Preferably something with minimum amount of patterns etc. I just want something thick, tacky but also super light, so it doesn't affect my BP too much. Thanks.
The weight of grip will only affect the static balance point, not the swinging balance point (there have been a few discussions about this) but basically because the grip is so close to the swings pivot point (your wrist) it does not actually affect how the racket swings.
Whilst that may be the case, I've found that even the static balance point noticeably affects the playability and feel of a racket. The lower the BP, the lighter and quicker it trends to be, and the higher, the more power you tend to get in smashes at the expense of manouverability. I actually did a lot of tests with grips, and the heavier grips definitely affected the amount of speed/power available.
^^ Ditto. Discussions are theory. My experience with various grips (even different colored rkep elite grips with differing weights) indicate to me that grip weight is significant in affecting swing feel. Re Naim's question: I think yy supergrap is probably the only one to fit your criteria.
Gamma grip 2 is by far the lightest overgrip I've tried. Extremely tacky at first... but durability is lacking!
I'm after a replacement grip. Or a really thick (but light) overgrip. Super Grap is both thin and very light.
The only noticeable difference I've felt was from the thickness of grip not the weight. 2-3 grams difference at the handle should make no difference at all in the actual swing, unless it's psychological...
I have to agree with druss here. Do remember that a slimmer/thicker grip may cause you to hold the racket with different degrees of the intrinsic/extrinsic muscles involved. This may be what's changing the dynamic of the swing, rather than any change in Balance Point.
Again, I have to disagree. Even in hand, the difference is apparent. Overall weight, head heaviness, manouverability etc. I find a grip can quite dramatically change all that. Not just in testing in personally either, but on the actual court. For example, just now I switched from two layers of super grap over wood to one layer of super grap over wood. It is noticeably head heavier and packs a meatier punch but at the sacrifice of comfort. I'm also getting slight wrist pain after a good load of hard swings. I've never had any wrist pain ever in the past in all my countless games of badminton. So somewhere along the line the gripping method made a big difference. My guess is due to the added head heaviness (racket is now around 316mm+ BP). Most definitely not psychological.
I think there are many factors at work here. I really do believe that there must be a difference in the intrinsic/extrinsic muscles used with different sized grips. Taufik Hidayat obviously likes a slimmer grip (he uses "G6" apparently) and I don't think he cares too much about the Balance Point increasing/decreasing by a few millimetres or the weight of the racket increasing/decreasing by a few grams. I suppose what I'm saying is that the strength of your muscles (and also technique) probably contributes about 99.99% (perhaps I am exaggerating, but it's for good cause I think hehe) to the output/performance, while the slight change in weight/Balance Point contributes very minimally. Of course, your theory/feelings could also be valid. For me personally, I find that a slimmer grip gives me better manoeuvrability AND power - is it because of the slightly lower weight and higher static Balance Point? Or is it more because of the difference in intrinsic/extrinsic muscle use and the associated change in transfer power? At the end of the day, just go by what you "feel" is best for you. But I think ultimately, working on technique/strength is probably going to be much more beneficial and produce much more consistent "results".
Then it may have more to do with thickness and comfort than anything else. I notice a difference due to the thickness of grip and that affects my swing but has nothing to do with the static balance point IMO. Regardless, if you're noticing a difference then do whatever makes you play better but that does not make your idea of the mechanism of why it feels better true. In the end, it may just be academic on why something works better for you as long as you know it does.
I think the Karakal PU Super is a good candidate for a thick and light replacement grip.....except for the last lot I had disintegrated upon application :-/
Yeah ..... i understand what you mean. I used to LOVE the Karakal PU Super grips ! .... they were great for me. But then, their build quality started going down the toilet .... fast ! A slight stretch for a tight wrap would see the thing tearing and nearly ripping apart. :crying: At SGD$4 a grip, they were pretty costly. Then i switched to RKEP ..... never looked back since.
