Rackets

Top 10 Best Badminton Rackets in the World

Choosing a badminton racket is a very important and highly individual decision. To buy a badminton racket you need to be well informed about the features, strengths and weaknesses. Keep in mind that the most expensive rackets are not neccesarily the best badminton rackets on the market. Nonetheless the flagships of the popular brands like Yonex, Victor or Li Ning will definitely help you on court.

Simply because these are well tried and tested products from high-grade materials. That is why I decided to list the -in my opinion- top 10 best badminton rackets to buy on the market. Try them out on court if the technical specifications fulfil your personal requirements.

You are by the way welcome to read these posts as well to be able to make a well-informed decision:

The Rackets of the Badminton Stars

General Badminton Racket Guide

General Badminton String Tension Guide

Now let`s move on the the list…

Best badminton racket

Top 10 Best Badminton Rackets in the world

1. Yonex Astrox 88S and Astrox 88D Badminton Racket

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Click here for full review of Yonex Astrox 88s racket

The new Astrox 88 comes in two versions: 88D for Dominate and 88S for Skill. The first one is optimized for dominating the rear court with huge power and the second one for dominating the front court with soft shots. Very fitting that the current world no. 1 pair uses these two rackets: Gideon Marcus Fernaldi uses the 88D and Kevin Sanjana Sukamuljo the 88S. Seems to work pretty well. But both versions are definitely brilliant allround rackets, just that each of them emphasizes a special part of the game. Amazing work by Yonex!

  • Grip Size: G4/G5
  • Weight: 4U, 83g
  • Balance: Head heavy
  • Stiffness: Stiff shaft
  • Shape: Isometric
  • Suitable for: Offense/Defense

Pros: Two version for different types of players.

Cons: None.

2. Yonex Duora 10 Badminton Racket

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The official racket of badminton superstar Lee Chong Wei. It stands out by a very special design of the frame. Actually one side offers the typical box shape, while the other side is sharper and is supposed to cut through the air with more ease, thus providing faster shots. This actually works to a certain extend, although you shouldn`t expect wonders.

  • Grip Size: G4
  • Weight: 3U, 88g
  • Balance: Even balanced
  • Stiffness: Stiff shaft
  • Shape: Isometric
  • Suitable for: Offense

Pros: Special design offers more power, faster hitting.

Cons: To take full advantage of this feature, you would have to switch sides of the racket on pretty much every shot. Which is virtually impossible. But you can decide, which side you`d like to get support. The forhand smashes or maybe the backhand defence? Your choice!

3. Yonex Arcsaber 11 Pro Badminton Racket

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Full Yonex Arcsaber 11 Review

The newest Yonex release in 2022 is an absolute hit among the professional badminton players. Its a derivative of the extremely popular Arcsaber 11. So the characteristics are quite similar to the old model, but the latest progresses in racket technology regarding material, shapes etc. have been regarded for the new Yonex Arcsaber 11 Pro. Very exciting indeed, if you know how good the old Arcsaber was and still is to play with.

  • Grip Size: G4, G5, G6
  • Weight: 3U, 88g / 4U, 83g
  • Balance: Even balanced
  • Stiffness: Stiff shaft
  • Shape: Isometric
  • Suitable for: Offense / Defense / Counter attack

Pros: THE perfect allrounder – a racket for all types of players. Feels so good in your hand and with every stroke. Very good control and precision

Cons: There are rackets out there, that provide more power due to their head heavy balance. So for the Arcsaber 11 Pro you need the right technique. If you have that, generating power is no problem. But its not a beginner racket

4. Yonex ArcSaber 11 Badminton Racket

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Definitely not the racket for pure attackers. More of an allround racket for singles play.

  • Grip Size: G4
  • Weight: 3U, 85g
  • Balance: Even balanced
  • Stiffness: Stiff shaft
  • Shape: Isometric
  • Suitable for: Defense / Offense / Counter Attack

Pros: The even balance is perfect for flat fast drives. The faster it gets, the better this racket is.

Cons: The missing weight in the head causes a small slump in power.

5. Victor Brave Sword 12 Badminton Racket

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This one is a classic, official racket of the Korean team and therefore has to be named among the best badminton rackets. Cuts through the air very well because of the special frame with an edge. It is supposed to reduce air resistance by 10% and you can actually feel that when you hit a smash or clear. It feels easier and faster somehow.

  • Grip Size: G5
  • Weight: 2U, 94g
  • Balance: Even balanced
  • Stiffness: Medium stiffness
  • Shape: Isometric
  • Suitable for: Offense/Defense

Pros: Higher swing speed brings upside in defense and offense, but especially the manoeuvrability when under pressure stands out.

Cons: One might miss the extra weight in the head, but it still provides enough power for clears and smashes. So no real downside here actually.

6. Yonex NanoRay 800 Badminton Racket

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This racket is a special case. The head-light balance definitely takes some speed away from the smash. And it`s really very stiff, no repulsion whatsoever. So you need to be able to cope with that, then this racket could fit for you. Especially useful in Doubles!

  • Grip Size: G4
  • Weight: 3U, 88g
  • Balance: Head light
  • Stiffness: Stiff shaft
  • Shape: Isometric
  • Suitable: Defense

Pros: Amazing for defense – very good manoeuvrability and also forgiving outside the sweetspot.

Cons: Not for players that rely on hard smashes.

7. Li-Ning Woods N90 II Badminton Racket

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Well, what do we have here? It`s the racket of all-mighty badminton god Lin Dan! If you are a strong guy (or girl), this racket can help you bringing your power onto the court and into the smashes.

  • Grip Size: G4
  • Weight: 3U, 85g
  • Balance: Head heavy
  • Stiffness: Medium stiffness
  • Shape: Isometric
  • Suitable for: Offense

Pros: Good racket for singles.

Cons: Not for doubles because of the relatively heavy head.

8. Yonex Voltric Z Force II

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The Voltric Z Force 2 racket is undoubtly a racket for singles. The heavy head is just too much for fast net exchanges. But the power and length it provides in smashes and clears is amazing and makes it one of the best badminton rackets out there.

  • Grip Size: G4
  • Weight: 3U, 85g
  • Balance: Head heavy
  • Stiffness: Extra stiff shaft
  • Shape: Isometric
  • Suitable for: Offense/Defense

Pros: Extremely powerful clears and smashes due to extra weight in the head. And perfect control of placement as well. Perfect racket for all shots from rear court.

Cons: The extra weight can be difficult at the net and when speed is needed, thus more of a singles racket.

9. Victor Jetspeed 12 JS-12 – Badminton Racket

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The Victor Jetspeed 12 emphasizes placement, control and accuracy. So it is the perfect choice for fast & furious doubles matches.

  • Grip Size: G5
  • Weight: 4U, 80g
  • Balance: Slightly head heavy
  • Stiffness: Slightly stiff shaft
  • Shape: Isometric
  • Suitable for: Offense/Defense

Pros: Very suitable for flat and fast game, provides a good amount of power despite only slightly heavy head.

Cons: Don`t expect a power-house for your smashes. You would have to go for a heavier racket then.

 

10. Yonex Voltric 9 Badminton Racket

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  • Grip Size: G4
  • Weight: 3U, 88g
  • Balance: Head heavy
  • Stiffness: Stiff shaft
  • Shape: Isometric
  • Suitable for: Offense/Defense

Pros: Solid allrounder.

Cons: Causes a slight vibration during hitting, which might lead to problems with arm or wrist.

11. Yonex Nanoray 900 Badminton Racket

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  • Grip Size: G4
  • Weight: 3U, 85g
  • Balance: Head light
  • Stiffness: Stiff shaft
  • Shape: Isometric
  • Suitable for: Offense/Defense

Pros: Good allrounder, sufficient amount of power provided.

Cons: Not very forgiving, quite a few slack shots come out of it.

12. Li-Ning Badminton racket 3D Break-Free N90 IV

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Li Ning has already established as one of the top brands and delivers another one of the best badminton rackets worldwide.

  • Grip Size: G3
  • Weight: 3U, 85g
  • Balance: Even balanced
  • Stiffness: Medium stiffness
  • Shape: Isometric
  • Suitable for: Offense

Pros: Definitely a racket for pure attackers.

Cons: Feels a little slow when having to react in defense.

13. Victor Jetspeed S 11 Badminton racket

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  • Grip Size: G5
  • Weight: 3U, 91g
  • Balance: Slightly head heavy
  • Stiffness: Slightly stiff shaft
  • Shape: Isometric
  • Suitable for: Offense/Defense

Pros: Great feel for the shuttle, focus is on accuracy.

Cons: Provides decent power, but don`t expect a Fu Haifeng Smash.

14. Apacs Tantrum 500 International II Badminton racket

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  • Grip Size: G2
  • Weight: 3U, 86g
  • Balance: Head heavy
  • Stiffness: Medium stiffness
  • Shape: Isometric
  • Suitable for: Offense/Defense

Pros: The Apacs Tantrum favours attackers and supports them with heavy groundstrokes.

Cons: A little hard to twist and turn in defence. You need eneough arm strength to handle that.

15. BABOLAT X Feel Power 2016 Stringed

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  • Grip Size: G2
  • Weight: 3U, 86g
  • Balance: Even balanced
  • Stiffness: Very stiff shaft
  • Shape: Isometric
  • Suitable for: Offense/Defense

Pros: Good allrounder due to the even balance. In the right hands it delivers a massive amount of power.

Cons: The extremely stiff shaft will certainly not help beginners. You need to have a very neat technique to control the Babolat X Feel.

Everything about the Badminton shuttlecock

I hope these list of the top 10 best badminton rackets helped you making a choice. Of course I would be happy about comments, suggestions, questions etc.

Check out this post as well if you are looking for good cheap badminton rackets

And The Yonex Badminton Racket Directory

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