Guys,

i owned quite a number of racquets. some of them i sold off and some i kept:

1) yonex carbonex 21special
2) yonex carbonex 8sp Ti Limited
3) Yonex MP 55
4) Yonex MP 77
5) Yonex MP 100
6) Yonex MP 99
7) Yonex Armortec 700
8) Wilson HyperCarbon 6.5 (broke it yesterday but didnt bang anything, accept shuttlecock and never drop before)
9) Wilson HyperCarbon 9.0 (extra stiff)
10) Yonex Armortec 800 Offensive

Well, my Yonex Muscle Power Series, Wilson Hyper Carbon Series and also Armortec Series all used the Yonex BG68 TI strings. I loved the Hyper Carbon 6.5 which offer lightweight and nice for defence.

Somehow i dont like any other strings beside the BG68 TI on 22LBs tension. i have tried many others. Carbonex 21 special and Carbonex 8 Ti were good racquets. But just considered that my hand was "spolit" by the Armortec 800 OF which is very good in smashing and I felt a big difference when i switched racquets. (BUT THE PRICE IS ALSO A BIG SMASH TO THE WALLET). Armortec 700 is heavier than the 800.

Now, i am awaiting the arrival of the Yonex Nano speed 7000 which is supposedly lighter than the Armortec 800. Wilson has also introduced their nano hypercarbon racquet which is the N series

I do agreed that skill matters the most. but well, enjoying using a good racquet is a different issue. However, i believed that with a good racquet, a skillful player can perform even better on the court. (i am not saying i am skillful, actually i played badminton seriously only about 3 years ago, so i still consider myself a NOOB)

But just to share here, i personally liked the MP99 over the other MP racquets. But wat i dont like about the Muscle Power Series was the paint job. The glossy paint easily cracked and peeled off once u hit or scratch it. a slightly bang into someone's racquet and thats it.

Armortec paint & coating were similiar to the carbonex series and therefore, more durable.

Wilson hypercarbon racquets were quite good with their paint job too.

I dont bother trying to buy other Armortec or Mucle Power wannabes. They just dont feel right somehow (maybe it is already in my mind).

I am definitely sticking only to Yonex and now at Wilson. Trying to ask the local dealer to get my the Wilson N1 racquet

i also believed that when u go and buy a racquet, u need to set a budget first for it and then u choose a racquet WITHIN that budget. Look out for offers too

(I AM JUST PUTTING FORWARD MY OPINIONS AND MY EXPERIENCE IN BUYING AND USING RACQUETS. SO SOME OF YOU MIGHT NOT AGREE WITH ME ON CERTAIN VIEWS. NO FLAMING PLS)

This post has been edited by ma43q: Jan 24 2005, 10:49 AM

i dont think i am going to sell anyone of that. Perhaps, i might sell one or two once i get my hands on the nanospeed 7000 and wilson N1

i just tried the apac racquet. i forgot the model but it ended up with 99 at the back. quite good but u need to hit hard cos the shaft is stiff

i agreed with BIG88W

however, if you have a friend who has a TI-10, try to get to lend u for a game and compare it to other racquets. you might ended up liking other yonex racquets. i myself prefer the AT800OF over the MP99. MP99 is slightly heavier but AT800OF is head heavy.

and after all, TI-10 is a 2-3 years old model but still remain in the production line.

AT800 OF = Yonex Armortec 800 Offensive (shaft color: metallic orange)
AT800 DE= Yonex Armortec 800 Defensive (Shaft color: green)

A lot of other brands are copying the armortec series..... so u can get all sort of names for this series

i got my Armortec 800 OF for more than RM800.

i am using 22LBs tension with Yonex BG68Ti. i used the same tension and same string through out my entire collection.

i restring the racquets in about 2-3 months average

and re-grip in about the same duration

it is not only the string tension playing an important role, type of string and material of the string are also important. However, another major contribution to how fast the shuttle can travel is the built, design and material of the racquet itself.

my armortec 800 is not as light as some other cheaper racquets but it definitely giving you a different feel either you smash , stroke or doing a drop shop.

as i said in my previous post, a light racquet is not necessary a good racquet to hold. preferences and type of game play also help you to decide on type of racquet to buy.

armortec 700 is significantly heavier than 800 OF but i prefer 800 OF and so on and so forth

myhat, i never heard of volkl brand. however, wat the shopkeeper quoted to u about amortec 800 is quite true, it is not only good but "sedap pakai". after you use amortec 800, u will definitely ignoring the rest of the racquets, disregarding the brand.

i am even ignoring my armotec 700. the other brands which copied the armortec designs dont even come close to the feel...

yonex armortec 800 OF & DF are sold at retail price of RM999.00 each. however, should be cheaper after discount.

never heard of volkl racquets before, any website to refer to?

i heard yonex nano speed 7000 has arrived in singapore. i am waiting for its arrival here so tat i can grab one soon.

some of the yonex shoes are not tat reliable. somehow doesnt last. the sole it self is ok but not the side sole.

my existing yonex which cost me RM300++ lasted me for more than a year. perhaps i am lucky

cab 21 special is definitely below RM200. but might get over RM200 if you include a good grip and very good string. i heard the price for the racquet has increased

no thanks dude, i am sticking to yonex racquets and wilson, (if i can get my hands on the N1). just say that i am more conservative. and i dont like all those taiwanese brands

hey Pooh, we are discussing about racquets, and we are not showing off our racquets. if u think the skills is more important, then so be it. i personally agreed that skill is important (read my previous posts) but i like buying racquet and i ENJOY the feel or the expensive racquets. why on earth do i want to save my money while i liked the racquets? what you said is indeed dumb. THINK BEFORE YOU POST HERE!!

i am playing badminton for fun, i enjoy the game , playing with bunch of veterans as i am the youngest there. Owning 1 dozen racquets doesnt mean we have to go into tournaments. if u think that buying good racquets are only justified by entering tournaments, then i think u r really naive.

it is like buying cars, why on earth people are buying BMW , volvo and even ferraris with 3L, 4L or 5L engines and get stuck in the traffic jams in kl ? it is not because they want to buy the cars for illegal racing/ or entering SEPANG CIRCUIT but they enjoy driving good cars and final thing, they can AFFORD buying those expensive cars.

so, i can afford to buy all those expensive racquets and who are you to question other people's interest?

we are discussing something here and i am just providing some personal opinions, and pls read the title of this post. do u understand the posts or not?

hey myhat,

i myself not really sure about the differences, but definitely there are. i read about the differences in some websites.

the price quoted is quite reasonable but perhaps it is not inclusive of string and grip but still quite a good buy.

i dont like the color of the defensive model, prefer the offensive one.

sorry, overlooked the items u quoted and myhat, i think i cannot go and look at the various new brands in the market as i am not staying in KL or anywhere near it. I am from kuching.

since that the package inclusive of string and grips, and a pair of socks.----> very reasonable price. but perhaps i suggest that u upgrade to good overgrip (u definitely dont want the racquet to slip from your hand) and BG68Ti and string it to 22Lbs tension for a start.

if i am not wrong, it comes with 2 grades, 2U 3G, and 3U 4G. i could be wrong. i will post the proper grades once i go to look at the master catalogue from the supplier. The higher the number, the smaller the grip is and the lighter the racquet is. my armortec is the lightest of the grade.

different grades also affect the max amount of tension the racquet frame can withstand. so you have to ask yourself whether you like bigger grip, and slightly heavier racquet or you prefer lighter racquet. just bear in mind tat, amortec 800 Of is head heavy. i will try to get the differences between Of and DF model also once i get my hand on the catalogue.

This post has been edited by ma43q: Mar 9 2005, 09:34 AM

i dont really like buying unknown/ or brands that i am very skeptical on. Sotx also from Germany and its top model is about RM1000++ but i recently heard that it is made in China (unconfirmed source).

i am sticking to Yonex. Too many unknown, or taiwanese brands in the market offering almost similiar models with different names and colors. i am not trying to say they are not good, but i handled quite a number of these brands and so far, nothing come close to the "feel" of the armortec 800. i will inform you guys on any updates once i get my hands on nano-speed 7000

Myhat, i have yet to go to my dealer. perhaps tomorrow because i need to re-string my armortec 800.

As far as i know, Ti-10 is still in production or the master Dealer in Singapore still has the stock. I was told that this model is still available and my dealer still carry them (just saw one few weeks ago in the shop). perhaps due to the fact that it is an older model, some shops are not carrying it anymore. However, it is still quite pricey.

Yonex might already stopped production of their MP-77 because it didnt appear anymore in the latest catalogue featuring the amortec series. So if anyone of you come upon the racquet and like it, pls buy because the price is cheap and it is a good racquet too. Same thiing as MP-55, which is now replaced by another MP racquet (forgot the number)

hmm myhat, i am living in kuching not in KL. i dont know whether i can help you or not. the retail price for Ti-10 in kuching is 500++. you might be able to get it cheaper in KL.

This post has been edited by ma43q: Mar 10 2005, 09:22 AM

myhat. i just went and look at the yonex catalogue and pro-ace catalogue.

ok. armortec 800 OF and DF come in:

4U (80-84g) G4
3U (85-89g) G3, G4, G5

G= grip size. the higher the number, the smaller is the grip

one difference i picked up from the catalogue:
armortec 800 OF has extra stiff shaft
armortec 800 DF has stiff shaft only

I just saw the Pro-Ace version of NanoPower 7000. the structure and the layout of the rubber beads are different from the yonex nanospeed 7000. this is also the same scenario as the amor series copied by others too.

i dont know whether you guys agreed with me or not but put it forward for discussion.

perhaps it might not be necessary to string up to 26Lbs. certain strings might not be able to handle such high tension, unless it specify the amount of tension it can handle. higher tension doesnt mean more powerful stroke, smash and etc. instead, might caused injury to the wrist and etc.

some racquet frames might not be able to withstand such high tension, disregard the fact the shopkeeper assured you so and sometimes, the supported tension as quoted by the manufacturers also need to be adhere to.

using small diameter strings with high tension might not be a wise thing to do as the durability of the string might be affected.

pulling the string to very high tension might "injured" your racquet. Look at the rubber beads on the frame and the edge where the string pass thru'. u might be suprise to see that the string actually "eats" into the rubber beads and "cutting" the edge and "sitting" into the racquet frame itself.

always look into the recommended tension for individual racquet. high tension supported by any racquet doesnt mean the user have to string to the max supported tension. Yonex recommended only 22 Lbs for Armortec 700 & 800 series using Ti 65 or Ti68 strings respectively while both racquets supported max tension of 24 or 25 LBs.

MP 99 has a yonex retail price of RM849.00. It is no doubt a good racquet but the paint job really turned me off.

Ti-10 should cost Rm500++ (retailed) but definitely can get it cheaper.

MP99, RM849.00 (retail) and again can get it cheaper

but i prefer MP99 over Ti-10, considering ti-10 is a 2 ++ years model. but mp99 has paint job that can chipped off easily. but i prefer the feel of the mp99.

cheaper racquet, go for carbonex -21 special, durable , light enuf and good feel too

azman, if you willing to spend an additional 100-200 ringgit more, why dont you get armortec 800 OF instead? you will notice the difference immediately and mp99 paint job is just too fragile. armortec 800 OF has a better feel, lighter & head heavy and its still one of the latest model until and unless nanospeed 7000 is in the market

my dealer told me that he is waiting for a shipment of racquets from singapore, so hopefully nanospeed 7000 is inside..