Anyone here using Tecnifibre X-Code?

[Thepowerofchoice]

Many positive playtester comments here. Anyone here using it?
http://www.racquetsportsindustry.com...re_x-code.html

[Centerforward71]

Originally Posted by Thepowerofchoice

Many positive playtester comments here. Anyone here using it?
http://www.racquetsportsindustry.com...re_x-code.html

Played it for 2 hours and cut it. It wasn't terrible but was bland all around didn't find anything exceptional. Everything Was average. Spin, power, control etc.. Strung full bed at 58 on head ig speed 315 16x19

[jman32]

Originally Posted by Centerforward71

Played it for 2 hours and cut it. It wasn't terrible but was bland all around didn't find anything exceptional. Everything Was average. Spin, power, control etc.. Strung full bed at 58 on head ig speed 315 16x19

strung at 50 pounds CP, prestige pro prostock, nothing special, medium everything: med. soft, med. power, med control etc. although, at the discounted price of 5+bucks when you buy 3 it is a good deal.

sorry: review of pro lineX 1.25, wrong "x"

[Torres]

I really didn't like it. It had a strange 'rubbery' type of feel, was surprisingly low powered. Maybe I strung it too high but despite that rubberiness it was surprisingly stiff with very little 'give' to the string. Control was good, primarily due to its low power, but its not a poly, its not a synthetic, its not a multi, its not gut, but a mish mash of all sort of strange characteristics. Just not my type of string at all.

[Automatix]

For me it is a complete fail.

In theory it was supposed to combine the advantages of a multifilament build with properties of polyester. Softness with good control and spin.

Well for me it combines the bad sides of the mentioned above...
Lacks the depth control and precision of monofilamnet co-polys and feel of multis.

[Up&comer]

Originally Posted by Torres

I really didn't like it. It had a strange 'rubbery' type of feel, was surprisingly low powered. Maybe I strung it too high but despite that rubberiness it was surprisingly stiff with very little 'give' to the string. Control was good, primarily due to its low power, but its not a poly, its not a synthetic, its not a multi, its not gut, but a mish mash of all sort of strange characteristics. Just not my type of string at all.

I actually agree with this synopsis. I tried lowering the tension because I had two sets, but it got a little springy when I strung low.

[BlueB]

^ In your opinion... IMO it's great.

In your own words:

Originally Posted by Torres

Maybe I strung it too high but despite that rubberiness it was surprisingly stiff with very little 'give' to the string.

Have you bothered to try it in right tension? Even more important, have you tried it with a poly cross?

Control was good, primarily due to its low power, but its not a poly, its not a synthetic, its not a multi, its not gut...

Exactly! It is not ment to be any of those, it's in a league of it's own (ok, maybe few other similar products exist). It is a multifillament polyester.
One needs an open mind to embrace a new product. If you wanted a poly, play with poly, if you wanted a syn, play with syn, this is something else and should be appreciated for what it is.

[Torres]

Originally Posted by BlueB

Have you bothered to try it in right tension? Even more important, have you tried it with a poly cross?

No, and no. I tested the 16g, to be fair, I should have tried it at a lower tension (and probably in a thinner gauge), but I wrongly assumed it would be more 'multi' than 'poly'. I think I strung it around 54lbs in a Dunlop 300 Tour. It was utterly, utterly hideous. That rubber coating is just grim. There have been strings I didn't much care for, and there have strings I thought were a bit 'meh', but until I tried X-Code, I never hated any string that I've played with....

Normally, I would test at least a couple of sets of any particular string at different tensions, but the characteristics of X-Code 16 were so bad, I never want to touch it again. The materials of the string won't change and the construction won't change, though I will concede that a thinner gauge at a lower tension will probably be livelier and may have less of the rubbery dead feel that I experienced with the 16g. 'May' being the operative word.

That said, if you're willing send me a free set of 17g, I'd be happy to playtest it again, this time at a lower tension.

Originally Posted by BlueB

One needs an open mind to embrace a new product

I had a open mind. That's why I playtested upon release, so see what this new construction was about and whether it would offer anything different. Normally, I wait for some time after a string is released and see whether its still being talked about before testing it so as avoid the hoopla and hype. It took me 3 years for example to get round to testing Genesis Black Magic.

The X-Code playtest just slammed my mind shut because it was so bad. It's also unjustifiably expensive for what it is and I don't expect the price to come down due to the more complex construction. I don't see that X-Code offers anything that a poly or poly/hybrid doesn't. And when you take price into account X-Code is starting to look like a white elephant.

Don't get me wrong - if you like it, great! But I don't see what advantages it offers in any area of string performance over and above the competition. If anything, it seems to be compromised in all areas.

Originally Posted by BlueB

it's in a league of it's own (ok, maybe few other similar products exist). It is a multifillament polyester.

NXT Control would be a similarly constructed string. No idea what it plays like though. http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h1...scan0003-1.jpg
Hopefully, it doesn't have the strange rubber coating of X-Code....

[BlueB]

Fair enough comments. Not for everyone, I guess...
To me the key was to use a slipery cross, though.

Originally Posted by Torres

That said, if you're willing send me a free set of 17g, I'd be happy to playtest it again, this time at a lower tension.

Ha, ha, you are out of luck there. I'm out of 17, awaiting some 16 in the mail. Hope I'd like it just as 17.

But I don't see what advantages it offers in any area of string performance over and above the competition.

Again, to me, the main advantage was near-poly performance, without feeling boardy or harsh and playing good for many days, unlike the poly.
Secondary advantages, to me, controlled power and precission.

I must admit that it did feel strange (different) when I first tried it. After few days I got used to it and started to appreciate the quality of play, to the point that I'm always dissapointed when I play different strings (except gut/poly combo).

I totaly agree that $16 retail is huge.

[Mig1NC]

Wow, I just checked the string friction tool and that stuff has a really high coefficient of friction.

I think I'll skip this one.

[Thepowerofchoice]

I decided to give this string a go in hybrid set up. Tecnifibre X-Code 17 on mains @52 lbs and crosses with Kirschbaum Pro Line II 17 @50 lbs. I really like it so far after 6 hours of hitting. Great spin, control and plenty of controllable power. My normal set up is Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 17 @50 lbs mains and Pro Line II 17 @50 lbs (crosses).

I normally don't care much for the feel of the full poly but I really like the feel of this combo set up (even-though this is a full poly set up). My hitting partner commented on how much more topspin I was putting on the ball with good pace. Will report back with a little more hitting time.

[Say Chi Sin Lo]

I tried this string as a cross for my gut too. I'll just copy and paste my thoughts on this string from my other thread. Why am doing it again? Because I hated the string this much...

Tecnifibre X-Code 17 as a cross is disappointing on various fronts, I was mad weaving them, and I stay mad playing with them:

1) It's $16 a pack. I'm glad I only got half a set at a cheaper price. Because I don't know who in their right mind would spend $16 on a set of (crap) polyester.

2) It doesn't string on well. The coating has a texture consistent with semi-dry paint. It's rubbery, almost sticky to touch. Imagine what that's like when you're weaving the crosses on gut.

3) The semi-dry paint/rubbery coating doesn't seem to facility the sliding and the snap-back of the gut mains. It doesn't take a lot of strokes for the mains to get all bent out of shape. It's almost as if the rubbery coating is "trapping" the mains in place.

4) It frays like a cat would lose fur.

5) It actually plays less stiff/softer once the sweet spot starts fraying. I'm telling you, the coating absolutely kills the strings.

6) Probably the most important point. The premise of the Tecnifibre X-Code is to bridge the gap of multifilament and polyester: providing the softness/arm safety/comfort of a multifilament construction with polyester playability. But it fails miserably. It's soft but it's not the softest by far. Polystar Energy and MSV Co-Focus are both softer and they're half the price.

7) Lastly, it retails at a ridiculous $16!!!

This is seriously one of the worse strings you can buy from a economical and performance standpoint. That stupid coating ruined the strings. It doesn't do anything a polyester is supposed to do from my experience. It does one thing that's just OK: being soft. But it's not even that sof. There are a ton of strings that'll fulfill that requirement and less expensive too.

It does have a good function. If you ever want to know where your sweet spot is, these strings will tell you. But then again, you can get Tecnifibre E-Matrix for $5 for that purpose.

[BlueB]

Just stumbled upon this thread... Lots of negative comments, I think it deserves some nice ones, too

While it has some downsides, this is probably my favorite string.
Note that this is actually a poly, yet not a monofillament, that's where the magic comes from.
I noticed that most people, in this thread, used it as full bed or as a cross. IMO, it should be used as main, with a poly or a slippery syngut as the cross. If you used it as the cross, or full bed, the notching and coat peeling will stop the strings from snapping back into position. Coating on crosses tends to peel/frey, while on the mains it would just notch and stay.

Pros:
Controll and spin close to mono poly, without any harshness;
Doesn't die quickly;
Huge sweetspot;
Controlled power - low at slow-medium strokes, powerfull on power strokes;
Precission;
Feel;
Snap back when used with right cross;
Arm safe

Cons:
Price;
Coating notshing/cracking/peling

I'm delighted that I found a deal on 2-pack for less then retail price of one! But, no, don't switch to this string, so I can pick more of these discounted deals

[Torres]

Originally Posted by BlueB

Lots of negative comments

That's because its crap.

[dreamneedle]

1.25 - Full bed strung at 26K/57lbs? on a couple of Youtek Prestige MPs.
It was perfect for me, felt like poly with plenty of feel to it.
However, 16 euros is too much for a string that breaks easily. If your elbow feels weird and you still want that poly feeling, it's cheaper and better than X-One Biphase.

PS: I play with Black Code strung at 25.

[Torres]

Originally Posted by BlueB

To me the key was to use a slipery cross, though.

If you're having to add a poly cross to it to get it to work, it sounds a bit lacking in the first place...

[BlueB]

It mainly sorts out the peeling issue of the coating. I had good luck with slippery syngut crosses too.