More Reviews on the Way Soon

Hi again, as you may be aware I am currently trying to be a little more pro-active with posting reviews and other content on this blog and here's a quick update to tell everyone what they should expect within the following month or two.

My full review of Zymax 67 will be on the way shortly, also followed by comparisons and reviews of Zymax 65 and 62, which I have been lucky enough to get hold of a few packets. I also have a couple of sets Yonex Nanogy 99, so you can expect a review of that in the not so distant future, as I know it is a string with a lot of interest surrounding it and I know a few people have already asked me for a review. 

Other than that, there may be a couple of comparison posts between Yonex strings and other manufacturers, as well as a couple of stringing related posts that aren't necessarily reviews.

Thank you for your patience.

APB Stringers 

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!

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!

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!

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

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.

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.