String Guide to the Perplexed - Page 10

BigT · 04-11-2012, 08:26 PM

Many here ask as to the function of mains and crosses.

I feel that mains are called 'mains' because they are the dominant strings when hitting a ball, because of the direction of the racquet face. Crosses complement the mains.

If I were to put a ratio for the average all-court tennis player, I would say:
75% is the effect of the mains, 25% is the crosses.

For someone who plays more doubles or serves/volleys often,
70/30%.

For a baseliner,
80/20%.

I bring this up as someone who is always looking for the best price/performance string set-ups for me and my customers.

Which is why I don't understand when I see people using Lux, gut or other high priced strings as crosses. If cost is not an issue, that's one thing.

But being that the crosses are there to complement, at best 30% of the feel of the stringbed, I feel that it is not necessary.

So a player has to decide what his style of play is and what his priorities are on the court.

fortun8son · 04-11-2012, 08:34 PM

That's why I scratch my head when I see a post of someone using, say, RPM/VS.
What a waste of a good cow!

kunzzy · 04-11-2012, 10:21 PM

Hi BigT, I have been reading this post and I believe I learnt a lot.

Just a quick question, will the tension of strings affect the amount of spin to the ball?

corbind · 04-12-2012, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fortun8son

That's why I scratch my head when I see a post of someone using, say, RPM/VS.
What a waste of a good cow!

As BigT said, if a guy has money to burn and has decided to make that 20-30% a priority all is well with killing a cow for him. Vehicles are not a priority for me since they are atrocious investments. So driving an older car saves an extra $300 a month which I'm able to **** away on about anything. Hmmm priorities, nice car....or nice strings....

Racquet-Priority · 04-12-2012, 12:26 AM

30% of the stringbed, and it's not neccessary? That's just insane. Think about how much 30% is? Try to increase or decrease your tension with that amount and you see how much it is. It's the difference on a frame of 300 and 390 grams.

I think it's even 50-50 when it comes to feel.

fgs · 04-12-2012, 01:13 AM

taking the natty gut crosses as an example, i would mention the following:

- for a flat hitter it might be worth all the money to put in a premium gut in the crosses. if you look at the premium multis you will find out that there are some which are very close in pricing to pretty good natty gut already. and there is a sizeable difference in performance between syngut - multi - natty gut.

- for heavy spinners and stringbreakers, with the exception of those for which money does not matter, natty in the crosses is indeed a waste. not that i would not enjoy it, but going through it in less than four hitting hours (that would be 8 hitting hours for a 12m set) is simply NO OPTION.

fortun8son · 04-12-2012, 01:25 AM

For a flat-hitter, why not go with fullbed?
As you say, there are some good, cheaper nattys. I just got some Mamba Supra.

fgs · 04-12-2012, 01:30 AM

slower paced flat hitters can surely go with fullbed natty. if you have a faster swing, a poly mains (or cross) might just be the right mojo for greater consistency.

mikeler · 04-12-2012, 06:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Racquet-Priority

30% of the stringbed, and it's not neccessary? That's just insane. Think about how much 30% is? Try to increase or decrease your tension with that amount and you see how much it is. It's the difference on a frame of 300 and 390 grams.

I think it's even 50-50 when it comes to feel.

I think it is 70-30.

sansaephanh · 04-12-2012, 10:48 PM

Sorry to take you guys off track again, but i just played with a head speedMP with full BM. Just cause I forgot my racket and the guy let me borrow it. It was freshly strung and he let me hit with it! What a nice guy right?

Quick review: Felt a gram more sluggish next to my rebels, but the playability is about the same. Extremely stiff racket IMO, but the control and power are there even when taking big cuts or on defensive shots. I had a few issues with volleys, but I couldn't quite find the sweet spot for my volleys anyways. This racket is the first open pattern that I truly enjoyed playing after adapting to it. Probably because of how similar it felt (weight ad balance wise) to my rebels. I could really accelerate through the ball and drive it with control, while still having the feel and weight to really stroke the balls onto the lines. Noticeable spin difference between rackets and almost zero trampoline effect. It might have been the fresh BM though.

Anyways,
It felt stiff at first, but that was more because I was really tense and not warmed up properly, but after i started dialing in my strokes I kind of fell in love with the easy power and spin. It started feeling more and more comfortable as I got my groove and footwork down. I was blasting balls anywhere I wanted. This is coming from a guy who tried to swear off poly's AND open string patterns. I'm in such a state of confusion. My stringer says I'm most definitely good enough to reap the benefits of poly (and I'm starting to believe it), but I can't believe what a difference poly made in the pure playability of my game. I just believe I need the fitness to up my tennis game to the next level.

I hate this fence. One side says poly is the best thing that happened to my game since I learned how to string. The other says that the same playability can be found elsewhere in cheaper strings for my type of game.

I'm rambling a bit because I'm exhausted, but this honeymoon phase has given me more winners and better placement then I ever had with full synth or multi. BHBR/OGSM, BM,Isospeed Baseline/OGSM, and Tornado/OGSM are jsut a few that i've gotten to try the past two months and the spin and pop are just incredible. My favorite so far is BM and BHBR/OGSM, but I still really want to try BHBR in a full bed on my rebels.

To be honest, I'm probably just going to start my own string quest soon with a thread included. lol. I'm probably going to use one stick to review full beds of budget synth guts and multis. The other to try out hybrids and polys... I stil lfeel bad about using poly, but I can't argue with the results i've had....

AHH HELP lol

fortun8son · 04-13-2012, 01:26 AM

A new thread is a good idea.

corbind · 04-13-2012, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fortun8son

A new thread is a good idea.

On page 3 I felt the same so I fully agree with Mr. fortun8son.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sansaephanh

I really didn't want to start a new thread, so I hope you guys don't mind me asking a few questions here.

Post 157 and 190 are nice posts but should be separate threads to get the proper exposure to elicit proper responses.

rst · 04-14-2012, 10:35 PM

i wonder if anyone would have found the "best" either.......
do you really wonder that?

persoal bests may have been found.

fortun8son · 04-15-2012, 02:07 PM

I had forgotten about this thread. It may help the perplexed as well.http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=184942

sansaephanh · 04-15-2012, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fortun8son

I had forgotten about this thread. It may help the perplexed as well.http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=184942

That's also posted on the first page in the thread.

I saw a USTA coach the oother day and he rated me a 4.0 just from playing an endless game with some lower level buddies. It's basically a set that never ends lol.

So,
I've been thinking about thoroughly testing and reviewing strings, but I don't want to shell out the cash lol. So far I can write reviews on a few poly's synthetics and multis. I'll probably start my own thread soon and start off by reviewing the bhbr/ogsm17 hybrid, full beds of forten sweet 17 and 16, and a full bed of bhbr. If i can get my hands on some Black Magic I might try that too.

So look out! I'm gonna try to get my camera running as well or use a acquaintance's HD camera. I'm Probably going to focus on budget synthetics in the beginning to get them out of the way.

fortun8son · 04-15-2012, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sansaephanh

That's also posted on the first page in the thread.

I guess I missed that.

thebuffman · 04-15-2012, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alidisperanza

Oldie but a goodie http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showt...ighlight=jolly

when i first started playing, this thread was a godsend! thanks for bringing back memories.

rst · 04-16-2012, 09:16 PM

(other stuff equal) which type of string will generally retain its newness-characteristics the longest (ie the most use)???

fortun8son · 04-16-2012, 10:07 PM

Natural Gut, unless you break poly in 2 hours.

BigT · 04-19-2012, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kunzzy

Hi BigT, I have been reading this post and I believe I learnt a lot.

Just a quick question, will the tension of strings affect the amount of spin to the ball?

Before polys, the notion was that tighter tensions produce more spin.

Since polys, many have commented on as much spin or more with lower tensions.

Many variables, such as swing speed and which type of poly (round or shaped), will give different results to each player.

04-11-2012, 08:26 PM	#181
BigT Professional Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1,211	Mains are Mains, Crosses are Complementary Many here ask as to the function of mains and crosses. I feel that mains are called 'mains' because they are the dominant strings when hitting a ball, because of the direction of the racquet face. Crosses complement the mains. If I were to put a ratio for the average all-court tennis player, I would say: 75% is the effect of the mains, 25% is the crosses. For someone who plays more doubles or serves/volleys often, 70/30%. For a baseliner, 80/20%. I bring this up as someone who is always looking for the best price/performance string set-ups for me and my customers. Which is why I don't understand when I see people using Lux, gut or other high priced strings as crosses. If cost is not an issue, that's one thing. But being that the crosses are there to complement, at best 30% of the feel of the stringbed, I feel that it is not necessary. So a player has to decide what his style of play is and what his priorities are on the court. __________________ (4) Head Microgel Extreme MP 325g unstrung Babolat Star 2 PRO'S PRO STRINGS-Exclusive Distributor in U.S. and Canada

04-11-2012, 08:34 PM	#182
fortun8son Hall Of Fame Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: The Desert Posts: 3,008	That's why I scratch my head when I see a post of someone using, say, RPM/VS. What a waste of a good cow! __________________ Neos 1000, Eagnas Combo 810 Member USRSA

04-12-2012, 12:26 AM	#185
Racquet-Priority Rookie Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: the Netherlands Posts: 168	30% of the stringbed, and it's not neccessary? That's just insane. Think about how much 30% is? Try to increase or decrease your tension with that amount and you see how much it is. It's the difference on a frame of 300 and 390 grams. I think it's even 50-50 when it comes to feel. __________________ Running a pro shop in Holland. Prince Tuning Center - Babolat Star 5

04-12-2012, 01:25 AM	#187
fortun8son Hall Of Fame Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: The Desert Posts: 3,008	For a flat-hitter, why not go with fullbed? As you say, there are some good, cheaper nattys. I just got some Mamba Supra. __________________ Neos 1000, Eagnas Combo 810 Member USRSA

04-12-2012, 10:48 PM	#190
sansaephanh Professional Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Oakland Posts: 1,119	Sorry to take you guys off track again, but i just played with a head speedMP with full BM. Just cause I forgot my racket and the guy let me borrow it. It was freshly strung and he let me hit with it! What a nice guy right? Quick review: Felt a gram more sluggish next to my rebels, but the playability is about the same. Extremely stiff racket IMO, but the control and power are there even when taking big cuts or on defensive shots. I had a few issues with volleys, but I couldn't quite find the sweet spot for my volleys anyways. This racket is the first open pattern that I truly enjoyed playing after adapting to it. Probably because of how similar it felt (weight ad balance wise) to my rebels. I could really accelerate through the ball and drive it with control, while still having the feel and weight to really stroke the balls onto the lines. Noticeable spin difference between rackets and almost zero trampoline effect. It might have been the fresh BM though. Anyways, It felt stiff at first, but that was more because I was really tense and not warmed up properly, but after i started dialing in my strokes I kind of fell in love with the easy power and spin. It started feeling more and more comfortable as I got my groove and footwork down. I was blasting balls anywhere I wanted. This is coming from a guy who tried to swear off poly's AND open string patterns. I'm in such a state of confusion. My stringer says I'm most definitely good enough to reap the benefits of poly (and I'm starting to believe it), but I can't believe what a difference poly made in the pure playability of my game. I just believe I need the fitness to up my tennis game to the next level. I hate this fence. One side says poly is the best thing that happened to my game since I learned how to string. The other says that the same playability can be found elsewhere in cheaper strings for my type of game. I'm rambling a bit because I'm exhausted, but this honeymoon phase has given me more winners and better placement then I ever had with full synth or multi. BHBR/OGSM, BM,Isospeed Baseline/OGSM, and Tornado/OGSM are jsut a few that i've gotten to try the past two months and the spin and pop are just incredible. My favorite so far is BM and BHBR/OGSM, but I still really want to try BHBR in a full bed on my rebels. To be honest, I'm probably just going to start my own string quest soon with a thread included. lol. I'm probably going to use one stick to review full beds of budget synth guts and multis. The other to try out hybrids and polys... I stil lfeel bad about using poly, but I can't argue with the results i've had.... AHH HELP lol __________________ Newest entry into the Racketholic Anonymous. July 11th, 2012 :) Classified: We can't list the names of all the rackets we own in our signature. Lol