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!

Badminton Racket Review: Toalson Ti Max Power Axe

It's been awhile since I had a review out, and I've been trying quite a few of the rackets that got left behind. There was this one particular one that I've been wanting to buy, but didn't get enough conviction of acquire... until the store gave me a good discount :)

It's got a bad design, but I managed to convince myself that it bears the colors of Captain America (and so it got its nickname) and that gave me some peace in terms of its looks.

It's got a few technologies that I like - the sharp head frame that's characteristic of the Victor Bravesword series, and the tapered inner core from the Yonex Armortec series. These two, coupled with a nice thick and stiff shaft adds to quite a power boost.

Note. This review is my opinion of the racket from using it in my games. Take this with a pinch of salt since we all play the game differently. I'm here to tell you, in as much accuracy as I can, how my games went with the racket. Comments welcome!

Ok here goes.

Toalson Ti Max Power Axe
Est. Dry Weight: 85g (3U)
Grip Size: G5
Balance: Head Heavy
Stiffness: Stiff
Strings: Pro Kennex Pro Flex 85 @ 27lbs

I recommend this racket for when you need extra power in your attacks.

Defense
For something with the word "axe" inits name, I wouldn't start off by expecting its defense to be any good. Top heavy, stiff shaft and high tension basically adds to my worries of a glass cannon racket which can only attack and will start giving away points on the defensive.

But looks can be deceiving! The Ti Max Power Axe is able to generate quite a good speed on its swing, and  that allows you to bring the weight of the racket along swift enough to take on most defensive shots you like to make.

People who play with me know that one of my favorite shots is the backhand return drive, where I place a smash from my left side down to the opposite side of the court. The Toalson Ti Max Power Axe does that with ease.

However, the racket does fail on its drive defense. I found it slower the the upwards lift and downward swipes, the weight of the racket coming through evidently when kept in the horizontal position for extended periods of time.

Attack
Axe. The word comes into play again when we talk about power. This racket is raw power. Raw. Power. That means it hits hard. Well.

A fast swing speed generated from the head frame shape brings along the power and reinforcement from the tapered inner core and the stiff shaft to create one of the hardest-hitting racket I own. This puts quite a bit of force onto the receiving racket, which weakens the quality of the reply and opens them up for the second stronger attack.

From jump smashes to a full arm destroyer (like what they do in women's singles / doubles matches), the Ti Max Power Axe performs superbly.

Though the same problem applies for the drives. Somehow the racket doesn't yield properly in the drive shot position.

Control
When you're running on so much power there really isn't a need to aim much, is there? I just place my sights somewhere in the middle of the court and let loose. They know it's coming, but getting it back well is a whole different ball game.

When it comes to the more delicate shots, expect a little inconsistency from your hands because they're likely more used to blasting the shuttle away by now. I managed to control the shuttle pretty well around the court, but it's just not one of those rackets that you'd want to use for a control-type game.

Looks
Captain America colors. But fugly otherwise.

Toalson Ti Max Power Axe

Defense: 8

Attack: 10

Control: 7

Looks: 3

Look what the cat dragged in - a Victor Bravesword 10!

Finally.