i just received some samples of the D&A shuttlecock for review. it is a brand local to S. Cal. they have this range: Red - Tournament Grade Goose Feather Green - Tournament 2nd Grade Goose Feather Yellow - Premium Grade Duck Feather Blue - Premium 2nd Grade Duck Feather Orange - Practice Grade Duck Feather Black - Practice Grade Duck Feather here are some photos. review will come later.
From the pictures : The goose feathers on RED model (tournament grade) are not straightly.... Also the glue work seems not very good. Have you test it ?
These are already sold locally in San Diego area. Most people play Blue label, which is more like RSL#5 or so.
impressive photography .. reflection off the table is still clear.. how solid are these compared to other major brands? price too?
Corp. Challenge 2009 @ GGBC DNA Shuttles, Red Label, top goose feathers grade, will be used at Corp. Challenge 2009 at GGBC coming Sunday 05/31/09.
I have seen these being used at UCSD.. kwun, who did you contact to get some samples for review? I may order a big batch for my school club for practices since I heard they are pretty cheap (in addition to Aeroplane EG1130s for matches and hosted matches)
contact Andy : andytran1011@yahoo.com i have tested them and will post a review some time next week. this week is crazy busy for me.
Wah Very nice shuttlecocks... I agree with markache, Goose feathers and red model is not to strightly, it is not first class goose feathers. But it's all goose feathers, they didn't mix with duck. It's still ok, all full double wings ^^...
So far I tried 2 type of D&A RED and Black. Red --> consistent flight pattern and durability is pretty good. Black --> Not consistent flight pattern however for practice birdie pretty durable. Kwun do you have review for other type of D&A shuttle.
Quickie review on 2 of them.. ..okay, here is my review on 2 of the (lowest) models, Black & Orange (both speed 78). Black : good speed, good flight but avg durability. Orange : a bit faster, same flight and a bit better durability than the Black model. I played a match, using **only** 1 of these shuttles, for nearly all 3 games. We smashed & sliced the birdie. Will try the other 4 models soon. From what i gathered, for regular club play, a lot of people prefer the Black and the Yellow (for a bit more high paced play).
I have been using D & A birds as my primary birds for almost a year now. I've used the black, yellow, and red grade birdies. They are all a good price for what grades they are. Black: These are practice grade birds so they won't last long if you do a lot of smashing. The flight pattern isn't that great, but these last me about a half game. The feathers break off fairly easily from mi shits. I don't prefer these birds because they don't last long enough, I would say they are on par with Yonex AS-10 birds. Yellow: This are my prefered bird. Flight pattern is consistent and the cork is harder than the black grade birds. Even from a few mis hits these birds stay intact. These birds can survive around 50 smashes. I would say these are better than Yonex AS-30 birds. Red: These are great birds, but pricey. They are tournament grade birds. These have a harder cork than the yellow, so they can take more of a beating. These can almost last me a whole set. These are meant to be on par with Yonex AS-50 birds, I've never used Yonex AS-50's so I wouldn't know how these 2 birds compare. I've looked around for cheaper birds, but price/performance ratio on these can't be beat.
Actually, if the cork or base feels hard or heavy it is due to air resistance from a less than optimal dynamic design, specifically caused by the feathers part being heavier than the cork/base. The base should always be heavier than the feathers part for the best playability albeit at the cost of a slight decrease in durability, because the feathers part are lighter. A heavier base/cork feels light and punchy, ideal for stroke making and use of the wrist, and the shuttle turns over faster which means the shuttle will fall more vertically and less parabolic-great for high clears, high service and that spinning short serve.
^^Here are the prices..^^ http://badmintonsupplies.net/ (Local baddy shop in Los Angeles, also one of the distributors for Andy; Go to the 'Shuttles' link) Note, those are store/online prices per tube. If you buy in bulk, you'll get a discount. Also, if you buy in person (through Andy), you can get them slightly cheaper.
I've been playing w/ D&A yellow and found it quite consistent and durable. One birdie definitely lasts more than a game for me.
How much can you get your D& A yellow tube for? I have the black one, i get it around $10 a tube, but thinking about upgrade if not too expensive.
