I have been using the BG-65 for a long time now and thought that i would never have to change. But as i got more and more rackets i realised that i had to spend much more on restringing. Since the BG-65 loses tension too quickly, which string would you say is best for holding tension? I'm currently looking to the BG-66 since its the same composite as the BG-65 except its thinner...... Which strings are good for holding tension? thanks
BG-70pro This string holds tension the best, I think it's due to the oval braided fibres of the string, not sure, but it's a stiff string in the first place. It'll hold your tension nice and long, and also they are fairly durable as well. Give it a try you wont be disappointed. Also another thing you might want to ask your stringer, is to pre-stretch the string. I've found that the string lasts much longer, at certain tensions, when it is pre-stretched, that way after the racquet has been finished, the strings dont really have anywhere to stretch. Hope this helps. -Kelvin PS: BG66 is awesome for control, and it has some serious repulsion characteristics. Unless you play with feather shuttles a lot, and hit your sweet spot consistently. You may or may not end up paying more for constant restringing with the 66s... they are afterall .66mm gauge. but since the price is so low now, it's honestly up to you... but I still recommend the bg70pro if you want your strings to hold for a fairly decent amount of time.
BG68Ti and BG85 on MP100 for me. Maybe it is the muscle power frame but the tension is still very good after 2 months with the BG68Ti and going strong with BG85 at 3 weeks. Mine is strung at 24cross/22main.
I will rate strings holding their tension in this order: BG80, BG68ti, 66, 65, and I am going to try 85 and 70. 70pro is no long in the production line. For some reasons, 65 is the only string loss tension too quickly. The rest strings hold well with very little differences.
Re: BG-70pro I was advised by someone to use the BG-70 Pro since the i started playing again in Singapore. But i decided to stick to the BG-65. I would have changed to the BG-70 Pro now but unfortunately its no longer in production.......
I am currently waiting for a new restring in BG 80. (Yes, another BG 85 went down the drain). BG 85 does hold tension better. But then again, perhaps before the strings have had time to do any serious loosening, piinng, another restring is needed!!
Kelvin ??? Some Questions for you, Kelvin. How to prestretch a string?? How to keep the prestretching tension constant along the length of a string? Would not stringing to a higher tension on the racquet and letting it loosen have a similar effect to prestretching and then stringing at a slightly lower tension?
Byron, I will not recommend BG-66 to you. The reason is simple: It's not durable(0.66), especially judging from the way you smash everytime, it will not last at all!! Basically, all other strings except BG-65 holds the tension well....
Re: BG-70pro I personally use the BG70 pro. it was kelvin who first suggested that string to me( i tried quite a few before i came to bg70). i love the string! it really doesnt stretch nearly as much as bg65s do. bg65 would lose tension in a weeks time...bg70 holds it forever, it always feels tight and stiff...and i like the characteristics of a stiff string. BTW, i didnt know that bg70 was discontinued! but theres an abundance of it from my local stringer
Yah i know about the BG-66 durability problem, thats why i used BG-65. I did use BG-66 before for a short while but changed to the BG-65 because of the strings same composition. But i was hoping that it will last longer.
Ok! Oh, maybe i should do what you do, just string all my rackets with different strings! j/k I don't like that because i'd prefer to stick to 1 type of string
Re: Kelvin ??? I'll answer your questions in order. 1.) For me when I pre-stretch the string, it's a time consuming process, but I find it yields better results when I'm finished. After looping through the two holes (I have an older drop weight machine), I clamp off the string, and time it with my watch for about 5mins, and go do something else while I'm waiting.... then I release the clamp, and would drop the weight once more, to pull to the desired tension. I do this throughout the entire racquet to make sure that I have for myself as consistent a stretch as possible. Of course there's never any guarantees of 100% consistency even with the ultra expensive electronic machines, but from what my teacher told me, with practice, I'll learn better techniques that I can use on my own equipment. 2.)this I leave up to the weight, and machine calibration. I will always give the stretching time for each row, the same amount of time, as close as possible in order to get as consistent a stretch as possible. Since I've been playing so long, I do have a little intuition, to know what certain string tensions should sound like with what strings; So I give them a good plucking in different areas of the face just to make sure I've done as good a job as possible...(similar to what Piano tuners do to the Piano after they've finished fine tuning it) since it's my own equipment, and string, I don't have to worry too much about any small inconsistencies in pull; unless it's warping the frame. When I first started, I messed up quite a few times, but now I feel confident in my own techniques. 3.) From my experience strings can only stretch so far, before they start to pull apart the top coating, and degrade. Since I already string in the upper echelon of 25-28lbs range, I do not find any need to stretch the string any further than I have already done. If you think about it... Pre-stretching, will allow the string to stretch out to the maximum length (depending on what tension), after you re-stretch the string again, the string has already stretched closer to it's maximum load, and will maintain the tension even after stringing. For me, if I took the path of pulling to in or around the 30lbs area, there's no guarantees the frame would hold for me, and I personally do not want to take the chance to break my racquet... Also it is not possible to predict the amount of stretching the string will do afterwards, using the conventional string methods. It could stretch another further 5lbs, depending on how fast the stringer, did the racquet, and the string type. I don't want to have that unknown factor with my own equipment... when I string to 28lbs, I know it will be as close to 28lbs as I possibly know how to do, without sacrificing or unnecessarily putting my equipment in danger of breaking. The last two reasons are why I pre-stretch my strings. I customize to suit my own needs, and try to maximize what I have... I don't think I answered your question... here, but I guess this will. The idea of pre-stretching the string is to take the string near, or as close as possible to it's maximum load, or stretching point. I don't know anyone who pre-stretches, then re-tightens at a lower tension, because the process would be redundant, and a waste of time. If I prestretch at 25lbs, I will re-tighten at 25lbs, so as not to waste the string. Why would you stretch the string further, than what you would want to string it at??? Again, I'm not a pro-stringer, nor do I claim to be, but if you have any insight as to why you would do this I would like to know from another stringer's perspective. Share the knowledge I always say. -Kelvin
Re: Kelvin ??? Agree with you Kelvin on the idea of pre-stretching here. I do my strings too with a 'gauge-break' type machine. For pre-stretching, my way is to stretch the string a couple of times below the pre-set tension, and more importantly over a longer period of time than a few seconds. With this trick, even 65 can hold tension at an acceptable level. As a player, I wonder if you get enjoyment out of stringing your won rackets? I do.
Re: Kelvin ??? Oh yes, I definitely love stringing my own racquet now. I still occassionally give a racquet to a friend to see how well he would string it, but I find a lot of joy in knowing that I am actually able to customize my equipment to suit my personal needs. Really great fulfilling feeling. I agree with you about stretching over a period of time. This ensures a better stretch. I'm just looking into a better type of drop weight machine now. I'm really meticulous about the things i do, and really like to make fine adjustments. I guess that's why I choose a drop weight, over the other types of machines, probably because of the price concern as well.
Re: Kelvin ??? A very clear explanation. Thanks. One last question: Do you string the peripheral strings in the same fashion with the same tension as the central strings? Agree that 28lbs is not to be taken lightly. My friend just received a Ti10. He received from a professional player who strung it at 32lbs in the central strings and less high around the periphery. It felt really hard. I have an impression that BG65 can be strung at these initial high tensions without damaging the racquet because it does stretch so much. I know that pros always have a couple of freshily sturng racquets for a tournament. Looking at those stringers at tournaments, prestretching is not a common technique - as you mention, it's a personal preference.
THANKS Thanks for all the replies I think the BG-70 Pro would be the best choice for me, but its hard to find here in Singapore. But according to the Yonex distributer (Sunrise) here in Singapore. It is available at Queensway. But right now, it looks like i will be sticking to my traditional BG-65
Re: THANKS really? why is bg88ti better? haven't heard many reviews on bg88ti. can you describe it? is it a soft string? power? control?
