Victor Gold

Not used before and adding for documentation.

Protech Silver (SG)

Have not played with the following and found the sample in one of the badminton halls I frequent.

The Protech Silver is unique to Singapore - as per PT-10, PT-20.

Enclosure for documentation purposes.

Li-Ning A+62 XD

Tried the below with a different group and could not honestly tell the difference with the Li-Ning Grandprix Gold.

All I will say is that the shuttlecock was good only for 2 above average smashes before it has to be replace. 

Both of the Li-Ning shuttlecocks were light-tish and not very durable. Flight characteristics were passable only.

Video of how shuttlecocks are manufactured - By RSL via YouTube

Protech Platinum Edition

The Protech Platinum edition is sold with a black tube in a black box (matching colours right?)

It is one of the more expensive shuttles from their lineup.

How does it fare?

The shuttle feels lighter than the WorldClass but with better flight characteristics.  Speed DOES NOT change drastically ... even after heavy smashes.

Feedback from my regulars include good flight characteristics and the nice crisp feeling when hitting the shuttle.

Bad news is that atleast 2 shuttles are required for a heavy smashing game as the feathers tend to be give way after a bit of abuse.

Oh well ... can't win them all!

RCL Super Top

As promised, Mr Ang of RCL sent the following tube of RCL Super Top along for review with the RCL Black No1.

Tube colours

Shuttle cost lower and is lighter than the Black No1. Looks a bit more fragile as well.

From the next pix, you can see the cork structure is the same for the Super Top and the Black No1. Hence the difference in price reflects the quality of feathers used.

Black No1 (RHS) and Super Top (LHS)

How does the Super Top fare?

As per reflected from the cost difference, feather quality of the Super Top is below that of the Black No1. 

We tried 2 shuttles and initial impressions was ok ... until we started smashing. We used 2 Super Top shuttles and both had a feather snap after being smashed hard twice - quite evident from the the last (and large) pix below. Hence the Super Top was not suitable for my group of smash-happy players.

Feedback from another group I provided samples of the Super Top to ... the shuttle a bit fast.

My conclusion is the Super Top would be suitable for players who are beginners or social players, rather than competitive players.

Rear view of both shuttles

Close-up of one of the used Super Top shuttle

For those who missed it - Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan,Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng exhibition match 2014

Enjoy!

This version has resolutions between 144-720dpi

RCL Black No1

As promised, Mr Ang from RCL sent myself a tube of RCL Black No1 and Super Top for review.

We begin with the Black No1. It is sold in tubes with the below colours. Please note the difference of the wordings when compared against the Black Gold/Silver.

Tube colours

As you see below the cock structure for both Black No1 and Super Top are same. Hence difference is the grade of the feathers deployed.

Black No1 (LHS) and Super Top (RHS)

Rear view of the Super Top (LHS) and Black No1 (RHS)

How does the Black No1 fare?

Speed is consistant throughout most of the game - you know when it has to be replaced. Nice feel upon impact. 

Feedback from my regulars includes nice shuttlecock, a bit fragile when compared to the Black Gold/Silver (when playing a heavy smashing game). I observed up-to 3 shuttles were required for a heavy smashing game.

Guess like everything, it's a compromise of performance, feel and durability!

Overall I think it's a good shuttlecock.

A point to note (does not impact the shuttle performance in any way) - the sticker on the shuttles tend to came off easily. At the end of the night, I could only locate the 3 shuttles below with the stickers intact!

Used Black No1 with labels still intact - only ones from the whole tube!