Badminton Companies - Yonex

Yonex is the most recognised badminton brand in the world. It is massive and the most dominant badminton racket manufacturer in the world now. It is very expensive and there are many other racket companies which are cloning its ranges. It sponsors most of the best tournaments e.g the all england open , and other big opens. It also sponsors most of the best badminton players out there. 95% of the worlds best 100 players use yonex strings. Lin dan is sponsored by yonex. The all england open has been sponsored for 25 years. Yonex brought back 24 medals from the badminton in the olympics.

You get it really yonex is the biggest badminton brand at the moment. It does have lots of rivals but I don't think any are even close to defeating yonex's popularity. When I look at my badminton club 80% of the rackets they use are yonex even with there massive price tags.

Arcsaber series:

So the arcsaber is yonex's latest badminton racket. There are only 3 badminton rackets in this range so far the :
Arcsaber 7
Arcsaber 9
Arcsaber 10.

The Arcsaber 7 was released with the Arcsaber 10. The yonex later releaed the arcsaber 9.

First of all I will review the arcsaber rackets:

The arcsaber 7 :

The technical stuff :

Flex : Medium

Frame:H.M.Graphite

CS Carbon Nanotube

Shaft:H.M.Graphite

Weight/Grip size:3U (85-89.9g) G3

The arcsaber 7 is a very good racket indeed. The price tag is over £100. The Arcsaber 7 is technically not as good as the Arcsaber 10 , but I have seen many people play with both the rackets.

The arcsaber 7 is a very good badminton racket for an attacking singles player.

The arcsaber 9:


Flex: Medium

Frame:
HM Graphite
CS Carbon Nanotube
Light Feel Carbon

Shaft:
HM Graphite
New Built-in T-Joint

Weight / Grip Size:
3U (85.0-89.9g) / G3

This racket has been classed as a womens racket. The reason is , is that this racket is very flexible. And also the colour - which is pink. But I have seen men play with the racket. Overall this racket is a very good racket , a bit too flexible for me and the colour doesn't attract me too it. But anyway is a good racket.

The Arcsaber 10 :

Flex:Stiff
Frame:CS Carbon NanotubeSuper HMG.
Shaft:Ultra PEF H.M. Graphite
Weight/Grip size:3U (85-89.9g) G3

This is my favourite racket out of all the arcsabers - probabaly because it is more stiff than the Arcsaber 9 and 7. I enjoyed playing with this racket and it has lots of power and control. I did like this racket and it would be high on my list. But definitely not on the top! The racket has a very high price tag , just as the other Arcsaber 7 and 9 .

Conclusion:
To conclude the reviews for the Arcsaber 7 , Arcsaber 9 and Arcsaber 10 - All three rackets are very good and suited for different styles of play . I did enjoy testing these rackets but the price tag is very high. These rackets if cheaper would be very high on my best badminton rackets list but because it is £120+ it is not. I would say that there are other smaller brands which can offer a player the same technical abilities but for a smaller price tag.

The Nanospeed Series. The nanospeed series consists of very good badminon racets - but still at quite high price.

The nanospeed series contians 7(8)rackets.

These rackets are :
The Nanospeed 9000 X
(The Nanospeed 9000 S)
The Nanospeed 8000
The Nanospeed 7000
The Nanospeed 6000
The Nanospeed 4500
The Nanospeed 800
The Nanospeed 500.

Ok thats them.

The reviews and the technical stuff.

The Nanospeed 9000X:

The technical stuff :

FLEX: Extra Stiff

COMPOSITION FRAME:
H. M. Graphite / Elastic Titanium

SHAFT:
H. M. Graphite / Fullerene

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

RECOMMENDED STRING TENSION:
20-25 lbs

When I tested this racket over the weekend it was very stiff. The X does stand for extra stiff. It is the most stiff badminton racket I have ever played with. They have however made a S version : The Nanospeed 9000 S - which is less stiff.
This racket did make my shoulder hurt in the end because my friend who gave it to me - who by the way I am very gratefull to for , gave it to me strung at 30lbs even though its recommended tension is only 20-25lbs. So I had to put a lot of power in and this made me really dislike this racket. And also to my bad luck - ironically - I came to my club on a day where there was only 16 people playing , we have 6 courts and the average amount of people who come is like 30-40 so I played lots of singles. Ofcourse I was at a disadvantage with a racket that I had never used , which was extra stiff and strung at 30lbs. This racket was an allrounder - although smashing was harder witht he high tension and extra stiffness. In my warm up - my shots were a bit off timed but I soon adjusted. I definitly think this racket will suit most players , and most styles - you just need to adjust to it.

Unfortunately I didn't have a Nanospeed 9000 S so I couldn't review it - because he broke it. But I heard you can feel the difference between the X and the S a lot. The person said he preffered the S but because it broke he started using his X.

Nanospeed 8000X:

Ok honestly my thoughts , were oh no not another very stiff racket when I saw the specifications.

FLEX: Extra Stiff

COMPOSITION FRAME:
H. M. Graphite / Fullerene

SHAFT:
H. M. Graphite / Fullerene

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

RECOMMENDED STRING TENSION:
19-24 lbs

This racket is quite similiar to the Nanospeed 9000X due to its stiffness and its 'feel'. I prefer this racket to the Nanospeed 9000X . This racket is another allrounder , I did have lower tension compared to before so that was a good one.
Overall : I say that this racket is quite a good racket , I would take this racket over the Nanospeed 9000X.

The Nanospeed 7000:

The technical stuff :

FLEX: Stiff

COMPOSITION FRAME:
H. M. Graphite / Fullerene

SHAFT:
H. M. Graphite / Fullerene

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

RECOMMENDED STRING TENSION:
19-24 lbs

The initonal start was that this racket was quite light.This racket was hard too perform smashes - and to get my normal power I would have to focus on it. On the other hand drops and net was much easier. This racket enhanced my play there and I was impressed with it. Overall : not good for smashing but good for a controlled player , who doesn't smash as much or a player who has got really good power and wants to focus on there controlled play.

The Nanospeed 6000:

My favourite out of all the Nanospeed rackets.

The technical stuff for this racket :

FLEX: Flexible

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Graphite / Fullerene / Elastomer

SHAFT:
H. M. Graphite / Fullerene

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

RECOMMENDED STRING TENSION:
17-22 lbs

This racket was aimed towards women I think - the low tension boosting power and the flexibility.
I enjoyed playing with this racket and defending was a dream with it. I just has to focus on it not going out , the racket is very head light - and I really enjoyed it.

As I said before this racket is my favourite out of all the Nanospeeds. Everything was like usual and the enhanced defense was really usefull. I would recommend this racket I will try to find out a price for it , if this racket doesn't have a too high price tag then it is a good buy. But unfortunately the - ruthless yonex doesn't normally give low prices , but I can hope , can't I?

The Nanospeed 4500:

I had never seen a lot of people playing with this racket. But theres no harm in giving it a go , is there?
The technical stuff for this badminton racket :

FLEX: Medium

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Graphite

SHAFT:
H. M. Graphite / Fullerene

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

A pretty much allrounder racket - I enjoyed playing with this racket , easy to get used to and good to play with. Smashed , I found slightly easier , and the defense was relatively easier.

I liked this racket a lot aswell. Yonex have released lots of good racket - I do see why they are the number 1 in this industry , but I still think that there are better rackets than Yonex's . Just look around people - don't go and splash your money. Tactic and Apacs are very good brands. Hopefully I can get some apacs products to review. I've played with quite a few and they feel amazing.( I am trying to contact them)

The next racket in my line up is the Nanospeed 800:

The rackets techincal stuff first :

FLEX: Stiff

COMPOSITION FRAME:
H. M. Graphite

SHAFT:
Carbon Nanotube Graphite

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3


This racket was pretty ordinary - another alrounder , good at everything. It had a strange 'feel' but yeah , other than that this racket was good. I would say that there are better rackets though.

The next racket in the review is The Nanospeed 500. The last one from the nanospeed series.

First of all the technical stuff for this racket :

FLEX: Medium

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Graphite

SHAFT:
Carbon Nanotube Graphite

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

I like this racket a lot , especially the deign. Another pretty ordinary racket. Overall it was good - I'm not saying it was bad but not excelling in anything in particular although I did do a couple of flukey shots with this racket lol. So if its a bonus 'this racket is good for flukey shots'.

Overall for the Nanospeed series :

The Nanospeed series was very good I am impressed with the series . Nothing bad with any of the rackets and they are designed for different types of players. The nanospeed series is a very good series - and yonex deisgned very good rackets in this series. Although again being an 'elite' brand yonex still overcharges customers for these rackets.


O.k the next yonex series in there all dominant powerful badminton range - the armortec range:

The armortec series consists of 5 badminton rackets.

The 5 rackets are :

The Armortec 900 Technique
The Armortec 900 Power
The Armortec 700
The Armortec 250
The Armortec 150

O.k time for the reviews and techincal 'stuff' for each of these rackets.

The Armortec 900 Power :

The techincal stuff for this racket first :

FLEX: Stiff

COMPOSITION FRAME:
U.H.M. Graphite / Micro Ti / Elastic Ti

SHAFT:
H.M. Graphite / Elastic Ti

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
4U (80-84.9g) G4

RECOMMENDED STRING TENSION:
19-24 lbs

The first feeling I had of this racket , it felt good , it had a nice 'feel'. The racket surely did feel head heavy - but not as heavy as the armortec 700.
This racket is a good racket , It does provide the power that comes with its name . It has good power which you can implement in the game. On the other hand I found defending harder , just having to work harder to keep them in . So that is good and bad sort of . I didn't have a lot of time getting used to this racket so I don't want to blame the defense of this racket too much.The net touches and kills were slightly harder to do , but not too bad - just average.

Overall : The racket is a pleasure to smash with and people will love smashing with this racket , it just feels so nice to smash with this. Although the defense is slightly harder and the net shots were slighly harder. But overall this racket was a pleasure to play with - when smashing the racket just flew like a bird. I am delighted with this racket but still as normal again - THE PRICE!!!

The Armortec 900 Technique :

First of all the technical stuff for this racket :

FLEX: Stiff

COMPOSITION FRAME:
U.H.M. Graphite / Micro Ti / Elastic Ti

SHAFT:
H.M. Graphite / Elastic Ti


WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
4U (80-84.9g) G4

RECOMMENDED STRING TENSION:
19-24 lbs

This racket had a really good feel on first touch.
When playing with this racket I was amazed shocked. This racket was really good - I was always told by a couple of people that the Armortec 900 power was better but me I preferred the technique. Everything was good and this racket was truly a pleasure. My friend even said it maybe possible for me to get this racket. I was impressed and hopefully I will get the racket.I would rate this racket 9.5/10 - but still am disappointed about the price. These two rackets definitely remind me of the 800 defense and offense. I like the way yonex does this - and I think this is a very good idea - most people I have seen with one of these rackets has the other. So I am a bit of both for this advertising technique - buy buying both of these rackets its going to cost them £250 which is very expensive. So once again I would rate this racket 9.5/10.
This racket is my favourite out of the Yonex Armortec series.

The next racket to review is the Armortec 700.
This racket is the most head heavy racket possible in yonex's range and it is also VERY HEAD HEAVY!

The technical stuff for this racket:

FLEX: Extra Stiff

COMPOSITION FRAME:
U.H.M. Graphite / gForce Ti

SHAFT:
U.H.M. Graphite / Ultimum Ti

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

RECOMMENDED STRING TENSION:
20-25 lbs

O.k I didn't have to borrow this racket from my friends shop because My brother has 2 of these rackets : the normal one and the limited version of the racket - released for the beijing olympics.

O.k so obviously I chose the beijing edition of the racket just to show off!
Too my pleasure another amazing racket - everything was a beuty , and this racket was marvellous. I enjoyed playing with this racket and would recommend to it - if it was a lower price. I still think there are other rackets and this racket doesn't beat my favourite racket. Whats my favourite racket ?

Well I'm not saying!

So this racket again 9.5/10 but again my usual commment for yonex rackets - the overpricing.

The next racket in my series is The armortec 250 :

The techincal stuff for this racket :

FLEX: Medium

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Graphite / gForce Ti

SHAFT:
H.M. Graphite

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

RECOMMENDED STRING TENSION:
20-25 lbs

There is also an Armortec 250 limited edition version of this racket.

This racket was quite flexible , I didn't enjoy. This racket was good I did like it - but It didn't excell in anything , and average racket. The same for the Armoortec 150. I will still right the Techincal stuff for the racket though.

FLEX: Medium

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Graphite Super Alloy

SHAFT:
Graphite

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

RECOMMENDED STRING TENSION:
20-25 lbs

This racket was an average racket aswell. I enjoyed playing with it but - it is an average racket. again. This racket is ok.

The next badminton rackets are the muscle power series.

The muscle power series consists of 6 rackets. Although the Muscle power 88 has been discontinued - so there are now only 5 rackets in this series.

I luckily enough have the muscle power 88 racket - so I can still review it.

The Muscle Power series consists of :

The Muscle Power 99
(The Muscle Power 88)
The Muscle Power 29 lt
The Muscle Power 19 lt
The Muscle Power 10
The Muscle Powe 7

O.k the first racket to be reviewed in the Muscle power racket series is the :
The Muscle Power 99:
The techincal stuff for this racket:

FLEX: Extra Stiff

COMPOSITION FRAME:
U.H.M. Graphite / Ultimum Ti

SHAFT:
H.M. Graphite / Ultimum Ti

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

RECOMMENDED STRING TENSION:
17-22 lbs

O.k this racket I did use to have myself - but unfortunately it broke - :-( . R.I.P My beloved racket.

O.k this racket is a very nice racket. It is good for both smashing and defending. And it does have evry nice paintwork (just saying). The power part of this racket wasn't amazing , but the net play and drives were. The light racket enabled me to play quick and rapid reaction shots.
This racket is a 7.5/10. But other people I have asked said that I underated this racket and said I should put it up to an 8.

Muscle Power 88 :

O.k first of all I am slightly biased with this racket - because I play with it and it is my backup racket. Infact I have 2 of these as backup rackets. ( Hopefully I can make a backup racket post.
The racket because it has been taken away - I can't give accurate details of its material atc. So no technical stuff for this racket. O.k this racket is really good - Smahing is a pleasure , and even though this racket is head heavy - my racket still defends quite easily. This is the racket I play with , I would rate it 9.75/10. I think this racket suits everyones needs. Although the price is high - but I got my 2 rackets original for only £30 each - and they were real.

Unfortunately I don't have the other rackets. I am really sorry but I will try to get them.

The only thing I can do at the moment is give the technical stuff for each racket - if it helps in any way.

The next racket is the Muscle Power 22 LT.

The rackets technical stuff :

FLEX: Flexible

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Graphite

SHAFT:
Graphite

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

The next racket to review is the Muscle Power 19 LT

The technical stuff for this racket is :

FLEX: Medium

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Graphite

SHAFT:
Graphite

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

The next racket to review is the Muscle Power 10 :

The technical stuff for this racket is :

FLEX: Flexible

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Graphite

SHAFT:
Graphite

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3


The next racket to review is the muscle Power 7

The technical stuff for this racket is

FLEX: Medium

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Aluminium

SHAFT:
Graphite

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
2U (90-94.9g) G3

Overall the muscle power series: O.k I can only summarise this racket series shortly because I only reviewed 2 od the muscle power badminton rackets. Them 2 rackets were of high quality , and for £30 each for two Muscle Power 88 - I was impressed which lead me to buy them. Once again I am really sorry , thhat I couldn't review all the other rackets in the muscle power series. Also I believe that there are more muscle Power rackets that I havn't mentioned i.e the Muscle power 100 .

I also couldn't get a hand of the Other racket series, which is very unfprtunate , and I do apologise.

The next rackets is the isometric series , again I can't review these rackets. But wehn I can get the rackets and review the 2 rackets in this range - I will.

Although I cant review these rackets , I can share the technical stuff for them:

There are only 2 rackets in the isometric series the isometric 24 vf and the isometric 22 junior.

The technical stuff for the isometric 24 vf :

FLEX: Medium


COMPOSITION FRAME:
Aluminium

SHAFT:
Graphite

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
2U (90-94.9g) G3

The technical stuff for the isometric 22 Junior

FLEX: Medium


COMPOSITION FRAME:
Aluminium

SHAFT:
Steel

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
2U (90-94.9g) G3

.

Again I can't really summarise these rackets lol. Why? I havn't tested them.

There is also one more series in the yonex rackets , which I can't review the basic rackets.

The basic series only consists of 2 rackets aswell : the b600 df , and the b500.

I cant review these rackets because I couldn't get them , but I can give the technical sutff for these rackets , although there is not much technical stuff for them.

The b600df :

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Aluminium

SHAFT:
Steel

The technical stuff for the nect racket - the b500 is :

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Steel

SHAFT:
Steel


Overall : After reviewing most of yonex's major racket series. I have felt the amazing brand. The major brand , which controls , almost all of the badmintons market of rackets , and sells them for very expensive.

The rackets were cleverly designed , and most rackets were designed for specific types of players , which would draw in every style of play. If yonex sold there rackets for cheap - then I would be happy , because cutsomers would get good rackets for a fair price. But I am still unhappy that yonex does veyr unfair trades on there rackets.

Thats Yonex summed up : My next post will be about what yonex's technical stuff means.