Gosen badminton racquets, strings, and accessories are made by the Osaka-based company Gosen. Similar to Felet, Gosen is relatively unknown in Europe, but seems to be widely available in most Asian countries.
Here are some facts about the Japan based badminton equipment manufacturer.
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Gosen’s journey from fishing tackle to badminton strings
Gosen began operating in 1951. Its original product was nylon synthetic thread. While initially focused on the fishing industry, Gosen quickly began developing strings suitable for badminton and tennis. You can see a timeline of major Gosen developments here.
In 1958, the company started exporting synthetic strings for racquets. Soon thereafter, they developed the longest-selling racquet string – the HY-SHEEP – still available today in certain markets. In 1985, Gosen strings were officially approved by the Indonesian Badminton Association.
By 1996, Gosen was the only badminton string the International Badminton Federation (now BWF) approved.
Gosen innovations benefiting badminton players
Nowadays, Gosen offers a wide selection of badminton equipment, but their claim to excellence is mostly associated with badminton strings. Throughout its history, the company has been very innovative in general.
In 2001 they adopted the super alloy “AERMET” in strings and rackets for the first time in the world, and in 2005 they adopted nano-technology in strings “NANOCUBICⓇ” for the first time ever. In 2007 they developed and launched the R4X badminton string with revolutionary Quattro-Fiber.
Given that the company is involved with the development and manufacturing of strings for three specific areas – namely badminton, fishing, and tennis – we assume that they can extract a lot of synergies, which in turn enables the company to come up with a slew of innovations.
Excellence in badminton strings and stringing techniques – the Haribito focus
There is one area where Gosen stands out from the competition. And that’s in the area of art and science of stringing. They are dedicated to being world-class in the manufacturing of strings as well as in the art of stringing.
Haribito is a Japanese term meaning “doctor of strings”. The company regularly holds stringing clinics and seminars. There is a section on their website dedicated to Haribito – or, if you will, the art and science of stringing.
Interestingly, most leisure and intermediate badminton players don’t pay too much attention to the features and quality of their strings. This may be because the difference in strings is too technical to understand.
Our advice, however, is to do more than just superficial research to understand the difference in badminton strings, the power of strings, the durability of strings, and the players’ ability to control the shuttle when it hits the string.
The whole gamut in badminton equipment and accessories
Gosen has developed its range of badminton equipment and accessories to include badminton racquets, shoes, shuttlecocks, clothing, and common accessories.
Online reviews of, say, Gosen badminton rackets are generally positive. Since we haven’t reviewed any Gosen products yet, we are hesitant to offer an opinion about the quality of their products.
We intend to review products from all badminton brands at some point in the future. Stay tuned.
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