Carlton VAPOUR TRAIL 87S Badminton Racquet

The Carlton VAPOUR TRAIL 87S is a premium, high-performance badminton racquet engineered for advanced club competitors, tournament league players, and doubles specialists who demand a perfect fusion of heavy backcourt power and elite structural control. As a flagship model within Carlton’s legendary Vapour Trail lineage, it is constructed using top-tier Japanese High Modulus (HM) Carbon Graphite enhanced with HotMelt technology. Moving away from the ultra-lightweight 78S, the 87S brings a more substantial, traditional 3U frame weight to the court. This model is purpose-built for technically sound players who want a rock-solid, stable hitting platform that can dictate the tempo of high-intensity rallies with authoritative smash variations.

Performance Profile

1. Power Generation: Driven by an aggressive combination of a Head-Heavy balance profile and a robust 3U frame mass (87 g). This configuration creates massive kinetic momentum during full overhead stroke construction. It delivers devastating downward smash velocities and effortless baseline-to-baseline clears, allowing offensive players to seamlessly overpower defensive opponents.
2. Torsional Control System (TCS): The signature architectural feature of the Vapour Trail series is the integrated TCS technology baked directly into the T-joint interface. By flattening and structurally reinforcing this critical intersection, the racquet heavily reduces lateral frame twisting and torque at the moment of impact, ensuring the hitting face remains perfectly true to your target path.
3. Stiffness & Response: Outfitted with a Medium-Stiff to Stiff shaft profile, the 87S is optimized for players with fast, developed swing speeds. The reduced shaft lag offers an incredibly crisp, instantaneous energy transfer, ensuring that the racquet head recovers rapidly during continuous attacking sequences.

On-Court Character

1. Attacking Domination: Coming in at a bare weight of 87 g, the VAPOUR TRAIL 87S feels exceptionally solid and grounded. While it demands a bit more forearm conditioning than its featherweight counterparts, it compensates by providing an elite level of plow-through and stability when stepping into a full rear-court smash or heavy mid-court drive.
2. Surgical Placement: The combination of an aerodynamic Optimetric head shape and premium Japanese carbon gives the racquet clinical short-game capabilities. Players can execute tight, tumbling net rolls, slicing cross-court drops, and deceptive defensive blocks with immense directional confidence and crisp tactile feedback.
3. High-Tension Capability: Supported by a heavily reinforced frame matrix, the structural carbon layup safely accommodates customized high-tension stringing configurations up to an impressive 30 lbs (13.5 kg). This gives advanced players the freedom to maximize string bed crispness for surgical accuracy and lightning-fast touch around the net.

Specifications

• Model Name: VAPOUR TRAIL 87S.
• Frame Material: Japanese High Modulus (HM) HotMelt Carbon Graphite.
• Shaft Material: High-Repulsion HM Graphite (HRS Shaft).
• Frame Weight Class: 87 g  +/- 1 g (Traditional 3U Tier).
• Overall Length: 675 mm (Standard).
• Flexibility / Stiffness: Medium-Stiff / Stiff.
• Balance Profile: Head-Heavy (Engineered for Dominant Attack).
• Head Shape: Optimetric / Isometric Geometry.
• Grip Size: G5 Standard.
• Key Technologies: Torsional Control System (TCS), High Repulsion Shaft (HRS).
• Maximum String Tension: Up to 30 lbs (13.5 kg).
• Primary Target User: Advanced & Tournament Club / Aggressive Attacking Players.