Category: Badminton Racquets

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Yonex Astrox 99 Badminton Racquet

Yonex Astrox 99 Badminton Racquet

The Yonex ™ Astrox 99 badminton racquet has several technical innovations that improve upon earlier racquets in the Astrox series. Each of these innovations are described below. If you want to test drive this racquet, stop by our store in southwest Calgary.

Buy Yonex Astrox 99

Yonex Astrox 99 Badminton Racquet Innovations

Yonex Namd

Yonex Namd Badminton Racquet Technology
Yonex Namd Badminton Racquet Technology

A world-first, new dimension graphite material, Namd, greatly improves the adhesion of the graphite fibers and resin by attaching nanomaterial directly to the graphite fiber.

In high performance racquets, it is common to combine nanomaterials with resin that connects graphite fibers, but in Yonex Namd, nanomaterials are directly adhered to the graphite fibers and resin is greatly increased. This major improvement in Yonex racquets produces a shaft that flexes and stores energy, delivering explosive force on impact with the shuttle.


Yonex Badminton Racquet Full Frame Namd

Yonex Full Racquet Namd Badminton Racquet Technology
Yonex Full Racquet Namd Badminton Racquet Technology

The ASTROX 99 has adopted Namd in the entire body of the racquet, including the frame. This doubles contact time with the shuttle, resulting in an explosive shot, as the racquet returns from flexed to straight at the end of the swing.


Yonex Nanometric

Yonex Nanometric Badminton Technology
Yonex Nanometric Badminton Technology

NANOMETRIC* improves the bonding strength between the carbon fibres enabling us to take racquet shaft construction to another level. By reducing the amount of carbon in the shaft to make it 60%* thinner than a conventional racquet whilst retaining stiffness, YONEX has created a revolutionary lightweight racquet with lightening head speed and control.

*NANOMETRIC is the new material which applies the NANOALLOYTM Technology of Toray Industries, Inc.


New Grommet Pattern

Yonex New Grommet Pattern Racquet Technology
Yonex New Grommet Pattern Racquet Technology

Yonex’ new single-pass grommet hole construction provides more grommet holes and fewer shared holes than other brands. This permits for a more high-performance stringing pattern.


Rotational Generator System

Yonex Rotational Generator System Badminton Racquet Technology
Yonex Rotational Generator System Badminton Racquet Technology

Yonex rotational generator system applies the counterbalance theory in Yonex racquets. Weight is distributed throughout the grip end, frame top and the joint for maximum control. This ensures a smooth and rapid transition to the next shot.


Solid Feel Core

Yonex Solid Feel Core Badminton Racquet Technology
Yonex Solid Feel Core Badminton Racquet Technology

The built-in solid feel core in Yonex premium racquets reduces harmful miscellaneous vibration at impact. This technology, called “solid feel core” is a feature of all Yonex racquets manufactured in Japan.


Super Slim Shaft

Illustration
Reduced Air Resistance

This is the slimmest shaft ever produced by Yonex. It vastly reduces air resistance whilst providing maximum feel.


Aero+Box Frame

Yonex Aero Box Frame Badminton Racquet Technology
Yonex Aero Box Frame Badminton Racquet Technology

Yonex frames are contoured differently on different parts of the loop. Some areas feature an aerodynamic shape to reduce air resistance. Other areas feature a box shape to provide strength and power. This combination offers a quick swing with a solid feel.


Built in T-Joint

Moulded deep into the layers of graphite where the frame connects with the shaft, the YONEX Built-in T-Joint creates a durable and high-strength one-piece frame that is torque-free.


Energy Boost Cap

Yonex Energy Boost Cap Badminton Racquet Technology
Yonex Energy Boost Cap Badminton Racquet Technology

The new shape of the energy boost cap allows the shaft to flex, which ensures the maximum effect of “Namd (more flex and faster kick-back graphite material)” and stabilizes the racquet face by preventing the shaft twisting, increasing control


Isometric Head Shape

Yonex Nanomesh Neo Badminton Racquet Technology
Yonex Nanomesh Neo Badminton Racquet Technology

Yonex’ square-shaped ISOMETRIC frame shape is designed to keep vertical strings at a similar length. This shape produces a larger sweet spot in all directions.

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How Self-Serve Stores Trick You

Wilson Zone 60 Badminton Racquet

Wilson Zone 60 badminton racquet
Look at the photo on this racquet. Is this racquet for adults or kids?
The worst thing about shopping in the big self-serve sporting goods stores is that you don’t know what you are buying. And more often than not, the staff don’t know what you are buying either.

Take the racquet in this photo, for example. Is it an adult racquet? Is it a kid’s racquet? How can you tell?

Thousands upon thousands of these racquets were sold in major sporting goods stores in Canada and the US last year. The questions is, though, did the people who bought it know what they were buying?

Let’s look at the picture on the racquet’s face card. The badminton player is none other than Sho Sasaki, a Japanese badminton champion who competed in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

Based on that — and with no other information to go on — a reasonable person would assume that this racquet is suitable for adults.

But it’s not. It’s a child’s racquet, barely suitable for a 10-year-old.

In fact, this racquet is too short (by more than a centimeter) to be an adult racquet and too heavy (by about 15 grams) and far too stiff to be a child’s racquet.

In our store, this racquet is classed as a toy. It looks like a badminton racquet. You can even use it to hit a badminton shuttle. But it’s not really a badminton racquet because a badminton player would not use a racquet like this to play badminton in any kind of formal or semi-formal setting.

If somebody brought this racquet to practice with a knowledgeable badminton coach, the coach would probably advise them to get a new racquet.

But chances are tens of thousands of people who didn’t know any better were tricked into buying this racquet last year because they were hanging on the walls of virtually every major sporting goods store in North America.

And that’s the problem with self-serve sporting goods stores. They buy what they know they can sell. They don’t care of it’s the real thing or a toy. They look at the packaging, the brand name, the colour, the price and the margin. That’s all they need to know if people will buy it.

A Random Sample of Our Badminton Racquets

Racquet Selector For a full list of racquets in this category, please check out our ONLINE RACQUET SELECTOR. You can sort by sport, gender, brand, size, weight, balance and more.
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Yonex Releases Astrox 99

Yonex Astrox 99 Badminton Racquet

Yonex Co., Ltd. is proud to announce the ASTROX 99, the newest racquet in the ASTROX series, which continues to gain a never-before-seen level of trust among the world’s top badminton players. Targeted at advanced players, the ASTROX 99 is designed to deliver power from hit after hit. Worldwide release is scheduled for mid-September 2018.

Until now, the ASTROX series has utilized next-generation graphite “Namd” in the shaft, which results in a large increase in the snap back speed of the shaft, producing greater smash speeds. But the ASTROX 99 has adopted Namd in the entire body of the racquet, including the frame, doubling contact time with the shuttle*2, resulting in an explosive shot as the racquet returns from flexed to straight at the end of the swing. Additionally, the Energy Boost Cap shape is designed to encourage even more flex in the shaft, further benefiting from the effects of the Namd graphite.

The series trademark technology, Rotational Generator System, which contributes to a smooth transition from shot to shot also helps the player maximize the effects of the entire Namd body.

The design of the ASTROX 99 is inspired by the power and energy of the sun. The base of orange and black echo the sun spinning in the vast blackness of space, while red highlights recall the explosive solar flares that occur on its surface.

*1 Namd is a technology developed by Nitta Corporation to “uniformly disperse carbon nanotubes into carbon fiber composites.”
*2 Based on machine test results, compared to conventional racquets

INNOVATION

New dimension graphite Namd

A world-first, new dimension graphite material, Namd, greatly improves the adhesion of the graphite fibers and resin by attaching nanomaterial directly to the graphite fiber.

In high performance racquets, it is common to combine nanomaterials with resin that connects graphite fibers, but in Namd, nanomaterials are directly adhered to the graphite fibers and resin is greatly increased. This major improvement produces a shaft that flexes and stores energy, delivering explosive force on impact with the shuttle. In the ASTROX 99, Namd has also been incorporated in the racquet frame, which helps it to “hold” the shuttle, increasing contact time and, resultingly, the speed and force with which it is expelled.

Below left: A shuttlecock hit by the ASTROX 99 reaches the target fast and penetrates deeper than when hit by a conventional racquet.

Below right: The contact with the shuttlecock is twice as long with the ASTROX 99 than with the conventional racquet, and the shuttle is ejected faster and further.

Rotational Generator System

By applying the counterbalance theory, weight is distributed throughout the grip end, frame top and the joint for maximum control. The transition to the next shot can be performed smoothly and in rapid succession.

New Cap Design “Energy Boost Cap”:

Maximizes shaft performance

The new shape allows the shaft to flex, which ensures the maximum effect of “Namd[1](more flex and faster kick-back graphite material)” and stabilizes the racquet face by preventing the shaft twisting, increasing control.

Yonex Astrox 99 — Technologies

Yonex Namd

Yonex Namd Badminton Racquet Technology
Yonex Namd Badminton Racquet Technology

A world-first, new dimension graphite material, Namd, greatly improves the adhesion of the graphite fibers and resin by attaching nanomaterial directly to the graphite fiber.

In high performance racquets, it is common to combine nanomaterials with resin that connects graphite fibers, but in Yonex Namd, nanomaterials are directly adhered to the graphite fibers and resin is greatly increased. This major improvement in Yonex racquets produces a shaft that flexes and stores energy, delivering explosive force on impact with the shuttle.


Yonex Badminton Racquet Full Frame Namd

Yonex Full Racquet Namd Badminton Racquet Technology
Yonex Full Racquet Namd Badminton Racquet Technology

The ASTROX 99 has adopted Namd in the entire body of the racquet, including the frame. This doubles contact time with the shuttle, resulting in an explosive shot, as the racquet returns from flexed to straight at the end of the swing.


Yonex Nanometric

Yonex Nanometric Badminton Technology
Yonex Nanometric Badminton Technology

NANOMETRIC* improves the bonding strength between the carbon fibres enabling us to take racquet shaft construction to another level. By reducing the amount of carbon in the shaft to make it 60%* thinner than a conventional racquet whilst retaining stiffness, YONEX has created a revolutionary lightweight racquet with lightening head speed and control.

*NANOMETRIC is the new material which applies the NANOALLOYTM Technology of Toray Industries, Inc.


New Grommet Pattern

Yonex New Grommet Pattern Racquet Technology
Yonex New Grommet Pattern Racquet Technology

Yonex’ new single-pass grommet hole construction provides more grommet holes and fewer shared holes than other brands. This permits for a more high-performance stringing pattern.


Rotational Generator System

Yonex Rotational Generator System Badminton Racquet Technology
Yonex Rotational Generator System Badminton Racquet Technology

Yonex rotational generator system applies the counterbalance theory in Yonex racquets. Weight is distributed throughout the grip end, frame top and the joint for maximum control. This ensures a smooth and rapid transition to the next shot.


Solid Feel Core

Yonex Solid Feel Core Badminton Racquet Technology
Yonex Solid Feel Core Badminton Racquet Technology

The built-in solid feel core in Yonex premium racquets reduces harmful miscellaneous vibration at impact. This technology, called “solid feel core” is a feature of all Yonex racquets manufactured in Japan.


Super Slim Shaft

Illustration
Reduced Air Resistance

This is the slimmest shaft ever produced by Yonex. It vastly reduces air resistance whilst providing maximum feel.


Aero+Box Frame

Yonex Aero Box Frame Badminton Racquet Technology
Yonex Aero Box Frame Badminton Racquet Technology

Yonex frames are contoured differently on different parts of the loop. Some areas feature an aerodynamic shape to reduce air resistance. Other areas feature a box shape to provide strength and power. This combination offers a quick swing with a solid feel.


Built in T-Joint

Moulded deep into the layers of graphite where the frame connects with the shaft, the YONEX Built-in T-Joint creates a durable and high-strength one-piece frame that is torque-free.


Energy Boost Cap

Yonex Energy Boost Cap Badminton Racquet Technology
Yonex Energy Boost Cap Badminton Racquet Technology

The new shape of the energy boost cap allows the shaft to flex, which ensures the maximum effect of “Namd (more flex and faster kick-back graphite material)” and stabilizes the racquet face by preventing the shaft twisting, increasing control


Isometric Head Shape

Yonex Nanomesh Neo Badminton Racquet Technology
Yonex Nanomesh Neo Badminton Racquet Technology

Yonex’ square-shaped ISOMETRIC frame shape is designed to keep vertical strings at a similar length. This shape produces a larger sweet spot in all directions.

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Which Yonex Astrox is Best for Me?

Yonex Astrox Flash Boost Badminton Racquet

Which Yonex Astrox is Best for Me?

There are several racquets in the Astrox series for men, women and teens at all levels. This provides an overview and a starting point for considering which are good fits for you.

Overall, this is a head heavy series. It replaces the old Voltric series which is now obsolete.

The Astrox series features upgraded materials and enhanced engineering. But like the Voltric series before it, the Astrox series is designed for players who like to smash. It is also for players who who tend to hit most of their shots from the middle to the back of the court.

Chart produced by Yonex summarizing their Astrox series of badminton racquets
Enlarge this chart to see what Yonex recommends for their Astrox series.

Advanced to Elite Players

Big, strong and/or athletic players who are fully capable of hitting out of bounds from any where on the court tend to play with stiff and extra stiff shafts. The racquets in the Astrox series with stiff and extra stiff shafts are the Astrox 99, Astrox 88D, Astrox 88S, and Astox 9.

Players in this group tend to be in the top 10% of all players. Most are men, but some ladies and elite teens fit into this category as well.

Intermediate to Advanced Players

Recreational players who are not capable of hitting the backhand corner to corner clear out of bounds with a stiff racquet may will usually choose to play with racquets with medium flex shafts. The Astrox series racquets with medium flex shafts include the Astrox 77, Astrox 7 and Astrox 55.

The group of players includes most recreational level men who play regularly, stronger recreational level women, advanced teens and advanced seniors.

New to Intermediate Players

This category includes most recreational level ladies, teens and seniors. Players in this group have difficulty hitting the shuttle out the back of the opposition baseline when standing on their own baseline, especially on the backhand. Astrox series racquets built for this group included Astrox 66, Astrox 6, Astrox 5 Astrox 2.

Yonex Astrox Series

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Choosing Racquets: Do Brands Matter?

Hammers

Racquet Network has been helping customers choose racquets since 2004. Over the years, we have seen thousands of frames (and thousands of features) come and go. One year the, hot feature is a “flex point”. The next year it’s “titanium”. The year after that, it’s “recessed grommet technology”.

The truth is that some of these hot features are genuine technological innovations but most of them, unfortunately, are just marketing pitches. Every manufacturer wants you to believe that their frame is special. If you believe it is special, you will want to buy it. Therefore they are constantly tweaking their frames and adding features in order to swing more customers their way.

Sadly, too many customers fall for the marketing. Equally sad is the fact that so many customers buy particular racquets just because they are endorsed by celebrity athletes.

Racquets are like hammers. They are tools designed to accomplish specific tasks. If you are building a house, you want to use claw hammer. If you are shaping metal, you want a ball peen hammer. If you are breaking up concrete, you want a sledge hammer. But whether your hammer is made by Stanley, Craftsman or Dewalt is not really important. All three of these companies make all three of these hammers. Picking the right tool for the job matters much more than the brand.

The same is true for racquets. Wilson ™, Babolat ™, Head, Yonex ™ and Tecnifibre ™ all make tennis racquets. They make racquets for casual players, they make racquets for recreational players and they make racquets for professionals. All of these companies make racquets for doubles and racquets for singles. And they all make racquets that work for both.

At Racquet Network, we focus on carrying brands that are very well made. We avoid junk brands. We avoid brands who spend their money on celebrity endorsements and favor brands who spend their money on research and development. By doing this, we ensure a high level of satisfaction amongst our customers. In other words, we do this because we want happy customers who come back over and over again.

Just as hammers are tools, racquets are containers for string. Picking the right frame for the job (singles, doubles or both) is important, but it’s only half the battle. Once you have the right frame, you have to customize it to your playing style and frequency. Nothing breaks our hearts faster than watching a customer spend $300 on a racquet only to have it strung with $10.00 string. We would much rather see customers spend $200 on the frame and $40.00 on good string.

Brand, as we said earlier, is not the most important consideration in choosing a racquet. Nor is a celebrity endorsement. Our staff are trained to ask new customers a series of questions in order to narrow things down to the proper category in just few minutes. Once we have the category right, we find something in the right grip size. After that, we pick out a few frames to consider in detail.

Once the frame is in hand, we start the process of customizing it for our customers. First we ask a series of questions that help us figure out what the customer wants or needs the string to do. Once we have that information we pick out three strings at three different price points and consider them in more detail.

At the end of the process, we are certain that the customer has a frame suited to their general needs that is precisely customized for their particular needs as a player. This is true whether customers play tennis, squash, badminton or racquetball. And it is for this reason above all that we have the highest overall rate of customer satisfaction in Calgary.