OK, some of you probably don't even know what a Carbonex 8 actually is, but it's a metal frame / carbon shaft racket which I bought back in the 1980'ties. It still has its original strings, though they are pretty worn out. I have just recently begun to play again and the Carbonex 8 does not feel top-of-the-pop anymore compared to the racket of my opponent (he won 2 sets out of 3). I would like to have a state-of-the-art racket (I'm not saying it will improve my play a lot, but maybe just a little bit ;-) ). Would a Yonex Nanospeed 9000 extra stiff with Yonex BG65 Ti @ 23.15 lbs be a sensible choice? I'm not very good technically, but I would like a light racket with smashing power and good feel at the net. Money is not an issue, but I just don't want to buy something that totally inappropriate. I'm not a complete beginner, but rather an low end intermediate player.
Since you own a Cab 8 and still use it, you must be an oldie but goodie. Anyway, I would suggest you to try Cab 30ms over the NS9kx for the following reasons. (I have both Cab30ms and NS9kx and both are great single racquet) 1) Cab 30 is much cheaper 2) Cab 30 has ti rod in shaft which give it extra strength. 3) Cab 30 has oval head to give better control 4) You are used to Cab8, get another Cab 5) Many player here has both Cab30ms and NS9kx likes Cab30ms over NS9kx I would suggest you try out these racquets before you make your final decision. Try BG80 @20Mx22C if you are a hard hitter. Try 21Mx23C with BG85 if you are control player. These are my suggestions. Don't bother with BG65ti
What exactly does 21Mx23C mean ? 21-23 lbs ? My local dealer does not seem to have Cab30ms. Here are the local prices (converted to $): Yonex MP 29: 83$ Yonex MP 66: 123$ Yonex MP 88: 131$ Yonex MP 99: 154$ Yonex MP 100: 148$ Yonex AT 250: 126$ Yonex AT 300: 132$ Yonex AT 500: 135$ Yonex AT 700: 160$ Yonex AT 800: 169$ Yonex NS6000X: 150$ Yonex NS7000X: 160$ Yonex NS8000X: 169$ Yonex NS9000X: 194$ Based on local prices which should I choose?
Wow, changing from Cab8 to any of the new rackets is definitely a huge jump. But, I like the word you used, "...inappropriate." If you buy any of the nano rackets, I am pretty sure you can get the most inappropriate feeling during the first two weeks of play. I still have a few of the Cab8 around, but without string. I think I will get one string and see if I can get some inappropriate feelings from it. Welcome back to the world of badminton, Copenhagen [DK].
BadFever and IvanM, maybe I should just get my antique Cab8 restringed with some Yonex BG80 or some Gosen BioGut Bio Roots and then beat the **** out of my opponent, THAT would be satisfying ;-)
My experience is a little bit off topic, but similar to your situation: I switched from Cab9 to AT800OF a couple years ago, the main reason was that I wanted to try out high tension (30 lbs). So, I retired my seven Cab9, and bought three AT800OF, after trying it first off course. I was choosing between AT800OF, NS7000, NS8000, MP99, and MP100. It didn't take me a long time to fall in love with AT800OF, I increased the tension step by step from 28, 29, 30, and now 31 lbs. The most suitable string is either BG66 or BG80, BG85 is also not bad. But, none of the Gosen strings (Super Micro, Pro-66) would work, bad durability for some reasons (high tension and/or cold weather). I still switch back and forth between AT800OF and Cab9 once a while during practice, but I can't play optimally anymore with Cab9, it's easier to switch from Cab9 to AT800OF than vice versa. This is just my experience, hopefully it helps.
double player beat me to it. cab30 is a cab but balance wise not similar to cab8 at all. i think 800OF is appropriate for an ex-cab8 user.Next choice would be a mp100
http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12930&page=38 cooler light use to be http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12930&page=17
I found it, when would you use the AT800OF and when would you switch to AT800DE? I got AT800OF 3U and 4U, and I think I like the 4U better.
The only thing I don't like about AT800 is the grommet system. The top area of the stringbed is very weak. Thus, if you misshit, the string breaks fast. My current racket, NS9000s, improved this drawback with the new grommet system. And it's easy to switch between these 2.
Good point, I break the strings most of the time in this area caused by the top grommets. So, do you know if the problem is with the position or the grommet itself?
Cab 8 is better My situation is quite like yours. From school day times i have been using Cab 8. I owned a cab 9 too. Recently, I started getting back into the games, I got a Nano 9000 Type S, my play sucks. I re-strung back my cab 8 which was left on the shelf for years, using BG 66 @ 20lbs, it was brillant, the magic just came back, every shots were precise and accurate, though I must admit that the long shots back to my opponent's base line needs a little effort compared to the nano. But overall, I enjoy the play more with my Cab 8. Looking around to buy a cab 8 (Japan) again if they still has it, now it is made in Taiwan.
yup... cab 8 is still available... my father bought it recently...now it's red in color instead of the old blue color...
I had a Cab 8 myself, and switched to the MP66 which suited me very well. The shaft of the Cab 8 is very flexible, and if you get a stiff shaft racket, it'll take you a while to adjust. The only problem I had with the MP66 is the extra length made it hard to go back to Cab 8. Power wise, the lack of weight can be made up for by stringing at a higher tension. I strung it at 24lb BG-66, and the repulsion was very similar to my Cab 8 at 20lb, which was it max it could take.
