****the Pure Storm LTD Support Group****

[Winners or Errors]

What strings are being used in these frames? I have a pair of Volkl's, and have thought these may be a good transition because the weight is similar. That said, I've had a heck of a time finding a string setup in the Volkl's that gives me the mix of power and control I want. I suspect more powerful strings may help with some of the issues people have with the Pure Storm Ltd, but I've never played with the racquet.

[lpicken]

I have got mine strung at 58# w/ Gamma Live Wire and Kirschbaum Spiky Shark Mains. I have a hint of lead at 10/2 and that helps w/ plow through. I have one with two overgrips and another w/ leather.

[Kevo]

I'm using CyberBlue at 55lbs. for my main stick, but I am planning on changing to Kirschbaum Competition at either 54/56 or 55lbs. I have two sticks strung up both ways right now, and have just hit once with each of them. I am waiting to see what the break-in and wear will be like. I already tried Competition at 54lbs., and it was just a little soft after some wear, but played very close to the way I wanted. I could be happy with either string, but the yellow looks great, and it's a little more durable than Cyber Blue as well.

[rxblitzrx]

I may have already posted my string experiments but I'll put it down again:

1. Prince Syn Gut Duraflex 17 @ 55. This tension seems to work the best for me.

2. Prince Original Syn Gut 17 @ 52. Plays softer than PSGD, as lots of people claim, but at 52 lbs it was too mushy. The mains moved around (a lot) after only 1 hour. I cut the string job after one day.

3. NXT 16 @ 55. I could slam groundies all day with this string, but I did notice a difference with 17 guage. I'm thinking NXT 17 or X1-Biphase 17 would be perfect.

4. Pro Hurricane/X1-Biphase 17 @ 55/55. My current setup. I'm taking this one out to the court tomorrow and will edit this post after I've had a chance to try it. If this doesn't work for the next week, I'll be going full Biphase at 55 FTW.

* I just got back from playing two sets with Setup 4. I may have strung too tight, but it's got a nice solid feel; almost too solid. I can't tell if that's just the poly mains or the tension being too high, but I'm not getting enough trampoline action. I was crushing serves though! I might come back to this setup, but I'm dying to see what a full bed of X1 Biphase will feel like (especially after PED's post right below this one).

[PED]

I've never been able to get full multi's to work for me. They were always too mushy, but full X1 is quite nice. Much crisper than NRG and nice power. X1 mains with CF crosses is fantastic but it breaks way too soon. I would think it would work well with this 18X20 pattern.

[rxblitzrx]

I think I discovered the true beauty of this frame. After hitting with it tonight I found out that it takes very little effort to play with this stick. The key is that you HAVE to play with little effort.

Fast swing speeds are rewarded very well. I find myself playing with a very loose grip on the racquet and not even grabbing it with my pinky finger, sometimes. You really have to whip it around to get it to work for you.

This works extremely well at the net. It's a very, very fast racquet up there and you have to use a loose grip. It's all about flicking the wrist at the ball. My volleys tonight were more solid than they've ever been in my month of owning this racquet.

This racquet is definitely a super Serve-and-Volley frame. Serving is a joy and fast racquet headspeed is easy to generate. This translates into serious bombs. Just keep your balance as you approach the net and remember to use a loose grip. Volleys will come effortlessly.

Groundies are a different story. Slice backhands are very effective if you flick your wrist at the ball. It cuts extremely hard and dies because the racquet is so powerless. The only time you will ever generate serious pace with this racquet is if you are feeding off of your opponents. Don't try to out muscle someone with this frame because it's a waste of energy. The racquet is about accuracy and it will do the job to get you up to the net. From there, you slice and dice with that scalpel.

[G-Man]

Excellent analysis, especially the loose grip! I feel the same way. I use no lead and string with X1 Biphase @57. Short, angled backhand slices are particularly deadly. No point in long baseline rallies with this stick, just go to the net, hit a drop volley winner, watch opponent squirm, enjoy post-victory beer. The touch at the net is unbelievable. Don't know why folks would want to mess with this beauty by adding lead.

[rxblitzrx]

Originally Posted by G-Man

Excellent analysis, especially the loose grip! I feel the same way. I use no lead and string with X1 Biphase @57. Short, angled backhand slices are particularly deadly. No point in long baseline rallies with this stick, just go to the net, hit a drop volley winner, watch opponent squirm, enjoy post-victory beer. The touch at the net is unbelievable. Don't know why folks would want to mess with this beauty by adding lead.

Thanks for reading. I know my sig says I use X1 Biphase 17 but I haven't actually tried it yet. I have a hybrid Pro Hurricane/X1 Biphase 55/55 right now. The poly is definitely not something I'm liking very much. Poly hits almost like it feels when you string it up... if that makes sense. Come to think of it, almost every string I've put on myself feeds back through the racquet the same way it feels when you string it.

I think I should just go back to full multi beds. I loved NXT 16 @ 55. Prince Syn Gut Duraflex 17 @ 55 was awesome too, but it was definitely stiffer than a multi. X1-Biphase 17 @ 55 might be perfect for me. I'll have to string up before the weekend and just take the $15 loss on the hybrid setup I just installed.

I'm like a little kid in a candy store; I just can't wait.

[G-Man]

You won't regret it. I predict once you try the all-Biphase string job you will never go back. Enjoy!

[luv2volley]

Great suuport thread guys, keep'em coming.

[tennisxlsdk]

I am loving Maxim Touch 16 at 58 on my PSL. Anyone else try this on their PSL? Very economical and feels and plays great, well to me atleast. I hit pretty hard and flat and can generate topspin as well as needed but this set-up is working well.

Just cos I hear so many great things about X1 Biphase , I would love to try out X1 Biphase and Maxim Touch 17 as well. Anyone wanna trade strings..

[rxblitzrx]

I'm stringing up full X1-Biphase 17 @ 55 today. Reports to come after this weekend.

Just another thought: the hybrid Pro Hurricane/Biphase was noticeably head-heavier than a typical syn gut.

[tennisxlsdk]

oh yeah, do let us know how it plays with full X1-Biphase at the tension you mentioned, 55.

[lpicken]

I have moved my lead from 10/2 to 3/9 and this seems to make a difference. I currently have about 4 grams on 1 stick 2 on another. Good combo as they are now my back ups to my "lead sled" kps 88.

[blackdot_fit]

no lead FTW!

as of 3 days ago

[rxblitzrx]

I got a chance to try out the full X1-Biphase 17 a little sooner than expected.

First impressions were very good. I can definitely feel a difference between the full bed and a hybrid setup. One thing I've been noticing is the consistency in how a string feels when you put it on a racquet, and how it feeds back into your arm when you play.

I had a heck of a time putting full X1-Biphase on because it's so stretchy. However, that is the best trait of multifilament. It had more "power" than say... Prince Synthetic Gut Duraflex. I think this is do to the more "stretchy" nature of the string. It definitely plays a lot softer and more comfortable too.

I guess you can compare hybrid and full bed to racquet stiffnesses. The hybrid setup made my racquet feel like it had a higher stiffness rating. My serves were moving a lot faster but my groundies didn't have as much control. The full bed of X1 felt like my racquet had a lower stiffness rating and my groundies were more controlled but with less power. I did mention that X1 Biphase had more power than PSGD and even though PSGD is stiffer, I still hold to this.

As a closing note, X1-Biphase moves a lot, even after 1 hour of play. I don't know if this is normal for multifilament or if I did a bad job of stringing the mains. I did have a hard time getting the mains to tension consistently because this stuff stretches so darn much. I'll have to try to be more consistent next time to compare. I'm definitely going to stick with this string for a couple months.

[G-Man]

The lower the tension, the more the strings will move. And, of course, the lower the tension the more power and less control you will get. I use Biphase at 57 lbs and strings don't move much, control is excellent and power is low. The Slice BH is a beauty. They key is to string as low as possible while retaining proper control. Will try 55 lbs myself.

[rxblitzrx]

Originally Posted by G-Man

The lower the tension, the more the strings will move. And, of course, the lower the tension the more power and less control you will get. I use Biphase at 57 lbs and strings don't move much, control is excellent and power is low. The Slice BH is a beauty. They key is to string as low as possible while retaining proper control. Will try 55 lbs myself.

I actually strung up at 54lbs (biphase), even though I said I would go 55. I think 55 will work out better, just so the strings don't move so much.

My next string job will go up in tension to 55, for sure.

[rxblitzrx]

I've put about 10-15 hours on my current bed of X1-Biphase 17 @ 54 and the strings are moving a LOT. I'm just going to ride this one out and see how long it takes to pop. The strings still feel comfortable and play well. I have a set of Biphase 18 that I'm going to try next.

As a side note, I've been looking at the Pure Storm. The specs on this racquet look more appealing to me than the LTD I'm using... mainly because the power level is a lot higher. I'm concerned about the 16x20 string pattern though and I wonder how this will play differently than the 18x20 LTD.

Another concern is the 3pt HL vs 8pt HL and what this will do to maneuverability. However, it IS almost 1 oz lighter. I think I should just demo one. There's too many variables to dissect here.

*edit* forget that comment about the Pure Storm demo; I must have been smoking crack. 18x20 is definitely the pattern that fits my game. I hate the way the ball trampolines off of 16x20 and 16x19 patterns since I don't normally hit with a lot of topspin. It just doesn't look as impressive as a ball hit with 18x20 that takes a more direct line, right over the net.

18x20, powerless and direct lines over the net provides just as much room for error as 16x19, powerful and looping over the net. I think the trade-off is giving your opponent less time to react to the ball vs a heavier looping ball with topsin on it. I prefer the scalpel and pinpoint precision.

[G-Man]

Glad to hear you're sticking with 18x20. I've hit with the Pure Storm and there is no comparison to the great PSL! It felt like a toy. Forget it.

Regarding power, you can always get more by lowering your string tension. For me the absolutely only thing that could possibly make the PSL even better is increasing the stiffness a bit. So I've ordered a custom frame from Vantage Tennis with the exact same specs as the PSL except for a stiffness factor of 70. Should be here next week. Will report on how it goes.