Hey folks, I posted regarding my first racket which is a Slazenger and after a couple of tries with it, it doesn't feel as good as the other guys' rackets (mixture of Carltons and Yonex). Mine felt lacklust, heavier and lacking in power by comparison, the strings didn't feel all that strong so I'm returning it. Now I'm wondering if I should get a Carlton A B IsoTI racket or a Head N Fire Power racket. Thanks for your advice. I like this game.
Some advice: a) A couple of tries are really not anough to get used to a new racket. b) More important than the racket itself is the STRINGS.. c) If you do not feel confident with your racket, and it can be replaced without any cost, ther is no harm in switching.. d) Focusing to much on the racket may take away your focus from the "real" issue about using proper strokes and constantly hitting the sweetspot. This is something You are responsible for, not the racket /Twobeer
yup, best advice. try theirs, remember the one that feels ideal, ask what strings they use and at what tension. that's always a good way to start.
Thanks guys, I did try several different rackets to distinguish the differences and theirs' feel much better, handle felt grippy and more controllable and just felt easier to handle. Mine felt imbalanced for some reason and my smashes did feel all that threatening (I have a strong hit). From the advices that was given to me, I either get used to it or buy a better one. Even they agreed that it felt imbalanced and the string tension wasn't all that strong. When I bought this racket it didn't even come with a cover. So much for a £50 racket. I can say that my fitness level wasn't as bad as I thought, at least for doubles!
I had a look at the Carlton rackets and it seems that many of them had this rectangular welding between the head and the length of the handle, is this typical of Carlton rackets? A mate told me that a smoothly joined racket is the best option to buy.
Hi did you buy your slazenger racquet from sports direct or a soccer sports shop? the only reason I ask is I purchased one last summer, lasted all of one session, snapped in half !!
A note also is that Slazenger, Carlton, Dunlop have the same owner, so most likely they share factory for manufacturing in China.. So any quality issues should be more model-related than "brand"-related, i suppose. /Twobeer
Generaly, the accepted rackets of today are "2 piece" rackets. this means that the racket consists of the frame+shaft as one piece - hence your friends "smoothly joined" racket advice is correct by most standards - and the grip+cone+endcap as the other piece. The shaft and frame are usually made of graphite, NOT steel or other metals. Try not to fall for marketing tactics such as "contains titanium/tungsten/magnesium/etc." These substances rarely make up more than a small fraction of the whole racket, and should not be used to make a purchaseing decision. good rackets of today usually weigh between 80 and 90 grams. As has already been said, string tension is probably more important than the actual racket - to a degree. Rackets of today will be strung between 18 and 20 pounds if you are truly a beginner, up to about 23-25 pounds for a better recreational player. Usually balance is more important than actual gross mass. a headheavy racket will be able to transfer more momentum into a shuttle than a headlight racket when swung at comparable speeds. This is good for smashes/offensive shots. A headlight racket is more manoeverable than a headheavy racket, that is, it is easier to start and stop the motion of a swing. This good for returning smashes and other defensive moves. If your qualm with the Slazenger is mostly the grip, consider buying a tacky overgrip. Very few rackets come with manufacturers grips that are well liked. The exception is karakal brand rackets that have very tacky grips when bought off the shelf.
for sure. External T- joint rackets are not usually up to par. also, is the racket made of graphite? if its an Airblade Iso Ti, yeah, thats a good buy, and a great racket, if i am thinking correctly.
hmm im starting to realize, you can easily be dissatisfied with a new racket. You cant be dissatisfied with new better technique/training
Alright some update, I managed to return the Slazenger and was looking at a few including one from Head. That was just as bad as the Slazenger in that it felt weighty. So I ended up getting a Carlton racket (Aeroblade) which felt much better. Feeling good about this one now
Like a lot of the people here already said, try before you buy, its worth $5 to demo rackets to make sure you like the balance and weight. If you're still new at playing, focus on your strokes, and footwork. Ive played 3 years in high school, stopped for a few years and started playing these last 2 years, and just last monday i finally learned ive been hitting my over hand clear wrong! Training rocks, i highly recommend.
Thanks mate, I think this new racket is much better but you're right, I have to try it first to see how it feels. Just that I've never owned my own racket before and had always been using somebody elses so I can tell what is a good racket for me. Obviously the lighter ones with the tight strings are better but we're not talking about ISO carbon whatever rackets here, which is why I'm not buying such an expensive racket for my first time. I'm really buggered from my week's work today but I'm still going to play tonight cause I really want to see how this racket feels.