serious question about SOTX LG600 string

Discussion in 'General Forum' started by 16261389, Jan 26, 2009.

  1. 16261389

    16261389 New Member

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    I bought one SOTX LG600 from ibuysports.com 3 weeks ago and used it for the first time on the last Friday. It is very disappointing and surprising that the string lasted for only 15 minutes. I am not a professional but have a long play with badminton. I have used various kinds of racquets from very cheap ones to very professional ones. However, no one has a string which can only last several minutes. I called ibuysports and he told me that's my fault because I used "the wrong area" of the racquet to hit the shuttlecock. :mad: But I think that's a ridiculous explanation because I also use "the wrong area" of other racquets and even cheaper one will not be broken in several minutes. So what I got from ibuysports is to admit his theory about several minutes lasting string is normal. I am not a professional and have no strength to use the racquet like those pros.
    I really need your help about this.
     
    #1 16261389, Jan 26, 2009
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2009
  2. 16261389

    16261389 New Member

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    If you are equiped with SOTX, you must be very careful about its string. DO NOT use the wrong area to hit shuttlecock, otherwise you will have to pay 10 bucks string, 10 bucks labor and 10 bucks postage.
     
  3. drop2it

    drop2it Regular Member

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    Sounds like a bad case grommetitis if you ask me. Inspect each plastic grommet to make sure that they are all there and in good condition. A bad or missing grommet can easily be the cause of a cut a string. As for your provider's explanation, I agree with you that using the 'wrong area' of the racket is just BS. If a string job was too tight, it would also cause a decreased life-span, but based on your post, I think that this is unlikely.

    Assuming that you did not abuse this racket in ANY way, I would place full responsibility on the stringer, but again based on you post, I think that it is unlikely that ibuysports is going to help you out. If I was in your shoes, I'd just go to a brick-and-mortar store to have the racket re-strung. At least for me, the $20 it will cost you simply isn't worth the time and aggravation trying to get a refund.
     
  4. 16261389

    16261389 New Member

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    Thank you for the reply.
    I know that any string will be broken in someday, but not in several minutes. ibuysports just passed the buck. He told me he is a professional and as a coach somewhere and he broke 4 racquets in one night. His logic is if he broke 4 racquets in one night, several minutes lasting string is also normal. I have no doubt about that he is a pro, but I am not. Any of the racquets I used before lasted much much longer than this several minutes one. Actually, I am very unsatisfied with his attitude.
     
  5. Athelete1234

    Athelete1234 Regular Member

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    How thick is this string??? What string was the racquet strung at? What tension were you playing at? If the string is supposed to be relatively durable and isn't strung too tight, then it's probabaly bad stringing.
     
  6. 16261389

    16261389 New Member

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    The string is prestrung at 24 lbs by ibuysports. It should be SOTX 65 string and may have the same thickness as YONEX BG65. But I didn't measure it. I gave no pre-request on string. Who is willing to use an fragile string?:(
     
  7. jerby

    jerby Regular Member

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    From what I read, the string it ti-65, 0.65mm thick.

    What Steve is trying to tell 16261289 is what is commonly referred to as a mis-hit.

    A normal strings break
    [​IMG][​IMG]
    breaks in the center, due to normal wear and tear, usually lasts quite some time.

    A mishit, is probably what your was, looks like this:
    [​IMG]

    Mishits occur when you hit the shuttle on the edge of your rackethead, hard. It's just bad luck.

    For good players, playing with high tensions, mishits are part of the game, my current record is 7 in 1 week :eek:, but I'm sure some have better horror-stories.
    For the more recreational players, it happens sometimes, nothing you can do about it.
    (a good view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-vbeXyOCVc)

    So, in short: the string is kinda thin, (the tension might've been a bit high) and you had some bad luck.
    This has nothing to do with the LG600, or Sotx, or Ibuysports...

    For a restring, there might be a stringer near you, ask around at your club. It's madness to ship a racket back to a seller for a restring...
     
  8. Athelete1234

    Athelete1234 Regular Member

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    According to what I saw....SOTX Ti-65 strings are only 0.65mm thick. So that means that they are going to live at probably 3 weeks max if you play regularly. If you are a hard hitter and mishit lots, you're probably just an unlucky guy it seems :(.

    edit: Dammit, Jerby beat me to the explaination :D
     
  9. 16261389

    16261389 New Member

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    1. I am not a powerful player
    2. I made a lot of mishitting on my previous racquets, no one performed like this.:(
     
  10. 16261389

    16261389 New Member

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    For good players, playing with high tensions, mishits are part of the game, my current record is 7 in 1 week :eek:, but I'm sure some have better horror-stories.
    For the more recreational players, it happens sometimes, nothing you can do about it.
    (a good view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-vbeXyOCVc)

    So, in short: the string is kinda thin, (the tension might've been a bit high) and you had some bad luck.
    This has nothing to do with the LG600, or Sotx, or Ibuysports...

    For a restring, there might be a stringer near you, ask around at your club. It's madness to ship a racket back to a seller for a restring...[/quote]


    I don't understand why I didn't get a mishitting on the millions of my previous hit?
     
  11. Athelete1234

    Athelete1234 Regular Member

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    What were your previous strings?? If it was anything but BG66 it would probably not cause a string breakage.
     
  12. zmwoody

    zmwoody Regular Member

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    I have bought a few rackets from him with-out a problem I'm a beginner and have a lot of miss hits, My step-son is advanced and a hard hitter . none of the strings broke prematurely I think you just had bad luck.
     
  13. LazyBuddy

    LazyBuddy Regular Member

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    Without actually inspecting the racket / string, I can not draw the conclusion, but it could be a combo of factors:

    1. Defect string / gromments

    2. String damaged during the string process

    3. Mis-hit on thin string (0.65mm) with high tension - especially true, if at the very top of the very bottom area of the head frame, where only mains but not cross to support. When AT800 first came out, ppl experienced a lot of string brokage in relatively short time.


    Based on the list above, I can not say ibuysports is perfectly right, but they are not pointless as well. Players tend to blame the stringers blindly, well some stringers do the same as well. ;)

    I will say, post a picture, and indicate where the string broke. Or, let an experienced stringer inspect it, and see what s/he says. :rolleyes:
     
  14. LazyBuddy

    LazyBuddy Regular Member

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    1. You don't need to be superman to break a badminton string. :D

    2. What are the strings and tension on other rackets? If thicker string with lower tension, they are much more forgiving with mis-hit.
     
  15. Jumpalot

    Jumpalot Regular Member

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    From ibuysports.

    Hey guys, it's been a while since I have posted on this forum. I apoloize in advance for such a long reply and probably a waste of 10 min of everyone's life. I have literally spent 30 minutes with 16261389 on the phone explain to him the quality of the string is not measured by the length it lasts especially when its broken near the edge of the frame. First of all, yes, there are definitely "wrong areas" since it's made of strings (0.65mm) at high tension since it's not a board with solid thickness evenly throughout he entire area. The same reasoning that there are "wrong areas" there are also "right areas" which is the area where strings are crossed and especially the "sweet spot".

    I explained countless times the main factor is that it depends on where the shuttle is struck and the number of strings to support that "shot" and the force it was struck. As anyone would, the first question I asked is where the string is broken which he failed to mention that in the post he told me it was broken toward the edge of the frame. He also misstated that I said strings broken in 15 min is normal. I told him it's entirely possible even with a good racket and a good stringing job to break a string in 15min due to accidents can happen anytime. In the call, I have explained to him it's logical and it's physics that strings break due to single string near the edge cant support the "hits" as much just like the opposite is true that it's much harder to break at areas when the strings are "crossed". Once again, I mentioned to him repeatedly it's physics that less strings tend to mean easier breakage . All of this is after I told him the SOTX Ti-65 strings were strung at 25lb for higher performance and it is a thinner string that is meant to be more aerodynamic for faster swings rather than durability like the more common .68mm strings. Unfortunately, I can't reason with someone that kept telling me is that no good string should only last 15 min. It's a tough balance to provide good products at low pricing and equally hard to replace customer's orders every time they break a string. I myself consider breaking the string is part of the game and I consider them as breakable like shuttlecocks. Once again, I dont normally post here and I dont want to sound arrogant in anyway (as I have taken the same approach with every customer and especially 16261389).

    Based on our phone conversation and without an acutall picture, which I requested over the phone, I told him the best way to resolve this is to send a photo. Once again, I could only based on the fact that he broke the string near the frame as he told me (which most of us probably have done over hundreds of times over our lifetime of playing badminton). After all, it could still be a grommet or string issue but at 25lb with a 0.65mm string those tends to break after couple of hits and won't even last 15 min.

    16261389, if you send me a picture or post it on the forum, I will be more than glad to take of it if it's not caused by a mis-hit.

    thanks,

    Steve
     
  16. Jumpalot

    Jumpalot Regular Member

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    And for all of those that knows me, I am pro in EQ and WOW but I dont claimed to be "pro" badminton player as in professional badminton player. LOL. Nice, thanks for the complement but just want to set the record straight that I am not going around claiming to be a pro lol. Stop making crap up over a broken string man !!! Seriously. LOL.

    PS> coaching part is true.. breaking 4 strings in one night also true.. (I was varsity water polo player with a good arm plus hitting some weights in college, and most unfortunately, my miss hits usually meant a crushed bird or broken strings back then.. ) sigh... That's why I learned how to string a racket.
     
    #16 Jumpalot, Jan 29, 2009
    Last edited: Jan 29, 2009
  17. LazyBuddy

    LazyBuddy Regular Member

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    I think both sides should take a deep breath, and calm down. After all, it's just 1 piece of string, which together with labor cost no more than US$15 - 20. As part of the game itself, equipment cost is un-avoidable. Everyone wants the equipment to last forever, but it's hardly the case. :p

    To me, the relationship between player and stringer should be "trust", just as any service business. For whatever reason, if you believe such relationship does not exist, then move on to look for the better match. It's impossible to make everyone happy regardless who s/he is. :eek:
     

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