I'm looking to buy a new badminton racquet soon and have it re-strung to about 27/28lbs of tension but I don't know what string to buy. I heard BG-80 was one of the best, any clarifications on that? I'm a hard hitter who loves to smash but I do play with control to set up the smashes. Any answers greatly appreciated =) Thanks Haru
BG80 is one of them. BG65 with lots of prestretch and at high tensions >30 lbs is also popular. Then there is ZM62 and 65. My favourites.
First of all you can take a look at Sir Dink's String test. It's sticky in this section. IMO BG 80, Zymax 65 and NBG 99 are gorgeous strings. The tension depends of the thickness of the string. Thicker strings should be strung 2 lbs + to get a similar feeling. BG80 is my favorite if I compare it with Zymax 67, Zymax 65, NBG99, NBG 98, BG65, BG55, VS850, BG66, BG 68 Ti and BG66 Ultimax. The reason why I like BG80 most is the fact that it hold tension very well, I love the hard feeling which gives me an excellent feedback, nice control and the rough texture allows to slice alot. I personally think that you can't go wrong with BG80. Just give it a try. If you don't like the hard feeling, go for NBG 99. If you like thinner string, Zymax 65, BG 66 Ultimax and NBG 98 are good strings, but for me the BG 66 Ultimax loose tension too quickly, NGB 98 is a bit too slippy for my liking and Zymax 65 feels a bit too soft, but my experience with Zymax 65 is limited. It holds tension very well, but at the current tension it feels a bit soft and don't offer the feedback of a BG80. Maybe I should increase it, to get a better feedback. My default tension for BG80 currently 30 lbs Vs. Zymax 65 at 28 lbs.
my ranking for the strings that i have used 1) Yonex BG 80 power 2) Yonex BG66 ultimax 3) Yonex NBG 95 4) Yonex NBG 98 5) Victor VS-850
My current go to string is ZM65. A serial string breaker, I wanted a durable string which had a good amount of feel and held tension well. Can't say I have been disappointed. I have not tried the ZM62 yet due the fear of its thinner gauge.
BG80 is a good choice - differences between strings at that level start to become more subjective and individual. e.g. i like BG65 at 28-30lbs, NBG98 at 28lbs, BG66 at 26lbs. I don't like NBG95 but others do like it. NBG99 feels a bit softer but doesn't offer much difference in actual play (IMHO). I'd go for 24-26lbs tension initially so that you have a bigger sweet spot with your new racquet. The good thing about strings is that if you want to try different ones, it's easy to experiment with - cut the strings and put a new set in (notwithstanding the expense). It's like having a new set of clothes or haircut. BTW, can you trust your stringer to put strings in at 28lbs without abnormally stressing the racquet frame?
So what's the conversion for thinner string vs thicker string tension? A ZM62 @24lbs is = BG80 @?? Or in other words a 0.62mm @24lbs = 0.68 @?? I wonder cause I have only had ZM62, BG66UM, ZM65 recently and all at around 24lbs.
^ Probably 1-2 lbs higher. But one is medium feel and other is very hard feel, so feel would be different.
So would it be safe to say +1lbs for every gauge you go up in tension equivalence? 24lbs ZM62 = 25lbs ZM65 = 26lbs ZM67 = 27lbs ZM70?
victor vs850, if you hit hard enough, you'll get the power, but because of its stiffness, you'll get the control as well
your preferences sounds dangerously like mine! my top preferences : NBG98 (25x27) for its repulsion BG66 UM (24x26) for its repulsion ZM 62 gen 1 (23x25) for its crispiness, repulsion and unique sound Lining AP62+ (23x25) rivals BG66UM in repulsion although it seems a little more elastic than ZM62 Gosen R4X100 (24x26) (only for the first couple of games before tension goes horribly) ZM65 (24x26) for its superb power Gosen R4x110 (24x26) for its superb surface roughness that seriously bites into the shuttle, and excellent power
Victor VS850 all the way. I love the sounds, repulsion, and repulsion of it. I tried BG80P, which is supposedly similar but it felt NUMB. No feel whatsoever.
I prefer thicker strings and here are my favourite ones: 1. BG80P 2. VS850 3. NBG99 4. NBG95 5. BG65Ti 6. BG68Ti I also find that some strings work on some racquets but not others. For example, I find my Arc 8DX plays best with NBG99 whereas my BSLYD plays best with BG80P or VS850. However I seem to prefer NBG95 on my ArcZS. I've tried thinner gauge (0.62-0.67) strings and really don't get along with them. I've also tried several Li-Ning and Ashaway strings and really don't like any of them. I would appreciate some recommendations on strings from other manufacturers if anyone can relate to my preferences. I'd be interested in trying Addidas or Gosen strings at some point.