I got back into badminton 4 years ago after a much longer hiatus than you, and what I've learned from the dozens of rackets I've tried, is that there is one out there that suits YOU and YOUR STYLE - and this has nothing to do with fashion. You'll be able to play with almost any racket and you'll get used to it, but you'll never get to a point where the racket just 'disappears' and doesn't cause you any hassles or grief. If you want to work on an 'all-rounder' style, and want a racket that works well for doubles as well as singles, then you should start with an 'all-rounder' racket. Every brand has a couple in their ranges, and although the may not be fashionable, you'll enjoy getting to know them as I have. YONEX - ArcSaber 10, ArcSaber 7, Voltric 70 (quite head heavy though) VICTOR - Meteor MX60, Bravesword 11 (old TW spec, current US/CDN spec), Superwaves 37, Superwaves 30 KASON - Twister C7 (quite head heavy), Twister F9, TSF500, TSF300Ti (These are the main brands I've had extensive experience with, I'll leave others fill in the blanks with the other brands. My recommendations are in Blue.) If you have any aspirations, I'd highly recommend getting a new racket with fresh strings. Whilst technology hasn't come leaps and bounds since the Cab20, rackets under 10 years old (or less) are generally better than anything before that.
on snap! i can't wait to see what maxout had to say about that, but generally i do agree with what you've mentioned. i am that all rounder type, not really great at any specific part of the game of badminton, that's why i still use the muscle power tour. while no one knows what it is or care to find out, it suits my game. i am happy when i play with it and it feels good in my hand! plus, it's not the best looking racket, with the paint color in between bright orange and bright yellow.
I know a guy who loves his MP Tours and actually sold off his Arc10 and Arc8DX so he could make it his go-to racket, so never say never! If you want some back court punch and you don't want to break the bank, it's a pretty solid option. If you've got a bit more cash I think a 4U VT70 might be better though.
Hahahaa ... I agree with every statement except the BOLDED part - a bit sweeping isn't it ... why ? Just like saying, most of today's scientists are smarter than Einstein while none has make any major revolutionary progress .... hmmmm .... (analogy time: Einstein - Cab20; Isaac Newton - T-joint ... VTZF - Hawking ... ) Well, if you COOK (as in the kitchen) esp Chinese/Japanese cuisines, you will notice that the HARDEST and BEST DISHES are the ones with the LEAST ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS - i.e. you must use ONLY the FRESHEST and BEST produce ... namely for the Chinese - "steam fish" and Japanese - "sashimi" or "soba" Likewise, I will say, in the Cab20/21, Yonex has reached an unintentional APEX (I don't think they planned too !!) in making an almost "perfect" FULL CARBON RACQUET (no added ingredients) .... Since then, all they can do are "tweaks" in terms of materials and frame design ... agree or not, IMHO, isometric head design are better suited for tennis than badminton. Hence, despite my earnest desire (to get somethinge "NEW", I also suffer from NEW mentality ) and having tested all the latest and current iso racquets (including those listed by MT) by YVL (Yonex, Victor and Li-Ning), I still ended up with a "newly purchased" Cab20sp . You have to try the Cab20 to know its "AGELESS" ALL-ROUND FEEL, BALANCE and POWER ... but the biggest hurdle and challenge you must first overcome is the "OLD" design mental block (Cab 20 is a 28 years old design) - btw, the latest Gosen Ryoga Shiden (cost 3X more) is an oval-design albeit with "better" materials, Carlton is slowing moving its frame design back to "oval" albeit with different names ... even VTZF is considered an iso-oval hybrid ....
However if you really insist on an iso (new) racquets my best recommendations are: Yonex - VTZF (if you can handle it - I can't due to my old shoulders but for those 30-odd minutes that I played with it, it was GREAT!!) Victor - Bravesword 11 (this is most probably the racquet I will use should the world runs out of Cab20/21 ... ) Apacs - Tantrum 200 (cheapest of all the racquets I like and pretty good too !!) Li-Ning - too over-priced to even consider .... and better alternatives available ... ... but ... the BEST (IMHO) is still Cab20sp ... and some more cheaper than any other above hahahaha ....
Sure, not a lot has happened since the full-graphite racket was first introduced, but as you yourself mentioned, there has been incremental 'tweaks' and that's a good thing. The world certainly did not stand still when the Cab20 was released. Things have moved on. The oval head is not the holy grail of racket design. What we're seeing is not companies 'resorting' back to something resembling oval, but rationalising the string pattern. There's a few things driving design, but string pattern is one of the major ones. The other major factor is that the less racket there is, the more aerodynamic it is by default. I wouldn't mind trying a Cab20 though.
WHAT !!! You mean you have NEVER tried a Cab20 before ?????? No wonder you failed to "appreciate" the finer points I was trying to make about the Cab20, now I understand .... It is OK, it is NEVER TOO LATE ... better late than never !! GO AND GET YOURSELF A CAB20 and give it a good go !!
