Tried to search for comparison among those strings, and failed to find information in one place, hence the start of this thread. following are some spec for them, collected from manufacturers' web: - NBG 98, 0.66mm, medium feel. Sharp feeling with 0.66mm gauge. Great repulsion for high clear and defensive shots. - Zymax 62, 0.62mm. The lightest string ever made; 25% lighter than standard .70 mm strings. Optimum repulsion with crisp sound players want to hear. - Zymax 67, 0.67mm, Lowest tension loss of any badminton string. Exceptional tension stability insures an excellent combination of durability and repulsion at all stringing tensions. Please share your experience with the above strings.
Zymax 62 is one of the best (if not the best) strings I've ever played with but... not durable, have to be careful while stringing because it's so thin and almost any mishit will break it at tensions over 24 lbs. I like 98 as well and it's my go to string right now for most of my rackets. Zymax 67 I put on par with BG85 but use it (67) more because I can find it cheaper.
I used to use NBG 98 at 25X27 on my AT 700. I had high hopes for this string but I actually found it "ok". Meaning, it felt dull and I didn't feel alot of repulsion. I like the Zymax 62 but as the OP stated, durability is not its greatest strength. My first tension using the 62 was at 28 lbs but it felt more like 31 lbs. It only lasted an hour with one fatal mishit. Currently, I'm at 24 lbs and it is still intact. I'm used to BG 80 but I'm trying to get used to the Zymax. Given its durability concerns, I string it at lower tension and I really focus on making good contact with no mishits.
Most of the premature breakage of ZM62 is due to the use of cheaper grades of shuttlecocks. Cheaper shuttlecocks break at the feather shaft after a while and this produces sharp edges that will snap very thin snappy strings like ZM62. Try to use high quality goose grade A fetaher shuttles and you will experience less breakage. One tell-tale sign of a good goose feather shuttlecock is that the feathers will not break in the middle of the shaft; they will merely become thinner at the top or the tips become slightly knicked.
Disagree. I strung ZM62 on my Apacs Tatrum 200 @24lbs. It snapped during the third games and my group was using AS40.
IMO string breakage depends on two factors. Plastic vs feather, and stringing method. Stringing method is easily accountable if the string is crushed or nicked through improper awl usage (or a too sharp awl), any string twisting, or too tight/rough clamps/gripper. Assuming your using feather (as evidenced by AS40), I'd say that even though ZM62 is MUCH MUCH less prone to twisting, you still need to be really careful with it twisting because it has a lower tolerance to twisting as well. Also, a +2 differential (crosses at 2lbs higher than mains) can also increase breakage.
I been using 62 at 25lbs for my T2 for a month with about 6 hours usage every week. It is still holding up nicely. I manage to break 2 in a single game too. So barring mishit, 62 is actually quite durable. It does not matter on the shuttlecock i think. More on the contact point and the shots you hit. If you were to slice the shuttle or mishit, it will surely break irregardless of what shuttles use.
I am used to durable string like BG66 and BG80. In regards of what shuttlecock I played with and those primary school advise "don't mishit, sharp feather tip that cut string". ZM62 just not durable and it break more often than Yonex string.
I don't know that the bolded is a fair statement, even if strictly true. The only reason it's true is because Yonex does not make a .62mm string so you can't compare equally. If you want to compare durability between zymax and yonex then compare the 67 to the 85 which are the same thickness. I love the 62 while it lasts regardless of playing with feathers or plastic. Durability is not too much an issue for myself since I string my own rackets and currently own a 200m reel but will need to decide whether it's worth buying another reel when that one is gone.
As members have said this is about ZM62/67 vs NBG98 Please remember that ZM62 & ZM67 is also a different string altogether, thus take into consideration in the discussion. My opinion is NBG98 is very dull & slippery. It is expensive & I thought it would be worth it. I won't buy it again. ZM62 is full of life & repulsion, with decent feel, just net shots for me are tricky to control, but it may just be a acclimatisation period. I haven't tried ZM67.
Thanks for those who replied. By searching more and reading more, following are what I found among the three strings: - NBG-98. High repulsion, great sound, kind of slippery, good durability. - Zymax 62. High repulsion, ok sound, better control (than NBG-98), not so good durability (especially mishits). - Zymax 67. OK repulsion, ok sound, good control, and good durability. Any one with more to add?
Here is my additional point 1) NBG98 is more expensive. In some case, cost 2x the Zymax. However, NBG98 has better durability and ZM62. But I don't think it has 2x durability. Feeling is better. 2) I will say ZM62 has better control. Harder feeling and power is about the same as NBG98. 3) Only reason you would go with ZM67 is you like the control and hard feeling of ZM62 but need better durability. If you have money, NBG98. If you string yourself and money is an issue, ZM62. If you are neither 1 or 2, ZM67 or BG80.
I just tried nbg98 on 27lbs last night. My usual setup is zymax 62 on 25lbs. The difference for me is that nbg98 is way more powerful than 62 as i keep overhitting it over line effortlessly despite it being 27lbs compared to 62. However, 62 has more grip and it is better for net play. Now i understand why Sir Dinkalot gives a Excellent+ for power for 98. Really powerful string.
Definitely agree. After played NY Open, finding NBG 98 works better for me, due to it's softness with my stiff racket.
I had the same string setup (Zm62@25lbs and NBG98@27lbs) as you and felt the opposite. NBG98 was definitely not as repulsive as Zm62, even at same tension or -2lbs, the feel of hitting with Zm62 was just so effortless, biggest grin on my face when you do a full power smash with Zm62, what a bam!! Too bad they don't sustain mishits, but definitely string of choice for me. Just need to have my own stringing machine and I will get Zm62 again, no worries~