One possible reason why the RSL Supreme is popular?

Not sure if any players noticed the wide-spread usage of the RSL Supreme shuttlecocks on the courts in Singapore.

I am aware of one possible reason for this "popularity" among the various organisers. The feathers do not break as easily as the other brand/model(s) but the RSL Supreme shuttles tend to slow down quite a bit if used in a more than average game pace.

For instance, the sample below. It looks ok (even when in real life!) but upon usage, the shuttle slows down too much for a decent game among above average intermediate players. The slowdown effect is as if a Speed-77 shuttle has turned itself to a Speed-76 or 75!!!

Rear view of the RSL Supreme

A long time organiser informed the recent RSL Supreme stock has degraded in the past few years, after RSL introduced the Ultimate model.

Update on rest of Babolat 1 shuttles after usage

(continuation from Babolat 1 post)

Here is the pix of the remaining 11 shuttles after usage on our next regular session.

Resultant after usage of the remaining 11 shuttles

Most of the feedback from my regulars were not favourable to 👎👎. It seems the Babolat 1 has a tendency to "shake in flight" after experiencing 2 or 3 above average smashes. This is due to the ribcage structure not being rigid enough which  could be due to the type of glue used and/or feathers not position deep enough into the cork structure.

In summary:-

DURABILITY: The Babolat 1 lasts for roughly about the same duration as per Babolat 2 for us. 

Many of the shuttles developed an annoying "shake" during flight after a few above average smashes. This "shake" motion in the flight was caused by a minor "lob-side-ing" of the ribcage structure.

Looking back at the Babolat 2 review, the "shake"s seem to be characteristic for this brand of shuttlecocks.

PERFORMANCE: Initially quite fast. Speed lowers a bit after a few hits and the speed remains quite consistent afterwards.  Initially a nice crisp feel upon usage but then the feeling disappears after a few points. 

COST:  In Malaysian, the Babolat 1 sells for RM89-90 per tube - that's roughly in the Yonex AS40&AS50 territory. Hence this is VERY expensive for what it offers.

To be honest, I would consider the Babolat 2 better value for money, if you intend to buy Babolat shuttlecocks.

In general the Babolat 1 is an average shuttle and VERY expensive "for what you get". 

Cosmetic wise, feather(s) on several shuttles were not bleached properly (see pix(s) below) but this does not impact performance in any manner or form

Improperly bleached feather on 1st shuttle

Improperly bleached feather on shuttle#2

Improperly bleach feather on shuttle#3

Babolat 1

Was visiting Northern Malaysia recently and saw the Babolat 1 for sale in some shops at RM89-90. We have tried the Babolat 2 before and was naturally curious about it's higher rank sibling. Hence bought some to try.

As our weekly session was later in the week (after 30Oct), I could not wait to test this new shuttle and brought a sample to test at a less intensive session earlier in the week. Will update after testing in our regular weekly session.

The following pix(s) is the shuttle tested after about "1.5 sets" - basically lasted a set and a half from a non-intensive session. One of the feathers has split from the stem but still hanging on (not really visible in the pix).

Initial impression during the non-intensive session are - speed-77 rating is more alike the Yonex as faster than RSL shuttles, retains the "play" speed thru-out the 1st set (as I did not participate in the 2nd set) and does not slow much after a few hard smashes unlike the RSL Supreme (Ultimate is the exception); much more durable than the RSL Gold No1.

Will update on how the Babolat 1 compares to our defacto standard once utilise in our regular session. The reason is because our shuttle usage is quite consistant week after week. For instance, a tube of RSL Supreme will only last for about 40min with game(s) on 2-courts while a tube of AS30 lasts roughly 1.5hr(s) in the same environment. Our de facto standard lasts about 1hr in the same scenario,

Babolat 1 logo

Babolat 1 with 3-layer cock structure

Protech Priviledge

Found this sample in the hall. 

Never tried before. 

Adding for documentation purposes.

Sporting new Protech logo

3-layer cork structure

Video on Yonex tournament shuttlecock production

Please click https://www.facebook.com/bwfbadminton/videos/1125705517586707/?t=99 to view

RCL 1103

Found this sample in the hall. 

Never tried before. 

Adding for documentation purposes.

Internal label on shuttle

2-layer cork structure

Apacs Aero Flight 800

Found this sample in the hall. 

Never tried before. 

Adding for documentation purposes.

2-layer cork structure

Internal label on shuttle

Storing shuttlecocks properly in the tropics

I wanted to share on the method(s) to store shuttlecocks in the tropics. The procedure is quite different than when I was living in NZ or California.

In countries such as NZ and California, the climate tends to be less humid and not as hot year round. Hence it was more likely I had to "steam" the shuttles before usage. Otherwise the shuttles would be brittle and highly likely for a feather to give way after a few average smashes.

However, the reverse is true for tropical regions. In the tropics, the average humidity is atleast 70-80% per annum. Hence the shuttlecocks have to stored in a dryer or more regulated environment.

Here's one true experience from a few years ago. The organiser bought a new batch of shuttles and we could differentiate that new batch immediately. The following week, the shuttles were back to their usual lack luster form. I then asked the organiser if it was the same batch of shuttles and how it was stored. He confirmed it was the same batch as per previous week and he stored it under his work bench in the house. Since the shuttles were being exposed to the high humidity and temperatures, it was if these shuttles were being steamed before usage in the tropics!!! Thus the ribcage of these exposed shuttles would be soften and the feathers would be easily ruffled.

A more recent experience was from a friend who recently took over a badminton group and started buying shuttles in bigger quantity. He was quite frustrated as he tried using the same brand and model as myself but only to be disappointed by the quality of the shuttles tend to be only good within the 1st week of purchase. Those used after the 1st week tend to be disappointing in some manner. When we discussed the issue, my 1st question to him was regarding storage. Sure enough ... he was doing as per the previous true experience.

I find the following technique effective for storing shuttles in the tropics. Keep them in a windowless storage facility eg store room. I store them in large cardboard boxes, in the storeroom. This seem to be quite effective in maintaining the quality of the shuttlecocks.

If in doubt, you can experiment by leaving a control tube in a normal room and the other tube within a box, in the storeroom. Then use these tubes the following week and survey if the player(s) can tell the difference ...