ArcSaber 8DX - What string?

Discussion in 'Badminton String' started by R20190, Aug 7, 2012.

  1. R20190

    R20190 Regular Member

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    This racquet doesn’t seem to be quite so popular on BC for some reason, so I’ve not been able to find much in terms of string recommendations.

    This is one of my favourite racquets, I’ve been using it with BG65Ti @27lb for a while now which is the string Yonex recommends for this racquet but find it a bit dull and softens too quickly after a couple of games. The string is still in good condition and it does seem a bit of a waste to cut and restring them, but that’s a separate issue...

    Anyway, I’m really calling out to Arc 8DX fans and seeing what strings you guys have tried and recommend for the 8DX?

    As the 8DX does lack a little power this is what I’d be looking to gain more on or at least not sacrifice.

    Any suggestions?
     
  2. maxp74

    maxp74 Regular Member

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    I've tried Arc 8dx with BG65ti as well. 28 lbs i think. And I found it surprisingly good. Not fond of thick strings in general but this worked out fine. I have also used BG80 witch is the obvious choice if you like hard strings but want more repulsion than BG65ti. At 28 lbs it turned out very crisp. I intend to try NBG98 as well, but I doubt it will be better than BG80. Yonex also recommend NBG95 but that felt really dead compared to BG80 and even BG65ti.
     
  3. R20190

    R20190 Regular Member

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    Thanks, so you'd recommend BG80 on the 8DX. Have you tried ZM 62, 65, 67 or 70 on the 8DX?

    I'm thinking of trying ZM67 but not sure if it will be any good. Another string that I'm contemplating is BG68Ti which is very good on my Ti10 but not so good on other racquets for some reason.
     
  4. AezranHakim

    AezranHakim Regular Member

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    The arcsaber 8dx is rated extra stiff by yonex thus it would require you to have more better wristwork and arm swing to maximise it to the fullest? I used to have one but recently sold off because i cannot maximise the racquet 100% and have opted for a arc10 at the moment but anyways... coming back to your question, i think a good start for me personally would be trying out bg66um? or the nbg98? or another 'test' you could do is dropping your tension from 27 to lets say 26 or 25.. that might be a quick help to yield more powerrrr.... let me know how it is once youve experimented!
     
  5. R20190

    R20190 Regular Member

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    I personally don't find the 8DX as stiff as Yonex says it is. It is stiff, but not extra stiff imo. I find it quite an easy racquet to use and get used to... it does lack a little power, but none more so than the Arc10. I find the 8DX very similar to a MP99 actually.

    I strung my 8DX at 27lb with BG65Ti but now it must be down to about 26lb having used them for a long time. I prefer tight strings usually so probably won't get along with 25lb. When fresh, the BG65Ti worked well, but they do soften so I'm looking for something that holds its tension well but have similar qualities to fresh BG65Ti strings.

    I think the one I am leaning towards is the Ashway ZM67. The ZM range is reknowned for tension hold but I feel the ZM70 (0.7mm, same as BG65Ti) would be too dull. I've tried ZM62 on my Arc10 and felt it lacked power so as a compromise I might give the ZM67 a try.

    I'm fortunate in that I have my own stringing machine and have a stock of all the most popular strings around at the moment but I don't like to waste, so wouldn't want to put strings on and have to cut them again to try something else.
     
  6. diverdan

    diverdan Regular Member

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    I have vs650 strung at 30lbs on my arc 8dx. I've found this combination the best so far. Excellent control and decent smashing speed.
     
  7. APB Stringers

    APB Stringers Regular Member

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    I have reviews of a few Yonex strings on my website http://www.apbstringers.co.uk/ just follow the link to the blog and they should be there. This could help you to find a string that is right for your game.
     
  8. R20190

    R20190 Regular Member

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    BG65Ti vs ZM67 on an ArcSaber 8DX
    Just a quick update on this for anyone who may be considering strings for an Arc 8DX.

    I originally had BG65Ti strings on my 8DX at 27lb. After about 6 months of use, the strings had softened to, I guess, about 26lb. So I decided to cut them and try something else. I liked the BG65Ti, but wanted more repulsion and better tension hold without sacrificing it’s “forgiveness”.

    Note: BG65Ti was one of two strings recommended by Yonex, the other being Nanogy 95.

    The BG65Ti did indeed work really well with the 8DX. It seemed to give it a larger sweetspot for some strange reason, it wasn’t quite as repulsive as other strings being 0.7mm but it was great for continuous smashing and had excellent control. However it did lack feel-touch shots and as expected, lost tension quite quickly. Surprisingly, I’ve always had BG65Ti with my MP100 and that only lost very slight tension – probably due to the muscle power frame? Again, the oddest thing about using BG65Ti despite its drawback was the forgiveness of off-centre shots. You could almost hit it anywhere on the string bed and expect a reasonably shot.

    Anyhow, I took the BG65Ti off as I didn’t like the drop in tension and restrung it with Ashaway ZM67. I chose the 67 over the 70 as I wanted it to be similar to the BG65Ti gauge whilst giving me a little more repulsion. It’s been said that the 67 holds tension the best in the ZM range.

    I ruled out the ZM62 as I have that on my Arc10 already which seemed to play well but I found it difficult to extract power from it. And also I felt the extra thin gauge let the shuttle dwell a little too long on the string bed for my liking. I thought the ZM70 would perhaps be a little too dull for me so I settled for the ZM67. I don’t have ZM65.

    I restrung the ZM67 to 27lb and let it rest for a few days before playing. I played with it continuously for 1.5 hours and was quite disappointed. Admittedly, I was expecting this string to be amazing and would simply fill in the gaps left by BG65Ti. The tension hold was quite obvious, normally after playing a few games with BG65Ti, I would start to notice the tension drop, not so with the ZM67.

    In spite of the tension hold, the 67 also gave better repulsion with a slightly nicer “ping” sound, again that was expected with the fractionally thinner gauge. Drives were really easy and flick/low serves were a joy, accurate, consistent and responsive. However, that is pretty much where the positives end. The 67 was quite dull overall, unenthusiastic and lacked character. No longer did I have that ever forgiving string bed that I had with the BG65Ti, it had a noticeably smaller sweetspot (not sure how, but it was quite apparent), clears which was once an effortless stroke was now a lot more work. My smashes had lost its sting, although I did find that slice drops were quite easy with this string, probably due to its rougher, less waxy feel. The ZM67 strings moved around a lot, just like the 62 on my Arc10. This was a little annoying between rallies as I’m quite fussy about having strings straight all the time. I would consider the 67 a hard string, almost the opposite of BG65Ti, it felt more like a thicker, duller version of BG80 (even though it is actually thinner than BG80!).

    During stringing, a slight twist developed in one of the crosses in the ZM67 near the top of the racquet, as I gently pulled it through with a bit of lip balm, the outer coating of the string split slightly. This was a bit of a surprise as I’ve never had any string coating split open before. The split was very slight and didn’t affect the performance but thought I’d mention it.

    So where does that leave me and my favourite 8DX?

    Well firstly, I will definitely be taking the ZM67 off, I don’t get along with it at all. But I can see some may like the qualities it offers, but for me it’s not contributing to my game.

    My options are now...

    BG65Ti – Stick with this but perhaps increase to 28lb, anticipating it to drop to 27 over time.
    BG68Ti – Similar to BG65Ti, but better feel, repulsion and “ping”. But still lacks tension hold. Might just offer what I need from BG65Ti?
    BG80 – Hard repulsive string, not as easy to extract power than the BG65Ti but not far off.
    NBG95 – I have this on my ArcZS, great “bouncy” string, plenty of power but I feel it lacks control. Plus it doesn’t come in white – my preferred colour.

    I’m currently split between BG68Ti and BG80.... opinions please! ;)
     

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