Folks... Greetings..! I am frustrated cauz I seem to break my strings so often! Here is my story... and let me know what you think.. I am an advanced player. I know how to smash well. I smash hard (very hard). I seldom mishit. I love to play at 27 lbs. Typically I use NBG 95 (cauz they seem to last the most). I prefer the BG 66, but have stoped using this since it breaks like cotton thread. I hate BG 65. I have played with BG 80 (like it..and the same time dont like it) kind of dont like it. I tried the NBG 98 (awesome string..but short lived .. a day or two). So the sad story is that I have drawn a compromise in that I use NBG 95.. since it seems to last a bit longer - only if I string it around 21 lbs. Anything more I break the string within a day or two. I play with the Voltric 70 and the Zslash. In the last 1 month, I had to string 4 times. About 5 times, I have broken my string the first few shots after I had my racket restrung. At this rate, may be all my earnings would be spent for stings and charges to restring. The person who does the stringing does a good job.. but I dont know why I break my strings so often. Are these strings designed to last just this much...! I am frustrated.. and preplexed. It is sad that I have to now play @ 21lbs and it feels like I am hitting the bird with a jello.. I dont get the snap.. or the joy of hearing the crip sound.. when I play. Any ideas?? I hit hard...tho..so do I have to settle for lower tension?
this can't be right, have you checked your grommets? do your strings always break in the same place? the pros get their racquets strung at upwards of 30lbs, hit much harder than pretty much all of us and sometimes don't break their strings even after an intense, 1 hour + match. i'm sure they cut their strings and restring after each match so we can't tell how long it'll actually last but your case appears a little extreme.
Not sure what to recommend besides buying your own stringing machine and buying string by the spool. At the least the machine would probably pay for itself within 6 months. If you're looking for options for string that is 0.70 then try the zymax 70.
Since you are a hard hitter, I'd expect you hit ''extremely'' hard and accurate but you also use a more flexible racquet comparatively speaking. Would it have been the same if you have used an extra stiff racquet? The bending and arcing of your racquet plus the trampoline-like snap back at 27 lbs. may be the culprit.
Thank you all much for your suggestions and inputs. Dreamzz...'this cant be right' was the feeling I had and the cause for me starting / writing this thread. Lots have suggested that I buy my own stringing machine, sure thats a way out - but I am trying to figure out the technicality - why I break the strings so often? To answer the Q: where do I break my string? - About 80% of the times it has been the middle two vertical strings - right in the middle / upper middle area. I dont have a huge back swing.. so may be the suggestion of an 'extra stiff' racket makes sense. Which one? Earlier I was using the 9900 @ 27 lbs. I hit a smash on a high serve. The racket's shaft broke below the T joint and the head went flying - The strings were intact and I won the point as well. The sad thing is how the hell can the racket's shaft break below the T joint. I did not hit anything other than the bird. I sent it to yonex for replacement and the guys refused to replace becasue the racket was 'strung' at 27 lbs and was above the rated string strength for that racket so it voided the warranty. I felt bad.. but life goes on. Cant give up playing becasue of that right..? I's be happy to try out any other brand / racket.. any suggestions? I prefer lighter rackets and am not crazy about head heavy as I can generate the power. The stringer I use locally does an OK job but I break the strings within the day if not within the week. I send my rackets out to a very good stringer and he usually replaces broken / damaged grommets when he strings. While that costs me a lot with added shipping, it does last much longer. Its a pain, which is why after considering all aspects I droped my tension down to 21 lbs. Just wish they have a string that would let me play a@ 27lbs and not break so often. Sorry that I am sharing / venting my frustrations. Great ideas & Suggestions, Thank you.
I use BG65Ti at 32lbs and I get very little breakage within a month, I string myself, I have a Edgesaber Z Spark (Apacs copy of ZSlash). If you are breaking the strings down the centre the chance of it being a mis-hit are low, unless you happen to be hitting the centre strings at the very top of the racquet. The other thing that is worth looking out for is if there are any small bits of damage to the string when you recieve the racquet. I sometimes find I have caught my string by accident with something and it leaves a little bit of damage, where it tends to break after a few sessions.
Your NS9900 incidence must be a one-off. I strung my NS9900 at 28/30 with BG68 Ti and it breaks in about 2 weeks time, it is alright I think. Play 3 times a week, 2 hours per session, lots of hard smashes (mine is a 2U though). Try Victor SiW35, slightly less stiff than NS9900, got it in 3U, u may also try its 4u version.
When I first got my stringing machine, I also found that the two middle vertical strings broke quite often. I then figured out that, upon taking my racket off of the machine after stringing, I had been taking it off too fast. This caused the strings to rub against the sharp, threaded part of the post on the stringing machine that is used to tighten the clamp. The next time I strung my racket, I was careful to pull the strings outward so that they didn't rub against the machine. The result: 30lbs string job using zymax 67 lasted a little over 3 months. Since you're consistently breaking the middle vertical strings, your stringer may be making the same mistake I did.
Have you ever tried using 2 different types of string? Apparently I heard it lasts longer. Also Check your grommets as someone mentioned. They do effect how long the strings lasts
Interesting , instead of stringing it at a lower tension, try increasing the tension to 28lbs/30lbs since you said you have a very hard smash. I dont know how this might increase the durability but You got to try whatever possible ..cant get any worst than the position you are in right now !!!! Have you also tried strings with 0.75mm + gauge !..thats a start !
Stringing it that high will only make the strings break faster. Although a higher gauge would benefit you
This believe is erroneous. The higher the string tension the stiffer the string bed will be and the less it will stretch when the shuttle comes into contact. The less the string in the string bed stretches then the less likely the string will break due to less wear and tear (not considering shuttle feathers scratching the string bed). Only when the string tension is too low then the wear and tear from the continuous stretching of the string bed becomes negligible.
I know a player who faces the same problem. He also breaks strings often even if he is using thick ones at medium to low tension. He hits right in the sweet spot all the time. Problem is, he slice the shuttle slightly on all shoots. Even clears. This grinds down a set of BG65 pretty bad in a hand full sessions. Soon it snaps right in the middle. Could this be your problem too?