Badminton Gear: The Complete Badminton Equipment List

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The best sound in a badminton hall might be a freshly strung racket: that crisp, high “ping” on a clean smash. Badminton doesn’t need much kit, but each piece matters, for your game and for your body. Here’s a simple badminton equipment list: how to choose a racket by weight, balance and grip, strings and tension, feather vs nylon shuttles, court shoes, grips, a bag, eye protection and the recovery kit for tournament weekends. All of it is badminton gear we’d actually put in a bag.

Prices change often. The prices below are what we saw at the maker or a major retailer in October 2026; check the current price before you buy.

The quick checklist: a racket (two once you play tournaments), a tube of shuttles, indoor court shoes, a spare overgrip, eye protection, a water bottle, a towel, and something comfortable for your feet afterward.

Our top picks

Rackets: weight, balance, flex and grip

The BWF laws only cap the size: a racket can be at most 680 mm long and 230 mm wide. Within that, four specs matter:

• Weight (“U”): on Yonex spec sheets, 4U rackets average about 83 g and 3U about 88 g; a higher U number means a lighter racket. Most beginners and doubles players do well with 4U.
• Balance: head-light rackets are quicker to swing and defend with; head-heavy rackets put more mass behind smashes but are harder work for the shoulder.
• Flex: a flexible shaft helps players who don’t yet have a fast swing get length on clears; stiff shafts suit fast, experienced swings.
• Grip (“G”): Yonex labels handle size with G numbers, and a higher number means a thinner grip; G5 is a common adult size. You can build a thin handle up with an overgrip, but you can’t make a thick one smaller.

Two good starting points: the Yonex NanoFlare 1000 Play is a head-light, medium-flex 4U racket that comes pre-strung with a cover; Yonex advises 19–27 lbs of string tension (about $58 on Amazon). The Yonex NanoFlare 700 Play has a flexible shaft and an isometric (squarer) head for an easier swing and deep clears, pre-strung, with 20–28 lbs advised (about $69). For kids, see the junior racket on our youth badminton page.

Check the Yonex NanoFlare 1000 Play price on Amazon

Strings and tension

Every racket lists a recommended tension range; stay inside it. Lower tension gives a more forgiving, springier string bed, which suits beginners and juniors (Yonex advises 17–22 lbs for its NanoFlare Junior). Higher tension gives more control for players who hit the sweet spot consistently, but it’s harsher and strings break more easily. If your shoulder or elbow is sore, ask your stringer about dropping a few pounds.

• Yonex BG65: a 0.70 mm, made-in-Japan string sold as a 10-meter set: a common all-round choice (about $17).
• Yonex BG80: a thinner 0.68 mm string with Vectran fiber that Yonex pitches for repulsion power and tension retention, aimed at aggressive players (about $20).

Shuttles: feather vs nylon

The BWF laws define the feather shuttle (16 feathers in a cork base, 4.74–5.50 g) and allow synthetic shuttles as long as they fly like it. In practice:

	Nylon	Feather
Best for	Practice, club nights, juniors, beginners	Tournaments and advanced play
Durability	Much higher; Yonex says Mavis lasts 4–5 times longer than an ordinary nylon shuttle	Feathers break, especially on smashes and mis-hits
Flight	Close to feather, a little different off the racket	The reference flight the laws are built on
Speed choice	By temperature (Mavis: green slow 22–33°C, blue medium 12–23°C, red fast 0–13°C)	By speed grade; test it on court

To test speed the BWF way, hit a full underhand stroke from your back line, straight down the court: a correct shuttle lands between 530 and 990 mm short of the far back line. The Yonex Mavis 350 is the standard nylon practice shuttle (about $23 for a tube of six). For feather, the Yonex Aerosensa 30 comes in tubes of 12 (about $65). Yonex advises storing shuttles away from heat, with the tube upright and the cork side down.

Check the Yonex Mavis 350 price on Amazon

Court shoes

Don’t play in running shoes. Running shoes are built for forward strides; badminton shoes are low to the floor, with reinforced sides for lateral lunges and gum-rubber soles that grip wooden and synthetic courts without marking them. Those soles are made for indoor courts only, so keep them out of the parking lot. Shoe models change every season and fit is personal, so we don’t push one shoe: Yonex, Victor, Li-Ning and ASICS all make badminton or indoor-court shoes. Try them on with your sports socks and buy the pair that holds your heel firmly on a hard side lunge. With ankle sprains and Achilles injuries common in badminton, shoes are not the place to save money.

Grips: overgrip or towel grip

An overgrip is a thin, slightly tacky wrap over the base grip; a towel grip is a cotton wrap that soaks up sweat, handy if your hands sweat a lot. The Yonex Super Grap is a long-running overgrip (about $11 for three; a 30-pack is about $51). The Yonex AC402EX towel grip is 100% cotton (about $17). Change grips when they get slick or worn.

Eye protection

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Ophthalmology rate badminton as high-risk for eye injuries and recommend eye protectors that meet ASTM F803 for racket sports. Ordinary glasses can shatter on impact. Tourna Clear Eye Protection has a polycarbonate wrap lens that the maker says meets ASTM F803, with an anti-fog coating (about $17). It matters most for juniors and doubles players at the net.

Check the Tourna Clear Eye Protection price on Amazon

Bags

A racket cover works for one racket; once you carry two rackets, shoes and a tube of shuttles, a proper bag helps. The Yonex Club 6-Racquet Bag holds up to six rackets in its own compartment, has a separate shoe pocket and backpack straps, and measures 75 × 26 × 25 cm (about $85). Keep the bag out of a hot car: Yonex advises storing shuttles away from high temperatures.

Recovery gear for the bag

Badminton is hard on calves, quads and the hitting shoulder. A foam roller like the TriggerPoint GRID 1.0 (about $40) covers calves, quads and hips; a small massage gun like the Theragun Mini (about $220) fits in a racket bag; an ASO EVO ankle stabilizer (about $42) is a common choice after a past sprain; and recovery slides like the OOFOS OOahh (about $60, washable, with the APMA Seal of Acceptance) feel good after a long day on court. These are comfort tools, not treatment. If something hurts for more than a few days, see a sports medicine doctor, physical therapist or athletic trainer. Compare more in our best foam rollers, best massage guns, best ankle braces and best recovery shoes guides, and see the badminton recovery page for the routine.

Check the OOFOS OOahh Slide price on Amazon

Back to the badminton hub, or see badminton injuries, the best badminton wearables and badminton rules. Play tennis too? See our tennis gear list.

Badminton gear questions

What weight badminton racket should a beginner use?

A light one, usually 4U (about 83 g on Yonex spec sheets), head-light or even balance, with a flexible or medium shaft. Pre-strung is fine to start.

What string tension should I use?

Stay within the range printed on your racket, toward the lower end if you’re a beginner, a junior or have a sore arm. Lower tension is more forgiving; higher tension gives more control but less margin for error.

Are feather or nylon shuttles better?

Nylon for practice and club play: it lasts much longer and costs less. Feather for tournaments and advanced play, where the flight matters most. With nylon, pick the speed for your hall’s temperature.

Can I play badminton in running shoes?

It isn’t a good idea. Running shoes are built for forward motion and their soles grip poorly on indoor courts. Badminton shoes are low, with lateral support and gum-rubber soles for wooden and synthetic floors.

Do I need eye protection for badminton?

It’s strongly recommended, especially for kids and doubles players: the AAP and American Academy of Ophthalmology rate badminton as high-risk for eye injuries and recommend ASTM F803 eye protectors for racket sports.