How does Li Ning No.1 compare to BG80? I have used bg80 for many years and like its hard/rough feel compared to other strings. Any feedback would be appreciated
LN no.1 is hard but not as hard feeling as BG80. It's also not as rough textured. There's more repulsion, but the string actually feels better after playing with it a couple times, as opposed to most yonex strings where the fresher it is the better it feels. It also moves a lot more than bg80, which can be pretty annoying.
LN1 is close to BG66UM i would say in term of thinnes 0.66 & repulsion. But LN1 is more slippery than BG66UM.
LN1 definitely feels more repulsive than BG80, and really shines at higher tensions (24+ lbs) whereas BG80 feels good at all tensions. Personally I slightly prefer LN1, but BG80 also feels very good - there's just that slight trade-off of repulsion for control, but both are repulsive and both offer good control.
The most notable difference between BG80 and No.1 has to be control. A lot of the times when you're slicing you wont be as precise as BG80 and although No.1 has heaps of repulsion BG80 isnt a slouch either. The trade-offs that No.1 gives IMO isnt enough to beat BG80 but No.1 in itself isnt bad. BG80 to me is the like the benchmark and can be used in many different playstyles while Li ning No.1 involves more of an aggressive, attacking playstyle to make it work.
To sum down for me: I had the impression that above 30 the repulsion of BG80 dies and No.1 can be strung a bit higher. I general strung No.1 2lbs higher than BG80 to get the same feel. I would categorize No.1 like BG80 Power in terms of feel. Repulsion-wise No.1 better than BG80. Control with No.1 is really difficult. Especially who slice much, will need some time to get comfortable with it. Tension-loss curve is different. My impression is that you can get more play time out of No.1 compared to BG80. But is related to tension. For me BG80 was at 30 done after 2-3 weeks. My experience with No.1 is more limited. I managed to break it a few times and ditched No.1 because of the control and that I prefer 0.68 strings. I would play BG66UM over No.1 because it is the better package, even it dies so early.
Yeah and to add to that, even tho you lose feel you do adjust to the new feel and establish a new baseline afterwards to compensate for the lack of feel. The texture hasn't gone anywhere so as long as you haven't snapped the string, UM nowadays wins over no.1 for me as well. The only issue i've found with 80 is how unforgiving it can be to people with symptoms or full blown issues in the arm not allowing them to actually use the string properly. But otherwise yeah, damn near perfect.