Shifting from Ashaway to Yonex strings??

Discussion in 'Badminton String' started by Runner23, Jan 31, 2003.

  1. Runner23

    Runner23 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2003
    Messages:
    82
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Stock Analyst
    Location:
    Orange County, USA
    I have playes with the 21 gauge 0.70 mm Micropower string from Ashaway for the past few years now.
    I initially loved this string because of the surface texture of it. Very rough, indeed.
    Now, however, as I have been continually increasing the tension of my strings I have started to become slightly disappointed in the Ashaway string.

    What do you guys think about the Micropower?

    I am considering shifting to, perhaps, a bg-66. Any thought on that?
    What my fellow national training team members tell me is that this is probably the best string for the offensive hardhitter.
     
  2. LazyBuddy

    LazyBuddy Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 20, 2002
    Messages:
    10,096
    Likes Received:
    15
    Occupation:
    Engineer
    Location:
    New York, US
    BG66 has good power and nice feeling. The only downside is, this string broke very easily due to its ultra thin nature - 0.66mm.

    I have friends in my club, who are hard hitters (but not even close to be a pro) broke their BG66 like at least 2-3 times per months. Since BG66 is kinda pricy (labor is even higher) in us, they decide to go with BG65 and BG70pro later on.

    If u can afford the price and labor (also notice, frequently re-string may have side effect to ur rackets, too), sure, go with BG66. If can't, maybe u have to settle down on some other better overall choices.

    Just a suggestion... correct me if I am wrong.
     
  3. Runner23

    Runner23 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2003
    Messages:
    82
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Stock Analyst
    Location:
    Orange County, USA
    Hi Lazybuddy,

    The price is not really a question as the entire Danish national team is sponsored by Yonex, so we get strings for free.

    I was just being curious about the bg-66 string.
     
  4. LazyBuddy

    LazyBuddy Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 20, 2002
    Messages:
    10,096
    Likes Received:
    15
    Occupation:
    Engineer
    Location:
    New York, US
    It's good for u. If u can get ur hand on BG66, try it.

    However, I heard that Yonex only supplies BG65 for pros... since it's more durable. :D
     
  5. Joseph

    Joseph Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2002
    Messages:
    1,247
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    BG65 only provided for pros? Umms...im pretty sure you can just buy that anywhere you want. One of my racquets are strung with BG65. The other 2 are strung with BG85. What you heard is only a rumor...i think. If not, then im one very lucky guy to be living near a store that sells BG65.
     
  6. LazyBuddy

    LazyBuddy Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 20, 2002
    Messages:
    10,096
    Likes Received:
    15
    Occupation:
    Engineer
    Location:
    New York, US
    Nononon... it's the other way around.

    What I meant is, "Out of all kinds of strings, Yonex provide only BG65 (only this model of string) to pros". Since BG65 is cheap, good overall performance and durable.

    Of course, we all can buy BG65. Most of my rackets are using BG65, too.

    Sorry for the confusion. Me no English again??? :confused:
     
  7. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    21,811
    Likes Received:
    23
    Occupation:
    Surfing, reading fan mails:D, Dilithium Crystal hu
    Location:
    Basement Boiler Room
    LB, yonex give bg65 to the team. The top sponsored players can get any strings they wanted from yonex for free.
     
  8. LazyBuddy

    LazyBuddy Regular Member

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

    good... more knowledge about "sponsorship".

    and one more reason to be jealous about those pros... :D
     
  9. Pete LSD

    Pete LSD Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    6,297
    Likes Received:
    13
    Occupation:
    Soul Searching
    Location:
    Canada
    Runner23,

    Welcome onboard. We have another Danish Pro joining us at Badmintonforum!

    Since durability and thus cost is not an issue to you, BG-66 is an offensive string very well suited for smashs and drives, period.

    Just curious . . . what tension your racquets are strung?
     
  10. Yodums

    Yodums Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 19, 2003
    Messages:
    973
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    Go test new strings as money is not a conern in this scenario! :eek:

    Order some BG-88Ti strings from Japan while you're at it :D
     
  11. Runner23

    Runner23 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2003
    Messages:
    82
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Stock Analyst
    Location:
    Orange County, USA
    Pete,

    Thank you for your kind words. Although there does not seem to be too many other Danish players in this forum. I could, of course, be mistaken, but that was my initial impression. It seems to mainly consist of Asians, Americans and Canadians.

    I've never heard any of the others at the national training talking about this forum either.

    Just to clear something up for all of you guys: On the nationally sponsored training (sponsored by Yonex) we can get all the strings we want for free, but most people use the BG-65 classic, because it has been around for ages, and most of the players have become very used to this string as they were also playing it before they were accepted to this training. Also, on the unofficial side (I hope our stringer doesn't use this forum), it appears as if he strings racquets with BG-65 faster-probably because that is the bulk of the racquets.

    To get back to your question, Pete, I usually play with 33-34 lbs. Using the Slim-10 by the way. This is dangerous, by the way on this racquet. And this is with the "progressive" kind of stringing described in here as well.
    But recently I have begun to go even higher, due to both curiosity and the fact that getting one's hands on the Slim-10 is becoming exceedingly difficult, and Yonex is trying to pressure most of us into the newer models (of course).

    Just a friendly piece of advice regarding the high tensions- rigorous training is required to be able to use this kind of tension properly. And I am not only thinking about technique here. One must be physically prepared for it as well. Using this tension compared to a standard 25 lbs. unleashes an entirely different shock throughout the arm and shoulder. This easily leads to fiber injuries etc. which can be an annoying part of the game for several months. So tread with care.
     
  12. Pete LSD

    Pete LSD Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    6,297
    Likes Received:
    13
    Occupation:
    Soul Searching
    Location:
    Canada
    Training for Extremely High Tension

    Thanks Runner23!

    As of recently I had the unfortunate experience of having my Babolat Comet & Pulsar strung at 28 lbs with the 1 string, 2 ties string method. I don't know what the Blow Joe stringer did but the string felt like more than 28 lbs. It was more like 30 + lbs. I think the stringer strung all mains and crosses at 28 lbs. There was no repulsiveness but I could live with that. However, the shock to my elbow was something totally unexpected. I mean it hurt.

    I have plenty of experience with Luxis's 28 lbs and 30 lbs progressive string job. NO PROBLEM THERE but this Blow Joe Stringer really screwed up!!! Another side effect of this very bad string job was the cracking of the Comet & Pulsar. :mad:

    Runner23, what type of strength training is required for someone to take 33 + lbs of tension? Besides squash racquet, push ups, weight training, . . . etc?
     
  13. Runner23

    Runner23 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2003
    Messages:
    82
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Stock Analyst
    Location:
    Orange County, USA
    Pete,

    As with any sport weight training is a great preventative discipline in order to prevent injuries from happening. The same thing is happening in golf (a sport not entirely unfamiliar with badminton). Golfers continually hit the ball farther than ever, and this of course puts a tremendous pressure on the entire arm and shoulder region. This is the main reason why so many of them have now incorporated daily weight training in their exercise.

    As far as badminton is regarded, in addition to weight training, flexibility and resilience is important.
    It is mostly important not to overdo anything right away. The human body can withstand very much but slow adaptation is the key. You cannot simply go from 25 to 33 lbs from one day to the next without expecting some kind of injury to your arm. Slowly stepping up is vital here. As a transition phase you can also thicker, more shock-absorbing grips, which will by no means decrease your power, but reduce stress to your arm & shoulder region. The elbow joint and the lower biceps are particularly dangerous zones as they are the most prone to injuries in this case.
    I usually do both bench press and biceps curls to prepare my arm for the daily beating it gets on the badminton court.
    But weight training should not merely be utilized as a preventative tool against injuries. It works wonders for improving your overall game as as power, control and footwork is regarded. Badminton pros today also use comparably much more time in the weight room than 10 years ago because there is so much to gain from it.
    Without it, we would never be able to surpass the 400 km/h limit on the smash :)
    Or go from the back of the court to the net in 2½ steps.
     
  14. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    21,811
    Likes Received:
    23
    Occupation:
    Surfing, reading fan mails:D, Dilithium Crystal hu
    Location:
    Basement Boiler Room
    runner23, i suggest u start easing into other newer yonex racket as slim10 ain't gonna last at 33-34lbs. If u don't and yonex is out of slim 10, it will be a big change for you to start using a different racquet. Why do u want bg66 or micropower at 33-34lbs? An A and above players should able to strike a shuttle hard with 0.68 to 0.70 mm strings.
     
  15. Runner23

    Runner23 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2003
    Messages:
    82
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Stock Analyst
    Location:
    Orange County, USA
    Cooler,
    The reason why we prefer to thinner strings is control and only control. For a hard hitter the progressive gain in power from using a thinner string is minuscule.

    And yes, you are right about the Slim-10. As it has officially been discontinued for several years now, it is a problem that more and more pros have become aware of.

    That's why I am going to try out a few Carlton racquets and perhaps consider a sponsorship from them.

    By the way, the Slim-10 can hold high tension even though its construction in the frame is ultra thin. That is basically why so many of are still using them.
     
  16. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    21,811
    Likes Received:
    23
    Occupation:
    Surfing, reading fan mails:D, Dilithium Crystal hu
    Location:
    Basement Boiler Room
    Thanks for the clarification. Yes, i agreed with those points, i just want to hear it from the pros point of view. There is no doubt that thin strings give more feedback to the player's hand and better manipulation on the shuttles.

    Yes, it's true good stringers can string slim 10 at high tension properly and won't warp the racquet. However, above certain tension, the cumulative stress from shuttle impacts would weaken slim10 over the long term, ie, they will die out even without racquet clashes. (sorry for the general explanation, i don't want to throw out material science and mechanics terminologies here)
     
    #16 cooler, Feb 1, 2003
    Last edited: Feb 1, 2003
  17. Pete LSD

    Pete LSD Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    6,297
    Likes Received:
    13
    Occupation:
    Soul Searching
    Location:
    Canada
    Carlton's Aerogear 2000 and AB 2000 are the best high-tension and offensive racquets that come to mind. A very hard hitter just can't go wrong with them, but they are no longer in production. :(
     
  18. Pete LSD

    Pete LSD Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    6,297
    Likes Received:
    13
    Occupation:
    Soul Searching
    Location:
    Canada
    THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR INPUT RUNNER23!!!
     
  19. Runner23

    Runner23 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2003
    Messages:
    82
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Stock Analyst
    Location:
    Orange County, USA
    Pete,

    Anytime!! I am having a great time in this forum.

    Cooler, I am a pro. And regardless of who the stringer is, the Slim-10 will still warp- another reason why they are so sought after.
     
  20. Runner23

    Runner23 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2003
    Messages:
    82
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Stock Analyst
    Location:
    Orange County, USA
    Pete,

    You may be right about the choice of Carlton for hard hitters. I wouldn't know.
    I have been on the Yonex "payroll" for a long time and this season I switched to a sponsorship from the less known Danish manufacturer Forza which also makes great racquets. And by supporting Forza I also support Danish exports :- )
    But next week I will be getting a couple of racquets from Carlton Denmark to try them out.
    I will try to describe the differences between the three different brands when I have used the Carlton racquets a few times. I don't know what I will be getting other than the AS-1. Perhaps the AS-Ti. Perhaps some from the new Megaflex series. I don't know. They gave me some catalogues from their product line, but none of them contain the racquets you mentioned, probably because they are too old as you said.
     

Share This Page