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.