PV Audio's Playtest Thread
- Thread starter pvaudio
- Start date
mikeler
Moderator
Anyway, enough talking down on strings. That's not the point of this thread, nor do I want it to be.
I shall be stringing up Baseline/OGSM and AdrenalineR/850 this evening.
It's much more exciting though. Strings just stir so much emotion in people. :twisted:
polytheist
Rookie
How bout a crappy string thread? "Worst strings of 2011"?
Here's my nomination: http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=6254655&postcount=1696
arche3
Banned
I just ordered some alu. And some bhb7 for good measure.
I wanna go back to the sweetness of alu. I wanna see if I like it better than my beloved ltec... and bhb7 because everyone is crying about it so I figured why not.
I
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: nothing hits like ALU. Nothing. You can try to find things that "play like ALU, but are xxxxxx" for whatever parameter you want be it comfort, cost, spinnier, etc. But nothing hits like it even though it's fairly rudimentary by today's standards. That said, I personally don't like it, but I do understand the hubbub about it.
Try ytex with bhb7. Another deadly combo is bhb7/bbo rough or bhb7/nrg2 for more feel. If you enjoy the feeling of the string "biting" into the ball, bhb7 will inspire you. If you enjoy power, the bbo cross is deadly power with bhb7. If you enjoy controlled spin, ytex quadro/bhb7, but the hybrids with bhb7 are all good due to the biting edgy grabby bite it puts on the ball, especially in a 16 x 19 open pattern.
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arche3
Banned
Isospeed Baseline Spin 1.20mm / Gosen OG Sheep Micro 17g Natural
Isospeed Baseline Spin 1.20mm / Gosen OG Sheep Micro 17g Natural
Stringing: Here's to me hoping that this setup is really good. No, just good enough would suffice.Why? This is the easiest setup I have ever strung, and if the playability is sufficient for my game, I'll switch to it just out of stringing ease and cost. It took two entire minutes less than anything else I've strung. Two minutes is a lot when I average around 20mins for full poly, and about a minute less for poly mains or full synthetic. I have never encountered a poly that is easier to handle than Isospeed Baseline. Honestly, Gamma Live Wire is more difficult to deal with. There is zero coil memory, it's floppy, supple in the hand, knots like butter and just zooms through grommets. OGSM already is one of the easiest crosses out there, but it's not the easiest (I think Maxim Touch is easier). I'd say top 5 easiest cross with the easiest poly I've ever handled, and you've got something that's actually enjoyable to string. Strung 51.5/55lbs.
Isospeed Baseline Spin 1.20mm / Gosen OG Sheep Micro 17g Natural
Stringing: Here's to me hoping that this setup is really good. No, just good enough would suffice.Why? This is the easiest setup I have ever strung, and if the playability is sufficient for my game, I'll switch to it just out of stringing ease and cost. It took two entire minutes less than anything else I've strung. Two minutes is a lot when I average around 20mins for full poly, and about a minute less for poly mains or full synthetic. I have never encountered a poly that is easier to handle than Isospeed Baseline. Honestly, Gamma Live Wire is more difficult to deal with. There is zero coil memory, it's floppy, supple in the hand, knots like butter and just zooms through grommets. OGSM already is one of the easiest crosses out there, but it's not the easiest (I think Maxim Touch is easier). I'd say top 5 easiest cross with the easiest poly I've ever handled, and you've got something that's actually enjoyable to string. Strung 51.5/55lbs.
Bbo is big bang. orig. Because it is more powerful as cross while the bhb7 bites for outrageous spin.
Up&comer
Hall of Fame
What if it plays ok for about 3 or 4 hours then completely loses it? Would you still keep with it?
Hey pvaudio you seem to know a bit about strings so I'll ask you.
I recently purchased a Wilson Pro Staff Six.One 90 BLX and want to string it with my normal set up of Luxilon Alu in the mains and Gut in the cross.
I currently use a Babolat Pure Storm Limited which I've strung 53/55 and I like it.
Should I try a lower tension on the Pro Staff as it has a more open string pattern than the Babolat?
Is 2lbs difference in tension between the main and cross ok?
I recently purchased a Wilson Pro Staff Six.One 90 BLX and want to string it with my normal set up of Luxilon Alu in the mains and Gut in the cross.
I currently use a Babolat Pure Storm Limited which I've strung 53/55 and I like it.
Should I try a lower tension on the Pro Staff as it has a more open string pattern than the Babolat?
Is 2lbs difference in tension between the main and cross ok?
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jdunnie014159
Rookie
[/QUOTE]Stringing: Here's to me hoping that this setup is really good. No, just good enough would suffice.Why? This is the easiest setup I have ever strung, and if the playability is sufficient for my game, I'll switch to it just out of stringing ease and cost. It took two entire minutes less than anything else I've strung. Two minutes is a lot when I average around 20mins for full poly, and about a minute less for poly mains or full synthetic. I have never encountered a poly that is easier to handle than Isospeed Baseline. Honestly, Gamma Live Wire is more difficult to deal with. There is zero coil memory, it's floppy, supple in the hand, knots like butter and just zooms through grommets. OGSM already is one of the easiest crosses out there, but it's not the easiest (I think Maxim Touch is easier). I'd say top 5 easiest cross with the easiest poly I've ever handled, and you've got something that's actually enjoyable to string. Strung 51.5/55lbs.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the beginning of another great review. The Baseline is unbelievably easy from reel to racquet when it comes to stringing the stuff. Wait 'til you use it as a cross--total breeze. I'm interested to read what you think because I found it to have that tin-ny feeling when used as a main, but great as a cross in a full poly setup. Maybe not "great", but "unnoticeable" which effectively gives me 2 string jobs out of 1 set of poly since it's literally a buck. I noticed no difference as a cross with Pro Red Code, RPM, Spin X, SPPP, and it actually improved the string bed with Black Code. In a Baseline mains setup or full bed setup, using a dampener helped alleviate the tinniness I didn't like, and I recommend this despite my usual preference of not using one.
Thanks for the beginning of another great review. The Baseline is unbelievably easy from reel to racquet when it comes to stringing the stuff. Wait 'til you use it as a cross--total breeze. I'm interested to read what you think because I found it to have that tin-ny feeling when used as a main, but great as a cross in a full poly setup. Maybe not "great", but "unnoticeable" which effectively gives me 2 string jobs out of 1 set of poly since it's literally a buck. I noticed no difference as a cross with Pro Red Code, RPM, Spin X, SPPP, and it actually improved the string bed with Black Code. In a Baseline mains setup or full bed setup, using a dampener helped alleviate the tinniness I didn't like, and I recommend this despite my usual preference of not using one.
I don't know if I've ever mentioned this in this thread since it's mostly been mid to premium stuff, but as much as I like a good string, I like a bagain/value even more. I have high hopes for this because if it's good and linear, then I won't have to think about stringing and will always have something reliable to hit with for cheap. That means focusing solely on strokes which a good string only can help to improve once the ball leaves the racquet. BUT: just like the L-Tec which wasn't evaluated as being supposedly excellent, I will be evaluating as a stringbed, not as a cheap stringbed/value.
arche3
Banned
does the bbo cross add a lot of stiffness to a bhb7/bbo hybrid?
or does it still play soft as the bhb7 is reviewed as soft. more power is always good if controllable.
mikeler
Moderator
I know you have gotten a rise out of some posters for your analysis of stringbed/value but I think that is valuable info for the TTW community. For me, I think the best measure is cost per hour of play. When I mean an hour of play, it better play good during that time otherwise it does not count. I bring this up because one of my buddies was making fun of how much I spent on my "Mikeler matchup" setup. Once I broke down the cost per hour of my "premium" setup and his "cheap" setup, it turned out he was actually the one paying more money! At least that got him to finally venture from his trusty Gamma synthetic gut which you and I both loved at one time.
mikeler
Moderator
Ahh, Gamma Synthetic Gut w/ WearFaster
I think the WearGuard actually protects the balls because you will break the strings so fast that you won't be able to hit the ball for very long.
alidisperanza
Hall of Fame
16 or 17? I need to get my hands on some 16 to test out. The 17 was great but popped way too fast.
finalfantasy7
Semi-Pro
PV - have /would you ever try a spaghetti string job?
if so would you give us a review
if so would you give us a review
alidisperanza
Hall of Fame
17. You'll rarely find me using a 16g poly
Yeah, I'm more of a fan of 17. Although I'm enjoying the 5 hrs I'm getting out of B7 17, It might be worth trying the 16 to eek out a bit more.
Nope, not going to either.Right now, I have a few parts of my game that I want to solidify, so even if I do continue to test strings, they need to be predictable.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
PV, just curious how does the worst string of 2012 in your book earn a 7.5/10 rating? i playtested the string as well and i completely agree with your assessment, but i think i gave it a 4 or 5/10 rating because it played god awful. is your rating scale 7 to 7.9 = C, 8.0 to 8.9 = B, 9 to 10 = A?
Yep, it's 7-10. The string has to do something actually wrong to be rated below that. Otherwise, if it does its job: hits a tennis ball, then it gets a minimum of 7. That stuff got the lowest rating because it was absolutely generic in every single way. It was just polyester string that you could put in a tennis racquet and nothing more. That doesn't make it overall bad. It just means it has zero redeeming qualities. Sort of like rating wines.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
like you, i'm not a fan of bhbr17. not enough control. but i like bhb7 17. predictable string that offers very good control and excellent spin capabilities. durability isn't great though.
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mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
ok. this is very helpful.
Well, as long as I can get 5-6 hours out of the Isospeed/OGSM, then I'm switching permanently. I hinted at this before, but this setup meets my #2 need for a go-to setup. The #1 need is that it takes my strengths and makes them better, and takes my weaknesses and helps me out. That's been the majority of the strings tested thus far: the premium strings focused purely on playability. For me however, just as important is neutrality. What I mean is something that is consistent, predictable and does exactly what you expect it to BUT that's it. That's the reason why I love Silverstring. To me, Silverstring is one of the top overall polys (hence it was my first poly reel, IIRC) because it lets you hit your shots and exactly what you put into it is what you get out. Nothing more, nothing less. This hybrid is exactly the same. It feels very solid: not soft, not stiff, just solid and crisp. It lets me hit my forehand how I want, and since I'm working on my 2HBH, it lets me see easily how much spin pvaudio imparted on the ball rather than a spin string setup. That's more valuable to me. To put it another way: this is what I will use to improve my game, because it doesn't let me do anything I can't already, and doesn't make me unable to do what I can already. Silverstring is the poly version of this. For $2/racquet, it's a no-brainer.
I didn't like ss. Rated #9 though, so many do. Found it average, low on power, not crisp, not spinny, not esp. good at anything but durability/tens. loss. I liked all the strings rated above it more for good reason. Only thing it was good at was not going long due to no power. Some call that "feel". BBO was better at power, durability, ten. main., and that's why so many spaniards use it over anything else. I really like bbo rough with bhb7. Lots of groundies hit by guys who crush the ball with bbo rough. I see that proline II scored high in feel and comfort, and Isner uses it now, according to Drakulie.
Poly of the Year 2011 Poly
Rank String Score
1 Solinco Tour Bite 144
2 Tecnifibre Black Code 138
3 MSV Focus - HEX® 119
4 Signum Pro Tornado 87
5 Kirschbaum Pro Line No. II 75
6 Luxilon Big Banger Ace 74
7 Signum Pro Poly Plasma 61
8 Prince Beast XP 58
9 WeissCANNON Silverstring 57
10 Luxilon Adrenaline Rough 55
11 WeissCANNON Scorpion 52
12 Genesis Black Magic 43
13 MSV Co-Focus 30
14 Signum Pro Hyperion 22
15 Topspin Cyber Twirl Natural 11
Non-Poly of the Year 2011 Non-Poly
Rank String Score
1 Babolat VS Team 202
2 Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 171
3 Babolat VS Touch 129
4 Wilson NXT 77
5 Head Rip Control 52
6 Tecnifibre NRG2 49
7 Babolat VS Tonic+ Ball Feel 36
8 Signum Pro Micronite 29
9 Pacific Classic Gut 27
10 WeissCANNON Explosiv! 25
Isospeed Professional 25
12 Head IntelliTour 19
13 Dunlop Max Comfort 16
14 Isospeed Control 13
15 SuperString Viper V9 Terre Multi 5
Newcomer of the Year 2011 Newcomer
Rank String Score
1 Babolat VS Team BT7 106
2 Tecnifibre Ruff Code 97
3 Luxilon Adrenaline Rough 91
4 Prince Beast XP 87
WeissCANNON Black5Edge 87
6 Unique Tourna Poly Big Hitter Silver Rough 76
7 Luxilon Savage Black 60
8 Topspin Cyber Twirl Blue 43
9 Dunlop Black Widow 40
10 Toalson Rencon Devil Spin 125 29
11 Gamma Zo Verve 27
12 Topspin Cyber Delta Twirl 24
13 Head FXP Tour 20
14 Dunlop Silk 11
15 Gosen Polymaster I 7
Durability (Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Luxilon Big Banger Original 16 169
2 Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.23 132
3 MSV Focus - HEX® 1.27 129
4 Luxilon Big Banger Alu Power 16L 117
5 Kirschbaum Pro Line No. II 1.30 90
6 Babolat Pro Hurricane 16 85
7 Luxilon Big Banger Original Rough 16 69
8 Genesis Typhoon 16L 41
9 Pro's Pro Plus Power 1.28 37
10 Luxilon Monotec Supersense 16L 9
Durability (Non-Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 16 120
2 Head Rip Control 16 105
3 Tecnifibre NRG2 16 98
4 Babolat VS Tonic+ Ball Feel 16 91
5 Gamma TNT2 Touch 16 57
6 Isospeed Control 16 54
7 Mantis Power Synthetic 17 48
8 Head FXP 16 39
9 Isospeed Energetic 16 34
10 SuperString Viper V9 Terre Multi 1.25 23
Power (Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Luxilon Big Banger Alu Power Rough 16L 213
2 Kirschbaum Pro Line No. II 1.15 98
3 Prince Beast XP 16 94
4 Polystar Energy 17 85
5 Signum Pro Tornado 1.17 82
6 Topspin Cyber Blue 1.25 73
7 Pro's Pro Intense Heat 1.25 46
8 Topspin Cyber Flash 1.20 41
9 Kirschbaum Helix 1.25 33
10 Polystar Turbo 1.25 19
Power (Non-Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Babolat VS Team 17 160
2 Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 17 146
3 Babolat VS Touch 16 117
4 WeissCANNON Explosiv! 1.30 54
5 Isospeed Professional 17 38
6 Signum Pro Micronite 1.27 32
Babolat VS Tonic+ Ball Feel 16 32
8 Head IntelliTour 17 31
9 Babolat Powergy 16 21
10 SuperString Viper V9 Terre Multi 1.25 10
Control (Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Luxilon Big Banger Original 16 142
2 MSV Focus - HEX® 1.27 126
3 Solinco Tour Bite 16L 118
4 Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.18 110
5 WeissCANNON Scorpion 1.22 104
6 Luxilon Big Banger Ace 18 73
7 Kirschbaum Competition 1.20 44
8 Luxilon Big Banger Ti-Mo 18 34
9 Signum Pro Hyperion 1.24 30
10 Signum Pro Poly Megaforce 1.24 24
Control (Non-Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Babolat VS Team 17 143
2 Babolat VS Touch 16 105
3 Tecnifibre NRG2 17 99
4 Head Rip Control 17 70
5 Isospeed Control 16 61
6 Babolat VS Tonic+ Ball Feel 16 45
7 Babolat XCel 17 41
8 Signum Pro Micronite 1.27 40
9 Head Rip PerfectControl 1.30 33
10 Head IntelliTour 17 28
Feel (Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Kirschbaum Pro Line No. II 1.15 126
2 Luxilon Big Banger Ace 18 124
3 Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.18 111
4 WeissCANNON Silverstring 1.25 91
5 Genesis Black Magic 17 78
6 Prince Beast XP 16 74
7 Polyfibre Black Venom 1.25 57
8 Signum Pro Hyperion 1.24 45
9 Pro's Pro Plus Power 1.28 31
10 Luxilon Monotec Supersense 16L 17
Feel (Non-Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Babolat VS Team 17 204
2 Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 17 112
3 Babolat VS Touch 16 100
4 Wilson NXT 16 74
5 Babolat XCel 17 51
6 Babolat VS Tonic+ Ball Feel 16 49
7 Tecnifibre NRG2 17 47
8 Signum Pro Micronite 1.27 44
9 Isospeed Control 16 39
10 SuperString Viper V9 Terre Multi 1.25 2
Comfort (Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Kirschbaum Pro Line No. II 1.30 97
2 Polystar Energy 17 94
3 WeissCANNON Silverstring 1.25 93
4 Mantis Comfort Polyester 16 69
5 Prince Beast XP 16 67
6 Topspin Cyber Blue 1.25 66
Polyfibre Black Venom 1.25 66
8 Genesis Black Magic 17 65
9 Pro's Pro Vendetta 1.20 56
10 Pro's Pro Black Force 1.14 39
Comfort (Non-Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Babolat VS Team 17 186
2 Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 17 113
3 Babolat VS Touch 16 105
4 Wilson NXT 16 68
5 Tecnifibre NRG2 16 67
6 Babolat VS Tonic+ Ball Feel 16 53
7 Babolat XCel 17 45
8 WeissCANNON Explosiv! 1.30 38
9 Signum Pro Micronite 1.27 30
10 Isospeed Control 16 24
Spin (Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Solinco Tour Bite 18 163
2 Signum Pro Tornado 1.23 157
3 Babolat RPM Blast 1.30 137
4 Signum Pro Plasma HEXtreme 1.25 83
5 Kirschbaum Spiky Shark 1.25 73
6 Luxilon Big Banger Ti-Mo 18 56
7 Pro Supex Blue Gear 1.25 48
8 Topspin Cyber Twirl Black 1.27 29
9 Polystar Turbo 1.25 28
10 Isospeed Pyramid 1.30 20
Spin (Non-Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 17 166
2 Babolat VS Team 17 153
3 Head Rip Control 17 78
4 Babolat VS Touch 16 66
5 Isospeed Professional 17 58
6 Tecnifibre NRG2 17 51
7 Head Rip PerfectControl 1.30 30
8 Head IntelliTour 17 18
9 SuperString Viper V9 Terre Multi 1.25 16
10 Head FXP 17 15
Tension Stability (Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Luxilon Big Banger Original 16 183
2 Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.23 135
3 Solinco Tour Bite 16L 93
4 WeissCANNON Silverstring 1.20 83
5 Signum Pro Tornado 1.17 79
6 WeissCANNON Scorpion 1.22 72
7 Signum Pro Hyperion 1.24 46
8 Topspin Cyber Twirl Natural 1.27 39
9 Pacific Poly Force 17 28
10 Signum Pro Poly Megaforce 1.24 20
Tension Stability (Non-Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Babolat VS Team 17 150
2 Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 17 126
3 Babolat VS Touch 16 119
4 Head Rip Control 17 49
5 Babolat VS Tonic+ Ball Feel 16 44
6 Wilson Stamina 16 37
7 Isospeed Energetic 16 32
8 WeissCANNON Explosiv! 1.30 31
9 Head Rip PerfectControl 1.30 27
10 SuperString Viper V9 Terre Multi 1.25 22
Poly of the Year 2011 Poly
Rank String Score
1 Solinco Tour Bite 144
2 Tecnifibre Black Code 138
3 MSV Focus - HEX® 119
4 Signum Pro Tornado 87
5 Kirschbaum Pro Line No. II 75
6 Luxilon Big Banger Ace 74
7 Signum Pro Poly Plasma 61
8 Prince Beast XP 58
9 WeissCANNON Silverstring 57
10 Luxilon Adrenaline Rough 55
11 WeissCANNON Scorpion 52
12 Genesis Black Magic 43
13 MSV Co-Focus 30
14 Signum Pro Hyperion 22
15 Topspin Cyber Twirl Natural 11
Non-Poly of the Year 2011 Non-Poly
Rank String Score
1 Babolat VS Team 202
2 Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 171
3 Babolat VS Touch 129
4 Wilson NXT 77
5 Head Rip Control 52
6 Tecnifibre NRG2 49
7 Babolat VS Tonic+ Ball Feel 36
8 Signum Pro Micronite 29
9 Pacific Classic Gut 27
10 WeissCANNON Explosiv! 25
Isospeed Professional 25
12 Head IntelliTour 19
13 Dunlop Max Comfort 16
14 Isospeed Control 13
15 SuperString Viper V9 Terre Multi 5
Newcomer of the Year 2011 Newcomer
Rank String Score
1 Babolat VS Team BT7 106
2 Tecnifibre Ruff Code 97
3 Luxilon Adrenaline Rough 91
4 Prince Beast XP 87
WeissCANNON Black5Edge 87
6 Unique Tourna Poly Big Hitter Silver Rough 76
7 Luxilon Savage Black 60
8 Topspin Cyber Twirl Blue 43
9 Dunlop Black Widow 40
10 Toalson Rencon Devil Spin 125 29
11 Gamma Zo Verve 27
12 Topspin Cyber Delta Twirl 24
13 Head FXP Tour 20
14 Dunlop Silk 11
15 Gosen Polymaster I 7
Durability (Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Luxilon Big Banger Original 16 169
2 Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.23 132
3 MSV Focus - HEX® 1.27 129
4 Luxilon Big Banger Alu Power 16L 117
5 Kirschbaum Pro Line No. II 1.30 90
6 Babolat Pro Hurricane 16 85
7 Luxilon Big Banger Original Rough 16 69
8 Genesis Typhoon 16L 41
9 Pro's Pro Plus Power 1.28 37
10 Luxilon Monotec Supersense 16L 9
Durability (Non-Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 16 120
2 Head Rip Control 16 105
3 Tecnifibre NRG2 16 98
4 Babolat VS Tonic+ Ball Feel 16 91
5 Gamma TNT2 Touch 16 57
6 Isospeed Control 16 54
7 Mantis Power Synthetic 17 48
8 Head FXP 16 39
9 Isospeed Energetic 16 34
10 SuperString Viper V9 Terre Multi 1.25 23
Power (Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Luxilon Big Banger Alu Power Rough 16L 213
2 Kirschbaum Pro Line No. II 1.15 98
3 Prince Beast XP 16 94
4 Polystar Energy 17 85
5 Signum Pro Tornado 1.17 82
6 Topspin Cyber Blue 1.25 73
7 Pro's Pro Intense Heat 1.25 46
8 Topspin Cyber Flash 1.20 41
9 Kirschbaum Helix 1.25 33
10 Polystar Turbo 1.25 19
Power (Non-Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Babolat VS Team 17 160
2 Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 17 146
3 Babolat VS Touch 16 117
4 WeissCANNON Explosiv! 1.30 54
5 Isospeed Professional 17 38
6 Signum Pro Micronite 1.27 32
Babolat VS Tonic+ Ball Feel 16 32
8 Head IntelliTour 17 31
9 Babolat Powergy 16 21
10 SuperString Viper V9 Terre Multi 1.25 10
Control (Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Luxilon Big Banger Original 16 142
2 MSV Focus - HEX® 1.27 126
3 Solinco Tour Bite 16L 118
4 Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.18 110
5 WeissCANNON Scorpion 1.22 104
6 Luxilon Big Banger Ace 18 73
7 Kirschbaum Competition 1.20 44
8 Luxilon Big Banger Ti-Mo 18 34
9 Signum Pro Hyperion 1.24 30
10 Signum Pro Poly Megaforce 1.24 24
Control (Non-Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Babolat VS Team 17 143
2 Babolat VS Touch 16 105
3 Tecnifibre NRG2 17 99
4 Head Rip Control 17 70
5 Isospeed Control 16 61
6 Babolat VS Tonic+ Ball Feel 16 45
7 Babolat XCel 17 41
8 Signum Pro Micronite 1.27 40
9 Head Rip PerfectControl 1.30 33
10 Head IntelliTour 17 28
Feel (Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Kirschbaum Pro Line No. II 1.15 126
2 Luxilon Big Banger Ace 18 124
3 Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.18 111
4 WeissCANNON Silverstring 1.25 91
5 Genesis Black Magic 17 78
6 Prince Beast XP 16 74
7 Polyfibre Black Venom 1.25 57
8 Signum Pro Hyperion 1.24 45
9 Pro's Pro Plus Power 1.28 31
10 Luxilon Monotec Supersense 16L 17
Feel (Non-Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Babolat VS Team 17 204
2 Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 17 112
3 Babolat VS Touch 16 100
4 Wilson NXT 16 74
5 Babolat XCel 17 51
6 Babolat VS Tonic+ Ball Feel 16 49
7 Tecnifibre NRG2 17 47
8 Signum Pro Micronite 1.27 44
9 Isospeed Control 16 39
10 SuperString Viper V9 Terre Multi 1.25 2
Comfort (Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Kirschbaum Pro Line No. II 1.30 97
2 Polystar Energy 17 94
3 WeissCANNON Silverstring 1.25 93
4 Mantis Comfort Polyester 16 69
5 Prince Beast XP 16 67
6 Topspin Cyber Blue 1.25 66
Polyfibre Black Venom 1.25 66
8 Genesis Black Magic 17 65
9 Pro's Pro Vendetta 1.20 56
10 Pro's Pro Black Force 1.14 39
Comfort (Non-Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Babolat VS Team 17 186
2 Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 17 113
3 Babolat VS Touch 16 105
4 Wilson NXT 16 68
5 Tecnifibre NRG2 16 67
6 Babolat VS Tonic+ Ball Feel 16 53
7 Babolat XCel 17 45
8 WeissCANNON Explosiv! 1.30 38
9 Signum Pro Micronite 1.27 30
10 Isospeed Control 16 24
Spin (Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Solinco Tour Bite 18 163
2 Signum Pro Tornado 1.23 157
3 Babolat RPM Blast 1.30 137
4 Signum Pro Plasma HEXtreme 1.25 83
5 Kirschbaum Spiky Shark 1.25 73
6 Luxilon Big Banger Ti-Mo 18 56
7 Pro Supex Blue Gear 1.25 48
8 Topspin Cyber Twirl Black 1.27 29
9 Polystar Turbo 1.25 28
10 Isospeed Pyramid 1.30 20
Spin (Non-Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 17 166
2 Babolat VS Team 17 153
3 Head Rip Control 17 78
4 Babolat VS Touch 16 66
5 Isospeed Professional 17 58
6 Tecnifibre NRG2 17 51
7 Head Rip PerfectControl 1.30 30
8 Head IntelliTour 17 18
9 SuperString Viper V9 Terre Multi 1.25 16
10 Head FXP 17 15
Tension Stability (Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Luxilon Big Banger Original 16 183
2 Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.23 135
3 Solinco Tour Bite 16L 93
4 WeissCANNON Silverstring 1.20 83
5 Signum Pro Tornado 1.17 79
6 WeissCANNON Scorpion 1.22 72
7 Signum Pro Hyperion 1.24 46
8 Topspin Cyber Twirl Natural 1.27 39
9 Pacific Poly Force 17 28
10 Signum Pro Poly Megaforce 1.24 20
Tension Stability (Non-Poly)
Rank String Score
1 Babolat VS Team 17 150
2 Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 17 126
3 Babolat VS Touch 16 119
4 Head Rip Control 17 49
5 Babolat VS Tonic+ Ball Feel 16 44
6 Wilson Stamina 16 37
7 Isospeed Energetic 16 32
8 WeissCANNON Explosiv! 1.30 31
9 Head Rip PerfectControl 1.30 27
10 SuperString Viper V9 Terre Multi 1.25 22
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alidisperanza
Hall of Fame
Amen.
That's what I'm finding currently with the Bomber/OGSM. For the price point, I may buy a reel of Baseline. I've worked with it stringing for my school's club team and it was a breeze but I never took the time to try it out. Unfortunately, TW doesn't sell it anymore... hm. Can someone shoot me an e-mail with a US retailer?
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Took some video tonight to look at my backhand, so I figure I might as well post it. Using the Baseline/OGSM setup here. The first one is just some light rallying. The second one is drop-feed singles: drop feed, opponent must get the ball back, and only then can you start to play the point. If they don't get it back, you restart the point. As you can see by the state of my shirt, this was towards the end of our hour.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhDjJ3Zlm5U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hepmyzbIj4I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhDjJ3Zlm5U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hepmyzbIj4I
That is possibly the most frustrating thing I have ever seen. The only place to buy it is from the UK for 40+ pounds. That's no bargain. Unless one pops up on the Bay, then I guess I won't be switching to this. The entire appeal was the price, but if the 1.20 can't be had anymore, then....
arche3
Banned
good to know. I liked the spin of bhbr but sometimes the ball just did weird things. If bhb7 has the same spin characteristic but more control it can work well for me.
Overheadsmash
Professional
I've had great success with BHB7 16. So much that I just bought a reel.
Strung at 51 lbs in a TF 325 VO2 Max
alidisperanza
Hall of Fame
I can send you a set of the Becker Bomber if you're interested-- you might find it a little stiffer with bit more pop but ultimately similar results. I'm still testing it out but I think it's going to be my "hitting" string for now. Problem is, I don't know how much longer TW is going to stock it.
tistrapukcipeht
Professional
PV, I liked your backhand technique, good preparation and anticipation, right leg up front, hitting through the ball, good follow through.
Your forehand was weird, I'm not sure if is the upper body rotation, or if you just hit with open stance at all time or too much of arm use, but it wasn't smooth as the BH, I don't know where the balls were going, but I figure the FHs weren't hit clean due the path.
However you must be a good player, what level you consider yourself?
You are a big dude man.
Take care!
Your forehand was weird, I'm not sure if is the upper body rotation, or if you just hit with open stance at all time or too much of arm use, but it wasn't smooth as the BH, I don't know where the balls were going, but I figure the FHs weren't hit clean due the path.
However you must be a good player, what level you consider yourself?
You are a big dude man.
Take care!
Bingo, I'm looking for a hitting string. Something that just does what I ask of it. The Baseline just feels so solid. Thankfully jdunnie sent me 4 half-sets, so that's 4 sticks...but I have four racquets. Maybe it's time to go back to having 2 strung at a time, and then one playtest frame.
I don't rate myself because it just causes too much "really??? in xxxxx you'd be a 3.0!" etc. type comments.
But regardless, thank you for the comment And why does everyone always say I'm huge? I USED to be huge lol. I used to be 240lbs at my same height. I'm only 5'10 and 160lbs!
alidisperanza
Hall of Fame
Backhand is looking better and better. Keep up the good work
mikeler
Moderator
I don't rate myself because it just causes too much "really??? in xxxxx you'd be a 3.0!" etc. type comments.
And why does everyone always say I'm huge? I USED to be huge lol. I used to be 240lbs at my same height. I'm only 5'10 and 160lbs!
Must be the long arms that make you look bigger on camera. I'd hate to see what my "alligator arms" make me look like.
Also have been called TRex before so I'd trade for your build. This is a good point. It's impossible for me to find dress shirts because my size, 16.5 33/34, is for people much much larger than me. So yep, I have an abnormally thick neck and very long arms. Back in my boxing days, that was advantageous obviously. Now that I need to look like a professional and shop for clothes, it's not exactly a good traitMust be the long arms that make you look bigger on camera. I'd hate to see what my "alligator arms" make me look like.
mikeler
Moderator
This is a good point. It's impossible for me to find dress shirts because my size, 16.5 33/34, is for people much much larger than me. So yep, I have an abnormally thick neck and very long arms. Back in my boxing days, that was advantageous obviously. Now that I need to look like a professional and shop for clothes, it's not exactly a good trait
I feel your pain. Try finding 36/27 pants!
kybb
Rookie
PV how long have you been playing tennis?
For me is interesting how can you play with that swingweight that 200 tour has with so short swing from FH side. Wery nice wrist snap tough.
I got inspired from your videos and took camera with me today... result is secretly hidden
I first started playing tennis in 5th grad, but started playing "seriously" once high school started. Problem was that I was very overweight up until the beginning of college, so my actual skill couldn't be realized. When I got to college, specifically sophomore year, I decided that I wanted to "reset" my game. Instead of just playing to play, I wanted to actually be a good tennis player. So, I started taking lessons again and tried to play more(incidentally that was how I met my future wife because she was a student coach at the tennis complex). It's only been in this past year though that I've actually really been working hard at getting better. Slowly but surely, things are coming together. It's for the above reason that I decided to ditch my 1H and start working on 2H.PV how long have you been playing tennis?
For me is interesting how can you play with that swingweight that 200 tour has with so short swing from FH side. Wery nice wrist snap tough.
I got inspired from your videos and took camera with me today... result is secretly hidden
It's interesting that you mention the short backswing. I used to have a huge loop for the longest time. I myself decided to make it far more compact. It forces me to use my body to accelerate the racquet instead of my arm like before. That's why I disagreed with the other poster about using too much arm: I can't arm the ball with this backswing. If I did, and there are a few in the videos, there is zero power. I close my chest to get the racquet behind me instead of swinging in a loop with my chest open. Then, if all goes well, I will finish having rotated my torso 180deg. Makes it so much easier to control the depth, power and amount of spin I want on a given ball. Just one aspect I noticed from his Federerness. Problem is I have to watch the ball far more carefully otherwise I just put junk over the net or shank the ball regardless.
alidisperanza
Hall of Fame
This is a good point. It's impossible for me to find dress shirts because my size, 16.5 33/34, is for people much much larger than me. So yep, I have an abnormally thick neck and very long arms. Back in my boxing days, that was advantageous obviously. Now that I need to look like a professional and shop for clothes, it's not exactly a good trait
You think that's bad? Try 16.5 34/35... They don't make my size!!! Slim fit shirts are short on me too so if I stretch to reach something they come untucked :evil:
Hm... Food for thought
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