Has anyone used the new Ashaway Quill shuttles yet? They claim to be closer to feathers than any synthetic ever made, right down to recovery time. Sounds too good to be true, but seeing as half of the time i'm stuck training with plastic, i'd be interested in them if they even half lived up to what they claimed! So has anyone tried them? Or maybe someone just knows a lot about them? Anyone still sponsored by Ashaway here?
how do they look? Like traditional nylon birds /w new material or do they have some new design shape?
It looks like it uses the standard nylon skirt, only it's attached to hard plastic pillars kind of like the "bones" on feathers. Looks very promising. I couldn't find any information on its weight though... i'd love to play with a nylon that weighs as much as a feather even if it still flies like a nylon
Hi, I got a tube through on Tuesday. I must admit, the flight on them is beautiful, really is nice! It does seem that the cork is a bit heavy when you strike them, but apart from that, very close to a feather trajectory yes. Matt
sounds like a pretty good review Matt. How's the durability? If it's as good as standard nylon shuttles, then I'm hoping the world will switch over from mavis 300s
Hi, Durability - Rock solid, well built. Vs Mavis 300's - I'd say they are better, the flight had no wobble WHAT SO EVER, really nice to watch. Matt
The ridges seem to protrude outward alot, which would slow down the bird without stressing the skirt, which seems like a great idea. Have you noticed if it indeed spun slower? I'm sure this would have secondary effects like the trajectory when you slice it... Here's a pic for the lazy
Hi, Yes, i notice that it very slightly pretrudes out at the tips. Slicing i found no problem with, but the flight is an absolute gem. Matt
Hi, There are currently two places. First is Central Sports (www.centralsports.co.uk) and the other is from ashaway themselves (quill@ashaway.co.uk). Matt
To say that they fly exactly like feathers is a pretty bold statement. I hope they can live up to what they claim. You guys think they'll be switching over the ashaway quill as the default shuttle in low level tournaments? Or are we stuck with Mavis 300 by virtue of Yonex's deep pockets in sponsorships?
What shuttle is used would depend on what region of the world you live in. where I live, all tournaments, matches, juniors and seniors have feather shuttles.
Too bad N America doesn't feel the same way. All the clubs I've been too have been nylon-only. After using feather a couple of times, i've become quite jealous of feathers! The only feather club near me is so much further than my current club (30 min away vs. 10 min away now.) I guess I shouldn't complain since LB has to drive infinity+1 hours every session .
Biking 30 min there and 30 min back is not safe in downtown toronto! I think a couple dozen cyclists gets killed every year in my area by crazy car drivers. When I lived in a rural area, I biked 40 min to the gym and 40 min back, with a 3 hour session in between.
Finally, someone understands my situation... My poor car... I even picked this car dealer for my frequent services, since it's on my way to my clubs...
Played a singles game with a Quill shuttle last night. They do seem nice. Durability looks better than normal plastic. The cork took a bit of a battering but the skirt looked as if it had never been used. It flies nice, and I think it spins faster than regular plastics. The only problem I noticed, which may be down to me rather than the shuttle, was with net shots. On contact the shuttle felt "hard" or rigid. Neil
The quill birds sound interesting. I would like to try some, but they do not seem to be available in the US yet. Do the nylon skirts do bad things to strings though? Does slicing with such birds result in excessive string damage? LazyB, What level are you at and where do you play? I heard that there is a club in Greenwich, CT with very good players, and a club in Ridgefield, CT with decent to good players. Where I play, Danbury, CT has mostly average players andI am trying to find a place with better players so I can improve. Ron