Sir, you have your say and Panda has his. The differences are not from different tensions/rackets/other variables as those are minimized to non-existent during testing. Also don't forget, SE Asia has more variety of Ashaway string than the U.S. There could be differences there too. As for different colors and coatings playing no role, Panda disagrees. Though the core is the heart, the shell still has a significant impact on the string's overall performance. This has been confirmed from experience with the different shells Ashaway has sent Panda to test. Anyway, as stated before, string differences are minor compared the grand scheme of things. Differences or perceived differences in string color or repulsion are not going to make or break your game. ZM62 regardless of the color is a first-rate performing string.
For those who have ZM62 strings of different colors, here is what you can do. Use a scissor and strip each string of its outer layer or jacket at each end. Try to do this on strings with colors of platinum, ivory white, optic yellow, After stripping (stripping is exactly like the way you strip an electric cable end to get to the bare wires) you will find the many micro or multi filaments that collectively form the core or the heart of the string. This is the center of power and strength of a badminton string. The greater the number of filaments the more playable and powerful the string. With the 3 colors of the ZM62 the core filaments are all of the same material and same color white, which incidentally is of a different shade of the ivory white color of the jacket of one of the three ZM62 strings. The outer coat or layer or jacket can come in different colors and in the case of the ZM62 it comes in 3 colors. The jacket has no power or atrength giving properties. It is there solely to protect the core filaments from abrasion and also to give it some texture for control. Generally thinner strings have better surface grip and thus control but not power or strength. The coating or jacket is often broken at all the intersections between the mains and crosses after a period of time and this means a restring job is needed because you have lost control. A better way to determine control is to compare strings of the same thickness and at the same tensions. If one string moves more than the other the one that moves more is considered to have more control (less slippery). This is better than to rely on color or any optical perception of color of the string.
while the core is doing the heavy lifting, the composition of the outer layer have dampening effect on the string. think about the string like the shocks of a car. the core is the spring, the outer layer is the shock absorber, what you use for shock absorber has a huge effect on the feel of the whole system in general.
The core of a string is more like the power to weight ratio of a car, the higher the more powerful irrespective of absolute power. Yes, the texture of the jacket of a string will have an effect on control and feel, but color? Actually dampening effect is more dependent on the core composition. For example, you can have two strings made of the same material and same thickness and same jacket. The only difference is the core, where one is a mono filament and the other say with 5,000 micro filaments or fibers twisted together. The diffference between the two will be like day and night. The one with more filaments in the core will be more repulsive, more powerful, stronger and yet more resilient. The jacket, which is the same for both strings, makes no difference . Neither will color. The jacket is like a protective cover to prevent abrasion of the core fibers and with different textures will give control. It is also used to make strings with different colors which are also important from a marketing side. Some people like matching outfits from head to toe.
The dyeing process subjects the nylon string to chemical that change the physical properties of the original string. Heat and acid are required for dyeing nylon. As a result, colored nylon strings don't perform as well or last as long as white or natural color ones.
I see vibrant consistent colour in all strings (even white or natural colour), and that should indicate it's dyed. I've never seen the natural colour of string, but I would imagine it's somewhere along the lines of natural coloured cloth, or natural nylon rope, or an untreated burlap potato sack... all of which range dull inconsistent beige to dull inconsistent brown. LOL I'd laugh SO HARD if someone said they missed a shot because they used the wrong coloured string... ROFL!!!
The feel and playability of the colored strings differ even though the core is not subjected to the acid bath but got heated up. Nylon doesn't like heat in general.
Not only that, but considering both the jacket and core are under tension as well, if the jacket is less durable, it will break easier. When the jacket breaks, it increases the stress on the core which might then snap under the extra strain. I can make an argument that jacket affects everything because it works together with the core in every aspect. The jacket and core are not separate entities. So to extend taneepak's argument from before: Same jacket, different cores means different string characteristics. Wouldn't that also imply that the same core, with different jackets, would also produce different string characteristics. But the bottom line is: is there a difference to you? Because for a beginner, he might not be able to tell the difference between BG85 and BG80, but an intermediate player could. And maybe while that intermediate player might not be able to tell the difference between ZyMax 62 Yellow, White, or Silver, he might have a mental component to it which is even more important than any equipment benefit or deficit that might arise. And a pro player might be able to tell the difference between two colors, .1lb difference in tension, or he could just not care. So I think the bottom line is, changing any part of the string changes it's playing characteristics. The part that matters is, can you tell the difference?
Lest others misunderstand what I have said, I am not disputing that both the jacket or outer coating and the core have their own effect on string characteristics. What I am saying is that the core is the heart of a string and it is here where a string's strength, power or repulsion and resilience spring from, not the jacket. The jacket's main roles are to protect the cover from abrasion, to enable different colors to be used, and on their own will have various texturing surfaces which will have an impact on control. Yes, the jacket affects control but has absolutely no role in repulsion or resilience or strength.
How can you say that? Does repulsion not come from how the string reacts to being stretched? If so, then since the jacket is stretched as well, would that not also affect repulsion?
Yes, I mean what I have said. The core is the center of power and resilience, the finer and thinner the multi filaments/fibers that make up the core the greater the repulsion and resilience. The jacket is usually braided for protection and has no multi filaments oriented for power or repulsion, merely for protection against abrasion. As a matter of fact the jacket can be an impediment to repulsion because its braided structure inhibits power delivery. You can have a look at a typical Yonex string packet showing the structure of a string. The outer layer or jacket is braided and coarse oriented not for stretching or contraction but strictly for protection of the finer fibers in the core. The jacket is necessary because it will not be practical to have a string with only a core without protection because the string will snap with the very first hit.
i, once tested some baddy strings for a rather big taiwanese manufacturer. just to illustrate: sample a and b. same core with normal coating versus same core with special coating. the difference is distinguishable. the special or rather thicker coating plays awful.
Gonna change the topic for a bit. Quick question for those who used ZM70, how well does it hold tension compared to bg-80, bg-70pro. Deciding wheather to stick with zm62 and breaking them before I notice any tension lost or longer lasting zm70 but strung higher.
BG80 holds tension very well. ZM70 is on par, maybe slightly a above or below depending on prestretching practices.
Thanks for replying singnflip4life, do you think zm70 at 28lbs would lose only 2-3lbs in a period of 2 months? To many string choices and tensions to consider is giving me a headache.
Lol no need to be so formal with me. Over a period of 2 months, I believe it would experience that kind of tension loss only if you playing on avg 4-5 hours a week. Most strings actually lose a pound or more overnight after being freshly strung, so if you've already taken that into account and asking if it would only lose another 2-3 pounds over those 2 months, I believe it is possible, but with heavy playing, will lose more than that. And considering your fondness for PP Ultras and power, the stronger the hitter, the greater the tension loss as well.
I don't think I can go that high yet, but I'll consider trying it when I have a spare racket Hmmmm I'm thinking too much. Maybe I'll stick with zm62. Or not. I think I'll just go to sleep then to clear my mind.
