Badminton Racket Buying Guide

With so many brands, lines, price-points, and terms, deciding what racket to buy can be a daunting task. Hopefully this guide will help you find a racket that will properly suit your play style and help you become a better player!

Racket Characteristics

Before You can decide what racket to get it is important to understand a few things about what differentiates badminton rackets from each other.

Balance

Rackets are placed on a scale from head light to head heavy which essentially refers to whether or not the weight is concentrated more towards the end of the racket, or towards the grip. This is measured by a racket’s balance point unstrung without an overgrip and is given in mm from the handle.

Head heavy rackets (>300mm) offer more power and make it easier to hit the shuttle harder. These rackets excel at clears and smashes.

Head light rackets (<280mm) offer improved maneuverability while sacrificing power. These rackets are superb rackets for drops, drives, and defense.

Even balanced rackets (280mm-300mm) which tend to provide excellent power and maneuverability but not to the extent of rackets with a more extreme balance.

Weight

Rackets are broken down into categories based on their weight in grams U (95-99), 2U (90-94), 3U (85-89), 4U (80-84), 5U (75-79), 6U (70-74).

A common misconception is that the lighter a racket is the better. This however is extremely misleading. A light racket will be easier to move through the air, and will excel at defensive play, however as soon as a player needs to generate power the racket will require more force to make the shuttle move the same amount due to the reduce mass of the racket. As such an extremely light racket will be more tiring and technique intensive to play with than a heavy one.

Beginner to intermediate players will benefit from a mid-weight racket (4U) which will make it easier to make powerful hits while still providing excellent maneuverability.

Advanced players may choose to play with a lighter (5U) or heavier racket (3U) depending on their play style.

Grip

The grip of a racket can also vary in size, with all rackets having the same length grip and different thicknesses, as such the size is measured by the circumference in inches. Yet again we use categories to break down this measurement G1 (4), G2 (3.75), G3 (3.5), G4 (3.25), G5 (3), G6 (2.75).

Most rackets will come in more than one size, with the most common in the US being G4 and G5.

A smaller grip allows for more finger control, while a larger grip may be better suited to those with large hands or a tendency to lose their grip.

Flex

The shaft of a badminton racket can vary from Extra Stiff to Hi-flex.

Flexible rackets make it easier to generate power and as such are well suited to beginner to intermediate players who need assistance generating sufficient power. These rackets do suffer from low control but are more forgiving to poor shots.

Stiffer rackets have increased accuracy and consistency while also giving the potential for more power than a flexible racket, however this is all dependent on the player as stiff rackets leave little room for sloppy hits and are only suited to intermediate to advanced players with good form.

What racket is best for your play style?

Every player is different, and as such the recommendation is always that you try out a racket before using it. Go to a badminton club that has a shop and try out some rackets, or even ask around and try some of your fellow player’s rackets. However, if after all of that you are still unsure here are our suggestions at various price points, skill levels, and play styles.

DISCLAIMER: THESE ARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF A COACH WHO IS AFFILIATED WITH A PRO SHOP THAT CARRIES EXCULSIVELY YONEX. HE HAS TRIED THE MAJORITY OF THE YONEX LINE-UP AND THESE ARE HIS PICKS.