Here's my review of the Aerobite Boost, strung at 27lbs on MX 60.
I've been an avid fan of hard feeling, 0.68mm strings over the years. Strings thinner than 0.68 tend too have too much repulsion for control and not enough power on full smashes. Strings thicker than 0.68 tend to have too little repulsion but the best power on full smashes. This is all personal opinion of course, and I've been actively trying to find the best 0.68mm string, because frankly, I feel BG80 loses repulsion too quickly and can be a bit too hard. Unfortunately, everything else in the Yonex lineup is way too soft. If the hardness of BG80 is a 10/10, the next most hard feeling string that Yonex provide is like a 7/10. I always wanted something like a 8/10 or 9/10.
I feel like Aerobite Boost is EXACTLY that. Granted, it's not officially a 0.68mm string, but imo this string hits like a 0.68mm in terms of just playability - it has just enough repulsion for power and control on soft shots and flicks, but it doesn't lose too much power on full power smashes unlike the thin strings. As someone who uses BG80 regularly, I literally took no time to adjust on court - it hits exactly like a 0.68mm string should, although it's obviously not 0.68mm. To people who like the BG66UM, Li ning no.1, or Aerobite type of strings, look away, this string is not for you. If you however are a fan of the 0.68mm gauge like the BG80, let me tell you this string is the best string I've tried.
So how is it different from BG80? Imo if BG80 is a 10/10 in hardness, Aerobite Boost is probably a 8/10. Aerobite Boost is quite unique, you can feel the thickness of the main strings supplying you with the top-end power of a thick string like BG70 pro during full smashes, but when you require repulsion for those flicks or drives, you can feel the thin string properties of the Aerosonic crosses kick in, giving you that bit of boost to your shots. In fact, if there was an appropriate name for this string just on playability alone, instead of calling it "Aerobite Boost" I'd call it a "BG 80 Boost" - it's a string like BG80, but with just a slight bit of boost in repulsion at the end of your drives and flicks. Compared to BG 80, it's slightly softer but it has better power on full smashes like a thick string, while at the same time giving you better repulsion on flicks like a thin string.
The only thing I'd say might be a bit of hazard is the feedback in feel the string gives you. Stringbeds from non-hybrid strings will for the most part feel consistent when you hit the bird. In the case of Aerobite Boost, you can literally feel both the thick and thin strings at the same time. It's just so hard to explain, you can feel a bit of a sharp buzz at the end of the shot, which you can tell is coming from the thin crosses. I can see why some people might not be fan of it. I'm fine with it personally, but it just feel so different from what you're used to and you might never get used to it.
One last thing, I have to mention Victor's string VBS 68 Control (0.68mm) in order to properly complete this review. This is personally what I discovered was the closest thing to BG 80 in the past, and was my favorite string due to the fact that it was slightly less hard, but also had slightly more repulsion and better tension retention when compared to BG80. Does that sound familiar? Because that's basically how I summarized the Aerobite Boost as well. And hence my point in bringing up the VBS 68C - in my opinion, the Aerobite Boost and VBS 68C play extremely similar to one another. In fact, if it weren't for the unique sensation that the ABBT has during contact, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two strings in a blind test. Both strings are what I'd consider to play like what a "BG 80 Boost" played like, if there was such a thing. This could be a helpful advice to those who love the Aerobite Boost but dislike its price point or find it hard to string with (apparently ABBT is one of the hardest to string with, whereas VBS68C is one of the easiest. I won't comment further because I don't string).
So in conclusion, to summarize these 0.68mm strings:
BG80
Pros: Hardest string, well rounded. Cheap and easily accessible, literally any stringer will have this in stock, usually in multiple colors.
Cons: Might be too hard and harsh to some. Repulsion drops very quickly - it goes from "too hard" to "feeling dead" in a very rapid manner, and when it loses repulsion it becomes very annoying to play with.
Who would I recommend this string to?
- To someone who wants the hardest string, or
- To someone who doesn't mind restringing after every 15 hours or so of play, because this string will lose repulsion quick
VBS 68 Control
Pros: Has slightly better repulsion than BG80, and it doesn't lose repulsion as quickly either.
Cons: If BG 80 is a 10/10 in hardness, this string would be a 8/10. It's a new Victor string, so not as readily available as Yonex strings. Price is almost as cheap as BG 80 in Asia but not to all parts of the world yet.
Who would I recommend this string to?
- To someone who wants BG80 to last longer, or find BG80 slightly too hard.
- To someone who wants a string to play like Aerobite Boost but want a cheaper alternative, or dislike the weird sensation of that hybrid feel.
Aerobite Boost
Pros: Has the top-end power of a thick string, combined with the repulsion of a thin string. Best of all worlds, really. Combined with the supposed durability of the 0.72mm mains, and it being one of the stickiest strings I've ever touched, it also has great durability and control on slices. Like a former review said, I really see no flaws to this string on the court - it has the best of all worlds, and compromises on nothing.
Cons: All the flaws are off the court - most expensive string and frustrating to string on a machine. Well, I can also see that weird feel on contact being a drawback for some, but that is to be seen. It's not a bad feel, just something I've never really experienced from others.
Who would I recommend this string to?
- To someone who loves hard, 0.68mm gauge strings and simply want the best performance without caring about the price or difficulty of stringing. To me, this string is the king of 0.68mm strings (although it's not a 0.68mm string)
In conclusion, does that mean Aerobite Boost is my new string of choice? Due to the price of this string being 50% higher than both BG80 and VBS 68C, I'd probably wait until Economies of Scale kicks in and drops its price, although I'm not sure if Yonex would even do that. It is the best string of these 3 imo, but is it 50% better? Probably not, it's only marginally better at best. But if you don't mind paying a lot more money for what is marginally a better string than BG 80, then I fully recommend you try this string.
So which one would be my string of choice personally? As for now, the VBS 68C has the best combination of performance and price. All it really lacks compared to the Aerobite Boost is that sticky surface, but the VBS68C isn't exactly a slippery string either.
Disclaimer - I can't comment on the durability of Aerobite Boost, as I've broken my racket in a clash only after 6 hours of play
Edit #1:
Used the Aerobite Boost again, this time with Auraspeed 90k 4u @ 27lbs.
Most of what I said above remains to be true about this string, EXCEPT that the feel of the string can vary drastically depending on the racket it's strung on. I know that's true for all strings, but it's even more so with the ABBT. Maybe it's because the 90k has better vibration dampening than the MX60, but for some reason I couldn't feel the sharp after-feel of the Aerosonic from contact with the shuttle. It just felt like a uniform stringbed, and the feel on contact felt very much like what a BG80 would feel like if was thicker - less hard, and slightly duller feel than BG80. So again, I could see the feel of this racket being a hit or miss for some people. On one hand, rackets with less vibration dampening will have the dual-string feel of the thick mains and Aerosonic crosses. On rackets with more vibration dampening it will feel like a thicker BG80. Maybe try a single pack before investing in a reel for this one, because I can see the feel of this string as a "love it or hate it" type of deal for whichever type of racket you string this on.
