Well, that must affect the playability of the strings, making them more slippery. If you prefer BG80 for it's roughness, I suppose this Isn't for you. But interesting that the video will prolong lifetime x5!
I agree the strings become slippery. I chose durability over control. :-D Strings breaking every few weeks are too expensive for me.
I tried BG65Ti 24pounds without adding any protect-ant. It lasted 6 weeks with about 4 hrs of play each week. I was so upset. So I switched back to the cheaper BG65 22pounds which I found it could last a few months without protectant. Added some protectant and it could last 2 years AND I actually played more frequently.
Like @visor said, I'd also expect BG65x at 22 lbs to last forever (at least a season). I suppose you broke them at the frame? I don't think Ti version should be more expensive btw. At least here they are the same price in purchase. And they should also go about the same mileage. Ti has a harder feel though.
String: NBG99 Tension: 32.5 lbs Hours of play: 40-45h Breakage: 25% of the time Center: Usually Frame: Sometimes (I do mis-hit frequently) Comment: Strings play perfectly until ~ 15 hours, very well until ~ 25h, good until 32h and subpar after that. I usually can tell at least a few hours before a string will break by how bad it ends up playing before it does (when it does break before I get the rackets restrung due to poor performance, NBG99 usually breaks around >40-45h for me, which is quite amazing, being amongst the most frequent/hard smashers). NBG99's amazing control drops very fast within the first dozen hours of play, repulsion stays good much longer.
PS: I'd love to have data from someone for Li-Ning No 1 as I'm considering switching to it (though I'd be hard to convince given my satisfaction with NBG99 which offers me a somewhat larger sweetspot). I know LN1 lasts long before breaking (very different but comparable in this aspect to NBG99), but I don't know how fast performance drops compared to NBG99. I'd be interested to know, for instance, if it still retains >65-70% peak repulsion passed 40h of play? Not breaking is useless to me if the string stays on the racket but with a "dead" feeling to it.
No surprise. 40-45h in which time? Some go through these hours in 2-3 weeks, others need 2-3 month for that. My guess is that you play many hours within a week, otherwise I can't understand your conclusion about NBG99.
Lifetime. I logg the number of hours I play on each string and the performance at each number of hours. I play in average 12h/week. So each rackets lasts me a bit less than a month. When I play less often they can last much longer, but the number of play time hours before they break stays about the same (for me, if NBG99 breaks, it does so around or above 40h of play). Sorry if I wasn't clear. Which part do you not understand? PS: I think you have a lot of experience with strings. Do you think you could answer my LN1 question above?
If you play 12h per week I can understand how you get such hours. For somebody who play less, the performance drop equally. The hours on court are to me less important than the hours the string stay in the racket. I'm not sure if I can answer your question. Best thing would to gave No.1 a try. I don't like both strings much, but would prefer No.1 over NBG99 in long term, NBG99 if it is a short term usage. For me No.1 plays longer at good performance, NBG99 dies for me quicker, but the fresh performance of NBG99 is for me better due the control aspect of the rougher texture. I'm not sure if this helps.
Yep, it helps a little! This is a bit what I fear making this change: I'm really in love with the control of NBG99 and I would lose that. The first 10 hours or so played with it are just heaven and especially so at the net. That fades away fast though later, so I'm left wondering if LN1 would be a better average over the entire life of the string given how I like to push how long they stay on the racket. Do you have a guess, for instance, of: (1) LN1's "control" vs NB99 when both are old strings (35-50h of play)? (2) How much longer LN1 stays close to peak performance compared to NBG99? Can I expect to play up to 60-70 hours on a stringjob without the string starting to feel dead like NBG99 feels around 40 hours? Somehow I also fear the tiny sweetspot I'd get on my racket compared to NBG99. I played one string of LN1 on a Forza racket last year but I feel it would shine better comparatively on my ZFIIs. On my Forza I remember the shock of the sweatspot transition from the much thicker string that was on there before the LN1, I misshit a lot sith it until the tension dropped a little. I really liked LN1's repulsion (at least early on that string's life), but I think the Forza racket could only exploit a small portion of that great side of LN1 compared to what the ZFII would. If I put it on my rackets I'll do so by buying a reel of it, which is why I'd love feedback from someone who has some experience with it (it took me many months and strings to gather my knowledge of NBG99's lifespan characteristics, so I wouldn't be able to compare well with a single stringjob).
TBH if you get 40-45 hours of good play from a string at 32.5 lbs, I don't think you need to look elsewhere. But you could get a single set of the #1 to test it, and see if you like the string. Maybe just get a shop or fellow stringer to cut 10 meters from an open reel? Sent from my StringLab using TapaTalk. Cheers, FeatherBlaster
Speaking from 8 years of stringing experience and stringing over 1000 rackets experimenting with all kinda strings, i wud say it doesn't matter if it's square between mains n crosses or not that results in movement. Rather it is the stringer's starting technique, familiarity with your machine, quality of your clamps (fixed) and awareness especially in compensation against the starting technique you are using. A professional stringer wud bother to perform a pitch compare on at least the 1st 4 pairs of mains (4 left, 4 right). Eg: ensuring same pitch between L1&R1 pair, L2&R2 pair etc. Whoever that tells you all should sound the same is probably a rouge stringer. LN No.1 and NBG99 are totally different animals. Hardness: NBG99 > LN1 Thickness: NBG99 > LN1 (0.69vs0.65) Sound: LN1 > NBG99 Repulsion: LN1 > NBG99 (but NBG99 has exceptional repulsion for a 0.69mm) Control: Both r as good depending on which thickness u prefer. NBG99 has exceptional feel n control for a 0.69mm Durability: NBG99 hands down. Maintains it's tension, crispness, basically most features for a good 30hrs at least. I cannot say anything close for LN1. Great for the first 10hrs probably and tension starts to creep, softens to marsh in 2 mths and probably breaks before it reaches then.
