PV Audio's Playtest Thread

[Shangri La]

A fun and informative thread! Out of the WC strings I have tried, SS/B5E/scorpion/tt, I loved the B5E/SS but was least impressed by the tt, thought it played mushy and didnt have much control. The Cyclone I liked a lot. Looking forward to your reviews!

[pvaudio]

Originally Posted by Shangri La

A fun and informative thread! Out of the WC strings I have tried, SS/B5E/scorpion/tt, I loved the B5E/SS but was least impressed by the tt, thought it played mushy and didnt have much control. The Cyclone I liked a lot. Looking forward to your reviews!

Me too! We'll see what the verdict is: can Turbotwist take over once again as WeissCANNON's best string? STAY TUNED FOLKS!

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by pvaudio

Me too! We'll see what the verdict is: can Turbotwist take over once again as WeissCANNON's best string? STAY TUNED FOLKS!

Looking forward to hearing about it.

[pvaudio]

Well, this might take longer than I thought. I didn't get to serve or volley with either racquet, so I can't make a full judgment yet, But as it stands now, BHBR offers you more control while Turbotwist offers more power, but it's very close. Off the forehand wing, I preferred Turbotwist since my forehand is my shot maker. On the backhand wing, I preferred BHBR since it's the more consistent side and I actually have a bigger backhand than forehand. However, neither string is as good as Scorpion or B5E so far, so I guess we'll have to wait and see. Stupidly, I didn't change the grip on my Turbotwist racquet, and it started to fall apart during the last 5 minutes and ended up making a blood blister at the base of my index finger. Comfort so far goes to Turbotwist, but BHBR is hardly uncomfortable. It's even more comfortable than Silverstring.

[Shangri La]

Hey PVA, in your B5E/gut setup, did you feel B5E's shape hinder strings snapping back resulting any loss of spin? I'm interested in trying B5E (and other shaped poly like Cyclone) with a gut but not sure if the spin production could be an issue because of the poly's shape causing the strings not moving as freely - I dont care about the string job's durability. Thanks!

Also, will you try the gut mains and b5e/scorpion crosses again since your first test ended prematurely? And you got me interested in trying gut in the crosses.

[pvaudio]

Originally Posted by Shangri La

Hey PVA, in your B5E/gut setup, did you feel B5E's shape hinder strings snapping back resulting any loss of spin? I'm interested in trying B5E (and other shaped poly like Cyclone) with a gut but not sure if the spin production could be an issue because of the poly's shape causing the strings not moving as freely - I dont care about the string job's durability. Thanks!

Also, will you try the gut mains and b5e/scorpion crosses again since your first test ended prematurely? And you got me interested in trying gut in the crosses.

No. B5E is the least textured (maybe PHT is close) textured string out there. I believe it's pentagonal, but the edges are rounded. It yields a non uniform stringbed to impart extra spin, but allows the strings to slide effortlessly against one another. Without qeustion it's the most well thought out texture out there. Hexablade, however, is exactly what you're describing. I playtested that earlier in this thread and no amount of shaping could change the fact that the sharp edges notch the string so that it just ends up playing like MDF.

Unfortunately, I will most likely not be doing the gut/poly setup again since I don't prefer the feel of it. That would be better for someone who prefers gut mains to review.

[Shangri La]

Originally Posted by pvaudio

No. B5E is the least textured (maybe PHT is close) textured string out there. I believe it's pentagonal, but the edges are rounded. It yields a non uniform stringbed to impart extra spin, but allows the strings to slide effortlessly against one another. Without qeustion it's the most well thought out texture out there. Hexablade, however, is exactly what you're describing. I playtested that earlier in this thread and no amount of shaping could change the fact that the sharp edges notch the string so that it just ends up playing like MDF.

Unfortunately, I will most likely not be doing the gut/poly setup again since I don't prefer the feel of it. That would be better for someone who prefers gut mains to review.

Good stuff! The B5E sure is a great string, and I'm becoming a bigger WCtard everyday!

[COPEY]

Originally Posted by pvaudio

Unfortunately, I will most likely not be doing the gut/poly setup again since I don't prefer the feel of it. That would be better for someone who prefers gut mains to review.

To Shangri La:

I believe Rodrigoamaral is the one you want to ask.

[pvaudio]

WeissCANNON Turbotwist 1.18 / PerforMAXX WhisperTouch





Stringing: For all of these reviews with gut crosses, I'll just focus on the poly. The Turbotwist was actually the easiest to string up in the mains by far. It had little to no coil memory, and even though it was on a reel, that is still an issue for some strings (as I'll discuss later). Nonetheless, TT has an interesting greasy coating to it which I'm not sure about. I'm not sure if it's there to give more spin, or is just a byproduct of the manufacturing. Either way, it's annoying to have that grease on your hands when you're about to string up gut. I purposely used the coated gut with this string for that reason. All in all, an easy poly to string. Having played a fullbed (but at a high tension which ruined the string), I can tell you that it's not too difficult to weave in the crosses either. Strung 53/55, 10% machine prestretch on gut.

Groundstrokes: Did someone say power? This string simply has HUGE pop to it. I mean, I'm using all of these strings with gut crosses to increase the feel, but some just don't have a lot of oomph. No problem here. However, there is a caveat. If you do not use a modern topspin stroke, then this is not the string for you. You need to be able to generate spin yourself for this to be of any use to you. On the forehand wing, this string was easily the best of all the ones that I tried. I hit my FH with a lot of topspin, and even I could see my shots kicking off the court. My coach even said that (not having told him that the white string isn't Scorpion) my shots were coming back incredibly heavy. On the BH side, however, I don't use as much spin for my normal shots. There is still an above average amount, but the shots come in closer to the top of the net. My BH is, ironically, my more consistent stroke, so the increase in power off this wing was unnecessary and made passing shots harder (without question my absolute favorite shot is a 1HBH passing shot). Overall: 9/10

Serves: This is a great string for big servers because of the power that it produces. Even though my serve is messy at the moment while trying to solidify my new motion, first and second serves were still laughably easy to get pace on. This is really useful on second serves because the string creates quite a lot of spin, so having that extra power gives you a deadlier shot. Be warned: if you do NOT have a spin second serve, you will be DF'ing long quite often. If you do, however, you'll love it. Overall: 9/10

Volleys: Yikes. Not the area for this string. When you're at the net, you don't need huge power or huge spin. What you need is a great amount of feel to be able to hit touch shots. While slices from the baseline come in fast and low, pretty much every volley ever hit is either flat or with backspin. That's a problem when you're up past the service line. You will be putting a lot of volleys wide or deep simply because you don't expect the return shot to have so much pace. Unlike other WC strings, you don't get much feedback either. If I were a doubles player, I wouldn't even consider this offering. Overall: 7/10

Durability: Very good. Gut shows minimal fraying in the center of the stringbed. Far less fraying than any string thus far which I attribute to it having a very slippery coating allowing it not to shave the gut down. In this gauge, if you hit with a lot of spin, I'd guess your crosses will break first. However, if you hit flat, this is a very thin string, so notching is a very real possibility. No signs whatsoever of the string going dead, and the stringbed feel is entirely linear. Very average for WC...so pretty much flawless. Overall: 9.5/10

It's hard to be disappointed with this string because it does exactly what it advertises: great power and great spin. With that in mind, you MUST have a modern stroke. If you don't hit with much spin, stay away because this string will not make it for you. However, much like Tour Bite, it is ideal for baseliners who want to dictate the point using deep, heavy balls from both wings. Stay away from the net if you can, but if you can't, you better whip the snot out of your approach shot to make sure it doesn't fly long on you. Overall, a good offering, but it gets a 4th place for WC with my ranking going Scorpion, B5E, Silverstring, and then Turbotwist. It's worth a try, however.

Overall: 8.5/10

[pvaudio]

Tourna Poly Big Hitter Blue Rough 17g / PerforMAXX WhisperTouch





Stringing: As stated in the TurboTwist portion, this was more difficult. I've strung many textured poly strings: geared ones, shaped ones, extruded ones and twisted ones. BHBR is of the twisted type. This string has just stupid coil memory and is very prone to kinking. I honestly cannot imagine untangling it from a single packet since it put up such a fight coming off of a reel. By far the most difficult poly I've used in this thread. Doesn't hold a candle to any of the ALU strings, but compared to BHB, it's ridiculous. Strung 53/55, 10% machine prestretch on gut.

Groundstrokes: Ah, finally time to review the forum's hype string of the moment, so I'll spend quite a bit of time on this one. If it were any other color, you wouldn't be able to tell it apart from Tornado or Cyber Twirl visually. However, when hitting, you can. Let me get this out of the way immediately: I do not tend to buy into hyper profiled strings offering great spin. This string, however, does not fall into that category after all. It's profiled, yes, but not nearly as much as some of the others.

Now, onto the review. Those of you who have played with BHB will be disappointed as this does not play anything like it. As I stated briefly earlier, this string gives you great spin potential, BUT, it is NOT anything spectacular. This is no holy grail string, in my opinion. Power is not an issue; I would put it at average for polys. Spin is indeed above average, but I wholeheartedly disagree with the RSI's claim of it being the be all end all of spin strings. Not even close. It is relatively comfortable from the baseline though, and has a very unique crispness to it that reminds me of Silverstring, but with more spin albeit less control.

On the FH side, shotmaking is a breeze. You won't be pulling off any impossible feats, but the string has good feel and lets you have confidence in swinging out. On the BH side.... Without question, this was my favorite string to date for hitting my backhand with. The sound that this thing makes rivals that of Tour Bite. If you make solid contact, you will swear a gun went off. The ball comes in incredibly heavy which is very academic because I hit with more spin on my forehand, but more power on my 1HBH. I guess something this string lends itself to my 1HBH perfectly. Slices are very easy to control, and if you Steffi Graf it and step really hard into the ball, you'll hit a great shot pretty much every time. Overall: 9.5/10

Serves: Mediocre at best. My serve is my favorite stroke since I've worked the hardest on it, and there is absolutely nothing about this string that blew me away. Hitting flat serves is really only its strong point because it sounds a lot bigger than it is. Second serves don't kick up as much as you might expect and slices aren't deadly like some people seem to think. Now, I've been told that I've got a fairly mean slice serve, and this string did nothing to make it furious, so to speak. Still, it's controllable, but doesn't take anything to the next level. Overall: 8/10

Volleys: Now, this is interesting to talk about because BHBR doesn't really have much feel at the net, but it does feel very lively. As I said in the groundstrokes section, it has this strange ability to take an incoming ball and let you do what you want with it as far as power is concerned. As far as control, not so much. You don't get that much directional control compared to some of the other strings I've played with, and touch shots are simply average. It's not an overpowered string, so you won't be blasting things long or wide like with Turbotwist, but you won't be Sampras or Rafter up there. Overall: 8.5/10

Durability: Being textured, this didn't really rip the gut apart like I was expecting it to. Honestly, throughout the past 30+ pages of playtesting, I've found that the smooth polys do more damage, and hence are displacing more than anything textured. Tourna strings tend to be very durable, but hold tension just averagely. Time would have to tell, so I'll keep this one in my bag to see how it progresses. Overall: 9/10

Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's that. I didn't find Jesus descending from the rafters and guiding my shots around two courts like some people think that they experience with this stuff. Would I use it again? No, but that's just because I've found better offerings for me. Would I recommend it to others? Absolutely, since it's good stuff and everyone deserves to see if it's the holy grail for them. For me? Nothing extraordinary. It is, honestly, just a very good string, but nothing that makes you want to jump and shout about. At least, I don't want to. Then again, I'd look like a complete prat if I did that and wasn't a pro player.

Overall: 9/10

[pvaudio]

Signum Pro Hyperion 1.24 / PerforMAXX WhisperTouch Pro





Stringing: Stringing this in the mains really reminded me of Tornado. In the hand it has nearly exactly the same feel: incredibly supple and absolutely ZERO kinking or coil memory. Doesn't get clamp marks unlike Tornado (which I'm assuming is simply a function of it not being shaped), and was by far the softest feeling string I've strung to date. I'd have to string up some Scorpion again to see if they're similar in stringing feel, but since I haven't strung any Scorpion in a while, this just feel soft without having even hit with it. No problems whatsoever. Strung 53/55, 10% machine prestretch on gut.

Groundstrokes: This is a curious string, to be frank. I've heard all of these reports of Hyperion being like a down blanket, and honestly, I didn't get that at all. It's a very comfortable string to hit with, there is no denying that, but it's not even as soft as Scorpion. As far as comfort is concerned, I really was expecting better (especially considering I crossed it with natural gut...). Aside from that, this just feels like a generic poly to me. It's not too powerful, it doesn't produce above average spin and has about average control. Off the forehand, this just didn't wow me in any way. There wasn't insane angle potential like there is with other spin strings, and on the backhand, I couldn't rip a shot DTL like someone stole my wallet. Frankly, it's just average. Overall: 7/10

Serves: More of the same, I'm afraid. There is nothing special here. Honestly, I'd like to go into detail about this, but Hyperion just feels like an all around good poly string. Overall: 8/10

Volleys: At this point I'm really struggling to find anything spectacular to write about Hyperion and the volleys aren't going to be the category to do it. It just feels like a poly string with good feel added by the gut. Seriously, this is just average across the board. Overall: 7/10

Durability: This is any Signum Pro string's party piece: tension stability. Seeing as it hasn't yet been the normal 852 years that it takes for a Signum Pro string to start to lose tension, I can't say that it's going to be anything but perfect. It did shred the gut the most of any strings tested in this round. However, it was the only string crossed with uncoated gut, so I'll attribute it to that. Overall: 10/10

I can't honestly call this string a let down. I don't have arm problems, I don't need a string to generate power for me, I've stopped looking for the ultimate spin monster and I don't need a string to help out any particular part of my game whether it be to complement it or supplement it. For me, Hyperion is simply just a good poly string. Nothing bad about it in the slightest, but not spectacular. Would I recommend it? Sure, only on the basis that I use a 90sq in frame and don't require a super soft string since my arm is healthy. Maybe someone who has arm problems and uses a larger racquet or one with a closed string pattern. Maybe it's better as a cross poly. Who knows? I certainly don't and moreover have no qualms about admitting it

Overall: 8.75/10

[pvaudio]

Volkl Cyclone 17g





Stringing: An interesting feeling string in the hand. It doesn't feel like any other black poly, and although it's a geared string, you can't really tell. Stringing Blue Gear is only annoying because it's very stiff. I would say that this string is about as stiff as Genesis SpinX (albeit with less kinking) or Black Magic (albeit while still being able to feel the texture). In the crosses, however, it reminded me why I don't like full poly. Now, I string full poly incredibly often for my customers. I've yet to even use Cyclone and it reminded me almost exactly of the first time I strung Babolat PHT. It's just annoying. It's not supple enough for me to weave at a constant speed across the stringbed like other polys i.e. Silverstring, Scorpion, Spiky Shark, Mosquito Bite, Pro Red Code. It doesn't kink or have bad coil memory, but it just feels incredibly plasticky which makes it more difficult for me. Now, keep in mind I do not push or pull weave. I use a modified sewing motion where I pass the string between my hands above and below the stringbed (hands are too sweaty and I can still string a racquet in 25 minutes on average, so not a disadvantage), so having a supple string makes it much either. I can only imagine that pushing or pulling the cross string would be tough since you're pulling across a geared string. We'll see how it goes, but I've woven polys that are easier than some multis (Scorpion, B5E, Pro Line 2, Big Ace Micro). Strung 53/53, no prestretch of any form.

Groundstrokes: This string...wow. This is the shocker of the four. I honestly expected nothing from this. It doesn't cost much, isn't particularly well known, and makes no boasts or claims whatsoever. However, this is by far and away the best of the four tested here. My God. Forehand, backhand, return of serve, slice, EVERYTHING was simply OUTSTANDING. I have never been more blown away by a string simply on the basis that I expected the least out of this. It's soft on the arm, gives great control, and I haven't even gotten to the best part yet. This string is poly, and you will NOT forget that as soon as you mishit. It vibrates like any poly does when you don't get it in the sweetspot. Off the forehand, this is the one you've come to see. You can roll shots whereever you want them, and I mean whereever you want them. The spin that this thing can create is magical. It's not like the ball is being shredded, it's just that you can make such a heavy ball from such little effort. The power of this setup was honestly as powerful as the Hyperion/gut hybrid. Yes, I said it: a gut hybrid is as powerful as this, and yet Cyclone has more of everything. On my backhand, AHHHH!!!! Passing shots, rally shots, approach shots, everything is just what you are wanting. The sound as well is simply glorious: it doesn't boom like Tour Bite and BHBR, but cracks like a broken string every time. It's an intoxicating sound which makes you want to hit dead on the sweetspot just to hear it again. This feels like a combination of Scorpion's power with B5E's control.

I was doing a serve return drill with my coach today, and he was working me across the court when I was using the Cyclone. He pulled me wide on the BH, and I skidded a slice back DTL, about 4ft away from the line. He got to it, and having recovered to the middle, tried to hit it behind me. I just stepped into the ball, and rolled that sucker into the corner of the service box for a perfect passing shot. He said this, and I quote: "That's the best shot you've hit all night!" That may not sound like a big deal, but it was the last shot I hit in the lesson, and I was playing through 3 blisters. It really even made me go like....damn! Supreme control: no other word(s) for it.

At the baseline, this is without a shadow of a doubt the best string tested in this entire thread. By far. Now some of you are saying "well, you're using hybrids and this is a full bed!" Let me remind you that every single string that I own, and as a few of you (you know who you are ) can attest, I known a lot of strings, but every single one of them I do try in a full bed. That includes everything tested in this thread. Up until now, I've preferred the hybrid version of everything tested here. This, in a full bed, is just as good from the baseline as any gut hybrid thus far. I didn't think I would be able to do this having used Scorpion, but: Overall: 10/10

Serves: There isn't anything special about this string from a serving standpoint. It doesn't shine in any area. It honestly feels a lot like Silverstring, but with more power and spin. It's a unique combination for sure, but definitely not close to Scorpion or Silverstring. Overall: 8/10

Volleys:
Here it comes again! Cyclone is a dream at the net. It's soft enough that you get great feel for a poly. I would not say that it's a top 5 poly for feel or touch, but if you get pulled into the net, you will have zero problems whatsoever. So, I give my rating based on this being a full poly stringbed. Overall: 9/10

Durability: Truth be told, I have never used a Volkl string before in my life. I've never used a Volkl anything, for that matter. So, I honestly cannot report on what it's like from tension or durability standpoints. Along with BHBR, I'll leave this one in my bag. Overall: Too Early to Tell

Wow, what a surprise. This string is simply magic. I understand the reviews now of people saying "How can they offer this string for so little money?" and "This plays better than strings twice the price". I agree entirely. This will be in my next round of testing with a gut cross without a shadow of a doubt. Whoever recommended that I try this string: thank you, thank you so much. I am completely blown away, and having tried so many strings, that has only happened twice thus far: Scorpion and B5E. I can add a 3rd to that list now. I recommend it to EVERYONE. If you have arm problems, cross it with something soft, but it honestly is not harsh or stiff in the slightest. This is truly a special string. Not special for the price, but special full stock. Volkl, please do not go out of business because you've created what I am going to openly state as the sleeper of the string world.

Overall: 9.5/10

[mctennis]

Great reviews PVaudio. I enjoy reading each one and so far,from the ones I've tried that you've also tried, I agree with each review. Now it seems I need some Cyclone 17g. I'll be anxious to see your review with this as a hybrid with gut.

[pvaudio]

Originally Posted by mctennis

Great reviews PVaudio. I enjoy reading each one and so far,from the ones I've tried that you've also tried, I agree with each review. Now it seems I need some Cyclone 17g. I'll be anxious to see your review with this as a hybrid with gut.

I really can't wait to try out a hybrid. The fullbed plays like a dream, but off-axis shots still have that typical poly mishit feel. I think that with the gut cross, I can get away with not hitting the sweetspot every time.

[pvaudio]

IT'S YOU!!! I'm so jealous of your frames!! I played with that from 7th grade all the way into college. The HM 200G is one of the all time greats

[The Djoker]

Originally Posted by pvaudio

IT'S YOU!!! I'm so jealous of your frames!! I played with that from 7th grade all the way into college. The HM 200G is one of the all time greats

Haha, sorry...I guess it's just my time to experience the greatness of the HM 200g! I got super lucky to find a couple new ones recently, and at a great price too...still had baby Fish, Blake and Robredo on the ad/label thing in the hoop!

[pvaudio]

I have the first one I ever bought as a 13yr old hanging up on the wall behind me. It's shattered, but it's still up there just to remember when I started playing with good sticks. I'll never throw it away.

[pvaudio]

Originally Posted by Murray_fan1

Did you ever get to try out the Volkl Cyclone? Interested in how it stacks up.

It took me a few pages to find the post, but all thanks to you, sir!

[pvaudio]

BHS and BHSR are coming in today

[mikeler]

PV,

This page almost has too much information! Sounds like you found a jem with the Cyclone.