4G/4Gs in Steam 99s
 

Can someone tell me how much swing weight was added using the Lux 4G and 4 Gs to the new Steam 99s unstrung swing weight? I'm planning to order 2 matched rackets and am hoping to keep the strung SW under 330 (maybe 325?)
I want to know what SW unstrung I should ask for when ordering using you matching services.

Thanks for your help.

We have found an average of 333 swingweight on the RDC with 4G, so you would need to ask for the lowest swingweight unstrung in hope to stay under 330. Pretty much all poly based strings are going to be within a couple of points. A light nylon string might get you down 6 points or so, but I wouldn't want to play one of those strings in the S racquets -- they are perfect for polys.

With that in mind, unstrung you'd need to be under 295, maybe sub 290 to be safe. Our racquet strung with 4G adds 29 points. We just measured it, cut the strings out and measured it again to be sure.

Chris, TW

Wow, Thanks Chris for going through that process to get the info. Very much appreciated! January can't get here soon enough!

What is 4Gs string? I only know of 4G.

I believe its a 15g string they will be releasing in January

You are absolutely right. It's a thicker 15 gauge that was specially designed for the Steam S racquets, although it can be used in any racquet.

Andy, TW

Andy or Chris,

I know most have commented that the 4G in the 99s has been very comfortable for a poly. Do you think the thicker gauge in the 4Gs will impact its comfort?
Also, what tension did you have in your test of the 99s?

Thanks.

The thicker gauge does feel a little stiffer than the thinner gauge, but it didn't make a whole lot of difference to us. The racquet is so lively that we wanted a little more stiffness/control out of the stringbed. We played with it at a very high tension for the same reason. When we tested the racquet, we were stringing it in the low-to-mid-60s.

Andy, TW

is there anything special about Lux 4g in the 99s? Wouldn't any 16g, durable, round poly work well in the 99s?

I was thinking of trying Solinco Outlast. I think B5E might also be good since its almost square.
Anyone know of any square or 5 sided polys?

Chris, when you say the strings added 29 points, do you mean 29 grams or 29 swingweight points?

Also, does TW's "strung weight" include overgrip and dampener?

It looks like the spec's for this racquet are 11.4 oz / 3 pts HL. I would plan tail weighting mine a bit to make it more HL. I would like to make sure that the overall weight doesn't get too heavy when I do this.

I plan to have TW sort though some when I order. Would I be better off asking for one with the lowest overall weight and most HL, or just asking for the one with the lowest swing weight? I will be doing the mod's myself after I receive it.

you can only ask them for certain weights...not swingweights. And they only do it if you pay for their matching service, which I believe is $10 per racquet.

Since they don't check SW, it looks like my best bet is to get the lightest one possible so I have plenty of room to add weight to the handle.

Are you sure they don't check SW? When I originally posted this I asked if I can get a lower swingweight. This was the reply from Chris:

We have found an average of 333 swingweight on the RDC with 4G, so you would need to ask for the lowest swingweight unstrung in hope to stay under 330. Pretty much all poly based strings are going to be within a couple of points. A light nylon string might get you down 6 points or so, but I wouldn't want to play one of those strings in the S racquets -- they are perfect for polys.

With that in mind, unstrung you'd need to be under 295, maybe sub 290 to be safe. Our racquet strung with 4G adds 29 points. We just measured it, cut the strings out and measured it again to be sure.

Chris, TW

Can someone at TW confirm if they do or don't.

Thanks

I have never heard of them doing that, but you can certainly ask.