Carbonex 8
Model CAB-8
Where to find it
The one that started everything: Carbonex 8
Before it, everything was heavier
The Carbonex 8 is the oldest racquet in this database and, by any reasonable measure, the racquet that made modern badminton possible. When Yonex launched the B-8500 and Carbonex 8 in 1978, they were the first badminton racquets in history to weigh under 100 grams and the first to feature a full carbon graphite shaft. Competition racquets of the 1970s weighed over 100g. The Carbonex 8 arrived at approximately 90g. That 10g reduction was, in the context of a sport built entirely on hand speed and reaction time, enormous.
What it was made of
The construction was a two-piece design — a specialty aluminium alloy head joined to a full carbon graphite shaft, with a classic oval head shape and a metal T-joint. Not the all-graphite monocoque that would follow in the CAB-20, but a genuine technological leap over the steel and aluminium frames that preceded it. Forum veterans who played with original CAB-8s in the late 1970s describe the balance as 'perfect' and the feel as unlike anything that came before it. One collector who restored a green example noted it 'still plays great' decades later.
A museum piece in every sense
No secondary market price is tracked for the CAB-8 because authentic examples change hands so rarely — and when they do, sentiment drives the negotiation more than comparable transactions. The year 1983 in this database reflects a documented reissue and period of wider availability; the founding launch was 1978. Authentic CAB-8s in original condition are among the rarest physical artifacts from the birth of professional-grade badminton equipment. Every other racquet in this database exists because this one succeeded.
Specialty aluminium alloy head — not pure graphite. Full carbon graphite shaft — Yonex's first. Two-piece construction at T-joint visible on inspection. Oval head shape. Classic Yonex branding of the late 1970s–early 1980s. No hologram — pre-dates program entirely. Weight approximately 90g (2U). Made in Japan.
Museum-grade artifact. No comparable secondary market. Value is entirely a function of authenticity, condition, and the buyer's understanding of what they are holding. Not a financial investment — a historical one.
Prices last updated March 2026. All data based on tracked secondary market transactions.