My Situation: I am playing with ZFII & NBG99 at ~28.5-32lbs (30-32.7 lbs when strung). I'm very open-minded and I don't mind playing with imperfect shuttlecocks, the only problem is that my configuration makes the sweet-spot fairly small on my rackets, and that once a shuttle gets degraded enough, I just can't play well anymore at all, while my opponents at lower tensions continue to play fairly ok. It took me a long time to notice this (my performance variability is high, and I didn't understand exactly why until starting a new shuttle type about a month ago in the middle of a play session and seeing the radical change in my game within the same session). I'm not sure what the reason is but I assume it's because the wobbling increases the probability that I hit outside of the sweet-spot. ⤑ So I am looking for the best shuttlecock in terms of: (How long it will make me play per shuttlecock ~ as well as if I only used new shuttles for each point) / $ spent. Note: I'm fairly flexible, so by "as well" I mean "that I will hit the shuttle as successfully as if it were a brand new shuttle 80% of shots or more". I am in Europe and the options I'm looking at are: 12.5€ - Kawasaki King Kong 500 (hybrid feather shuttles) > I've played about 12 tubes of these and I can clearly state that they have the best absolute lifespan per € spent, HOWEVER, not the best lifespan defined as above (their weakness is the feather type used, very "thin") 19.0€ - Kumpoo Gamepoint 99 > I've played a few tubes of these and (when steamed) they have the best lifetime for the buck I've tried so far (when lifetime is expressed as above). Their feathers retain their shape for a long time if you "brush them back into shape" when they've had a bad hit. Their big weakness though is feathers often breaking at the stem when the rest of the feathers are still in very good shape. 24.9€ - Aerosensa 30 > These are widely used feathers. Though I've never bought a tube of these I've played quite frequently against opponents using it. Without extensive personal use I cannot make a clear statement about them, but I strongly believe that the much cheaper Kumpoo Gamepoint 99 retain a good flight longer than AS30 (as my experience is seing AS30 feathers change shape much faster than that do on Gamepoint 99). 27.8€ - Aerosensa 40 > I played with these a few times. They fly very well but I cannot say I experienced a radically better lifespan vs Gamepoint 999. The feathers are thinner than Gamepoint 99, and though they don't break at the stem as often, I think that their shape don't last as long as the solid feathers of the Kumpoo shuttle. 23.5€ - RSL Classic Tourney > My experience with these is quite funny: Twice a week I play mixed with a couple who use these feathers and per their durability (single feather breakage occurs early and frequently) I was convinced these were cheap Chinese shuttles until reading about them in a thread on this Forum placing them in the top value per dollar. I can't help but to think that either the shuttles used in my club are copies of these, OR (more likely perhaps) that they are not steamed before use (it's very dry where I'm at, comparable to Canada). Given the good reviews, and the pricepoint not too far from Gamepoint 99, I include them in my candidates. Do you guys think that their lifespan (as above defined) would be >25% longer than Kumpoo 99? 29.5€ - Aerosensa 50 > I have never played with AS50, though of course I've heard a lot of good things about them. I don't care about the absolute price of the shuttles (only looking for cheapest shuttle per lifespan as above described), so I ordered 3 tubes thereof which I'll receive in a few days. I'll be testing them to see if they are a better investment vs Gamepoint 99 though the bar is quite high (they have to play as good as a new shuttle >80% of shots more than 56% LONGER than Gamepoint 99 in order to make sense price-wise). Please let me know your thoughts about this in terms of their lifespan as above described compared to Gamepoint 99 and the other shuttles herein. 23€ - Li Ning A+300 > I played a lot with those at a time when I wasn't able to notice too much difference between shuttles. From what I remember they lasted quite well (except feathers frequently broke by pairs). The forum is also full of (older) reviews qualifying them as the best shuttles you can get per $. Time has passed however and the shuttles have increased in price since gaining this reputation. Also it may be possible as with RSL, that they have lost quality since gaining this fame. ??€ - Aeroplane, Black Label > I've read really good comments about these shuttles on this forum, and I think they have a very good chance of being the best lifespan per € spent. Only problem is I don't find them at a reasonable price for delivery within Europe (if anyone knows, please let me know). Since I could still maybe find them at a reasonable price in the future, please share any thoughts about them as to your expectations to how they would comparatively perform for what I'm looking for. I've read most threads on this forum about such comparisons so I know the subject is somewhat covered already, just not from my specific standpoint. I think this standpoint might be shared with other "value-focused" players using upper-tier tensions, so please contribute with your experience on the subject! : ) PS: Also don't hesitate to add a new shuttle type to the list if I've missed a likely top candidate
