Just so everyone knows, these are great badminton shuttlecocks. However, feathered birdies are typically used for competitions or to prepare for competitions (including amateur games at rec centers/clubs). They definitely don’t last as long as plastic/rubber birdies, so unless you play at college/in a club (or just want a more competitive experience), they’re probably not worth the price, especially for backyard badminton-ers.
But if you want to level up your badminton skills and have a good indoor area to play, I recommend them. Just warning you that feathers will fly, and if you go hard, these likely won’t last more than a week or two.
(I was captain of my college badminton team)
It’s been decades since I’ve seen anyone use plastic birdies. We generally stick to these 30’s, but since prices have been rising, I’ve bought some cheaper Aeroplane and RSL birdies. I never minded playing with plastic birdies, since that’s what we used in high school (played on the team), but nobody seems to want to use them anymore. For years, the group Id often play with didn’t even want to use anything less than these 30’s.
The official Yonex price, these days, appears to be $48.99, so this is quite a deal. We always get them cheaper, but not this cheap. I believe this is actually less than the wholesale price given to distributors. I don’t know how woot is managing this price, since these are in super high demand, but I bought my 3, and I let my buddies know and they also bought 3.
And btw, my three were just delivered! New and sealed.