Thursday, June 07, 2012

Badminton Racket Review: Bekia Bravesword 10 Replica

I remember when I started out with APACS rackets, I refrained from getting the replicas. I'd rather settle for the original to be honest, but the Bekia Bravesword 10 Replica changed my mindset towards the copy of a well-known brand.

This racket has got to be among the top 5 for my, earning itself a permanent placing in my doubles play.

I've previously done a review on the Victor Bravesword 15, and the racket came off very highly in my ratings system. The Bekia racket will give the BRS15 a run for its money.

This review's my opinion of the racket from using it in my games, my style. No one plays badminton the same way, so take this with a pinch of salt. 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.

Bekia Bravesword 10 Replica
Est. Dry Weight: 85g (3U)
Grip Size: G5
Balance: Even
Max String Tension: 28lbs
Flex: Stiff
Strings: Yonex BG80 Power @ 23lbs

I use this racket mainly for doubles play.

Defense
Much like the rest of my 3U, even-balanced rackets, the Bekia Bravesword 10 Replica comes off well when put to the defensive test. It's got good power that allows you to lift the shuttle high enough, while offering an equal amount of agility that gives your blocks that little element of offense to turn the tide.

The sword design of Bravesword fame also lends to the speed of the Bekia replica. I noticed that the head frame for the replica seems a little larger than Victor's Bravesword 15, which gives it a larger sweet spot and makes it more forgiving when it comes to pulling off the defenses.

One more thing I noticed is that this racket gives me a very good backhand swing. With just a slight grip of the handle, I'm able to pull off full court back hands. Very nice.

I won't kid - this racket gives me the confidence to seal off the front court when playing doubles. It's speed and accuracy makes it a very good experience in my doubles game.

Attack
What good is a sword without a good offense? A weapon by nature, the sword allows quicker swing speed by virtually cutting through the air. The replica performs well in this aspect, and I find myself enjoying throwing the frequent smash with this in my hand.

For some reason, the racket gives me a very decent swing speed, and a very good angle. The feel is perfect, down to a T, and this translates to my drop shots as well. The soft shots come off sharp and fast, and the smashes come off steep and powerful.

One thing that's missing is the drive speed. Though I remember pulling off a few of these, I've not had much to praise. But do note that it may also be because I've had so much fun driving shuttles downwards to bother about the straight reply.

I have very little bad things to say about this racket when it comes to offensive capabilities.

Control
Probably the only thing better than its offense is the Bekia Bravesword 10 Replica's control. This thing is fine-tuned to provide a very tight game.

I don't know if any of you can relate to this, but the feel for this racket is PERFECT. Every single shot goes off the strings well, and I can feel every movement, directing the shuttle to where ever I want to.

The smashes are well-placed, the drops are tight as a miser's purse strings, and blocks are decent enough not to give much of a second opportunity. I might have a little grip with the drop shot, but it's not bad enough to lower its rating.

Looks
It looks like the racket it copies, which actually scores high on my aesthetic scale. A dull blue mixes with white, gold and red to produce a very professional-looking piece of equipment.

Bekia Bravesword 10 Replica
Defense: 10
Attack: 10
Control: 10
Looks: 7

18 comments:

Liem Swee King said...

hi,

thanks for reviewing Bekia rackets. they are interesting. I too started with Apacs. Currently playing (and liking) the Apacs Nano 9900 (YY ns9900 replica).....your Bekia Bravesword 10 Replica review made me interested to buy 1 to try. I google it but can't find any sellers....where can i buy (1)online (2)local (3)taiwan?....i m super cheap guy, even my apacs i buy in jb (50% less than singapore price).......may i know what is the chinese name of Bekia in Taiwan? if u want to msg privately, i m at bostonceltics17 (at) yahoo dot com. should you want to let go of any bekia (no time for all in your collection), I would be keen. thanks again for reading and your reviews.

Arthur said...

Hello Swee King,

Thanks for reading! I have to say that APACS rackets are real good value for money, but they lack a certain quality that the Carltons and Yonex rackets give.

As for the Bekia, if you visit the badminton store in Sembawang he might have some left over, but according to the owner the makers of Bekia have stopped producing their rackets so what's left are actually the last remaining rackets for them.

I've tried two of the Bekias - the Twister X8 and the Bravesword 10 Replica, and they've both impressed.

My doubles partner likes the Meteor x80 replica; it gives him pretty decent smash power and speed in the game.

Hope your purchase of a Bekia proves successful!

eckgtr said...

hi Arthur,

Do you mind share with us where is shop to look for Bekia Bravesword 10

Arthur said...

Arctric Pacific - across the road from Sembawang Shopping Centre. It's one of those terrace houses at the back.

Anonymous said...

Hello!

After reading your review, I wanted to ask how you think the original Bravesword 10 would perform compared to its replica. Would it perform better? or is the replica actually an improvement on the original?

I'd really appreciate your opinion on this because I'm considering on buying a Bravesword 10

Thanks!

Arthur said...

Hi there!

Thanks for reading!

Though that is ratty much all I can since I've not tried the Victor BRS10 before. I won't even begin to make assumptions on how the two will compare.

I can however, that one of my favorite players uses that racket, and that's a pretty good reason to give it a try.

Keep reading to see if I do manage to get my hands on the infamous Bravesword 10.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I read your review with great interest!..so how much is this Bekia Bravesword 10 Replica
?

Arthur said...

Hello there, thanks for reading!

It'll set you back about S$70, but unfortunately it's no longer in the market.

Bekia has gone on to other ventures and have decided to give the racket making business a go.

xianxun said...

hello.i myself own a bekia arcsaber 100ltd.it feels great with decent power and nice control.however i notice that when i go to other shop to restring the racket,the stringer say that i can only string up to 24bls.however uncle lim says that it can string up to 28bls(does he calibrate his machine?).then one day i go back to uncle lim to restring at 25bls and the racket when out of shape(one side is kinda pull in by the string tension).did this occur to you??

Arthur said...

I've strung my Bekia rackets up to 27lbs with no problem though.

Though I've never seen a Bekia AS100Ltd, I'm sure the rackets from that maker can withstand up to 28lbs of tension.

However said, rackets are all handmade to some extent, and there might be the few that fall in between the cracks.

xianxun said...

sad thought...the feel of their the racket is very nice..but this problem change my view of this brand haha!!so this has not happened to any of your bekia rackets??all still going good??

Arthur said...

I don't have any Bekia rackets anymore... the beloved Bravesword 10 replica snapped at the frame after I mishit a smash.

But yes, the headframe going out of shape is a common problem. I've a Gosen Armet Explosion that can't go beyond 24lbs..

xianxun said...

so headframe going out of shape is a common problem for many racket?also you know where to get athletic tape in singapore(to wrap the wood)??does pharmacy sell them?

Arthur said...

Not to the extent of it being unusable of course.

I don't wrap with that tape. I'm the scotch tape gang; makes it a lot easier to remove the grip.

Just zaps right off.

xianxun said...

what kind of scotch tape??those transparant one or peach colour type?

Arthur said...

The cheapest ones. No need to spend too much money on anything that won't improve performance :)

xianxun said...

you got see bekia s600 before?saw on taobao.

Arthur said...

I don't think I have... either that or I don't remember :P

Do you have a link?