Badminton Racket First Impressions: Toalson Camblade Axe 13

At least that's what it says on the shaft.

Combining the Camblade grooves and aerodynamic axe head frame, this demo racket came my way on Thursday, and was given a fair shot on the courts against some very delectable players.

The stringer snapped one of demos from the force of his swing, so that didn't leave me with much to be desired. It was a demo racket after all and there was bound to be some defects here and there.

The Camblade Axe 13 comes with a longer head frame than most (it's about 3mm longer), reducing the length of its shaft, which then adds to its offense. The problem with this longer head frame is the instability that comes with it.

Every hit gives you the feeling that the head frame will snap... and that being the case (I was there when it happened) I was really careful on my first few test swings not to mishit.

But it all went away when I felt the force of the smashes this racket could produce. Easily one of the highest I've come across. My racket was strung with NBG98 at 25lbs, a little lower than my Pro Kennex Pro Flex 85 at 27lbs, but it still managed to cause quite a bit of threat.

Drives with this racket were amazing, and the defence wasn't that shabby either.

Overall a good experience, but I still wonder if the head frame problem exists in this design...

Badminton Racket First Impressions: Victor Bravesword Lee Yong Dae

Those who have come here before will know of my experience with Victor rackets. They appear to be good at first, and then they crap out on you.

And yet I keep getting myself more of these to try out! Call me a sucker, sheep, follower and just plain stubborn.

So the flavor of last year was the Bravesword Lee Yong Dae, championed by the uber popular Korean doubles player. He used the racket for his stint in the Olympic games and came off with a bronze

User reviews for this racket on the forums came off pretty good too, so I finally got one to try out.

When you first hold the racket, it feels cheap - like it's made by some cheap machine in a cheap factory in the cheapest country in the world.

And after hitting it around for a few games it still feels cheap. Guess that's what it is; ain't even made in Taiwan!

The Bravesword Lee Yong Dae comes off as an attacking racket, with smashes feeling strong and solid. The frame feels funny hitting any shuttle (because it's cheap and made in a cheap country, remember), but the force coming off the racket is commendable.

Other than the increased attacking power, the racket comes off as unmemorable and commonplace. Good for a senseless game of shuttle-flattening, but I wouldn't want it in a game where I need to accurately hit corners.

Did I mention that it felt cheap?

Badminton Racket First Impressions: Dunlop Graviton 7600

Where I am, Dunlops are rare rackets to find. They're also made by the same peeps who develop Carlton rackets so they're pretty much ok to begin with.

When the 2012 Graviton range of rackets from Dunlop became available at my stringer, I jumped at the chance to try out some of their more recent Developments.

Basically the Graviton range of rackets are the light weight models for the racket maker. There Are 4 rackets that were available - 7600, 8000, 8200, and 8400.

I got myself the 7600 because it seemed to carry the heaviest swing weight from my casual testing. It reminded of me a slightly heavier BN60, and when I got home it did indeed feel heavier on the swing.

Weighing in at 76g before stringing, the Graviton 7600 is the lightest of the range of rackets from Dunlop, and boasts a head heavy balance with a very flexible shaft.

That's another characteristic of Dunlop - they've probably got the most flexible shafts of any racket out there.

Initial testing of the racket was in doubles games, and the racket performed very well. It's very suited to players who like to use a snap of their wrists to generate a sudden burst of power.

Smashes were nice and steep, and the drives were amazing. But what stood out mosts was perhaps the countering ability of the racket.

Being so light, the racket is able to turn smashes into nice steep drives in the opposite direction. I found myself lifting on purpose so that I could turn the game around with a nicely timed counter to their attack.

Definitely for those who enjoy turning the shuttle left and right.

Oh, and did I mention that the Dunlop Graviton 7600 is a wonderful shade of silver, lime green and raw black graphite?

More to come!