Hello, This is my first post and I have been reading up on the forum and I wonder if someone could help me with a dilemma I have. I'm 23 years old, male and have been playing off and on for about ten years. I currently play once or twice a week with players with similar skills to mine. I have never participated in tournaments or played at a club level. I play for fun and for the exercise. I play mostly doubles due to a high number of players and a low number of courts. I prefer singles though. Mostly because I rarely play with the same partner in double and it's hard to work good together when you never get to know your partner. I'm looking to buy a new racket in the pricerange of 120-130 CAD and have narrowed my selection down to two rackets. Yonex Armortec 250 and the Carlton Aeroblade TT. My preferences for selecting these two is that they are both evenly balanced and have a medium flex and are in the price range I'm looking for. I can by the AT250 for 135 CAD (in Sweden) and the TT for 115 CAD. The main theory behind the selection would be to get a neutral racket which I then could adapt with stiffer stringing if I need in the future. I'm currently playing with the Yonex Isometric 50 which feels quite colorless and dull. My style of play vary a lot but I'm not a "power player". I tend to be aggressive in singles but quite the opposite in doubles. The question I would like to ask is if the AT250 is worth the extra money or if I really just pay for the brand if I favor Yonex over Carlton in this case? regards from Sweden
Go for the AT250, it's an awesome racket. I'm not a fan of Carlton's Aeroblade series but I can honestly tell you that for the price, you're unlikely to get anything better than an AT250. Look at the Karakal MTec 80 if you can find it too.
Thank you for your fast reply Danstevens! I can't seem to get a hold of the Karakal MTec 80 in Sweden but I can order it from an online store in the UK for about the same price as the AT250 (including shipping). I can't really find much information about the MTec 80. How would you say it differs from the AT250? Anyone else got any thoughts? About the AT250 and/or the MTec 80?
Yonex Armortec 250 even-balanced and medium flex? That's odd. It's supposed to be head-heavy and stiff. You can check the official yonex site for details. I also have an official graph placing the characteristics of yonex rackets with variables on attacking play and hold/repulsion. Armortec 250 is designed for an aggressive attacking play hence the head-heavy balance. You might want to try another model.
OK, the AT250 is stiffer and slightly more head heavy than the MTec 80. The MTec 80 is lighter and I suppose, a better all-round racket. However, if you want to do more attacking than defending, I'd go for the AT250, it really is an awesome racket for beginners and advanced players alike.
Yes, I concur. I have had the AT 250 for three years, and I still use it regularly, along with my AT 900 and TC 700 because it's a lot more forgiving and I can easily adapt to it after using other rackets.
That's correct. The Swedish retailer states that the AT250 is "semiflex" and I assumed that it was medium flex. According to the Yonex site it's stiff. Haven't found any information on balance at yonex.com though.
That's the nail in the coffin for me. I really aim to play more singles and the AT250 seem to be the way to go for me. Thanks for your help!
