VS Gut mains and poly crosses

[Mig1NC]

That's good to hear since SPPP is reported to have such good tension maintenance it should work well for a good long time as a cross to your VS.

[Mig1NC]

Well, the spin only felt so-so on my pacific17/beast16 hybrid. All other catagories were really good though.

I really think you need a thinner poly than 16g to make the most of this setup.

[Smasher08]

Originally Posted by Mig1NC

I really think you need a thinner poly than 16g to make the most of this setup.

If spin is related to the friction or lack thereof between the mains and the crosses, it stands to reason that the thickness of the crosses will affect this. Presumably the thinner the cross, the lower the friction since there will be less surface area coming into contact with the mains.

[Avadia]

Originally Posted by Mig1NC

Well, the spin only felt so-so on my pacific17/beast16 hybrid. All other catagories were really good though.

I really think you need a thinner poly than 16g to make the most of this setup.

Originally Posted by Smasher08

If spin is related to the friction or lack thereof between the mains and the crosses, it stands to reason that the thickness of the crosses will affect this. Presumably the thinner the cross, the lower the friction since there will be less surface area coming into contact with the mains.

I believe this is true. But you need to recognize that spin is only one factor of many. I have two racquets with this setup right now. One has a 100" head and is strung with Pacific Tough Gut 16 gauge in the mains and Co-focus 1.27 in the crosses. The other has a 95" head and has Pacific Classic 17 gauge in the mains and Co-Focus 1.23 in the crosses.

I find that I do get more spin from the thinner strings, but way too much pop off the stringbed on a flatter shot. The racquet with the larger head, which I would expect to have more pop, actually has a lot more control due to the thicker strings, even though it has less spin. It still generates plenty of power, but exhibits less of a trampoline-like feel off the stringbed. It just has a ton of controlled power. I have a lot more confidence swinging out with this racquet on service returns and flatter shots than the other. With the other racquet I feel like I have to hit with a ton of spin just to keep the ball in the court. So I suggest when evaluating your hybrids, that you take into consideration more factors than just spin generation.

[Smasher08]

Agreed it's not a simple and straightforward thing. In your case I'm wondering if the tough gut has less trampolining than pac classic, and that it's not purely a function of the gauge.

[JackB1]

Anyone have a good alternative for the poly crosses with gut mains? I want to soften things up a little. Are there any synguts that are round and slippery like copoly?

[Avadia]

Originally Posted by Smasher08

Agreed it's not a simple and straightforward thing. In your case I'm wondering if the tough gut has less trampolining than pac classic, and that it's not purely a function of the gauge.

Actually, I was thinking the same thing. I'm sure gauge plays into it too. But I bet the tough gut has less power and more control than the classic gut, even at the same gauge. I still have a half a set of both to play around with, so I will continue to test this theory.

[The Big Kahuna]

Originally Posted by parasailing

First up was VS team with Cofocus which I had high hopes for but it slightly disappointed. Backhand slices were coming off the racquet nice and low with good underspin but on my forehand, I was not able to generate as much topspin and power. This is the first time hitting with it so maybe this might take a little time to break in the strings. It was not as soft and powerful as SPPP when initially strung up.

What gauge and tension did you use on the VS Team / MSV Co-Focus set-up?

The higher you go, the less power and topspin you are likely to get with this hybrid.

[parasailing]

Originally Posted by The Big Kahuna

What gauge and tension did you use on the VS Team / MSV Co-Focus set-up?

The higher you go, the less power and topspin you are likely to get with this hybrid.

All the test are 17 gauge strings and I stung up Co Focus at 52lbs like all the other copolys I test with. I just didn't get much power like some of you did but I will give it another go when the temps are much warmer to see if this is like Scorpion which is temperature sensitive.

[Smasher08]

Originally Posted by parasailing

All the test are 17 gauge strings and I stung up Co Focus at 52lbs like all the other copolys I test with. I just didn't get much power like some of you did but I will give it another go when the temps are much warmer to see if this is like Scorpion which is temperature sensitive.

You might also want to consider trying Co-Focus in 1.18 as well.

[parasailing]

Originally Posted by Smasher08

You might also want to consider trying Co-Focus in 1.18 as well.

Thanks for the suggestion but I am going to stay away from 18 gauge strings as my past experience with X1, Alpha Gut, and WC MB were not that great. I feel 18 gauge has too much trampoline effect and prefer the 17 gauge variant.

Only string remanining to try is Kirschbaum PL2 and then I will be done with all these string tests for now .

[I Heart Thomas Muster]

Originally Posted by JackB1

Anyone have a good alternative for the poly crosses with gut mains? I want to soften things up a little. Are there any synguts that are round and slippery like copoly?

Gamma TNT has always struck me as slippery. It feels like it has a slick coating. One of my all time favorite syn guts.

[I Heart Thomas Muster]

I've now settled on Babolat Tonic + 15L on the mains at 54 lbs and Weiss Cannon Black5Edge on the crosses at 52 in my YT Rad Pro racquets. I cannot believe the feel, spin and longevity I've been getting with this setup. I really do believe this set up offers the most spin of anything else I've tried and it's much easier on my gimpy wrist. Besides all the previously mentioned attributes it's like the strings are locked in place. Even weeks later and they barely move. I break string fairly quickly but these have held up amazing.

Even when my wrist gets better this is gonna be my setup for a loooooong time.

[TimothyO]

Originally Posted by Smasher08

If spin is related to the friction or lack thereof between the mains and the crosses, it stands to reason that the thickness of the crosses will affect this. Presumably the thinner the cross, the lower the friction since there will be less surface area coming into contact with the mains.

This has been my experience but as others have mentioned you also get more power which, if not tamed by sufficient top spin, can send balls long.

So frame stiffness also plays a role. A soft frame can suck some power out of the total frame/string machine and also increase spin-friendly dwell time. (This is why I almost wish we had a third forum beyond string and racquets specifically geared to discussion of setup "systems"...spin friendly systems, high power systems, low power systems, control systems...I think it's more helpful to think in terms of total package than isolated components...)

On my PSLGT when I changed from 16g Touch and 17g Cofocus cross to Team and 18g Cofocus there was a significant boost in spin and power but the dense pattern and soft frame meant it was still controllable.

Today I bought a second Speed 300 and had it strung with VS Team 17g mains and BB Ace 18g* crosses at the same reference tension as my Touch/CoFocus setup. Eager to see how they compare in power and spin.

*my local source for MSV is changing locations ans can't ship anything for a while.

[TimothyO]

Originally Posted by I Heart Thomas Muster

I've now settled on Babolat Tonic + 15L on the mains at 54 lbs and Weiss Cannon Black5Edge on the crosses at 52 in my YT Rad Pro racquets. I cannot believe the feel, spin and longevity I've been getting with this setup. I really do believe this set up offers the most spin of anything else I've tried and it's much easier on my gimpy wrist. Besides all the previously mentioned attributes it's like the strings are locked in place. Even weeks later and they barely move. I break string fairly quickly but these have held up amazing.

Even when my wrist gets better this is gonna be my setup for a loooooong time.

They're moving but snapping back into place which is the beauty of this hybrid.

Will have to try B5E at some point!

[TimothyO]

Originally Posted by JackB1

Anyone have a good alternative for the poly crosses with gut mains? I want to soften things up a little. Are there any synguts that are round and slippery like copoly?

Jack,

I tried a bunch of multis and synguts in search of a low friction cross. My favorite was Xcel at one point but ultimately nothing compared to a coploy cross, especially wrt durability. Multis and syngut lock up MUCH faster than a copoly.

[scotus]

I have tried B5E on the cross with VS mains.

What a disappointment. A very mediocre string with less than average spin potential.

I haven't tried B5E in the mains though.

For a cross string, RPM Blast is far better than B5E in terms of performance although it is only good for a couple of hitting sessions.

[mixedmedia]

I too was not as impressed with B5E as many others were (I didn't like the feel of it in my arm). I tried it full bed along with some other polys before moving to natural gut with smooth poly cross. From what I've heard, if poly's in the cross, profiled is not the way to go.

[The Big Kahuna]

PLAYTEST UPDATE:

After 6 hours of play with the MSV Co-Focus 18g hybrid @ 48 (with KLIP Legend Tour 17g mains @ 52) in my Head Youtek Prestige Pro I am ready to declare this playtest to an end. Every time I put down this racquet to try one with another poly (Weiss Silverstring or Kirshbaum Pro Line II) while they both feel very good, I can wait to get back to the MSV. The feel and ball pocketing is SO much better. I have never felt strings with so much comfort, spin, control, and feel. The power is dialed down just a tad from the other two strings, but more balls go IN the court as a result. My groundstrokes and serves are much more consistent than they have been with anything else to date and it feels like the racquet is simply an part of my arm - it is almost as if I am "throwing the ball" back. The sweet spot feels huge and the picketing is insane! I am totally addicted. It is really like a whole new game for me. Fantastic!

[TimothyO]

Threw serves today with the Team/Ace hybrid. More (controllable) power than Touch/CoFocus and great spin potential. But where CoFocus remains smooth the Ace is already "denting" at the intersections with the gut mains. I've seen this before with other polys and suspect the stringbed will lock up pretty fast at this rate.

There's something special about CoFocus. Bend most other polys and they have significant memory and stay bent (Ace did this when I bent it). CoFocus remains smooth. It's as if its surface is hard and resists crimpling but it's also very pliable.

Once my local MSV source settles in I look forward to trying Team and CoFocus 18 with this frame (the shop in Atlanta carries a huge variety of cofocus colors!)