Is the quality of the shuttlecock affected if the shuttlecock is stored for a long period of time before use (let say one to two years)?
Normally, the feather will start to "degrade and dry out" a little bit after 6 months , 1 year is the upper limit. If the shuttle is stored for like 2 years, you will see the difference right away when you compare it to a new tube of shuttles.
You don't store shuttles, you just use it as soon as possible, and the upper limit is 1 year, so make sure you don't buy too many tubes of shuttles one time.
Is it not the humidity that is doing the damage, not the temperature? The shuttles dry out after a long time and become brittle on impact. It's the whole reasoning behind rehydrating shuttles with steam and wet sponges. Placing them in a fridge will only accelerate the drying process as the air in the fridge is drier. Just like how you turn on the A/C in the winter in the car to get rid of the moisture causing the fogging, the fridge extracts the moisture over time.
Well, shops are keeping shuttles in cold. And professional players say that shuttles must be stored in cold. I have never tried that, so I dont know if it works. Maybe you should freeze them?
If you store shuttles too long the head (the white round part that u hit) will become brittle and the whole head will break lose from the feathers after a few hits. Proven with Yonex AS 20 after i stored the shuttles for 6-7 years. 4 shuttles head came flying out in a double games i played using those old shuttles. I stored them in the tube around 30 degree C temp for those long years.
steam shuttlecock I have tried this method, the results was good. http://www.shuttlecock.com/Resources/Shuttlecock/hydrate-steaming.php http://www.shuttlecock.com/Resources/Shuttlecock/index.php
If you are just trying to steam shuttles, it would only work for periods under 1 year. Plus steaming is for prolonging the feather parts of the shuttle, it's not going to do much good for the whole shuttle storing life. For more than 1 year (like the 6 years example), nothing would work as aging is a very big factor to shuttles other than humidity. The glue and the head will start to degrade as they get older and older. So, don't buy too many shuttles at one time, just buy enough for 6 months-1 year use, and then order a new batch again
here is a counter example of what most have claimed so far. i have been using more than a year's old shuttles and they are all fine. i think we bought them (200 tubes) in the middle or early last year and they were stored in closets. we are still using them today and they aren't any different than new. in fact, much better than some of the shuttle most ppl use!
Yes, I understand your saying, perhaps 1 year is not long enough? Let's try the 7 years example I have. There is a tube of shuttles (victor champions) in my place in Taiwan which was from 7 years ago. The tube is stored very nicely inside the closet, and that's the reason I didn't notice until March this year (2004). Then when I took it out, the head of the shuttle already felt weird, and the feather felt not so dry (since Taiwan is a very humid country), but very brittle. Aging is definetely there (as many pro shop owners would tell you the same thing), but it just matters at how soon it would be to make distinguishing difference
yeah. it may just depends on the brand and material used. the ones i have are very solid like they were new. i honestly don't see any difference. a good experiment is to save up one tube and then bring it out a few years later and report back....
Well, right now I can tell you that after 8 years my shuttles are still fine. They are not top brand, average quality. I just keep them in a closet and I would hydrate them 1/2 days before using them. The hydration method I use is just dip the feathers into hot water and immediately shake off the excess of water and store them back in the tube. I don't have many tubes left, and hope they can still last for at least another 2 years.
The proper way of storing shuttlecocks can be understood more easily when considering that the goose feathers which were once living material contain moisture and natural oil. This keeps them strong and supple and when they are in prime condition they can withstand the impacts of the racquet without breaking. The greatest care is taken during the manufacture of shuttles to ensure that all the moisture and natural oil is retained in the shuttles so that the finished shuttles are in the best possible playing condition when they leave the factory. Exposure to heat or low humidity will quickly reduce the moisture and natural oil content in the feathers, making them dry and brittle with a shorter playing life. Shuttles should be kept in a slightly damp atmosphere and in a temperature not exceeding 55°F. They should NEVER be stored in a dry cupboard or in any location which is centrally heated. They should NEVER be stored in a refrigerator nor warmed in front of a fire. Exposure to heat will not only dry the feathers out but will also dry out the cork base. If this happens the base may well go out of shape which distorts the ring of feathers and trouble with true flight follows. The length of flight of a shuttlecock is affected by changes of temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure. A shuttlecock will fly further in a hot court than in a cold court and it will also fly much further at a height of 5,000 feet than it will at sea level. It is necessary, therefore, to provide a wide choice of shuttlecocks of different lengths of flight so that shuttlecocks of the correct speed, as laid down in the Laws of Badminton, can be made available whatever the playing conditions may be.
For how long can you store shuttlecocks? If I buy, let's say, 10 dozens of feather shuttlecocks and stores them in my fridge, for how long can I keep them before they take damage. For six months, a year?
it's best to store your shuttles in a place where humidity is high. most badminton club buys a humidity closet... keeps the shuttles last for longer
