What it your favorite string, tension and how long do they last? For my Swing Power SS, I have been using BG80s for the last two years strung at 24/22. It used to last 70-75 hours of play, but for the last few months the playtime has dropped to around 50 hours. I am not sure the reason behind this and I don't think it has anything to do with the winter as I don't keep the racket outdoor. This time around I reduced the tension to 22/20 and see if it would affect the playability and life expectancy. Let's compare notes.... Danny Boy
I just strung some gosen Biogut BS806 for the friend's SS at 24/25lbs. This is a good combo. I personally like this a little better than the BG85 that she had before. I still have to wait and see how long it will last. The other biogut string (BS811) last me quite long.
Hmmm, I personally like my BG-66's at 21/21 and my previous BG-80 at 21/21 also. My BG-80 seemed to last 2 months before I began to see a tear in the string so I replaced it immediatly with BG-70. During my period with the BG-80 I had some smashes that I never was capable of hitting before and it had OK control. Mainly when I missed a shot it was me. I never really gave the BG-70's a chance as I strung it for a week and I had bought a new racquet and I haven't touched that racquet ever since. I had it strung at 22/22 and clearing seemed fine. It didn't have much of a kick to it when I smashed. I just didn't feel that kick so it sort of affected my game. Now that it is down to 21-ish pounds, it should be better. I may try it again this week and see how it goes. With my new racquet, I have the BG-66's at 21/21 and it feels almost the same as the BG-80's. It has alot of kick and a tad more power. I really have nothing negative to say about this string and I think I'll be sticking with this string for sometime. The BG-68Ti would be my pick for durability and power. That string at 21 lbs lasted me 4 months before it just went dead and lost all feeling. That string seems to lose tension quick though so if you get it string it maybe a pound more than you would.
Well, ive tried both the 68ti and 65ti, and while im no expert, they both gave me a somewhat "slippery" feel, even at higher tensions. Also, BG85 seems to give me greater repulsion power even at higher tensions thanks to that Vectran stuff they put in it... Does 88ti also have it?
If you smash hard then BG85 isn't good, I've played with BG85 before, if you have it on ~22 lbs on ur racket, it starts frailing at the intersections after about 3-4 hrs of hard hitting. I myself tend to stick with BG70Pro or BG80 right now. As you said, the Ti coatings are kinda too slippery, hard for control for newbs lik me However, BG70Pro for me retains tension better, as for BG80... it kinda starts frailing after a few hrs of play as well...
What's this frail talk you talk about? LOL :] I found that when I used my BG-80's or 66's after 1-2 hours of play it sort of gets heated and I feel alot more repulsion. The BG-70 seem to lack feeling. I feel absolutely no kick when smashing!
I've only recently had some BG68Ti and I noticed it was slippery/smooth That should increase it's durability as when the crosses and mains rub against each other they will fray less
for me it depends on the racket, but bg68ti at about 27/28 is great for control around the net, and good touch. you need to put a bit of power in to get any distance though! doesn't tend to last all that long with me either. a month at most in general, a really hefty smash towards the end of that month and the first thing i do is look at the strings!
I tend to get frailing really fast for any string but the BG70Pro BG85 lasts me about 3-5 hrs BG80 lasts me about 10-20hrs BG70 will last me til the tension is too low for me to have any control wutsoever(18-20) since my skills at the net is not so good and perfer smashing or dropping from the back of the court and make the opponents un It mite be jus me, but I dont really need the extra repulsion in the racket as much as most people would(yes I got an oversized rite shoulder and rite arm in general)... in fact when I feel that the string is starting to get warmed up and is becoming more loose, I have to change rackets so i get that "dead" feeling back so... I would trade in the repulsion from BG80 for more control(aka the "deadness") of BG70Pro But I guess that's just me
Gosen Biogut BS 807 plays well but my strings seem to fraying with only limited usage. I suspect the strings will break fairly soon. Ron
I've tried some bg88ti recently, after reading a few reviews from BC. I was hoping it would hold the tension almost as well as my Rally 21... but sadly it was not to be. It only lasted me about 3-5 hours, which is about as long as your bg85, which is a big surprise since bg88ti's advantage over bg85 is supposed to be durability and how well it holds tension. After 5 hours of play, the tension dropped as much as my Rally 21 dropped in nearly 3 weeks. It's possible that I got a poor strining job there but since I've only know of one store that sells it in Toronto, I can't really compare with anywhere else.
I've tried some bg88ti recently, after reading a few reviews from BC. I was hoping it would hold the tension almost as well as my Rally 21... but sadly this was not to be. It only lasted me about 3-5 hours, which is about as long as your bg85, which is a big surprise since bg88ti's advantage over bg85 is supposed to be durability and how well it holds tension. After 5 hours of play, the tension dropped as much as my Rally 21 dropped in nearly 3 weeks. It's possible that I got a poor strining job there but since I've only know of one store that sells it in Toronto, I can't really compare with anywhere else. I might as well put up a short review of bg88ti here: great control while it lasts, with power to back it up. After a few hours, and the string is 'broken in', then control is very average, but the power is still there. Maybe i should have strung it as 26lb instead so that it settles around 24lb. (I prefer more control over power)
BRL, are you positive that what caused is this the slippery Ti coat? That's why it is mentioned all over these forums to string it 1-2lbs more than you would because you're going to get a huge loss in tension.
yes. i do find the same. bg88 is *not* the best when it comes to holding tension. however, as you said, you can string it higher. however, the gain from using bg88ti is not really the tension retention but instead the control. i still think bg85 has an slight edge when it comes to power, but hey, nothing is perfect..
what string is good for holding onto tension then(regardless of the brand) that still give you good control (nevermind the power, I'm looking more for control cuz power can come from lots of weight lifting )? cuz from all of the Yonex ones I've tried(80,85,70Pro,68Ti) I find that only 70 Holds tension somewut, the others all lose a lot of tension after being hit with hard. I've heard that BG65/BG65Ti holds tension well(too well in fact) that BG65/BG65Ti holds so well it's bad for the racket(i dunno how this works but I was told this)? Anyone actually had the extra time to go around comparing strings?
Folks: Thanks for your feedback. I am very happy with my BG80 in terms of sound, control, tension hold and price (Can$24 installed). The only exception is that it lasted 50 hours playing time. In hearing some of your feedback, you get less than 10-20 hours from your favorite stings. It looks like I have nothing to complain about. I hope by lowering the tension to 22 lbs it will last a bit longer. Danny Boy
If you want durability, go with the BG65. It is the best string for durability and the power is some what good too. If you have a real good smash, getting BG66 strings won't help you smash any harder. The increase will be minimal. Must be why pros use the BG65.