A few weeks ago I mentioned that I had received a new Carlton Airblade 600Ti racquet as a gift and discovered that it was creaking in the shaft-handle area and was likely defective (see Problems with Carltons post). After sending out at least three e-mails to Carlton-UK, Dunlop-UK (Carlton's parent company) and Dunlop-USA requesting help with returning the racquet for an exchange, I promptly received a response from Carlton-UK and the following day received an e-mail from a manager at Dunlop-USA, stating that I should return the racquet to them for inspection and replacement. Thanks again to those who posted helpful responses to my original message. I received an e-mail today from Carlton indicating that they received my racquet and would replace it. Carlton will not be introducing the Airblade 600Ti in the US until fall, 2001, so they will be shipping me an Airblade 900 instead (although those are on backorder and I will not receive the replacement racquet until May). After having some initial problems communicating with Carlton, I can now state that I am satisfied and happy with the service I have received from the company and would not hesitate to buy their products again. Incidentally, it also appears that Carlton is revamping its website (the message board is temporarily unavailable). Let's hope they get a current one up in the next few days - who knows, maybe Yonex will feel some pressure and do the same with their website.
Glad to hear you got the help you needed Brett I am sorry it took a bit of time, but I knew that the manufacturer wouldn't leave you hanging. That's why it's better to buy directly from the main distributors in your country if possible, because some sports stores in the different countries wont honor their commitment, or the manufacturers warranties, which really sucks. However, I see at least 1 company making a great stride towards changing all that. Very pleased to see this. I hope if I ever have any problems with Yang Yang, that they do the same for me. I'm putting an order in later this week... *crosses fingers* Wish me luck.
Whoa - you get a 900 instead of the 600??? That's quite a good deal, I'd say! Glad it worked out in the end.
Mag, as I said, I am quite happy about the exchange. When my sister first told me she was taking a trip to England, I started to ask her if she could see about picking up an AB 900 for me, but she cut me off with "I won't have time." However, her company's UK branch office was located right near a sporting goods store with a display window full of badminton racquets, so on lunch one day, she just decide to pop in and get me a surprise. A friend of mine has an AB 900 which I have tried several times and really like it. Not too many people in my leagues have high level racquets, so I probably don't have a good frame of reference for a comparison of similar equipment, but out of the 15-20 racquets I have looked at or played with, the 900 was noticeably the best.
Oh, aren't I the unlucky one? Remember that Rasmussen that broke in the handle? Well, as I said before, I got a new one, no problem there. However, last night during club practice, somebody noticed that the (factory) stringing on my new Rasmussen looked a bit peculiar. I really hadn't noticed, some of the grommet holes were not drilled straight and distributed unevenly... Well, of course this is not acceptable with a (supposedly) quality brand such as Carlton. I went back to the shop this morning, and I asked for a replacement... There was no Rasmussen in stock, so I'd either have to wait a week or two, or take something else instead. Considering that although it suits me well, the Rasmussen has caused me a lot of trouble, I decided it was time for a change. The lady offered me an Airblade 900 or a Ti-5 instead. I chose the AB900 as I don't think the Ti-5 can math the 900, plus I'm not very fond of iso heads. Money-wise, it was a good deal for me. I've only tried the AB900 a briefly a couple of times before, so I'm dying to try it out more. I'll be back with a review later, no doubt. Now that we're both (accidentaly) AB900 owners we should share experiences, I guess...!
That's a pretty funny coincidence. Sounds like Carlton's QC department may be sharing a few too many cups of rice wine with the line workers. Why did you opt to get the less expensive AB 900 rather than one of the more similarly priced AB 1000 or 2000 models? The 900 is slightly heavier, more flexible and balanced toward the head than the Rasmussen, isn't it? One thing's for sure - the 900's paint and finish looks nicer than the Rasmusen's kind of drab appearence. Good luck with your new weapon. I am somewhat jealous; although I got a racquet upgrade, I will have to wait for six more weeks to receive it. My racquet might still be in powdered graphite form.
Yes, they have a QC problem alright. I think they churned out too many Rasmussens too fast. They were really marketing that model aggressively here. Quite frankly, I'd rather have gone for an AB1000 as I have one already and like it, but I actually got the last one in Sweden. The AB2000 is really expensive here so that was never an option. Also, I've been playing a lot of mixed doubles lately and I think the AB900 will be perfect for that kind of heavy baseline smashing... As to the weight, it weighs 90g instead of Rasmussen's 89g so I don't think that will feel much different. And the balanse-wise, the 900 is actually slightly head lighter. It's a little more flexible though, which I think is OK... Oh what the heck, I'll just have to wait til Sunday and see. After all, it's just a racquet isn't it?
Mag, saying a racquet is just a racquet to some people, is like telling a BMW owner that he just owns a heap of metal, glass, rubber, plastic and leather that can go from point A to point B faster than walking. Unfortunately, I have inherited from my father a male gene that causes me to obsess mildly about acquiring new "toys" such as sports equipment, computers, stereos and other home electronics, etc.... But if I'm enjoying myself when I research and shop for a new toy, have I truly been wasting my time? Almost makes me wish I had taken a philosophy course in college.
