Hi, At the moment I play with an Yonex ArcSaber 7 but I consider it as my singles racket and its serving me well. Somehow it feels awkward in doubles, but maybe that's just me. I'm an advanced level badminton player who, as of late, have been looking for a light-weight racket for doubles. I came across Karakal M-TEC 70 and Karakal SL70, and I'm unsure whether to get it or not. I'm very interested in the M-Tec 70, however. The thing about the Karakal M-TEC 70 is that its hard to find a US vendor. I know Badminton Warehouse sells Karakals, but I am unable to specify the stringing tension as I need it to be very tight. I read somewhere that it can stringed up to 30lbs, but I need some more back-up suggestions. Thanks for the help! ::cl
The Karakal 70 rackets are awesome. The M-Tec would be my choice as I prefer iso head shapes. The SL is a great racket too, just not for me. They can be strung at 30lbs within the manufacturer's recommendations, unlike Yonex's cowardly guidelines. 30lbs is very high for doubles though, one clash and I don't think any racket you could buy would survive. Be very careful. Still, the M-Tec 70 should be an excellent racket for you and I would whole-heartedly recommend it.
I feel the MTEC 70 might be too light, MTEC 75 or MTEC 80 is probably better and can give more power but since you want it for doubles play, the MTEC 70 or 75 is probably ok. One thing I must say is that the MTEC ISO head is not as square as others, it is in between Oval and ISO so take some getting used to and definitely not as easy to hit the sweet spot.
I enjoyed playing oval heads before newer ISO heads. Perhaps slimmer-ISOs may be "just right" for me. Thanks for the help! ::cl
If you enjoyed oval heads, then you can consider the SL series instead of the MTEC series from Karakal, they are basically the same except for the head. The SL70 comes in white and looks great ! You can try getting the karakals from http://www.giadinhsports.com/english/content/view/13/30/ He does ship internationally and accept paypal.
One thing I need to update is that the different MTEC has different head design, initially I thought they are all the same. The MTEC 80 and 85 are aero design and also the head is more oval than ISO whereas for the 75 it is box design and more ISO than oval.
i also recommend getting a little more weighted model. try to keep it teh same weight as the arc7, as switching could possibly become a problem.
if your playing doubles, you'll need a durable racket cause from time to time your racket will clash with your partners racket. the mtec70 is not as durable as the other karakal rackets. i've seen several broken mtec70s because of clashes. If you havent gotten a racket yet try the mtec75 or 80. i had a mtec 85 and 80 before and had several hard clashes and the worst damage was minor paint chipping.
Dont mean to piggy back on your thread but cant help asking a couple question as you guys seem to know a fair bit about karakal rackets. What do you think about tour lite gel rackets for all round doubles players. I could find info about it flexibility. Are karakal iso head similar to yonex isometric heads. I currently use nanospeed 100 and thinking of an upgrade. I think karakal tour lite gel will be a better bang for buck than high/mid range yonex rackets.