Durable and powerful string at low tension

V

Vijay Dabhi

New Member
Hi

I'm an intermediate player (playing for 3 years). I have a yonex Voltric D 15 racket and factory string in it. Now, I have almost no problem with the factory string except power - which is very low for me. I can't clear from rear court to rear court without using all the strength and right angle.

So I want a string that is durable enough to last a year at tension of 22/23 lbs and powerful. Right now, I don't care much about feel, control, etc.

I'm not sure about wether to buy an expensive string that lasts longer or a cheap string that lasts less.

Also, I live in India and only available string are yonex, Victor and a couple of zymax strings.

Thanks.
 
Hey

Forgot to add that I'm not a hard hitter and that I play about 2 hours daily and 5 days a week. I play with plastic shuttles (only plastic ones are available in the college).

Thanks
 
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Vijay Dabhi said:
Hey

Forgot to add that I'm not a hard hitter and that I play about 2 hours daily and 5 days a week. I play with plastic shuttles (only plastic ones are available in the college).

Thanks
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Hey Vijay, I would recommend BG 65/65 ti they will last you a real long time. They may not be as powerful as other strings but surely more powerful than your factory strings.


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Exert said:
Hey Vijay, I would recommend BG 65/65 ti they will last you a real long time. They may not be as powerful as other strings but surely more powerful than your factory strings.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Hey. Thanks for your reply.

I've read somewhere that nbg 95 is just as durable but more powerful than bg65 ? The price difference between them is not much at a local shop.
 
Vijay Dabhi said:
Hey. Thanks for your reply.

I've read somewhere that nbg 95 is just as durable but more powerful than bg65 ? The price difference between them is not much at a local shop.
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Durability of NBG95 on par with BG65/65ti, difference in power is barely noticeable I would say. Biggest difference between them is the surface structure - BG65/65ti are rough which gives you better feel on net shots, NBG95 is very slippery and IMO lacking in feel.

For playing plastics I would say the good old BG65 is a safe bet. Feels soft on impact, decent control on touch shots and an okay repulsion power. If you would like to have a tad more power combined with a little harder feel on impact, then go with the BG65ti. Anf if you figure that you don't like them, then just go with the NBG95 next time. A new set of strings doesn't cost a fortune so it doesn't hurt that much if you have to try several different ones before you have found your string.

Interesting alternative would also be Ashaway Zymax 69Fire. Pretty similar to BG65 in terms of durability, power and feel but with a better tension retention.
 
Though I've only tried both strings just once, I'd go for NBG99 over NBG95.

It felt much more like a "real string", with some texture/bite, etc.

They are both 0,69 mm and should last OK, especially at lower tensions.

I'd reckon 95 to last longer than 99, due to the textures, but 99 should last you longer than BG80, and still be playable.

Just my $0.02
 
BG65/65TI are rough? Since when? BG65TI is very slippy. Not as NBG95, but close.

I also can't say that NBG99 lasts longer than BG80. On my micrometer NBG99 is untensioned thinner than BG80 untensioned. Based on my experiece with both on my own rackets I would say they are on par in terms of durability.

@OP you want durability and good performance? Choose one. TBH if you can't clear back to back effortless with the factory string, it's not caused by your equipment. Sorry to say but it's your technique. An intermediate should also could BH crosscourt clear when he is drunk as hell and plays in casual wear doubles against hot drunken girls from the volleyball team with a cheapo racket with factory string at 2 am. Guess who?;) No string lasts 1 year. Just when you play once a week or maybe 2 times per month. No guarantee.
 
Hey, ICanSeeYou - Was that NBG99, not NBG98? I'm surprised if you measured NBG99 thinner than BG80. NBG98 though would be thinner...

However, I don't have a fancy micrometer :-)

Anyone here who regularly strings NBG99, who can tell how it pings compared to BG80?
 
FeatherBlaster said:
Hey, ICanSeeYou - Was that NBG99, not NBG98? I'm surprised if you measured NBG99 thinner than BG80. NBG98 though would be thinner...

However, I don't have a fancy micrometer :)

Anyone here who regularly strings NBG99, who can tell how it pings compared to BG80?
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To clarify: I can read and don't talk bullshit. Trust me. The pieces of evidence (just for you I opened them):

both.jpg BG80.jpg NBG99.jpg

BG80 is around 0.73xmm. NBG99 is around 0.72xmm. -> NBG99 thinner than BG80. Sorry for the missing last digit. Battery is empty since I played to much around...FME the pings come close, but BG80 slightly higher.
 
Interesting indeed.

Of course I trust you, just wanted to make sure it wasn't a typo! :-)

Your BG80 pings higher though.

Ping is not a result of thickness - it's determined by weight. (But weight correlates highly with thickness).

So even though NBG99 measures thicker un-tensioned, it weigh less per tensioned length...

It really would be interesting to get comparable thickness measurements of tensioned string!

Cheers

PS: You really should start purchasing original strings!
 
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ucantseeme said:
BG65/65TI are rough? Since when? BG65TI is very slippy. Not as NBG95, but close.

I also can't say that NBG99 lasts longer than BG80. On my micrometer NBG99 is untensioned thinner than BG80 untensioned. Based on my experiece with both on my own rackets I would say they are on par in terms of durability.

@OP you want durability and good performance? Choose one. TBH if you can't clear back to back effortless with the factory string, it's not caused by your equipment. Sorry to say but it's your technique. An intermediate should also could BH crosscourt clear when he is drunk as hell and plays in casual wear doubles against hot drunken girls from the volleyball team with a cheapo racket with factory string at 2 am. Guess who?;) No string lasts 1 year. Just when you play once a week or maybe 2 times per month. No guarantee.
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OK, so what I got from your post is that I should go for BG65 for durability ( if not a year, I do hope it lasts at least 6 months) and focus on technique/exercise for power ?

Another thing is that when I play with a friend's racket - yonex arcsaber u plus 21(also factory strung and same weight as mine), the clears are easy. So does it mean that my racket is not as efficient as his?

Thanks for your response.
 
FeatherBlaster said:
Hey sorry!! It was a joke.
Actually I wanted to delete it, but forgot to... :)
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Okay, I get it. The missing smiley was the reason. Now I get it! :D

Vijay Dabhi said:
OK, so what I got from your post is that I should go for BG65 for durability ( if not a year, I do hope it lasts at least 6 months) and focus on technique/exercise for power ?

Another thing is that when I play with a friend's racket - yonex arcsaber u plus 21(also factory strung and same weight as mine), the clears are easy. So does it mean that my racket is not as efficient as his?

Thanks for your response.
Click to expand...

The durability depends on your court time per week, your used shuttles (feather or plastic), climate, play style etc. It's hard to predict a lifespan. FME Zymax69 Fire is quite durable as BG65, but IMO the better string. Some of my customers who were unhappy with BG65 and just go for BG65 because of the durability and the german myth that "BG65 is the best string around" switched to Zymax 69 Fire. IMO I played both and don't like both. If I must choose I would always go for Zymax69Fire. They are not different but ZM69F has IMO a better feel, Power and I like the Fire structure.

I think that every racket will be efficient in the right hands. It could be that the Arc of your friend has a different balance and stiffness which suits you better than the Voltric. People are different, that's one reason for so many different rackets. If you have luck, let your friend try yours and maybe you can trade if he likes your racket more. :)
 
ucantseeme said:
Okay, I get it. The missing smiley was the reason. Now I get it! :D



The durability depends on your court time per week, your used shuttles (feather or plastic), climate, play style etc. It's hard to predict a lifespan. FME Zymax69 Fire is quite durable as BG65, but IMO the better string. Some of my customers who were unhappy with BG65 and just go for BG65 because of the durability and the german myth that "BG65 is the best string around" switched to Zymax 69 Fire. IMO I played both and don't like both. If I must choose I would always go for Zymax69Fire. They are not different but ZM69F has IMO a better feel, Power and I like the Fire structure.

I think that every racket will be efficient in the right hands. It could be that the Arc of your friend has a different balance and stiffness which suits you better than the Voltric. People are different, that's one reason for so many different rackets. If you have luck, let your friend try yours and maybe you can trade if he likes your racket more. :)
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Hey

I checked for zymax 69 fire, but is not available. So I guess I'll have to choose from BG65 or VS800. VS 800 is quite cheaper than BG65 here(almost half the price), but I haven't seen anyone playing with VS 800 around here. So can anyone advice me about that?
 
Vijay Dabhi said:
Hey

I checked for zymax 69 fire, but is not available. So I guess I'll have to choose from BG65 or VS800. VS 800 is quite cheaper than BG65 here(almost half the price), but I haven't seen anyone playing with VS 800 around here. So can anyone advice me about that?
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I believe vs 800 is more rougher then Bg 65, I'd say choose the vs 800 as it feels better IMO, it would probably last just as long as Bg 65 and If it's half the cost of 65s it's a great deal!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Exert said:
I believe vs 800 is more rougher then Bg 65, I'd say choose the vs 800 as it feels better IMO, it would probably last just as long as Bg 65 and If it's half the cost of 65s it's a great deal!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Yeah I agree. Every time I get a factory strung victor (always with vs800) I'm pleasantly surprised at how good it feels. Still feels bad, but much better than Bg65 IMO.
 
From my experience VS800 is not a smart deal. It has a really oily coating which is really slippery at the beginning. Maybe I'm biased against Victor Strings because I was just happy with VS850 MK1. The MK2 850 and 800 didn't performed such good that I keep them in mind well. The MK2 strings feel a bit thicker and more slippy than the first generation. I tried VS800 MK2 which didn't shine for me, but people are different. I was just annoying to me that Victor Strings dropped pretty much, but I have different requirements than OP. VS800 is IMO not really powerful. Would rate it below BG65.
 
ucantseeme said:
From my experience VS800 is not a smart deal. It has a really oily coating which is really slippery at the beginning. Maybe I'm biased against Victor Strings because I was just happy with VS850 MK1. The MK2 850 and 800 didn't performed such good that I keep them in mind well. The MK2 strings feel a bit thicker and more slippy than the first generation. I tried VS800 MK2 which didn't shine for me, but people are different. I was just annoying to me that Victor Strings dropped pretty much, but I have different requirements than OP. VS800 is IMO not really powerful. Would rate it below BG65.
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Could be that I was using mk 1. I'm not even sure if we have a newer version or not in Canada. We get our Victor stuff pretty late compared to everyone else.
 
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