An in depth insight into our newest string by stringer Chun Keat.
Ashaway Zymax 65 Titanium / Titanium T-I Review Feedback
By Chun Keat Yew (UKRSA Certified Stringer, Hull and East Riding Performance Centre (badminton) Coach) with thanks to Goode Sport.
Initial Stringing Impressions:
Strung on a Yonex Arcsaber 10 Premium (25lbs Mains x 27lbs Crosses) 2-piece bottom-top method with an Electronic Constant Pull (ECP) Machine with 10% Prestretch.
Initial feel:
- String is quite smooth but with a slick / oily feel as with all titanium string models.
- Not very soft but does not feel very stiff as well. (6/10, 1 = very soft strings (nylon fibers); 10 = very stiff strings)
- String is quite stretchy when lightly pulled by hand.
Under Stringing:
- String doesn’t stretch excessively under tensioning process unlike some strings in the market.
- Surprisingly doesn’t generate too much twisting (easily manageable) which is quite common with slick / oily coating string.
- String also doesn’t cause too much fuss or problems under the weaving process like some very rough strings or slick strings.
- String does have a slightly higher pitch upon lightly tapping with palm after completion of stringing.
Hitting time:
- Medium-hard (crisp & solid) feeling with lots of explosiveness power. (7.5/10 scale, 1 = soft feeling ; 10 = hard feeling)
- Crisp initial impact with plenty of drive onto the shuttle.
- Very pleasant slightly high pitched hitting sound.
- Not very forgiving with miss-hits, not a lot of response hitting away from sweet spot as well as plenty of vibration.
- Very good touch feeling, effortless net and forecourt shots.
- Surprisingly very effective with slices even though the strings are quite smooth. (It doesn’t have absolutely bite on the shuttle as some other strings do but it is effective enough in bringing the shuttle down).
- Very happy with the tension retaining properties of the string. A slight noticeable drop in tension after the first session but stabilizes slowly after. (Observed over a period of 96 hours) (8.5/10, 1 = very bad tension retention; 10 = very good tension retention).
Summary: A simple list of key points is presented with scores ranging from 1-10 with 10 being highest/best score and 1 being the lowest. (These are all based on personal experience and opinions) Repulsion Power: 9 Control: 8 Durability: 8+ (So far so good) Hitting Sound: 9 Shock Absorption: 7.5 Tension Retention: 8.5 String Feel: 9 Overall Score: 8.43 Overall, it is a very good feeling string which packs a lot of punch. Not sacrificing control as well having a sharp crisp hitting sound. It also seems to be holding up quite well in the durability department. I’ve been impressed with its attributes so far and could be thinking that Ashaway is onto another winner here.