Different Coloured Yonex Strings

Why Yonex don't sell all of their strings all around the world can sometimes be a mystery to me. There is quite clearly the same market for coloured badminton strings in the UK, so Yonex could be losing a lot of revenue just from not stocking a product that they already sell elsewhere. I know that many people are put off by the fact that Bg80 only comes in yellow, which makes people go for a usually slightly cheaper white string. However, if you look on the Yonex USA website, Bg80 is only available in white over there! This is something that baffles me beyond belief.

I also have many different people (usually girls) ask me if I have a variety of different coloured strings, and I can usually get a string from a different manufacturer that is of the colour they would like, but that is still a sale that Yonex has lost here in the UK. If you look on www.mybadmintonstore.com for example, then they have some Yonex strings in as many as about 7 different colours, so if ever I have a specific request for a particular Yonex string in a colour that is not available in the UK then that is the place I got to first.

Here is the problem though, I should not have to order strings from abroad just because Yonex do not think there is a big enough market here in the UK, there clearly is and after speaking to one of the biggest UK retailers of badminton string, who said that if Yonex did have coloured string in the UK they would happily buy at least a box of reels of each one, it shows that Yonex are potentially losing a huge amount of profit every year by not selling all of their colours of strings everwhere!

Sussex Senior Restricted Entry Form

I know that this is not going to affect the vast majority of people who read this blog, but I will include it anyway. The entry forms for the Sussex Senior Restricted are now available at www.sussexjuniorbadminton.co.uk this is because the main Sussex badminton website is down, so if you want to enter the restricted the forms are available and are due in on the 14th of September!

Bg80 Power Review

Well, my review of Yonex's most expensive string in the UK is finally here and its definitely a bit of a weird one! When I heard that Yonex was going to be releasing a "power" version of one of their top selling strings around the world I have to say that I was extremely excited. Everyone wants that little bit extra power in their game don't they? But does the string live up to all of the hype?

Stringing with Bg80 power is no different to stringing with any other Yonex string, although I did find that the slightly less textured surface did mean that I was able to weave the crosses slightly easier than with Bg80.

When it comes to playing with Bg80 power I am still a little undecided. Of course it is a good quality string coming from a big brand such as Yonex, however I am not quite sure whether it deserves its hefty price tag. It doesn't have quite the same sharp feel that you get with Bg80, or the raw power of Bg66UM, in fact, it seems to fall a bit short in my opinion. I would say that you can get the same repulsion power, with a better feel from Bg80 and I can't see why you should spend the extra £20 a reel on a string that offers very little in the way of increased power or performance.

I am still sticking to my opinion that Bg80 is the best all-round badminton string available in the world today, I'm not sure why Yonex would risk ruining the Bg80 brand by bringing out a different version of the string that doesn't quite match up to the original, but their marketing opinions are their own.

All in all, if you're looking to use a slightly softer, less immediate version of Bg80, then here's your answer, if not, then I would recommend continuing to use Bg80 or try a completely new string entirely!

Types of Tennis Strings Explained

Choosing the right tennis strings for your game can be a complete minefield, however, hopefully with this guide you will know a bit more about the different types of tennis strings available and which one will be right for your game.

Nylon (Synthetic Gut)

Nylon strings are often referred to as synthetic gut strings because of their likeness to the more expensive natural gut. They can be made out of a number of different blends of fibers and are some of the most popular strings on the market, as they are usually used by most club and recreational players due to their excellent balance of playability, durability and price. They are more durable than natural gut, however not as durable as polyester or kevlar strings. A good example of a nylon string is Prince Synthetic Gut with Duraflex, which has been one of the top selling strings around the world for the past 10 years.

Natural Gut

Natural gut is made from the intestines of usually cows or sheep. Natural gut strings offer the best power, comfort and playability among all types of strings. It is excellent for people with tennis elbow as it has a really soft feel to it, however, all of this does come at a price, and it is a big one! Just one set of natural gut can cost up to as much as £36 and that is without the labor cost of the stringer added onto that! Natural gut is used by many professional players in a hybrid usually with a polyester as natural gut is the least durable string on the market and can be easily affect by environmental factors such as rain or temperature. However, if you are a money no object kind of guy, then natural gut will offer you the best all round playability, although be prepared to be visiting your stringer very frequently.

Polyester

Polyester strings offer lest power and comfort than nylon strings, however, offer a lot more durability. Polyester strings tend to lose tension a lot quicker than other types of strings, so many players string their rackets a little tighter in order to compensate for this drop off. While polyester strings are ideal for frequent string breakers the lack of feel and comfort usually means that they are paired with a multi-filament nylon or natural gut in order to soften up the string bed.

Kevlar

Last but no means least, kevlar strings offer an extremely frequent string breaker a little respite. They are by far the most durable strings on the market, although, offer very little power or comfort. That is why they are not recommended to juniors or adults with arm injuries. A very soft nylon is also usually needed in a hybrid in order to soften up the extremely stiff string.

String Gauge Guide

Strings come in a variety of different gauge sizes, but the way of measuring varies from region to region. This diagram should help out with any confusion cause by the different sizing measurements. And remember a thinner string will give greater power and playability but less durability and a thicker string will offer more durability but less power and control.

Picture courtesy of www.stringingsolutions.co.uk

New Logo!

Hey everyone, just another quick update to say that APB Stringers has a new logo, what do you think?

Ideas for New Posts

If anyone has any ideas about any new post ideas for this blog, please feel free to comment or email me with your ideas!

Many thanks,

Antony (APB Stringers)

Choosing the Right Badminton String Tension

Now this is a question I get asked on a very frequent basis; "What tension should I have my racket strung at?" or another question I get asked is, "I have ........ string, what is the best tension for that string in this racket?" And I'm sorry to disappoint you, but there is no real answer to that question. As with almost every part of stringing and racket management it is completely subjective to the individual, however, there are a few rays of light that I may be able to shed on the situation.

It all depends on what you want out of a set of strings, less tension = more power, whereas a higher tension = more control, this is due to the trampoline affect, but I may go on to talk about that in another post. If someone just came to me and they didn't know what string or tension they wanted then I would always string the racket with Bg65ti at 24lbs. This is a standard set up for many club level players who don't really care what string they have in their racket as long as it lasts a reasonable amount of time.

24lbs is also the tension that I would recommend starting at if you are unsure of what tension to use in the first place. I would then increase or decrease by 1-2lbs depending on if it is too tight or too loose. Also changing string will affect what tension you will want your rackets strung at. For a thinner gauge of string I would recommend a slightly higher tension due to the extra power that the string is likely to generate by itself, that is why I used to have my rackets strung in Bg80 at 26lbs, but when I changed to Bg66U I upped my tension to 28lbs to compensate for the extra power that comes with Bg66U. However, a while ago I went through a stage of using Bg65ti, and I had to have that strung right down at 24lbs as I needed to be able to generate a bit more power as it is a less powerful string.

So in my opinion try most strings at 24lbs first, then increase or decrease from there and the type of racket it is very rare affects what string to use, unless it is a Carlton Razor or something like that with an extremely weird stringing pattern.

Quick Side Note

Please note that all of my reviews are subjective to my own opinion, I try to be impartial and give the best advice I can to help you make an informed decision. I am in no way sponsored by Yonex to write these reviews, the only sponsorship I have is a player sponsorship with Tactic and Cramp Sports but I will not review any of their equipment as I would be bias! Thank you for your continued support.

Bg66 Ultimax String Review

Well here it is, finally a review of Bg66 Ulitmax, by Yonex's reckoning their best string overall. Yonex even rated it 10/10 in control, repulsion and hitting sound, so as soon as I found out about this string I was desperate to try it.

As soon as my reel arrived I immediately cut the strings out of my racket and strung up my Tactic Voyager 80 to my usual 27lbs. Even stringing with Bg66U is a joy, the thinner gauge is a real help when threading shared grommets, however, I'm not sure how badly the durability of the string will be affected by the thinner gauge.

On to the play test however, and if there was one word to describe how I felt when I first played with this string, there is only one choice... WOW! I have never felt anything like it. The sheer power that I could generate with no extra effort was simply amazing, yet controlling the shuttle and being able to place it wherever I wanted on the court without any doubts that it may go into the net or drift out.

There is only one major problem with Bg66U, but it is a big one! I found the durability of this string to be worse than any other I have tried so far. This is probably due to the thinner gauge and the fact that not all of my shots come out of the middle of the racket. It could also be because of the high tension that I use, but I found that I broke a string after 5-6 hours of play, and then again, broke a set just tensioning it in the stringing machine, which is the first time that has ever happened to me in my entire stinging career! This then made me extremely nervous about the string and after trying a hybrid with Bg80P in the mains and Bg66U in the crosses, which really didn't work I decided that just to be on the safe side, the day before each tournament I play I will just have to re-string my rackets again, hoping that they will not break during a very important point in the match, and I am please to say that they held up at the kent senior silver very well.

Overall then, I am not sure how to rate this string, Yonex have dropped its price significantly since launch, probably due to the fact that people were complaining about having to re-string their rackets so regularly. This makes it reasonable value for money, however, the main selling point of this string has definitely got to be the amazing power and incredibly control that it offers. I will definitely be using this string throughout the season, unless a better string from Yonex comes along, but I find that extremely hard to believe. This is 100% a string for a high level player, who doesn't mind replacing strings often as they will gain that little extra edge in a tournament situation.

I would give this string 4/5, missing 5/5 only because of the poor durability!

New website!

Hey everyone, just a quick update to say that my new website is up and running, go and check it out for more info on apb stringers!

http://www.apbstringers.co.uk/

Bg66 Ultimax Review Nearly Finished!

Hey guys, just a quick update to say the my bg66 Ultimax review is nearly finished, I am 6 hours into my 10 hour long play test and I must confess that I am in love with this string, only problem is... I have broken a set already!!

A more detailed review will be posted within the next week. Until then, keep playing and watch the Olympics for some good pointers!

Yonex Bg66 Ultimax Review Coming Soon!

Just a quick note to say that my Yonex Bg66 Ultimax string review will be posted very shortly, I've just been so busy over the last few weeks that I haven't had the chance to finish it off, but now that school holidays have really started I can finally get to work finishing the review!As usual, if you have any questions or ideas for posts, please don't hesitate to comment bellow.Antony

Tools I use for Stringing

Hey guys, sorry it has been so long since my last post, exams and training have taken over for a bit, however I am back now and will try to post as much as possible. If you have any queries or ideas for posts, please don't hesitate to leave a comment below!

There are hundreds of different ways to string, using hundreds of different tools, and for a novice stringer starting out all of this information can be very overwhelming! In this post I will try and consolidate all of this information into 1 simple list of tools that any new stringer should have to hand at all times.

The main tool that any stringer cannot live without is a good set of snips or cutters. Cutting an angle of the end of the piece of string is extremely useful when trying to feed the string through a blocked or shared grommet.

A decent set of pliers are also very useful when trying to slowly feed string through a tight grommet. A good set of pliers and cutters will probably cost around £20, which is a reasonable price for tools that you will use multiple times during a single re-string.

An awl is another must have piece of kit. It can be used in a whole variety of ways, including moving blocked strings, using it to stop friction when pulling excess string through, and a whole host of other tasks.

f your machine comes with two movable flying clamps that are attached to the base of your machine then there is no need to buy any other type of clamps, including free flying clamps or starting clamps. I may put a video on youtube to show how to string a racket without the need for starting clamps. If I do I will post it on here straight away.

The only other tool/accessory that is necessary to be able to string consistently is a tension calibrator. This will be the most expensive tool that you will require, usually costing around £25 for a manual one. This can be used to check that the tension the machine is reading is actually the same as the tension that is being pulled on the string. This is of paramount importance when trying to produce a consistent string job.

There are hundreds of other different tools available, however, no matter what type of racket you are stringing you cannot fail to go wrong with these tools. For a novice starting out this is a good guide to what tools are necessary without going overboard.

Bg65ti String Review

Yonex Bg65ti Badminton String Review

Lets get straight to it, Bg65ti is not marketed as one of the top Yonex strings available, however for its low price it is almost unbeatable for a value for money point of view. Yonex advertise Bg65ti as one of their more durable strings as it is slightly thicker than their usual 0.69 or 0.68mm strings. It also has a titanium coating which adds to the durability factor of the string and gives the string a harder feeling. 

Playability

Playing with Bg65ti at my usual 27lbs is actually surprisingly comfortable, I wasn't sure to begin with if the extra coatings would blunt the feeling of the strings and make it feel like I was playing with a cricket bat, however I got none of those feelings and as soon as I started hitting with it, it felt like a very good quality string.

Bg65ti gives decent repulsion power, meaning that clearing and smashing requires very little effort is needed to produce a good length. The 'hard feeling' the string is advertised as really makes sense when you hit with it, the strings always feel solid and you get very little in the way of a spongy feeling. This string is not quite as powerful as other Yonex strings, such as Bg80 Power or Bg66 Ultimax, however if I'd dropped the string tension by a couple of lbs I think that I would have had the same results as these high end strings. (I'll explain how dropping and raising tension works in another post)

Overall I will give the repulsion factor of Bg65ti - 3/5.

The control aspect is one of Bg65ti's weaker points. The outer layer of the string, being coated in a smooth layer of titanium, is actually very slippery, meaning that it can sometimes be difficult to add spin or slice to shots. Compared to Yonex Bg80, which I review a little while ago Bg65ti doesn't come close to having the same control abilities, although in its defence it is not marketed as a control string, so should not be judged solely on that aspect. For its price I would be hard pressed to find a string that performed as well as this and had the same durability factor as Bg65ti. I have still not yet been able to try the new Nanogy 99 from Yonex, which is designed to be a very control oriented string, and I will tell you how it compares in another post.

I give the control factor of Bg65ti - 3/5.

Durability

This is where Bg65ti really comes into its own, so far, after about 30 hours of play there is no sign of fraying and it still feels as tight as the day I re-strung it. Bg65ti is also the string that I put in peoples rackets who do not have a specific preference, and, so far I cannot remember getting a racket back from people where Bg65ti has broken. Obviously it will break eventually, however, one of my performance centre coaches who is ex top 30 in the world doubles player and is now only 25 years old uses Bg65ti and with the power he has I was extremely surprised when he said he only breaks strings very occasionally! If Bg65ti can withstand the power of his smash and  last for a few weeks, then it can last a hell of a lot longer in regular players rackets. it is also a good testament to the string that a player of that caliber is using it.

The reason why Bg65ti is so durable is because it is 0.02mm thicker than a string such as Bg80 Power and has the outer wrap of titanium. These two things, which don't sound very significant on their own, make a huge difference when combined. I'm not sure if any string manufacturer will ever recreate the same mix of excellent durability with good repulsion power and decent control.

 I give the durability factor of Bg65ti - 5/5.

Overall then I think that Bg65ti is a very good string, that can be used by professional players as well club level and intermediate players. It is by far the best durable string for an extremely low price. I string peoples rackets with it all the time and nobody has ever had anything bad to say about it. 

Overall I will give Bg65ti - 4/5.

Funny Stringing Stories

The other day I got asked a very weird question about racket stringing, and that got me thinking about any other funny stories regarding racket stringing I could remember over the last year and a half that I have been stringing.

The first thing that immediately sprang to mind was when I got asked if I had any coated steel badminton strings! For anyone who doesn't know, they come with rackets that you buy in gardens sets and never break, but cannot hold any tension and feel like you are hitting the shuttle with a cricket bat! I told the woman that I didn't have any of those and could order some 0.80mm Toalson Superline 80 string, which I just finished stringing up for her, and actually it feels very nice, with a slight texture to it, equivalent to that of Yonex Bg80, however, I'm 99% sure it wouldn't play like the much more expensive Yonex string!

The only other story I can think of at the moment is when my Dad went to re-string a racket and the dog ran off with the reel of string, getting it caught on many different things around the house and managed to unravel around 100m. It took Dad over an hour to unhook the string and another 10 minutes to wrap it back up in the reel again, needless to say he wasn't too happy!

If you have any funny stringing stories then feel free to share them in the comments section below!

First squash and tennis rackets

Yesterday was my first experience of stringing squash and tennis rackets, and I must say, why have I not done it before!?  Having struggled with extremely thin badminton string for the past year and a half I immediately felt comfortable with the much thicker strings in my hands.

My first squash racket was a breeze, and took me as long as a badminton racket does now, after doing over 200! I think that this is because of the lack of strings and the fact that there are not many shared grommets to overcome.

The tennis rackets I found a little harder, as the string was slightly less flexible and there were a lot more strings compared to the squash racket, however, it was nice to have a change and I recommend who is used to just stringing one type of racket to try another as it is really refreshing.

Overall my first experiences were extremely good and I hope to string many more tennis and squash rackets in the future!

APB and Cramp Sports

Just a quick post to let you know that Antony Barnett of APB Stringers is a sponsored agent of the Tactic badminton equipment distributor in the UK, Cramp Sports.

Tactic badminton equipment is not very well known in the UK, but the Tactic brand has sponsored many national teams, including China and Denmark. The rackets and shoes are of an extremely high quality and are  comparative to many high end brands.

 Check out their website at - www.crampsports.com

APB is Branching Out!

APB Stringers is now branching out into stringing squash and tennis rackets as well as badminton. So if you ever need any type of racket re-strung at an affordable price, please don't hesitate to email us at, apbstringers@hotmail.com.

Yonex Bg80 String Review

Yonex Bg80 Badminton String Review


This is the first of hopefully many string reviews that I will be posting to this blog, if you have any feedback it would be greatly appreciated in order to make these reviews better in the future.

Well, where to begin with good old Bg80, the faithful flagship model of the Yonex string ranges. Although, by no where near their most expensive string, Bg80 is certainly Yonex's most popular string choice for professionals and club players alike. I was talking to a pro stringer at the All England 2012 earlier this year and he said that a whopping 80% of the professional players on the tour use Bg80. Anyway, what is it like to play with and use...

Playability


I string my rackets at 27lbs, which is almost in the middle of the different extremes of string tensions that professionals and ordinary club players use. At this tension I feel that Bg80 is by far the best all round string on the market.

It offers great repulsion, meaning that clearing and smashing is effortless, with very little energy required to clear from back to back. The 'hard feeling' the string is advertised as really makes sense when you hit with it, the strings always feel solid and you get very little in the way of a spongy feeling. It does not offer quite the same explosive repulsion as Yonex's high end strings, such as Bg80 Power and Bg66 Ultimax, however there are major problems with both of these strings which I will go on to explain when I review them.

Overall I will give the repulsion factor of Bg80 - 4/5.

The control aspect is one of Bg80's selling points. The outer layer of the string is actually notched, to allow the string to feel and bite into the shuttle a lot more, meaning that adding slice to a drop and spin to a net shot is extremely easy. Along with its all round playability, the control is probably the best part of the Bg80 string. I have not yet been able to try the new Nanogy 99 from Yonex, which is designed to be a very control oriented string, however, from the strings I have used and tested, Bg80 is by far the best at controlling the shuttle.

I give the control factor of Bg80 - 5/5.


Durability


This can be a very hit and miss affair with Bg80. I hardly ever break a string through wearing through the middle, where you can see it fraying and then breaking it. I usually break my strings with miss hits on the edge of the string bed. This is because I have my rackets strung quite tight, and any excess pressure on the out side where the strings are less densly packed means they break a lot quicker.

However, after switching back to Bg80 from Bg80 power a few weeks ago, the first racket I strung up started to fray within 5 hours. I train at a performance centre, so that means 4 hours a week of training, and after 2 1/2 sessions the strings were fraying in the middle. They then broke after 6 hours, which for me is an extremely short space of time. I stuck with it however and the next two rackets I did have lasted me a lot longer and show no signs of fraying at the moment. I'm not sure if it was a dodgy reel of string or if I nicked it while stringing without noticing, however, on the whole, Bg80 being one of Yonex's thinner gauge of string is not going to last as long as some of the other strings that they sell, such as Bg65ti, however, for a top of the range string it is usually very good durability wise.

 I give the durability factor of Bg80 - 4/5.

Overall then I think that Bg80 is a very good string, that can be used by professional players as well club level players. It will add a good 20% to your all round game. There are different strings that do separate jobs slightly better, however, the blend of power and control is unmatched in any string that I have used or heard about, that is why 80% of the super series players use Yonex Bg80.

Overall I will give Bg80 - 5/5.

What we are about...

APB Stringers was set up 1 year ago by a father and son duo living in Worthing, England. We specialize in racket re-stringing, with over 200 rackets and 50 customers in our portfolio. Both stringers have experience playing at county level badminton, myself playing for the Under 17's and dad for the over 45's. In this blog I aim to pass on stringing tips and hopefully do some string reviews, for people unsure of which strings to use, as I know it can be a minefield out there!