PREVIEW: Carlton Vapour Trail Tour / Elite

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

  1. meteor

    meteor Regular Member

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    Just bought a VTT - the "silver" 2010 version. Found it in a shop for £70.
    I always wanted a VTT and really look forward to test it tomorrow night. I've been using only stiff raquets and decided to change to medium flex due to persistent arm pain and being fed up with having to work extra hard with the likes of MX80.

    I noticed this has been asked before but no answer: has anyone played both 2010 and 2011 versions and could point out the differences?
     
  2. meteor

    meteor Regular Member

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    I had two hours last night with the VTT. My preliminary impressions are:
    Swing speed and sensation of lightness took me by surprise.
    Coming from ZS and MX80/MX70 I thought I wouldn't have timming issues but I had a terrible time adapting my swing... in fact I don't know quite how to smash with this racquet yet :))
    The BP after re-gripping was 285mm, now I modified the grip and got almost 290mm - hope this will help timming :)
    So far, apart from the terrible timming issues, it felt great. Easy power and very fast.
    Tohight I have another session and I will post my further impressions.
    I'm still curious to see how it compares with the 2011 version if someone who had both would like to give an opinion. ;)
     
  3. SolsticeOfLight

    SolsticeOfLight Regular Member

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    Not much. There's 1 gram difference, which might make a difference if you'd been using the same racket for ages, but not a lot else.
     
  4. meteor

    meteor Regular Member

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    I want to like this racquet but sometimes it feels like it's hard to get real power out of it. At 290mm bp it still feels head light perhaps due to the low overall weight. Not sure if an extra gram or two would make any difference.
     
  5. meteor

    meteor Regular Member

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    I had a chance to experience VTT, S-lite and Kinesis recently. This is a mini review of these plus comparison between VTT and Victor BS12.

    Few months ago I decided to move to more friendly mid flex rackets after being a fan of Victor MX80 for a long time. After trying Victor mx60 I discovered Carlton VTT as a more suitable racket for my playing style as I naturally play better with lighter rackets.

    Carlton VTT has a BP of 304mm and weights 89g with original grip and bg80 at 24lbs.
    I found that adding an overgrip to this racket takes away a lot of its power. Some people might argue that overgrip should not change much but I beg to differ.
    The overhead performance is great due to the aerodynamic frame that allows for higher head speeds to be achieved. It's easy to clear and generating power in smashes if technique is adequate.
    To compare VTT with Victor BS12 - another mid flex even balance racket based on an aerodynamic head section: I'd say that VTT is a better smasher and feels faster in flat exchanges and defence. I believe that's due to the high overall weight of the BS12 and a funny weight distribution. My BS12 weights 94g with original grip and VS850 at 22lbs. The difference in the way these two raquests feel and play is substantial.
    For a mid flex racket VTT has excellent control - great directional accuracy.
    - BS12 feels somewhat more solid.

    Carlton Kinesis is simply awesome and I look forward to getting one. Has a lower swing weight comparing to VTT and a massive punch. The speed/power ratio of this racket is the best I've experienced so far. I only used it three times and I was most impressed.
    It's definitely a different kind of approach Carlton has taken with the Kinesis. It feels kind of "rubbery" and it flexes a lot - in fact, bizzarely, you can make the very thin frame flex in your hand too. Never seen that before :)) The balance is more like head light than even with bp roughly 295mm (original grip and strings only).

    I was also impressed with the S-Lite. Great power for a HL racket and a pleasure to use in doubles defence. Control - especially directional accuracy is not great. I found round the head smashing to produce "unexpected" results to say the least...
    Overall it's a very good light and easy to handle racket that excells in speed and produces surprising power.
    Measurements: BP300mm weight90g with original grip and bg80 at 24 lbs.
     
  6. TheNotoriousLIG

    TheNotoriousLIG Regular Member

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    Hi, since a lot of people are asking, I have a VTE newer version and I had a razor 1.1 (broken) and spent a lot of time with the VTE older version as well so I will quickly outline the differences as I perceived them. VTE newer is heavier , slightly head heavier and it feels stiffer than the other two to play with. No doubt to me about this. The old VTE and razor 1.1 have more in common. They feel almost exactly the same weight and bp but stiffness is different to play. I think this is due to the different handle length but the old VTE feels stiffer than the R1.1. The R1.1 is the most forgiving out of the 3 and is very easy to get used to, a good pick up and play racquet with almost no adjustment needed. The newer VTE is less forgiving and more tiring if you use it properly but it pays off in a big way. You need a strong wrist to really get the shaft to flex and give you the power you want but if you have the wrist, its the second best racquet out there ever imho. (the n90 being my favourite but sold due to it being too tiring) The VTE new is a little bit heavy and stiff but it is unbelievably fast for a supposed power generator and the control and placement is great, especially in deceptions but it takes time to learn how to use this racquet. I have had it for nearly 8 months now and only really started to use it properly after around 3 months. If you don't want to spend the time getting used to it, I would suggest you try the razr1.1 or the VTT or maybe look at another brand but I don't think you will enjoy something else as much. I string it at 28lbs with bg80 or zy67 in case you were wondering and I play at the front in mens doubles and I'm a power player in singles.
     
  7. timboo

    timboo Regular Member

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    i had a vte and used it for all of 1.5hrs max. It seriously caused me huge timing issues to the point i kept missing the shuttle on simple clears. i found the balance point was too head heavy and straight away felt like my elbow and wrist were struggling. i was really disappointed as i had such an adapted technique towards the airblade 2000 i really cant find anything like it.In terms power i didnt really play with it long enough to notice anything special. In terms of manoeuvrability it felt quite cumbersome (again down to timing)i had it strung at 28lbs with bg 65 and a karakel super grip. i have been looking at the mx80 and wondering if anyone has used this as well as the vte so i have a direct comparison.
     
  8. TheNotoriousLIG

    TheNotoriousLIG Regular Member

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    I have had 2Mx80s both broken now. Mx80 is supposed to be stiffer but imo it was more forgiving than the VTE with same strings and tension. Its feels very fast but in actual play I didnt find it much faster than the VTE and while it is surprisingly powerful, it isn't really a powerful racquet and neither does it need to be. It suits a powerful player looking for more speed and control. Mx80 is more controlled and responsive than the VTE and truly an incredible racquet, my third favourite in fact. Its a fun racquet for a player with good technique and finger strength, but unless you already have a very good backhand, don't go expecting miracles. Both my mx80s broke on mishitting a shuttle on backhand clears so while I really liked it, wasn't happy with durability. The VTE is more powerful and better for a player with a strong wrist but looking for more control and accuracy with high speed swings. The MX80 imo is a racquet for the people, I think anyone could pick it up and play with it very very well but while it does everything really well, nothing stands out for me like the VTE which is extremely fast and powerful but just lacks a little bit in agility due to the head weight. It takes a while to get used to though as I have said before and its up to you whether you think its worth it. Also, they cost around the same now. To me, the VTE is a head heavier, stiffer feeling (it has a shorter shaft that is less stiff) version of the MX80 and vice-versa. Its up to the player.
    Hope this helps
     
  9. SolsticeOfLight

    SolsticeOfLight Regular Member

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    If you're worried about your wrist and elbow, there are strengthening techniques which are readily available.
     
  10. timboo

    timboo Regular Member

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    hiya the mx80 seems to tick a fair few boxes but i cant believe one would break like u say that sounds like real poor build quality. what tension was it at when it broke?
     
  11. TheNotoriousLIG

    TheNotoriousLIG Regular Member

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    Both were 26lbs. idk, maybe i was unlucky but I wouldnt buy another in a hurry. Worth checking out the broken racquet forums, its not that uncommon.
     
  12. timboo

    timboo Regular Member

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    cheers. Even more worrying when it only 26 lbs. Thanks for the website info will start my research as i back to my drawing board again arghh
     
  13. TheNotoriousLIG

    TheNotoriousLIG Regular Member

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    Yh, I don't think this is a problem across the meteor series the MXlondon I have (same as mx70) is holding up very well at 28lbs. No worries there at all. Maybe look at them?
     
  14. dr_lager

    dr_lager Regular Member

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    OK - I'm now in a much better position to answer your question. I've been playing exclusively with the 2011 model for the past month or two, prior to which I used the 2010 model of the VTT.

    The 2011 is slightly more head heavy than the 2010 one, which I found to be balanced. It is only a gram difference in weight, but I seem to notice it - I ascribe that to the increased head heaviness.

    In terms of play, its maneuverability seems clunkier. I don't think that is just down to the very slight redistribution of weight, but I don't have another answer that would make any sense! I've been using the factory strings on the 2011 model, so the comparison to my 24lb BG-65 on the 2010 may be a bit unfair, but I do remember playing with the factory strings on the 2010 model as well and the 2011 model just takes a bit more getting used to. The 2010 one was just perfect from the start.

    The 2011 one does have an issue that I don't like - the butt of the handle is very hard, and not well covered by the grip, so when I played with it, it made the corner of my hand very uncomfortable. I've never before used overgrips, but for this I have had to.

    I guess my take home message is that the 2011 model takes a bit more time for someone of my skill level to adapt to. The paint job is as delicate on the 2011 as the 2010, so make sure you have some chrome car paint to touch it up!

    Hope this helps.
     
  15. meteor

    meteor Regular Member

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    I agree. I tested VTE yesterday. There's so such thing as forgiveness when it comes to VTE, very difficult racket, definitely not for me and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone at intermediate level. It has absolutely nothing in common with VTT, totally different beast.
    Having used MX80 for a few months, VTE is heavier and feels as stiff.
     
  16. TheNotoriousLIG

    TheNotoriousLIG Regular Member

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    Yh, it takes a lot of getting used to but I think its worth it. But even now, there are times when I feel like I can't properly use the racquet. These moments are rare but its worth noting nonetheless, this is not a racquet for just picking up and playing with, like the n90, vtzf, arc z-slash etc, it will take time to get used to, its up to you whether you think its worth it.
     
  17. allyjack110

    allyjack110 Regular Member

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    How many versions of the Vapour Trail Elite have been released? As far as I am aware there seems to be 2, the original gold one that was released several years ago and a predominately silver looking one. Did Carlton release a third re-vamp? I only ask because I recently ordered a VTE and I am not entirely sure which version it is. I know that it is not the original gold one.
     
  18. demolidor

    demolidor Regular Member

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    I think there is a third one already with more gold in the paintjob? Or could just be the lighting :D ...
    You should just post a pic of yours ;).
     
    #378 demolidor, Mar 18, 2013
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2013
  19. allyjack110

    allyjack110 Regular Member

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    My new toys; arrived this afternoon. Two rackets for £110.00.

    2013-03-19 13.22.51.jpg

    DSCF3174.jpg DSCF3175.jpg
     
    #379 allyjack110, Mar 19, 2013
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2013
  20. demolidor

    demolidor Regular Member

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    That is the second/2011 one yes :cool:. There is some vage picture on the Carlton website for the Elite that might be the next one :confused: [or as said might be the lighting?]

    vapour_trail_elite_1.png
     

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