Reading through reviews of racquets here on BF involves a fair bit of time. Most of the reviews are fairly good but a huge dose of personal preference is involved. It got me wondering whether there was a recipe for a classic racquet. We all agree that Yonex have produced some excellent models - and some rubbish ones. It is not necessarily the top-line models that gain the most support here. People seem to be particularly fond of the CAB20, ISO 800 Tour, and the Ti-10. So what do these have that others don't? Yonex will often discontinue a line that is too successful shortly after releasing a new line. I can't get an ISO 800 for any money. This is no doubt because they realise that people continue to buy a favourite model for as long as it is avaliable rather than buy the 'latest' developments. So what makes a classic racquet? And, more importantly, what is the present day classic? I need new racquets and can't make up my mind. Mention of the MP88, MP99 and MP100 are banned from this thread.
Yeah, some of the CAB series has been pretty enduring as classic racquets. Would CAB22 and Boron2 be considered classic racquets considering their popularity in some Asian countries? CAB20 is a popular classic that kept resurfacing, although the quality has changed somewhat. Criteria of classic racquets should include longevity (how long the racquet has been available in the market?) and enduring popularity. How about a racquet that's been sold for more than three years? IMO, Ti-10 is the closest to being considered a present day classic (it's still being marketed in Taiwan and some other countries).
not sure which racket today can be considered classic. we will find out in a few years. we can tell a racket is classic if during their hey days many pros uses it for a long period of time and many pros keep on using it for years despite many new models coming out. cab20 being a good example, even today, Xia is using it and a few of the Chinese MS were up to a year or two ago. it was first release in 1984 and dominated the pro scene up till the early 90s. Iso800, you can still spot it on most pro's hands during the 90s and some today still do. Ti-10, also the case for the late 90s/early 2000s, KimDM and many others are still using it today. as for beyond, we will have to wait and see. the MP100 was popular, but faded away fast. now, MP99 are very popular but we start to see them getting replaced quickly by AT700. it is possible that none of them will gain "classic" status if they get replaced too quickly. as for others like cab22/boron-2, i don't consider them classic as they were not that popular during their peak. we only see a handful of top players using them.
I'm not sure why you want the MP99 banned from this thread, but if it wasn't I might be looking for that as a classic if it's still around in a few years - it is a beautiful racquet (minus the colour). Anyway, I agree - as I'm sure most would - on what the classics would be. That's why they're called classics. I think a general way to make criteria is: quality of the racquet, design of the racquet, popularity of the racquet. There have been classics from all across the board - everything from highly offensive to balanced. Cab 20 was and still is a beautiful racquet. I have the origional Cab 20 and it's an enduring racquet that has stayed for more than 10 years. Ontop of that, it has an enduring popularity. ISO 800 many seem to enjoy. I don't know this racquet so I don't have a say. I've seen that it is the equivilant of a Ti-10 for the ISO series in reviews. Ti-10 is a classic - I'm assuming - for its quality, power, and design. It doesn't sacrifice quality in search of power (as I would say the AT700 does). I do believe that the MP99 will become a classic, despite the fact it might be fading. You also have to take into account that more classics were created years ago because everything went slower - development, designs, everything. So the MP99 is now dominated by the AT700 mostly because of the time frame as well - they've come out relatively close to each other if you compare it to say the Cab 20 and the ISO 800. I don't believe the AT700 will be a classic though. I don't think it has the quality of the previous classics - such as the Ti-10 and the Cab 20 that I have. It has always seemed just as a racquet built for power, but it discards a sort of elegance along with that. I'm sure others would disagree. However, i do believe the AT800 has a chance at hitting classic status given time. We'll see in a few years. is the Cab 30 considered a classic? A lot of people seem to like it - or the variations of it.
Hmmm, didn't BlueJeff mention about seeing lots of CAB20 Powers/CAB22s in shops waiting to be strung during his Taiwan trip? If they're still around in good numbers after a few years, we should consider them "classic" given the increasingly shorter technology cycle.
