This is probably common knowledge, but maybe some experts here can shed more light on this subject. My stringer told me something the other day that I've never really thought about. She mentioned that there are basically three types of graphite racquets on the market. 1. Powder graphite 2. Fibre graphite 3. Woven or pleated/braided fibre graphite The first one being the cheapest and least durable. The second type is better, which consists of longer strands of graphite packed together, more or less randomly. But the third type is by far the best. It is also longer strands of graphite fibres, but they are woven or "braided" into tubes which are then used in the moulding process. She also said that the quality of the top Yonex racquets depends on the origin, as has been discussed here before. She claimed that only the Japanese-made ones have this woven graphite, all others (?) have the "normal" graphite fibres. Can this really be true? I've seen the woven (braided?) graphite in some of the new Carlton racquets. Carlton normally don't paint all of their racquets, so you can see the graphite structure quite clearly. Has anybody broken for instance an MP-100 so badly that you've been able to see how the fibres are formed? (BTW, what does the term high-modulus graphite REALLY mean? Does it mean it's this braided type? The Carlton Rasmussen, for instance, which claims to be of HM graphite, doesn't look braided...)
U are very true abt the carltons having braided graphite but i haev broken a AB 2000 so badly but it had the second type of graphite! I think the AS 1 has the 3 rd type of graphite but the rasmussen is the second type of graphite! I think that the off late rackets seem to have this braided woven gaphite and not the old models. But all the Aerogear series of rackets had the fibre thing on them. I have never come across a powder graphite racket but hoping to do so. I have never tried to break the yonex rackets to see whether they are braided or not. But i have seen a lot of prokennex racket having the fibre graphite on them!
then could this be why the Yonex CN/CP model racquets are so solid and durable? Because of the woven or pleated/braided fibre graphite??
Hello Mag, Most of the graphite rackets are made from the graphite sheet. The graphite has many grade and attributes in itself. Some of the graphite types are solid but has no flex, but some are very high elastic but not so solid. In order to have the racket with both durable and flexible, they have to lay many graphite types one on top of other in the different line up (as you can see the the Yonex catalog). Then it is molded with high preassure. The HM graphite is representing the way they lay up the graphite. For the lower price racket, usually they just use only one type of graphite. I have never seen the racket made with graphite powder, and I do not have any idea how can that be done.
Powder ? Mag, I think you must be seriously mistaken, since when and why would anyone want to use graphite powder to make a racket? Graphite is used as a fibrouos filler in a plastic matrix precisely due to its tensile properties. In using it in powder form, it is very much useless in strength properties. For one thing, you would very well have US$ 2 graphite rackets then as it would be possible to make injection molded ones which are 10 times cheaper rather than current moldin methods. ... I think you got it a little mixed up with some other process.
Re: Powder ? Mag, I concur. There are definitely people on this site who, unfortunately, will post comments without having read carefully the message they are criticizing. A bit more care and thought will go a long way toward making comments on this site more friendly and constructive.
Re: Powder ? My point is, please don't quote anyone 'wholesale' , and by the way you quote her, it seemed like you were taking it 'matter-of-factly' ... I have read very carefully what you wrote, and I know what I'm talking about. Please read how you wrote it again and consider the fact of how people might interpret your post. This is how I read and interpret your post, nothing personal in that. And Brett, don't know if you're the Brett who frequents this place, please don't stoke a fire ... I've been as polite as I think I should be and I certainly know what I read and write here. And bear in mind the context of my sentences and its tone, I 've not been calling Mag any names or anything of the sort, I've merely pointed out the fallacy of the whole idea which Mag 'seemed' to have accepted. If you don't know what is happening in this world, please don't jump onto the bandwagon and start accussing people of things which they may not be guilty of doing ! Thank you.
Re: Powder ? Hmm. Well, I am no expert at this, that's for sure. And I would think that is pretty clear from my posting... I had never heard of powder graphite racquets before either, so that's partly why I wanted somebody here to maybe shed some light on this. I think it was pretty obvious that I was quoting somebody else. It's not an important issue anyway, in fact it was pretty geeky to even bother about it. And Gladius, your reply WAS in fact a bit edgy (intentional or not). Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered to write this post, right?
