How do you know it is time to restring poly/ luxilon?

drgchen

Rookie
There are many threads talking about luxilon and other polys going dead quickly. I wanted to know if there is a good rule of thumb as to when to restring a poly like luxilon alu power. I'm not sure if I am sensitive enough to tell the difference between poly strung fresh and dead poly, but I am worried about getting tennis elbow. I usually string at 56-60 depending on my racquet.

I would hate to cut out a good set of luxilon just because I am playing poorly that day. I'm sure sometimes it will be me rather than the string that is not doing its job.

So what is a good rule of thumb to be safe? After it loses 10 lbs of tension? Once it starts moving visibly? After 10 hours? Thanks for your input.
 

wickedfps

New User
tried til it went bad on me and was able to find the answer based on my own experience. At one point I kept playing with it and did start spraying balls all over. Same strokes, same amount of power, way different result.
 

yem

New User
A good indicator for me is when the strings don't realign themselves. Polys should snap back into position and require little to no straightening.
 

Jaewonnie

Professional
When the strings don't give any pop at all. One way to test this is seeing how well you can pull off touch shots; itll take more effort when your poly is dead. Once polys go dead, you'll see a noticeable decline in spin and pop. The feel might also become more boardy.
 

got spin?

Banned
Polys go dead after a match or one practice session. But it really depends on how much spin and pressure and stress you put on a string. If you hit lots of topspin, the string will stretch and lose its resiliency. If you hit flat it still stretches and loses it resiliency. If you poke the ball around the court a poly will last for a week or so before it goes dead because your not putting stress on it, therefor time kills it. String your racket up with two new sets of polys, hit with both for two days, then restring one of them and compare the two. If you hit decent enough you should be able to tell the new from the dead. I suggest Gosen Sidewinder, its a good poly with the best tension maintenance and last about two or three hours (or days) longer depending how well you hit the ball.
 

drgchen

Rookie
My primary string up until now has been nxt and nxt os. I'm using alu power full bed more often because I don't like the string movement on nxt.

I strung my racquets up over a month ago with luxilon, but am using them for the first time. (busy with work and the family) Sounds like they probably are already dead just based on sitting unused. I suspect that the feel that I expect when I use poly is what everyone is describing as dead.

I guess that I need to string the racquet and get on the courts the same day. Thanks everyone for the imput.
 

got spin?

Banned
My primary string up until now has been nxt and nxt os. I'm using alu power full bed more often because I don't like the string movement on nxt.

I strung my racquets up over a month ago with luxilon, but am using them for the first time. (busy with work and the family) Sounds like they probably are already dead just based on sitting unused. I suspect that the feel that I expect when I use poly is what everyone is describing as dead.

I guess that I need to string the racquet and get on the courts the same day. Thanks everyone for the imput.

Polys go dead after sitting around in a racket for a week. Buy yourself a little Gamma Progression... save yourself time and money and the grief of letting a good set of polys go dead and not even being used.
 

quest01

Hall of Fame
It depends on the poly, for instance Luxilon ALU Rough will eventually stop realigning and at that point its about to snap, I also found ALU Rough to be one of the least durable poly's. I've never snapped ALU Fluoro and RPM blast 16, 17, and 18 gauges. I find once you starting losing control with the RPM Blast then its time to cut them out. It also depends if its a full poly or hybrid job.
 

drgchen

Rookie
After reading the last few posts as an experiment I cut one of the mains on my racquet to see if there was any tension or resilience left- the two ends moved away from each other between 1-2 cm. Dead from sitting unused.

Well I guess I need to invest in a good stringing machine because that's close to 100 dollars down the drain on three string jobs.
 

Fuji

Legend
After reading the last few posts as an experiment I cut one of the mains on my racquet to see if there was any tension or resilience left- the two ends moved away from each other between 1-2 cm. Dead from sitting unused.

Well I guess I need to invest in a good stringing machine because that's close to 100 dollars down the drain on three string jobs.

Or just don't use poly! ;)

Seriously though, if you aren't playing that much because life gets in the way, (Face it, it happens to all of us!) it's not worth going through the wasted cash on poly! :)

-Fuji
 

Boricua

Hall of Fame
Or just don't use poly! ;)

Seriously though, if you aren't playing that much because life gets in the way, (Face it, it happens to all of us!) it's not worth going through the wasted cash on poly! :)

-Fuji

Or use a cheap poly like Gosen Polynon, not bad ar all.
 

mixedmedia

Professional
If you can't feel when they're dead, the only other way I can think of to tell is if the strings have to be manually aligned, as mentioned earlier. On the other hand, some polys notch so badly at high tensions it's hard to tell when they die without "just knowing."
 

ryan380golf

New User
I use my poly strings much longer then one hitting session, and I just strung my my racquet tonight and plan to play next week and it will be just fine.

Personally I think the people on this board string up way too much.

As my strings go dead I hardly notice because I adjust my swing for it and not the other way around.
 

mixedmedia

Professional
I agree that many people on this forum restring a ton (and maybe shouldn't be using poly), but I don't think it's a good idea to adjust your swing much. It's better to restring than hurt one's swing.
 

ryan380golf

New User
I agree that many people on this forum restring a ton (and maybe shouldn't be using poly), but I don't think it's a good idea to adjust your swing much. It's better to restring than hurt one's swing.

I really don't think it's much of a swing adjustment. It just surprises me to hear people say they start blasting the back fence or netting everything because their poly's went dead on them.

I love playing new strings don't get me wrong. I string myself and have a nice supply. But I'm not going to cut them out after a match though. Because I don't need to. I think that is how most players feel, but being on a stringing forum we probably have a higher percentage of stringing fanatics with a laser focus on the feel of their string.

So to the original poster I say play your strings as long as you like, but if you listen to some of the advice here you're probably cutting them out way to early.
 

Jaewonnie

Professional
I use my poly strings much longer then one hitting session, and I just strung my my racquet tonight and plan to play next week and it will be just fine.

Personally I think the people on this board string up way too much.

As my strings go dead I hardly notice because I adjust my swing for it and not the other way around.

Well, the problem with that is that the more dead ur poly is, the harder it is to generate pop. Thus what happens it that u swing harder for the same results. Harder swing, mediocre results, stiff strings all result to arm problems. Thats the danger with keeping polys in ur racket for too long.
 

jmjmkim

Semi-Pro
Hmmmm...... I use my full poly until it breaks. Sometimes it lasts 6 mos. (I rotate rackets). I do get suspicious when the strings don't realign . . . As for the ball control and power, I guess unconsciously I adjust my swing.

But I'd rather use this durable stuff than have to go back to synthetic and restring so often. Even with synthetic and multi, the string performance drops as it starts to wear. Nothing feels like a freshly strung racket.
 

max pl

Rookie
Or just don't use poly! ;)

Seriously though, if you aren't playing that much because life gets in the way, (Face it, it happens to all of us!) it's not worth going through the wasted cash on poly! :)

-Fuji

whats type of string do you recommend for people who dont play often?

i play about 2 or 3 times a week for about 1 to 1.5 hours of hard play, and had my last set of poly last about 1.5 to 2 months.
 
Hmmmm...... I use my full poly until it breaks. Sometimes it lasts 6 mos. (I rotate rackets). I do get suspicious when the strings don't realign . . . As for the ball control and power, I guess unconsciously I adjust my swing.

But I'd rather use this durable stuff than have to go back to synthetic and restring so often. Even with synthetic and multi, the string performance drops as it starts to wear. Nothing feels like a freshly strung racket.

That's why you should consider to change strings often enough to keep 'em fresh. Try to use any device to see a tension drop in your racket. You'll be surprised.
 
whats type of string do you recommend for people who dont play often?

i play about 2 or 3 times a week for about 1 to 1.5 hours of hard play, and had my last set of poly last about 1.5 to 2 months.

I would consider a soft poly with a good tension maintenance. Consider some strings from Signum Pro, WC and Genesis. All those companies produce strings with very good tension maintenance.:)
 

Matchball

Semi-Pro
I remember an expert saying that one can do the volleying test. If the ball lacks depth and feels weird on your arm, then your poly must be dead.
 

Big_Dangerous

Talk Tennis Guru
I really don't think it's much of a swing adjustment. It just surprises me to hear people say they start blasting the back fence or netting everything because their poly's went dead on them.

I love playing new strings don't get me wrong. I string myself and have a nice supply. But I'm not going to cut them out after a match though. Because I don't need to. I think that is how most players feel, but being on a stringing forum we probably have a higher percentage of stringing fanatics with a laser focus on the feel of their string.

So to the original poster I say play your strings as long as you like, but if you listen to some of the advice here you're probably cutting them out way to early.


I think they're just making excuses for having a terrible hit around or going through a lull where you miss a few shots in a row. Blame the equipment but never yourself... :roll:

What ever happened to rule for rec players to string their rackets? Re-string your racket as many times per year as you play per week.


****, I had some luxilon in my #3 racket that I got strung in late september/early october that I didn't restrung again until June.
 
I am only a 3.0/3.5 (never been tested) and I can't tell when poly goes dead. My game is not advanced enough. I have been restringing it after 8 hours of play and I literally can't tell the difference. Maybe one day I will be able to tell the difference. I can tell the difference between full poly and nylon. A hybrid set up is optimal for me.
 

SStrikerR

Hall of Fame
A good indicator for me is when the strings don't realign themselves. Polys should snap back into position and require little to no straightening.

I don't have to straighten them as much as syn gut, but my new set of luxilon requires me to straighten it more than I ever have before. I'm assuming TW just did a terrible job stringing, because it was like this from the moment I started using it.
 

Jaewonnie

Professional
I think they're just making excuses for having a terrible hit around or going through a lull where you miss a few shots in a row. Blame the equipment but never yourself... :roll:

What ever happened to rule for rec players to string their rackets? Re-string your racket as many times per year as you play per week.


****, I had some luxilon in my #3 racket that I got strung in late september/early october that I didn't restrung again until June.

so the max amount of times u can string in a year is seven times....

anyhow, that rule isnt that great for polys and even multis. Any string, a couple of months old is going to reek havoc onto ur arm, especially if you string near the 60s like me. Happened to me once playing with like 5month old polylon at 62lbs indoors during the winter (in Canada <-- important piece of info). It was also in one of those bubble domes so heating wasn't that great. As a result, the poly, in addition to normal stiffness/deadness, became rock hard from the temperature. No pop, no spin, no nothing. I pretty much generated pop from the heft of the racket. Doing that with serves was what elongated my rotator cuff and also gave me some elbow trouble.

The point is, especially for polys, its important to restring every once in a while or your arm will suffer the consequences. I usually don't restring just cuz of the performance drop but because of preventing injury.
 

bluetrain4

G.O.A.T.
Generally, I'd say poly will go dead fairly quickly. As to how, you can tell? Most players can, over time, determine the difference in feel and performance that denotes dead poly. It's pretty subjective, as some players will want to replace dead poly immediately, while others will wait until it's "deader."

The subsequent question is how much you are willing to deal with dead poly, or if it even matters to you. I know players who play with poly until it breaks.
 

Gasolina

Professional
I only use soft co-polys, and I don't string polys higher than 52 lbs, so I don't break them. I play a minimum 5 hours doubles every week, and sometimes a singles match here and there. Most my polys go dead in about a month.

Its funny because I actually feel the racquet going dead after every session. Same reason I felt I didn't need to buy a 2nd racquet. I could see the polys starting to lose pop a good week before so I can plan ahead when I need to restring.

I also don't like the feeling of a freshly strung poly. Feels to boardy for me. I currently have Barb Wire at 42 lbs and for the 1st week it was stiff and hurt my arm. After the 2nd week it felt better.

I know a lot of people use polys to dampen their power. Maybe I'm using polys for the wrong purpose since I string so low. Maybe I shouldn't be using them at all, but the spin I get from them are just insane, I just can't string with anything else.
 

Fuji

Legend
whats type of string do you recommend for people who dont play often?

i play about 2 or 3 times a week for about 1 to 1.5 hours of hard play, and had my last set of poly last about 1.5 to 2 months.

The best string I can recommend is Head RIP Control 16/17. It's my go to string, because it has a lot of properties of a poly, (Low powered, lots of spin), without all the arm troubles that come with it. I have a notorious elbow that's ridiculously sensitive to any problems in string, and RIP is one of the only non gut strings that I love.

The longest I've had it last me was 4 months over winter, where I wasn't playing nearly as much. It just started to move a ton before I changed it out, but I rarely break RIP.

During summer though, I'm restringing every 3-4 weeks because of tons of play. (Close to 20 hours a week, up to 30 if busy.) So getting almost 100 hours on a string bed is great for me.

I'm not a string breaker, so I don't really need the extra durability of a poly, but I do mutilate lesser strings pretty good. (Really big server, and hard ground strokes)

If you're not a fan of RIP control another string I've had a lot of success with is Prince DuraFlex 17. It doesn't have the durability of RIP, but it does last quite a while. I use it in a lot of my practice sticks because it's cheap and gets the job done well. I'd say it lasts about half the time of RIP, if just a little less.

-Fuji
 

Fuji

Legend
I think they're just making excuses for having a terrible hit around or going through a lull where you miss a few shots in a row. Blame the equipment but never yourself... :roll:

What ever happened to rule for rec players to string their rackets? Re-string your racket as many times per year as you play per week.



****, I had some luxilon in my #3 racket that I got strung in late september/early october that I didn't restrung again until June.

So when I'm clocking upwards of 30 hours a week, I still should only be restringing 7 times a year? :shock:

I just play until they became unplayable. When I used to use RPM Blast this was at around the 12 hour mark, so every 3-4 days. Obviously not that cost effective! My arm was super sensitive and after I clocked over 14 hours on a poly, it would just butcher my arm, even at 40lbs. Plus tension loss is killer in poly, it gets super loose no matter what you do.

-Fuji
 

Fugazi

Professional
5 hours of play or 5 days - whichever comes first :)
I'm not so sure about this time issue. I'm a 5.0 player that hits with lots of spin. After sitting in my bag for three months in my Babolat APDGT, I've had great results with Luxilon BB Alu Power (16L I believe). Spin and power were great, lots of winners with good margin for error. I broke the strings in about 4 hours.

I did notice a dead feeling with Babolat PHT at times: everything was going long, no control, no touch.
 
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