Ashaway vs Yonex

I don't know Ashway, but I know Nanogy has 3: 95, 98, 99.
95 is good for durability and better control and power but still behind 65 and 65 TI.
98 Yonex said 10/10 repulsion but so so for me not better than 80, control is good and durability 2x better than ultimax.
99 is best control along with aerobite and aerobite boost, repulsion and durability is better than 98 and BG 80. But it's the most expensive in my usual badminton store

 

95 yes
98 is better at control and durability than 80 but repulsion is worst.
If 99 price same as 80 go 99, because it's the most complete.
Beast at control, good durability since 0.69 and good at repulsion but still behind ultimax and exbolt

 

Oh wait 95 durability behind 65 and TI but better at control and repulsion.
If U want I choose, I will choose 99

 

With most different manufacturers, the feel will be [totally]. And as a disclaimer, I am not a fan of Ashaway strings. I also dislike BG65 and haven't tried BG65Ti in ages.

That being said, I still have Zymax 69 Fire on one of my rackets and the durability is comparable to BG65, but I assume it to be slightly lower. The feel is much nicer than BG65. That is subjective, but it does give a way more clear feedback at the same tension. I can recommend it as an alternative for people who look for a durability string.

BG80 has no replacement. People who want BG80 will not want to switch. Iirc, Zymax 64 TX and 68 TX are marketed as competitors to BG80, but no string is. They're both decent strings, but the durability is questionable (will break without much fraying). The TX strings are also the only strings that I managed to break while pulling a knot (pulling by hand, no lever).

I never understood the hype this forum had for Zymax 62 Fire and I think that's all the Ashaway strings I've tried.

edit: Please just read through the threads of the strings you're interested in the most, there's a search function to help you find them.

 

Ashaways were a good alternative to Yonex due to price and performance. Now with so much on the market they kinda fell off the radar with many new and old players. Personally I only liked Zymax 62 the original. 62Fire doesn't give me the same feeling or hype. I also notice Ashaway strings feel a tad softer then I like.

If you want some strings for some members to experience outside the BG-65 bandwagon I would honestly get them to go try much thinner then just 0.01mm. NBG-95, 69Fire, VS-69, LN no.5 & Kizuna 69 I feel are just as durable as BG-65 but offer too little more omph to give that wow factor that would sway them to get away to what they are use too especially if its not much cheaper.

 

Will the discount/ lower price used to earn more money from stringing or do you give this discount also to your club mates? When I started stringing I remember pretty well that you can't convince die hard Yonex fans to use a different brand and you can't convince BG65 users to try something different like a Nanogy99.

I also agree with @speCulatius. Never got the hype here, never understand the label of Ashaway Strings to hold tension so well.

IMO Buy a reel of BG65 in a neutral color. Will serve a huge percentage of recreational player, regardless if they use plastics or not and if durability is the main aspect stick to it. IMO it is easier to string than Zymax 69 Fire. For others you can stock a few sets of BG80 and BG65TI and you cover 100% of your club. I don't stock any exotic anymore. I tried it with Gosen, Ashaway, Victor, Li-Ning in the past also with fancy colours like pink, orange, blue or yellow, but most people only want a white BG65 and care more about durability instead of performance.

 

As much as I respect the input from the previous responses I have to strongly disagree with the comment that Ashaways break before fraying.
I have used 2 reels of Ashaway 64tx, one in white and one in orange, during the past year due to yonex bg80 shortages and each time I have experienced the 64tx fraying and therefore the vertical and cross strings embedding themselves into one another; as initially the 64tx is a string which tends to move a lot after hard shots, largely due to its thinness.

When I first started stringing with Ashaway strings it was noticeable that their string almost consists of an internal core made up of fine fibre/threads and an outer skin which was rough in texture, similar in roughness to the bg80. The downside to this is that the outer layer separates from the inner core far more easily than I have experience with any yonex string (I've used and strung with bg65, bg65ti, bg66um, bg66bril, bg68ti, bg80, bg80p, exbolt) and this separation during the knot pull, alongside the very rough texture, can lead to the string snapping during a tie off or if you happen to pull one or two strings away from the knot.

However, the 64tx is one of the brightest and high-pitched sounding strings I have used, the thinness of the string makes it sound 1-2lbs higher in tension than other strings of slightly thicker gauge, but the main selling point is how the 64tx holds its usuable tension for over 2 weeks without issue. The 64tx is surprisingly hard feeling for a thin gauge, especially when compared to strings of relatively thickness from yonex such as the bg66um or exbolt. Many swear by the belief that the bg80 is by far the hardest feeling string that exists on the market, and perhaps that is the case when freshly strung but the drop in tension within a week or so, alongside it's lack of durability, means that the actual "window" of usage is, imho, below that of the 64tx. Remember that the bg80 is also marketed as a repulsion type string and to not be influenced by the "hard feeling" text on the packet.
I believe the 64tx feels and behaves like a mix between bg80 and bg66um, texture and hardness similar to that of bg80 but with a satisfying high pitched tone and repulsion similar to what you get from a freshly strung bg66um. The 64tx is also one of the best strings I have tested when it comes to netplay, hairpins are extremely easy to gain a "feel" for, likely down to how the string "bites" the shuttle due to its thinness and rough texture.

The 68tx is a duller/less lively feeling 64tx as it's not as repulsive due to its thicker gauge. You get the same texture on the string from the outer coating but at a high-ish tension it can feel like you get what you put into the shot and nothing more, in this manner it can also be interpreted as "hard feeling" because at times it feels like you're hitting with a wooden board and there is no feedback or "help" from the string. Surprisingly I use to snap 68tx more frequently than I snapped 64tx strings at the same tension, perhaps this was due to the rough textured strings rubbing against each other and causing fraying at a faster rate? And the extra thickness of the 68tx increased this effect? (Just a thought I'm throwing out there . .)

If you are looking for an alternative to the bg65ti then I recommend the Ashaway 66 fire power, it has a similar smooth outer coating/texture to the string and has a similar neutral playability/feel which isn't too tilted towards repulsion, absorption/softness, or hard feeling. I understand the 66 fire power may be marketed in a different manner and is likely seen as an alternative to the bg80power? But these are just my personal opinions from past and recent experiences.

Most importantly, none of what I said in the above really matters as how a string feels is down to you, perhaps how each individual grips their handle or swings their racket influences the feedback?
Simply purchase yourself a set/packet of each string and test them out at your normal tension in order to make a judgement call. Note that I recommend your normal tension since any adjustments for strings will skew/falsify the comparison.

(p.s I currently play with a Li-Ning 3D 900c with Ashaway 64tx strung at 26x28lbs and have also recently used a gosen gravitas 8.0 with the same string and tension.
Having tested all the yonex strings except aerobite, aeroboost and the aerosonic, as well as every Victor string (past and present), and other brands such as gosen g-tone 5 and 9, apacs strings and Li-Ning no.1, I can say with confidence that I will likely stick with the 64tx as my go-to string in the long run. It's a very honest string that is slightly more difficult to use than others at 26x28lbs, but it's damn powerful and accurate when you hit the sweetspot, yet gives you excellent control at the net without bouncing the shuttlecock excessively like how some thinner strings do.)

Again I must reiterate that the previous comments and responses can be entirely correct too even though they may deviate entirely from my experience and feel for the string. However the best thing for you to do is purchase and test the strings yourself. Like somebody mentioned earlier players can easily be tied to a name or brand and refuse to try other strings: and when and if they do, immediately take a dislike to it because they simply cannot fathom another brand playing as well as or better than Yonex since the majority of professional players use it.

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Attached below are a recent 3 week old set of 64tx strung on my Li-Ning 3d 900c at 28x28lbs (slightly higher than normal). Hopefully you can see the fraying of the strings and how they embed themselves within one another. I average around 7 hours a week of play and stick to using one racket until the strings snap, at which point I'll use my back-up racket that's the same as the first.

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