Yonex Carbonex 50, CAB50

Discussion in 'Badminton Rackets / Equipment' started by Ah_Peng, Jan 21, 2012.

  1. demolidor

    demolidor Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2003
    Messages:
    5,507
    Likes Received:
    127
    Location:
    @Hollanti
    Probably not much price difference with the Karakal @ ~$15USD shipped for 6pcs ... (cheaper the more you order of course, relatively and probably a few freebies included on top)
    And to make it at least somewhat on topic: probably will hold of untill May-June before I get a couple of these babies here, the Cab50's that is :).
     
    #221 demolidor, Mar 30, 2012
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2012
  2. Loafers

    Loafers Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2008
    Messages:
    127
    Likes Received:
    2
    Occupation:
    Loafer
    Location:
    USA
    Thanks for the RKEP suggestion :)

    I actually have a Karakal grip distributor near (eagnas gardena) so the grips are relatively cheap — especially if you get the member discount :D

    Oh and please tell me your cab 50 is 2U...
     
  3. demolidor

    demolidor Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2003
    Messages:
    5,507
    Likes Received:
    127
    Location:
    @Hollanti
    Still contemplating :eek:. For 665mm I'd certainly get 2U's but I guess no harm in getting at least one in 2U of the 50's (30MS in 3U was fine already) ... Then again, Ti-10's at 675mm in 2U are also delightfully solid :cool:.
     
    #223 demolidor, Mar 30, 2012
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2012
  4. demolidor

    demolidor Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2003
    Messages:
    5,507
    Likes Received:
    127
    Location:
    @Hollanti
    Not to forget, unlike you lucky US (and Aussie) folks I'm more than likely looking at a ~20% tax markup [​IMG]. Assuming Japanese tax is already included in the price, makes me wonder why it's never deducted on international sales??
    [​IMG] Can't even remember when I paid anywhere near as much for a racket. Most expensive in the last decade was two AT700 1st gen's at normal AT700 store price two years ago that had been in stock there for 6 years :p.

    But I wants the GUMMETAL dammit! :D, So JP time it is for once ...
     
    #224 demolidor, Mar 30, 2012
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2012
  5. yurimaster2010

    yurimaster2010 Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 11, 2010
    Messages:
    1,085
    Likes Received:
    2
    Occupation:
    Consultant
    Location:
    MY
    very @#@$ slow in the market...
    tell me the shop name which selling cab50 in msia n hw much
    its like waiting for ages now n so to the review
     
  6. King's

    King's Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2012
    Messages:
    305
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Island
    Wow, you are able to find 2 prime AT700 1st gen just two years ago and the seller is willing to part with in having stored it away some 6 years back? Man, you are oh-so-lucky! Now, you want to pay premium for JPs this time...have you spotted a legend in the making?:cool:

    Gum + Metal sounds about right eh?:D
     
    #226 King's, Mar 30, 2012
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2012
  7. concretemad

    concretemad Regular Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2009
    Messages:
    542
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    engineer
    Location:
    puchong, malaysia
    On the stiffness bar, both rated very close. And cab50 should be only slight head heavier than ns9900, of cos with oval frame. Shaft and handle same length, no similarity at all?

    For your info, i love ns9900 2u.
     
  8. demolidor

    demolidor Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2003
    Messages:
    5,507
    Likes Received:
    127
    Location:
    @Hollanti
    Have you tried Cab30MS?

    :D Even better: they were still in stock in an actual store/webstore in Germany when even plenty of Germans were desperately looking for them(!). Also found another one that popped up at a local webshop, probably from the owner's own collection less than a year before that :cool:

    As for the 50's: Yonex should supply your own decal kit so you can choose between GUMMETAL :cool: and ELASTIC Ti :rolleyes:
    Don't expect special powers so might even just get one JP 2U to keep and get more in TW to abuse ...
     
  9. Blitzzards

    Blitzzards Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2009
    Messages:
    1,328
    Likes Received:
    6
    Location:
    GMT+8:00
    I'm on the same boat as you on this OCD. In fact I did the same thing you planned here with the AT900P :D
     
  10. King's

    King's Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2012
    Messages:
    305
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Island
    Nice colour commentating there.:D Gun Metal sure sounds a lot more ballistic than gummy bear metal.:) Elastic Ti sure beats Elasthane Ti.;) But I guess that is the official translation: gum = elastic. Ew, like bubble gum stuck underneath the chair inside the cinema?:D Joking aside, my Arc Zs emblazoned with Gummetal is really cool and I haven't opened my little box containing gummy Cab 50s yet.:cool:

    Hey, if Yonex did supply the decals for us to DIY, I'll surely put a couple (Gummetal) on my AT700 1st gen (out of place, yes, but what the heck, yeah?)!:cool:
     
  11. moomoo

    moomoo Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2011
    Messages:
    781
    Likes Received:
    1
    Location:
    KL
    racket world in Pertama is selling it at RM630 before 30% off. 2u version only me thinks :p
     
  12. concretemad

    concretemad Regular Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2009
    Messages:
    542
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    engineer
    Location:
    puchong, malaysia
    Never play with cab30ms before. But i noted it has a shorter handle than the ns9900.
     
  13. Loafers

    Loafers Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2008
    Messages:
    127
    Likes Received:
    2
    Occupation:
    Loafer
    Location:
    USA
    Hehehe played with mine for about a month now.

    Here's a brief comparison with the cab 50 and 30 (there's no such thing as a 35). Sorry it's late; I was busy irl.

    Weight:
    obviously the 50 2u is going to be heavier than a 30 3u. i would imagine a cab 50 3u would be the same weight as the 30 though.

    Balance:
    No dispute here. the cab 50 is definitely head heavy whereas the 30 is slightly head heavy.

    Flexibility:
    Feels the same. 50 MAYBE a teeny weeny bit stiffer.

    Head Frame:
    Identical. If there are any differences, they are not noticeable to the naked eye.

    Racket Length:
    My cab 50 2u JP is the same length as my cab 30 3u. On some sites it says the 50 is 10mm shorter, but I suppose it depends on the version you get.

    Handle:
    From the length of the butt cap to the bottom line (beginning) of the grip's cone, the cab 50's is longer than the 30:D! To compensate for this, they reduced the 50's cone length. This is a huge plus for doubles players such as myself who like to grip the racket higher for net play.

    Cab 50 handle length: 17.2 cm
    Cab 30 handle length: 14.9 cm
    Difference: 2.3 cm

    May not seem like a lot for some, but it is for me! No more taping the cone part to prevent slippage :D!

    Design:
    Cab 50 is black and gold design. The "Carbonex" font on the shaft is similar to the older cabs, which are nice and round — kinda like comic sans :p It's pretty without trying to attract too much attention like more modern rackets.
    Cab 30 is plain black and white/silver.

    Power:
    cab 50 > 30 (the 2U and head heavy balance makes a difference)

    Verdict:
    I would say the Cab 50 is a worthy successor to the 30. If you wished the 30 was head heavier and had a longer grip, then you'll want to upgrade. If you prefer a "balanced" racket, then I'd stick with the 30. I don't know about you, but I've always liked head heavier rackets...feels crunchier when hitting the shuttle ;)

    Yeah there's a lot of stuff I left out such as clears, drops, etc, but that's a bit too subjective and it depends a lot on the player's skill as well...

    The End.
     
    #233 Loafers, Apr 20, 2012
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2012
  14. King's

    King's Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2012
    Messages:
    305
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Island
    Loafers,

    Just curious, have you tried the VTZF too? Anything at all to say? Thanks.
     
  15. CarbonexFan

    CarbonexFan Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 2, 2005
    Messages:
    395
    Likes Received:
    5
    Location:
    Netherlands
    I received mine last Wednesday with 3U-G4 specs. According to the website from Yonex, I strung my racket with BG80P for power and NBG95 for control. I have chosen for BG80P at 11 kg (24-25 LBS) since my Cab30MS has been strung with BG70Pro. I tried BG80 on the Cab30, but I liked BG70Pro more on this racket. The Cab30MS has 2U-G5 specs, My brother has a 3U-G4 spec, but I do know the feeling. I'll add new comments when he comes back from vacation.

    Cab50andCab30.jpg

    The balance from the Cab50 is about 1 cm more head heavy compared to the Cab30MS. Also, it is a tad stiffer compared to the Cab30MS, although it's not much.

    Cab50andCab30Frame.jpg
    The frame are both the same and same positions for the string pattern

    Cab50vsCab30MSHandle.jpg

    The handles are different. The handle of the Cab50 is longer, and the cap is even shorter. Overall, it's very good for doubles as Loafers said. This picture is just as add-on.

    I'll play with it tonight, but there is one thing I already dislike from this racket:
    Cab50Stickers.jpg

    Familiar? Same problem as the VT-ZF. Hope they learn from stickers and the right placement of it. This is just so unbelievable for a company like Yonex.
     
  16. clawhammers

    clawhammers Regular Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2011
    Messages:
    875
    Likes Received:
    38
    Location:
    Jakarta
    Dear Carbonexfan

    thank you for your review.

    You said that Balance of CAB 50 is 1 cm heavier compared to CAB 30.

    Kindly advise the details of balance points of both rackets :D
     
  17. aramistuscany

    aramistuscany Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2008
    Messages:
    1,425
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Bukit Timah, Singapore
    Yes, indeed disappointing to see the poor paintwork of Yonex recent models like the VTZF and CAB50. Just wondering if Yonex is going to go down this road from now on for their subsequent high-end racquet models. It would be sad if they do... and it would also create a demand for their past high-end models pre-VTZF. Just like cameras where in the past they are built to last.. Leica, Rolleiflex, Hasselblad, Linhof... unlike modern, digital cameras these days.
     
  18. CarbonexFan

    CarbonexFan Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 2, 2005
    Messages:
    395
    Likes Received:
    5
    Location:
    Netherlands
    I do understand it's a reference, but I'm not into the exact balance points in mm. All I can say it's still even balanced and it's not a head heavy racket. The grip size of the G5 is smaller and can be a great influence on the balance. The balance differences can be gone with a G4 model and 3U instead of 2U.

    In contradiction to Loafers, I have a heavier Cab30MS and a lighter Cab50. Still there are differences that are noticeable. Clearly a Cab30MS in 2U form has more power than the Cab50 in 3U. Although I've measured the stiffness of both racket by putting a weight on the head when the handle rest on the table, and there is not a lot of difference, the cab50 feels stiffer during play. I started with the Cab30MS for about a game. After that, I played 2 games with the cab50. At first I had to alter the power, because I needed more power to push the shuttle, but it took about 10 points to get used to it. After that, the racket felt just right. There is no timing issue at all, and the material felt modern compared to the Cab30MS. The Cab30MS has some flex earned from the Muscle/Titanium series and it felt like that. The Cab50MS has a flex that returns faster and was also more accurate at net play. When I tried the Cab30MS again, it was noticeable more flexible. The combination with BG80P is a perfect combination, and in my opinion better than the cab30MS with the normal BG80.

    My first impression is that this is a worth upgrade for the Cab30MS. It's stiffer and more accurate and has decent power. It's not as powerfull as the VT80 or VT-ZF, but for a Carbonex, one of the most powerfull ones. I still like my 3U-G4 Cab21 more, but that's due I like and can use the flex of the thin shaft of that racket. The Cab50 has become my second best Cab50 I have. It's a very allround racket and is very easy to handle, even when it still has an oval frame. The price is high for a classic frame, but the material used is from the last generations and that's what you're paying for. I you like oval frame rackets, this is surely a must have...
     
  19. Patrick

    Patrick Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2002
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    Property Manager
    Location:
    Singapore
    Carbonex Family.jpg

    Well, the Cab50 juz joined my carbonex family..:)

    I had a game a few days ago with the cab50 and would like to share my 2 cents of tots on the new racket.
    Racket setup:
    Cab50 3UG5 TW coded strung with BG66Maxima at 25lbs.
    Balance point : 295mm

    The racket is easy to handle, and plays like an all rounder racket. The handle( grip +cone) is basically the same length the older models except that the cone is the updated version. The smaller cone enables easier handling when gripping high during net play.
    The shaft is slightly stiffer.
    After a couple of games, my verdict was " two thumbs up".
    Contact with the shuttle was great. There's this crisp sound to each stroke, and it was nice.
    The racket combines well with the maxima string and the feel of play was great.
    Onto further testing....

    Cheers!
     
    #239 Patrick, May 5, 2012
    Last edited: May 5, 2012
  20. clawhammers

    clawhammers Regular Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2011
    Messages:
    875
    Likes Received:
    38
    Location:
    Jakarta
    Thanks for sharing :D

    FYI the pricing for SP version in Jakarta is Rp.1,160,000 / US$126.00
     

Share This Page