Tactic Badminton Rackets

Tactic badminton rackets are very popular in the far east, but over here in the UK they are virtually unheard of. There is just one badminton retailer who sells Tactic racquets, and they have only just started selling them. They could well be onto something as well, because i have the distinct feeling they will start to get bigger and bigger over here. They are also on the lookout for more distributers.

Tactic are actually a Danish company, which started back in the 1970's. Finding information on them is a bit tricky, but i did manage to find their official website. It turns out they have previously sponsored the England badminton team, although i cannot ever remember seeing their brand around. Tactic badminton have also sponsored the Danish team, and now seem to be involved with some Chinese junior and regional teams. Tactic badminton rackets are made in the far east and then shipped over to Europe, as most rackets are.

The rackets are cheap, and they appear to be Yonex clones, much like Apacs and god knows how many others. The big bonus is that they cost a fraction of the price. An example is that they have the Tactic Arc Striker 7 and 10, which is very similar to the Apacs Edge Saber 7 and 10. Both are just copying the Yonex ArcSaber name. If i was Yonex i would not be too pleased with this at all, but i guess there is not much they can do about it.

The seller in the UK has just 7 Tactic badminton rackets available. After a bit of snooping around on the net, i came across a site called my badmintonstore, who are based in Hong Kong. This site has a much larger selection of racquets, and they offer free worldwide shipping. Hmm.. interesting. They also happen to be a very popular distributor in the far east, and also sell all Yonex stuff.

The top Tactic racket on the UK site is the Tactic Nami Blade 9000. This range is based on the Yonex Nanospeed range, so the Nami Blade 9000 is a clone of the Yonex Nanospeed 9000. There is no technical info for this model on the UK website. What the hell is that all about? How can you not give any information out and expect people to buy? Madness. Luckily, my badmintonstore does. The 9000 has a stiff rating, isometric head shape, and weighs around 85g. It is made from nano carbon and elastic Titanium, with some ultra high modulus graphite thrown in there. If it sounds familiar it is because it is a Yonex clone. The balance point is 290-300mm. The idea of this inforamtion is that most rackets have a balance point somewhere between 290-310mm. The higher the number, the more head heavy the balance is. Most "offensive" marketed badminton rackets have head heavy balance points, so you would expect to see a higher value if the retailer gives you this kind of information. It turns out that 290-300mm is not really that exact, so it is a bit difficult to tell whether this racket is head heavy or not. In fact after looking at all the Tactic racquets on the website, all have balance points between 290-300mm. What is all that about? My guess is that the 9000 is probably slightly head light or even balanced, as the Yonex Nanospeed 9000 is. Now here is the interesting part, this racket costs £69.99 in the UK, but from the Hong Kong website, this Nami Blade 9000 costs £45.98, with free shipping. Now which option would you choose if you were in the UK and wanted a Tactic badminton racquet?

Next up is the Nami Blade 8000, based on the equivalent Yonex Nanospeed 8000. The spec is exactly the same for the 9000 and the 8000, much like the Yonex rackets too. Really, i am struggling to find out what the difference actually is between the Yonex nanospeed 9000 and 8000, apart from the price and the paint job. The UK website price is £59.99, witha £6.99 delivery charge on top of that. The Hong Kong site sells this Nami Blade 8000 for £42.99.

There is also the Nami Blade 7700 for $43.17 from the Hong Kong store, which is actually more expensive than the 8000? The UK site sells it for £49.99. I suppose the big question for me if i was to buy any badminton rackets from Hong Kong would be whether it would actually reach me in one piece, and how long it would take to get here. The only way would be to try it i guess. The fact is that they are cheaper over there, but the Yonex rackets are about the same price as they are in the UK and the US.

Next up is the Tactic Arc Striker 7 badminton racket, which is a clone of the Yonex ArcSaber 7. The UK store sells this for £39.99 with an extra £9.99 for delivery. The Hong Kong site sells it for £45.98 with free shipping, so it is only slightly cheaper, and probably not worth the hassle for a few pounds if you ask me.

The Tactic Arc Striker 10 is not available in the UK yet, why i do not know. But it is available fom Hong Kong and the cost is £51.39, which is about half the price of the Yonex ArcSaber 10.

There is one big plus point if you do buy a Tactic racket from the UK store, and it is that they will let you have a 14 day trial. If you don't like it within 14 days you can give it back, and get a full refund. Bear in mind you will then have to pay the postage costs yourself. You could be a little bit cheeky here, and test out the racket, and even if you like it, just send it back, and thn buy it from the Hong Kong store. You would still save some cash, especially if you fancy buying a couple of them.

It appears that Tactic racquets have been featured on Sky Sports, they offer very similar playing characteristics as the real Yonex rackets, but cost much less. Would i buy any of them? Yep, no question about it. Many other players also have this same philosophy because these type of clones sell very well.

Just an update on my lead tape experiment. One of my Carlton Airblades has encountered a problem. The support cap, which covers the place where the shaft meets the handle has totally come loose. I was expecting this to happen, with the extra weight now on the handle placing more strain on this support cap. I was playing a match and the support cap ended up hitting the bottom of the racket head, travelling up and down the shaft. Not good. I ended up taping it back in position with some tape, and it semms to be holding up. I guess the moral of this experiment is that if you are going to add lead tape to your handle, then don't do this with Carlton badminton rackets.

Just one more thing. I do wonder if the Apacs Edge Saber badminton rackets and the Tactic Arc Strikers are the same. They may well be made in the same factory, they may well be the same, but with a different paint job on them.