Rocketman

There was a bicycle path they made to keep the pedestrians safe but it was a shorter one so the walkers took to it quickly, defeating the purpose of it all. The bicycles remained on the walking path and the walkers took whichever they wanted.

I was on the walking path this time, and I couldn't help but feel the beads of sweat down the back of my neck. It was getting hotter and there was a reason for it.

Three weeks ago I was locked in the room with him. There was a decision to be made and I had requested one of those long meetings to get things done once and for all.

What went in the room wasn't something to be proud of, and I won't say that I'm not at all to blame for the state of things now.

I'm disappointed with myself; I should've ended him right there like I was telling myself to when I closed the door behind me.

He was a genius, and I was the guy who made the world remember his name. It was two years ago when I sat next to him at the bar.

He was a waste of a man - shoulders thrown over by the weight he had put on his own back, mumbling about being a danger to the world.

He wasn't calling for attention, but my eyes were on him. There was just something about this guy that made me want to know his story.

How wrong was I to have not walked away. As I looked up the sky, bright red tentacles from the approaching fireball reaching out slicing the sky into shattered pieces of a crimson mirror, I wished I had not asked for his name.

Steward Griffin.

It will be a name we will all know to fear, but for now he sits dejected and lost, waiting for an old trusting fool to stumble into his deranged reality.

The Shiny One

I've got a few rackets already, and my wall's running out of space to showcase all of them without too drastic a change.

There's the red one (Z-Slash TH), the yellow one (Voltric 5), Gold one (Prince Oversize Black), lime green one (Carlton Fireblade), and the white one (Victor Spira 21).

Here's one last one for the collection, the RSL Heat M10 700!

On with the money spending!

I try to get a new racket that looks good and has new technology for me to test out, and I've finally settled for the Victor Spira 21 over the Yonex Voltric 80.

Had a nice 2 hours with the racket and I must say it's packed with power. The stiffness of the shaft makes it a little harder to handle, but it does make up for it with the control.

More on the racket later. For now, here's a look at the nice paint job.

Let's hope this is the last one of the buying spree for now. The only technology I'd like to give a shot at is RSL's Zero Air Resistance, but there's still no design that catches my fancy.

Badminton Racket Review: Prince Oversize Black

So I've clocked enough hours into the racket to give the review a go.

Let me first state that I'm no pro, and this is just my evaluation of the racket to my playing style and experiences with it. If anything, I'm a high-beginner level player looking to improve myself by playing more often with people of higher skill level than I am.

I use this rackets for singles play

Prince Oversize Black Specs
Dry weight: 87g (3U to me)
Balance: head-heavy
Max string tension: 28lbs
Flex: High
Strings: BG66 Ultimax @ 25lbs

Prince Oversize Black Technology
(I won't go into detail coz you can go read them at the Prince site)
- Super Strike Shaft
- Triple Threat

- Oversize head

Defense

Despite being 3U, the racket feels considerably light to handle. Compared to the other two singles rackets that I hold it's definitely the lightest of the lot. Having a big head helps too since it means I get less mis-hits. The added weight to the front coz of the head-heaviness means better defense for me, and with better placed shots (also because of the big head) it's a good feeling.

Power

I'll put the emphasis on the sweet spot now. I'll call it the zone of your hitting area on your racket head that allows the strings maximum repulsion and stretch (hope this definition is accurate coz I'm a little lazy to go check online). The Prince OVERSIZE Black offers a larger sweet spot, so a lot of the offensive shots I make come off really well.

Did I also mention that you get a sweet-ass sound when you hit the sweet spot (hence the namesake; citation seriously need)? If you're looking to turn heads and *ahem* scare the opponents into thinking your hits came off really hard and fast, you might want to give the Oversize Black a try.

The high flex also gives more power to my full smashes (much less to be desired for my wrist ones thought). Combine the illusion of a big hit (loud sound!) with the actual speed of a big hit and you've got one cautious opponent!

Control

Being a little light, I found the racket requires a little more work than the other singles rackets that I use. Despite that, I've been able to place shots quite well (big head big head big head) and that's a good trade-off for the little bit of extra work I have to go to get that crosscourt clear.

But! After a few games (I usually play 2 hours of singles at a go with a buddy of mine) I noticed that I needed more and more work to make the full clear, and errors then set in. Totally a player problem, but at that time I wished I had a heavier racket...

Looks

Who here likes gold and black with white strings and a white handle? I do. :)

Prince badminton rackets tend to have a chrome finish to it (at least the ones I've seen anyway), and that makes using such a sweet looker a whole lot better.

Comparison

I've got 2 other singles rackets, the ArcSaber Z-Slash and the Voltric 5, but I'll just use the ArcSaber for comparison purpose since I've not had much time with the Voltric.

The Prince Oversize Black definitely has an edge when it comes to accuracy and control because of the bigger head (looks like I've got to do a little more training in this area), but after saying that I've noticed that the Z-Slash's swings come off faster and produces smashes that are a little harder to return.

While things are overall a little easier with the Prince, I feel that when it comes to performance, the Z-Slash still comes up tops (after a whole hell of a lot of taming). Not to say that the Oversize Black's a sub-par racket, but at 1/3 the price, it's definitely worth trying out.

Prince Oversize Black

Defense: 7

Attack: 8

Control: 9

Looks: 9

Hoop

Some things never change, no matter how much you can convince yourself otherwise.

Badminton Racket First Impressions: Prince Oversize Black

I got 2 solid hours with the racket and I must say it's quite a surprise how much a bigger head can do for your game. Gives new meaning to the term "use your head" I guess.

Clears and smashes didn't take much work, and the larger head gave my net game a little boost since it's sweet spot is slightly larger (20% according to Prince). Triple Threat or no, the shuttle moved fast and crisp.

Defense-wise the racket performed noticeably slower than the Carlton Fireblade, but I'm comparing apples to oranges with the weight difference.

I'll give the Black a few more games and compare it with my other singles rackets before I go deeper with a review.

Racket Royalty

I got my hands on the Prince Oversize Black racket a few days ago and will be giving it a swing tomorrow!

First looks soon. It's a 3UG5, adding to my set of singles rackets like the VT5 and ArcSaber Z-Slash.

Technologies include the SSS shaft stabilizer for low vibrations and of course the Triple Threat which sorta preceded the Tri-Voltage in my books.

Let's compare soon, but for now I'll try to drum up something after tomorrow's game.

Racket Technologies

I've made it a point to get new rackets with technology that I'd like to test. The ArcSaber Z-Slash TH has the slim, aerodynamic frame; the Carlton Fireblade FX8 has a shorter grip handle and a stiff shaft; the Voltric 5 has Tri-Voltage; the Visible Hollow 1800 has the VHS.

Coming up next I'm looking at the Triple Threat of the Prince rackets, the Sword and Spira of the Victor series, and the ZAR (Zero Air Resistance) of the RSL rackets.

When this is all over I can write a pretty nice report on if they mean something or it's just all marketing dollars at work.

For now, I'm going to give my ZSTH one more game before the review comes.

Badminton Racket Review: Carlton Fireblade FX8

At least 6 hours into using the racket, I'm ready to write a review for the Carlton FX8.

Let me first state that I'm no pro, and this is just my evaluation of the racket to my playing style and experiences with it. If anything, I'm a high-beginner level player looking to improve myself by playing more often with people of higher skill level than I am.

I use this rackets for doubles play.

Carlton FX8 Specs

Dry weight: 85g (4U to me)

Balance: head-heavy

Max string tension: 30lbs

Flex: Stiff (not stated by I feel it as so)

Strings: BG66 @ 25lbs

Carlton FX8 Technology

(I won't go into detail coz you can go read them at the Carlton site)

- Kevlar-infused shaft

- Wave Groove System

Defense

The first thing that got me about this racket is the shorter grip handle. I feel this gives me a slightly faster grip change when I go into defense. With the FX8 I found myself blocking smashes loads better, and to better positions to actually cause some damage to my opponents.

(Most might argue about the shorter grip = faster grip change theory, but it feels that way for me anyway.)

Drives are also faster with the FX8; I was punching them back at my opponent a lot faster than usual. And mind you these are controlled hits. Gone are those reaction shots that I return for the opponent to smash.

Attack

Not much to be said except that the stiff flex gives one hell of a smash. The swings come in hard and fast thanks to the head heaviness and light weight.

Control

Before I got this racket I was losing quite badly in net play to my opponents. I tend to get the shuttle too high up or not get them across at all. The FX8 changed all that thanks (once again it's all me) to the shorter grip, which allowed me to switch between grip positions.

Clears to the back take little work (the 3U rackets are better at this of course), and that translates to energy conservation for when you need to up the tempo of the game a little.

Positioning of my hits have also improved slightly, but I'm attributing this to the confidence boost. :)

Looks

First impression counts, and when you get yourself a racket that looks as good as it plays, you win two times! The FX8 comes in sweet lime green and black, white markings trailing down the sides of the frame and down onto the kevlar-infused shaft.

The racket's strung with white strings and grip so it's a nice pristine feeling I'm getting from it.

Comparison

Since I'm a beginner, you'll probably not be impressed with my previous doubles racket, the APACS WREX Punch *laughing in the background*.

The Punch was too light for me, and the the smashes did not come through with enough speed and velocity to cause any threat. I've been toying around with lead tape to upgrade the Punch, but with the FX8 it's all just so much easier.

In terms of attack, defence and control, the Carlton FX8 has not disappointed me yet. I'll continue to try different rackets till I can give a fairer comparison, but for now it's all good for me.

Carlton Fireblade FX8

Defense: 8

Attack: 8

Control: 7

Looks: 10