The J011yroger guide to strings.

[Zhou]

With my old racket I did not break strings often because I hit pretty flat. Now with my new racket, I use more spin so my strings are fraying.

[BounceHitBounceHit]

Hey Jolly! Fantastic post, as usual. However I do disagree with your recommendation for Head Rip Control as a reasonably durable alternative to poly. I shred that stuff in no time flat. CC

[J011yroger]

Originally Posted by nickb

Nice guide J...really impressive...

There is just 1 thing I disagree with...I dont think multis hold tension better than syn guts at all...I find them much worse (they also go mushy fast).

Nick

Originally Posted by YULitle

You are right. Multis fundamentally do not hold tension better than synthetic guts.

I have found it to be both ways, depending on brand and string, as well as how tight you string it.

Lots of middling string breakers complain of multis going mushy, but I think they hang in there better than syn gut over time (resting time more than hitting time)

Really to me it is a personal preferance thing and you have to experiment.

To me personally, most syn guts generally are smoked in 15-20 mins, while multis play ok for a bit longer. And I feel hold tension better in the bag, so I gave them the edge.

J

[J011yroger]

Originally Posted by Craig A. Clark

Hey Jolly! Fantastic post, as usual. However I do disagree with your recommendation for Head Rip Control as a reasonably durable alternative to poly. I shred that stuff in no time flat. CC

Guys like us don't count. We can scowl at a package of multi or syn gut, and have it pop before it ever goes into the frame.

RIP Control is a good string for a certain segment of the playing population, and it lasts pretty well when you string it straight up. It would get eaten alive in a hybrid though.

I did however warn you that you wouldn't like it, and that it wouldn't give you the results you were looking for, but you were a doubting Craig and didn't listen.

J

[Automatix]

Great stuff J... I would only consider adding to the jumbled thoughts where you write about the Head RIP Control, something about trying really soft 3rd generation polys like Topspin Cyber Power at lower tension...

[J011yroger]

^^ I have never played it, so I don't talk about stuff I don't know about

In life I have found that to be a good way to avoid looking like an ***.



J

[iplaybetter]

i think cheep string is actualy underratd, my coach used tornament nylon on tour

[Automatix]

Originally Posted by J011yroger

^^ I have never played it, so I don't talk about stuff I don't know about

In life I have found that to be a good way to avoid looking like an ***.



J

A golden thought indeed!

[BounceHitBounceHit]

Originally Posted by J011yroger

Guys like us don't count. We can scowl at a package of multi or syn gut, and have it pop before it ever goes into the frame.

RIP Control is a good string for a certain segment of the playing population, and it lasts pretty well when you string it straight up. It would get eaten alive in a hybrid though.

I did however warn you that you wouldn't like it, and that it wouldn't give you the results you were looking for, but you were a doubting Craig and didn't listen.

J

True, so true!

In all fairness, you DID tell me I wouldn't like it. I was told by an 'authority' (uh-hum!) that it is in fact the SAME STRING as Isospeed Pro. It is not.

CC

[J011yroger]

Originally Posted by Craig A. Clark

True, so true!

In all fairness, you DID tell me I wouldn't like it. I was told by an 'authority' (uh-hum!) that it is in fact the SAME STRING as Isospeed Pro. It is not.

CC

Have you tried a Prince Recoil/Klip Legend blend yet?

I am dying to know how it will play. I think it would be sick.

My curiosity may get the better of me, and I might just have to fire up a couple of frames to see how it plays.

J

[Azzurri]

Jolly...thanks for another great guide!

Your advice on the same stringer and same machine is spot on. I have been stringing for myself (Klippermate) since last Summer. In January, I ordered a set of racquets from TW and had them string it. The tension was the same, but they felt tighter and more stiff than mine. I use a drop-weight and TW probably uses an expensive electric stringer, so it made sense to me when you mentioned the different feel you get from different string machines.

I liked the softer feel I got from my stringer. So I will continue to string for myself.

[BigApple]

Hey J,

Great Review!

You know what the funny thing is?

A gut/poly hybrid will last about 4 hrs of hard hitting, with the poly breaking first! Then a multi/poly hybrid will snap cleanly in the mains in about 30 mins of hitting.

Gut is cheaper than most multis in the long run, it lasts longer, and has a longer, more playable life.

-BA

[nickb]

Originally Posted by BigApple

Hey J,

Great Review!

You know what the funny thing is?

A gut/poly hybrid will last about 4 hrs of hard hitting, with the poly breaking first! Then a multi/poly hybrid will snap cleanly in the mains in about 30 mins of hitting.

Gut is cheaper than most multis in the long run, it lasts longer, and has a longer, more playable life.

-BA

Really the poly breaks first?...I have used gut mains, syngut/poly crosses and never ever broken a cross..its always the gut that breaks.

Nick

[Babb]

Originally Posted by iplaybetter

i think cheep string is actualy underratd, my coach used tornament nylon on tour

That's true. More expensive string IS better, but most people convince themselves that they can tell a difference even though they can't.

I can only tell a big difference between polyesters, multifilaments, and synthetic guts. Any more specific than comparing different types of string and my observations aren't so reliable.

[BigApple]

Hey Nick,

I had VS 16/Timo 18 at 62/65 pounds. Don't know if it was the higher tension on the poly or the thin gauge, but I thought the thin poly would saw through the mains even faster!

With a multi/poly hybrid, the multi is fully trashed while the poly is untouched.

I'm now getting some decent life out of my VS gut/BB ALU Power hybrid. At lower tensions, the strings broke even faster than at a higher tension! At higher tensions the strings locked into place and prevented any excess moving that lower tensions gave. Usually my strings break faster with higher tensions, but not this time.

I'm tired of switching strings and need to settle on something fast before outdoor season starts!

-BA

[racquet_jedi]

Originally Posted by J011yroger

...Continued from above.

Next topic.

Restringing.

If your strings break, they need to be restrung.

If you are not a string breaker, and are using synthetic, or natural gut, or a multifiliment. The general rule of thumb is to restring as many times per year as you play per week. If you live in a cold winter area, and don't play over the winter, then make sure you have a nice fresh stringjob for the beginning of your season, and then restring accordingly during the season.

If you are not a string breaker and are using Polyester, then as soon as the strings stop sliding back into place, and need to be straightened between points, you should restring.

If you are not a string breaker, and you are using Kevlar, restring at once, with something that is not Kevlar, then follow the guidelines for your new string.

Most people don't realize that string performance is going downhill until it is way too late. Because you play with the racquet every day, you don't notice the gradual decline in string performace. It is like if you bought two identical dark navy blue t-shirts. If you put one in your dresser and left it there, and wore and washed the other one every day for two months. The one you were wearing every day would fade, but you wouldn't notice until it became really pronounced because it happened slightly every day. But when you went back to your dresser and pulled out the brand new one, holding it up next to the one you have been wearing every day and you would immediately see the difference.

Only difference with strings is that you don't have a Wife/Mother/Girlfriend to say "When are you going to throw that ratty old t-shirt out?"

How tight to string?

The reccomended tension range on the racquet is there for a reason, and is a good place to start, in fact, right in the middle of it is good. But it is just that, a reccomendation, feel free to go higher or lower than the range if that is what you feel you need. With Polyester strings, I would start out 10% lower than you would with a syngut, and take it from there. You may end up higher or lower from there, but it as most things with string is a process of experimentation.

When looking for your tension, you are going after two things, and depending on how serious of a player you are, you are going to choose one over the other, to be your primary focus.

Depth, yes, I know, broken record, dead horse. Depth, is key, so important words cannot begin to describe it. Hitting deep is to tennis as eating is to living. You need to find a tension that allows you to take a nice smooth even swing at the ball, and have it land deep. Beyond the service line, preferably in the back 1/3 of the court. It should not take effort to hit deep, you should be able to swing easily, and smoothly, and have the ball land in the back 1/3 of the court. String tighter to shorten up your ball, string looser to get it deeper.

Feel, the second thing, some people like the way a firm stringbed feels, some people like the way a soft stringbed feels. Stiff stringbeds, tight stringing etc, are harder on people with arm injuries so that is a consideration aswell. Feel also has a lot to do with targeting, and accuracy, especially volleying. Most feel that stringing tighter helps with this, but I feel having something that you feel comfortable with will serve you better, and give you better accuracy and control than just randomly stringing tighter.

Do you play for fun, and want your racquet to feel good, or do you play because you want to play your best tennis. That will sort out weather you prioritize feel or depth.

Be certain that if you are hitting the ball long, that the problem is not you. There is a difference between driving the ball long, and not hitting a good stroke, and having the ball land when it runs out of steam and drops to the ground. If your balls are floating long at a blistering 7mph, your setup doesn't have too much power, you don't need to string tighter, you need to put that Amex card away, and make your way to the practice courts.

Different racquets, different tensions, same number on the stringing machine

If you string a 90" frame at 60lbs, and a 115" frame at 60lbs, the 90" frame will be strung tighter. The longer the strings, the more there is to stretch and the looser it will become. Kind of like taking a shoelace and a 30' rope and tying them to a fixture. It doesn't take much to pull the shoestring taut, but you need to pull pretty hard on the rope to make it taut.

Same Racquet, Same number on the stringing machine, different machine, different tension.

All stringing machines string slightly differently, some string vastly differently. A high end constant pull electric machine will string much tighter than a low end lockout machine. Keep you racquets going back to the same machine, if you want the same tension every time. Different people stringing on the same machine set at the same tension will give you different stringbed stiffnesses, not that either would be a bad stringer, but some people string looser, and some tighter. So if you are picky, same person, same machine.

On Hybrids

Hybrids are when you use a different string in the main and the cross, this started for durability reasons, as players would break strings often, and need a more durable string. The durable string was harsh feeling and low powered, so since the mains normally broke players would put a durable string in the main, and a soft string in the cross to regain some of their feel and power. This is the case with most kevlar or Poly blends today. You use Kevlar or Poly as the main string (The long ones that go from the head to the throat) and syn gut, gut, or a multi, as the cross string (The other ones that are not the mains )

Also players hybrid gut putting the gut strings in the mains, and a cheaper synthetic in the cross so that they get most of the benefits of playing gut, but don't have to pay for a full set.

Lately people have been putting a gut or multi main, with a poly cross, going for the power and feel of the softer string, and the spin characteristics of the poly. This is an expensive proposition for most as this is probably the least durable blend that one can have.

A few jumbled together closing thoughts.

If you break syn gut, and multis, but are not ready for poly/kevlar because you either don't like the feel and stiffness, or don't have the batspeed, or have arm troubles. Try Head RIP control. It is a very durable synthetic with ribbon construction. Softer than poly/kevlar, and lasts a good long time for most players.

If you like the idea of polyester with the added spin, and constant stringbed without having to adjust the strings, but you don't have the batspeed to really make it sing, (If you are currently playing poly and leaving it in for a month, then this is you), or if you like the idea of something that performs in a similar manner, but is softer feeling and more powerful. Try Prince Recoil. I was very impressed with it, and think it will help a large number of players. On the downside, it is pretty expensive.

Lastly, if you want to try something, try it. Stringing is about experimentation, and don't let another person, or this handy dandy guide stop you. If you have only been playing a year, but you want to know what Luxilon feels like, then hey, give it a shot, you won't play your best tennis with it, but at least you will know what it is like. Just keep in mind the things I have written, and understand the things you are trying for fun, and the things you are trying to make you play better. Keep your health in mind above all else.

J

Should I let my dad, who pays for a lot of stuff and thinks that all tennis equipment is exactly the same, stop me???

Great guide J011y!

[Richie Rich]

general rule for poly - it's completely dead by 20 hrs of hitting for most people so restringing is necessary. don't keep poly in when it's dead.

[iplaybetter]

Originally Posted by Babb

That's true. More expensive string IS better, but most people convince themselves that they can tell a difference even though they can't.

I can only tell a big difference between polyesters, multifilaments, and synthetic guts. Any more specific than comparing different types of string and my observations aren't so reliable.

i do like x-1 but tecnifibre syn gut is raly solid and super cheep
amd in all honesty most off us dont need much better

[jaykay]

Excellent thread, Jo11y. AGAIN!

Good job. And thank you.

[J011yroger]

Originally Posted by nickb

Really the poly breaks first?...I have used gut mains, syngut/poly crosses and never ever broken a cross..its always the gut that breaks.

Nick

Poly breaks first in a VS/ALU blend with poly mains and gut crosses.

J