PV Audio's Playtest Thread

[pvaudio]

mikeler, the poly by itself is not as good as B5E by itself. In the hybrid, however, I feel that it's superior. This isn't anything surprising or strange though as both Scorpion and Silverstring dominate in a poly or poly mains setup, but I prefer Genesis SpinX to both in a gut mains hybrid.

[hoodjem]

PV,

Does B5E allow more spin than Genesis SpinX?

Thanks

[pvaudio]

As a poly, yes. In the gut mains hybrid, nope.

[Carlos_Spicyweiner]

I have been using a poly(main)/multi(cross) setup for awhile now and have decided to try a gut setup. I was wondering the difference between putting the gut in the mains rather than crosses. Does one setup allow the gut to last longer? I assume you get more bite on the ball with gut in the mains but not sure. Any opinions are much appreciated.

[Smasher08]

Originally Posted by pvaudio

Ah and I looked it up, and the poster who enlightened me was TimothyO

Yep, same here.

His posts led me to try it.... So I'm half-tempted to start calling him The Co-Focus Godfather.

[Rogael Naderer]

I just want to thanks both Mikeler and PV these threads are the cat's whiskers.

[Mig1NC]

Originally Posted by pvaudio

mikeler, the poly by itself is not as good as B5E by itself. In the hybrid, however, I feel that it's superior. This isn't anything surprising or strange though as both Scorpion and Silverstring dominate in a poly or poly mains setup, but I prefer Genesis SpinX to both in a gut mains hybrid.

So in a gut mains / poly crosses hybrid you prefer SpinX? Which color and guage?

I saw red 17 mentioned in this thread earlier... Bit after 1100 posts I kind of stopped reading

Great thread, BTW!

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by Rogael Naderer

I just want to thanks both Mikeler and PV these threads are the cat's whiskers.

Never heard that expression but you are welcome. I think I'm done testing strings so we will all have to lean on PV now.

[pvaudio]

Heh, take my opinions with as much salt as you can get. I'm only one guy!

[mixedmedia]

But you're one guy with great play tests and reviews!

[NLBwell]

I think the expression is "the cat's meow."

[Boricua]

Originally Posted by pvaudio

WT Pro / MSV Co Focus 1.23 Midnight Blue





Stringing: As I hinted at above, the Co Focus is extraordinarily smooth and soft. While many polys have these attributes, rarely does it translate to stringing. Here, however, it does. This is definitely one of the easiest polys to weave that I've ever used, this thread both included and aside. No friction burn against the gut either, and super easy to tie off. Wonderful. Strung at 49/47.

Groundstrokes: This truly is a magnificent setup from the baseline. There is access to excellent control and power off of both wings. That coupled with the excellent feel that gut provides, and you definitely have the confidence to swing out. This setup, however, shines more brightly than anything tested thus far in one area: spin production. A member here stated that this provides effortless access to spin. I do not agree with this at all, because if you do not employ a proper stroke, high RHS will end up taking the ball long. However, he also said that his wife used it and her shots were disrupting her opponent's rhythm because they were spinning like they hadn't before. This, however, I do agree with. As I said in an above post, the spin that this setup produces is simply comical. Honestly, just try it for this alone because you will not believe me when I say that the ball actually looks different in the air than with your prior string setup. I've played with this for sufficient time now against the same opponent, and still when I take an aggressive cut at the ball and put it deep in the court, his timing is significantly off (late to the point of shanking on the throat at times). The reason for this is that unlike even with my B5E/WT Pro stringbeds, the pace of the ball once it bounces is retained to a sensational degree. Shots that would normally sit up slightly to allow a nice smooth stroke from across the net yields hurried rhythm and erratic timing.

As you likely know, I don't put much weight on spin production. I do employ a lot of topspin and slices, and it's necessary for me to serve, but I don't emphasize it when selecting a string. Here, however, I do not see how more is possible with my current skill level. The spin isn't like Spiky Shark or Blue Gear where the ball sits up a lot and just spins. This is spin like BHBR or Tour Bite in that the balls are simply heavy, heavier and heaviest. While it's not like you won't miss, this actually gives you the confidence to try angles that you otherwise would not both risking. Not all go in, and many are out, but I ended up trying over and over again to find the right combination of RHS and forward movement to get it right. When it all comes together, you actually end up having more fun on the court. Due to this last sentence, this receives the highest rating in this entire thread.
Overall: 10/10

Serves: Much the same as the groundstrokes. For anyone who uses spin regularly on their serve, then you will be grinning. For anyone who typically hits flat, you'll still be impressed although that's not the main attraction here. As you can likely see in the video in the first post (this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh3zvsvGGDc and more importantly, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvncT...eature=related ), my serve isn't exactly super fast. It does, however, tend to get stuck in the net rather often and it's not because of the speed. Rather, I employ a large amount of spin on every serve to increase accuracy and percentage, and this likes to dig into the net a lot. With my motion and the power and spin produced by these strings, I have never served better or with more confidence.
Overall: 10/10

Volleys: Volleying with WT Pro/Co Focus is much like using any natural gut mains setup. Obviously you get good feel from the gut which lets you place the ball how you want it, but do be careful. Strung at this tension, power is much higher than you would expect even for the lightest of touch shots. THe first few times you try to hit such a shot, you'll be disappointed. All this means, however, is that you get to expend less energy to hit the same shot with different strings. This alone doesn't make your shots better, but it does improve your hands. You quickly learn that you really need to have control over the racquet, because once you do, no volley is difficult. Overheads, yeah. No need to discuss aside from the glorious sound that is made.
Overall: 9.5/10

Durability: Here's the surprise of the review: this is more durable than poly mains and the same gut in the crosses. It does make sense, however, but the wear pattern you see on the gut is more akin to a fullbed of multifilament like NRG2 or X-1. The gut frays all around the hitting area and is untouched outside of it. Unlike with poly mains which shred the gut everywhere as they displace, the gut is definitely lasting longer and the poly is not near death. Since gut, unlike poly, plays about the same until it breaks, this makes this hybrid incredibly cost effective. There was no obscene tension loss either, and the break-in period was easily under an hour.
Overall: 9.5/10

Some people accuse me of hyperbole in my reviews. I contest that as I simply write how I am in person. I'm a fairly loud guy who likes to put down exactly what I'm thinking rather than what other people may want to hear. It's with that said that I put my full backing into this review. I honestly did not ever expect to find something better than B5E/WT. Even the WT/B5E hybrid that I re-did after the first broke was not much better than the same poly in the mains. Here though, the MSV has the absolute perfect feel to get the most out of this frame and the gut is fabulous as usual. COnsidering that the hybrid will cost you under 20 bucks a frame and will last about twice as long as any poly bed, and you sure do have a winner. I don't put a lot of weight on spin production, but that's a great feature of this hybrid. More than that, you get from the gut great feel and power, and yet the poly damps it to yield excellent control and durability. Fantastic, and there's no other words for it.


Overall: 10/10

Dont know if youve tried it but what about Whisper Touch mains and Mosquito Bite crosses? Sounds interesting. MB should hold tension well as all Weiss cannon polys do.

[JT_2eighty]

Originally Posted by Boricua

Dont know if youve tried it but what about Whisper Touch mains and Mosquito Bite crosses? Sounds interesting. MB should hold tension well as all Weiss cannon polys do.

It is one of the best spin setups I've tried.
It's also softer than the time I strung BDE nat gut/MSV co-focus hex 1.18.
And the MB stayed softer and playable for longer than MSV. (not to mention the BDE gut is softer than the Pacific gut I used with MB).

Only issue is MB is very powerful. I know MSV is atop the low-friction list, but I doubt the extra 0.03 (or whatever it was) coefficient of friction on MB will account for less spin (in any noticeable way), since we all mostly are in agreement that technique accounts for over 90% of one's ability to impart spin anyhow. I've tried at least 5 different combos of gut main/poly cross, and Gut/MB was by far the softest, longest playable setup. I found all of them to impart spin similarly, although even so, MB cross was right there with MSV cross.

So, IME, the MB is a good one because it has better tension retention and comfort than MSV. If you can manage its power, it's a winner for crosses to gut mains, and worth a shot if you have some on hand. I'm tempted to try Polystar Energy as a cross just because it's so greasy and slick for a poly. It may be a launcher (due to massive tension loss compared to most poly, esp WC poly), but I can't imagine a slicker poly than Energy, for someone seeking pure spin/power/comfort.

[parasailing]

Originally Posted by JT_2eighty

Only issue is MB is very powerful. I know MSV is atop the low-friction list, but I doubt the extra 0.03 (or whatever it was) coefficient of friction on MB will account for less spin (in any noticeable way), since we all mostly are in agreement that technique accounts for over 90% of one's ability to impart spin anyhow. I've tried at least 5 different combos of gut main/poly cross, and Gut/MB was by far the softest, longest playable setup. I found all of them to impart spin similarly, although even so, MB cross was right there with MSV cross.

How does MB compare to WC Scoprion or SPPP as a cross? I wonder if this has to do with MB being a 18 gauge string as well. I wonder if Scorpion was offered in 18 gauge whether that would be better.

[JT_2eighty]

I've only tried Scorpion in full bed and as main to gut x. I've not tried SPPP, only their tornado and hyperion in full beds.

I would extrapolate those experiences to guess that Scorpion will be the stiffest of the three, great for directional control, and SPPP would hold tension best of all as a poly cross, albeit less powered than MB.

I have noticed thinner crosses do well to enhance playability in a stringbed, and is why I always come back to 1.20 and thinner polys to accompany my guts.

I'm not sure if I answered that well though, since I've not used those strings as crosses...

[JT_2eighty]

Hey PV.

Did you ever try the Unifibre? Curious what you thought of that rope...

[pvaudio]

Honestly nope, it's still sitting there untouched. Been having too much fun!

[Boricua]

Originally Posted by JT_2eighty

It is one of the best spin setups I've tried.
It's also softer than the time I strung BDE nat gut/MSV co-focus hex 1.18.
And the MB stayed softer and playable for longer than MSV. (not to mention the BDE gut is softer than the Pacific gut I used with MB).

Only issue is MB is very powerful. I know MSV is atop the low-friction list, but I doubt the extra 0.03 (or whatever it was) coefficient of friction on MB will account for less spin (in any noticeable way), since we all mostly are in agreement that technique accounts for over 90% of one's ability to impart spin anyhow. I've tried at least 5 different combos of gut main/poly cross, and Gut/MB was by far the softest, longest playable setup. I found all of them to impart spin similarly, although even so, MB cross was right there with MSV cross.

So, IME, the MB is a good one because it has better tension retention and comfort than MSV. If you can manage its power, it's a winner for crosses to gut mains, and worth a shot if you have some on hand. I'm tempted to try Polystar Energy as a cross just because it's so greasy and slick for a poly. It may be a launcher (due to massive tension loss compared to most poly, esp WC poly), but I can't imagine a slicker poly than Energy, for someone seeking pure spin/power/comfort.

What do you think of Tonic gut 15 gauge mains and Mosquito Bite crosses? Would it be soft considering its a thick gauge in the mains?

[JT_2eighty]

^^ soft for sure. The BDE I used to use was 15L and was super soft, and still was easy to impart spin in an 18x20 with the 1.18 MSV crosses.

Even the stiffest & thickest guts are going to be soft in comparison to most (if not all) other string types. Tonic 15/MB sounds like a killer setup with great longevity.

[Boricua]

Originally Posted by JT_2eighty

^^ soft for sure. The BDE I used to use was 15L and was super soft, and still was easy to impart spin in an 18x20 with the 1.18 MSV crosses.

Even the stiffest & thickest guts are going to be soft in comparison to most (if not all) other string types. Tonic 15/MB sounds like a killer setup with great longevity.

I would consider this setup. Would MB be softer than Turbo twist as a cross?