I heard from 2-3 players that the "new" VT Elite was 1-2grams heavier than the old one. I even saw one player who got a bunch of the new ones switch back mid-game to his old rackets, so maybe there is a difference?
I patently disagree. I have an MX70 that is identical to my MX80's except for the fact that it's 2g heavier and I can absolutely feel it. It sounds ridiculous, but it's enough for me to miss the sweetspot and hit too low on the stringbed. That doesn't mean I'm not going to adapt to it, but it does mean it's not straight-forward to swap between rackets mid-game or anything.
Of course you can - I notice anything from 1,5 upwards. Not necessarily in a way that it disturbs me, but I notice it. 5-7 grams is the whole difference between 3U and 4U rackets - you will most definitely notice that. The same racket in 82 and 89g will feel like two completely different things - if not, you could as well use a wooden one, you won't notice anyway.
Your right. Both the new Tour and Elite are heavier than their predecessors, albeit by a few grams. The new Elite weighs 90g. I think 1-2g makes a huge difference to the overall feel and playability of a racket. I never played with the old Elite but I loved the Tour. Apparantly Joachim Persson is now using Carlton rackets - the Razor.
Hi there, in my expirience 1-2 grams is very hard to feel, but 1-2mm in balancepoint is almost radical.
@jerby, If you played a whole season with the "golden" rackets, you might have to get familiar with the new ones, I always expirience a little "extra" stiffnes in the new rackets and strings.
For me, it's just the other way round - 1-2mm are not that important, but 1-2g are much more of a difference (of course, 1-2g are about 1-2,5% weight difference, while 1-2mm are only 0.3-0.7% BP difference)
I'm the same. Currently looking back at all the rackets I've had over the past 3 years and wondering which ones I regret selling.....and I only sold the VTT for superficial reasons (too much chrome!) The VTT is maybe the only racket I thought was a superlative all-rounder so I think it might be time to revisit
Likewise. I've bought and sold around 20 rackets in the last three years, searching for the Holy Grail of rackets. With hindsight, selling my VTT was my biggest regret. Looking back I can't think of the reason why I sold it in the first place. I loved the chrome-affect, the flex and the compact hitting head. Anyway, I have now settled on a very similar racket, the Ashaway Viper XT-900. If I see the old VT Tour on offer I will probably buy it again with the intention of keeping it this time.
The XT has a really nice spec. Where did you buy it from? Tennisnuts seems to have the older model VTT for £89.99, and the 2011 model for £99.99
I bought my Viper XT-900 from TennisNuts for £69.99, although I have seen several online stores sell it for even less. You might want to try Sweatband. That's another decent store.
Hi, I am new to Carlton I am seeking a similar specification or feel racket to the Yonex Armortex 900power for my son can any Carlton fan recommend which model he can try? Thank you
Panda has a new VTE (silver with gold text) is pretty beastly, about ~g, BP310-315. A great racket. Strung it up to 34lbs. with no problems. Stiff shaft, strong frame, excellent quality, fit and finish. Plays well. Oh, did Panda mention: it's one of the best looking rackets currently available; just elegant, gorgeous!
Hi - if I remember rightly the 900 Power is stiff and head heavy. The Carlton rackets which have similar specs to this include the Vapour Trail Elite and the Razor V1.1. Both have a stiff shaft and are head heavy aimed at the more offensive player.
There seem to be a few of the older model popping up on ebay.co.uk at the moment. I just bought a couple, sold as new. I'm getting mine posted to the USA. I'm not willing to see if those extra 2g on the 2011 model do make a difference, for it to then be too late!
Thanks for your reaction. (i know it has been a while...) It is a difficult racket to master, and I am not sure if i want to take my time and get used to it. ( I do like my sotx woven 9 now, but it lacks some power). I'm just not getting the power out of this racket. However, net shots are great Any advice concerning "fast wrist" technique? Al bedankt Nico , carlton lijkt me wel populair in Nederland
I'm with you on that - but as I came to badminton from tennis I just don't have the good wrist technique and might be too old to learn . My two VTTs arrived from UK yesterday. I was expecting 2 of the 2010 model (as per the picture posted) but got 2x 2011 model instead sent for a pretty good price. I've got to wait a bit to compare with the 2010, but have to admit that I prefer a black (over white) grip, but preferred the 2010 bling over the 2011 bling. It still feels pretty light, so I'm not sure that the extra 2g will make much difference. But I guess I'll find out on the court!