I don't. The flight characteristics are a little different from AS50. Further the EG has a tendency to slow down noticeably after the first few shots. This can be interpreted as lack of flight stability. However, many also loved that after that initial slow down, the EG maintains its flight for much longer than any other shuttles (I have tested).
Ok, so I played with the Aeroplane Blacks some more today. Perhaps my first batch was bad, or perhaps I was too harsh on them initially. I will re-grade again once I get some 77 speed Blacks. But my initial findings do still largely stand. The durability on the Blacks is easily the best of the 3 shuttles tested. The shuttles soldier on even after being ruffled and damaged, and actually take pretty obvious mishits to even mis-align. Flight and Flight Consistency is where it gets more complicated. I can confirm that what others have said is true, after a few hits the speed drops considerably on these, but after that initial drop in momentum, flight consistency is very good and on the whole it will hold performance steadily even when battered. That makes rating the Black's difficult. Since it essentially has two flight consistency drops, one almost immediately, and one later on. I'm tempted to not mark it down for the first initial drop in speed (since flight consistency holds very well after this), however, I won't, as I still feel general use with this shuttle is too slow. It just doesn't fly quite as smooth, fast or direct as the other shuttles. It has a slight balletic feel about it. However, this might just be due to me having the wrong speed for the temperature. I will re-grade all shuttles after further testing and after using the Aeroplane Black 77's as oppose to my current 78's. I will say, I am warming to the Blacks again. They are durable, and if you can deal with that initial sudden drop in speed, they're consistent as well. However, I'm still not completely content with the actual flight on these. As mentioned, they're definitely the most durable of the 3 based on testing so far.
Ok, another 3 hours with both today. Basically the same opinions as with my review of each first time. I think overall I still prefer the RSL's, but maybe too early to tell still. Durability is great on the Blacks (one lasted 3 games, sort of lol), but the speed is still a tad too slow for my liking. The RSL's feel more direct and potent, and flight consistency is also quicker whilst it lasts. Soon as a feather disappears on the RSL's though, they become wonky and unusable. Black's still fly reasonably even with a snapped feather or two, but still too slow for completely accurate play. Guess I'll reserve judgment till I try the Aeroplane Black Speed 77 (as mentioned before), but just giving an update.
RSL Classic Tourney (50/78) is best for me (of all the ones I've tested, including C.N. Alpha, SnowPeak, Aeroplane...just to name a few). Although, someone has commented that RSL Classic Tourney is a bit soft, I beg to differ (probably they are referring to other RSLs...). It is about right, durable, maintains it's flight consistency throughout.
I am not surprise on the test result. EG1130 has the best durability on three of them; however, the flight and consistency quality drops after few strong smash. The birdies will last longer but I can not stand it when I play fast game. We end up changing the birdies in the middle of the game. RSL is the best combination among the three of them. The bottom line is price vs quality. I import birdies directly my brother's friend (DR.FLY owner) http://www.drflyshuttlecocks.com/
Never used Dr.FLY, however, if people are interested in RSL Classic or Aeroplane Black, just drop me a PM. Pretty sure I can offer the arrange the best deal out there.
I dont believe too, especially TS used 78 for EG 1130 and 77 for the other two. The 78 in itself is already a faster shuttlecock. I have used many brands and EG1130 is still the best price performance, in terms of durability, flight trajectory, performance consistency throughout the play.
Author is comparing three of them from durability, flight, flight consistency prospective. Speed itself is not part of the evaluation. Best price performance is subject to what price you pay. I use DR.FLY DF99 which is much better than EG1130 in durability, flight, flight consistency. I get it directly from Manufacturer in volume and the price is similar to what I pay for EG1130 - $18 USD per tube. Maybe we should start a topic on the price you pay for your shuttlecock.
Durability and flight consistency is two different things. EG1130 is still playable even though the flight consistency is changed. It is all goods for slower games. I am not surprise that many people will think EG1130 is the best for buck. I use DF8 (3rd class in DR.FLY) to play with less skillful players who miss hit often (not matter how durability it is, miss hit kill the birdies fast) I use DF88 and DF99 (the best two class in DR.FLY) with skillful players who appreciate the accuracy of flight rotation, play fast and strong attack game. It is just like play AS30, 40 and 50. Each class provides different level of satisfaction. If you can not tell the difference, then you can save more money on buying AS30 or even lower class birdies. When choosing a birdies, you consider at price, durability, flight rotation and flight consistency as well as your playing style and who you play with.
Tip: if you think your birdies are fragile, you can moist a tissue and squeeze it and then leave it inside the tube. It helps to boost your birdies durability.
you have to steam it on DR.Fly birdies. I found it was fragile when I first received from cargo. I leave it in my room for couple weeks, it gets better. I moist the tissue and leave it there for 2-3 days before I use it. It will last even longer. I guess it is related to the manufactured process, the flight rotation is good but it is fragile if feather is dry.
my group plays 2-3 hours, 3 times a week consistently. we are beginner/intermediate. i usually play rsl classic tourney for regular games and they only last 2/3- 1 whole game. the aeroplane blacks i save for only my best opponents and they last 2 games minimum. speed: black is slightly faster consistency: both are similar durability: i think everyone knows this one... With both costing around 18-19us per tube, the aeroplane is better in my eyes and everyone that i play with. no one likes my rsl classics... when i take one out, they will look at it and kind of give me the "ok, this one again?" look. Aeroplane i'd say is best to be in your bag and reserved for your best games with top players, and a cheaper, lower quality for 80% of your games. Also, in the past i've seen that steaming may increase durability but screws up the flight pattern. I'm going to try HiQua's team shuttles. $18 for a tube of 24!
You can check out DNA orange - you can get it around $10 per tube with the right contact. It is ok birdies but flight is inconsistency within a tube. Low end birdies always have some bad birdies inside a tube. It is how manufacturer balance out the cost. After steaming it, you have to leave it out for 1-2 days before you use. You can not use it right away. The simple way is to use moisten tissue (need to squeeze out all the water) and leave it inside. From your stat, I think EG1130 is best for you. You care more about durability than other things else. Both RSL and EG1130 only last 1/2 - 2/3 in my good intense smash game. Flight rotation and consistency are more essential to such game. Good luck on HiQua. I used to purchase them (blue $20+/tube) but the quality has gone down in the past few years. I do not use them anymore.
I still disagree that flight consistency are the same with the Aeroplane Blacks and RSL Classic Tourney's. As others have also said, I find the Black's lose speed and consistency far too quickly. Just after a few shots or smashes to tell the truth. The RSL Classic flies truer, only downside is it's not as durable as the Black's, but then again, it's only marginally less durable where as flight consistency wise I think it's more than marginally better than the Blacks. Also, tested several tubs of Yang Yang 99A. Stay away. Again, they're fairly durable but the flight is just so WRONG after using other high end shuttles. They literally have so much more air time than other shuttles I've used, they almost hover/float. I will NOT be buying these again. In-fact, as far as cheap shuttles go, the cheapest Artengo feathers from Decathalon (London) are much better. The more shuttles I use, the more I realise, it's not all about durability. Majority of the time people just want a long lasting shuttle. I personally think flight accuracy is much more important to having a proper and fun game.
You might just be used to the RSL flight. Nothing in the rules mention about shuttle "air time". The rule book only talks about shuttle speed, and that's a different thing all together compared to "air time". I'll bet that "air time" of shuttles have changed a lot over the years. In fact, isn't it strange that Yang Yang shuttles are BWF approved shuttles? Please enlighten me if you know of a more 'scientific' way of test shuttle flight that from the mere experience of comparison with other high end shuttles.
At the end of the day, I set Yonex AS50 as the benchmark. My views on flight characteristics and consistency essentially stem from a direct comparison with AS50's. Sure, flight characteristics may have changed over the years, and there could be a more scientific way to test shuttles. But I don't have such means to hand so do the best I can which is experience and comparisons through personal use. I tend to buy a few tubs of AS50 every now and again just to see how they fare against the other top tier shuttles. I'm certainly not "used" to AS50's, but every time I use them they feel pretty much spot on. Only negative is the incredibly high price, hence the fact that you can get such similar performance at a considerable saving from these other brands.
Just to update, I used a new batch of Aeroplane Blacks today, and my opinions are pretty much the same as when I first reviewed them on page one. However, I'd probably amend my scoring slightly. This new batch seemed a touch less durable than the one's I previously used. --- Durability | Flight | Flight consistency Aeroplane Black's (EG1130, 78) 7 | 8 | 5 (20/30) Basically, my conclusion is the same. These are solid shuttles that fly very well and are relatively durable. They'll last at least a game, maybe stretch to two, but the issue is that as soon as they lose a feather or two, their flight consistency drops severely. They slow down considerably, and even though you can still play with them perfectly adequately, the speed will not be the same. --- I'm going to be testing the new RSL No.1 Tourney's later in the week. Apparently RSL no longer do the RSL Classic Tourneys, and in the UK these are the only one's I can now get. The vendor claimed these are the new batch that have 30%+ more durability, but I didn't see anything on the box stating so. So I can't be sure if the claim is true. In any case, I will update the thread with my thoughts after I've tested them.
