Quick googling results: http://www.ibadmintonstore.com/Badm...etic-Shuttlecock-Design-By-Gordon-Willis.aspx And slightly less informative... http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/new...n_hopes_to__bring_the_costs_of_playing_down_/
Oddly I saw them mentioned in some news article a month or 2 ago (about bird flu.. feathers etc.. ) and wondered what they were and why haven't I heard of them, I did a google then and found nothing.. it appears they have been launched now, I wonder what they are like ?
I'm not keen on the price. It's not clear on the website whether the price is per dozen or per tube of 6 although I expect the former. Note also that there are shipping costs on top which would make these shuttles more expensive than AS50's. That can't be right, surely? I agree with db - the two tone skirt isn't very attractive. Paul www.badminton-coach.co.uk
Nineteen quid a dozen?!? Unless these things last literally twice as long as a Mavis... Still, I'd like to try them out just for curiosity's sake.
I was given a box of these to test. In brief the shuttle holds its speed well, there is a good bite on impact with the shuttle which makes for a rewarding smash. However the balance of the shuttle is wrong and almost too heavy. This makes net play impossible. The shuttle deforms and tears just as fast as a mavis shuttle. The cork separating from the plastic skirt over time. I wouldnt pay for these. Plaudits still go to Ashaway for trying something different. Still a shock to me that no manufacturers have perfected the synthetic shuttle.
Although we should realistically compare to Mavis 2000 or 300 instead of feathers. @shosasakigamba : what are you comparing them with?
Re the 2-tone skirt, you get used to it very quickly and it's a useful aid to visibility against difficult backgrounds.
black is worse than white on the shuttle to make it easier to be seen. The yellow is best so far for a lot of badminton halls in the UK. Why don't they just make it just white or yellow?
I can only think they've gone two-tone so you can see at least half of it in whichever conditions you play, but I agree: yellow or white. (It still irks me that we can't get the M2000 in yellow...)