Suggestions for new racquet please??

[garfield_912]

Everyone here seems to be more familiar with racquets than I am...so I'm gonna see what kinda feedback I get before I go out and purchase a new racquet.
I'm considered to be a pretty powerful player for a female my size at school.
I need to purchase a new racquet, as my old one -- Yonex Carbonex 8000 -- has finally given in after 3 1/2 years of intensive play.

I'm interested in the Muscle Power series, but I'm not sure if this is similar to my Carbonex. I was comfortable with the feel of my racquet, as I had great control of the bird with it. However, I possibly would opt for a racquet with more power this time.

Does anybody know about which MP racquet is most similar to the Carbonex 8000, or am I better off buying one from another series (suggestions are welcome).
Thanks everybody!

[TOmike]

hi
which part of TO are u in?

you can read reviews of the MP series in the Review section and try reading the Isometric reviews too. Seeing that you are used to control racquets, but want a little more power, u may want to consider the Swing Power series. I recently got TI SwingPower SS and i find that it has good control and good power.
Its also about how much money you want to shell out too :P
have fun looking for a new racquet!

[TOmike]

oh, sorry it doesn't neccessarily have to be Yonex, there are plenty of other good brands out there, but i lack firsthand experience with them.

[thasheik]

Hey

How about checking out the cab20muscle? You sort of get the best of both worlds, its a cab but with a muscle power frame (well atleast a partial one)

I use a cab20muscle right now and I find it to be absolutely superb for control
As for power, it has enough, especially if you get the sweetspot perfectly even though compared to other rackets it feels as if the power has been much dampened, but going from Carbonex 8000, its much of an improvement

[garfield_912]

TOmike
i'm in north york, but i can get around to get a racquet. ppl are recommending that i go to yo's or lee's to get a new one....or possibly get a racquet over in asia.

I heard that the Iso racquets are fairly heavier, and hence more power? Is that true?
...cuz I've used a friends Iso once to play before, and I didn't particularly like it. Of course, it was a regular Iso, and not the Ti-Swing Power, so I really can't make a judgement til I try it do you know where i would be able to get one? or see one, at least...?

there isn't much variety in TO for racquet brands, and i'm content with yonex anyway

thasheik
so the carbonex 20 muscle is more powerful than a carbonex 8000? do you know if it feels the same? and money-wise...how much it is?

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my friends are recommending that i consider either the MP 55 or 88. the 55 is approximately $130 and the 88 is roughly 170-180....quite hefty. i'm afraid that i wouldn't be able to use a racquet with such power (the MP88) and use it to it's full potential. hence, i'm kinda iffy on buying the 88.

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does anybody know if there's a significant difference between purchasing a racquet in TO and getting a friend to purchase one in Asia for me instead? -- specifically Hong Kong.

[JChen99]

Do some hw... (aka a seach ) U'll find a LOT of info!

[garfield_912]

i'm quite pressed for time as my friend is leaving for Hong Kong for christmas break in about a week....so i was just hoping that some ppl would be able to help me out

[TOmike]

hey, i play at rosemount too! do u play on the beginner's side or the advanced?

anyways, yo's and lee's are ur best bet. the prices are good at yo's.. reasonable anyways, but they do have warranty, which is important if you are afraid of breaking racquets. keep in mind that there is no warranty coverage for doubles collisions.
i have not purchased at lee's for racquets before.

i think that the MP55 is too expensive for what i've heard about it, it is the lowest on the MP line. A cab20 from HK might do you good, they are rumoured to be only 450$ HKD at this point. that is both economical and a goodbuy. in fact i have asked someone to buy me one :P

ISO are heavier? i don't believe that is a valid statement.
Here's a racquet crash course.. call it Racquet 101
Yonex racquets have three of weight. you will see a sticker on the cone of the racquet stating one of these:
2U, 3U, 4U

2U - 90-92 grams or so
3U -85-89 grams
4U - super light. not sure

ISO, MP and Cab lines all have these designations. Not all racquets have the same weight, nor are ISO's particularly heavier than MPs.. you have to check the racquet.

I think a Cab or ISO might do you some good. MP 88 is a 4U, so i don't think you will get much power out of that. I heard the MP55 was heavy so i didn't bother trying it. Basically when i bought my swingpower i bypassed the whole MP line. and i am content with my decision. The Swing Power is great, but the price is hefty.

HK - No Warranty, could be a fake, SP supposedly has lower durability, but its cheaper there

btw what skill level are you?

[garfield_912]

i've been to the advanced side once or twice. it was...interesting =P

hmm...so now i hafta go check if yo's has the MP55 or 77...and the cab20 muscle....
and the prices....the cab sounds most promising right now though =)
i don't think i'd require something like an MP....for now...=P

HK is a bad idea then eh? >-<*

skill level..hmmm....that's hard to say =P
i'm not as good as the ppl playing at the advanced side at rosemount...but i'm good enough to be a challenge to the more advanced players on the beginners' side. =)
i don't know if that explained anything...hehe =P

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ok, so new question.
anyone got a pricing for the cab20muscle in Toronto??
and the MP 55?
and the MP 77?

[TOmike]

really? perhaps i've seen u once or twice.

www.leesbadminton.com

take those prices and minus a bit and you'll have Yo's pricing.

[Yogi]

I fu can lay ur hands on a Cab 21 thne i guess it is a nice piece of equipment. Simple and good to play with. As u claim that you are still in the Beg stage i guess u shoudl continue with an Oval framed racket eventhough shifting to an Iso frame provides better results in the short run dont get fooled by it as it might hamper ur progress in the long run.

If u are powerful as u claim to be then u can give a shot at Cab 22 or Cab 20 tour and also cab 23.

best of luck and try as many racket as u can before and never let the sales rep to con you into buying ********. Take ur time and get the best that suits you.

[thasheik]

Hey,

cab20muscle is pretty expensive, its 150 at browns sports, and 160 at yos (i think)

As for feel, its MUCH better than the carbonex 8000

but i agree with TOmike, i think you should see if your friend can pick you up a regular cab20 from HK as it is much less costly and still as good

the only difference really between the cab20 and cab20muscle is that the cab20muscle has half a muscle power frame and it feels a tiny bit more flexy than the original (anyone agree with me here?)

[LazyBuddy]

Originally posted by thasheik
Hey,

cab20muscle is pretty expensive, its 150 at browns sports, and 160 at yos (i think)

As for feel, its MUCH better than the carbonex 8000

but i agree with TOmike, i think you should see if your friend can pick you up a regular cab20 from HK as it is much less costly and still as good

the only difference really between the cab20 and cab20muscle is that the cab20muscle has half a muscle power frame and it feels a tiny bit more flexy than the original (anyone agree with me here?)

I bought my Cab20 Muscle (2U, BG65 @ 20lb) for $90 (plus S+H) in US about 2,3 months ago. Agree with "thasheik", it is a very good racket for control. With proper string, it will generate great power as well. Therefore, I rated (in my previous threads) it as a good overall racket.

Since I never played with Cab20 original, I can't really make a comparison on this. Personally, I will reate Cab20 Muscle to be "Stiff" shaft, which means "ok" flexibility to me.

[jwu]

If you got a friend going back to HK, that might be a good place to buy racquets since the price would be a lot more attractive except no warranty of course. judging from all the good things ppl say about cab20 and cab20muscle, those have to be good choices. They are pretty reasonable in terms of price too. Good luck on the search and if you got the time, do a quick search in the forum and you will find more reviews on racquets than you want to read in a short amount of time.

[garfield_912]

basically i'm gonna stick with the carbonex 20/20-muscle...or the 21..or the 23....
don't really know the price differences between all these. i'll hafta check around.
the MP, I think, is beyond me....figured I should stick with a racquet that's similar to my old own.
Plus, MPs are pretty hefty.

[Yogi]

I would certainly second it and say it was a real sound decision. best of luck

[TOmike]

heh, good thing garfield, Cab20's are nice or so i heard.
i just got a Cab20 TIpower.. my dad couldn't find the SP
i'm gonna try it out. are u going to play at Westmount? what session do u go?