( ISSUE FIFTY-SIX: CLEANSWEPT AWAY )

[KENDALL CALDWELL]

JUN 15, 2007

7 KNUTS

CLEANSWEPT AWAY

Written by James Porter

It would seem like Comet Trading Company finally got it's act together to release a new broomstick. Was it that article I wrote back in January or the fact that their competitors released new brooms as well?

In March, two new Quidditch brooms were released within just weeks of one another. But neither were released by Comet. The first was the Cleansweep Fourteen, which has a top speed of 170 mph. Price is upon request, but this is a spectacular improvement on the Thirteen which topped out at 150 mph. It is comparable to both the Firebolt England and Nimbus 3400, released in 2003 and 2004 respectively, though still has the signature ebony tail twigs of all Cleansweeps.

The second new broom released back in March was the Oakshaft 7. While it is most certainly not a top tier racing broom, the Oakshaft 7 is excellent for families. The Oakshaft has a top speed of 120 mph, and excellent emergency brakes and anti-jinx spells. Not only that, but the new Oakshaft was rated 'Safest Broom' by Broom and Rider magazine this past May. It is a little on the pricier side, starting at 20 galleons.

With two excellent brooms on the market, it would seem there was no need for a third. But then Comet surprised us all with a new release just last month. There had been no reports on development, but the company released a statement that they had been working on creating a better, faster broom for more than two years. It seems a lot of work went into keeping the development hush hush, but now we can give you the full specs.

The Comet 420, with a gleaming mahogany shaft, neatly trimmed birch tail twigs and golden stirrups, is certainly a handsome broom. But don't let looks deceive you. This is no racing broom. Years of development went into making a racing broom that is only slightly above average. The top speed is only 120 mph, making it equal to that of the Oakshaft 7.

With such a long stretch between broom releases, it would appear that Comet Trading Company has lost it's touch. While they have long since been known as the wallet-friendly broom making company, they failed to make an economical racing broom on par with the rest.

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