Buying guide
How to choose a grip
The grip is the small detail that quietly shapes your comfort and control — and it's cheap to swap. There are two kinds: replacement grips, which go straight on the handle, and overgrips, thin wraps you add on top to fine-tune the thickness and feel. Towel grips soak up sweat well but wear out fast; synthetic (PU) grips are tackier and last longer.
In short: Choose your grip by feel and how much you sweat, use an overgrip to dial in the handle thickness, and replace it the moment it turns slick or worn.
What actually matters
The specs worth understanding — and why.
Grip type (overgrip vs replacement)
Typical: Overgrip (~0.6mm) | Replacement/base grip (1.1-1.8mm)
Overgrips let you fine-tune feel and tack on the cheap, and you swap them every few sessions. Replacement grips set the base handle size and cushioning, and you change them far less often. Pick the wrong one and you end up with either no base padding or an awkwardly thick handle.
Material (synthetic PU vs towel/cotton)
Typical: Synthetic PU | 100% cotton towel
PU is smooth, tacky, thin, and durable — but it can turn slick once it's soaked with sweat. Cotton towel soaks up moisture and grips well when wet, but it wears out faster, runs thicker, and gets heavy and dirty. If you have sweaty hands, this is the biggest factor of all.
Thickness
Typical: 0.6mm (thin overgrip) | 1.35mm (towel) | 1.6-1.7mm (cushioned replacement)
Thinner grips (0.6mm overgrips) give you a closer, more responsive feel and the finger control attacking and net players want. Thicker grips (1.3-1.8mm) build up the handle size and soak up shock — easier on comfort and on sore wrists and joints, but you lose some of that fine feel.
Tackiness
Typical: Low | Medium | High (tacky PU)
High tack locks your hand in place for powerful smashing, and players who hold relatively loose tend to like it. But a very tacky grip can feel sticky and draggy if you're constantly repositioning your fingers — say, for deceptive net play.
Sweat absorption
Typical: Low (smooth PU) | Medium (absorbent PU) | High (cotton towel)
Sweaty hands need high absorption — towel/cotton or an absorbent PU — or the racket slips on you mid-rally. Low-absorption tacky PU is fine for dry hands, or for players who towel off and swap overgrips often.
Length / width
Typical: Overgrip ~1050-1200mm x 24-27mm | Towel single ~660mm x 32mm | Reel 10-11m
A standard single overgrip (~1050-1200mm) wraps one full badminton handle. Towel grips are often shorter per piece (~660mm), or sold on long reels you cut to length. If you change grips often, a reel is cheaper per wrap.
Pack format / cost per wrap
Typical: Single | 3-pack | 12-pack | reel (10-11m towel / ~27m foam)
Grips are a consumable — you go through them. If you change every session, a multi-pack or reel drops your cost-per-wrap. If you play casually, a single is fine.
Match it to how you play
Find the line that sounds like you.
Player has heavily sweaty hands (humid climate, high perspiration), any skill level
→ Cotton towel grip (Yonex AC402 1.35mm single, or Li-Ning GC200R 0.6mm thin-towel 10m reel)
Cotton toweling wicks and holds far more sweat than PU, and it stays grippy when soaked — right where smooth PU turns slick. The trade-off: towel grips wear faster (durability ~3/5) and need changing more often.
Player wants a thinner, more responsive feel than the factory grip and tighter finger control (net/deception specialists, smaller hands)
→ Thin synthetic PU overgrip 0.6mm (Yonex Super Grap AC102, Victor GR262) applied OVER or in place of the stock grip
At 0.6mm, a PU overgrip barely adds any bulk — it keeps the handle slim for fast finger repositioning, and it's cheap to swap once the tack fades.
Player has comfort needs, wrist/elbow/finger joint issues, or wants shock absorption (older players, recreational, recovering from injury)
→ Cushioned thick overgrip 1.6mm (Yonex Hi-Soft Grap AC420, 24mm x 1120mm) or build base thickness with a 0.4mm foam cushion wrap (AC380/AC381) under a thin overgrip
Thicker cushioned material soaks up the impact vibration and builds up the handle, so you don't have to grip as hard — and that takes the strain off your joints.
Player prefers a sticky, locked-in hold for power hitting (attacking singles/doubles smashers) and has dry-to-moderate hands
→ Tacky PU overgrip (Yonex Super Grap Pure AC108 firm tacky 0.6mm, Victor GR262 anti-slip 0.6mm)
High-tack PU grabs your palm so the racket won't twist on a hard smash, and a firm (less spongy) tacky grip passes more feedback to your hand for precise placement.
Larger/stronger players or those who find stock handles too small (often correlates with bigger hands; strength proxy: men's frames, advanced power players)
→ Add a 0.4mm foam cushion wrap base (AC380/AC381) then a 0.6mm overgrip, OR use a thicker 1.6-1.7mm grip (AC420 or Li-Ning GP18), to increase effective handle size by ~1-2mm
A handle that's too thin forces you to over-grip, and that costs you power and control. Build the diameter up and you get a secure, relaxed hold back. Each 0.4mm wrap adds roughly 0.8mm to the handle's diameter.
Budget-conscious or high-frequency changers (tournament/club players changing grips every 1-2 sessions)
→ Multi-pack thin PU overgrip (Yonex AC102 12-pack, ~$23, i.e. ~$1.90/wrap) or a 10m towel reel (Li-Ning GC200R, Yonex AC402-2EX)
Cost-per-wrap drops sharply in 12-packs and reels — which makes sense for something you replace this often. Reels also let you cut your own custom lengths.
Beginner / casual recreational player unsure of preference
→ Standard tacky-but-absorbent thin PU overgrip 0.6mm (Yonex Super Grap AC102)
It's the most forgiving all-rounder — enough tack to hold, enough absorption for moderate sweat, and thin and cheap enough that you can experiment before you commit to towel or cushioned options.