PREVIEW: Carlton Vapour Trail Tour / Elite

Discussion in 'Badminton Rackets / Equipment' started by kwun, May 8, 2009.

  1. JukUx

    JukUx Regular Member

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    I think its more about how FAST you can swing. I'am no expert on this, so i might be wrong. But power depends on your swinging speed. If you swing really fast, then a stiff/x-stiff racket is more you because you can forcefully bend it which generates more power. While, if you swing SLOW a flex racket might be more you because it flex's when you swing it adding more power. A fast swinger wouldn't want to use a flex racket as it'll just overflex and your shot would go everywhere. And a slow swinger wouldn't want an stiff/x-stff racket because there would be on power.

    I am not sure what a long swing is, but if you aren't a power hitter, I am going to assume that you don't have a fast swing. So I'd say go for a med flex or stiff head heavy. This depends also on your other aspects of your game which I do not know.

    Disclaimer: I am not 100% sure of right i said so don't flame me :p
     
  2. riuryK

    riuryK Regular Member

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    Thanks a lot for your answer. With long swing I mean, well, my swing is not as compact and (you're right) as fast as other players' swings I see on the court. Let's say I have a wide but slightly slow swing.

    Thanks.
     
  3. JukUx

    JukUx Regular Member

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    give mid-flex to stiff head heavy rackets a shot! you might like them :p
     
  4. Accordaz

    Accordaz Regular Member

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    What about the VTT? Too demanding for a intermediate player too?
     
  5. gollywog

    gollywog Regular Member

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    No i think an intermediate would be able to handle the VTT no problems. Its actually one of my favourite rackets even though i dont actually own one, played with it before and LOVED it!
     
  6. riuryK

    riuryK Regular Member

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    Hi,

    After reading some of the old posts, I'm really confused when some people compare the VTT with the Z-Slash. According to their technical specifications, they're completely different:

    VTT: Even balanced, medium shaft, all-round play
    ZS: Head-heavy, stiff shaft, attacking play

    Are really so similar when in the hand? It shouldn't be so at first sight. I suppose this is a matter of feeling with the racket, of course.

    Thanks.
     
  7. j4ckie

    j4ckie Regular Member

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    The Z-Slash is actually a stiff medium-flex racket (not as soft as, say, the N50II, but not stiff imop). It's also not head-heavy, but balanced or slightly head-heavy, the BP should be in the same range as the VTT.
     
  8. Guillaumeg

    Guillaumeg Regular Member

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    I've got a question...

    One year ago, i bought a carlton VT elite from a reliable vendor. I did not test it, because my friend had one and it felt very good when he gave me his racket. Though, when I played with my VT elite, it was horrible, so I put it far far away.
    Now i started wondering how there could be such a difference and I compared 2 VT elites.

    I noticed that the balance is different, mine is heavier, the extra weight makes it nor head light nor head heavy, but simply rubbish. The color is also different, real = orange-gold and mine yellowish-gold.
    The most significant difference is the way the handle is made. On the "real ones" you see a VT emblem on the cone (top of the handle) when using thumb-grip, whereas mine is rotated 90° and shows the carlton logo.

    Is mine fake? Or is it possible that there's such a difference between 2 rackets from the same type(one great one worthless...).
     
  9. NickHolland

    NickHolland New Member

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    Hello Guillaummeg,
    I think you haven't got an Elite, these should be "orange/gold" at the time you bought your racket. I live in the Netherlands, work in a sportshop, and love to play more than 40 years, bought my 2 VT Elites last year as well, no.1 in august, no.2 in december, they are gold with black and I prefer them above the Yonex AT900 power,I used to play. Just to remind you, they are stiff rackets that require a "fast wrist" and good to expert tecnique. Since yesterday I have 2 new ones, played them last night, they
    are chrome with black, same stifness and headheavy, and they feel as good as the old ones, altough the
    strings i put in.Pacific .66,@12kg, have to be played a bit more to get the right touch. The black standard strings really suck, is good for laundry,:D
    If your racket plays so different from the one you tried, you should immediate return to the shop where
    you bought it and ask them, which will be impossible after one year :-(
    grtz. Nico
     
  10. Maklike Tier

    Maklike Tier Regular Member

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    Well, I owned both at the same time strung the same. I don't really care about theory it's how they play on the court, and the VTT is the closet thing to a ZS out there.

    The specs are very deceptive too, because the ZS isn't particularly stiff (I'd say the VTT is stiffer) nor is it head-heavy in the traditional Yonex sense (it is an ArcSaber afterall - Yonex' "balanced" range.)

    The main reason for the comparison is they both have 'compact' isometric heads, meaning a smaller, more focussed sweet-spot. They both also have short handles and slightly longer than normal shafts.

    I actually want my old VTT back! It's a great racket.
     
  11. dr_lager

    dr_lager Regular Member

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    I see that there is a 2011 VTT out there. Has anyone played with it? Any idea how it compares with the previous VTT model (which I also love playing with!)?
     
  12. allyjack110

    allyjack110 Regular Member

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    You are right. Carlton have updated their entire range of rackets, including the Vapour Trail and Air Rage series. To answer your question though, I suspect that both versions of the VTT and VTE will feel and play very similar to the originals. Aside from the obvious change in cosmetics (I prefer the 'old' style), the new VTT weighs 86g, 2g heavier than its predecessor. Both are still rated medium-stiff with an even-balance. However, a few people on this forum have reported that they have felt a noticeable difference in playability when comparing their existing Yonex model to the newly updated version, namely the Armortec 700 and TI-10. The original VTT is an amazing racket.
     
  13. riuryK

    riuryK Regular Member

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    I cannot compare because I don't know the previous model, but I own two VTT 2011, and they're simply great: lightweight, with an amazingly fast swing, and at the same time thanks to its medium balance you get enough power in your smashes. With regards to net play or drops, the racket really performs great. Incredibly accurate.

    I first owned two Babolat, and after having moved to a high-end racket like the VTT, my play has improved a lot.

    Take care.
     
  14. dr_lager

    dr_lager Regular Member

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    Thanks riuryK and allyjack110. I love my earlier version of the VTT and was recently attempting to buy another one in UK for the same £69 that I paid in June or July of this year...but Directsports didn't have it in stock any more. They offered the 2011 version for £85...but I currently live in the US, so once I figured out shipping it slipped beyond what I wanted to pay. I'll wait for a sale I think!!!
     
  15. Maklike Tier

    Maklike Tier Regular Member

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    You must get a friend to ship, right? Because directsports won't ship to me. Milletsports will though, for USD205 and then I can claim the VAT back, apparently.....racketworld has them for USD185 inc shipping. I bought mine originally from Wisdens of hastings but they don't seem to stock them anymore.
     
  16. dr_lager

    dr_lager Regular Member

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    I've used Racketworld (for my Powerblade Tours) and their shipping was pretty reasonable. And Directsports ships for £30 = approx $50.

    Otherwise I wait till I visit my parents to pick up rackets - which is what I did this summer :)
     
  17. Maklike Tier

    Maklike Tier Regular Member

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    Does anyone know exactly how the 2011 model spec differs from the original? I hope it's just cosmetic.
     
  18. NickHolland

    NickHolland New Member

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    Hello,
    I got my 2 new VT Elites this week, 2011/12, Chrome black, I used to play the "golden" VT Elites.
    Played 2 trainingsessions and can't really notice any difference, so I think they only changed the
    looks
     
  19. twobeer

    twobeer Regular Member

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    They have learnt from YY that repainting is cheaper than creating new molds and graphite ?? :)
     
  20. Maklike Tier

    Maklike Tier Regular Member

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    If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
     

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