Strings most playable just before it pops?

Discussion in 'Badminton String' started by Wizbit, Mar 6, 2005.

  1. Wizbit

    Wizbit Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2002
    Messages:
    768
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Testing ladie's lingerie
    Location:
    UK - London, Birmingham
    I wonder who else feels that their strings are extra playable just before a string pops? By extra playability or enhanced playability I mean extra power on clears and smashes and great feel on drop/netshots.

    On more than a few occasions has the string snapped after a series of super smashes or deep clears. The smashes are thunderous in sound too :p

    It's gotten to the stage where I can feel the racquet is about to break within half an hour of continued play.

    It's like I don't need to put in as much effort as normal but get even better results. The last I recall these circumstances were on CBG100, BG66, BG88ti and BG68ti.

    Happened both in extremely cold and hot weather. String usually snaps on mains 30-40% down from top and a little off centre, either slighlty towards left or right. :confused::confused::confused:
     
  2. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2004
    Messages:
    6,526
    Likes Received:
    25
    Occupation:
    Designing and producing quality feather shuttlecoc
    Location:
    Hong Kong
    No, not true, the older the string the worse it's performance. The racquet is at it's best when it has freshly strung string; anything over a month old becomes soft. A newly strung string has maximum elasticity, an old string minimal. Try to cut your one month old string and then restring with the same string and at the same tension. There is a difference, everytime.
    If your newly strung string plays better after a few days than when new, then this is probably due to grossly uneven tensioning, which takes a few days to even out.
     
  3. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    23,818
    Likes Received:
    4,791
    Occupation:
    wannabe badminton phototaker
    Location:
    Outside the box
    My preference is for new strings. If the strings are about to break, I get very little return out of them. In fact, I'll change the strings before they break now because it's no use to play with the racquet.
     
  4. Neil Nicholls

    Neil Nicholls Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2002
    Messages:
    2,908
    Likes Received:
    10
    Location:
    Cannock, UK
    restring 1 pound lower and see if it plays the way you like it from new
     
  5. Magic Orco

    Magic Orco Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2003
    Messages:
    28
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    The Netherlands
    I wont actually say its "more playable", but i do agree I feels a little more powerful near the end of the strings life. I tend to think thats the result of tensionloss because of stringdamage. I could be very wrong, though.

    Edit: BTW:I always play with BG-66, and kinda feel the same thing with this string, Dont no if thats with other strings aswell.
     
    #5 Magic Orco, Mar 7, 2005
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2005
  6. xtag.my

    xtag.my Regular Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2005
    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Malaysia
    I agree with Neil Nicholls, that is try string your racket 1 to 1.5 lbs less and see what happens. Many players are not "comfortable" with newly strung rackets ( assuming that the rackets are properly strung), becoz the tensions are not "right". Too high .. or too low.
     
  7. TrueBlue

    TrueBlue Regular Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2005
    Messages:
    333
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Germany
    i think its because the strings get thinner before they break...
     
  8. chickenpoodle

    chickenpoodle Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 21, 2004
    Messages:
    1,237
    Likes Received:
    6
    Location:
    Alberta, Canada
    i prefer strings when they are freshly strung, have sat for 24 hours, and after 2-3 hours of usage.
    then they feel great.
    as they age, they get worse.
     
  9. Wizbit

    Wizbit Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2002
    Messages:
    768
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Testing ladie's lingerie
    Location:
    UK - London, Birmingham
    I too prefer fresher strings, but what I mean is that they are 'extra playable' during the last moments of its life ;)
     
  10. jamesd20

    jamesd20 Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2003
    Messages:
    5,436
    Likes Received:
    3
    Occupation:
    Construction
    Location:
    Leeds, UK
    Well the longer you play with the strings, the more "in tune" you feel with them. If you dont restring often (say only once a year) then your tension will gradually reduce, and you will change to like it. When it is restrung the change is huge, so may not feel as good because you are not used to it.

    If you use moderate tensions (upto 22lbs) then the likelyhood is that they will last a long time, so this effect will be greater. Using higher tensions mean the string will break more often, so the effect is reduced.
     
  11. Neil Nicholls

    Neil Nicholls Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2002
    Messages:
    2,908
    Likes Received:
    10
    Location:
    Cannock, UK
    but James,
    it is something different that he can feel before the strings break, so before the restring

     
  12. jamesd20

    jamesd20 Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2003
    Messages:
    5,436
    Likes Received:
    3
    Occupation:
    Construction
    Location:
    Leeds, UK
    I did think that, but couldnt come up with a reasonable explanation bar divine intervention!


    It may be due to non-feel factors, eg. maybe you think it might be time to restring, you can see the strings fraying, or just hit a few bad hits. These may then make you think "they are going to snap" which they will eventually.
     
  13. LazyBuddy

    LazyBuddy Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 20, 2002
    Messages:
    10,096
    Likes Received:
    15
    Occupation:
    Engineer
    Location:
    New York, US
    I agree.

    Since string tension tends to drop significantly within the 1st 48-72 hrs, many players tend to put 1-2 lb more than the desired range. Therefore, it takes time to get the string to settle in, and let the player to get the "touch feeling" about it.

    With my personal experience with BG85 (@22*24lb), the best service time is usually between 2nd session and going on for 1-2 weeks. After that, it's usually down to the last week of life of my string, and sometimes, it just feels dead.
     
  14. Wizbit

    Wizbit Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2002
    Messages:
    768
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Testing ladie's lingerie
    Location:
    UK - London, Birmingham
    Yes Neil gets my point. I like higher tensions, the highest I have had on my racquets are 24 pounds, but stringers around here are reluctant to string more than 22 unless I take it to a pro shop. At £15 pound minimum a pop, it lasts about two months usually on 22 pounds tension which I think is reasonable.

    I have tried lower tension but to be honest anything lower than 21 pounds feels too soft, no feel.

    My personal theory would be as the strings fray and thin out, it creates extra or unequal stress on the strings...secondly, the lower tension creates a larger sweetspot. The strings wear thinner and thinner and subsequently more stress each time I hit the sweetspot and eventually it will give in. :D The increased sweetspot and momentarily increased tension is what gives me that extra feel. Hardly scientific but until someone else provides me with a better theory ;)

    I would still be happy to have the ability to feel when my strings will snap :D:cool:

    I think it is rather cool that the string is giving me its all with its last breath :)




     
  15. Wizbit

    Wizbit Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2002
    Messages:
    768
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Testing ladie's lingerie
    Location:
    UK - London, Birmingham
    Actually I like strings when they are newly strung. I don't change to like lower tensions...financial constraints forces me to stick to it :p


     
  16. jamesd20

    jamesd20 Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2003
    Messages:
    5,436
    Likes Received:
    3
    Occupation:
    Construction
    Location:
    Leeds, UK

    I thought the point of this thread was that you felt it had more feel + power when strings are old? But you dont like more feel and power?:)
     
  17. Neil Nicholls

    Neil Nicholls Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2002
    Messages:
    2,908
    Likes Received:
    10
    Location:
    Cannock, UK
    How often are you in Birmingham?
    I don't charge much for stringing
     
  18. charzord

    charzord Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 1, 2004
    Messages:
    393
    Likes Received:
    2
    Occupation:
    Student
    Location:
    markham, canada
    My strigns feel the best after 2 hours of playing after restringing. The first 2 hours feel really bad, but after the strings settles, it rocks...........for an hour or two :p.
     
  19. Prajan

    Prajan Regular Member

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2005
    Messages:
    11
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    UK
    My strings are over 1.5 years old (BG68ti's on MP66 and playing 7 hours a week). I have been noticing less power and the strings seem quite loose. Is it worth getting it restrung then?? My friends raquet is 20lbs and that seems to have tighter strings than mine, so i have no idea how low the tension is on mine.I thought lower tension = more power or something??

    Thanks for any help or suggestions
     

Share This Page