i've tried it once when it first came out, wasn't impressed, but i wasn't as experienced with badminton as now, so you are right, i should try it, again!
I have to say I wasn't impressed with ZM62 either. It made quite unique sound, but I could not get any power from it whatsoever. Much prefer the feel of new VS850.
I didn't like 62 at first but I was/am used to softer and looser strings so I had no control or power. then I managed to find the sweetspot once and got crazy power. I'm on another higher tension bender so building up to it with the vs850. which doesn't feel so powerful right now but I need it to settle a little more. to keep the same feel I'd expect -2lb on zm62 compared to vs850.
new VS850 coating problem? Burned through both my VS850 sets - one racket snapped in half inside the handle, sadly - and noticed a few patches of loose/fraying fibres on the coating. Having just dipped into my VS850 reel, I've spotted the same thing. Definitely not my clamps or grippers. I don't think it's anything too critical - it survived being strung at 32 with prestretch - I'm just wondering if anybody else has noticed it with the "new pack" version.
Could it be the grommets? Not noticed any fraying on mine (strung one 2 weeks ago). Will have a closer look next time...
my test racket (strung with vs850) is now 102g, bp 310, flexi and suddenly I'm rather liking this string. only tested on plastics so far but I think all the weight is helping me bend the string for more repulsion. needs testing as artillery from back court in MD with feathers. defense is not an option! I can see and feel a twist in the string so I'll keep an eye on this in case it is a weak point.
98g 315 now. the vs feels softer today. I like soft strings. I wonder if this is the first of the two dead zones for want of a better term. I like it. I think I just bumped this to the front of the queue for strings on my MX 60. ZM62 is a close second. decisions decisions! 24lb or 22lb respectively. I got to have my own machine soon so durability will be less of an issue. cheers to those who rated this so highly or I might have given it a miss. kicking myself for not having the meteor strung with it initially.
I tried both prestretched and without @ 22x24 lbs. and it didn't have the power I was looking for. The string does feel rough. On impact, I felt it was stiffer than BG80 at the same tension. I usually only gave the string a day to settle, but I do the same with BG80 and it's usually fine. My main issue is that clears and smashes require more effort than BG80 which is an issue because then it would be better to stick with BG80. The feel is good but I never had an issue with BG80 in the first place. I didn't record tension loss because I cut the strings, but I'm giving it another go. I don't play tournaments usually since I don't have the time, so I would prefer a string that plays well for at least a month or two. I wanted to try VS850 to see if it would be a cheaper alternative to BG80 but it seems for now I'm still gonna use BG80. A key characteristic in my ideal string is how my backhand plays with it. So far BG80 is pretty decent with my backhand, but it's borderline. Have to definitely improve my technique to make more use out of it.
^^^cut after one session? slap! first go on feathers, power felt down a bit but the control! I hit the net tape every second drop shot. not all went over but it's consistent not sure if this is a sign that it's strung too tight but placement over power. serve returns to the net were very effective tonight and that's definitely my weakness. other than footwork, cough. I also enjoyed playing with tired old feathers for the first time ever. up to a point anyway.
How long does it take to stabilize and to how many lbs. below strung tension? Also, please indicate if it's mains x cross tensions or mains=cross etc.
post #257 here for 24/25+10%. lost another lb from playing I think. I'll double check my notes later!
I've heard from many people in this forum that it's best to allow one week rest (settled) after being strung.
Yeah you should give it a rest, a thai massage and play it some smooth jazz music. Sorry I'm bored at work and being facetious. In my opinion, although there may be some redistributing of tension in the string bed as it rests, I think a day would usually be enough. A week is superfluous, especially at moderate tensions. Usually as soon as you start gentley warming up with the racquet, it will distribute the tension quite quickly. A lot of pros play with their racquets pretty soon after it is strung so I see no problem really.
I have two of the same rackets (Li-Ning N55), so I just use the back-up, and if they are both gone on the same day, then i've have to endure the pain of using VTZF.
Of course that's assuming you're stringing it 1-2 lbs over your usual tension. The 1 wk rest will allow it to stabilize to your target tension. This is the problem with VS850...most other strings don't have this problem.
The one week after restringing is due to play "feeling". If one plays right after stringing, you get a "feel" of that tension, example ~ 26 lbs freshly strung. One week or more later, that "feel" is different, say ~23-24 lbs. On the other hand, if one waits a several days before playing, the "feel" is more consistent weeks down the road. So you will experience ~-23-24 lbs on the racket when you first use it, not 26 lbs first session and then 23-24 lbs next session. This is my opinion on the guideline of letting a newly strung racket rest prior to use. For some, they may not even notice a difference either way (play immediately or wait), for others, they can feel the difference. Playing immediately does not hurt the strings in any way, worst case is it gives you an experience ("feel") that is different over a longer period.
Well, I've reached a level of more consistent smashes. Especially the last few training sessions included several smash exercises. There were also some smash exercises where I've gone crazy and smashed every shuttle as hard as I can, just to find out how consistent I am. The result: Slight pain below the elbow and broken string within 1 - 2 months. However. The tension drop seem not to be a problem for me, but its durability... I can but I do not want to afford all these strining jobs. Any recommendations except BG80? ZM62 or ZM65 are even worse in durability.
bg80 can break just as easily... sometimes my ZM65 breaks in a week, but lately it's been holding for almost 2 months. broke couple of bg80s in less then a month, a couple is still holding longer. The point is - you should give the string another chance. Moreover, if you've been hitting a lot and as hard as you can, you must have hit some very hard shots not in the sweetspot which is not good for any string. I myself think about giving VS850 another chance... Although i'm happy with ZM65 for now and after my little experiment with BG85 (horrible) i want to settle down a bit.
