i'm probably familiar with the performance of vs850 by now, but instead of stringing a completely different racket with nanogy99, i dug out my other muscle power tour and will string it with nanogy99 while cutting the vs850 that's been strung on the other muscle power tour for almost 6 months and restringing it with a new vs850. both at 24lbs. will be playing tonight, wonder what the big difference is between these two strings. muscle power tour vs850 24lbs muscle power tour nbg99 24lbs
impression while stringing - nbg99 is a bit softer than vs850, but both are considered stiff by me. nbg99 is a bit thicker than vs850, sorry i don't know the actual gauge but i'm sure it's easy to look up. one specific characteristic from the vs850 that i did expect was that when i was stringing it, i would pull on it to straight the cross just a bit, and i realized it's really elastic/bouncy, like pulling a rubberband. initial exterior impression by touch prior to 24lb tension, both strings have the same texture. i was surprised that the nbg99 was just as rough as the vs840. while stringing, the nbg99 was actually a bit stiffer, which allowed me to string share holes a lot easier!! after stringing, vs850 felt a lot rougher by touch. i wonder if the stretching of 24lbs changed the physical characteristics of the exterior surface of the string. but once again, the vs850 was a lot rougher than the nbg99. hitting sound, both sounded wonderful according to clear shots. since my smash isn't consistent, i try to hit the test clear shots as consistent as i can, and those shots that connected well, they sounded great. if you use bg66, you'll hear a high "ting" sound. where as these two strings i tested, they sounded more like "pop", like popping a cork of a champagne bottle but a bit higher tone and i bit less in decibal power shots, i felt that i could actually get more power from the nbg99, i'm guess because of the thicker string which gives it a bit more repulsion??? because both strings are fresh, they play somewhat similar. control shots, i felt that they are similar with only one difference, which is when i execute slice drop shots or angle slice shots. the vs850 definitely provide more friction when making contact with the shuttle, which allowed a much quicker response by the shuttle. when i hit with the nbg99, i had to allow myself a larger margin of error. this is the first time i played with nbg99, and also the first time playing any string this long (3-4hrs) at 24lbs. since i've been playing vs850 at 22lbs for a while, i can't really tell between the two tensions. i have to say that one of the most important reasons why i could generate any kind of power from upping the tension is because of the flexible shaft from the muscle power tour. even while hitting clear shots, i felt that the shaft was flexing. as a conclusion, i was surprised by the way nbg99 performed since i really didn't like nbg95 or nbg98. vs850 still provides a bit more control, while sacrificing a bit of power while nbg99 provides a bit more power, but a bit less control but only on the department when you use a slice shot. both provide wonderful hitting sound. i will keep the strings on the rackets and will continue to use them for comparison. if i figure out anything new before they break, i'll make sure to come back and make another report. feel free to ask me any questions or give suggestions
just one thing, i wonder if the black paint on the vs850 has any contribution to the texture of the string. the nbg is white. i talked to the owner of a badminton store and he mentioned that different color paint has different density which can affect the way a racket feels even if the model is the same but different paint jobs. maybe i should do a comparison with a vs850 in white?
I find the blue VS850 plays better than the white, so I'm almost certain that the dye is having some effect...
for the stringing i have 4 knots. i have not yet learned how to string with two knots. i will certainly report again in two weeks and if i play consistently these two weeks i think the vs850 will will come close to breaking. i have both blue and black vs850 and have played with both. i find the durability somewhat similar but never really paid attention to that variable because i never thought there would be any difference between different colors. i have never used the white version of vs850 so it could be very interesting!!!
maybe i haven't been updated about badminton strings, but i am very excited to hear that Yonex has a new version of their gut string coming out called Cyber200 or something. i've been using gut forever in tennis, just never connected that idea with badminton. now that tennis has moved over to polyester strings, i wonder if badminton will do the same as well???
Guys do you think I should go for bg66 ultimax or nbg99? I want the control, sound and repulsion ratings of the 66 but the 99 has higher durability..
another update after playing tonight, as far as the feel of stiffness of both strings, the vs850 is definitely much stiffer than the nbg99. to exaggerate, hitting with the nbg99 is like having a trampoline as the stringbed where as hitting with vs850 is like having a wooden board as the stringbed. the tension of both are still very similar just by banging another racket frame on the stringbed which led me to believe that either they both retain tension well, or they both are losing tension at the same rate
Haha! Vs850 is not known for tension retention, so bg99's tension retention must not be good either. . So, so far, bg99 is softer and smoother than vs850. Doesn't sound like it's for me.
Update on the comparison currently since the start of this thread, i still have one mptour strung with nbg99 and another strung with vs850 both looked new in condition, both have been used about 2-3hrs a week since September of this year. the coating on the vs850 is gone, but the nbg99 seems completely new, maybe because it's thicker and has a different surface so there is less wear and tear? for control, the vs850 is better, especially when i slice the shuttle for drop shots. for power, the nbg99 is better, especially when i'm tired. since then i have replaced the RKEP G09 grips from both rackets to the RKEP wet grips that came free along with my order of 96 G09 grips going on tangent: the RKEP wet grip is actually thinner, and tackier!!! anyway, i think the tension on the vs850 had dropped about 1lb more than the nbg99, but they both had dropped considerably.
[MENTION=39250]gundamzaku[/MENTION] After playing with the two types of strings for such a long time. Which is now your go-to string?
so far, i've only been using the vs850 extensively because i got used to the way it feels. i prefer a control string over a powerful string.