Generally a good player would want stiff shaft. Singles player prefer head heavy (for more smashing) while doubles players go with head light or even balanced rackets. Head-heavy racket is good for smashing but also slow maneuverability because of the weight.
- Yonex Astrox 88D (Replacement of Voltric 80) - My new Favorite
- Yonex Voltric 80 (Head-Heavy) - Best of all Rackets for Both Singles and Doubles.
- Yonex Muscle Power 99 (Even Balanced) for all Both Singles and Doubles
- Yonex Arcsaber 8DX (Even Balanced) for all Both Singles and Doubles
- Yonex Armotec AT900 Power (Head Heavy) for Singles
- Wilson K Tour for all around game (singles and doubles)
- Li Ning WOODS N90
- Carlton Vapour Trail E-Lite
Selection Guide (here) and reviews
Reminder: A Yonex racket usually comes in different sizes i.e., U3G4, U4G4, etc. where Ux refers to the weight (U3>U4 => U4 is lighter), and Gx refers to grip diameter (G5>G4>G3, => G3 is thinnest). I prefer U4G4.
Note: These are my personal preferences or recommendations. Every player is different!
Here are some past reviews:
[2020] - Updated!!!
After playing a decade with Voltric 80 (broke about a dozen of them and now have only 1 left; I can't even find it for cheap anywhere in the world anymore; People only sell this as collector's edition or something), I switched to Astrox 99. It felt a bit heavy for doubles but was very strong for singles. Now, I have decided to switch to Astrox 88D. This is my new favorite racket and most similar to Voltric 80. As a backup, I bought a few Apex rackets for kids. They are fairly good quality if you can find any with similar weight of to a Yonex racket.
I still use NGB98 (but at 25lb) and have cycled through several shoes and now use Yonex Power Cushion 65W until Yonex stops making them. I also am thinking about Yonex Dark Navy Bag (BA92026) or 9826 Platinum.
Reminder: A Yonex racket usually comes in different sizes i.e., U3G4, U4G4, etc. where Ux refers to the weight (U3>U4 => U4 is lighter), and Gx refers to grip diameter (G5>G4>G3, => G3 is thinnest). I prefer U4G4.
Note: These are my personal preferences or recommendations. Every player is different!
Here are some past reviews:
[2020] - Updated!!!
After playing a decade with Voltric 80 (broke about a dozen of them and now have only 1 left; I can't even find it for cheap anywhere in the world anymore; People only sell this as collector's edition or something), I switched to Astrox 99. It felt a bit heavy for doubles but was very strong for singles. Now, I have decided to switch to Astrox 88D. This is my new favorite racket and most similar to Voltric 80. As a backup, I bought a few Apex rackets for kids. They are fairly good quality if you can find any with similar weight of to a Yonex racket.
I still use NGB98 (but at 25lb) and have cycled through several shoes and now use Yonex Power Cushion 65W until Yonex stops making them. I also am thinking about Yonex Dark Navy Bag (BA92026) or 9826 Platinum.
[2011] - Updated!!!
I think Voltric 80 is the best Yonex racket ..... Some people are claiming it to be the best racket ever! It is rather expensive though but is brand new released in March 2011. It is not just a head-heavy racket (for more power) but also enough weight distribution (Tri-Volt) to enable more maneuverability (think of more powerful AT900P but with less defensive drag). So it's ideal for singles and doubles; More power for singles, Fast movement for Doubles. Think about having AT900P and Nanospeed 9000 together in one racket. I love it!
I have switched from BG80 to NGB98 (at 26lb).
I also use Yonex SHB-200 (which has been replaced by SC5), both good for people with wide feet.
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Don't forget to check the serial number of the racket. There are two numbers: Shaft code and Cone code. Shaft code is a 7 digit unique code. Cone code is 6 digit +2 letter code of the following format DDMMYXLL where DD is Date, MM is month, Y is year, X is a mystery number while LL are country distribution code. For example: For VT80: shaft serial: 9987809 & cone code: 150212TW seems legit because it was manufactured on 15th Feb 2001 and shaft code starts with 9 (or 2 in some cases).
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[2010]
I have been trying several rackets and have been reading reviews a lot .... I have finally decided to stick with the following:
---------------------
Guide to Choosing Badminton Equipment
Badminton Racquet Ratings
How to Spot Counterfeit Yonex Racquets
How to Spot Fake Yonex Racquet
I think Voltric 80 is the best Yonex racket ..... Some people are claiming it to be the best racket ever! It is rather expensive though but is brand new released in March 2011. It is not just a head-heavy racket (for more power) but also enough weight distribution (Tri-Volt) to enable more maneuverability (think of more powerful AT900P but with less defensive drag). So it's ideal for singles and doubles; More power for singles, Fast movement for Doubles. Think about having AT900P and Nanospeed 9000 together in one racket. I love it!
I have switched from BG80 to NGB98 (at 26lb).
I also use Yonex SHB-200 (which has been replaced by SC5), both good for people with wide feet.
------------
Don't forget to check the serial number of the racket. There are two numbers: Shaft code and Cone code. Shaft code is a 7 digit unique code. Cone code is 6 digit +2 letter code of the following format DDMMYXLL where DD is Date, MM is month, Y is year, X is a mystery number while LL are country distribution code. For example: For VT80: shaft serial: 9987809 & cone code: 150212TW seems legit because it was manufactured on 15th Feb 2001 and shaft code starts with 9 (or 2 in some cases).
------------
[2010]
I have been trying several rackets and have been reading reviews a lot .... I have finally decided to stick with the following:
- Yonex Armotec AT900 Power (Head Heavy) for Singles
- Yonex Arcsaber 8DX (Even Balanced) for Doubles
---------------------
Guide to Choosing Badminton Equipment
Badminton Racquet Ratings
How to Spot Counterfeit Yonex Racquets
How to Spot Fake Yonex Racquet
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