I finally got my Cab23 the other day and here is a comparison between my 3 Cab racquets. I have a Cab20 Power which was purchased in 1996, and Cab23 and Cab20 Muscle which were purchased in 2003. All playing tests were done with Yonex feather shuttlecocks (AS-50) and balance points were measured with the string on the racquets. Flexibility was measured by hand by placing the racquets flat on a wooden table, and pressing down at the top of the shaft(near the racquet head) until it touched the table. Cab20 Muscle US (2U-G4) strung w/BG80@21lbs. Balance: 299mm Cab20 Power US (2U-G4) string w/BG80@21lbs. Balance: 302mm Cab23 US (2U-G4) strung w/BG80@21lbs. Balance: 295mm Of the three racquets, the Cab20 Muscle is definitely the most flexible. The Cab20 Power and Cab23 are very close in terms of stiffness and unfortunately I am unable to tell which is stiffer without the use of sophisticated equipment. As for balance, the Cab20 Power is the most head-heavy with a balance point 302mm from the end on the grip. The Cab 20 Muscle was 299mm, and to my surprise the Cab23 was the least head-heavy of the three with a balance point of 295mm. All three racquets were similar in terms of playability. The Cab20 Power had the most powerful smash but it was the least maneuverable on defense probably because it is the most head-heavy. The Cab20 Muscle and Cab23 had pretty much the same smashing power even though the Cab20 Muscle was more head-heavy. I am guessing that the high stiffness of the Cab23 made a difference in smashing compared to the Cab20 Muscle. Also, the Cab23 made a louder noise in smashing than the Cab20 Muscle even though I was using the same string at the same tension. I'm guessing that the high stiffness of the Cab23 gives it a louder smash sound. On defense, the Cab23 was definitely the fastest. The Cab20 Power had a nice feel to it on defense but that was probably because I was most used to it. Overall the racquets were very similar. My favorite of the three is still probably the Cab20 Power, but a lot of that is because of sentimental value. I was quite impressed with the playability of the Cab23 and the smashes were unusually powerful considering it was the least head-heavy of the three racquets. In the future, I hope to weigh all 3 racquets with an electronic scale. ( Maybe I can sneak into one of my campus' chem labs and use one of scales they have there). The racquets are all 2U (90-94grams) and have US serial numbers but it would be interesting to see exactly how much these weigh in relation to each other. Also, I hope to experiment with different strings/tensions. I'll keep posting what I find here.
great comparison. one question, isnt' the cab23 a long racket? that will affect the balance as well...
Good review AMRaider, that is how is should be done. Doesn't look good for the Cab 20 MS does it? I am hoping to have a hit with a demo soon but the racquet has been released with little or no publicity over here.
Kwun, I just measured the overall length of all three racquets and they were within 2mm of each other. Cab20 Power: 663mm Cab23 : 664mm Cab20 Muscle: 665mm Since I measured by hand, there is bound to be some margin of error; maybe a mm or two. But, it would seem as though all three racquets were originally intended to be the same length and that the Cab23 is just the "standard length". I checked Yonexs' catalogue on at shuttle-house.com and the Cab20 Muscle and Cab23 are listed as regular length racquets (664mm). The long racquets(Muscle Power series, ISO, and some of the TIs) are 674mm. Here's a link to the chart I got off of their site. http://www.badmintonforum.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9259 Personally, I wish Yonex would make a Carbonex series racquet that is Long (674mm) like the Cab20 Long. I would love to try out a Long Cab racquet. Unfortunately, the Cab20 Long is no longer in production and seems dificult to find in the US. Hopefully Yonex will release a new Cab series racquet that is 674mm.
Wow... I thought my cab20 MS (2U) is really stiff already. Guess it due to most of my other racket are 3U and more rated as Flex and Med Stiff.
Marginal differences could also be dued to the fact that the racquets are all strung. Unstrung regular length racquets should be at 665mm and usually "Long" racquets are 10mm longer. AMR, good review. Would be nice to be able to come up with a consistent test (that us regular folks can do) to measure stiffness. This way, comments on stiffness will be consistent as stiffness for racquets varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.
the cab23 ms is the only version of the racket. it just has 2 colors. its been out forever.... like say 3-4 years i believe?
Thanks TrunkZ69 In fact, I means the Cab 23 Muscle Power mentioned in www.yonex.co.jp > products > rackets catalogue. It seems still available.
The Cab23 is the same as the one on Yonex's USA website. It's red and black and I purchased it in March of 2003. http://www.yonex.com/badminton_carbonex.cfm
Interesting, I know some places have Cab23 Long. Such as www.badminton.net, at $99 Maybe it's just Cab23 has both regular and long versions.
Carbonex Comparison Cab20 CN Cab20 Tour Special SP Just thought I would add some data to my Carbonex Comparison thread. I just measured the balance points of a Cab20 CN, and a Cab20 Tour Special SP with NO string. Cab20 CN (2U-G4) unstrung. Balance: 289mm Cab20 Tour Special SP unstrung. Balance: 280mm It's a little difficult to compare these new balance points with the old ones since my previous measurements were done on racquets with string. Before I restring my Cab20 Power and Cab23, I'll be sure to measure their balance points unstrung and add the data to this thread. Cab20 Muscle US (2U-G4) strung w/BG80@21lbs. Balance: 299mm Cab20 Power US (2U-G4) string w/BG80@21lbs. Balance: 302mm Cab23 US (2U-G4) strung w/BG80@21lbs. Balance: 295mm I did my best to judge the stiffness of the Cab20 CN and the Cab20 Tour Special SP. The Cab20 Tour Special SP was similar in stiffness to the Cab20 Muscle. The Cab 20 CN was a little more flexible than the Cab20 Tour Special SP although it was definitely more head-heavy than Cab20 Tour Special SP. The Cab20 Power and the Cab23 are the stiffest Cab racquets I have seen so far.
Just got some more data: I measured the balance point of my Cab23 US (2U-G4) unstrung. FYI, all racquets tested were 2U-G4. Cab20 CN (2U-G4) unstrung. Balance: 289mm Cab20 Tour Special SP (2U-G4) unstrung. Balance: 280mm Cab23 US (2U-G4) unstrung. Balance: 285mm Cab20 Muscle US (2U-G4) strung w/BG80@21lbs. Balance: 299mm Cab20 Power US (2U-G4) string w/BG80@21lbs. Balance: 302mm Cab23 US (2U-G4) strung w/BG80@21lbs. Balance: 295mm
Cooler, All the racquets tested had the factory overgrip with the exception of the Cab20 Power. The Cab20 Power was purchased in 1996 and the G4 grip size from 1996 was smaller than todays G4 grip size so even though the grip sizes of all the racquets were "G4", the Cab20 Power grip was smaller in diameter than the rest. I'm not sure why this is; perhaps Yonex kept the same grip size from 1996 to 2003 but simply used a thicker rubber factory overgrip on the new racquets. I know when I hold my Cab23 (purchased in 2003) it feels as if there is more cushioning on the grip in addition to having a larger diameter than the grip on my Cab20 Power. In order to compensate for the difference in grip size, I ripped out the grip on the Cab20 Power down the wood. I then put 2 Yonex Super Grab (It says Grap but I'm sure then meant Grab) overgrips on the Cab20 Power. After I did this it felt more like the newer G4 grip size on my Cab23 (similar diameter and cushioning). After this was done I measured the balance points. Anyway, thanks for bringing this up. Hope this helps.
AMR, thanks for the explanation. I have the same trouble too, my iso900sr G3 with ribbed overgrip feels right but my mp99 G3 with thin yonex grap feels bigger. The mp99 G4 with overgrip feels right for me *sigh. Too bad i can't exchange an used racquet. One day i will plane off the mp99 handle. I have done this to my other older racquets before. You should try the cab20 long, i like it.
