[Review Experience] Kumpoo Liu Li

Jayce September 3, 2024 1 0

To be honest, I don’t quite understand KUMPOO’s naming convention—why do they use the same name for both shoes and rackets? I can understand names like “Hou Yi” and “Guo Lun” because they can leverage the popularity of certain players, but “Liu Li”… Is it because they used the same design elements for both, or were they just too lazy to come up with a new name? Or is it to appeal to female players?

First, I should clarify that this racket wasn’t for me—I bought it for my girlfriend. Initially, I was planning to buy the K520PRO, which I had tried before. It’s lightweight, has a slightly head-heavy balance, is easy to generate power with, has a soft shaft, a large frame, and is very forgiving. I often recommend the K520PRO to beginners, and even used it myself during rehab sessions when I was recovering from a shoulder injury. However, my girlfriend preferred the color of the “Liu Li”.

With its pink and purple color options, either one is more visually appealing to women than the K520PRO. So I looked at the specs: 5U weight and a 302mm balance point. Overall, the K520PRO is heavier, but 琉璃 has a more head-heavy balance. But with its 5U weight, even with a 302mm balance point, it shouldn’t be too difficult to handle, right? And so, the racket arrived.

Appearance:
In my girlfriend’s words, “It looks nice, but that’s about it. It’s not particularly stunning.” I had a similar feeling. The combination of pink and purple at the racket head with white at the T-joint and shaft gives it a cute, fresh look. The addition of fluorescent decals gives it a sparkly effect, like a magical girl’s wand. The shaft, besides its white base, is adorned with some green and pink decals. At first glance, it looks good, but upon closer inspection, the decal and font design on the shaft feel a bit cheap, like a low-quality toy from my childhood. I even had the illusion that I might find rough edges or mold marks on this racket.

Performance:
Let me start with the string setup: it came with strings from the seller, strung at 24 lbs since my girlfriend is a complete beginner. The first few shots I took with this racket were surprisingly good. On forehand clears, as long as the technique is correct, the combination of the soft shaft and noticeable head weight allows for easy and effective clears. I could even clear baseline to baseline with just arm power, without rotating my torso. Despite the seemingly intimidating 302mm balance point, when combined with the 5U weight, it feels fairly quick to swing.

The shaft is relatively soft, somewhat like a spring. It doesn’t take much effort to feel it flex. Initially, I worried that such a soft shaft might dampen the power on smashes, but my concern was only slightly warranted. The shaft isn’t just soft; it’s also quite elastic, especially when paired with the head-heavy balance. It felt like swinging a hammer with a spring handle. The energy from the swing, combined with the shaft’s elasticity, easily drove the shuttle to the opponent’s feet. So, I joined a men’s doubles game to test it out.

To be honest, it was a bit embarrassing to be the only one wielding a sparkly pink racket among three other guys with their aggressive-looking gear. But as the saying goes, “The pinker the racket, the harder the smash.” By the end of the game, I was pretty pumped, flying around the court and smashing everything in sight. However, just as I thought I could overpower my opponents with this momentum, the racket’s flaws began to show.

First, its performance on defensive shots was among the worst I’ve experienced lately, even compared to small-frame attacking rackets. The strengths I mentioned earlier in offensive situations became weaknesses on defense. Whether it was a backhand drive or defending against a smash, the heavy head slowed down my swing and timing. The overly soft shaft also made the racket’s direction control less precise. Even the strings, which should feel more controlled at 24 lbs, felt too bouncy and slow.

When it came to net play—whether pushing, slicing, or drop shots—the head was difficult to control. I could feel that the racket’s torsional stiffness might not be up to par. The inertia from the head-heavy balance made it feel like the racket had a mind of its own, especially on defensive shots. After just two games, I handed the racket over to my girlfriend.

At first, I wasn’t planning to write about it, but after my girlfriend started using it, I began to see it differently. I’ve met many beginners like her, and usually, just making contact with the shuttle is considered a success. They often struggle to hit deep clears or fast shots. But on her first try with this racket, she managed to hit several decent clears. Though not baseline-to-baseline, she could comfortably clear from midcourt to the back. It even made me wonder if she had potential as a badminton player—until she used my racket and I realized it was mostly thanks to the”Liu Li”.

But… thinking about it, this is actually quite interesting. I’ve tried to get others into badminton before, but it usually ends in failure. I used to think it was because they couldn’t hit the shuttle, but now I realize they just couldn’t experience the fun of the game. Looking back, the things that got me hooked on badminton were those beautiful clears, fast drives, and powerful smashes. Analyzing it further, these shots all have a few things in common: significant power, clear feedback on impact, and a satisfying sound.

When I think about it, isn’t this just like slapping someone, but legally and with a racket? No wonder it’s so addictive in today’s stressful society. Once I figured this out, I immediately understood how to use this racket. The heavy head makes it easy to generate power, the soft, elastic shaft provides comfortable feedback without hand shock, and the combination produces a satisfying sound on impact. This racket is like a badminton addiction machine!

So, for those of you who asked for my opinion on this racket or are considering buying one for your girlfriend to get her into badminton, this might just be the first step in creating a mixed doubles partner.