I haven't tried many variety of strings, probably only BG55 and Nanogy 95 but I seemed to play pretty well with Nanogy 98 so I've stuck with it and haven't really ventured into trying anything else. Yes there might be better strings but I was happy with the strings and the whole "not fixing what isn't broke" kept me on the N98. This is the first time my strings have gone since I have relocated and thus I had to go to a different stringer. The person who is most reputable at the club I play does not use N98 and said that he would do the string job and charge labour only if I provide the string. His labour charge is a very small amount less than what he charges for his standard string BG65. He also said that N98 was not a great string and that was apparent because none of the top players use it. Is this statement true? What would be a more standard string used among top players that is more commonly used for league player level? I like the thin gauge of the N98 and think that's the reason why it suited my play style. Happy to consider all comments and suggestions so please chime in. Thanks
It's a personal preference. And sure, the string isn't used by many top players....but are you a top player? That doesn't mean it's a good string. But there are other factors involved. Top players do more hours on court and can't be bothered stringing a racquet every week or less. So durability is relatively more important. Many will use BG65 at around 28-30lbs for exactly this reason. What other strings does the stringer have on offer? I used to use BG65, intermittantly use BG66 and have NG98 as my main string.
Definitely not a top player. I play at local league level in UK, hopefully people understand this level from those not in UK but if not then basically I represent my badminton club playing competitive matches against other badminton clubs in the local area. I can't remember what string the guy has but I'm fairly sure he said BG65 was his standard string, possibly BG80 being the other string he had that he was suggesting to me instead of the NBG98. My normal string tension with NBG98 is 25lb. Assuming BG80 is something he does, is that a reasonable alternative to give a try? If it's massively different then I might not give it a chance but if it's close enough then I'm ok with giving it a go. It probably won't last more than 3 months so no big deal.
Giving the reason to dump on the string is because no top pro players use the string, that's pretty silly. The stringer should give you his/her opinion on why a string is good or not good, that stringer would be more credible and trustworthy. If you have been playing the string and like it, stay with it. If you are interested in a comparison, then restring with another string. In my opinion, BG65 is the standard for almost all stringers because basically it's a general good durable string due to it's gauge/material properties AND because it's Yonex. It lasts so it "makes" the stringer appear to be good, a lot of players only know the Yonex brand name, anything else is considered inferior. Easy for stringer to carry the BG65. If you'd like, go try the BG80, it won't hurt the wallet much in trying and you will know first hand if you like it or not.
Agreed - it is not 'pretty' silly; it is really hugely silly! What is more comfortable to you should be the driving factor and not the fact that pros dont use this string!
"you want NBG98? i don't have it. but hey, i have this BG80/BG65 in stock. that NBG98 isn't a very good string anyway, coz no top player uses it" hm... it sounds to me that he is a hobby stringer as most reputable Yonex store will have NBG98 in stock. depending on the scale of his operation, it is unlikely that he will have a whole spectrum of strings in stock. after all there are dozens of string in the market and the safest bet would be to only stock the ones which are popular. and stringers and players like that are usually not as adventurous as us folks in BC where we go out and try many different strings. Yonex make solid dependable strings in the BG65 and BG80. they are durable and works for most folks. but other more performance oriented strings like NBG98 is a harder sell as they are not as durable and most club level customers who just want to enjoy a game of badminton every week don't wnat to spend US$20+ every month on top of what they spend for shuttles. as for many of us here, we go out and look for performance, and we discover gems like Ashaway Zymax, Victor VS850 and value extra kick and feel from strings like NBG98. we get them in smaller quantity and recommend our customer to be more adventurous. some of come back and loving them, some eventually go back to BG80/BG65. choice and variety is a great thing. and i hope stringers will let their customers have the freedom to explore and as a result, enjoy their badminton more.
I am stringer and I like it best. In my opinion, it is better than BG65, Bg95, NBG99, BG80, BG66, Bg66UM. and it is quite durable at least for me. Hardly break one in 7 Months. Also, it is very easy to string due to nano coating and thin gauge.
He probably can't be bothered ordering a different string for a customer. Bg80 vs Ng95 feel very different with feathers. Plastic shuttles may be different (if your local league uses those ).
For other Yonex string, I believe already tested by professional players, they don't like that's why never used !
As I wrote before, the durability is more of a factor with pros because they don't want to keep restringing their racquets every two days. So that's a major factor why they don't like it. For a keen amateur whose strings can last a few weeks, that durability issue becomes less of a factor compared with the professionals
I really liked the NBG98 - in fact, when it comes to repulsion this string is much better than UM66. However, the cost of one is mind boggling. When I went to do the stinging last week, I was kinda shocked to learn that it costs RM 38 now, while the UM66 is only RM 30.
I don't agree that the cost of using the N98 is more than the cost of using UM66 if you look at it in a longer term, as the durability of the N98 is much longer than the UM66. My own experience tells me (by the way I strung my racket at 27lbs on all strings and I play average 2 sessions each week of 2 hours each session) that my N98 string will last me probably 2-3 months of playing times while the UM66 probably will only last maximum 1 month of playing times. Looking at it using the N98, I save more money on racket strings and time travelled to racket shop to restring my rackets in a year compared to stringing my rackets with UM66. But I do agree that the UM66 has more omps than the N98 when it comes to raw smashing power.
I string racquets for several clubs for many years now and I often get asked "what is the best string for me?". I never recommend a string as it's a personal choice but I do give them an understanding of the characteristics of what each string is like - but leave them to make up their own minds as to what string they want. I do encourage people to try different strings and I personally stock at least 10-15 different strings for them to choose. As a stringer, you've got to give customers choice as every one is different, not just convince them to use the one you have most of. OP, it sounds to me that that stringer is not trustworthy or have enough knowledge of strings. Seems like he's just trying to get you to use the string he has most stock of or can make more money on. I've come across stringers like this before, which was one of the reasons I started to learn to string myself - the other reason was because that stringer broke my Ti10 at only 24lb tension. If he really wanted to get NBG98, it only takes a day or so to have a some delivered from a Yonex supplier!
the coating on n98 makes it slippery and reduce friction between string, thats why it is durable. but that is why it is harder for player to slice using this string as it has slippery feeling. Its strenght is also its weakness.
Not sure which thread to choose to share my first experience with NBG 98 last night but since this looks like the dedicated thread for it I'd thought I'd post here. I had replaced my broken Apacs Vanguard 11 *cries* with Apacs Lethal 10, strung at 23lbs. - It certainly has the repulsion, or maybe too much of it as I had a lot of shots flying out the baseline. - I'm not sure what is meant around here as "numb feeling" but at times it felt like I'm not getting the power transferred to the shuttle. (sounds contradicting to having too much repulsion, no?) However I didn't get to smash a lot last night so cant comment properly on it yet - Hitting sound definitely not as good as BG 80 Power (my previous string) - Didn't do much drops and net plays either but control was kinda OK the few times I did. - Clearance/off-sweet-spot shots were mostly half-court and left me a sitting duck. (refer point #2) However this could more of not being used to the new racket and getting the swings right
Nanogy strings can provide better durability which most non pro players would like so that ppl can save a lot from frequent stringing However pro players mostly hv sponsored that they just nd to use the best string for them without considering the durability While nbg98 at that thickness it is not the best, most ppl will consider bg66um which is a little bit thinner instead, or bg66 N some hard hitter may consider bg80 or bg65ti So u can see most international players r using bg66, bg66um, bg80 and bg65ti
