Badminton has always been one of Malaysia’s top favourite games of all time. Just like in any game, having the right equipment matters. A good badminton racket and badminton shoes do help to level up the game for players.
Here are the top 10 best badminton shoes you can buy in Malaysia, wore by the world top-ranked players.
1. YONEX Power Cushion 65 Z2 – Kento Momota
Available in 2 colours – black/blue (worn by Kento Momota) and white/orange, YONEX Power Cushion 65 Z2 spots a comfortable fit with the new Toe Assist Shape design which is deemed to relieve pressure on the big toe and improve support for the mid-foot and heel.
With the Double Raschel Mesh in place, the air exchange is 8x more than ordinary mesh fabric. This is in addition to softening the shoe sides thus giving more well-formed and comfortable wear. And it is extremely lightweight on the users.
This pair of badminton shoes also come in a wide version too. Yonex’s PowerCushion+, which is upgraded from the older Power Cushion technology, certainly boasts of several enhanced features. The 65Z2 utilizes similar materials and technologies throughout the entire shoe.
One of the critical elements that make a pair of shoes qualify as THE badminton shoe is the grip. Yonex achieves this via rubber outsoles engraved with their proprietary Hexagrip design. The YONEX Round Sole also provides all-around support for quick and smooth footwork.
This provides excellent traction and grip to players. Having said this, it was found that this may not be the most durable though. So, playing on a rough court surface (asphalt) may result in damages to the shoe.
Featuring Lateral Shell that helps resist sliding at the sole’s edges and Syncro-Fit insole that ensures the contact between the shoe and foot are in-tact along with PowerCushion+ features make this pair of shoes truly outstanding and a class of its own.
It is definitely one of most popular badminton shoes in Malaysia.
2. YONEX Power Cushion 65Z Wide – Chou Tien Chen
Being hailed as Yonex best-selling badminton shoes, the Yonex Power Cushion 65Z Wide spots a cool wider design, excellent for players who need a wider fit.
The upper has PU leather while the midsole has ToughBrid Light, Power Cushion, Power Cushion+, Solid E.V.A. and Power Graphite Sheet.
Yonex boasts that their shoes give more confidence with added stability via their key feature – Power Cushion. It absorbs shock and reverses the energy impact to become a better and smoother transfer in the next movement. Best suited for players who regularly play badminton as it reduces the overall stress/impact caused to the knees and shin bones.
It is claimed that compared to urethane, the YONEX Power Cushion provides 3x more shock absorbing power (Test was done – when dropped from 7m above a Power Cushion sheet, an egg will bounce up 4m without any damage).
This pair of shoes also uses the enhanced Power Cushion+ which basically is a special elastic resin added to the Power Cushion with lattice designed grooves with optimum spacing and depth. This then provides 28% more shock absorption and 62% more repulsion.
YONEX Synchro-Fit Insole ensures the contact between foot and shoe is in-tact. The above image shows a comparison with the usual conventional badminton shoes, the mid to heel section on the insole is elevated to provide a better fit between foot and shoe.
65Z Wide holds the heel firmly against the insole, thus reducing the gap between foot and shoe. This improves comfort and performance, ensuring the foot has maximum grip inside the shoe.
3. Li-Ning Eagle 2.0 – Anthony Sinisuka Ginting
Inspired by the aircraft J-31 (gyrfalcon), Li-Ning Eagle 2.0 is aimed for being super lightweight with added comfort and is mainly designed to cater to speed.
Worn by Badminton World Championship’s Champion – PV Sindhu, Malaysia mixed doubles and Olympic runner-up Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying and also Anthony Sinisuka Ginting.
This pair of shoes helps in keeping in good pace with high-speed games. The Light Foam midsole allows the shoe to be lightweight without compromising its overall midsole elasticity.
The upper part is made of a hybrid diamond yarn which enhances the support and also breathability, it is also a combination of Textile and TPU. Carbon fibre elements have been used to improve overall stability. The sole is made of high-quality rubber and sustainable EVA.
This pair of badminton shoes is great for fast-paced players.
4. VICTOR A950 – Anders Antonsen Victor
VICTOR A950 spots the Neo Duplex design, a new dual-density wedge structure midsole combined with ENERGYMAX3.0 at the top with light resilient EVA at the bottom, in accordance to the principles of sports biomechanics(balance between movements and angles of the knee and ankle joints). These allow optimum energy absorption and greater stability support.
VICTOR A950 uses V-Durable, a special technology for the inner toes for more enhanced durability and strength. To add, the V-shape toe design is specially designed for those with a longer 2nd toe thus explains the shoe’s more pointed and slender design.
It also has a water-resistant layer which makes it more water-proof. The upgraded out-sole rubber is great as it increases the slip-resistance capability by 21% on dry ground.
Featuring asterisk steps sole, the centre has a rounded shape with triangular shapes surrounding it. This is for all-around support for quick and smooth footwork. It also uses a unique breathing mesh for improved ventilation, facilitating heat dissipation, thus ensuring a more comfortable wear for the feet.
People have feedback that playing in these shoes are excellent as their feet did not feel any pain or exhaustion at all and the grip was also excellent. However, one commented that the upper leather is thin thus questioning its durability.
5. YONEX SHB-65X – Chen Long
YONEX SHB-65X badminton shoes have improved fitting and are newly designed to allow smooth and better landing stability for a more precise and controlled movement.
The upper uses PU leather and the midsole spots the ToughBrid Light, Power Cushion+ and solid EVA. The outsole uses rubber. The Power Cushion+ has 3 layers which effectively absorbs shock and transforms the energy impact to be smoother and better in the next movements.
This shoes comes with all the advanced Yonex features, such as:
- Yonex Synchro-Fit Insole for the best fit
- Hexagrip pattern shoe soles for maximum grip
- Double Russel Mesh for lightweight and breathability
Users feedback that that this pair of shoes have great flexibility, pretty good breathability with acceptable plush cushioning in place and rated toe protection a 9/10.
6. Li-Ning Ranger 4.0 TD – Jonatan Christie
The latest from Li Ning after Ranger 1, Ranger 2 and Ranger 3 comes this simple yet robust Li Ning Ranger 4.0.
The distinct feature is the rubber outsole with biomimetic lizard’s feet design, specially designed for maximum grip and strong durability.
This pair of shoes features a stereo woven belt wrapping design that can adjust to your feet for better fit and grip, producing higher comfort and stability.
The upper portion is made of quality synthetic leather, textile and TPU. The side has a Breathable Vamp for maximum air ventilation. The heel design is raised for better grip and stability. The midsole is specially designed to cater for anti-torsion capability.
Customers have feedback praising this pair of shoe heap that it has great grip and is highly slip-resistant And some praised that this pair of shoes were extremely lightweight and very functional, strong and made of high-quality materials.
7. Li-Ning Shadow Of Blade 4.0 Pro Shoes – Shi Yu Qi
Li-Ning Shadow Of Blade 4.0 comes with a simple colour yet still exudes style and versatility.
The upper is made of synthetic leather and TPU, which is breathable and comfortable to wear. The sole is made of rubber combined with EVA and Cloud midsole technology. This creates an effective shock absorption with solid wear-resistance as well.
Utilizing Li-Ning Cloud Lite-Shock absorption technology which uses a lightweight midsole material, specially and independently developed by Li-Ning. This pair of shoes is popularly used by China’s top players.
The upper is made of quality synthetic leather and TPU. The sole which is made of rubber and EVA, has a strong grip for better performances. The toe cap is slightly curved to reduce any injury.
It spots a heel strap design that makes it easy to put on and take off, this is a very simple and practical pair of shoes.
8. YONEX Power Cushion 47 – Sai Praneeth B.
The Ergoshape design in this Yonex Power Cushion 47 badminton shoes is made for improved stability in the toe and forefoot area.
They are lightweight and perfect for players seeking comfortable strides with reasonable durability. The pair includes a breathable upper that is made from polyester mesh and P.U. leather, ensuring a good combination of resilience and fresh on-court feeling.
The shoes also feature the Power Cushion technology in the EVA midsole, offering 30% more shock absorption and 3x more repulsion for optimum performance.
There is a 100% solid rubber outsole with hexagrip pattern that allows for lighter and great traction during fast-paced games (3% more grip and 20% lighter).
Some have complained that the durability is in question as to the upper tore and the outsole became detached after few weeks of use.
However, many still applaud the comfort offered by the Power Cushion. The price is reasonable and it is lightweight with the outsole having a great grip.
9. YONEX Power Cushion 65ZM – Kanta Tsuneyama
Yonex Power Cushion 65 ZM has a more normal width cut. As usual, Yonex 65ZM features perfect cushioning using the new Power Cushion+ technology.
It also has a power graphite lite sole for first-class mid foot stabilization and grip. The outer spots a sturdy and resilient double russel mesh outer material which is highly breathable.
The outer sole has a non-colouring propriety Hexagrip design that provides excellent traction to players but apparently, this may not be the most durable though.
Many have commented that this pair of shoes have great flexibility, pretty good breathability with a plush cushioning in place and rated toe protection a 9/10.
10. Victor A922 – Wang Tzu Wei
VICTOR A922 uses asterisk steps outsole with the centre having a rounded shape with triangular shapes surrounding it. The radiation pattern provides a better grip, especially for lateral and vertical movements.
There is a unique breathing mesh for improved ventilation, facilitating heat dissipation, thus ensuring a more comfortable wear for the feet. VICTOR A922 spots the Neo Duplex design, a new dual-density wedge structure midsole combined with ENERGYMAX3.0 at the top with light resilient EVA at the bottom.
The upgraded out-sole rubber (VSR anti-slip) is great as it increases the slip-resistance capability by 21% on dry ground.
One of the durability tests found that the shoes were 16x more wear-resistant than any average PU leather shoes. Utilizing DIGITKNIT, a knitting technology that is applied to the upper part for greater comfort.
As we can see, the Yonex Power Cushion series is the favourite amongst the top players internationally or locally in Malaysia. With that, we sum up our list of top badminton players’ badminton shoes.
Given the current pandemic situation, you may want to buy some home sports equipments. Check out our review articles below:
References:
360badminton.com – https://360badminton.com/category/player-shoes/
bwfbadminton.com – https://bwfbadminton.com/rankings/2/bwf-world-rankings/6/men-s-singles/2020
Those who want to purchase badminton shoes should really check out this list. 🙂