Cause of very short string life (~hours)?

Discussion in 'Badminton String' started by zintoo, Feb 6, 2006.

  1. zintoo

    zintoo Regular Member

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    Recently I bought a new racket, Carlton Powerblade Lite (it looks good and the deal was nice). After ~20 minutes of playtime the string broke, as far as I can tell on the outside of the frame, on the top, slightly off centre.
    The shop was nice enough to replace it (after what follows I might have abused their return policy).
    The replacement racket lasted for 1.5h of playtime, before the same thing happened.

    Now for the question: I've never had a "real" coach, I've only played "for fun" once a week for a few years, so my technique is probably on the level of laughable. Searching through these fora I've learned that mishits will cause this kind of breakage. Can it be so bad that strings will break after only a few hits? I remember that I wasn't at all happy with my shots both times the string broke, timing and precision was way off.

    So, should I try and get yet another replacement or should I owe up to my lousy technique and pay for a re-stringing? Other facts that might be important: With my old racket, a Prince whose frame broke, I broke the string maybe once a year. Also of consideration is that it's winter here, with temperatures of -5C (although the racket is of course never subjected to the outside very long).
     
  2. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

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    There are many factors that can cause a string to break more quickly:

    • Higher tension
    • Thinner strings
    • Frequently mishitting the shuttle
    • Very powerful smashes
    • Poor stringer
    • Storage in a cold place (e.g. car boot overnight)

    Many stringers in racket shops do not have much knowledge of badminton. This can lead to bad string jobs.

    You should know what string and tension you use. Do not just leave it to the stringer to decide.

    If your strings break frequently, you can either:

    • Go to a different stringer; or
    • Reduce the tension and use thicker strings

    If you do not have any past experience of choosing a string and tension, I recommend Yonex Bg65 at 21 lbs tension. This is a thick string and a low tension -- it should NEVER snap. If it does, change your stringer.

    You can always try increasing the tension later.
     
  3. zintoo

    zintoo Regular Member

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    This was the factory string in both cases, and I've never thought much about tension and string type. I usually let the people at the place I play re-string, and I've never had reason to complain, so I guess I'll let them put on a BG-65 for me. And then maybe try and improve my technique a bit.
     
  4. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

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    It can't be the factory string both times :p Each racket has only one set of factory strings (or none), by definition.

    But factory strings and tensions tend to be conservative, so I'm surprised you broke it.
     
  5. zintoo

    zintoo Regular Member

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    Well, yes it was. Maybe it wasn't clear, but the shop replaced the racket, not the string.
     
  6. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

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    Wow :eek:

    It seems, then, that the factory stringing in your racket is not durable enough for you. Try a lower tension and a thicker string.
     
  7. theasiandude88

    theasiandude88 Regular Member

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    bg70 at a lower tension? i think that is considered pretty durable
     
  8. coops241180

    coops241180 Regular Member

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    hehe - i've had this before.. with all brands of racquets.. i know that central sports has a replacement policy on breakages within the frame.

    in general tho i think the factory strings are usually quite cheap, weak strings and have been in storage for a long time too, perhaps making them dry and brittle.

    this is rather annoying for a new player who isn't really fussed aboy strings / tension since you buya new racquet and the strings break on the first bad mishit..

    i call that bad customer service since it's never free to return goods to mail order companies..

    Coops
     
  9. Mag

    Mag Moderator

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    On all the Carltons I've had, I've broken the factory strings within a week, and often on the first session. Carlton's factory strings are utter crap, I'm afraid.

    I'm sorry, but my advice is to get a proper stringing job.

    Disclaimer: although unlikely with two new racquets, your breakages could still be an effect of a defective grommet or similar. However, the solution is the same: a proper stringer will replace bad grommets.

    Hope it works out!
     
  10. zintoo

    zintoo Regular Member

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    Mag: Yes, I've also heard from a friend now, who's at a comparable level, that he broke a Carlton factory string very fast. So right now the racket is re-stringed with a bg65. Come sunday I'll now if it worked out.
     
  11. crosscourt

    crosscourt Regular Member

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    I bought a Carlton Airblade Tour and had the same problem with the strings. I recall others on this forum saying the same thing. I think the answer is to get it restrung with better strings. I used Ashaway Microlegend XL, but the Yonex BG65 will last longer
     
  12. fast3r

    fast3r Regular Member

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    i bought an Airblade Superlite, and the factory string job was obviously done at an uneven tension - the frame was slighly bent, but I cut the strings out and it returned to its original shape... Carlton factory string jobs are terrible!:eek: :eek: :eek:
     
  13. lindanfan

    lindanfan Regular Member

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    i know that factory strings are pretty bad but they are normally quite durable. do you have any idea what tension they were? and what type of string they were?

    as you say that our level of play isn't that high i would choose a thick string like bg65, which will be more durable. also use a tension about 20/21 and see if that suits you. (i know other people have already said this but i was kind of just agreeing.
     
  14. zintoo

    zintoo Regular Member

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    With BG-65 the racket has survived two sessions with an embarassing amount of mishits and the like. Now I'm beginning to get used to it also, so all things are nice (excepts the extra money I spent on re-stringing a new racket). One more piece of evidence for Carlton's sub-standard factory string jobs I guess.
     
  15. zintoo

    zintoo Regular Member

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    Ack, third time's the charm. Broke the BG-65 in the third session. This time I know it was a hit just inside the frame. The guy in the shop told me there wasn't much to do, but they would reduce the price of re-stringing since I'm such a good customer.
    Badminton gets more and more expensive.
     
  16. Matt

    Matt Regular Member

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    Get the grommets checked out as well because it could also be an underlying factor.
     
  17. LazyBuddy

    LazyBuddy Regular Member

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    Unless you are a very powerful smasher, even frequent mis-hit should not kill BG65 this fast in numerous tries. Agree with Matt, let the stringer check the gromment(s), a broken/splitted gromment can kill the string in no time. :rolleyes:
     
  18. Matt

    Matt Regular Member

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    That happend to my SP 900 SA - The at least 4-5 grommets on the top of the head were shot (over time), which caused my Gosen Pro 66 (at 23.75 lbs) to break very fast. The first time I had the string with the racket, it lasted long. After the next series of string changes over time, the was lasting shorter and shorter until I had a close look at the grommets and noticed the top center had splits with sharp ends on it.

    The problem has been rectified since the grommets have been changed out with new original Yonex grommets.
     

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