Curiosity Series 439 — Bonny Tao Yao Zhuo Hua

Karry September 20, 2024 0

What makes lower-end products sell like hotcakes?

Is it the unmatched brand appeal of Green? The vast product line accumulated over time by Blue? The stunning design of Red? Or the unparalleled return-and-exchange service of Yellow?

Without these advantages, second-tier and independent brands are too conservative in their approach, usually relying on lower prices and better materials to compete. In recent years, some manufacturers have started focusing on packaging and presentation, offering thoughtful gifts that make people feel they’re getting good value. This has made their products much more competitive. But soon, these practices were copied, leading to a cycle of competition at the same price range, preventing anyone from truly standing out.

Specifications:
4UG5, no grip tape, 87.0g in use, balance point 292mm, shaft length 218mm, low stiffness, box-type frame, 72-hole string bed, 9-3 o’clock grooves, rated for 26 lbs, strung at 24-26 lbs with Gaosen Steel Armor 5.

Tao Yao and Zhuo Hua from the same series are essentially the same racket, differentiated only by their paint jobs. Both come with a gift box. Zhuo Hua is blue, with a deep blue gift box featuring minimal design elements. The box itself is of good quality, offering decent protection when mailed and also looking nice if given as a gift. However, once opened, the contents are quite minimal, with only a racket cover inside. Although the racket is priced at just under 300 yuan, I’d actually be willing to pay a bit of a premium to get more surprises—grip tape, strings, socks, towels, wristbands—those extra touches would give it a more sincere feel.

Bolly has suffered from poor racket designs in the past but has finally wised up in recent years, paying more attention to the appearance of products across its low, mid, and high-end ranges. Tao Yao and Zhuo Hua feature a blend of traditional Chinese fonts with a fresh design, with white, gray, and blue as the main colors. There’s a gradient transition between gray and white on the shaft and frame, with a few blue lines wrapped around as accents, and subtle patterns on the racket head. Overall, it looks pleasing. At the 2 and 10 o’clock positions, there’s a floral motif that ties into the racket’s theme.

I did my homework—Tao Yao and Zhuo Hua are based on a racket I’ve reviewed before, so I didn’t experience anything particularly new during testing. It fits its positioning as a soft, flexible, lightweight, and easy-to-use racket. That said, I still roped in my team captain at work and forced him to use it in a match.

He was adjusting to the new racket that day, and his performance was quite shaky—which is exactly when a beginner-friendly racket shines. One thing to note: I only handed him the racket right before the match, that’s how confident I was in its ease of use.

True to form, our captain finished the entire match without a single complaint or a frame hit, which speaks volumes about the low entry barrier and high forgiveness of this racket. Playing doubles with him was pretty hassle-free: if he was in the backcourt, I’d just focus on intercepting shots in the middle while he smashed, and if he was in the front, I’d mix smashes and drops, leaving him to finish off the play. Though we’d occasionally bicker over return quality, we both ended up having a pretty relaxed experience by the end of the match.

The string bed isn’t particularly large, but the sweet spot is ample, allowing for a solid shuttle response without feeling too loose. The shaft’s softness is well-suited for beginners, offering easy flex without feeling weak, and the elastic feedback is easy to control.

However, as a captain, his demands go beyond ease of use—he’s particularly fixated on net play and powerful backcourt smashes.

He has an obsession with aggressive net shots when serving and receiving. Initially, I thought he was showing off, but when I saw his low success rate, I realized he was just practicing. Regardless, when using Zhuo Hua, likely frustrated after struggling with the new racket all night, he suddenly burst into form. He didn’t miss a single net shot all match, not even the cross-court flicks or forced low returns. I had my doubts about the feel of this 84g racket, but its sweet spot is indeed impressive.

When it was his turn to deliver power shots, I was surprised he didn’t have a single complaint about the racket. In my opinion, this isn’t a racket that can easily dominate in evenly matched backcourt exchanges, but he wielded it with ease. Two reasons, I think: first, the last match with Zhuo Hua came when everyone’s stamina was flagging, making a racket with a low driving threshold even more crucial to handle the game; second, despite its low balance point and weight, Zhuo Hua offers a surprisingly effective downward pressure, with solid directional control even if the shuttle doesn’t come off explosively. Plus, in the rare case that the backcourt player’s attacks don’t break through, the rotation will naturally bring me to the frontcourt, where I could block potential passes and stabilize the situation until we either scored or lost the point.

One more thing: our captain maintained great consistency throughout the match. The fast, easy handling of Zhuo Hua not only aided his flat drives and backcourt pressure but also reduced fatigue, ensuring longer endurance. Even after long rallies where neither side could break through, we found it easier to recover. In the hot and humid summer of southern China, this endurance is a huge advantage.

After the match, the captain gave Zhuo Hua a thumbs-up. As a reward, I got to borrow his 88S Tour for a while—win-win.

Back to the gift box: while the racket itself doesn’t lack product quality, once you position it as a gift box, it should go beyond just a formality. I’d like to see more accessories inside, at least enough to give when gifting it to a beginner female player—it’s all about saving face.

After B Company and its retailers have made efforts to improve the appearance of their products, they will likely still need to do some work in understanding consumer psychology.