Mikeler's Multis

[commish00]

I've settled on Microfibre as my string of choice, however, I broke strings in one of my two racquets today and don't relish the thought of playing matches with just one racquet strung up with microfibre with about 10 sets on it. I have another racquet and more microfibre on the way, however, shipment won't likely arrive until late week.

I have a buddy who has some Prince Attack he can string up for me. I know from Micklers list that he thinks highly of the string on a cost/playability basis.

My question, is the Attack anything at all similiar in feel/power/durability, etc to the microfibre. I prefer a rather muted feeling strings that pocket the ball well and is mediam to low in power. I just hate the thought of throwing just anything in there as a fail safe just to rip it out when my other strings and racquet arrive. My only other choices are strings like RIP control and prince lightning which I don't think play anything at all like my current set-up.

If the strings aren't similiar I guess I'll take my chances and hold out until my shipment arrives later in the week. I'll just play with a lucky rabbits foot in my pocket and pray my current strings hold out.

Thanks for any input guys.

[Ramon]

Originally Posted by commish00

I've settled on Microfibre as my string of choice, however, I broke strings in one of my two racquets today and don't relish the thought of playing matches with just one racquet strung up with microfibre with about 10 sets on it. I have another racquet and more microfibre on the way, however, shipment won't likely arrive until late week.

I have a buddy who has some Prince Attack he can string up for me. I know from Micklers list that he thinks highly of the string on a cost/playability basis.

My question, is the Attack anything at all similiar in feel/power/durability, etc to the microfibre. I prefer a rather muted feeling strings that pocket the ball well and is mediam to low in power. I just hate the thought of throwing just anything in there as a fail safe just to rip it out when my other strings and racquet arrive. My only other choices are strings like RIP control and prince lightning which I don't think play anything at all like my current set-up.

If the strings aren't similiar I guess I'll take my chances and hold out until my shipment arrives later in the week. I'll just play with a lucky rabbits foot in my pocket and pray my current strings hold out.

Thanks for any input guys.

I like both Discho Microfibre and Prince Premier Attack. Out of all your choices, I think trying out PPA is your best option. You might even like it better, and it definitely plays closer to Microfibre than RIP Control and Prince Lightning. As for the differences, I compared them on post #3636.

I will also add that DM and PPA age differently. DM seems to lose a little bit of its bite and gets a little mushy. PPA stiffens up a bit, so it maintains its bite but gets a little more uncomfortable. For me, it's about 8-10 hours before I notice these differences, and most multis will break on me before that.

Give PPA at least 24 hours to settle (preferably 48 hrs) before playing a match with it. The strings won't move as much and you'll get better bite on the ball.

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by nirianto

@mikeler, since you have done extensive playtesting using the PK7G, is there any other poly/multi setups that you would recommend aside from the B5E/Thunderblast? I currently play with the PK5G and found the B5E/Thunderblast 52/56 setup works the best. I ran out of Thunderblast and only have the following multi strings: TNT2, X-1, Microfibre. I have OGSM 17 also.

That's funny, 52/56 is what I used in the 7G. I'd go with the Microfibre as a cross just like U&C recommended.

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by commish00

I've settled on Microfibre as my string of choice, however, I broke strings in one of my two racquets today and don't relish the thought of playing matches with just one racquet strung up with microfibre with about 10 sets on it. I have another racquet and more microfibre on the way, however, shipment won't likely arrive until late week.

I have a buddy who has some Prince Attack he can string up for me. I know from Micklers list that he thinks highly of the string on a cost/playability basis.

My question, is the Attack anything at all similiar in feel/power/durability, etc to the microfibre. I prefer a rather muted feeling strings that pocket the ball well and is mediam to low in power. I just hate the thought of throwing just anything in there as a fail safe just to rip it out when my other strings and racquet arrive. My only other choices are strings like RIP control and prince lightning which I don't think play anything at all like my current set-up.

If the strings aren't similiar I guess I'll take my chances and hold out until my shipment arrives later in the week. I'll just play with a lucky rabbits foot in my pocket and pray my current strings hold out.

Thanks for any input guys.

Read Ramon's post where he compared the two. They are similar enough and both play very well at least for me. I need to bug Ray about Microfibre reels again!

[mikeler]

Got in a lot of tennis this weekend. Played 1 set of singles with Big Fantum. Won a close set but at the end was feeling like it was getting springy. Lost the next 2 games after blowing a few forehands 10 feet past the baseline. Picked up the Acura Control and used that for the rest of the set. Then I played a set of dubs with the Acura after that followed by half a set of singles with another player.

I'm glad I kept testing the Acura, I think I was just rusty the first time out with it. Definitely played better with it versus Big Fantum. I have not tried very many 17g multis but I think I may even like this one better than the 17g Microfibre. It does look pretty beat up and I don't think it will hold much longer.

I tested the tension loss of both strings today. The Acura was around 15%. The big surprise was the Big Fantum, I thought that would be very low. It only dropped 9% down to 58 pounds. This string is probably just too powerful for me so I may cut it out and keep going lower on Discho Microfibre. My last Micro job was at 57# and I liked it better at that tension. I may drop down to 54# just to get that dialed in for the long term (hint hint: thread will go to sleep for awhile)

[commish00]

Thanks for the replies Ramon and mikeler. I read your post as suggested Ramon and it was helpful. I'll give it a go. Thanks guys.

[mikeler]

The Fantum has disappeared into trash can. I'll probably write a full review today or tomorrow.

I put in DM at 54 pounds. Feels like it will have a lot of pop. Let's hope it is not too much on groundies.

[mikeler]

OK, here is my review in the TW format of the WeissCANNON Big Fantum 16.

Stringing: I followed the recommendation to string the Fantum 5% higher so I did it at 63. It's a fairly thick multi with a textured coating which made pulling crosses slightly more difficult but nothing too bad.

Tension it is strung: 63 pounds on a lockout machine full bed
Your regular string set up: Discho Microfibre 16 @ 57#
Racket: Pro Kennex 7G (this is different than the others tested in the Babolat PST+)
String pattern of your racquet: 16 x 20
Power (or lack there of): Medium/High powered multi
Feel: Good
Tension maintenance: Only 9.2% loss until I cut it out
Price: $12.90/set
Overall comments and feedback: See below

General: I had high hopes for this string and it was good but not great.

Serve/Return of Serve: Serves were the best part of this string. The extra pop was nice on 1st serves and the extra spin due to the textured coating was great on 2nd serves.

Strokes: Spin was good but control was lacking some due to the extra pop. Slices were about average.

Volleys: Average, wish I had more to say!

Touch shots: Drop shots were mostly good. A few sailed a little long for me.

Softness: Even at 63 pounds, this one is definitely good for sore arms like mine right now.

Tension: If I had to try it again, I might up the tension to 65. It did not lose much tension but it seems like once it dropped below 60 pounds, I could not control the ball any longer. After 2 straight games of hitting a few balls close to the back fence, I had to end the playtest.

Durability: I got about 5 sets of singles on it before I cut it out. It is fairly thick so I think it would have stayed intact quite a bit longer.

Movement: String movement was about average for a multi. It really stayed locked in place well at first.

Conclusion: For those wanting some more power and a spinnier multi, this is a string worth considering. For me, the extra pop was unwelcome once I was engaged in a rally.

[rios76]

Hallo Mikeler,
what do you think about Tecnifibre TGV?

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by rios76

Hallo Mikeler,
what do you think about Tecnifibre TGV?

All my string reviews can be found in post #1 of this thread. I have not playtested that string yet and probably won't. I've tried enough Tecnifibre strings now to know that they are good but overpriced.

[commish00]

Has anyone used the Thunderstring synthetic gut? I've used some of the Mamba strings to include microfibre and Iontec and thought they were topnotch. Haven't heard any talk about this string. Just curious.

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by commish00

Has anyone used the Thunderstring synthetic gut? I've used some of the Mamba strings to include microfibre and Iontec and thought they were topnotch. Haven't heard any talk about this string. Just curious.

I have not used a synthetic gut in years.

[chaddles]

I have fallen in love with X-One Biphase 17 - it has all the spin I could ask for and it doesn't seem to move around as quickly as most other multi's. I also really like Power Fiber II but it seemed to move around a hell of a lot - even for a multi. That is about the extent of my multi experience, and I want to use a full bed. Price is usually not a drama since I work in a pro shop, but even the Tecnifibre in Australia at wholesale is very expensive - it retails at $39 or so a set.

Have you came across anything else that compares to the X-One in terms of playibility. I am about to give NXT Tour 17 a crack, and I thought I'd see if u had any other suggestions.

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by chaddles

I have fallen in love with X-One Biphase 17 - it has all the spin I could ask for and it doesn't seem to move around as quickly as most other multi's. I also really like Power Fiber II but it seemed to move around a hell of a lot - even for a multi. That is about the extent of my multi experience, and I want to use a full bed. Price is usually not a drama since I work in a pro shop, but even the Tecnifibre in Australia at wholesale is very expensive - it retails at $39 or so a set.

Have you came across anything else that compares to the X-One in terms of playibility. I am about to give NXT Tour 17 a crack, and I thought I'd see if u had any other suggestions.

My problem with X1 is the tension loss. If I had to choose 1 multi for 1 match, it would be Biphase. After it loses tension, the string becomes uncontrollable. Looks at post #1 of this thread for my latest string rankings.

[mikeler]

After about a solid 4 days of heavy rain, I finally got to test out the Discho Microfibre (DM) this morning at 54 pounds. The courts were wet and conditions were heavy but I've played in worse. That's really the perfect setting for a low tension setup. I have to say, I may go even lower with this string. I'm getting more pop on my serve but I was not losing control on my ground strokes. I played a set and a half of dubs with the Acura Control and my arm was getting tired from the additional work I had to do, so I switched back to DM 54# and it was such a big help.

Our friend Centered has challenged me in another thread to try a Zyex based string. Apparently he does read my anecdotal testing in addition to scouring raw data (yet never questioning the methodology to obtain the data). So I may try some Ashaway Dynamite 16. Drakulie tried it and broke it fairly quickly, so I'm not expecting much out of it.

[mikeler]

The Discho Acura Control was hanging on by a thread after I played today. It is another string that wears down on the crosses. The outer coating came off at a few places like MCS. When cutting it out, I did not even have to squeeze the scissors. Once the first blade hit the cross it snapped, so I don't think it had much life left. Full review to come.

I continued my tension reduction experiment with DM and strung it up at 50#. It is interesting that the racket I strung up at 54 is only 0.7 pounds less than the one I strung up at 57. Of course, the 54 only has 2 sets on it versus about 8 for the 57.

[mikeler]

OK, here is my review in the TW format of the Discho Acura Control 17. It was fairly easy to string and looks exactly like Klip Venom.

Tension it is strung: 60 pounds on a lockout machine full bed
Your regular string set up: Discho Microfibre 16
Racket: Pro Kennex 7G (this is different than the others tested in the Babolat PST+)
String pattern of your racquet: 16 x 20
Power (or lack there of): Medium powered multi
Feel: Above Average
Tension maintenance: According to RacquetTune, it came off the stringer at 65.1 pounds and ended up at 53.8 pounds before I cut it out.
Price: $7.99/set
Overall comments and feedback: See below

General: This string reminds me quite a bit of Klip Venom and it looks like it too. Perhaps it is Klip Venom, but it feels different (better) in the 17g if that is the case.

Serve/Return of Serve: Serves were about average. I did like this string for returns. It just seemed to give me some confidence to go for it more.

Strokes: Spin was probably slightly below average but the control was so good, it did not bother me much. It just had a nice predictable response on shots.

Volleys: Volleys are pretty good with this string. Usually these softer multis don't shine at net but this one was better than most soft strings up there.

Touch shots: This is pretty good for touch shots. Seemed like the drop shot was working well most days I used this string.

Softness: A top 10 multi for softness. Very comfy for my tender elbow.

Tension: Seemed pretty good at 60 pounds.

Durability: I think I got 6 sets of singles and 4 sets of doubles with this. That is pretty good for a 17g multi. I ended up cutting the string out because a few crosses had lost their outer coating and breakage appeared to be imminent. It turns out that just putting one of the scissor blades on the string with very light pressure was enough to snap it.

Movement: String movement was normal for a multi meaning it moves a decent amount.

Conclusion: This is a very nice offering for the price and is my favorite 17g multi to date. I'm still a 16g kind of guy, but for those who prefer 17g this one may be worth a look.

[mikeler]

Starting to feel like I'm talking to myself in this thread now. Hmm, need to get eggs and bread on the way home...

[Fuji]

For the comfort on it, would you describe it as more plush/pocketing/forgiving or solid with comfort?

-Fuji

[Up&comer]

Originally Posted by mikeler

Starting to feel like I'm talking to myself in this thread now. Hmm, need to get eggs and bread on the way home...

Ha. Have you seen my thread lately?