Panda Power: A Racket That Can Take 40lbs. String Tension!

**Sen_jie** · 04-06-2010, 11:23 PM

wow thank bro visor! i didn;t know that. now i can try that on my old racket

i got a question. when people talk abt weight and BP, do they weight it when the grip and strings are in? or without?

and how do they accurately measure the BP?

do you have a picture of how the tape looks like?

**BrioCloud** · 04-06-2010, 11:38 PM

Is there a website where I can find Dinkalot's rackets? Or do I have to scroll through 112 pages of this thread to understand all these rackets?! =[

**maa2003** · 04-06-2010, 11:52 PM

Originally Posted by BrioCloud

Is there a website where I can find Dinkalot's rackets? Or do I have to scroll through 112 pages of this thread to understand all these rackets?! =[

http://dcbadminton.blogspot.com

e-mail the nearest agent or direct to Dink ...

**visor** · 04-06-2010, 11:52 PM

Originally Posted by Sen_jie

wow thank bro visor! i didn;t know that. now i can try that on my old racket

i got a question. when people talk abt weight and BP, do they weight it when the grip and strings are in? or without?

and how do they accurately measure the BP?

do you have a picture of how the tape looks like?

1. I believe Sir Dink measures it "dry", ie. without strings and overgrip.

2. However, when strings and a light overgrip (eg. Yonex 102EX) is included, I find that the bp is maintained quite similarly to "dry", as the overgrip balances with the strings quite evenly. I've gotten a few T2's from Dink and find that to be quite true.

3. BP is measured with a sharp edge (I use a ruler's edge) and the ruler can be used to measure the distance from the butt cap to the bp. Accuracy is probably around +/- 1mm.

4. Tape. Any thin light fabric tape will do, eg. athletic tape, trainer's tape, physio tape, hockey tape, etc.

**alana07** · 04-07-2010, 12:54 AM

Originally Posted by visor

We're talking about only a few inches of thin athletic tape, probably weighing less than 1 g. The racket doesn't feel any heavier at all. We're not needing as much tape as Lin Dan's racket.

However, the very slight increase in head mass (ie. shift in bp by 2-5 mm) noticeably and significantly affects the power of the shot and the swing speed. This is how one can easily tune the racket to balance between defence and attack.

Try it! You might like it! What have you got to lose?

just a fyi....1 inch of the lead tape is = 1 gram, this is according to the Head lead tape's packaging which i purchased previously.

**singnflip4life** · 04-07-2010, 01:11 AM

True true alana07. I use the Gamma half-inch tape, which weighs .5g per inch. The tape however is too wide for any of my rackets, so I cut it in half, which makes every inch I use effectively .25g instead.

It also fits perfectly in the grooves at the top of my T2 racket, so that's how I modify my racket's sweetspot, at the 10.5 o'clock and the 1.5 o'clock positions, without it being blatantly obvious. The Gamma tape also sticks really well, but doesn't leave behind a residue after removal.

**illusionistpro** · 04-07-2010, 01:13 AM

regarding the lead tape, it also matters the width of the tape, i think it comes in different widths

**visor** · 04-07-2010, 01:20 AM

Originally Posted by alana07

just a fyi....1 inch of the lead tape is = 1 gram, this is according to the Head lead tape's packaging which i purchased previously.

That may be too much... I just googled.

Lead tape is mostly used in tennis (not badminton because it is too heavy and dense to allow finer adjustment) in 1/2 and 1/4 inch width strips, weighing 1/2 g and 1/4 g per inch length respectively.

So, in comparison to the light athletic tape, I'm sure that the 6 inches x 0.25 inches that I use may come close to 0.5 g at most.

**DinkAlot** · 04-07-2010, 05:36 AM

With all this talk about altering rackets:

DC Badminton does NOT condone the use of lead, athletic tape or any other substance to alter the balance point or weight of the racket.

Panda Power rackets are specifically designed to perform a certain way. By altering the racket, you are altering the dynamics.

Of course since it's your racket, you can do what you want with it but we strongly advise against it.

**huangxl** · 04-07-2010, 09:46 AM

If you were to alter the bp using tape or something. What is the whole point of having ea individual racket weigh and bp measure. Might as well as dink sent it out from china factory straight away so we can alter.

**visor** · 04-07-2010, 10:50 AM

Of course, I can understand Panda's position on modifying racket characteristics. It would change how it feels and swings. .......................But that is the whole point of tweaking the bp with tape. We're not like hollowing out or sanding the handle down or anything destructive or irreversible................For professional players (and me), it's done to match rackets so that they feel and swing the same. I also fine tune it because I haven't exactly settled on the best bp for me in terms of balance between attack and defence. And I can't afford to buy several rackets with varying bp's to try out. Plus I can always change the bp on the fly depending on my mood that day.

**ormy4** · 04-07-2010, 10:59 AM

Agree with visor a good way to find out what you like. When you do determine what suits you just order that in the future. That or just sell it and keep ordering more like me

. Then again I have never really been known as the sharpest knife in the drawer. Just ask Dan when I write him letters explaining
what I want sometimes.

**singnflip4life** · 04-07-2010, 11:01 AM

I have to agree with Visor. But there are other characteristics that cannot be adjusted just by asking Sir Dink, like the position or size of the sweetspot. In total, I used a 1/4 of a gram to tweak the sweetspot to the position ideal for me. Of course, this is circumventing my consistantly off depth perception, but it helps me play better while I fix my footwork.

The 1/4 gram I used only seemed to minutely change the bp and weight of the racket.

**gapperonduty** · 04-07-2010, 11:08 AM

what are the ranges of bp that allows you to actually feel a difference in the racket!?

For me, somewhat an intermediate who can certainly hit and return a hit

, i could discern between a 300bp (a900P and a900T), and a 286bp (T2). But a 280bp (apacs ns9900) and 284bp (apacs ns9000) swing like the T2 while the 294bp Tantrum200 swings like the 900T. So i guess i am not that 'sensitively professional' yet...

though i still like the idea of determining and tweaking my racket to a range of preferred bp...

, and still learning how to define my meaning of "preferred"

**singnflip4life** · 04-07-2010, 11:26 AM

I'm not good at all, barely D-level IMO, but an extra half gram at the head definitely changed the T2, which is why I reduced it to a quarter of a gram, and while that still did change the bp to me, it wasn't enough to bother me in a game.

It depends on the player really. The HPS is not supposed to be that different compared to the T2 except I feel a huge difference between them despite same bp and swing weight. My point is, some players may be naturally more "attuned" than others.

**gapperonduty** · 04-09-2010, 11:58 AM

Just got my new T2 from Dinkalot (many a million thanks Dan for the nice packaging!

)!

Placed it side by side with the old one, and it is confirmed! I like the new look better! but who cares about looks anyway right?

Nevertheless, i thought i just post here a quickie regarding how the swing of the new T2 felt a tiny winy puny tad slower than my old T2. Really tiny winy puny tad slower, but definitively discernible, and yet the specs are only tiny winy puny tad higher at 86g/289bp compared to the old 285/286bp. Don't think it will affect anything, but to the specs conscious (me) and to the specs-cum-performance paranoid (me), i can certainly feel the slight difference...

But ANY OLD WAY, the paint looks good! the racket feels nice! All those wonderfully packed shebangs!

can't wait till ~2 weeks later to try it out on court...ankle right now just refused to heal faster..............