Saying goodbye to poly polar...what next?

xtremerunnerars · Jul 19, 2008

Well, it's been a good run. I've enjoyed the string a lot, but it's time to move on because it's been discontinued and I want more feel out of my string. I definitely want a poly (at least in the mains), and here are strings I don't like:

Cyberflash
SPPP

Basically, what I want in the new string is a lot of feel, pretty good tension maintenance (better than super smash and poly polar), and spin.

Any thoughts?

nickb · Jul 19, 2008

Topspin CyberPower (now called Cyber Blue).

1012007 · Jul 19, 2008

Nick, do you think CP (now called CB) is the best soft poly out there?
Would you have to string it at around 60lbs in order to not hit the back fence? If this is the case, will it feel like a board

nickb · Jul 19, 2008

1012007 said:
Nick, do you think CP (now called CB) is the best soft poly out there?
Would you have to string it at around 60lbs in order to not hit the back fence? If this is the case, will it feel like a board

Yeah I do. I think its one of the best polys to come out in the last 5 years.

I have used it a lot...each time stringing over 60. I used up a reel in my fischers at 63lbs...that seemed about right to me...but remember I string ALU Power at 57. It does not play like a board at that tension...I could have gone higher.

Nick

Serve_Ace · Jul 19, 2008

xtremerunnerars said:
Well, it's been a good run. I've enjoyed the string a lot, but it's time to move on because it's been discontinued and I want more feel out of my string. I definitely want a poly (at least in the mains), and here are strings I don't like:

Cyberflash
SPPP

Basically, what I want in the new string is a lot of feel, pretty good tension maintenance (better than super smash and poly polar), and spin.

Any thoughts?

Luxillion ALU power?

xtremerunnerars · Jul 19, 2008

ALU power rough felt really dead to me...and it's just too expensive.

TheShaun · Jul 19, 2008

xtremerunnerars said:
Well, it's been a good run. I've enjoyed the string a lot, but it's time to move on because it's been discontinued and I want more feel out of my string. I definitely want a poly (at least in the mains), and here are strings I don't like:

Cyberflash
SPPP

Basically, what I want in the new string is a lot of feel, pretty good tension maintenance (better than super smash and poly polar), and spin.

Any thoughts?

wow, i think those are my two favourite poly strings.

itsstephenyo · Jul 19, 2008

When I first started with polys, I used about three or four sets of Poly Polar before moving on to Topspin Cyberflash. I think Cyberflash is amazing. It was a great change.

That said, I've still got lk 15 sets of Poly Polar just sitting around being unused. I've used a few half sets as crosses with Cyberflash just for fun. I actually liked it a lot.

xtremerunnerars · Jul 19, 2008

Thanks for the recommendations. I ordered two sets of cyber blue to test it out since I was making an order anyways.

Ljubicic for number1 · Jul 20, 2008

I am a very big fan of poly polar myself, I stocked up when it was going out of production, if I was trying to find something similar then TCS would be my choice.

Bud · Jul 20, 2008

xtremerunnerars said:
Well, it's been a good run. I've enjoyed the string a lot, but it's time to move on because it's been discontinued and I want more feel out of my string. I definitely want a poly (at least in the mains), and here are strings I don't like:

Cyberflash
SPPP

Basically, what I want in the new string is a lot of feel, pretty good tension maintenance (better than super smash and poly polar), and spin.

Any thoughts?

I like the Isospeed Baseline Spin poly. It's cheap and pretty soft/arm friendly.

ryangoring · Jul 20, 2008

I have 1 set of of topspin poly polar iin a 16g. If anyone would like to have it be my guess. I could or can trade for a syn gut, wilson, prince or gosen.
But it does play smooth but I have moved onto the tp cb and BA and BG.

jmsx521 · Jul 20, 2008

If you are looking for feel in a poly, have you tried Pro Suppex Poly Power Soft 19 (1.15) or 18? They are only $4.95/set.

the wise wizard · Jul 20, 2008

Bud said:
I like the Isospeed Baseline Spin poly. It's cheap and pretty soft/arm friendly.

i agree its a fantastic string for the price, other than that probably technifibre pro red code is good but not for everyone, topspin cyberflash is great (see sig)
holds tension well, enough plays well, spin is great, i would it at the top of your list

xtremerunnerars · Jul 20, 2008

Er...the only list I have CF on top of is strings that I don't want.

Ljubicic for number1 · Jul 20, 2008

I was told the poly power soft was the closest I would find to poly polar so I bought a reel, I found it absolute junk, nothing similar at all with poly polar.

What stick do you use xtreme?

xtremerunnerars · Jul 20, 2008

I'm still with the mfil 300. I'm getting a lot stronger; bench is up from 65 to 105 since the start of the summer, and other areas have made as good or better progress. Prior to lifting, I had been wondering if the racquet was really for me or not. I don't want to change right now because I think I'm growing into the racquet a lot more.

Ljubicic for number1 · Jul 20, 2008

mmmm That might be a problem with TCS then, In my experience with the aerogel 300 nothing compares to poly polar in that frame.

In my prince racquets the TCS plays nearly the same as polar but in the 300 I didn't like it at all.

TenniseaWilliams · Jul 21, 2008

MSV plays almost as soft without being bouncy and doesn't show the Poly Polar immediate huge tension drop.

Weiss Cannon Matchpower is another very soft string that isn't very popular, but plays well. WC Silver String plays firmer but is a great soft poly.

Cyber Blue is one of my favorite soft polys, but plays firmer than Poly Polar, more like the Silver String. You may want to try a hybrid with a cheap synth gut to soften the firmer ones up a little.

TCS is very soft, but much too lively. If I try it again, it will be a full set at the higher end of the tension range.

diredesire · Jul 21, 2008

xtremerunnerars said:
Well, it's been a good run. I've enjoyed the string a lot, but it's time to move on because it's been discontinued and I want more feel out of my string. I definitely want a poly (at least in the mains), and here are strings I don't like:

Cyberflash
SPPP

Basically, what I want in the new string is a lot of feel, pretty good tension maintenance (better than super smash and poly polar), and spin.

Any thoughts?

I'm a big fan (and supporter) of poly polar, and I have similar tastes to you, Cyberflash isn't all that hot for me, and SPPP is a good string, but slightly muted. I would say SPPP is a good string, though, but I wouldn't favor it necessarily.

I would give Gosen Polylon SP a try, it's a little more powerful and a little less spin friendly than poly polar, but it's a good substitute. TCS is also a great string, but the tension maintenance isn't as good. I liked Leopard Control, which is supposedly similar to Pro Supex Premier Ace (if not the same thing).

nickb said:
Topspin CyberPower (now called Cyber Blue).

IMHO, CyberPower is a terrible string that is incredibly overrated. (of course, this is just my opinion) It is muted, and much more powerful than even cyberflash. Spin production is mediocre, although comfort is excellent. (Even better than SPPP). I don't think this is necessarily a good string for the OP's tastes. I would guess the OP likes something more along the lines of crisp, spin friendly, and comfortable. IMO, the CP/CB only REALLY satisfies the last one.

Ljubicic for number1 said:
I am a very big fan of poly polar myself, I stocked up when it was going out of production, if I was trying to find something similar then TCS would be my choice.

Bingo for me, except TCS is almost 3x as expensive (when considering reels). The TCS is an excellent string, though, you should really give it a try.

All in all, I think the Poly Polar is a very unique string with a bit of a niche following, which is probably why it was discontinued. Trends are leading more towards new-age co polys focusing on tension maintenance and comfort. (Although honestly, the tension maintenance is still pretty terrible, all things considered).

If you are looking for a full on replacement, I'd try the SP and TCS first. I made a similar transition, although I still have a few 3/4 full reels of Poly Polar. IMO, once the "new" formulation of PP came out, I kind of lost interest. (If you were lucky enough to have tried poly polar from 4+ years back, when distribution in the US was non-existant, that was the best!)

nickb · Jul 21, 2008

Poly Polar is not crisp. CyberPower was made for comfort, power, feel and durability (like poly polar)...its not a stiff string. If you dont like soft, powerful poly strings dont comment on it. It must be overrated if you dont like it...not.

diredesire · Jul 21, 2008

nickb said:
Poly Polar is not crisp. CyberPower was made for comfort, power, feel and durability (like poly polar)...its not a stiff string. If you dont like soft, powerful poly strings dont comment on it. It must be overrated if you dont like it...not.

:lol::roll: My sarcasm meter is reading off the charts!

Are you saying Cyberflash/power/blue is more crisp than poly polar? Poly Polar and Cyber Power are not very similar at all, so I'm not sure where you're drawing your parallels. Yes, they're both co-polys, although Poly Polar is more akin to a first generation poly (even after reformulation), whereas CP is more akin to a "new gen" 'performance' poly. I've played with Poly Polar for a very long time, and I've had an extended go with Cyber Power. Yes, I agree CP was designed for added comfort, power, and feel, but the durability is about the same as any other copoly string. I think by default any "poly" is designed for durability.

I'm not sure why you're reiterating that it's not a stiff string. I affirmed that it was comfortable and soft. I can comment all I want on any string I want, I'm not sure what your problem is there. I disagree with you, no need to get personal. I think CP is overrated, and I am entitled to my opinion. Just because you started a poly review thread doesn't make you the end all be all opinion on these boards. These are utilized to exchange information, so don't tread on other people who make an effort to express their opinions.

<flame off>

As far as the original point of my response, I think I have similar tastes to Xtremerunnerars, so I feel my opinion is very applicable to the thread. I know from your reviews that you have some good experience with PP. Crispness isn't mutually exclusive with softness, as you can have a soft (pliable) string that responds with a crisp sensation/response. IMO, I feel that Poly Polar has an excellent, crisp response, and newer age copolys to have a signature (with subtle nuances) muted feel with an emphasis on vibration dampening.

I'm not the ONLY one that thinks so:
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=143834&highlight=crisp+poly+polar
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=97337&highlight=crisp+poly+polar
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=2269288&postcount=14
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=2272349&postcount=25
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=2287593&postcount=27

Edit: I'd like to add, since "Crisp" is subjective: My definition of crisp is a resilient feel, with a "sharp" or abbreviated feel coming off the string bed. It does not equate to harsh or boardy. The feel is also not "muddied," or muted.

Ljubicic for number1 · Jul 21, 2008

diredesire said:
:lol::roll: My sarcasm meter is reading off the charts!

Are you saying Cyberflash/power/blue is more crisp than poly polar? Poly Polar and Cyber Power are not very similar at all, so I'm not sure where you're drawing your parallels. Yes, they're both co-polys, although Poly Polar is more akin to a first generation poly (even after reformulation), whereas CP is more akin to a "new gen" 'performance' poly. I've played with Poly Polar for a very long time, and I've had an extended go with Cyber Power. Yes, I agree CP was designed for added comfort, power, and feel, but the durability is about the same as any other copoly string. I think by default any "poly" is designed for durability.

I'm not sure why you're reiterating that it's not a stiff string. I affirmed that it was comfortable and soft. I can comment all I want on any string I want, I'm not sure what your problem is there. I disagree with you, no need to get personal. I think CP is overrated, and I am entitled to my opinion. Just because you started a poly review thread doesn't make you the end all be all opinion on these boards. These are utilized to exchange information, so don't tread on other people who make an effort to express their opinions.

<flame off>

As far as the original point of my response, I think I have similar tastes to Xtremerunnerars, so I feel my opinion is very applicable to the thread. I know from your reviews that you have some good experience with PP. Crispness isn't mutually exclusive with softness, as you can have a soft (pliable) string that responds with a crisp sensation/response. IMO, I feel that Poly Polar has an excellent, crisp response, and newer age copolys to have a signature (with subtle nuances) muted feel with an emphasis on vibration dampening.

I'm not the ONLY one that thinks so:
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=143834&highlight=crisp+poly+polar
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=97337&highlight=crisp+poly+polar
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=2269288&postcount=14
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=2272349&postcount=25
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=2287593&postcount=27

Edit: I'd like to add, since "Crisp" is subjective: My definition of crisp is a resilient feel, with a "sharp" or abbreviated feel coming off the string bed. It does not equate to harsh or boardy. The feel is also not "muddied," or muted.

Exactly the poly polar whilst soft on the arm, still has a very crisp response that just isnt available in other co polys, cyber power and big ace are very muted in comparison. Alot of posters around here don't/can't define the difference between soft/muted and soft/crisp.

nickb · Jul 22, 2008

diredesire said:
:lol::roll: My sarcasm meter is reading off the charts!

Are you saying Cyberflash/power/blue is more crisp than poly polar? Poly Polar and Cyber Power are not very similar at all, so I'm not sure where you're drawing your parallels. Yes, they're both co-polys, although Poly Polar is more akin to a first generation poly (even after reformulation), whereas CP is more akin to a "new gen" 'performance' poly. I've played with Poly Polar for a very long time, and I've had an extended go with Cyber Power. Yes, I agree CP was designed for added comfort, power, and feel, but the durability is about the same as any other copoly string. I think by default any "poly" is designed for durability.

I'm not sure why you're reiterating that it's not a stiff string. I affirmed that it was comfortable and soft. I can comment all I want on any string I want, I'm not sure what your problem is there. I disagree with you, no need to get personal. I think CP is overrated, and I am entitled to my opinion. Just because you started a poly review thread doesn't make you the end all be all opinion on these boards. These are utilized to exchange information, so don't tread on other people who make an effort to express their opinions.

<flame off>

As far as the original point of my response, I think I have similar tastes to Xtremerunnerars, so I feel my opinion is very applicable to the thread. I know from your reviews that you have some good experience with PP. Crispness isn't mutually exclusive with softness, as you can have a soft (pliable) string that responds with a crisp sensation/response. IMO, I feel that Poly Polar has an excellent, crisp response, and newer age copolys to have a signature (with subtle nuances) muted feel with an emphasis on vibration dampening.

I'm not the ONLY one that thinks so:
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=143834&highlight=crisp+poly+polar
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=97337&highlight=crisp+poly+polar
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=2269288&postcount=14
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=2272349&postcount=25
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=2287593&postcount=27

Edit: I'd like to add, since "Crisp" is subjective: My definition of crisp is a resilient feel, with a "sharp" or abbreviated feel coming off the string bed. It does not equate to harsh or boardy. The feel is also not "muddied," or muted.

I can see what your saying...I didnt find poly polar crisp at at...mushy is the word I would use. It lost tension at an alarming rate and broke very quickly. I dont think CyberPower is overrated at all...it gets good comments because its a great string.

Just my opinion.

diredesire · Jul 22, 2008

nickb said:
I can see what your saying...I didnt find poly polar crisp at at...mushy is the word I would use. It lost tension at an alarming rate and broke very quickly. I dont think CyberPower is overrated at all...it gets good comments because its a great string.

Just my opinion.

Fair enough, and I respect that. However, to tell someone else they're flat out wrong when they are expressing their opinion is rude, IMO.

As far as PP, yes, I definitely agree that it is very terrible about holding tension. Ironically, that was the purpose of a reformulation of the PP string(s). I felt they played worse (noticeably less crisp) after this happened, so that contributes, i bet. If I had my old reel I'd send you a set, but I killed it off several years ago.

I shouldn't have been so harsh on my summary of CP, it definitely has a purpose, but for me, it just doesn't hit any criteria that is useful.

Cheers,
DD

Edit: Props for taking my harsh response in stride, I admit I overreacted a little bit there.

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