Note:- Even though I am an amazon affiliate I would not recommend buying feather shuttle online because the price on these online stores is too much and even if you find a great deal there is always a risk of getting damaged shuttle( these are very fragile) so always purchase shuttles from a local store.
I have been playing badminton for 6 years now and I can confidently say that most of your money will be spent on shuttles especially if you are using the feather ones but it does not always have to be that way
In short, I would recommend buying AS 30 shuttles if you are a regular player because it has far more durability than other shuttles in this range and speed of shuttle won’t get changed after some usage which is the case in AS 10
Why AS 30
I first played with this shuttle during my state tournament and thing that surprised me was its durability
Even though we were smashing hard, One shuttle survived for 21 points without change in speed which is extremely good in this price range
Shuttle mainly gets damaged in two ways
- Feather of shuttle broke
- Fur of Feather start to shed
AS30 falls in the second category which is a good thing because if feather of shuttle break then you cannot play with shuttle for much long
Whereas if the Fur of Feather is coming off than only a mynute effect will be on its fight speed
Shuttles other than AS 2 by Yonex falls under the second category
Thoughts on AS10
This shuttle is best if you also do multi shuttle session because it is cheaper and its feather does not break easily
But I would not recommend this shuttle for regular matches because the speed of shuttle drastically decease with time(really slow expecially if you live in a less humid area)
How to increase the life of Feather shuttles
- Dip feather of the shuttle(not the cork) in water for 2 Second and then leave it in open to dry
- After ever rally keep straightening the fur of the feathers to avoid early damage to the shuttle
What about Synthetic shuttles
Nylon birdie is used by beginners and recreational players these are less expensive are very durable but the reason why these shuttles are not used in the international circuits is that is some play with these birdies there will be change in their speed which is not the same in feather shuttlecock.
Most people usually buy in-between these two models
- mavis 300 (check it on Amazon India/ Amazon USA)
- mavis 350 (check it on Amazon India/ Amazon USA)
Flight of both shuttles is the same but they become exactly opposite to each other after some use, for example, mavis 300 flight gets faster with usage whereas mavis 350 flight speed decreases with usage.
The reason for this is the style of their feathers which I think as a beginner is no use of knowing.
