News & Info | Racquet Network Canada

Posted on August 29, 2018November 30, 2018 by Racquet Network

How Self-Serve Stores Trick You

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

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.

Posted on August 27, 2018December 2, 2018 by Racquet Network

Challenge – Kobra vs Shadow Tour

BABOLAT SHADOW TOUR BLACK-YELLOW-BADMINTON-SHOE — We think you will like the new Shadow Tour better than the Salming Kobra. Take a pair for a test drive and see for yourself.

Racquet Network is betting that Calgary squash players will like the Babolat ™ Shadow Tour better than the Salming Kobra.

In fact, we are so confident that players will like Babolat’s Shadow Tour better than Salming’s Kobra that we are inviting players to take them for a test drive.

“It doesn’t matter what you compare,” says Brent Johner, owner of Racquet Network, “The Shadow Tour is better shoe than the Kobra and it costs a lot less.”

“The gum rubber is better on the Shadow,” says Johner. “The upper is more durable. The eyelets for the laces are stronger. The insoles offer a better ride and the Shadow is better ventilated than the Kobra.”

In fact, Johner describes the Kobra as “seriously overpriced.”

“The Kobra sells for $220.00,” Johner points out. “The Shadow Tour is $170.00. How can that be, when the Shadow Tour is a much better shoe?”

To make the case and to give Calgary squash players an opportunity to decide for themselves, Racquet Network has arranged to have a fleet of Shadow Tour shoes available for players to test drive. After putting down a small security deposit, players are welcome to take a pair of Shadow Tours for a 24 hour test drive.

“There are going to be a few players who think it’s worth an extra $50.00 to wear shoes with the Salming name,” Johner predicts, “but I suspect that when players who already know the Kobras try the Shadow Tours, they will prefer to save the fifty bucks.”

Players who wish to take the Kobra vs Shadow Tour Challenge may come into our southwest Calgary store anytime during the 2018-19 season.

Posted on August 26, 2018January 20, 2022 by Racquet Network

Kids Court Shoes

YONEX ECLIPSION 2 JUNIOR TENNIS SHOE — We carry kids shoes that are ideal for use in school gyms.

Racquet Network carries Calgary’s largest selection of kids court shoes shoes. In fact, we have the largest selection of court shoes of all kinds.

Come in for a fitting with our experts and leave with the perfect fit for your feet. We are open 7 days a week. Monday to Friday 11:00am to 8:00pm. Saturday and Sunday 11:00am to 5:00pm.

Many of our kids shoes are ideal for use on the hardwood floors found in typical Calgary schools. They are perfect for volleyball, dodge ball, badminton, basketball, floor hockey, net ball, and other sports.

We carry all available sizes and offer three general price points including budget, recreational and performance.

For a full list of shoes in this category, please check out our ONLINE SHOE SELECTOR. You can sort by sport, gender, brand, size, width and price.

Kids Court Shoes

For a full list of shoes in this category, please check out our ONLINE SHOE SELECTOR. You can sort by sport, gender, brand, size, width and price.

Posted on August 23, 2018December 19, 2018 by Racquet Network

Where to Buy Stringing Machines in Canada

Racquet stringing machines are like everything else in life. You get what you pay for.

Table top racquet stringing machines, in our expert opinion, are almost useless. While they can be used to put string in a racquet, table top machines are not accurate and cannot be used to produce any volume. They are not a good buy for anybody except possibly people who live in remote areas where access to professional stringing is difficult.

People who want a new stringing machine that is capable of stringing a racquet with even a basically acceptable level of accuracy must be prepared to spend $1500 or more. If used, the same machine will usually cost at least $1000.00.

Meanwhile, stringing machines capable of producing even low volumes will cost $5000 or more and machines capable of high volumes will be north of $10,000.

All of the stringing machines that we sell in Canada must be special ordered and require a lead time of at least two to four months. Some of the most popular and most expensive machines, such as those made by Babolat ™, have waiting lists of up to two years.

Racquet Stringing Machines in Canada

Stringing machines must be special-ordered. Most machines require a lead time of two to four months because they have to be assembled by the factory before they can be shipped. Some of the high end machines can have waiting lists of two years or more.

Posted on August 21, 2018January 10, 2019 by Racquet Network

Test Drive Pickleball Paddles in Calgary

Our customers test drive more than 1000 racquets every year.

Racquet Network customers test drive more than 1000 racquets and pickleball paddles every year.

This try-before-you-buy program is a central focus of our business. It allow players an opportunity to try a variety of racquets and figure out which one fits them best before they commit to buying it.

This program — we call it our Try Before You Buy program — is open to all sports, including pickleball.

Most, but not all pickleball paddles that we carry are available for players to test drive. The only paddles that are excluded from our test drive program are low priced, low risk paddles and/or special order paddles that are only available from the warehouse. The vast majority of our core products, that is paddles that we typically carry in-store, are available for customers to test drive.

So come in to our store in southwest Calgary and talk to one of our experts. We can get you set up and test driving paddles today.

Test Drive Pickleball Paddles

Our try-before-you-buy program allows players an opportunity to try a variety of pickleball paddles and figure out which one fits them best before they commit to buying one.