How much do you care about where the racquet is manufactured?

[ace0001a]

Hey everybody, I was wondering how much people care about where the tennis racquet they use is manufactured? Obviously global economics forces companies to find ways to reduce manufacturing costs. It's also obvious that China can manufacturer just about anything for less than anywhere else in the world and so it's no surprise tennis racquet manufacturers have their racquets made in China these days. Now what I'm wondering is if anyone can tell a difference of models they have used where some where made where the company used to make them versus later ones that are made in China? Now I realize this topic has been discussed before here, but simply for the sake of discussion, it's what I have on my mind today.

More specifically for myself, I am a huge fan of Head racquets. Now we all know Head used make all their consumer models in Austria. I later saw some that were made in the Czech Republic and now all them are made in China. The pros of course get theirs custom made still in Austria, which is understandable. So specifically to all those who own Head racquets, can you tell a difference between ones of the same model that are made in Austria, Czech Republic and China? I think the last consumer Head models that were still made in Austria were the Liquidmetal and Flexpoint models. Please feel free to chime in anyone.

 

[eagle]

If I were a touring pro or good enough to play the circuit, then MAYBE I'd be critical of where they are manufactured. The pros with the exception of Sampras probably don't care or has never thought about it.

I wonder though if only rec/club players like us worry about such?

r,
eagle

 

[NickH87]

I could care less as long as I am getting a quality product that doesnt break for no reason.

 

[The_Question]

If the quality is industry standard, manufacture origin is not a concern...

 

[dr325i]

More specifically for myself, I am a huge fan of Head racquets. Now we all know Head used make all their consumer models in Austria. I later saw some that were made in the Czech Republic and now all them are made in China. The pros of course get theirs custom made still in Austria, which is understandable. So specifically to all those who own Head racquets, can you tell a difference between ones of the same model that are made in Austria, Czech Republic and China? I think the last consumer Head models that were still made in Austria were the Liquidmetal and Flexpoint models. Please feel free to chime in anyone.

Yes, the difference is very much obvious.
Do I care WHERE they made it -- not at all.
But, unfortunately, I could not find a retail (Head) stick with the feel, sound, power and control even remotely similar to the PT57A.
Could I play with the retail MG Prestige MP? Absolutely, and there may be a slight difference in my performance, however, long run, the difference would become more obvious.

 

[Zielmann]

I don't care as long as it's a genuine frame (read: not a fake). I doubt there'd be too much difference in quality simply because of location of the factory. Like, if Wilson could pick up their factories and plop them down in the US, I don't see how that would change the quality of the frames. It's the same process, same machinery, same materials... Only difference is the employees. And I doubt that anybody in the US would work as hard and as disciplined in a job like that as the current Chinese workers do.

 

[coyfish]

Depends on the racquet. I use an austrian head LM radical. Bought one a few months ago from TW. Played with it and it was completely different. The frame itself felt different, was heavier, stiffer, . . . didn't like it. Realized it was made in China. Spent a long time trying to find an older austrian made LM radical.

 

[dadozen]

If I were a touring pro or good enough to play the circuit, then MAYBE I'd be critical of where they are manufactured. The pros with the exception of Sampras probably don't care or has never thought about it.

I wonder though if only rec/club players like us worry about such?

r,
eagle

Maybe that's true Maybe we care too much about our equipment and too little about our game and/or technique

 

[eagle]

^^ Reminds one of players who buy equipment and dress exactly like their tennis idols. They may not be able to play but they look smashing. Pardon the pun.

r,
eagle

 

[JT_2eighty]

Yes, the difference is very much obvious.
Do I care WHERE they made it -- not at all.
But, unfortunately, I could not find a retail (Head) stick with the feel, sound, power and control even remotely similar to the PT57A.
Could I play with the retail MG Prestige MP? Absolutely, and there may be a slight difference in my performance, however, long run, the difference would become more obvious.

I would also only agree in my limited experience. I had used the Head PT280 Made in Austria model for 16+ years. That was from HS, college, up thru my 20s. Somewhere in the meantime I found a used PT280 after they were discontinued, and always felt that it played differently, so would only use it when I broke the strings in the original, immediately getting the orig restrung. This was before I realized that the "Designed in Austria" on it actually meant it was made in China. After weighing the two, the China made is a bit heavier, but I assume the materials were the same, although some have stated it has less "twaron" than the originals.

By the way which one is the PT57A? I also recently picked up a PT630, one made in Czech Rep, and it is the most "buttery" feeling racquet out of the three. Haven't touched the China one in over a year, not because it's from China but it does play differently than the others, but that's also because I started to use a Wilson racquet as of late to preserve my "collectible" PT's. On the subject of Wilson, same make and model and each one weighs differently than the other, thanks quality control :shock:

 

[pshulam]

Nowadays practically all rackets are made in China. If it's a Head classic or older racket, I would prefer it from Austria.

 

[ollinger]

If the Chinese are gracious enough to continue to subsidize our lifestyle by buying our Treasury Bills while we screw them by printing so much money that it devalues their investment, the very least we can do is buy things they make.

 

[dr325i]

By the way which one is the PT57A? I also recently picked up a PT630, one made in Czech Rep, and it is the most "buttery" feeling racquet out of the three. Haven't touched the China one in over a year, not because it's from China but it does play differently than the others, but that's also because I started to use a Wilson racquet as of late to preserve my "collectible" PT's. On the subject of Wilson, same make and model and each one weighs differently than the other, thanks quality control :shock:

The PT57A is one of the the Heads STILL made for the Pros (top 100 or so) in Austria, based on the PT630 mold. There is a lot of info on those around...

 

[JT_2eighty]

Yea, there is definitely a lot of info on those around, but too much for busy ol me to read it all. Suffice to say I enjoy my PT280 Made in Aus and the PT630 Czech models, so I don't need to experiment further. I think my muscle memory is so locked into the PT280 feel and now that I have finally found a couple exact backups, I am set for the rest of my tennis days.

 

[peli_kan]

And I doubt that anybody in the US would work as hard and as disciplined in a job like that as the current Chinese workers do.

Am I the only one who went

 

[Zielmann]

Am I the only one who went

Lol. I kinda put that in to see if it would get a reaction. Though I think there's a bit of sad truth to the statement as well.

 

[AznRamenDude]

Am I the only one who went

Well, it gots a lot of truth there. In the US, we got a little leeway room for relaxation. And we have the right to defend ourselves if our boss thinks we are slacking off. People there work hard. You don't perform a high level, you have no job. No excpetion.

 

[goldenyama]

I like to have 'Made in Austria', Made in Japan' or 'Made in the USA' on my frames for a a couple of reasons:

1: They usually feel better and have better QC

2: I am an irrational racquet snob!!

 

[lilxjohnyy]

Im really looking at Yonex because i like that they are made in Japan

 

[Edstringer13]

Everything nowadays is made in China,but of course the Yonex made in Japan is just better,no variations in weight,but there also the Volkls made in China still really good,but also there the Wilson<Babolat<Prince<that you can find discrepancies up to 15g within the same model,that's why i prefer Yonex,besides playing better,not to mention Fischer QC.I think it's about the Company carrying about the QC.

 

[120mphBodyServe]

Racquets made in China suck.
They have enough of a manufacturing sector to suffer this small loss and have the racquets made somewhere else by workers that actually care about the people who use their racquets.

 

[The_Question]

but of course the Yonex made in Japan is just better,

Keep in mind, not ALL Yonex is made in Japan...

 

[tball]

I care, because of the impact on local economy.

There used to be a time when racquets, along with many other things, were manufactures in Austria, USA, etc.
For years and years, this was a feasible model. People played tennis, racquets sold -- no problem.

Then racquet manufacturing move to China. Did the racquets become better? No. Did the racquets become cheaper? No. What's the gain? The gain was that some companies (mainly companies' CEOs) pocketed the difference between the wages of chineses workers and their european counterparts.
Chinese workers did not gain much -- they are paid the same low rate they have always had. The european workers got let go, factories closed. For us, a racquet still costs $200 new, as it used to cost 20 years ago.

 

[sureshs]

I care, because of the impact on local economy.

There used to be a time when racquets, along with many other things, were manufactures in Austria, USA, etc.
For years and years, this was a feasible model. People played tennis, racquets sold -- no problem.

Then racquet manufacturing move to China. Did the racquets become better? No. Did the racquets become cheaper? No. What's the gain? The gain was that some companies (mainly companies' CEOs) pocketed the difference between the wages of chineses workers and their european counterparts.
Chinese workers did not gain much -- they are paid the same low rate they have always had. The european workers got let go, factories closed. For us, a racquet still costs $200 new, as it used to cost 20 years ago.

But raw material cost has gone up. Carbon fiber prices alone went up 30% in the last couple of years. Add to it increased shipping costs, inflation, capital cost, etc. If they did not outsource, they would not have survived. The racquet companies also sponsor players and tournaments and TV ads, and those costs have gone up too. It costs much more to sponsor Federer and to air a USO ad than it did to sponsor Laver.

Also, only the premium racquets cost $200, and that is because of "prestige pricing." If you want an old model racquet, you can get them for much lower.

There was an article in RSI mag how racquet companies are cutting costs to avoid crossing the psychological $199 barrier. It still costs that much because that is the upper limit of what consumers will pay today or 20 years ago.

The actual cost is much lower. The markup helps the manufacturer and dealers to make a hefty profit. It also helps recover marketing and R&D costs for the manufacturer.

 

[in[k]]

0

As long as the racquet is legit I couldn't care less.

 

[tball]

Unfortunately, the factory where my father worked got closed this way. Ever since then I've been overconscious about where my money goes, how it is going to be distributed and where it is going to end up. For me, it is more important the the looks of the racquet and even than its tech.

Judging from the posts, I see that I am fairly unique in this...

 

[SuperDuy]

I could care less as long as I am getting a quality product that doesnt break for no reason.

Exactly. :twisted:

 

[Slice_Serve]

As long as it's not from Wilson, I honestly don't care.