Best Badminton Racket

Hey everyone, are you looking for the Best Badminton Racket? You are at the right platform. Prayag Lite will help you all in solving this query.

By checking out the best reviews from Amazon, we have selected the 10 best badminton rackets. Our list of best badminton rackets will contain the rackets for beginners, intermediate players, and professionals.

For me, badminton is everything, for the last two years I am continuously playing badminton, and if you are a beginner in this game then keep in mind that there are hundreds of rackets in the market.

So, check out the three main factors based on which you can decide the best badminton racket for yourself. The first is balance, the second is stiffness, and the third is the weight.

Without taking your much time, let’s move on to the list of best badminton racket.

Best Badminton Racket

1) Yonex Astrox 100 ZZ

Yonex Astrox 100 ZZ is an exceptional racket. There is another iteration of 100 ZZ, which is ZX. Before that, let’s get onto some specs for Yonex Astrox 100 ZZ. There are two models of this ZZ racket, i.e., 4U, which is slightly lighter than 3U, and a G5 model, which has a slightly smaller grip size than G4.

This badminton racket has an extra stiff shaft. This racket is made in Japan, just like many of the other high-end Yonex rackets. This is the most premium badminton racket that you can get. The recommended string tension of a 4U racket is 20 – 28 lbs, and for the 3U model, it is 21 – 29 lbs.

If you are a powerful player, you should buy the BG 66 Force string, and if you have better-controlling power, then I suggest you go with the Aerobite Boost. This racket is 10 mm longer. More extended size gives you a bit more leverage, so it’s better for the power play.

The frame of this racket is made from Tungsten, Black micro, Graphite, and HM Graphite. Yonex has increased the sweet spot by changing the frame shape a lot. The shaft of this racket has a completely solid core, not a hollow one.

As you know, the Astrox series is famous because of a successful rotational generator system. It combines a heavy head racket’s power while giving you the maneuverability of an even balanced racket. This racket is meant to be an all-rounder racket in terms of playstyle and also discipline.

This racket is suitable for singles and doubles. This racquet excels in both attacking and defending. 4U model is quicker to handle, so doubles will enjoy this racket. Singles can go for the 3U model due to more solidity and more stability. This racquet is suitable for intermediate and advance players because it is a very premium and high-end racquet.

Pros:

Best for drop shots

Rotational Generator System

Made in Japan

Extra stiff shaft

Solid core body

Purplish-blue color with a glossy orange look

For established technique players

Cons:

Not for beginners

Premium price

Smash quality is not good

2) Yonex Astrox 100 ZX

Yonex Astrox 100 ZZ and 100 ZX are almost identical, but some other key differences separate them apart. The Astrox 100 ZX has a slightly different shaft as compare to 100 ZZ. It uses Rexes Graphite Technology, and the shaft is really slim.

The shaft will also give you a larger flex and snap back during your power shots. Yonex has made the shaft of this racket in Japan, and they made the frame in Taiwan. So, making the frame in Taiwan reduces the cost, but it doesn’t sacrifice the quality.

This racket focuses on reducing the air resistance a lot; this is meant to help you have a faster swing for better power and better handling. In 100 ZX, you will get a green colour incorporated into the racquet. The head and the side of the racquet is more straight, so the racquet head might feel a little bit more square than you are used to.

The bigger sweet spot will help you a lot in power shots. This racquet is designed to add more power to your shots using the thumb on the cap. The head of the racquet is a little bit heavier, and this heaviness will give you a lot of power from the back of the court in the defence or the power drives.

Due to the precise weight balance, you will get extremely great control when you play precise consistent shots to the net or to the middle of the court. This racket is suitable for single players who like to have good control on their shots, and it’s also perfect for double players who like to add power in all the shots.

Pros:

Best for power shots

Rotational Generator System

Made in Japan and Taiwan

Solid core body

For established technique players

Cons:

Quick reactions at the net is a bit tricky

Premium price

3) Yonex Nanoflare 800

This Nanoflare 800 is the 3U G4 edition. 3U is slightly heavier than 4U, so players who have a slightly weaker technique or just want a light racket they must go with the 4U option.

But if you want a bit more power and a bit more kind of solidity, than 3U feels a bit better. 4U has a slightly larger grip as compared to G5, and a lot of people prefer G5.

The Nanoflare 800 has all of the new features that the previous new rackets already have, such as Astrox 99, Astrox 88. The three main points that are new about this racquet are the new material, the second is a unique balance, and the third is the new shape.

So on this very thin and headlight racket, you can string this up-to 29 pounds of tension, showing how good the high tensile properties are. The headlight racquets are more suited towards players that enjoy doubles, especially in frontcourt domination, although you can get relatively low speed in the backcourt.

In my opinion, for men singles this racquet doesn’t have the stability however, I do think for women singles this racket is excellent. The shape of the frame is extremely thin.

Pros:

Best for women singles

Made in Japan

Solid-body

Smash quality is good

For each kind of badminton player

Cons:

Premium price

Not for men singles

4) Yonex Astrox 99

This racket has a stiff shaft the same as the Astrox 88 D and the Astrox 88 S; with the stiff shafts, you need a strong technique to generate power, but stiff shafts do give you a bit more control because you have more of a like better sense of touch.

The frame is made from Graphite, NAMD, Tungsten, and Nanometric. The shaft is made from high modulus Graphite and NAMD. The recommended string tension for this racket, which is the 3U G5 model, is 21 to 29 pounds of tension. This racket is one of the higher-end Yonex rackets. So it is made in Japan; the low-end ones tend to be made in China or Taiwan.

But please do be mindful the 3U weight is very similar to the Astrox 88 D. A lot of people find it maybe a bit too heavy compared to other rackets. So if you rather have a slightly lighter racket or don’t have a strong technique, just opt for the 4U edition.

The edges around the racket seem to be lighter but still retains their kind of power. So this racket has the New Grommet Pattern and constructions that most of the new Yonex racquets have. It gives you a bit more string tension retention and a bit more kind of touch and a bit more power to do, like a more direct energy transfer.

This racket has a solid field core that eliminates miscellaneous vibrations to give you good touch. It also provides the racket with a bit more, kind of like a booming resonating sound. This racket also has the AERO box frame, which is different from a dual optimum system found on the duora rackets.

So this means that the racket can be quick and powerful at the same time. This racket has the newer T-joints, just very much like the other high-end Yonex rackets. Yonex describes this racket to have a super slim long shaft. The long size of the shaft gives you a bit more leverage, which translates into power. The slimness of it gives you a bit more, kind of like a whip for power.

This racket has a rotational generator system, which is basically the main thing that the Astrox series are selling. The rotational generator system has three weight points, one on the head, one at the T-joint, and one at the bottom. Let’s talk about the NAMD now. NAMD is the most significant factor in the Astrox 99; basically NAMD gives you a bit more power and control.

The only kind of big difference with this racquet is that it uses NAMD throughout the whole racquet, so normally NAMD only exists in the shafts of Yonex Astrox racquets, this time NAMD is even in the frame. Astrox 99 has a softer feel than the Astrox 88 D because of the NAMD in the frame.

You can pace your shots a bit better; it’s a lot more precise than the Astrox 88. Astrox 99 is better for singles because of the shuttle hold. If you are the type of person to play many doubles, you might opt for Astrox 88. This racquet is suitable for drop shots. The backhand is very controlled, especially for the downward shots.

Pros:

Fully NAMD body

Rotational Generator System

High-end racquet

New grommet pattern

Better for singles

Good for drop shots

Cons:

Not good for doubles

Premium price

Repulsion power is not good.

5) Yonex Astrox 88 D

The Astrox 88 D fits for backcourt domination and also for singles. In my opinion, Yonex Astrox 88 D is more well rounded for doubles and singles. Smashes are incredible; it’s just so satisfying. The sweet spot is huge on this racket.

Miss hitting with this racquet is hard; it’s just really easy to tell where the shuttle is going after the hit; well, drives are perfect. This racquet is an advanced racket; there’s no good giving this racket to a beginner. This racket has a stiff shaft that means you have to generate power on your own good technique rather than just relying on the snap of like a flexible racquet shaft.

Actually, flexible racket shafts are right for beginners to generate power quickly. Defence with this racquet in singles is very easy because of the rotational generator system. The shaft is made from NAMD and also from high modulus Graphite; the frame also uses high modulus Graphite; however, tungsten and nanometric are also used, which is not used in the shaft.

The recommended string tension for the 3U G5 model is 21 pounds to 29 pounds tension, but the recommended tension for the 4U model is 20 pounds to 28 pounds. The average weight of a 3U racquet is around 88 g, and the average weight for a 4U racket is 83 g. The 3U racket is harder to maneuver and handle because it’s simply more weighted, so you need a stronger technique; 4u model is quicker to handle.

The critical difference is that this racket has the snap-back zone in the middle of the racquet, and this racquet is 5 mm longer than Yonex Astrox 88 S. It is slightly longer to give you a bit more leverage to get a bit more power and like a bit more control for those overhead shots.

This racquet uses nanometric. You guys must be thinking, what is nanometric?

So nanometric is a high-end revolutionary material that Yonex uses for basically all their high-end rackets. It’s meant to be much lighter than conventional carbon while retaining its stiffness. Therefore it allows these racquets to be very quick and powerful.

This racquet has an isometric frame head. This racket uses the AERO box frame. The AERO box frame is a combination of the aerodynamic frame to give you a quick swing. This racket also has the newer kind of built-in T-joint by Yonex; they combine epoxy resin and a foaming agent.

Pros:

Best smashing Yonex racket

Suitable for doubles and singles

Rotational generator system

New grommet pattern

Cons:

Not for beginners

Premium price

6) Yonex Astrox 88 S

This racket is very light and very quick; it reminds me of the Nanoray series, where it’s speedy but not very powerful. The smash with this racket is incredible. This racket is so controlled, and the touch of this racket is a bit lighter, and it’s a bit quicker, so you could do those sudden rapid changes of pace drives amazingly with this racket.

I think this is the fastest and best badminton racket for doubles in the world. This is not a joke; you can cut off anything with this racquet. You can play extremely fast smashes in the frontcourt with ease with this insanely speedy racket.

There is a difference between powerful smashes and fast smashes. Fast smashes are those in which the shuttle moves very quickly to the other side however, powerful smashes have a bit of weight behind it. Net shots with this racquet are phenomenal. The feeling with this racket is incredible.

Defence with this racquet is terrific. You can generate power very quickly while playing backhand shots. The frame of this racket is made from high modulus Graphite, Nanometric, and also Tungsten. On the Astrox 88 S, the whole frame flexes upon impact to give more shuttle hold, therefore giving you more control at the frontcourt.

Astrox 88 S has a stiff shaft, and stiff shafts tend to give a bit more control and a bit more touch; however, you need to have an excellent technique to generate adequate power. The shaft is made from a high modulus racquet and NAMD Graphite. The recommended string tension for the 3U model is 21 to 29 pounds; however, the recommended string tension for the 4U model is 20 pounds to 28 pounds. This racket is made in Japan.

There is a bit more punch and power behind this racquet; however, those players who don’t mind giving up a bit of extra speed and handling, just go for the 4U model. This racquet is 5 mm shorter than conventional racquets. This 5 mm shortness reduces the leverage when you hold the badminton racket to give you extra speed and a bit more control, especially in the frontend court.

This racket is 60% thinner than conventional graphite, but still, it retains its thickness which is really good. The racket head is isometric, which basically means that it is a kind of square shape. This is done to increase the sweet spot. NAMD is very revolutionary because the combination of control and power you get from this racket is ridiculous; it surpasses so many other racquets out there.

Grommet pattern allows for better string tension retention, and it also allows for more efficient energy transfer making this racquet more repulsive when you hit the shot.

Pros:

Best badminton racket for doubles

Grommet pattern

Rotational generator system

Best for smashes

Cons:

Premium price

5 mm shorter in length

7) Yonex Arcsaber 11

Arcsaber 11 is a new model, and the price of this racquet is generally lower than most of the other racquets, for example, Duora Z Strike or Astrox 77. Lots of professional players are using this racket. The Arcsaber 11 has a stiff shaft, which means that you can have a good touch and have good control when you hit.

Stiffer shafts also require a better technique; that’s why beginners tend to like flexible shafts more as you can swing the rackets or flex and generate power automatically. The frame of this badminton racket is made from Neo CS Carbon Nanotube, Sonic Metal, and also high modulus Graphite.

The shaft of Arcsaber 11 is made from Ultra PEF and high modulus Graphite. This 3U G4 edition tends to be better for singles, but since this racquet is even biased, you can use it for doubles with no issues. 4U is slightly lighter, so it gives you better handling to drive faster, but it slightly lacks a bit of power compared to 3U.

The recommended string tension on this racquet is between 19 to 24 pounds, which is a massive issue with this racquet. If you are playing a lot of badminton and have decent strength and technique, a high tension would simply give you more control and precision. This racket is made in Japan.

The racket head is an isometric shape, which is basically like a boxy shape, increasing the sweet spot. This racket supports New Grommet Pattern. The solid feel core filters out all of the excess vibrations, so it leaves you with a very accurate and precise touch.

T-anchor technology is used in the T-joint to reduce excess torque. Neo CS Carbon is put in the frame to help it flex that impact. Sonic metal is a titanium alloy, and it helps to produce that explosive and booming sound when you hit. Sonic metal also gives you excellent repulsion when you hit so you can get fast responses to catch your opponent up.

Drop shots are magnificent as well as you will have excellent and precise touch so that you can play drop shots very easily. Smashes are also very quick, but the smashes are not very heavy. Net shots are also quite good, and defence is good with the even balanced racquet. This is a double oriented racquet.

Pros:

Neo CS Carbon Nanotube

Solid-body

Sonic metal

Ultra PEF

T-anchor

Cons:

Not for singles

String tension up to 24 pounds