New Carlton, Dunlop, Slazenger rackets

Discussion in 'Badminton Rackets / Equipment' started by pumpkin, Apr 30, 2006.

  1. pumpkin

    pumpkin Regular Member

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    I saw new lines of rackets from Carlton, Dunlop, Slazenger at local sports shop (Toby's) here in the Philippines. Although these brands are owned by one company, they introduced distinct lines for each brand. I thought I'd find more info on the net but I haven't so far. Anybody know their website(s)?

    Here's what I recall from my browsing at the sports shop.

    Carlton-- New Powerblades get the the nano treatment. Carlton's more truthful than Yonex in marketing speak. They call their technology-"nano resin technology" rather than a non-descriptive term like "nanospeed"
    There are new Airblades too but this time features don't mirror those of the Powerblade line. For one thing, the Airblades don't tout the "nano resin technology". The Airblades are significantly cheaper than the Powerblades.

    Dunlop--Surprsingly, Dunlop doesn't feature the current fad of "Nano" rackets. Instead, they tout the Multifilament fiber technology. I think their latest and greatest tennis rackets feature this technology. The only analog I could think of for this technology is the SOTX woven feature. The biggest surprise though is that the Dunlops are priced higher than the Carltons!

    Slazenger--The lowest priced racket line among the three. No sexy technologies being marketed. They appear to be sound rackets that can be had at a reasonable price
     
  2. Chun/<y

    Chun/<y Regular Member

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    I don't think that carlton or slazenger has an official website. I believe Dunlops
    website is http://www.dunlopsports.com/ but I'm not sure if it's an official one.
     
  3. Mikie

    Mikie Regular Member

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    Carlton had website but it is down now. And when it was working they refreshed it once in 5 years. Shame on them. 8(
    Used to be there : www.carltonsports.com
     
  4. SPaterson

    SPaterson Regular Member

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    I'm pretty sure Slazenger don't have an official site regarding their endeavours in the Badminton market, unfortunately.

    As far as I know, there are two different 'breeds' of Slazenger racquets, each with their own product series. If you look hard enough here in the UK, you can find a fair few different (Really quite good, in my opinion) racquets. Unfortunately it seems harder maybe to find these abroad, and I can only assume they have their very low end racquets available there.

    (Vast majority of Slazenger's good racquets have full covers, if the ones you see are with just a head cover or 3/4 length cover, they're probably the poor ones, which are pretty bad - as are Most manufacturer's low-end products)

    If you see any Slazenger racquets of the name Iso Pro X1, X2, or X3 etc. They're generally good depending on what you're wanting, as are the Xcel S1, S2, S3 etc. series.

    Their Pro Carbon / Pro Carbon FX series are occasionally in full-covers, but generally better racquets can be had for the price they are usually sold at these days.

    Ironically, Carlton's site was much like Chun/<y's link to Dunlop's site appears to be "under construction", the link Mikie gave was correct as to Carlton's old web address as far as I know, that too had a Under Construction sign on it, then just disappeared.

    If you want any specific info on the aforementioned Slazenger racquets just ask, if about a model I haven't mentioned ask but I only "might" be able to help about it's specifics, if you want.
     
  5. Chun/<y

    Chun/<y Regular Member

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  6. winterwindwolf

    winterwindwolf Regular Member

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    Slazenger's rackets

    [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT]
    i have heared Slazenger Xtreme Blast, Xtreme Power. are they any good? what is the price on then?
     
  7. SPaterson

    SPaterson Regular Member

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    Sadly, these are the most common Slazenger racquets internationally; these are the names of their generally very basic models, and similar to things like for e.g. Yonex's 'B'/Basic series and their early numbered Isometric series racquets.

    Their typical cost is £5 to £10, definitely not worth more £10 really. Though I haven't tried these specific Slazenger Racquets, I can fairly confidently say they won't be better, and probably not worse, either, than any other brand's intro/beginner/basic racquets.
     
  8. zishana1212

    zishana1212 Regular Member

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    Slazenger isnt such a bad racket maker. I owned one myself and it did not fail me for 2 years, until i had to regrip it and restring it. All about taste im guessing. :S
    Zishan
     
  9. vs099

    vs099 Regular Member

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    which do you prefer to a smasher type person/player ? the NX series or the Xcel series?
     
  10. Ianthe

    Ianthe Regular Member

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    A question about the Slazenger SL 80TF


    Hey there. As per your offer I have a question about a Slazenger racquet. I`m what I would call a medium player (as in somewhere between beginner and intermediate). I've played for about 5 years on and off, but never had a decent coach so have mostly learned on my own. I used a Yonex Carbonex 8200 light, and really liked it except i could never get the power smashes that I could get with some borrowed racquets.

    However the head cracked not long ago so i was looking for a new racquet and ended up just going to a big sports store and looking around for a light, balanced racquet, thinking I might get a newer carbonex or maybe a nanospeed. however they seemed a little expensive so I basically looked around checking out the feel of a bunch of different racquets and ended up getting a Slazenger SL 80TF, which felt really good, for about $100 canadian. It`s got an 80g frame, max tension 28 lbs, isometric, and graphite head and shaft.

    I felt pretty good about it but then I had second thoughts and so tried to look up reviews and found out almost nothing about the brand or model. So I was just wondering if you know the brand/model and if you do whether it`s a decent racquet, or do you think I should exchange it for something more like a yonex nanospeed?
     
  11. SPaterson

    SPaterson Regular Member

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    Hi Ianthe, though I don't really frequent this forum anymore (which is a great shame, as I think of it as excellent in my opinion, with many skilled and wise players willing to offer advice, or just general chat) - I thought I'd still answer your question regardless, because well, it'd be rude not to.

    I haven't heard of the Slazenger SL80 TF, partly because I don't hunt rackets as much due to a medical condition (Epilepsy) I've developed meaning I can't play as much anymore; However...

    Your description of the racket, reminds me quite strongly of the Karakal M-TEC 80. - It has an isometric head, weighs in at 80 grams, can take up to very high tensions reliably, and is generally considered to be an even-balance racket. At the current exchange rate (CAD-GBP) I've estimated the cost of the Karakal to be about the same in your country, if it's sold for the same price there.

    The better thing about the Karakal racket would be that it's much more likely to be around for years to come. You may never find another of the same Slazenger racket again if it gets broken in say, a year or more.

    However, in regards to your comment about whether you should go for a Yonex racket or any other type, such as the Karakal, - the answer is, besides my note about not being able to get another of the Slazenger in the future, potentially, - as long as the Slazenger feels good to You, and You can play with it, - then that Is a good review, and it's the best one for you, because it's by you. A review by someone else could mean little else to your playing style / preferences etc. (i.e. just because someone else likes a Yonex Nanospeed, doesn't make it a great racket For You.)

    -- Good luck with whatever you end up choosing either way.

    Regards,
    Steven Paterson.
     
  12. SPaterson

    SPaterson Regular Member

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    Coincidentally, btw, Karakal do a racket (which they have produced for many many years) called the Karakal SL-80, which is again, 80 grams, even balance, takes up to high tensions and is very reliable, - the difference is the Karakal SL-80 has a 'classic' shape head. - Just thought I'd add this for your information.

    -SGP.
     
  13. Ianthe

    Ianthe Regular Member

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    Thanks


    Thank you for the quick response...I was a bit worried about it but after taking a look at the karakal which seem to be quite similar I think I'll keep it and give it a try. If I really like it and can't find a replacement I can always make an easy switch over to one of the Karakal raquets. Hopefully it works well for me. I can't try it for a few weeks because I'm traveling, but maybe as soon as I've gotten used to it I'll post a review. Thankyou again,

    Ian






     

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