Hi, Ok, i'm expanding my search criteria Does anyone know of any cab20L alternatives from the clonex makers? One reason why i like this racquet so much, is that it should be rather cheap, so i can buy like 2 or 3 in comparison to some of the newer racquets out there... Also, nothing short of actually going on another tour of Asia; seems to be the only other alternative to finding this racquet or something similar. So i thought I would post, and see what the rest of you BF experts have to say... Basically need something with stiff - very stiff shaft... & very durable. (is this an oxymoron these days?) I thought about switching back to all & only cab 20, but that was not really a viable alternative for me, since I happen to really like stiff racquets. I'm open to buying newer equipment, just that i wont be able to buy as much as a less expensive piece Thanks for any help & recommendations you guys can offer ps: I'm open minded to all different brands, does not have to be only yonex.
Hi Kelvin, Just pop in to make some comments here. Simply just in a view to help you seek for more assistance. Not mean to be offense or anything, if you are looking for "VERY STIFF Shaft" and durable racquet, I think you should try out BLACKEN B-8100 (Made in Japan, old Yonex's logo). AKA Blacky, back in 80s. And if possible, try to obtain the 2LG3 version. I have been playing with it for nearly half a year, strung with 25/28 lbs Ashaway PG 65. It does pack with raw power for sure. Else B-960 also not a bad bet. They are both made in stainless steel Frame and Shaft. Though they (665 mm) might not as long made as Cab 20 Long (674mm), they are definitely more sturdy and durable than all other series out there. Price wise, you can grab tonnes of Blacken in Malaysia for only RM$70 while for B-960 should be around AU$29.95 from K-Mart. Yet you have to restring them with your preferred string. Else, playing with 13~15 lbs string tension also not a bad way. Just my humble thoughts. Cheers~!! Hope you can fulfill your quest on looking for a "Best racquet" out there. Best regards, Albert
kelvin, dinkalot is selling his 'spare' cab20 tour special, it is pretty stiff and very low price, relatively speaking.
A few rackets come to mind.. First is the Cab30 Muscle. It is the same length as the Cab20L but has a Muscle Power frame and Ultimum Ti in the shaft and frame. I have not tried the 3U, but the 2U is very powerful. I find that the Cab30 2U is suitable for me in singles but too heavy for doubles. It is more head-heavy than the Cab20L and more flexible. Another racket you could try would be the Cab15L. I think Bluejeff was selling one here somewhere. I have not tried the Cab15L but it is my understanding that it is more head-light than the Cab20L. I'm not sure about stiffness.. The Cab22/Cab20P also seems like a good candidate as it is a Cab that is very stiff. It's not long though (only 664mm).. and I havn't seen them listed for sale in a while. It is my hope that Yonex will eventually bring them as they did with the Cab21. I don't know if you are set on oval or not, but that last racket that comes to mind is the MP100. I'm sure there's bound to be a bit of variation due to manufacturing tolerances, but my MP100 2U TW is VERY close in spec(measured) to my Cab20L 2U HK. They play about the same, but as one would expect, the Cab20L's sweet spot is a little smaller. Both are quite stiff; I would have to give a slight edge in stiffness to the Cab20L but that might be due to the fact that my MP100 is very well used. For comparison: Cab30 MS 2U-G4 JP w/Ashaway MP@25lbs (thanks to Dinkalot for stringing ) Length: 674mm Weight: 112.5g BP: 279mm Cab20L 2U-G4 HK w/BG80@26lbs Length:674mm Weight: 108.6g BP:277mm MP100 2U-G4 TW w/BG80@26lbs Length: 674mm Weight: 109.8g BP:275mm Cab20P 2U-G4 US w/BG80@23lbs (I don't dare go higher as it's my only one) Length: 664mm Weight: 106.5g BP:280mm (The weights may seem a bit high but I use 2x overgrips.) Best of luck.
my best bet would be the cab30ms. cos it is oval, it is long and it has the technology of the new age rackets. this way you get the best of both worlds.
Hi Albert, thanks for the reply... WOW Your blacken handled up to 25x28lbs??? Cooler, will yours do that? LOL I was thinking since it was steel maybe 24-25lbs at most... that's pretty insane, i thought YY had stopped producing them. though... surprised to hear they're still available in Malaysia!! Yeah unfortunately, not too much interested in steel racquets lol, I need @ least some sort of flex that anything made of carbon graphite would offer LOL Man, that's great to hear people still play with blacken though!! thanks!!
Awesome, Thanks for the suggestions & replies you guys, its good to know, and will keep all these choices in mind, as i do more reading on them.
Actually i got to thinking, AMRaider, your weights arent very bad at all... I usually throw on 2-3 overgrips, and even add hockey tape to the butt end of my racquets, to give myself a bigger ridge at the bottom (yes i know it throws off racquet balance... but that has been a non-issue for me, it doesnt seem to affect my play style), this helps a lot with the pulling, & finger compression reactions during my forearm pronation... just a tip i picked up from some really cool peeps I've had a few suggestions from other players that perhaps i should look into the mp100 again as well... I know its a nice racquet, I had a couple, and broke a couple. eventually just caved in from the string snapping & producing too much stress on the frames but i'll reconsider regardless, so far it looks like Master Dan's Cab20 tour special, possibly cab 30ms, and even the cab20p/cab22 if i can even source those out haha. anyone know of any non-yonex variants, or anything that plays similar? how does the ns8000 play? I've done some reading, i'm just curious how they play in comparison... i seem to like racquets that not everyone else would like haha. looks like i'll just have to spend more money to get something newer
