Thinking about using BG 80 / Microlegend XL/Flex 21 Micro at lower tension?

Discussion in 'Badminton String' started by kap15, Jul 24, 2011.

  1. kap15

    kap15 Regular Member

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    Hi, I am about an intermediate player (playing around 2.5 yrs) and have a Yonex isometric 865 (http://www.badmintonalley.com/Yonex...n_Racket_p/racket-yonex-isometric-865l-bl.htm)
    and the stock string, I think it is bg 65 at 21, lasted 1 season of high school badminton and also playing several times out of school until the string broke recently. I believe that the string continually lost tension until it finally snapped. When I played with my racket, using the stock string, I found it quite difficult to clear from baseline to baseline because I had to put a lot of strength into it, and I also had to hit very hard to generate more power. When I used a friend's racket though, I felt that it was a bit easier to clear (maybe string?).

    So, since I want more power but also a good amount of control, I have been looking up the BG 80, but I have also looked up Microlegend xl, but it seems that it does not offer as good control as bg 80 from research and it moves around a lot. However, Bg 80 is 0.68 and XL is .73, so is XL supposedly more durable, but if I use a lower tension like 21 lbs for bg 80 since you're supposed to string bg 80 about 1-2lbs less than what you want, would the strings still last very long? I know I do mishit sometimes...

    Also, I found about Ashaway Flex 21 Micro:

    http://www.badmintonalley.com/Ashaw...ton_String_p/string-ashaway-flex-21-micro.htm

    http://www.ashawayusa.com/Flex21.php

    and feel like trying that too b/c of it's ratings for durability and control and b/c it's 0.70 mm. Please help me chose. Thank you for your time.
     
  2. visor

    visor Regular Member

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    if you're in the states, you've got to give zymax 67 a try.

    medium feel, lots of power, durable, excellent tension retention... what's not to like

    if you play plastic birds, start with lower tension around 21-22lb

    if feather, start 2-3 lbs higher
     
    #2 visor, Jul 24, 2011
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2011
  3. kap15

    kap15 Regular Member

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    i don't really want to go through ordering zymax 67 because I can just go to a stringer who has microlegend xl, flex 21 micro, and bg 80...that being said which of these three strings has the best combination of power, control, and durability if I am only looking to string my racket at a pretty low tension ie. 22-23 lbs and I sometimes mishit?
     
  4. visor

    visor Regular Member

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    Bg80 is the best of the 3, but if you're playing plastic birds, it's gonna feel harsh upon impact as it is a hard feel string.
     
  5. kap15

    kap15 Regular Member

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    Anyone tried Ashaway Flex 21 Micro string?

    Hi, I am about an intermediate player (playing around 2.5 yrs) and have a Yonex isometric 865 (http://www.badmintonalley.com/Yonex_...ic-865l-bl.htm)
    and the stock string, I think it is bg 65 at 21, lasted 1 season of high school badminton and also playing several times out of school until the string broke recently. I believe that the string continually lost tension until it finally snapped. When I played with my racket, using the stock string, I found it quite difficult to clear from baseline to baseline because I had to put a lot of strength into it, and I also had to hit very hard to generate more power. When I used a friend's racket though, I felt that it was a bit easier to clear (maybe string)

    Flex 21 Micro (http://www.ashawayusa.com/Flex21.php) has good badmintonalley ratings for power and control, and I know that Gail Emms used it as well. Would it be a good string at around 22 lbs for a person using plastic shuttlecocks and sometimes mishits? or would something like Microlegend xl be better? but I hearl ml xl is not very good for control and not that great at lower tensions...
     
  6. Avenger

    Avenger Regular Member

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    how about ashway Zymax string?
    try Zymax 67 at 21-24 lbs

    I used it and very satisfied with it
     
  7. Hullabaloo

    Hullabaloo Regular Member

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    Hi, I've also seen your other thread about flex 21 micro, but i thought i'd just post in here to save the double up. BG65 lack of power may have been just from tension loss over 1 year... esp if it was the factory strings and/or at 21lbs.

    Microlegend XL is quite thick at 0.73mm so i never tried using it. i used to use microlegend (the 0.69mm version) for many years. It has a slippery coating, a softer feel than BG80, and may not hold tension as well as others. I don't know about the XL version, but the 0.69mm version has a great feel to it and is reasonably durable (due to the slippery coating, but means you will get higher than average string movement if you care about that or not).

    Flex 21 Micro would (these days) be considered on the thick end as it is 0.70mm. It holds tension extremely well. for a 0.70mm string i think it has more feel than BG65. I like this string quite a lot. Seems a few of the top national English players have used Ashaway strings for many years. Rachel Howard (England no 3) also used to use Flex 21 Micro. But I would think Ashaway would be pushing them to promote their Zymax strings these days.

    BG80 is the thinnest of them all at 0.68mm. It is a very very popular string. It has a rougher texture than the others and has a 'hard' feeling which may take a little while to get used to. Some call the feeling unique and hence swear by it.

    String breakage due to mis-hits will be somewhat inversly proportional to string thickness.

    I'd suggest trying BG80 and seeing if you like it, else go for flex 21 micro.
     
  8. Hullabaloo

    Hullabaloo Regular Member

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    oh yeah, forgot about playing with plastics. I agree with Visor. if you're going with plastics then maybe not BG80.
     
  9. kap15

    kap15 Regular Member

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    Yes, I will be using plastic birdies, and I didn't really like having to move my bg 65 strings back into their original positions after playing a smash or power shot. And also, I hear that thinner strings are not the best for plastic, as some recommend bg 70 pro for plastic birdies for better durability and say for plastics it is usually better to have thicker strings and lower tensions.

    @ Hullabaloo and others who may have used Flex 21 Micro: I am interested in the flex 21 micro, and since you have used it, does is have good power, control, and durability like the ashaway website says? also does it make a loud hitting noise? I want to try to scare opponents, haha.
     
  10. kap15

    kap15 Regular Member

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    I will be using plastic birdies, and I don't really like if the string moves around a lot.

    So is flex 21 micro as good in power, durability and control like the ashaway site says? Does is have a loud hitting sound and how does it compare to bg80?
     
  11. norcalstringer

    norcalstringer Regular Member

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    I played with Flex 21 micro for about 6 months and I found it to be just ok. I wouldn't say it has a "loud hitting sound" though. Personally, I like BG 80 better because the string feels more solid and it doesn't move as much as the Flex. However, it does not have the same durability as the Flex 21. Playing twice a week with 2 hour sessions, I'll get about a month of usage on BG 80. With Flex at the same frequency of play and length of time on the court, Flex will last longer.

    Hope that helps.
     
  12. kap15

    kap15 Regular Member

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    Ok, is the power and control generated by flex 21 micro similar to bg 80?<br>Also, by saying that flex 21 micro is "just ok" do you mean that it's not good, but rather subpar and ok?<br>Btw, I'll be using nylon mavis 300, and I've heard that bg 80 is not very durable for nylon.<br>Badminton alley rates flex 21 micro to be 5/5 for power, 5/5 for touch, and 4/5 for durability, while bg 80 is rated as 5/5 for power, 4/5 for touch, and 4/5 for durability. Would you say that these ratings are accurate?
     
  13. kap15

    kap15 Regular Member

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    Ok, is the power and control generated by flex 21 micro similar to bg 80?<br>Also, by saying that flex 21 micro is "just ok" do you mean that it's not good, but rather subpar and ok?<br>Btw, I'll be using nylon mavis 300, and I've heard that bg 80 is not very durable for nylon.<br>Badminton alley rates flex 21 micro to be 5/5 for power, 5/5 for touch, and 4/5 for durability, while bg 80 is rated as 5/5 for power, 4/5 for touch, and 4/5 for durability. Would you say that these ratings are accurate?
     
  14. kap15

    kap15 Regular Member

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    Ok, is the power and control generated by flex 21 micro similar to bg
    80?&lt;br&gt;Also, by saying that flex 21 micro is "just ok" do you mean
    that it's not good, but rather subpar and ok?&lt;br&gt;Btw, I'll be
    using nylon mavis 300, and I've heard that bg 80 is not very durable for
    nylon.&lt;br&gt;Badminton alley rates flex 21 micro to be 5/5 for
    power, 5/5 for touch, and 4/5 for durability, while bg 80 is rated as
    5/5 for power, 4/5 for touch, and 4/5 for durability. Would you say that
    these ratings are accurate?
     
  15. Hullabaloo

    Hullabaloo Regular Member

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    I don't think that there is any string which is perfect in all aspects. They usually have to trade off something or other. Compared to some other strings I don't think flex 21 micro has a "loud hitting sound", but it's fairly good in other aspects. Give it a try and let us know what you think of it.
     
  16. norcalstringer

    norcalstringer Regular Member

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    If you're going to use the Mavis 300s, I would say that Flex 21 would be the way to go. I have BG 80 on my racket but if I play with plastic birdies, I use another racket with BG 65 because the 65's durability does not decrease as fast as it would if I used BG 80. In other words, I use cheaper strings for plastic shuttles and I save my higher end string/BG80 for feathers.
     
  17. kap15

    kap15 Regular Member

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    Thank you all for your suggestions and help. I ended up getting Flex 21 micro at 22lbs and think it is a good string.
     

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