If my memory serves me correct, the T-joint 'Classic' series with the 'long-tail' stylized logo could very well be the last ones to have the 'Made-in-England' tag. The next series along - the one-piece frame 'Classic' series didn't have that printed on the frame at all and I suspected manufacture was out-sourced to an Asian country, possibly Taiwan.
The T-joint 'Classic' series were the last rackets I believe that were still made in UK, hence the 'Made in England' tag. The next series along - the one-piece 'Classic's didn't have that printed on the frames anymore and I suspect that production had been out-sourced to an Asian country, most likely Taiwan.
I've seen pictures of some quite interesting looking Carltons with tails (ha ha) on the internet. Most of their owners do not know when the rackets were made. What's lacking are dated advertisements or catalogs from that era. I can't find any on the internet, except for the one advertisement printed during the launch of the 3.7s. Even with that, the date is unknown. It wasn't because Carltons marketing wasn't done properly. I remember being given lots of little shuttlecock shaped stickers and booklets by my uncle who frequented the Bras Basah shops. The problem could be a lack of interest in Carlton. So no one bothered to save the literature, or scan them for sharing on the internet.
Yonex B-9300 and a Carlton 3.7x tapered shaft I own since young. Some of the really vintage sliver grays I do have.
I would love to try and play with these ... I wonder if the evolution of play style, if a typical "wrist" player can explode these due to torque ... I have friends that can torque off the wooden handles on modern racquets LOL
Hi Chan...not sure what you mean by 'explode' but I have played with wooden rackets where the steel shaft has come loose from where it joins the wooden handle...in other words, you can turn or spin the head of the racket while holding the handle firmly. It could very well be the 'torque' and other stresses from extensive/intense play has caused the shaft to be unglued from the handle. This has happened to me with at least 3 different rackets. There's also another sign of fatigue as well... the rackets head being of laminated wooden construction...Ive also noticed cracks on the varnish/paintwork directly on top of where the wooden joints and seams are in the laminated construction of the racket head. Very probably caused by repeated flexing of the wooden head frame during hitting/play. Rgds
Oh one more thing..."the evolution of play-style" came about with the advance in materials and manufacturing technology, hence lighter, stronger rackets that cn take higher stresses and higher string tensions. Another more recent factor would also be the changes made to the points scoring system. Both these would have certainly made the pace of the game a lot more faster and the strokes much more powerful than before. Just watch a match of a game played in the 0s/60s and compare it with a match in the 70s and then with today...you'll can see the obvious differences in pace and style. You can find some old film footage on youtube. Rgds.
Well I have flung out 2 wooden rackets at the joint between the wooden handle and the shaft. Crack another on the frame. I guess it's all about stress on the rackets. All my woody are strung with weatherproof natural guts. The feel is awesome not like the carbon.
HI there Ubootsg, thru your experience what kind of tension would you recommend for a woody (sliver grays w140grams and a comet w140grams) with natural gut. I have about 6 woody unplay and unstrung in mint condition. Regds
I forgot to mention that I prolonged the use of my damaged rackets with the loosened shafts by reglueing them with epoxy resin. They only came loose again when I played very vigorously with them. Make sure though to roughen the part of the shaft thats inserted or better still cut some grooving with a hacksaw. This will allow for the epoxy glue to have more adherence.
I have 2 new-old-stock Grays Superlite (Wong Peng Soon signature model) and a couple of Aeroplane 515s which I have strung to a tension of 11 lbs. This was the minimum tension setting on the re-stringing machine and the rest ringer exercised a lot of care while stringing them. I did not use natural or synthetic gut. What I used instead was 30 lb nylon fishing line! Bear in mind that the rackets are quite old even though new old stock hence I took precaution of having the lower tension and using nylons string which stretches abit more than gut and hence lower the tension/stress further. In the old days woodies were probably strung around 12 - 15 lbs. Rgds.
Gawd, this thread takes me back... I was a Carlton junkie back in the day, starting with 3.7X (thanks for the pics, guys!) Then, 3.7S...man, I swear I've never been able to hit a shuttle as hard as I could with that racket. For me, it just had the perfect balance of head weight and flex. I've searched long and hard for a modern racket with the same feel, and am currently getting close with Voltric 8 Etune fitted with all weighted grommets. I did have a few Carbonex 8s back in the day (Liem Swie King's axe of choice) and although fast and responsive, never quite delivered the same bazookas I remember from 3.7S. Cheers all, you've made me feel 30 years younger
Carlton 3.7S was launched around 1980. I played with this racket until i changed to Yonex in 1982. Previously I had 3.7 and 3.7X Paul www.badminton-coach.co.uk
Paul, I think your site is a fantastic repository. I've lurked around there for a year or two, but in the absence of anything relevant to say, have never joined I think we are from the same badminton vintage, although I suspect you played at a level beyond my own! As I said, I just never got quite the same 'game' from Yonex as with Carlton in the 80s. It's quite the opposite now...Carlton would be near the bottom of my 'new racquet' list...sad really. I have fond memories of the brand.
You may know the lyrics of Babra Streisand's hit song: "mem'ries light the corners of my mind... Misty water-colored mem'ries... Of the way we were..." You are certainly right about the Carlton's...especially the 3.7s, they definitely have a solid punch when you smash with them...pretty awe inspiring! They can still be quite easily found and bought (used...but some in good shape) on various auction sites or at op/charity shops for just a few dollars! I've bought a couple of them myself, using them when I'm in a nostalgic mood...heheh!
Hi Paul. Quite agree with you about the Carltons...I used them up till about the mid-80s, with the Graphite Classic and Boron Classic one-piece frames. Think they were about the last ones still made in England. Once they shipped production overseas I thought the feel of the rackets changed....they don't quite seem to have the same feel and character anymore...
Aye, the last Carlton I bought was the Kevlar Classic (must have been early 90s), and I would have to say I found it a bit of a powder-puff...totally lacking in punch, feel, or anything contributing to a good game. That said, I wish I hadn't chucked it in the bin...if nothing than for nostalgia value. When I think of the racquets I've binned over the years...
I'm still playing with my 3.7x with only 18lbs feel alittle heavy after the first games. But it sure does have a punch and fast speed of the shuttle. What do you guys think?
