Am I the only one here stringing badminton racquets?

10shoe

10shoe

Professional
To be clear, most of my time is spent stringing tennis racquets but badminton is a growing part of my business and I am confused by the tension requests I am getting.

When I played badminton (I stopped about 10 yrs ago) I was stringing at about 15 lbs and I was playing with graphite racquets. They weren't as wide as some of the racquets today, but still, middle aged guys with plenty of extra weight around their midsections are asking me to string at 26, 27 and 28 lbs. Did the racquets increase so much in power that these tensions are necessary?

Even on Yonex racquets that are marked with a tension range of 19-24 lbs, it's rare anyone abides the mfr's recommendation. What is going on?
 
tennytive

tennytive

Hall of Fame
I strung my 60's badminton racket several years ago and was advised (maybe by you) to use 20lbs. Like you, I've seen some stinging videos where up to 30lbs is now common, but this may be for pro and tournament players. I found a really nice racket at a GW in Wi, newer model, and I can feel the tension is much higher than my old relic. I don't remember the explanation as to whether or not it correlates to tennis racket tension ie tighter for more control, and looser for more power. Maybe.

I wouldn't mind stringing them but here no one plays that seriously, and if a string were to break, their answer is to buy a new racket that costs less than what it would to restring. Good thing I bought load spacers and a flying badminton clamp, right?
 
Strawbewwy

Strawbewwy

Rookie
i'm recently getting back into badminton again (when it rains and i can't play tennis outdoor)

I think badminton in comparison to tennis is much less physically demanding, in general it's a sport that is much easier to pick up (and may be just as hard to master)

the birdies/racquets are so light, and the way power is generated isn't quite similar to tennis (we use whole body with core strength, whereas badminton can just be a quicker flick of the wrist and still get the job done fairly efficiently)



side question
for your area, is it common for badminton stringing pricing to be competitive?

just a quick comparison, there are a number of clubs throughout the state where i live, however, there is maybe a total of 3 places in the entire state that has a marked badminton court

i see outrageous prices from the tennis clubs, anywhere from 30 to 45 for a syn gut, up to like 60 for "premium" stuff like alu power/rpm blast, on top of that with 10 dollar next day/15 dollars same day turn around

so for me, charging the "regular" 15 dollars labor per racquet as a hobby stringer is relatively cheap and worthwhile for a lot of people

however, the badminton clubs charge 25 dollars for their basic string (yonex bg65) including labor, even if i get a reel of it and average out about maybe 6 or 7 bucks for a set of string, that's not nearly quite as profitable as tennis stringing

now i haven't strung a single badminton racquet yet but some quick search scares me, with tiny string and like 22x22 pattern, i'm not too sure if i should get into it?

also - are those small flying clamps "required"? i imagine i can use my fixed clamps for the middle portion but once it gets to the outer edge of the frame i imagine i can't even squeeze the fixed clamps in



Thanks!
 
T

tennisbike

Professional
Not a pro here. I strung a badminton racket that I "rescued" from local recycling center. I used 20 lbs after a little research. 20 lbs feels pretty tight, I thought.
 
S

Steve Huff

G.O.A.T.
I've strung a few Yonex graphite badminton rackets. To me, it takes too much effort string the flimsy, thread-like string through shared holes. But, I got them done
 
tennytive

tennytive

Hall of Fame
Strawbewwy said:
just a quick comparison, there are a number of clubs throughout the state where i live, however, there is maybe a total of 3 places in the entire state that has a marked badminton court

so for me, charging the "regular" 15 dollars labor per racquet as a hobby stringer is relatively cheap and worthwhile for a lot of people

however, the badminton clubs charge 25 dollars for their basic string (yonex bg65) including labor, even if i get a reel of it and average out about maybe 6 or 7 bucks for a set of string, that's not nearly quite as profitable as tennis stringing

now i haven't strung a single badminton racquet yet but some quick search scares me, with tiny string and like 22x22 pattern, i'm not too sure if i should get into it?

also - are those small flying clamps "required"? i imagine i can use my fixed clamps for the middle portion but once it gets to the outer edge of the frame i imagine i can't even
squeeze the fixed clamps in Thanks!
Click to expand...

Not sure about clubs, but most gyms have marked badminton courts which also serve as pickleball courts.

$15 for labor is very reasonable. Badminton strings cost more than tennis strings, even reels aren't worth it. That surprised me.

I bought a flying badminton clamp. Fixed are too bulky for the outside mains even with the Yonex loop. You might also want some load spacers for the 12 and 6 o'clock posts so you don't put too much stress on the smaller hoops.
 
10shoe

10shoe

Professional
Strawbewwy said:
side question
for your area, is it common for badminton stringing pricing to be competitive?
Click to expand...

The impression I get is that I don't have any competition. I wish there was. People come from considerable distances (sometimes adjacent states!) and people also mail me racquets because they don't know where else to go.

i see outrageous prices from the tennis clubs, anywhere from 30 to 45 for a syn gut, up to like 60 for "premium" stuff like alu power/rpm blast, on top of that with 10 dollar next day/15 dollars same day turn around

so for me, charging the "regular" 15 dollars labor per racquet as a hobby stringer is relatively cheap and worthwhile for a lot of people

however, the badminton clubs charge 25 dollars for their basic string (yonex bg65) including labor, even if i get a reel of it and average out about maybe 6 or 7 bucks for a set of string, that's not nearly quite as profitable as tennis stringing
Click to expand...

I have an indelible memory from my playing days of a player telling me my price was too high after I quoted him a price of $18 for BG65. I also recall a discussion from the GSS boards about how cheap racquetball players are. Apparently they had yet to meet any badminton players. When I began, I strung maybe one badminton racquet a month and basically the tennis stringing was subsidizing the occasional badminton racquet. These days, well, I've already done 6 badminton racquets this week and it's Wednesday morning. I have had to raise my prices. Hasn't scared too many away.

now i haven't strung a single badminton racquet yet but some quick search scares me, with tiny string and like 22x22 pattern, i'm not too sure if i should get into it?
Click to expand...

To give you an idea of it, I have taken to refusing to string dark colored badminton string. Guy comes in with black string, I just say no. Trying to get microscopic black string into microscopic black holes against the background of a black machine. Forget it.

Grommet inspection and replacement consumes time. So do shared holes and blocked holes. My loupe gets a workout when I do badminton. I have strung 927 badminton racquets since I computerized my business and it still takes me about 50 minutes to complete one.


also - are those small flying clamps "required"? i imagine i can use my fixed clamps for the middle portion but once it gets to the outer edge of the frame i imagine i can't even squeeze the fixed clamps in
Click to expand...

I find it necessary to use a flying clamp on the very last cross.
 
Last edited:
Strawbewwy

Strawbewwy

Rookie
thanks for the info!

I think i won't invest my time into badminton stringing then... the club near me is offering such competitive pricing i think it's easier to just let them do it... especially with the initial cost to get it running (flying clamps etc)
 
Kakinami

Kakinami

New User
In Japan tensions are 18 pounds to 26 pounds, when I was living in the States I was stringing anywhere from 20-32 pounds, average in the US (West Coast) 23-28 pounds.
 
B

Binatang

Rookie
Badminton tensions have gone up because racquets have gotten stronger. When I was playing in my younger days tensions were around 20-23 lbs. I wanted to try 25lbs but the shop refused. Now, in my region most are 25-28 lbs. All the pros are using high tension (28 lbs & up) & that's another reason.

Nice to see Kakinami-san here. For those who don't know, Kakinami is the equivalent of Irvin on Badminton Central!
 
Irvin

Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
Binatang said:
Errr ... I meant that in a good way! Maybe he will share his experience here on refurbishing stringing machine & tricking them out. I believe the community here will find it quite insightful.
Click to expand...
I doubt that will happen. I’m not looking to refurbish any machines.
 
6

66darren66

New User
I string an equal amount of tennis & badminton racquets the usual tension request is 24lb,
string crosses + 2lb to stop deformation of head.
 
norcal

norcal

Legend
Rabbit said:
Awwww poor Badminton Central.......

AMEN
Click to expand...
laugh1.gif
 
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