Hi, I am looking for a new racket and would appreciate a recommendation! I am an offensive player (male) mainly playing doubles (& about 25% singles). I used to rely a lot on my aggressive smashing, but over a period of time, have developed a more finesse game (drop shots, good return of smashes, net play, defense, etc). I seem to have developed a liking for rackets that are medium flex (whippy, not stiff) and which are head-heavy (thus helps better smashing)! My earlier rackets, - Cab30MS :- I originally fell in love with the Cab30MS, which lasted me around 2 years (but no longer available here) - AT700 :- I then shifted to an AT700, which I absolutely "Loved", but it lasted me less than a month! See this thread Please recommend a "durable whippy racket that produces awesome smashes and is pretty decent in defense & netplay" A) I loved Cab30MS & AT700, thus what racket would you recommend me? b) I was evaluating the AT900T (seems to be a popular all-around racket). How is the durability of AT900T? Does it have a whippy feel, or is the shaft too stiff in comparison to AT700 ad Cab30MS? c) What about some of the classics like MP99 or TI10, would they suit me? d) Any other modern rackets that I should look at? ARC10, ARC8dx? Though these would be all the more expensive, I am guessing!
Note: * My Experience with Cab 30MS (@ 22 lbs with Ashway Micropower strings):- a) Power :- 8.5/10 b) Control :- 7.5/10 (Had some problems with my dropshots and return of smashes, maybe technique was wrong, not sure) c) Stiffness & Feel :- Feel - 10/10, I felt this to be medium stiff, in fact I would say, on hitting a shot, I used to get an elastic soft feel, as opposed to say a Cab 21 SP (which I feel is just very stiff, I don't get that elastic feeling, which I loved about Cab30MS) d) Forgiving / Ease of Use :- Found it very easy to use and pretty forgiving. e) Shaft Size & Handle Size :- The racket seemed a little longer, I had to hold it at the top of the handle, whereas the CAB21 SP handle seems pretty short. Also the Cab 30MS model which I had, the handle was not too thick, which also I used to like... * My Experience with AT700 3U (@ 25 lbs with BG 68):- a) Power :- 9.5/10 b) Control :- 8.5/10 (Ironically, better than Cab30MS) c) Stiffness & Feel :- Feel - 10/10, I felt this to be medium stiff, got the same elastic soft feel on hitting, am loving this. d) Forgiving / Ease of Use :- Found it very easy to use and pretty forgiving. e) Shaft Size & Handle Size :- Perfect
I couldn't quite find a Yonex racket on the dink-alot chart which has all the qualities that I am looking for, Overall: Excellent Stiffness: Moderate+ (or Stiff) [I loved the whippy feel of AT700 & Cab30MS, am not too inclined to shift to stiffer rackets] Durability: Excellent (or Good+) Power: Excellent (or Good+) Defense: Good+ (or Good) [Not looking for excellent, as such a racket would probably not exist] Balance: Head-heavy I don't mind going for a non-yonex brand, but availaility of other brands is a problem out here!
Er... the AT700 is anything but whippy - it's one of the stiffest Yonex makes! The only "head heavy" racket I can profer that has both power and defence is the AT900T - it's one of the very best all-rounders I have ever tried, and I loved it in my head-heavy days (it's far more "complete" than the 900P: the 5-10% power reduction is well worth the commensurate increase in control and defense).
Funny, I found the AT700 to be Medium Stiff. As opposed to, hmmm, say a Cab 21 SP, which I found pretty stiff. Well then, lets says, a racket as Flex as an At700 would suffice, that is a good reference point.
Imaster, it's probably your tension on the Cab30ms too... Cab30's are really fairly stiff. Try it at a slightly higher tension. You can handle the AT700 at 25lbs, there is no reason to hold the Cab30 back at 22.
Yup, Cab30 was my oldest racket. I just never got an opportunity to try it at 25lbs, maybe it would have worked out better! So you guys are saying, the AT900T stiffness is in the same range as the Cab30MS and AT700? If yes, then if the AT900T doesn't have frame durability issues, then I could probably make that my next racket!
I had never heard about them, would need to check its availability! If I can get one, which should I go for? There seem to be many brave swords, 08, 09, etc Is there a chart which I could refer to? I found this, http://www.victorsport.com.cn/productlist_english.asp?id=335&class=1 but that doesn't list shaft stiffness, etc.
Victor Super Waves 36 (and Bravesword 11?) perhaps, SOTX CP6000, ARC10 ... or 2nd gen Ti-10 for whippy . But only Ti-10 and perhaps in Asia SW36 are in the same price range as AT700 and Ti-10 is much less headheavy compared to AT700. Have seen Bravesword 08 mentioned or Super Waves 33P in older threads ... Surely in India finding old models should very well be possible And perhaps your stringer is responsible for 10 o'clock problem? I guess not so expensive in Asia: http://www.mybadmintonstore.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=637
if you can handle AT700, i'm sure you can easily handle BS10. search for them in this forum. you can also do some survey on Victor SuperWaves 35 and Spira 21.
Any racket is whippy if you can whip the shaft. Why not just get another AT700 if you think it's good overall except for the durability. Otherwise AT900P is a good choice. AT900T if you want a better defence but a faction less power. SW35 is a little of both.
I love the AT700, but very difficult to buy a new racket every month or two Plus I will be always reluctant to play freely, if I am scared that it will break again! I had set my eyes on the AT900T, but am waiting to hear about its stiffness and durability...
If you have cracked the AT700 without clashing, then you should be able to get a replacement. Just take it back to the shop, and they will send it back to Yonex HQ (Yonex Sunrise?) 25lbs is the max for the AT700 so you are within the limit. All you can do is try.
Wow! Lots of recommendations Yonex Armortec 700 (again) Yonex Armortec 900T Yonex ARC10 Victor SW35 Victor SW36 Victor BraveSword 10 Victor BraveSword 11 Victor Spira 21 SOTX CP6000 Is there by any chance some comparison chart which contains the above mentioned rackets? Or would that be too much to ask
You might want to add SOTX Woven 7 or the SOTX Woven 7i to your list, as far as I am aware the differences between the two, are that the Woven 7i is stiffer and slightly lighter than the Woven 7. Out of the list I would take the SW35, but I think if you like head heavy rackets, then you should limit your choices to the following. AT700 3U SW35 3U Spira 21 3U Woven 7 / 7i 3U
Yes, I sent the racket to claim warranty, and luckily, I have been notified that they have accepted my request, and are going to give a credit note. Thus I can buy a new racket from the same store!
Funny noone mentioned Arc Z-Slash. There you've got your whippy headheavy racket. Forgett Ti-10 and Arc 8dx. They are both stiff as hell. Ti-10 is also head light. Arc 8dx is eaven balance. Maby Arc 10 will work. Stiffer than Arc ZS but easyer to get used to by most people, and actually quite headheavy. About the same as cab 30 i'd say. And why not get another Cab 30 MS. I've ordered mine from Luxis. Great racket!
Could you shed some light on this? If true, then my blaming the poor AT700 would be totally unwarranted. Plus I will get it strung from a different store in the future. (Note: This is the 1st time I had used that store for my stringing purpose!)
