Hi, welcome to the forum!

For me it's shoes, shoes, shoes, shoes

Seriously though, I'd go for shoes, racket, strings, grip. I'd also put tops in there too, you don't want to be thinking about an uncomfortable top that sticks to you, or doesn't fit right, as it can divert your attention away from the game.

Shuttles are also important and often overlooked. Getting the right speed is important.

Rob

Hmm; if you slide back and forth on the court, even with the best racket in the world you will have it difficult to play your game. As for what shoes: I would never trust a non-badminton related brand, since I never saw a footbal player with golf shoes . I now have SH85B, they are very good. I previous had 57's, they were also very good, but these 85's are lighter (and thus better for me). All Yonex, but I'm sure other brands are as good. I think it's like with rackets: there is no golden racket-win-it-all. I guess there's no shoe-win-it-all either. Same rule: the more expensive is no warranty for succes !

If I'd have to choose, I'd go for the shoes (I'd say at least a few weeks before you play your first tournament).

Post your final decision.

Cheers, ED

I kind of agree about shoes. I definitely wouldn't say that they are the most important thing to spend money on, because out of everything, I think they show the least correlation between price and performance.

The same is true (to a lesser extent) of rackets – you can usually find one to suit your style and level of play without having to spend a huge amount, and you can reasonably expect it to last you a long time.

I'd say strings are probably the area where you get the biggest return from spending a little extra money. Getting your racket restrung often and with a good string, makes a big difference – and you really do only get what you pay for, since performance and durability (and hence affordability) are incompatible.