BBEdrummerAK
Regular Member
Yeah, it seems like Carlton has pretty much died out. Before, EVERYONE used Carlton and now it is not even heard of anymore. I am using a Carlton Airblade 500 Ti and I get laughed at for "using some kind of ugly no name brand" as all they know is Yonex this and Yonex that. It just shows me how little they know about sports in general. Sure, my Carlton racket is definitely not any kind of top of the line racket or anything but it does the job for me but it does not deserve to be called "no name"! Just about all of them have been slayed by my Carlton racket and I guess seeing their faces after I destroy them makes up for them hurting my racket's feelings. All the people who are capable of beating me know better than to think that a racket determines one's skills. Hehe. ^^ Sorry for the rant. I just have to let it out and I love my Carlton rackets. Though I am going to switch over to Apacs soon as Carlton rackets are not really accessable anymore, while Apacs is REALLY cheap and has many selections.
I know what you mean. First off, sorry for digging this old part of the thread up, but I have recently started playing with my old (like 12 years old!!!) Carlton Rasmussen Airblade Titanium racket, and its freakin' awesome. STILL. My smashes are extremely powerful with this racket (as they were when I first got it), but the design and balance is great for doubles play, which is what I usually do. I was using a much lighter racket up until recently (Apacs Nano Fusion Speed 722), due to some shoulder impingement I was experiencing, but that has gone down now, and coupled with regular gym sessions again, my shoulder is getting really strong (again) and can tackle a heavier racket, for now anyway. People at my club ask me about the racket, and are shocked its as old as it is. The things I like about it is the minimum (stiff) flex, and just how thick the frame is at the T-joint.
The thing I really want to know about this racket is the string it came with originally, and if they still make it, or at least something similar. I recall it was something like the "Carlton Tour Performance", from what I could read on the strings themselves. The string is thick, and has high repulsion properties, and holds tension EXTREMELY well. I would love to get this string for some of my other rackets, if its available.
It is kind of a shame more people are not aware of how good a product Carlton actually makes!