round and solid feel. It doesn’t have any vibration yet not dampened like some rackets do. I actually feel while VTZF2 is a great racket, it kind of gives me a dampen feel. Given a stiffer racket like VTZF2, VT80 and MX80 could be better but Kawasaki King K9 is good enough without sacrificing your strength to handle very stiff rackets and especially at a very decent price point with the kind of 46T materials you are getting for.

Smashing: The stability and stiffness makes it very easy to generate power and importantly precision despite the fact that it is more of an even balanced racket. The hexagon frame reminds of the Victor MX80 diamond frame that gives an all-around attacking, solid feel and defense capabilities. The racket cuts through the air like an aerodynamic blade that enables all your muscle into the smash, drilling it down with force. Notice that the lower half of the grommets are built on a ridge like drainage which probably gives it an even more aerodynamic feel. And the fact that it is actually rated as a mid-flex yet feeling stiff due to the unique T-Joint construction gives a slight snappy feel which can execute a steeper flick smash easily.

Defense: A power racket is naturally weaker in defense, but this racket is an exception. I thought MX80 is already a pretty fast and maneuverable racket with a good balance of attack as well but this racket is faster than I thought. It actually swings as fast as a Victor Bravesword, though I didn’t think Braveswords swing very fast to begin with. It is just aerodynamic and slices through air quicker giving it a more efficient feel, getting to your defensive shots to where you want to be with minimal fuss. Again have to comment on the head scratching mid flex rated yet stiff feeling frame that makes it pretty repulsive and precision in giving you what you had intended for.

Net shot, front court: This swings like a decent forecourt racket like the Victor Bravesword series for its all-round capabilities and air slicing hexagon frame. Due to the stiffness and maneuverability give it an ideal racket for precision netting, quick front court domination and snap wrist kills. The frame does feel a bit thicker in profile than MX80 which I feel gives it more solidness, stability and control. But that is relative to individual as i would prefer the MX80's slimmer head profile. Maybe it is the larger sweet spot of the K9 that makes it feel thicker. Note that K9 has a slimmer shaft (7.0mm) than legacy MX80 (7.2mm)

Conclusion:
This racket is pretty undemanding yet packs power and control, suitable for all sort of players, be it singles, doubles, attacking or defensive. This racket is very all round and especially helpful to wristy players. All i wish is for it to be a little stiffer with a thinner head profile and even slimmer shaft, which is already quite slim (7.0mm). The fact that it is very decently priced well below the big 3 top end rackets, comes with an exquisite packaging and build, makes me truly feel this is a sincere, serious badminton centric brand who are heading in the right direction and determined to improve and bring their best for the game. This is a gem find for me and will be my new favourite and 1st to be pulled out of my bag.



Up Next: Kawasaki Honor S6…...

 

Can I get those rackets in Singapore?

 

Just to provide another opinion on the K9. My one felt somewhat flexy to me, I wouldn't have thought it be anywhere near the MX80 (owned a MX70 ages ago). Also thought it's more bravesword than meteor in terms of solidness and feel. Unfortunately it wasn't what I was looking for and sold it on.
However what I can say about this racket is it provides excellent value for money. The box design is awesome and pretty much guarantees it's going to get to you in one piece.

 

Yeah that is a strange one. It is rated mid flex yet it feels stiff to me though i had mentioned it wasn't in the same stiffness as an MX80 but more of the all round capabilities and hexagon/diamond frame that was on par. You may be right the better comparison would be a stiffer Bravesword 10/11 (definitely not BS12) but again it certainly didnt feel the solidness in any of the Braveswords as much as K9. A flexi racket to me in Victor and Yonex terms would be NR750, Duora6, mid-flex would be JS12, BS12 and i felt K9 is stiffer and more solid than BS12/JS12.

 

I probably didn't give this racket a fair chance, because I was testing two other rackets at the same time. The other racket simply worked for me and it was such a great fit for me, that another 2 are on it's way. I warmed up with this racket two times and then played a game afterwards. I then went back to 'the one' and never looked back.
The feel was on a similar level to my previous mains, which was the N9II and felt similar to other speed frames before it. The frame is pretty thin, so I could understand why the feel wasn't quite there. I used to string my friend's MX90 quite a bit and the K9 looked thinner.

 

Short clip on Kawasaki King K9 -

 

@KWSKJP How can i get these rackets in Australia?

 

First off it was a pleasure dealing with KWKSJP in acquiring the k9 racket to Australia and came in just 4 days!

For anyone interested the k9 is a very easy and forgiving racket imo suitable for beginners thru to advance. I didn't experience any transition or timing issues using it for the first time as it's very familiar to the bravesword 12 flexes but much more solid feeling. Its fast and have decent smashing power (id like to see a 3u version) Imo this racket is crossed between bs12 and n9ii. The exquisite colour scheme of this racket is so pleasing to the eyes. Overall a very user friendly racket that's not demanding to wield.

 

Kawasaki Honor S6
Stiffness: Mid Flex
Balance: 286 mm
Weight: 86.5g
Frame: 201mm x 253mm
Type: Speed
Strings: YONEX BG66 Ultimax
Tension: 26lbs

Key Technologies: 2 in 1 Frame (Box + Aero), Nanometric Carbon (Mitsubishi), Graphene Weaving Shaft, Extra thin shaft (6.5mm)
Baseline comparison: Yonex NR700FX, NR750, Victor Bravesword 12

Impression:
I must say Kawasaki is heading in the right direction and streamlining their product range with exquisite packaging and better product resonance on the latest range of rackets such as high range King K9 and the mid high Honor S6 that is unseen in their previous releases albeit top range ones. The Honor S6 clearly does not disappoint with its equally impressively boxed packaging close to the exquisiteness of King K9. This certainly gives the oomph effect and an even deeper impression that they are getting more serious in their delivery. Slightly disappointed that it does not come with grip and strings as part of the packaging like King K9 does J. The racket is nicely designed with a decent paintjob around orange, green and black decals. The frame profile is a little on the thicker side typical of box+aero Yonex frames though not as thick as Yonex NR700FX. It seems to have a thinner box profile around 8 and 4 o’clock, aero frame in 9 and 3 o’clock and thicker box profile on the top part of the frame. Notice a prominent threaded surface on the extra thin shaft that gives a hint on the graphene weaving as advertised. A thing that hits me is the reported 4U specs yet weighing 86.5g (dry weight) with no strings.


Stiffness:
Kawasaki rates the Honor S6 as mid flex and rightly so upon preliminary swings. However in continuation of the strange solid, stiff, crisp feel on a similarly mid-flex King K9 frame, Kawasaki manages to repeat the feat on Honor S6 albeit from a different perspective. Not sure if it is due to the additional graphene weaving over the Mitsubishi Nanometric carbon shaft or the quality of the Mitsubishi Nanometric carbon itself, it does remind of the original TK8000 and Bravesword 12 where one may feel a distinctive mid-flex feel yet coupled with a snappy, crispy repulsion totally unlike the conventional out and out mid-flex shafts (Eg: Yonex NR750, Duora 6, Glanz). This is a Box + Aero 2 in 1 frame widely used by Yonex rackets which somehow gave it a typical more solid Yonex feel than the rather powder puff Victor sword frames especially the Bravesword series which does not feel any solid materials in the entire structure (apologies to Victor fans). This is complimented by a pleasantly surprised extra slim shaft that gives more oomph in power, speed and control. It seems likely to be 6.5mm identical to top range Victor Thruster and Yonex VTZF2 and definitely slimmer than the reported 6.8mm as seen in the Victor HX and JS series. Honestly I have not seen any speed series with such a slim shaft and is eager to see how it plays.

Lobs/Clears: Base to base is typical minimal effort like the usual mid-flex rackets. Thing to note that it indeed did not feel like the typical flexi shaft that performs like a catapult but more of a solid, controlled, quick returning kind of repulsive feel with a large sweet spot, solid frame and crispy slim shaft that gives a feel like every inch of your hands. In my opinion, I believe the box frame profile in the top and bottom of the frame adds up to the solid feel. The aerodynamic feel is evident as intended by the aero frame at the centre and probably further enhanced by the extra slim shaft.

Control: I actually love the undemanding nature of this racket due to its mid-flex rating. The extra slim shaft gave bestowed an unparalleled uplift in control as compared to other speed rackets. Key reason being it is not overly fast or fluffy like 4U/5U Jetspeed or any of the lightweight series. It gives a relative solid and controlled swing that I felt in total control. It isn’t muted with obvious dampening to mask the hollowness or masquerade a solid feel. It gave me a feel there is indeed some decent material in there though this is nonetheless a mid-flex. In comparison to other parallel speed series from other big brands such as Victor, none of the Victor Bravesword series can give such a feel with the closest being Bravesword 11. It was improved in the Victor Jetspeed series though via better materials, technology as claimed but Kawasaki Honor S6 ratchets it up a notch. I guess the differentiator is very likely the extra slim graphene weaving shaft and a Yonex tested and proven solid Box + Aero frame. So it may not be an absolute parallel comparison since S6 is a conventional Box + Aero and Jetspeed/Braveswords are Aero + Sword. More lookup between the 2 manufacturers’ technologies revealed that Victor’s Aero sword is sharper and more similar to Kawasaki’s Hexagonal frame and Trapezium frame while Kawasaki’s Aerofoil frame is entirely oval like similar to Victor’s old Aerodynamic frame as seen in Superwave series.

Smashing: This is where I feel the Kawasaki design team is missioned to producing quality equipment. Casual players want easy access to power, all round capabilities, decent maneuverability without tiring out. The dry BP is ~286mm which is a borderline even balanced racket. No doubt this is a speed series, it certainly did not attempt to offset from any of the desired features. Equally adept at brute force smashing as well as precise flick smash (surprisingly), power is easily generated and once again this is where the extra slim shaft shines giving it better control, feel and precision. A very all-round mid-flex racket that is usually not easy to find in the market especially at this price point. Honestly I like Victor Jetspeed 10, and Honor S6, while it doesn’t have the stiffness of Jetspeed 10 and is not similar in totality to begin with because of the Aerosword frame vs Box+Aero frame, certainly doesn’t disappoints me. Maybe I am a just sucker for extra slim shaft J

Defense: Being a speed series, it has to be fast and rightly so. While Bravesword and Jetspeed series distinctively cut through the air with a sword like hexagonal frame, being a box + aero frame, S6 does not have such a feel. Instead it has a typical Yonex Arcsaber feel like Arc 7 and Arc 11. By no means inferior to the Victor sword frames, it is just as fast and solid just that it feels different from typical sword frames without the sword slashing sound. A problem with mid-flex rackets at least for me is the defensive repulsion. Usually these rackets while being very fast, doesn’t have the repulsion of a stiff frame to easily flick return off a defensive position. I didn’t feel that in Honor S6. It has a strange repulsive quick snapping feel which is usually absent on a mid-flex shaft. Must be the graphene and slim shaft at work

Net shot, front court: Net shot is a category that does not favour mid-flex speed rackets which I have to admit. While to me, it is already an outstanding speed racket with a bit of everything, it still cannot rival an absolute solid, stiff racket in terms of control and precision. But the all-round capabilities does make it smooth and easy and is just a matter of getting used to. No fuss at front court, simply fast and decisive and as advertised, resetting quickly for the next attack. The secret formula must be the graphene and slim shaft at work again

Conclusion:
This racket is very all round and suitable to both brute force and wristy players. I must admit it may not be everyone’s cuppa since it seems that most people are looking for stiff shafts with the presumption that it is easier access to power. I have no doubts this is actually a 3U racket that feels and play like a 4U yet gives one the ease to thunder it down like a boxy 3U at times. It is also the exact thing that Honor S6 is not top tier and my go-to racket as I would still love something stiffer J However there are definitely times where such a racket be proved handy. The fact is a slightly flexi shaft requires lesser effort and that Honor S6 attempts to break the mould of such rackets by ideally combining graphene weaving technique and extra slim shaft to give such rackets another dimension that is pretty unique in the market. The advertised quick reset for the next attack slogan certainly proves its point and by no means glittering sweet marketing lingo. Despite not being a top range racket, the delivery in its packaging and build, simply reinforces the fact that Kawasaki is that serious in its delivery. It absolutely ooze confidence in their continuous ability to produce quality badminton equipment in the future. I was being informed that Kawasaki’s star rating does not equate to the class of the rackets but more on the price point. It is hard to fathom the logic behind this as I would believe star ratings resonates more to quality. Therefore the notion that Honor S6 is a mere mid-high tier racket may not be true after all.