Carlton Razor V1.0 - Review

Specs
Balance - even
Flex - Medium
Length = 670 mm


Intro
The Razor V1.0 is the first in the Razor series of rackets and sits between the V1.1 and V1.2 with an even balance and medium flex shaft. The racket is strung with Carlton X67 at 22lbs and should suit an all round game – time will tell! The racket features an Optimetric head shape and Razor's trademark wrap-round strings at the 3 and 9 o clock positions. The frame features Japanese HM Carbon.



Appearance
The V1.0 is a fabulous looking racket with a predominantly charcoal grey and black frame broken up with splashes of yellow running throughout the frame. The racket is strung with yellow X67 string which adds to the appearance and makes it an awesome looking racket.


Initial impressions - the warm up
Having previously played with a V1.2 it didn’t take too long to adapt to the V1.0, despite usually playing with a racket that is slightly head heavier. I kept the factory grip on so not to alter the balance point at all. Like the 1.2 this is a fairly quick racket and the shuttle felt very crisp coming off the string bed. My one biggest issue with the 1.2 was the slight lack of power but I could already feel that this racket would bridge that gap.


Defence
Defence with this racket was very good. The head is quite quick and not too heavy which made defending smashes quite easy. I also found it fairly easy to turn defence into attack with this racket as it is very responsive.


Net area
I found drop shots and net play to be very precise with this racket – I felt like I could almost feel the shuttle coming off the string bed. Once again feedback was great and I could easily place the shuttle exactly where I wanted it. The one area On net kills this racket felt slightly slower than the V1.2, possibly due to the latter being more head light. This however didn’t pose a problem.


Mid/rear court
This racket definitely fills the power element missing in the V1.2. Smashes from the back of the court where very powerful and also accurate and I was often able to put the shuttle on the floor.
The area this racket really shone for me where fast flat exchanges and drives. I couldn't quite put my finger on it but the racket seemed to generate lots of power when getting into mid court battles. The speed of the racket also meant that the head was always in position to attack the next shot.


Summary
This racket really impressed me and it is a great all-round racket, mixing power and control. I think it would suit an all-round or attacking doubles player. The razor guided strings/grommets produce a unique feel which is very crisp when hit in the centre, however you can certainly feel off-center contact.


About me
As reviews are very subjective I find it important to specify my level of play when making a review. I currently play MD and XD at a fairly high league level so would rate myself as intermediate.

Carlton's new racket - 'Kinesis'

Have just received details of the new racket Carlton will be launching into the UK in the summer. It is called the 'Kinesis' and has the following specs:

Construction: Japanese HM Carbon
Length: 670mm
Frame weight: 86g
Flexibility: Medium
Balance: Even
String tension: 18-28lbs/8-13kg
Head tape: Optimetric
String: X-elerate X67


The racket was on show at the English Nationals had received a lot of positive feedback from badminton fans providing their first impressions of the racket.

Carlton Razor V1.2 Review

Specs

Head light

Flexible

Length = 670 mm

Intro

The Razor V1.2 is the third in the Razor series of rackets and is the most flexible and headlight In the series. The racket is strung with Carlton X67 at 22lbs.

Appearance

The V1.2 is quite a conservative white colour with various splashes of black throughout the frame. It is a good looking racket but maybe slightly overshadowed by its two brothers, both of which have great looking frame graphics and colour combinations. It also comes with an attractive full length racket cover.

Initial impressions - the warm up

Having come from a slightly head heavier racket the V1.2 felt very light and my timing was slightly off to begin with. Due to being head light the racket cut through the air very quickly and it was soon apparent that this would be great during mid-court fast exchanges and in defence. Due to the Razor guided technology the shuttle felt very crisp coming off the strings.

Defence

As first thought this racket is very good in defence. Due to the headlight balance it is very easy and quick to get the racket head into position to defend either smashes or mid court drives. Due to the speed of the racket it is also easy to turn defence into attack as well.

Net area

the V1.2 was very easy to use around the net. I found it very easy to control the speed the racket offered and consequently control the shuttle at the net

Mid-court exchanges

For me this racket is great during fast flat exchanges. It cuts through the air very quickly enabling me to either return fast drives with interest or use my opponents power to direct the shuttle into the open court.

Overhead performance

Due to the light weight frame combined with the head light balance of the racket I sometimes found to difficult to clear baseline to baseline effectively, particularly on my back hand side. I felt I had to put a lot of effort into the clears.

I also found the V1.2 slightly lacking in smash power but having said that Carlton do not rate this racket for players who want extreme power. For net kills it was fine but from the mid to back court it fell short on the power front.

Summary

Overall I was impressed with the performance of the racket and this would make a great racket for a defensive minded doubles player. Although I struggled slightly with the power aspect someone with quick arm speed may not have the same experience and be able to generate power from it.

Carolina Marin shines in the Über Cup

Victor's young Spanish starlet Carolina Marin produced two outstanding performances in Spain's Über Cup match against Denmark.

In her singles match Marin faced former All England Champion Tine Baun in what turned out to be a fantastic match. Baun took the first game 21-18 before Marin upped the pace and produced some stunning shots to take the next two games 21-18 21-18 to win.

In the Women's doubles Marin paired up with Beatriz Corrales and quickly swept aside the Danish duo of Maria Helsbol and Line Kjaersfeldt 21-18 21-18.

Denmark won the match 3-2.

Plenty for Penty to smile about in Amsterdam!

19 year old Toby Penty produced a very mature performance in Amsterdam today to help England's men win their second game in the Thomas Cup qualifiers against Slovenia.

Uber Cup - Emphatic England cruise to victory against Italy

After a nail biting 3-2 victory over rivals Scotland on the opening day of the Uber Cup qualifying event England ladies looked a lot more comfortable against Italy, despite going 1-0 down.

Welcome to Badderz Talk

Hi and welcome to Badderz Talk. This blog has been borne out of my passion for the sport and entusiasm for all things badminton.

Over the coming weeks and months I will be blogging about competitions, world rankings positions, the lead up to 2012 and also reviewing some badminton equipment - from a players perspective so hopefully it will have some relevance to my readers.

I hope you enjoy my blog - it is designed to be fun so please feel free to contribute - as long as its badminton related of course.