Hello, Sorry for re-posting it from any forum, but I am new here and I hope I will be excused the first time . So here goes... I live in the US and was wondering if sportsdirect.com in the UK is genuine because the racquets seem to be incredibly cheap, especially the Carlton ones. I hope someone can answer the questions below 1. Why are the racquets there so cheap? Are they old and/or defective? I know they own the Carlton brand but still. Also they don't give the tension nor the option to choose. 2. Is it reliable to ask them to ship to the US? Service used-Etail. Cost:12 British pounds to USA. 3. The Carlton site has ratings for Power(P), Control(C) and maneouverability(M). Do they have any meaning? I ask because some of the lower rated racquets are also priced similar to the higher rated ones. 4. I also need some racquet recommendation. I am an mid-level intermediate player who plays at the University Club casually. Budget: $70-$100 USD, including shipping. I mostly play doubles but am better at singles. Not good at defense but looking to add more power to my smashes, since I guess I am pretty poor at defense anyway! I was looking at the following racquets- Price (in British pounds) Weight Rating a. VT Elite 50 90 8+10+6 b. VT Ext. Fury 42 86 7+8+8 c. VT Storm 40 87 5+5+6 d. Vap. Ext. Xcel 40 84 7+8+7 e. Vap. Ext. Rage 33 88 8+7+7 f. Air Rage 40 87 8+6+7 g. Air Lite Storm 38 82 7+6+6 h. Ait Lite Strike 36 84 7+7+7 i. Air Sonic 28 85 8+5+7 I know most of these are meant for advanced players and I am certainly not one, but since they are cheap, I thought why not?! 5. Can you compare the above to Carlton Ignite Fusion and Yonex Voltric 3, both available in the US for $80 (including shipping).
No. Never used either. I have owned calrtons in the past they have tended to be good quality rackets. I currently have a vapour trail tour, a good racket but nothing exceptional IMO.
Thanks a lot for the reply. I bought 2 racquets. Keeping fingers crossed about delivery. But just to clarify, are the racquets I mentioned low-end? The Carlton website seems to indicate that they are for advanced players and the original cost (before the 50-70% discount according to sportsdirect) as well as the US cost (VT Elite for example is $190 on badminton warehouse) is very high.
I don't have a huge amount of experience with Carlton rackets but I do have some info that may help. Afaik, only the VT Elite is considered 'advanced' from those you've listed. I know SportsDirect had the V1.1 and VT Elite reduced massively down to £50-£60. This is because these are the 2011 versions. There's currently 2013 versions out. Both of these are designed for singles so if you're looking for more power, VT Elite may be the way to go, esp as it's only £50 atm. I'm not sure if the 2013 versions are any better to be honest, just different colours and maybe slightly different BP. I'm not sure how they compare to the other rackets you've listed I'm afraid, and SportsDirect is generally reliable (I live in the UK). I don't see any reason why your order shouldn't get to you; should you choose to order from them.
Whoops I was going to ask you to check out directbadminton.co.uk for slightly different source for carlton racket specs. I think from descriptions the new 2013 Vapour Trail Elite/Tour introduced vectran material, not sure what difference this brings. Hope you enjoy your rackets. I think the Carlton range in UK represent great value for money. I'm trying their top shuttlecock range, which is cheaper than Yonex AS30 and so far it's durability far exceeds it.
You will be fine ordering from Sportsdirect. Also i am fairly certain they own Carlton. Their racquets are fine but are dwindling in popularity. I recently played with this and was pleasantly surprised by the performance. I wouldn't put anyone off buying it. http://www.sportsdirect.com/carlton-air-sonic-badminton-racket-723086 Yes, this website is generally the best in uk for badminton.
Was tempted and bought 2x AirLite Strike's last night. Had my eye on those before as a fan of NR700RP's (very similar weight / balance / stiffness combo) and for £36 each I can't really go wrong... First Carlton's I'll have ever even tried. A couple of our county players use VTT and VT S-Lite tho so they can't be that bad... Was also tempted to get a VTE to try as the stiffest racket on the market, based on directbadminton's testing. Speaking of which, if you look at the AirLite Strike and AirLite Storm on Carlton's site, I think directbadminton may have their stats the wrong way around.... Also curious about the Kinesis range.
Thanks a lot everyone for their replies. So is the Air Sonic a beginner's racquet? I am a mid-level intermediate player and mostly play doubles, better at singles, poor in defence but like to improve my offence. Also, a catalogue (not sure if it is the full list) of Carlton's products doesn't even list Vapour Extreme rage. Does this mean they are really old? At least, can I assume the performance will be comparable to racquets with similar ratings on Carlton's site? Thanks again!
Vapour extreme rackets are new in the Carlton range so that's why they may not appear in the catalogue your looking at. Air Sonic is mid range I would say. Not sure if they still make them now since vapour extreme and air lite ranges have come out.
Let's set the record straight for you all. SportsDirect are not the same as Direct Sports. Direct Sports also have the website Direct Badminton. They are the best online retailer in UK. SportsDirect own Carlton brand as it falls under Dunlop Slazenger, which they also own. This means, as the owner they can offer prices for Carlton goods others are unable to match. Paul www.badminton-coach.co.uk
Ordered Saturday from sports direct. Delivered today. First impressions of the air lite strike - black paint so thin you can see the carbon shining underneath (could be intentional) Frame of racket is slim box (very boxy) factory bp 295 / weight 89g & 297 / 91g
yeah, and sports direct: the best discounted (cheap) sports wear products retailer in the UK.. or maybe at least in Newcastle.
Avenger You could be right about that. I've used Sports Direct loads of times for buying cheap football stuff but never for badminton. Paul www.badminton-coach.co.uk
Sports direct is very good value for rackets, especially when they introduce new ones and sell off the old ones very cheaply. They stock ranges from the cheap recreational players rackets to the very top rackets such as Carlton Kinesis, Yonex Nanoray and Voltric etc along with a few other brands. They dont have the same choice as say Direct Sports or Central Sports and dont usually offer customisation such as restrings but for most good standard players it is a good shop to buy from and being able to see the rackets in the shop before buying is helpful too.
