Review: Adidas adipower Pro strings

Discussion in 'Badminton String' started by Cheung, Jul 9, 2013.

  1. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Review: Adidas Adipower Pro strings

    Author: Cheung

    Preamble

    This year we have seen the introduction of the Adidas range of racquets and footwear. Added to the range are a new range of strings. The market leader in strings is, of course, Yonex starting with BG-65 in the 80's. Lately, we have seen Ashaway build up a bigger presence with their Zymax range. Can Adidas provide a viable alternative with a range of six strings?

    Let's first look at some of the technical details.

    [​IMG]

    We see that the strings have a core made up of high polymer multilfilaments surrounded by a coating of nylon resin. There is are two discrepancies in the marketing literature. The words on the diagram in the brochure say "high polymer nylon multifilament 1pc" implying one single thread when there are multiple filaments in the core. Secondly, we see the word 'high' and 'hi' both on the same page. Do they have the same meaning or do they refer to something different?

    Perhaps I am being overtly fussy but then again, there are some people on badmintoncentral forums that set very high standards!

    There is another outer layer of 'braided high polymer nylon monofilaments 48pcs". Again, the diagram is inconsistent with the description. A braid should have intertwining filaments, but this is definitely not shown in the cross-sectional diagram. What we are shown is a single layer of nylon filaments arranged in a slight spiral.

    I am left feeling puzzled - is it or isn't it supposed to be braided? Finally, the whole thing is covered with another layer of nylon resin.

    We are told this technology will 'keep the strings in a round shape and deliver greater repulsion and power'. The same design applies to all 6 strings in the range.

    [​IMG]

    Description adipower Pro

    The adipower Pro string comes in 10metre lengths or 200metre lengths and is of 0.66millimetre diameter. The review strings came from a standard stock supply in 10 metre length. It came in a white colour. The strings are quite clearly marked "ADIPOWER PRO MADE IN JAPAN". They do feel smooth on the surface when you run you fingers over the string. Strings were supplied, and the racquet strung by MBS at 27lbs tension on an electronic stringing machine. The racquet was a Yonex carbonex 20 classic which has been my standard racquet for many years. There was nearly a week from stringing the racquet to actual play. Assessment was solely with feather shuttles.

    Another issue we have seen with these strings is why does it have the same name as the racquets? Again, it's a potential source of confusion for consumers and vendors. Imagine ordering some strings for about 7-9USD each and then getting a few racquets instead. It's only good if the racquets came at the price of the strings!

    OK, let's go back to the catalogue and look again. Oh, I notice the racquets are named as "adipower pro" and the strings are "adipower Pro" - the difference of a capital letter. Didn't I say badmintoncentral forums set very high standards?

    Power

    Having just recovered from Golfer's elbow, I am anxious to give this string a good whack (and test my arm in the process). Starting off with gentle smashes, the signs look good. There is a slight bounce and rebound of the shuttle off the strings. Before anybody starts asking what the heck is a gentle smash, I move on to smashes with a lot more power. I'd say the strings allow the player to produce a lot of power and rate them as very good.

    Sound

    Hitting your smashes gives a low pitched boom sound. Lower pitch compared to other 0.66millimetre strings on the market. Hard hitters will like it.

    Control

    Drives and smashes are very good but they do not always win you games. I moved to pulling the shuttle around the forecourt and midcourt areas; trying cross courts, half court dinks, soft pushes etc. Here we see the control aspect is not so strong. As mentioned before, the string surface is smooth. This causes me to be try and play shots with a higher margin of error. I would still rate it as good.

    Feel

    String feel is a difficult quality to describe. It reflects one's overall impression of the shuttle on the string bed when playing shots. Here again, I would rate the string as between good and very good.

    Tension holding

    The strings don't seem to be losing much tension. Remember that it took nearly a week for me to get on court to try out the strings. It is quite possible the strings had lost a bit of tension already. There is absolutely no problem with that so long as the tension still holds after that.

    Durability

    Examining the strings closely after 8-10 hours of strokes and smash practice, I see the strings seem to hold up quite well. It looks like the strings will stay for quite a while considering the thin string gauge. There is no notching nor fraying of the string, in part due the frictionless surface.


    Conclusion

    The adipower Pro string is definitely one of those strings you have to try out. It benefits from the thin 0.66mm gauge. It's got good durability. Compared with the other 0.66mm strings I use from Yonex, the characteristics are slightly different. There is not much to choose between the strings so it comes down to your own personal preference to play with it regularly. I would say there is a tendency for it to favour the power players rather than the control players.
     
  2. Exert

    Exert Regular Member

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    Great review! Im trying them at 25 lbs :D
     
  3. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Here's a picture of the packet for reference.

    What If you compare to my original post, the picture of the design of the adipower Pro is rather different on the packet. We can see three layers of filaments. Is the outermost layer of filaments the nylon mesh?

    adipower Pro 2.JPG

    adipower Pro strings.JPG
     
    #3 Cheung, Jul 10, 2013
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2013
  4. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Another piece of recent information. Two designs of the adipower Pro string? Confusing! The left picture is more consistent with the claim of "'braided high polymer nylon monofilaments 48pcs". I can only speculate why we have two different designs of string that are claimed to produce the same paying characteristics.

    [​IMG]
     
    #4 Cheung, Jul 11, 2013
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2013
  5. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Disclosure: I paid for the strings and stringing. Forgot to add that in the original post.
     
  6. llpjlau

    llpjlau Regular Member

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    How do you rate these strings compared to say... ZM62/ZM65?
     
  7. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Not tried ZM62/ZM65 - sorry
     
  8. maa2003

    maa2003 Regular Member

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    any info where to find in Malaysia ?
    how much the street price ?
    thanks
     
  9. phaaam

    phaaam Regular Member

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    I don't think major stores carry it yet, then again I was only there until the end of July.

    I think MBS charges a reasonable price for it. Prices are of course better if you get a 200m reel instead.

    I would think if stores did carry the single packs, it would cost 20-25RM.

    To be honest, the stores I went to were overpriced compared to MBS: selling N90II for 1159RM, which is twice the price on MBS ($200USD).
     
  10. BengGuan

    BengGuan Regular Member

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    One word for Adipower Pro string : good job for Adidas. I have strung this string for my customer MX70 at tension 28 / 30. Normally he using BG66 Ultimax with same tension. He feel much more better then Ultimax for this string, hitting sound much more better then ultimax, power and control also much more better then Ultimax.

    One think about my customer, he is intermediate to advanced level player.
     
  11. phaaam

    phaaam Regular Member

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    I feel that adipower pro (or 0.66mm in general) works a lot better with feather shuttles. The thinnest string I found that works for me is ZM65 (plastic), I don't know why most of the time 0.66mm just doesn't deliver for plastic shuttles, including B66UM. I was hoping that adipower pro would work, but it just doesn't seem possible.

    In the case of plastic shuttles: adipower performance > pro, the reverse is likely try for feathers.
     
  12. Exert

    Exert Regular Member

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    Just tried the string yesterday at my badminton training , 25 lbs on my
    Low end yonex racquet it was amazing , smashes were crisp sound at a really loud boom sound , clears were effortless I use plastics :3 still haven't broke this string I'm glad
     
  13. llpjlau

    llpjlau Regular Member

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    I've had these strings on my racket for about 2 weeks now. Strung it @ 24lbs ECP with 10% pre-stretch on some mains and some crosses (personal preference).

    If I have to sum up my thoughts on these strings in one sentence, it has to be this: I'm surprised there has not been more hype or interest in them. Playing with them freshly strung, it was decent. But after a few sets, there was a definite WOW factor.

    Power is there. Clears are accurate and almost effortless. Smashes are fun to play (i.e. good feedback and repulsion). Drops from the backcourt are accurate and respond well to how fast or slow you want to play them.

    They are more slippery than the Zymax range (e.g. ZM62 & ZM65) that I've been playing with prior to trying these Adidas strings. Understandably, players may feel that control at the front court will suffer. However, I have not found this to be the case for me. Net shots seem tighter and more accurate, so I would say it offers a good balance between power and control.

    In terms of holding tension and durability, I would rate them better than BG66UM. They may not hold tension as well as ZM65 but it's not too bad in my opinion. The only other Adidas strings that I've tried is the Power Tour 66 and these Adipower Pro strings are MUCH MUCH better. I was so put off by the PT66 that I was reluctant to even try any other Adidas strings and I'm glad that I gave the Adipower Pro strings a chance.

    In short, if you have access to these strings, I suggest you give them a try. I've found them to be very good and they may very well replace the Zymax range as my go-to strings.
     
  14. wguan126

    wguan126 Regular Member

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    Any new insights into this string, anybody?
     
  15. decora

    decora New Member

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    Sorry for resurrecting an old thread but I would also like to hear more feedback on this strings.
    Found a bunch in an obscure shop and bought a pack to try based on the review here. No immediate restringing in the next few weeks yet.
    Currently just got back to playing leisurely and trying different strings and tensions.
     

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