These are the two parts of a badminton racket you are supposed to replace, and between them they change how a racket plays more than moving up a price tier ever will. Strings lose tension from the day they are fitted and go dead months before they snap — a fresh string bed on an old frame feels like a new racket. Overgrips cost a couple of dollars and fix the slippery moulded handle that every racket under $50 ships with. If you own a racket you like and it has stopped feeling right, the answer is almost always on this page rather than on the rackets page.
Last updated: August 2026
| Item | Tier | Type | Best For | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pangda Grip Tape (12-Pack) | Budget | Overgrip | Everyday | 8.1 |
| Senston Perforated Grips | Budget | Overgrip | Sweaty hands | 8.3 |
| Yonex BG65 0.70mm | Best Value | String | All-round | 8.5 |
| Yonex BG65 Ti (10m Set) | Best Value | String | Durability | 8.6 |
| Yonex BG-65 Ti Reel | Premium | String | Stringers | 8.8 |
| Yonex Super GRAP (30-Pack) | Premium | Overgrip | Club use | 9.1 |
Grip First
The cheapest thing that will change how your racket feels
Twelve overgrips for the price of two branded ones, and that maths is the whole argument. Overgrips are a consumable — they go slick after a few weeks and get thrown away — so buying them one at a time is how people end up playing on a worn grip for months. The tack is decent rather than exceptional. Buy these, change them often, stop thinking about it.
The other family of overgrip: perforated and absorbent rather than tacky. In a hot sports hall a tacky grip eventually turns greasy, while a perforated one keeps wicking — so if you have ever had a racket rotate in your hand mid-rally, this is the fix. Slightly less connected feeling than a tacky grip when your hands are dry, which is the trade.
Restring Sets
Single-racket string sets in the gauges clubs actually use
The plain BG65, which is the string most badminton players in the world have on their racket right now. It sits deliberately in the middle of everything: durable enough for club play, responsive enough that you are not fighting it, and happy anywhere between 20 and 26 lbs. If you have no opinion about string, this is the correct answer to have no opinion about.
BG65 is the default club string for a reason, and the Ti version adds a titanium coating that makes it last longer still. At 0.70mm it survives mis-hits from players who are still finding the sweet spot, which is exactly who breaks strings. A 10m set is one racket's worth — buy it when you take the racket to a stringer rather than paying their markup on string.
Buy in Bulk
Reels and multi-packs for anyone doing this regularly
The same string as the 10m set, bought by the reel. This only makes sense if you or your club string rackets yourselves — 200m is around twenty rackets, and the per-racket cost drops to a fraction of buying sets. Pointless if you take your racket to a shop; obviously correct if you own a stringing machine and a group of people who play.
The overgrip the sport actually runs on, bought in the quantity that makes it cheap. Super GRAP is the reference point everything else is compared against — tacky without being sticky, thin enough not to bulk the handle, and consistent roll to roll. Thirty of them is two or three years for one player, or a season for a household that plays.
How to Choose Badminton Strings and Grips
Gauge: Thin Strings Spin and Snap, Thick Strings Last
Badminton string is sold by diameter, typically between 0.61mm and 0.70mm. Thinner string bites into the shuttle's cork more, which gives a sharper sound and a little more control on slices and drops, and it breaks sooner — sometimes much sooner. Thicker string, 0.70mm and up, survives mis-hits and lasts months. Almost everyone should start at 0.70mm, find out how often they break strings, and only then decide whether thinner is worth the running cost.
Tension Is a Trade, Not a Skill Level
Low tension, 18 to 22 lbs, gives a trampoline effect that adds power and forgives hitting away from the sweet spot. High tension, 24 lbs and up, flattens the response and gives precision to anyone who consistently hits the middle. Copying a professional's 30 lbs when you do not is the fastest way to make a racket feel dead, and it breaks strings far quicker. Factory stringing is around 20 lbs and that is correct for most club players.
Strings Die Long Before They Break
This is the part that surprises people. A string bed loses tension continuously — fastest in the first 48 hours after stringing, then slowly forever — and a racket strung eight months ago plays soft and unresponsive even though nothing has snapped. The rule of thumb is to restring as many times a year as you play in a week. Twice a week means restring roughly every six months; five times a week means every couple of months.
An Overgrip Is the Best Two Dollars in Badminton
Every racket under about $50 ships with a moulded plastic base grip that becomes slippery the moment your hands warm up, and every serious player wraps over it. Overgrips come in two families: tacky ones that stick to your hand, and dry or perforated ones that absorb sweat. Tacky suits dry hands and cool halls, dry suits sweaty hands and hot ones. They cost a dollar or two each and last a few weeks — buy a multi-pack, not singles.
Grip Thickness Changes Your Wrist
Wrapping an overgrip adds about a millimetre to the handle, and adding two or three builds it up noticeably. This is not cosmetic: a thinner handle lets you rotate the racket freely, which is what badminton's wrist-driven shots need, while a thicker one gives a more locked-in feel that some players prefer for smashing. If your fingers feel cramped, strip the old grip before adding a new one rather than wrapping over the top.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I restring my badminton racket?
As many times a year as you play hours per week, as a rough rule. Playing twice a week means restringing roughly every six months even if nothing has broken, because tension drops continuously and a soft string bed kills control long before a string snaps. Competitive players restring every few weeks. If you cannot remember when it was last done, it is due.
What string tension should I use?
Between 20 and 24 lbs for almost every club player, and 20 to 22 if you are still learning. Lower tension adds power and forgives off-centre hits; higher tension adds control if you already hit the sweet spot consistently. Chasing the 30 lbs a professional uses will make your racket feel dead and break strings quickly, because that tension only works with their swing speed.
What is the difference between a grip and an overgrip?
The base grip — usually PU or synthetic leather — is what comes fitted to the handle and is replaced rarely. An overgrip is a thin tape you wrap over the top of it, costs a couple of dollars, and is replaced every few weeks as it wears. Overgrips are what nearly everyone actually uses; the only reason to replace a base grip is if it has hardened or come loose.
Is expensive badminton string worth it?
Fresh cheap string beats dead expensive string, every time. Within that, the differences are real but small: thinner premium strings give a crisper sound and slightly better shuttle bite. The honest advice is to restring more often with a mid-priced durable string like BG65 rather than less often with something expensive. Frequency matters more than brand.
Can I restring a badminton racket myself?
Only with a proper badminton stringing machine — badminton frames are strung at much lower tension than tennis frames and are far easier to crush in a clamp designed for tennis. Doing it by hand is not possible. If you play enough to want to, a string reel like the one on this page pays for itself quickly; otherwise a club stringer typically charges $20 to $25 including the string.