Karry
Xunfeng Liuli Badminton Racket 5UG6
To be honest, I don’t quite understand the naming pattern for Xunfeng. Why use the same name for both shoes and rackets?
I get why names like Houyi and Guolun are used since they can leverage the fame of star players and ride the wave of publicity. But “Liuli”… is it because the same design elements are used for both products? Or is it just laziness in naming? Or maybe it’s to appeal to the ladies?
First, let me clarify: this racket is not for my own use. I bought it for my girlfriend. Initially, I was planning to get the K520PRO, a racket I had played with before. It’s light, easy to handle, slightly head-heavy, good for borrowing power, has a soft shaft, a large frame, and high tolerance for errors. It’s my go-to recommendation for beginners, and even when I had a shoulder injury, I borrowed my friend’s K520PRO for rehab games.
However, my girlfriend preferred the look of the Liuli. The pink and purple color schemes were more appealing to her than the K520PRO’s.
So, I checked the specs:
5U, balance point of 302mm.
In terms of total weight, the K520PRO is heavier, but the Liuli has a heavier head based on its balance point.
However, considering it’s a 5U, even with a 302mm balance point, it shouldn’t be too difficult to handle, right?
So, I went ahead and ordered the racket.
Let’s start with the appearance.
According to my girlfriend, “It looks nice, but that’s about it. It’s not stunningly beautiful.” The color scheme is very pink and girly, but upon closer inspection, it seems rather ordinary.
I have a similar impression.
The pink and purple around the racket head, paired with the white on the T-joint and shaft, gives a cute and fresh feel. The addition of some fluorescent decals adds a bit of sparkle, like a magic wand from a children’s show.
The shaft, besides the white base, also has some green and pink-purple decals, which look pretty nice at first glance.
However, looking closer, the decals and font on the shaft appear a bit cheap, almost like those found on low-cost plastic toys from childhood. I even felt as though I might find rough edges or mold marks on the racket.
Now, onto the playing experience.
For context, the strings were pre-installed by the seller at 24 lbs, since my girlfriend is a complete beginner.
On the first few hits, I was pleasantly surprised.
Hitting clear shots with proper technique was easy thanks to the soft shaft and the not-insignificant head weight, allowing for powerful and effortless clears.
Even without rotating my body, relying solely on arm strength, I could easily hit baseline-to-baseline shots.
The 302mm balance point might look intimidating on paper, but given its 5U weight, it still feels relatively light and fast.
The shaft is on the softer side, almost like a spring. You don’t need much strength to feel significant flex. I initially worried that such a soft shaft might reduce power during smashes, but I was wrong.
Not only is the shaft soft, but its elasticity is quite impressive, especially when combined with the head weight. During smashes, it feels like the handle of a hammer has been replaced with a spring.
The momentum from the swing, combined with the shaft’s flexibility, allows for powerful smashes that land right at the opponent’s feet.
So, I decided to try a men’s doubles game.
Honestly, it was a bit awkward being the only guy wielding what looked like a magic wand, while the other three guys were using tough, aggressive rackets.
But, as the saying goes, the pinker the racket, the fiercer the smash. I was on fire that match, smashing everything in sight.
Just when I thought I could ride this momentum to victory, the racket’s flaws started to show.
Firstly, defense shots felt uncomfortable. Of all the rackets I’ve used recently, this one made defensive shots feel the most difficult, even worse than those with small attacking frames.
All the advantages I mentioned earlier became disadvantages.
Whether it was backhand drives or defending against smashes, the head’s weight slowed down my swing, making it hard to time the shots properly.
The overly soft shaft also made the racket feel imprecise.
Even though the string tension was 24 lbs, there wasn’t the expected “holding the shuttle” feel. The strings seemed to release the shuttle instantly, but the shuttle speed was still disappointingly slow.
At the net, whether pushing, slicing, or dropping, the racket head was difficult to control. It felt like the racket’s torsion resistance wasn’t very good.
And due to the inertia from the head weight, the racket often felt like it had a mind of its own during defensive shots, refusing to cooperate.
After just two games, I handed the racket over to my girlfriend.
Initially, I didn’t plan on writing this, but after seeing how the racket performed in my girlfriend’s hands, I had a change of heart.
I’ve seen many beginners like my girlfriend play badminton. Usually, just making contact with the shuttle is a success. Most of their clears either go high but not far or far but not high, or worse, neither far nor high.
However, during her first time playing, using this racket, my girlfriend managed to hit some fairly decent clears. While she didn’t quite reach the baseline, her midcourt clears were pretty solid. I even started imagining her as a potential badminton talent.
That fantasy was shattered when she tried using my racket.
Turns out, all her good clears were thanks to the racket.
But… the more I thought about it, the more interesting it became.
I’ve tried getting others into badminton before, but it always ended in failure.
Initially, I thought it was because they couldn’t hit the shuttle and thus had no interest in the game. But upon closer observation, they could hit the shuttle; they just didn’t find the fun in it.
Then I thought back to what got me addicted to badminton in the first place.
Looking deeper, powerful clears, fast drives, and explosive smashes were the common elements.
Breaking it down, these types of shots all require significant power, have a clear feedback when hitting, and produce a satisfying sound.
Isn’t this basically like delivering a powerful, controlled slap? In a society as stressful as ours, who wouldn’t get hooked on this feeling?
With this realization, I finally understood how this racket should be used.
A heavy head, good power transfer, soft and elastic shaft, comfortable feedback without too much vibration, and the combination of head weight and shaft elasticity helping to produce a loud hitting sound—this racket is like a perfect tool for delivering powerful slaps. It’s a badminton addiction machine.
So, for those of you who’ve been asking for my opinion on this racket and are considering buying it for your girlfriend to get her into badminton, this might just be the first step to finding a mixed doubles partner.
