r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/DearEmphasis4488 • 14d ago

Video The process of making badminton shuttlecocks from raw feathers

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u/xrimane 14d ago

A real racquet vs. the cheap backyard kit was such a revelation when I first started playing lol. The racquet is so light and the cords are so tense! And they go boing so satisfyingly when a shuttlecock bounces off.

And the shuttlecocks in these backyard kits I remember had a nose of hard plastic and a heavy basket of "feathers" with kinks. You had to smack them full force with your racquet to make them fly even a bit.

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u/hates_stupid_people 14d ago edited 14d ago

I will never forget the first time I tried a carbon fiber racquet, it's not as extreme as the difference between the kit and a proper one. But it's not far off, and noticably easier to play with even when compared to a decent sports version.

And you're very correct about the hard plastic noses making a massive difference. The cheap "real" version basically just replace the tip with cork and have a thinner "mesh" of plastic. Which makes them a lot lighter and a lot easier to control.