Badminton Racket Review: Karakal BN-60

I've previously stated that this is one good racket, and the surprises just keep getting better. No way would I have guessed that such a light racket can deliver such power. In fact, that's the exact concern that I had before buying the racket.

Weighing in at an estimated 60g before stringing, the Karakal BN-60 has got to be the lightest racket I've ever laid my hands on.

The design is simple, underrated, and lends a sense of mystery to the latent potential that the BN-60 can bring to one's game.

Note. This review is my opinion of the racket from using it in my games. Take this with a pinch of salt since we all play the game differently. I'm here to tell you, in as much accuracy as I can, how my games went with the racket. Comments welcome!

Ok here goes.

Karakal BN-60
Est. Dry Weight: 60g (6U?)
Grip Size: Slightly thinner than the Yonex G5 size
Balance: Head Heavy
Flex: Stiff
Strings: Yonex BG66 Ultimax @ 25lbs

I recommend this racket if you want a great game.

Defense
Being super light, the Karakal BN-60 is naturally a naturally defensive racket at first try. The swings with the racket are super fast, lending a sharp swish sound to every swing.

The racket allows you to inject a lot of pace into your shots, imparting the full flow of your movement and wrist flicks into the shuttle at the very last minute without too much of the racket's weight slowing you down. I've found myself deep in defense, forced into a long stretch but still able to push off the shuttle with a backhand flick to the end of the court.

With such a quick reaction, taking the opponents on with counter-attacking drives is no problem. It's your reaction against his smashing stamina. With the lift to the back court coming so easily, toying the opponent around the two sides of the court is a breeze.

One thing I've noticed throughout the experience is that the BN-60 doesn't impart a lot of power on the drops and net blocks. I've been unable to use the weight of the racket to perform a nice net block when I needed it. It's either too high or I hit the net.

Attack
With the help of the head-heavy orientation, the Karakal BN-60 is able to pull off quite a mean attacking string. The first attack may not be the killer, but the subsequent follow-ups will have no lack of power since the racket is so light to yield.

Being so light also means that the wrist smashes can come down a lot faster, contributing to a very nice angle when you need the element of surprise.

Drives can be a problem though, without much weight in the overall racket to punch through. Although taking the return and putting it at another angle is totally in the equation. But I'd rather not factor in countering my opponent's return drive as an offensive strategy.

I think the racket shines when playing doubles. The BN-60 is the perfect weapon you'd want to have when covering the front court, being able to raise and drop without any difficult. This really adds up the threat level, especially if you've got a nice smasher taking the back court.

The Karakal BN-60 might also be a draw for the more creative players, what with the weight not being that much a consideration when performing last minute racket head movements or the occasional double movements. With head heaviness will ensure that you get enough depth when you're trying to force the opponent the wrong way, even if you're taking it later.

Control
Being able to hit all four corners of the court with ease gave me a very good feel about the BN-60. There was a level of comfort in my strokes, even when the occasional forced movement calls for a lesser-hit.

Be it coming down or going up, the Karakal BN-60 is able to meet most of my expectations. Although there might be a little problem with the net play...

Much like in defense, I've been unable to completely grasp the tight net shot with the BN-60. It's either too high or it hits the net, and I've even dropped the racket in frustration mid-game because of that.

I saw this problem in the Karakal SL-70. There was the pure lack of kinetic energy that I'm used to feeling from the heavier rackets.

Looks
I'll nickname it the Black Widow. The BN-60's black frame is sprinkled with red accents, lot allowing the paint to add any more weight to the frame. The usual silicone grip at the cone has been substituted with what seems to be a cheap sandpaper-like material, also red. The red strings complete the look - a lethal weapon that's small and light.

Karakal BN-60

Defense: 10

Attack: 9

Control: 9

Looks: 8

Badminton Strings: Pro-Kennex Multi-Color

I just finished the morning session, and got the chance to try out a new string at a different tension than I normally play at.

While I'm pretty sure I got the name wrong, the new strings from Pro-Kennex have a to be of repulsion., and makes the smashes a real problem for the opponent.

And they're hard to miss since they are duo-tone.  

Tomorrow I will try them again in doubles. Let's see how much harder my smashes will be.

The impact of a two-month break

It's been awhile since I wrote a review, and part of it.. scratch that, all of it is because of the two-month break that I had to take because of an injury.

Since then I've had the chance to procure myself some new rackets, and have been going through them in a rather random sequence. That explains the explosion of First Impressions that's been making their way onto these pages.

There've been some gems among the new purchases (Karakal BN60) and some misses (those didn't even make it to First Impressions), but I hope to put up the review of the BN60 soon.

It'll be put to the final test this weekend, when I get my game with a promising young boy who at this moment (or to my estimate) is at a school tryout.

All the best kid, and see you on Saturday!

Badminton Racket First Impressions: Yonex Armortec 700 (2nd Gen)

The is the racket made famous by Lin Dan when he was playing for Yonex. It's known for it's stiffness and extreme head heaviness.

And true to that, this racket proved unyielding as I took it to court. The clears and smashes came off pretty well, but the softer touches were sacrificed for them.

Drops and net shots were horrible for me, and the defense was one kind of slow. Lifting the head up to block shots became cumbersome and I see myself putting blocks I'd usually execute well into the net.

It'll take some time to tame. Correction: it'll take a lot of time to attempt to tame.

Stay tuned.

Badminton Racket First Impressions: Yonex Nanospeed 9900

There's almost as much legend about this racket as the ArcSabers 10 and Z-Slash. It's got a very strong player base, and for a very good reason.

I finally got my hands on the Nanospeed 9900 a few days ago, had it restrung with my BG80 Power in orange, and then hit the courts for some singles action!

The racket is known for its hard smashes despite being a head light racket. The extra stiff shaft and the 2U weight for this one definitely added to the attacking power of the racket. I dare say that the Nanospeed 9900 trumps the NR700 in many aspects.

Drives, smashes, blocks and clears, the NS9900 does wonders.

I wonder if the speed will translate into a doubles game victory streak... Only time will tell, and of course, a review.

Badminton Strings: Yonex BG80 Power

It's been awhile since I wrote a review, and it might be a longer wait because I've yet to regain my form on the court... Footwork has slowly come back to me, though nowhere as fast as before, and the mis-hits have decreased.

Let's hope the next few sessions will do better for my technique.

For now, I'd like to give some attention to the strings. The Yonex BG80 Power to be exact. Seasoned users of the BG66 and BG66 Ultimax might not fancy the 0.69mm thickness of the string, but trust me when I say that this string is a must try for heavy smashers.

Since it's launch slightly before the Olympics this year, this string has become my go-to for doubles rackets. I'm not a heavy attacker during singles play, but I've learnt to channel more aggression when I'm on my doubles games and that means loads more shuttles coming down.

The Yonex BG80 Power gives me truck loads of power when it comes to the hard smashes. Excellent repulsion from the string bed means the shuttle leaves the racket double time, and the speed it launches at the opponent is amazing.

AND I've only got it at 23lbs. My singles rackets are strung at 25lbs.

Having the strings thicker also means there's more contact with the shuttle, and that makes the light shots easier to feel for me. I might just be a fan of thick strings, since I use the 0.68mm Yonex Nanogy primarily for singles play, but the BG80 Power really gave me a good feel with the variety of shots that I like to play throughout a match.

I've been searching around for good, reliable strings to fall back on, shuffling between the Nanogy 98 and BG66 Ultimax for the longest time, but it seems that the BG80 Power has filled the spot for doubles rackets.

For the win.