Badminton Racket First Impressions: Li-Ning N90-III

Thanks all for participating in the voting process!

Looks like the Li-Ning N90-III is very much in demand for the moment. I hear you, and I've been taking special attention to use the racket in my games.

For now it's seen about 5 games of singles, and the results have been quite good.

The first few swings with the racket has been rather pleasant, with the shuttle moving to the back courts and around the corners easily enough. The smashes were nice and sharp, with the racket head coming down really swiftly and without any feel of drag.

Honestly, the Li-Ning N90-III resembles the N80 quite a fair bit. In comparison, the head frame, flexibility and weight distribution are almost identical (at least to me).

And even after a few games of singles, I still couldn't tell the two apart. Maybe it's because I've not really had a lot of time with the N80 either. Shame on me for racket neglect.

While the N90-III is capable of a few powerful shots, the accuracy drops a whole lot when you miss the sweet spot. You'll get a very hard and sharp feedback sound when you do, so you'll certainly know.

Forehand clears seem to miss the mark a little bit; I wasn't able to get the shuttle as far as I wanted it to a couple of times. Backhands also lacked the accuracy that I've grown to love in the Victor Bravesword 10.

Defense-wise, the racket performs pretty well. The fact that it's not as heavy as the previous N90s is probably the reason.

I'm using the Pro-Kennex 63 Flex for this racket, and the tension seemed to have dropped a fair bit since I've started hitting. I'm going to give it a change to see if it helps.

Stay tuned for the review!

New Badminton Strings: Toalson BL-6500, 6700, 6800, 8000

Visited my stringer today and he showed me a crate of these new top-of-the-line strings from Toalson.

There are four strings with different types of characteristics, as you can see from the picture. They're made in Japan, and from what I can feel after trying out three of them, they're pretty decent.

What catches me is the really cool colors they come in. Not all captured here, but they're awesome as far as I can tell.

Never thought to place them in order...
Left to Right: BL-6700, BL-6800, BL-6500, BL-8000

BL-6500 (Playability, 0.65mm)

My new racket is strung with this one, and from the first few strokes it feels good. The control was decent, but what stood out was the awesome hitting sound. Crisp and sharp, like I had tape on my strings.

http://www.toalson.co.jp/JPN/badminton/top.html

BL-6700 (Repulsion, 0.67mm)

The stringer had his Carlton Kinesis strung with this one at 26lbs. I didn't quite like the feel of this string - the shuttle seemed to come off the string bed very quickly, not fast enough for me to feel the shot. Would think that players who like Yonex BG66 Ultimax might find this a familiar feeling.

http://www.toalson.co.jp/JPN/badminton/top.html

BL-6800 (Technique, 0.68mm)

Seems to have a higher thread count than the others but I didn't get to try this string out. I tend to be wary of strings that tout technique or extreme control, given the Yonex NBG99 and its lack of repulsion.

http://www.toalson.co.jp/JPN/badminton/top.html

BL-8000 (Repulsion and High Hitting Sound, 0.80mm)

I have my RSL M10 Heat 700 strung with this, and all I can say that it's powerful. The strings smash like none I've ever felt, but that comes with a large drawback - I can't very well aim with it. The shots, while like rockets, felt very loose and hitting the lines are almost impossible for me.

From taobao.com

Thorlos Socks: Padding for your feet

So my Li-Ning shoes turned out to be too hard for my toes. On a previous occasion, a tight change in direction resulted in a busted toe. The nail literally got jammed up the cuticle...

And since that day the shoe has been in cold storage, my feet too afraid to get jabbed all over again. It took me almost 3 weeks to recover from the toe, and now 2 months later the toenail has a semblance of normality.

Then I came across Thorlos socks. They're thick and they're touted as the best cushioning for your feet. I thought about the pair of pretty yellow shoes back home and decided to give the $30 socks a try.

Not too shabby! I'm now able to move around the court with ease thanks to the Thorlos socks. They're ultra padded and super comfortable; makes the hard interior of the Li-Ning shoe almost feel like a pillow.

To sum it all up, I'm happy with the socks. For those who are interested, they're available at World of Sports chains around the island (Singapore), and the ones I've got are the tennis mini-crews. 

Just a word of caution, the socks are kinda thick. I would estimate a half size increase in the foot with socks on. Made my feet feel a little cramped initially, but it got better with a few washes. 

https://www.thorlo.com/