A couple string tests

mikeler

Moderator
Alright. I'm back from the Indian Wells virus, so I'm going to start play testing again. I'll put up a review of PPA once I can get on a computer, and SP Micronite should get here in a day or two.


If you like PPA, then you'll like Micronite too.
 

Up&comer

Hall of Fame
Just saw this review on champions choice.


Comments: I used the Babolat Vs Touch in the mains with Luxilon Alu Rough in the crosses at 53 lb each on my Wilson KTour. Using Babolat string savers, this string combination has lasted more than two months or playing three times a week. It's fraying now in a spot where I didn't have string savers. Great touch at the net, great feel on the backhand, but a little underpowered on the forehand compared to a full bed of Luxilon.
From: Andreas, Lake Mary, FL, 5/10
 

pvaudio

Legend
Just saw this review on champions choice.


Comments: I used the Babolat Vs Touch in the mains with Luxilon Alu Rough in the crosses at 53 lb each on my Wilson KTour. Using Babolat string savers, this string combination has lasted more than two months or playing three times a week. It's fraying now in a spot where I didn't have string savers. Great touch at the net, great feel on the backhand, but a little underpowered on the forehand compared to a full bed of Luxilon.
From: Andreas, Lake Mary, FL, 5/10
facepalm.gif
 

Doubles

Legend
Just saw this review on champions choice.


Comments: I used the Babolat Vs Touch in the mains with Luxilon Alu Rough in the crosses at 53 lb each on my Wilson KTour. Using Babolat string savers, this string combination has lasted more than two months or playing three times a week. It's fraying now in a spot where I didn't have string savers. Great touch at the net, great feel on the backhand, but a little underpowered on the forehand compared to a full bed of Luxilon.
From: Andreas, Lake Mary, FL, 5/10
Wow...................
 

rdis10093

Hall of Fame
Wilson gut/alu rough 56/53 with Federer style string savers

Stringing- Pretty easy. The alu rough is a pain in the crosses, but if you are careful there aren't any problems.

Groundstrokes- Good. Pretty spin friendly. However, this was no better than any other gut mains setup I've used. I wanted it to be. I wanted there to be a reason to pay up for the ALU rough. But there wasn't. The wilson gut is slightly springier than the classic I normally use, but that didn't make a huge difference, but it did make a positive difference. Feel was phenomenal.
Overall- 9/10

Serves- again, no better than anything else I've used. Flat serves were really good, though. Kicks and slices were average.
Overall- 8.5/10

Volleys- Excellent. I was killing volleys with this setup. Touch shots were out of this world. It was just awesome.
Overall- 10/10

Durability- the string savers help some, but the rough is still tearing the gut up.
Overall- 6/10

Softness- You could feel the ALU, but the Wilson gut was so soft. 1 being the softest, 10 being the stiffest
Overall- 3.5/10

Overall, this setup only truly impressed me in one way. Net play. It played incredibly at net. Everything else was average for a gut mains setup.

will you ever playtest alu mains and gut crosses?
 

Up&comer

Hall of Fame
Sorry about the delay.

Prince Premier Attack 58 full bed.

Stringing- Pretty easy. PPA felt like it had an almost rubbery coating to it, which made it easier to get through blocked holes but a little tougher to weave.

Groundstrokes- Above average. I can't say they were great, but I can say that they were very good. PPA did what I wanted. It was phenominal on flat shots, but everything else was slightly above average. For the price, though, it was excellent.
Overall- 8.5/10

Serves- Again, very good. Nothing special, nothing incredible, just a very good multi. I had ample spin and was able to flatten out serves very well.
Overall- 9/10

Volleys- Excellent. Not thunderblast good, but very good. The only problem was drop volleys. I could not for the life of me get dialed in on them. Everythign else was well above average, though.
Overall- 9.5/10

Durability- Shockingly good. Right near RIP in physical durability.
Overall- 8/10

Softness- About average. Like Mike said, much softer than Premier LTD.
Overall- 3/10

For the price, this is a great multi. It doesn't do anything truly exceptional except maybe flat backhands. I smoked some when I was using this string. It just does everything very well and is very durable.
Overall- 8.75/10
 

Up&comer

Hall of Fame
Signum Pro Micronite Full Bed 58

Stringing- Nothing too bad. Just about like every other multi.

Groundstrokes- Mike was right. I have a sneaking suspicion that Signum Pro stole some X-1 and somehow made it hold tension really well. This string played awesome. Everything was above average for a multi in this department. Spin was good, power was there, and the control was great. I was killing groundies with this string. I honestly can't think of anything bad or even average about this string on groundstrokes, except maybe drop shots. They were basically average.
Overall- 9.5/10

Serves- Same thing. It just does what you want and gives you the control and spin to swing away. It isn't the absolute best serving setup I have used, but it is very close. Flat serves were booming. I had ample kick on serves. Everything just seemed to work with this string.
Overall- 9/10

Volleys- Back to earth. Above average. Nothing special, though. It didn't have that splendid control and ability to smoke everything that I got from the ground, but it still did well at net.
Overall-8.5/10

Durability- Again, surprisingly durable. It frayed beyond recongnition before it snapped. It seemed to hold tension fine the entire time.
Overall- 8/10

Softness- Pretty soft. I'm not sure if I would say average stiffness, but maybe slightly softer than normal.
Overall- 2.75/10

I guess what I said in the groundstrokes section sums it up. It has that insane control I got with X-1 without the suddent tension drop. It does everything at least slightly above average. Groundstrokes are killer, though. I would definitely suggest trying this one out to anyone.
Overall- 9.5/10
 

kybb

Rookie
Signum Pro Micronite Full Bed 58

Stringing- Nothing too bad. Just about like every other multi.

Groundstrokes- Mike was right. I have a sneaking suspicion that Signum Pro stole some X-1 and somehow made it hold tension really well. This string played awesome. Everything was above average for a multi in this department. Spin was good, power was there, and the control was great. I was killing groundies with this string. I honestly can't think of anything bad or even average about this string on groundstrokes, except maybe drop shots. They were basically average.
Overall- 9.5/10

Serves- Same thing. It just does what you want and gives you the control and spin to swing away. It isn't the absolute best serving setup I have used, but it is very close. Flat serves were booming. I had ample kick on serves. Everything just seemed to work with this string.
Overall- 9/10

Volleys- Back to earth. Above average. Nothing special, though. It didn't have that splendid control and ability to smoke everything that I got from the ground, but it still did well at net.
Overall-8.5/10

Durability- Again, surprisingly durable. It frayed beyond recongnition before it snapped. It seemed to hold tension fine the entire time.
Overall- 8/10

Softness- Pretty soft. I'm not sure if I would say average stiffness, but maybe slightly softer than normal.
Overall- 2.75/10

I guess what I said in the groundstrokes section sums it up. It has that insane control I got with X-1 without the suddent tension drop. It does everything at least slightly above average. Groundstrokes are killer, though. I would definitely suggest trying this one out to anyone.
Overall- 9.5/10
Sounds wery good. What gauge did you use? 1.27 or 1.32?
 

mikeler

Moderator
Signum Pro Micronite Full Bed 58

Stringing- Nothing too bad. Just about like every other multi.

Groundstrokes- Mike was right. I have a sneaking suspicion that Signum Pro stole some X-1 and somehow made it hold tension really well. This string played awesome. Everything was above average for a multi in this department. Spin was good, power was there, and the control was great. I was killing groundies with this string. I honestly can't think of anything bad or even average about this string on groundstrokes, except maybe drop shots. They were basically average.
Overall- 9.5/10

Serves- Same thing. It just does what you want and gives you the control and spin to swing away. It isn't the absolute best serving setup I have used, but it is very close. Flat serves were booming. I had ample kick on serves. Everything just seemed to work with this string.
Overall- 9/10

Volleys- Back to earth. Above average. Nothing special, though. It didn't have that splendid control and ability to smoke everything that I got from the ground, but it still did well at net.
Overall-8.5/10

Durability- Again, surprisingly durable. It frayed beyond recongnition before it snapped. It seemed to hold tension fine the entire time.
Overall- 8/10

Softness- Pretty soft. I'm not sure if I would say average stiffness, but maybe slightly softer than normal.
Overall- 2.75/10

I guess what I said in the groundstrokes section sums it up. It has that insane control I got with X-1 without the suddent tension drop. It does everything at least slightly above average. Groundstrokes are killer, though. I would definitely suggest trying this one out to anyone.
Overall- 9.5/10


Hilarious how we always like the same strings! How long did it last for you?
 

mikeler

Moderator
Yep. Since I switched to the rebel, strings are lasting me longer. PPA lasted about 6 hours.


It was interesting to hear the comparisons with X1. The strings looks so different from each other that it was kind of surprising they play so similar.
 

Up&comer

Hall of Fame
I concur. :|

Alright. This one is even better.



Comments: Very very nice racquet. Demoed 8 different racquets and decided on this one. Very high spin potential, if strung right. I'm also not the biggest guy (15 yrs old, 5'2, 100 lbs) and I found the power to be quite high. There is also a lot of ability for control, and a decent sweetspot. Overall the best racquet I have tried so far.
From: Alden, Lake Forest, CA, USA, 01/11
String type and tension: Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour 16g 60 lbs
NTRP Rating: 3.0
 

ahk27

New User
Up&Comer,

I prefer to play a poly/gut hybrid over other setups.....but have not tried tons of combos. Was hoping you could save me a couple of $$$/precious hours of trying out new poly/gut hybrids since you have tested so many strings :)

Any great playing combos that are durable and keep tension well(I change my strings out atleast once a month or when I feel the poly go dead). I like a good poly for spin and the gut crosses to soften up and add touch.

I am currently playing Tour Bite 18/Pacific Tough Gut 16
Have tried: Pro Line II 18/ Pacific
 

Up&comer

Hall of Fame
I know several. It all depends on what playability you want and what your playing style is. I know b5e/thunderblast is a great combo that meets your criteria. It all depends, I guess. Using thunderblast as a cross is a good start, but it really depends on several factors. Signum pro Micronite was excellent in a full bed, and it seems like that would transfer over as a cross string.

It would really help to know your tensions, racket, playing style, and level. All those help me recommend you a string the best I can.
 

ahk27

New User
Racquet: Head Instinct S
Current Tension: 51lb on Tour Bite/ 54 lb on Pacific Gut crosses
Play Style: All Court/like to play net with power and touch....Hit topspin forehand and two handed backhand....forehand and backhand slice
Currently play 3.5 and 4.0

I don't want a poly that will kill my arm and I want to stay with natural gut in the crosses.
 

mikeler

Moderator
Racquet: Head Instinct S
Current Tension: 51lb on Tour Bite/ 54 lb on Pacific Gut crosses
Play Style: All Court/like to play net with power and touch....Hit topspin forehand and two handed backhand....forehand and backhand slice
Currently play 3.5 and 4.0

I don't want a poly that will kill my arm and I want to stay with natural gut in the crosses.


Sounds like you may want a more powerful poly, something U&C and I don't need. I think Black Magic and Black Widow would be 2 good polys to try in the mains. The gut is a waste in the crosses BTW. It is only marginally better than a good multifilament as a cross string.
 

ahk27

New User
I've tried several multis as crosses and I just don't like the durability and feel as well as gut crosses. The gut also extends my string bed life and helps keep the poly playing ok til I have the strings cut out.

With multi crosses I was having to go through hassle of having the racquet restrung every 2 weeks because the string bed felt dead. Restringing every 2 weeks was more expensive too, since I dont string myself.
 

Up&comer

Hall of Fame
You might like weisscannon Turbotwist. Powerful, decent spin, and soft. It also holds tension well and doesn't die that fast.
 

ahk27

New User
Up&C

Thanks I'm about to order. Last question If you had to pick one would you try Silverstring or Turbotwist with pacific gut crosses?
 

Up&comer

Hall of Fame
Up&C

Thanks I'm about to order. Last question If you had to pick one would you try Silverstring or Turbotwist with pacific gut crosses?

Hmm. They are so different in playability. I would personally chose silverstring. That is simply because it has more control than TT. TT is a very good string in its own right, but for me personally, I prefer the crisp control of silverstring over the power and softness of TT.
 

tripleWRECK

New User
Hmm. They are so different in playability. I would personally chose silverstring. That is simply because it has more control than TT. TT is a very good string in its own right, but for me personally, I prefer the crisp control of silverstring over the power and softness of TT.

How would you say Silverstring compares to Scorpion and B5E?
 

Up&comer

Hall of Fame
How would you say Silverstring compares to Scorpion and B5E?

B5e is made for someone who wants control. It has low power and good spin.

Scorpion is more of an all court string, still a control string, but it does well from all areas.

SS is also low powered, but it has the least spin potential of the three and performs the best for a net player. It also rocks for serving.
 

tripleWRECK

New User
B5e is made for someone who wants control. It has low power and good spin.

Scorpion is more of an all court string, still a control string, but it does well from all areas.

SS is also low powered, but it has the least spin potential of the three and performs the best for a net player. It also rocks for serving.

I see. Which did you like best for a full bed and which was your preferred string for hybrid?
 

Up&comer

Hall of Fame
I see. Which did you like best for a full bed and which was your preferred string for hybrid?

Gosh, I don't know. Definitely b5e for a hybrid. I guess I would prefer scorpion in a full bed, but silverstring is so good for serves and volleys that I would be tempted to use that.
 

pvaudio

Legend
Baseliner: B5E hybrid
All-courter: Scorpion, scorpion full
Doubles/SV: Silverstring

I honestly have not much cared for SS in a hybrid.
 

Benske

New User
B5e is made for someone who wants control. It has low power and good spin.

Scorpion is more of an all court string, still a control string, but it does well from all areas.

SS is also low powered, but it has the least spin potential of the three and performs the best for a net player. It also rocks for serving.

Interesting. Really enjoying silverstring right now at 52/50 in PB10 and agree on serves and vollies, but it is still jumping off the court no problem for me.. Would you offer up a full bed review of SS?

Have a similar style to yours, 1hbh and at 5.0 level. Interested to try scorpion, B5e and some the hybrids you've had success with there. Havent tried those yet.

Thanks for the reviews. Nice job.
 

Up&comer

Hall of Fame
Here you go rdis10093. ALU (ahloo?) rough/wilson gut 48/50

Stringing-Not as bad as the reverse. Nothing really worth mentioning. Strung in my rebel 95 originals.

Groundstrokes- Great. I have never been a huge fan of Lux, but this setup really jived well with my game for the first 4 hours or so. It had ample power, but also had really good spin as well as control. I was ripping my groundies with this setup. I can't say it lasts long enough for me to use, and at 30 bucks a stringjob, it isn't exactly cheap. It plays great until the lux dies, though. The only problem is that he playability drops so much after that period it surprised me. I knew that lux doesn't last long, but it was a drop off a cliff in playability after that 4-5 hour period. It went stiff and lost control, spin, and power. It was just horrible afterwards, even with gut in the crosses.
Overall-
First 4-5 hours- 9.5/10
Afterwards- 5/10

Serves- Pretty darn good. Same scenario as the groundies. I could slam some first serves and seconds serves had really nice kick. Again, great at first, then just horrible.
Overall-
First 4-5 hours- 9/10
Afterwards- 6/10

Volleys- Average. Absolutely nothing spectacular about here. At 30 bucks, I wanted something special everywhere, even if it was only for a couple hours. I didn't get it at net. Started average and I really didn't notice a big difference after it went dead unless I tried a really delicate drop volley.
Overall- 7.5/10

Softness- 1 being the softest, 10 being the stiffest
Overall- 6/10

Durability- Physically, it was average for a textured poly/gut hybrid. It did have a horrible life span, though. I was glad the gut helped give the ALU an extra hour or two, but it still just went AWOL after 5 hours.
Overall- 5/10

All in all, I really liked the setup from the baseline and on serves. Volleys were average, though. It had a really nice, crisp responce on groundstrokes until it went dead. I mean, it was a 30 dollar string job, and it lasted me about 5 hours. Playability included with price, this was a pretty bad setup for me. Playability only, it played great at first, then died. I've been using MPP/MCS lately, and it lasts about 6 hours and costs me about 4.5 bucks a string job. This hybrid costed 30 bucks. That's 75 cents an hour vs 6 bucks an hour. The MPP/MCS plays pretty darn well anyway, so the cost of this setup is just unjustifiable.
Overall-
Price not included- 8.75/10
Price included- 5/10
 

Up&comer

Hall of Fame
If there aren't any suggestions, I'm doing full silverstring next. I'm in the process of getting back to my APDGT's. I can use them as long as I use a softer hybrid setup. Right now I have no arm problems with MPP/MCS, although durability is below average. I am working on strenghthening my arm to handle stiffer rackets simply because they play so darn well.
 
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