Gut/poly emptying my pockets

[syke]

Originally Posted by 2Hare

Global or Gaucho costs less than Alu. Should be good enough. get the thickest gauge!

How thick should I be going for the crosses?
Tonic+ is around 1.28 - 1.30mm, while the Alu power is 1.25mm.
Do I string up the crosses with >1.30mm?

How would a thicker cross play? I guess I would have to string it tighter as well.

[kiteboard]

Originally Posted by McLovin

I'd like to help you out, but I can't seem to finish reading your original post as my eyes keep drifting to the left and focusing on your avatar...

If you've got a nice but, you might as well wear shorts that go up your crack and show it off to all the paparazzi! Wish Hornykova would have done that more often.

[syke]

Originally Posted by GlenK

Give Co-Focus 1.18 a try. It's only $7.90 a set and tension maintenance is very good. Specially for this gauge.

I will definitely give Co-focus a try since it's highly recommended by Power player and yourself.

Question, poly at 1.18mm? Wouldn't it chew up the gut mains even faster?

[syke]

Originally Posted by kiteboard

He's right about multis. Nrg2 as cross is great, but not as main, and even then, does not last long as tensioner. bhbr will not hurt your arm is $80/reel, and ltec os lasts longer than alu by far. I would also try increasing tension on all the perimeter strings: last two side mains, first/last three crosses, with that combo, and then tell me it's not the best poly job you ever had with no arm pain.

I was hoping multi being closer to natural gut in terms of playability would be a more prudent replacement choice over nat gut.

40ft xone biphase is $16 compared to 40ft Tonic+ at $32. That's huge savings if it lasts as long as the 8 hours I am having with nat gut before it snaps.

As for poly, I am not worried about durability, cuz my poly never snaps (at least not before the gut mains) and dead polys is not prominently evident with gut as mains. The only reasoning for me to change to a softer and thicker poly, is to extend the life of the gut mains.

[Smasher08]

Originally Posted by syke

Question, poly at 1.18mm? Wouldn't it chew up the gut mains even faster?

Not if it's a very smooth and elastic copoly like Co-Focus.

As for the diameter of the crosses, I'd suggest going down a gauge size (or 0.05mm) from the mains. The reason is related to the amount of surface area in contact between the mains and the crosses, and the resulting friction from that.

Lower surface area and friction is good because it will facilitate spin and therefore control. Going too thin, however, will facilitate notching -- so it's finding the right balance for your mains gauge.

Tonic 1.30 and Co-Focus 1.23 ought to work together really well. When I tried out a similar gauged setup using Pacific Classic mains, I was nearly at the 40 hour mark when it broke . . . and it only broke because I foolishly played with it in damp conditions -- there weren't any notches at that point.

IMO what makes Co-Focus different from most other poly crosses is its smoothness and elasticity. Stiff crosses will definitely saw through your mains over time, while more elastic ones will give and compress a little on contact -- translating into much greater longevity.

Currently I'm getting fantastic durability from my Pac 1.25 x CoF 1.18 setup.

[syke]

Originally Posted by kiteboard

If you've got a nice but, you might as well wear shorts that go up your crack and show it off to all the paparazzi! Wish Hornykova would have done that more often.

Focus guys... Quit feeling horny with my avatar... Lol..

[syke]

Originally Posted by Smasher08

Not if it's a very smooth and elastic copoly like Co-Focus.

As for the diameter of the crosses, I'd suggest going down a gauge size (or 0.05mm) from the mains. The reason is related to the amount of surface area in contact between the mains and the crosses, and the resulting friction from that.

Lower surface area and friction is good because it will facilitate spin and therefore control. Going too thin, however, will facilitate notching -- so it's finding the right balance for your mains gauge.

Tonic 1.30 and Co-Focus 1.23 ought to work together really well. When I tried out a similar gauged setup using Pacific Classic mains, I was nearly at the 40 hour mark when it broke . . . and it only broke because I foolishly played with it in damp conditions -- there weren't any notches at that point.

IMO what makes Co-Focus different from most other poly crosses is its smoothness and elasticity. Stiff crosses will definitely saw through your mains over time, while more elastic ones will give and compress a little on contact.

Currently I'm getting fantastic durability from my Pac 1.25 x CoF setup.

Nice! I will try the Co-focus tomorrow and keep the tough gut/armour pro option in mind. I am still hesitant with a thinner poly cross though...

Hopefully, less string breaks with coated gut & elastic copoly.

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by syke

Nice racquet Mclovin... The xforce pro is looking good... Was that freshly strung? Is the SPPP gentle on the gut mains?

Yeah, that was fresh off the stringer. I'll try to take a photo tonight after my girls' match (I coach a local high school team and it all depends in when we get home).

So far, so good, though. It has had 3 singles matches on outdoor hard and 1 doubles match on clay (they just opened the clay courts this week!) and still plays nice w/ no fraying. The SPPP is extremely smooth.

[ricardo]

Try string savers..specifically Babolat elastocross.

In my case, it extended NG mains life 3-4 times longer than without it.

[parasailing]

Go with a smooth round non textured co-poly in the crosses like others have mentioned. I used to get about 8 hours of play with a full set of natural gut but ever since I switched to gut mains and a smooth poly, it's double the duration before it breaks. So instead of 8 hours of play, I get 32 hours for a set of natural gut which to me works.

[2Hare]

Originally Posted by syke

How thick should I be going for the crosses?
Tonic+ is around 1.28 - 1.30mm, while the Alu power is 1.25mm.
Do I string up the crosses with >1.30mm?

How would a thicker cross play? I guess I would have to string it tighter as well.

I meant the thickest Gut gauge. I would keep Alu power as cross as it's just works so well with the gut main!

[ChicagoJack]

OP -

I just put in a set of Babolat Tonic 15L and Co-Focus 17L. at 58/53.... WOW. Can't say much about durability yet, but it plays like a dream. Never tried 15L gut but it's thumbs up for me. I've been using BHBR at 47lbs. for a few months now, but this is my new set up. I'm getting more spin, more control, better touch, power on command., better everything. I'd tried thinner gut with co-focus, at 52/48 but had control issues. I suggest The OP try a thicker gut before punting on gut altogether.

-Jack

[syke]

Just strung up with tonic+ & msv co-focus and installed a couple of string savers. Hopefully it works.

[Don't Let It Bounce]

Thicker gut and Elastocross string savers are the first things to come to mind for me, too.

Another idea, which I haven't tried yet: there are some ribbon-shaped co-polys (Gosen Polymaster II, L-Tec Premium 3S) that are designed to slide across rather than saw into each other. Seems like an ideal cross for natgut.

[ChicagoJack]

^^^
^^^Best avatar, followed by best signature. Epic.

[Smasher08]

Originally Posted by syke

Just strung up with tonic+ & msv co-focus and installed a couple of string savers. Hopefully it works.

Nice. Looking forward to your comments.

[syke]

Originally Posted by Smasher08

Nice. Looking forward to your comments.

Just had an hour serve practice. Off the bat, it felt muted, less powered, less pop, had better control, spin wise round about the same as the alu power.

Probably they aren't broken in yet. I have a 2 hour session tomorrow, hopefully it gets better.

Most importantly, I hope the strings last longer than the tonic+/alu power combo (at least twice as long....haha). I can live with the muted feel.

[syke]

Originally Posted by Don't Let It Bounce

Thicker gut and Elastocross string savers are the first things to come to mind for me, too.

Another idea, which I haven't tried yet: there are some ribbon-shaped co-polys (Gosen Polymaster II, L-Tec Premium 3S) that are designed to slide across rather than saw into each other. Seems like an ideal cross for natgut.

You mean something like the Gosen Sidewinder? Wouldn't a shaped Poly promote sawing instead of sliding?

[Say Chi Sin Lo]

Originally Posted by syke

Just had an hour serve practice. Off the bat, it felt muted, less powered, less pop, had better control, spin wise round about the same as the alu power.

Probably they aren't broken in yet. I have a 2 hour session tomorrow, hopefully it gets better.

Most importantly, I hope the strings last longer than the tonic+/alu power combo (at least twice as long....haha). I can live with the muted feel.

That's probably how the strings will play for you? I mean if the strings aren't broken in/settled in after a hour, that's just how they'll hit.

[Don't Let It Bounce]

Originally Posted by syke

You mean something like the Gosen Sidewinder? Wouldn't a shaped Poly promote sawing instead of sliding?

For most shapes, including Sidewinder, yes. They are shaped to increase friction (the intent is ball-string friction, but string-string friction is usually a by-product).

The flat ribbon shape ("squoval" is the delightful term the L-Tec folks are using – say it out loud; it's fun) is intended to reduce friction. The idea seems to be reduced friction from two flat surfaces slipping past each other, as opposed to two circular cross sections whose shape squeezes them together when they are tensioned. You might get a tad more surface area where mains and crosses touch, but if you do apparently the trade-off is worth it.

Hmmm.... I'm not sure I wrote that well enough for it to be clear. How about this: having someone saw back and forth on your arm with a smooth nylon rope will hurt less than with a rough hemp rope, but having them saw back and forth with a ribbon (the flat part of it, of course) won't hurt at all.

Does anyone know of any ribbon-shaped strings besides the rather pricey L-Tec 3S and Gosen Polymaster?