What does the rating on shuttlecock flight, durability and consistency mean?
by Radhica
(Bangalore, India)
Question: I seem some shuttles are classified by their flight, durability and consistency and are rated as A, B+ , B, etc. What does this rating mean in a shuttle?Answer:
Hi Radhica, thanks for your question.
There are 2 main factors that determine the quality of a shuttlecock.
- Flight trajectory and consistency
- Durability
Flight Trajectory
Higher grade shuttlecocks have better flight trajectories compared to lower grade shuttles.
Good flight trajectory simply means the shuttle can fly downwards sharply at a steep angle. See the picture below.
With a good flight trajectory (blue line in the picture), players can perform high defensive clears without worrying about the shuttlecock flying out.
Manufacturers often rate the flight quality of their shuttlecocks. This is what manufacturers mean by A+, A, B, B+ and so on. They are referring to flight quality.
Flight Consistency
Consistency refers to how long a shuttlecock can maintain a consistent flight pattern. New ones often have the best flight pattern.
Shuttlecocks with low flight consistency lose the quality of its flight pattern after a few hits. On the other hand, more consistent shuttlecocks can maintain flight quality much longer.
High grade shuttlecocks should have good trajectory (blue line in the picture). If shuttles are inconsistent, they will very quickly produce lousier trajectories (like the red line) after several hits.
You’ll often see manufacturers rating consistency along with flight (flight and consistency).
For example, there will be a category saying: Flight and Consistency A+. This means that the flight trajectory and consistency are rated as A+.
Durability
Note that durability is different from flight consistency.
Durability is how well a shuttle can maintain its original shape and condition; that is, its feathers remain intact and do not fall off. Consistency is how long a shuttlecock is able to maintain its good flight pattern.
A durable shuttlecock can be very inconsistent. This means that after a few hits, the shuttlecock may still look brand new, but its flight pattern may not be as good.
Durability is often rated numerically. For example, Victor rates the durability of their shuttlecocks from a scale of 1 to 6.
Downside to These Ratings
The ratings are not accurate if you compare across different brands.
This is because these ratings are given by the individual manufacturers themselves.
For example, Victor gives an A+ rating to their Master Ace shuttlecock. Li Ning also gives their A+600 series shuttlecock an A+ rating.
However, we cannot compare the ratings of Victor Master Ace and Li Ning A+600 shuttlecocks because they are rated by 2 different agencies.
If you're looking for good quality shuttlecocks, I suggest getting those that have a BWF logo printed on the shuttlecock tube! They might not necessarily mean they are the "best", but as long as they are tested and approved by BWF, they should be reasonably good.
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