So much to say:

Firstly I have tried out the arcsaber 8DX, and WOW! What a fantastic racket. Its been over a year since i played with a racket that just came through at the correct speed every time. That was my old Carlton Airblade Rasmussen Titanium. The 8DX was fantastic. My smashes were harder, my reactions were quicker and my backhand went up a gear. The only downside were the nanogy strings, of which I am NOT a fan.

On to what I wanted to say then… carlton rackets! I am a carlton racket user. I love the classic headshape. Carlton recently remade the Airblade 3.7s, matching its original specification but made with modern materials. This is a very heavy racket, weighing 99grams and a head heavy balance. I loved it. I loved the weight in the head, and the way the racket came through my overhead strokes both forehand and backhand. In defence, it was magnificent. Not the most manoeuvrable but you barely needed to make contact to send the shuttle soaring to the rear court. For anyone who misses the heavier rackets of the 80s, this is definitely worth a go as its only £30 or so!

My regular racket, is the Carlton Vapour Trail Tour, as used by Nathan Robertson. This is probably the lightest feeling racket I have ever held. Its head speed was phenomenal, especially on my backhand side! Perhaps it lacked a little power for forehand smashes, but the speed in defence and on drives made up for this!

This is just a look at two of my favourite current carlton rackets, but for anyone who hasn't considered them before, definitely worth a go if you can find a demo racket! However, I may have fallen in love with the 8DX… so hard to tell!