hey, i've recently been reading your reviews on at700 but found very litle reviews bout the 500! i desperately need to know how the at500 is like to use? is it less head heavy than at700? and how does the 2 new racquets compare to the cab20ms? i am a intermmediate player who is a slightly more defensive player than offensive and like to improve control on drop and net shots, please can you help! thanx Kung
The at500 and at700 weigh the same within their respective 3u and 4u weight class. However, at700 is the most head leveraged racquet in yonex's racquet line. I would suggest an at500 over at700 for you. Intermediate players who have tried the AT's told me that they prefer the at500 instead of at700.
I agree with Cooler, you seem to get better control from an early stage with the AT500 because it is a more evenly balanced racket.
reply The Cab20 has a smaller sweet spot, so you need to be a good player to use it, but if you can hit it accurately, you get more crispness and power. Having said that, both the AT500 and AT700 are great for smashing (that gravity thingy really does seem to work) although the AT700 being so head-heavy (even the 4U versions!) it's not too great for defensive work in doubles. It's more suitable for singles (Chen Hong says he uses it - at least, in the Yonex brochure). The AT500 is evenly balanced, feels great for smashing and is lighter overall than the Cab20 which is a more traditional design. There does seem to be a lot of pros using the Cab20 on the tour, even Indonesian men's doubles players. I have a couple which I love, but I find the isometric heads are still easier to use.
