Which Textured Poly?

[HappyMilk]

I'm enjoying Kirchbaum Black Spiky Shark & playing well with it.

About to buy a reel but there are some other candidates.

KSS (~$150)
BHBR (~$80)
BHB7 (~$90)
Volkl Cyclone (~120)
Gosen Sidewinder (77.50 TW sale)

The spin that KSS offers helps bunches with control.
I'm going to be playing somewhat competitively soon. & I'm in it to win it!

If there are any other suggestions for textured polys, please DO recommend.
My budget is ~$150.

Thanks in advance.

[dode]

I will say that I really don't like poly's in a full bed. I just don't like the feel in general, but I recently playtested BHB7 and I really liked it. It felt much more like a syn gut than a poly, but plays with very good power, spin, and control. It would get my vote from that list.

John

[HappyMilk]

Thanks for the reply John.

Aha, I actually enjoy poly in a full bed. I've got a young arm.
BHB7 was almost an impulse buy when I first heard of it.

[Drew24]

Tried BHBR in a Head Youtek Extreme MP full bed at 50 pounds..it did not feel great whatsoever. Normally I'd feel fine stringing other polys at this tension but bhbr just felt too..weird and stiff for my taste. The spin was there though (It was amusing to watch hitting partners being pushed back by topspin forehands) and the reels are really affordable!

[danotje]

I hybrid BHBR with Gosen OGS, and it feels awesome with the most spin I've found yet. You can also get a reel of each for $100 total which gives you around 32-34 string jobs. At 54 lbs, it starts slightly stiff, then opens up beautifully after about 10 mins. Great spin, and superb control with adequate power.

[HappyMilk]

Thanks for your replies.

It seems like many people like BHBR. Not as much talk about BHSR.
To be honest, blue would look a little 'off' on my racket just because of the colors. Not a big deal but --eh.

BHSR has become a candidate

[Alzer]

BHBR is all i buy these days. Love it. BHSR, was not very good, much less power and feel for me

[Torres]

KSS (~$150) - if you like it and you feel that you're playing well with it, buy a reel of it. It really is as simple as that. There's not much point buying something else unless you start hankering for something else or feel that you're after different characteristics.

BHBR (~$80) - great string, doesn't offer ultimate precision in terms of outright directional accuracy compared to the best polys out there, but lovely feel, and a nice liveliness to it. Generates unpredictable action/movement/spin on the ball which can be disruptive for opponents. Big difference between the 16 and 17 gauges. Go for the 16 unless you have a very underpowered racquet as the gauge runs thing. 16 is also more consistent and more control orientated. I find 17 way too lively.

BHB7 (~$90) - great baseliners string, very elastic and springy. Ton of spin and grab on the ball. Playability lasts a long time, easily 8-10 hours, possibly more. Didn't like it on volleys or touch shots as I thought it was too springy which ultimately ruled it out for me.

Volkl Cyclone (~120) - have only tried the 18g. Kept on breaking too easily which ruled it out for me. Didn't like the tinniness, plasticky feel, or the unpredictable power. I suspect the thicker gauges will be better and more consistent.

Gosen Sidewinder (77.50 TW sale) - no experience of this.

[HappyMilk]

I'm purchasing the string on Monday. Leaning toward BHBR as of right now

[stewfoo412]

Buy a set of the string before you buy a reel...

[tennisnut123]

Scratch off cyclone lol...Feels harsh and cheap...very cheap

If you string your own rackets you can tell when you string it, also tears your hands up a little bit lol

[TennisCJC]

I would scratch off cyclone too. It just doesn't feel like a quality product.

The K Spiky Shark is on sale if you buy 4 sets at TW.

[hyperion99]

Originally Posted by HappyMilk

I'm enjoying Kirchbaum Black Spiky Shark & playing well with it.

About to buy a reel but there are some other candidates.

KSS (~$150)
BHBR (~$80)
BHB7 (~$90)
Volkl Cyclone (~120)
Gosen Sidewinder (77.50 TW sale)

The spin that KSS offers helps bunches with control.
I'm going to be playing somewhat competitively soon. & I'm in it to win it!

If there are any other suggestions for textured polys, please DO recommend.
My budget is ~$150.

Thanks in advance.

I used to use Blue Gear from Pro Supex.
Good spin of the ball.
The string is shaped like a gear.

[tennisnut123]

If you can somehow manage to up your budget to around 190ish you could get tecnifibre blackcode, which feels better than all of these imo. Not sure how much it is if you have a ******* account, but maybe its cheaper if you buy it through a friend who has an account with *******, could be a little less maybe, and its definitely worth trying to find for a cheaper price

[T-ennis 888]

Think about Pro's Pro strings. I recently got two reels - Hexaspin Twist and Cyber Power White and will post thoughts on both when I have some free time in the weeks ahead. The stuff is cheap (compared to other similar reels from more prominent brands) but I have been very impressed so far.

Tennisnut123 (above) mentioned Technifibre Blackcode - many on these boards will attest to Pro's Pro Blackout being a dead ringer for Blackcode. I cannot speak from personal experience, but having tried it recently a friend of mine who uses Blackcode regularly is buying a reel of Blackout to use instead later this week. He's delighted with the massive difference in price too!