The Church of Polystringism-- Alidisperanza's PT Thread

[alidisperanza]

Frame: YouTek Prestige Pro
String: Still In Black Select 1.30
Tension: 48



The string is actually a navy blue

Yet another playtest from the generous people over at StringForum. Jens felt that I'd be better off with the 1.30 to test the durability of the string but it also comes in 1.25. This new line consists of:

Select 1.25 1.30: a co-poly focusing on "power, ball control, durability, spin potential and tension maintenance."

Booster 1.25 1.30: a copoly focusing on a "perfect balance between elasticity and stiffness. Offering a lot of Power and control while providing comfort. Wear resistant"

Resistretch 1.20 1.25 1.30 1.35: a copoly focusing on "comfort due to elasticity, octagonal profile, and power in and arm friendly feel."

Reacturn:1.20 1.25 1.30 A copoly focussing on "exceptional access to spin due to a twisted octagonal profile"


Stringing:
While the packaging is awesome (it's a mini-reel) I also HATE it. It supercoils the string, which if you choose to pull it apart instead of unwinding it, explodes all over the place in a horrific nest of vipers. The propensity for coiling on this string is UNREAL. It gets stuck on, turns, and twists at every chance. The closest I could compare it to is those stupid Babolat packages of PHT where it took you longer to unravel the string than to string the mains. Aside from that wicked, wicked, characteristic, the string is perfectly normal and easy to work with.



First impression:
I finally had a chance to hit with this stuff after my match tonight for a good 15-20 mins. It's what I'd like to refer to as a 60% poly. Control oriented with very slightly above average power for a control string. By this reference, I'm thinking silverstring; It does everything fairly well but slightly better than a string that would just be another meh poly. (Note: silverstring is in a class of it's own because it does everything at that "decent" level for a looong time). I found topspin to be much more effective/ better feeling than flat strokes. The ability to hit a penetrating ball is there as well as the ability to loop the ball high and deep in the court. My hitting partner happens to be a veritable backboard so that didn't really bother him too much but it was nice to have the ability to change up strokes. Overall, I'd say the strings play a bit on the stiff side. Since this frame sat around for almost 2 weeks I'm sure the strings "settled" but I'd still like to see them loosen up a bit more with some hitting. If not, I would have definitely strung a lb or two looser to bring it closer to my preferred B7 comfort level. For a string that plays this stiff, I'd expect a bit more spin...we'll see how it progresses. Interestingly enough, volleys benefit from this stiffness; they are pretty sharp and responsive.


Groundies:
I think my first impressions were pretty on-target. The string plays very stiff yet doesn't do anything fantastic which drops it to the "mediocre" poly category for me. For a string this stiff (even at 4, I expect a lot more in either energy return or the spin department. I don't see either. At first the string does what you want it to fairly well. If you relax and hit your shots appropriately you can get a variation of topspin but nothing is "free" here. The spin comes from the technique, and not from any inherent properties of the string itself. After getting used to playing with B7, the feel of this string is just pah. Jarring and uncomfortable would be the two terms I'd use towards the end of the play. In my last playtest, I had fresh and dead-->pop beds of B7 to compare it to and hands down the B7 won. Frankly, I feel a bit sore hitting with this stuff.

Serving:
Again, "meh" is a good term to use. No freebies here although I was able to hit one truly inexplicable slice serve. No clue where it came from but that sucker moved. Short of hitting the absolute perfect sweet spot, flat serves hurt my arm (I traditionally hit just above it). Spin serves also take on a sense of mediocrity. The lack of pop is also astounding and if you don't kick in the RHS, the ball will die into the net


Volleys:
The only category where I found this string to be above average. Snap volleys in place and the string reacts nicely. The stiffness lends a nice zip to shots and yet is dead enough to take something off if you need it.


Tension maintenance:
Not terrible. The string held up decently in terms of overall tension but the feel just took a dive. My first play was stiff but decent. Second play was already somewhat uncomfortable and the last was just downright cut-worthy.

Durability:Lil more than 6 hours? If this weren't a playtest, I would have cut it out much sooner. The feel is just not for me.

I'm really curious to see how much this string costs. It's not terrible for a budget poly but I'd be sorely tempted to laugh if it's a 12.00+ string. Perhaps it's just not for me but I really couldn't find anything special about this string. It simply didn't play to my strengths and was uncomfortable on my arm. For future tests, I'd drop the tension to 45-46 to try and mitigate some of the issues I came across.

Groundstrokes: 3.5/5
Serves:3.0/5
Volleys:4/5
Spin:3.5/5
Power:3.0/5
Comfort:3.0/5
Tension:4/5
Durability:4/5

[davedomart]

Alidi, how did you find out that still in black is a genesis string? I had no idea.

[alidisperanza]

Originally Posted by davedomart

Alidi, how did you find out that still in black is a genesis string? I had no idea.

Shipping label :P

[filphil]

The local stringer here just got that set of string too. There's not way that string is BLACK. In all areas of light, darkness, and everything in between it looked blue.

[alidisperanza]

Originally Posted by filphil

The local stringer here just got that set of string too. There's not way that string is BLACK. In all areas of light, darkness, and everything in between it looked blue.

I did mention that right under the picture, I think.

[filphil]

Yeah. I saw you mention it. Some people will think that you're crazy though. Just sharing the experience.

[sansaephanh]

its black because it leaves a black, bottomless void in your opponents heart after you've beaten them with a blue sting thats suppsoed to be black.

Other then me being an idiot,

Nice thread and keep up the good work!

[alidisperanza]

Thanks! I'll have a M2 Pro post up soon too. I have 5 frames with 5 different strings, now I just need to find some time to get on the courts!

I should be hitting @ around 12:00 today so at least some catchup will be done

[alidisperanza]

First impressions for Cyclone up. Stringing M2 now


I also have a question for those of you following: How do you feel about using a stiffer poly on the mains and a softer one on the crosses in a hybrid?

My reason being, I used to play with Pro Hurricane Tour/ Pro Line II @ 62 in my LM Rad Mids and I loved it. The control I got off the stringbed was fantastic. Needless to say, it destroyed my wrist but at the time it was great. Some time ago, I did something similar by accident when I strung my first "JET" method frame with Tourbite/ PL II Black. L-tec did a similar thing with the 0s/4s hybrid in that the mains exhibit an extreme hardness while the crosses are noticeably softer. Does using this stiff/hard with softer crosses pose any merit? I'm thinking of crossing some Iontec with PLII to try it out in hopes of replicating the feel

[alidisperanza]

HUGE review:
Big Hitter Black 7


Edit: Hit with M2 Pro for 5 mins tonight. Me likey. Needs more hitting but it's nice. Comfy and not too much power. Great spin. Cyclone continues to be a dead-ish spin string.

[alidisperanza]

Frame: YouTek Prestige Pro
String: Luxilon M2 Pro
Tension: 48

Please read tension maintenance section first. I feel like something went wrong here...

Stringing:
An ease and breeze to string. The string is fairly soft in the hands and slilghtly slippery for weaves.

Groundies:
Note: The initial and final feel of this frame is drastically different. My first hit, which lasted a whole of 10 minutes was really great with this string. I found power, spin, and a pretty pleasant string bed. Whatever I needed, the string was able to provide. I was immensely happy with my purchase and ready to give Luxilon premium another shot.

After: I'm not entirely sure what happened (see below in tension) but the string bed just plain deteriorated. I went from being able to hit a full range of shots to only being able to effectively hit flat. Whether the ball was moving fast or slow, I could not figure out how to keep the ball in with nice, heavy, spin. It was as if I picked up 2 different frames from my first play to my next. hitting the ball flat was perfectly fine but dear God I was hitting the fence with my normal topspin forehand.

Serving:
First play there was control and penetration to my serves, by the last I didn't even bother. The power factor of the stringbed was off the charts and it felt like a wet noodle.


Volleys:
Nice and responsive-- extra pocketing all around. Strangely enough, I was able to hit some decent drop shots with this stuff. Pretty straight forward and average otherwise.

Tension maintenance:
Dear GOD I don't know what happened here. I'm afraid to just chalk it up to the Luxilon tradition but its a possibility. The first play that I had, which was very brief, was a great hit. The strings did what I wanted them to with flourish. In between my first decent 10 minutes and the next occasion, there was a little bit of mini-tennis (teaching a student) and some hot-car action. Furthermore, the temperature on the courts for the past week have easily been over 100. I'm hoping that these "contributing factors" are the "dominant factors" in the death of this string because by the time I really got to hit with the string it was a sloppy loose cannon. Furthermore, it actually started to hurt my arm...Big no-no especially strung at 48#

I continued to play with it despite but am going to reserve "accurate" judgement until I can string this stuff up again. This run was an epic failure.


Durability:
Not great, with less than 3 hours of messing around and maybe 1.5 hours of decent hitting this stuff is already notched and on it's way to popping. In playing conditions I give it ~4 hours max.


Groundstrokes: /5
Serves:
Volleys:
Spin:
Power:
Comfort:
Tension:
Durability:

[Up&comer]

M2 had horrible tension maintenance when I tried it.

[alidisperanza]

Originally Posted by Up&comer

M2 had horrible tension maintenance when I tried it.

Blegh... I'll give it another shot possibly crossing it with something a little more stable.


First impression Still in Black:
I finally had a chance to hit with this stuff after my match tonight for a good 15-20 mins. It's what I'd like to refer to as a 60% poly. Control oriented with very slightly above average power for a control string. By this reference, I'm thinking silverstring; It does everything fairly well but slightly better than a string that would just be another meh poly. (Note: silverstring is in a class of it's own because it does everything at that "decent" level for a looong time). I found topspin to be much more effective/ better feeling than flat strokes. The ability to hit a penetrating ball is there as well as the ability to loop the ball high and deep in the court. My hitting partner happens to be a veritable backboard so that didn't really bother him too much but it was nice to have the ability to change up strokes. Overall, I'd say the strings play a bit on the stiff side. Since this frame sat around for almost 2 weeks I'm sure the strings "settled" but I'd still like to see them loosen up a bit more with some hitting. If not, I would have definitely strung a lb or two looser to bring it closer to my preferred B7 comfort level. For a string that plays this stiff, I'd expect a bit more spin...we'll see how it progresses. Interestingly enough, volleys benefit from this stiffness; they are pretty sharp and responsive.

[ricki]

Hmm it happened to me with ALU power - I strung it and didnt touch it for a week, then we went to courts and I played magic for 2 hours (casual game - fun). Then it stayed 2 days in my bag and when I played again, all my topspin forehands went too high and too long, with backhand it was same IDK what it was?

[alidisperanza]

Originally Posted by ricki

Hmm it happened to me with ALU power - I strung it and didnt touch it for a week, then we went to courts and I played magic for 2 hours (casual game - fun). Then it stayed 2 days in my bag and when I played again, all my topspin forehands went too high and too long, with backhand it was same IDK what it was?

From what I remember, the Alus has that general tendency. For the first few hours it plays very well and then the properties change enough for it to be noticeable. I'm really hoping this trend doesn't stick with M2.

[alidisperanza]

Finished up the Still in Black. See below or up top.

Groundies:
I think my first impressions were pretty on-target. The string plays very stiff yet doesn't do anything fantastic which drops it to the "mediocre" poly category for me. For a string this stiff (even at 4, I expect a lot more in either energy return or the spin department. I don't see either. At first the string does what you want it to fairly well. If you relax and hit your shots appropriately you can get a variation of topspin but nothing is "free" here. The spin comes from the technique, and not from any inherent properties of the string itself. After getting used to playing with B7, the feel of this string is just pah. Jarring and uncomfortable would be the two terms I'd use towards the end of the play. In my last playtest, I had fresh and dead-->pop beds of B7 to compare it to and hands down the B7 won. Frankly, I feel a bit sore hitting with this stuff.

Serving:
Again, "meh" is a good term to use. No freebies here although I was able to hit one truly inexplicable slice serve. No clue where it came from but that sucker moved. Short of hitting the absolute perfect sweet spot, flat serves hurt my arm (I traditionally hit just above it). Spin serves also take on a sense of mediocrity. The lack of pop is also astounding and if you don't kick in the RHS, the ball will die into the net


Volleys:
The only category where I found this string to be above average. Snap volleys in place and the string reacts nicely. The stiffness lends a nice zip to shots and yet is dead enough to take something off if you need it.


Tension maintenance:
Not terrible. The string held up decently in terms of overall tension but the feel just took a dive. My first play was stiff but decent. Second play was already somewhat uncomfortable and the last was just downright cut-worthy.

Durability:Lil more than 6 hours? If this weren't a playtest, I would have cut it out much sooner. The feel is just not for me.

I'm really curious to see how much this string costs. It's not terrible for a budget poly but I'd be sorely tempted to laugh if it's a 12.00+ string. Perhaps it's just not for me but I really couldn't find anything special about this string. It simply didn't play to my strengths and was uncomfortable on my arm. For future tests, I'd drop the tension to 45-46 to try and mitigate some of the issues I came across.

Groundstrokes: 3.5/5
Serves:3.0/5
Volleys:4/5
Spin:3.5/5
Power:3.0/5
Comfort:3.0/5
Tension:4/5
Durability:4/5

[alidisperanza]

Frame: YouTek Radical Pro
String: Discho Iontec Black 1.25/Kirschbaum Synthetic Gut 1.30
Tension: 49/51

Finished my playtest, review to come.

Stringing:
Cake Cake Cake. KBS is just limp enough to weave like a champ but can push through blocked holes with ease. I'm really starting to like this purchase...If my customers like it as well, I may have to buy another reel.

Ground Strokes:

Ok, wow, I'm really impressed by this string's neutrality; yes, I know that's a paradox. What I mean to say is that while this string doesn't provide huge spin, doesn't really do anything crazy special, it's comfortable and decently powerful. To quote PvAudio's review of Isospeed Baseline/OGSM, you get what you put in here. Power is good and can even get a touch uncontrollable if you're not careful. I would call this setup a budget hitting combo. It cost me all of 4 dollars and lasted ~4 hours. A friend of mine even hit with it once it was borderline popping/ starting to move around and was surprised with how soft the string bed was.

Serves:
Honestly, I like it. I'm not able to get those silly 6+ foot kickers that spin off but I can do quite a bit with it. Flat serves are powerful if you can control them and there's enough spin to hit slices and kick serves.

Volleys:
One word, great. The softness of the stringbed gives you a really nice response whether you want to punch into a slow volley or use the incoming speed to redirect it. It's not amazing, but for the price, it's amazing haha.
Serves:

Durability/Tension Maintenance:
4 hours, pretty consistent. Iontec is just iontec. It does it's job and the softness of the KBS complements the ItB very nicely and doesn't bite through the poly like OGSM did-- that was a disaster haha. The slight feeling I didn't like at first disappears when crossed with KBS.

Overall, I'm really impressed. This is a great off-season string for me to practice with because it forces me to work on my technique and racquet head speed to get the shots that I want. There are no freebies like with Black 7. The beautiful part is I don't feel bad in the least stringing it, replacing it, and playing it to death.

Groundstrokes: 3.5-4/5
Serves:4/5 Plus in flat, minus in spin, overall decent and comfortable above all else
Volleys:4/5 Soft, versatile.
Spin:3.5/5
Power:4.0/5
Comfort:4.5/5
Tension:4/5
Durability:3.5/5 Some heavy topspin hitting will eat the crosses like pudding. Otherwise, not bad.

[alidisperanza]

Frame: YouTek Radical Pro
String: Wilson Sensation Control 16
Tension: 52



Stringing:
Great string for a multi-- fairly easy to work with. It doesn't have the limper gummy feeling of regular sensation and is closer to a synthetic gut. The only slight issue I found was that it has a distinct propensity to ball up and nest when pulling the crosses. You need to watch out and make sure that your line is clear as you pull it through.

Ground Strokes:
Coming from someone who dislikes multi, I was not dissappointed. It's a low powered string with a softer feel. Fortunately for Wilson, the string does live up to it's name and there is a great measure of court sense when hitting the ball. While I do acknowledge the aforementioned, I must qualify it; I found a lot more control when hitting the ball fairly flat-- I had difficulty dialing in the spin because the strings simply does not grip the way poly does. Normally my launch angle is fairly high and the spin brings the ball back down-- at the offset, I was hitting the ball consistently 2-3 feet out. Having said that, with a bit of adjustment and better footwork, I was satisfied with the jump on the ball. Interestingly enough, it was decidedly more than Poly/Multi. As a feel measure, I can't really complain. While it's definitely different than poly, there's a sense of pocketing and absorption that I haven't noticed when playing earlier multis. I'm going to attribute this to the fact that I've always strung multi much higher in the past than in this instance. As mentioned before though, the biggest strength is hitting flat.

Having said that, I had some wicked fun hitting slices with this string. The lower power lets me float the ball over the net-- something I can't do with poly.


Serves:

Never got the chance to try

Volleys:
Hit a few and it was as expected. The string plays pretty soft and the pocketing is great although the low power level makes it difficult to stick volleys. You really need to anticipate the ball and punch through the shot instead of just blocking the ball back in a different direction.

Durability/Tension Maintenance:
Exactly 1hr and 02min. I stepped on court at 6:30, it popped at 7:32. My only concession here is I spent a good 15-20 minutes hitting nothing but cross court heavy topspin forehands and it shows. The orange half of the frame is barely fuzzy.

Another MONSTER pet peeve. The strings move...Holy Sweet Jesus do the strings move...


Overall I can't say this was a bad experience. I didn't mind playing with the multi at all and it definitely gave my body a break playing a forgiving bed. I would suggest this string to those that are looking for something slightly stiffer multi that won't break the bank. Unfortunately, it's simply not for me. Even if it were only $5.00 a set, I can't deal with popping frames in an hour.

Groundstrokes: 3.5-4/5 Flat favored
Serves:N/A
Volleys:4/5 Soft, low powered
Spin:3.5/5
Power: 3.0/5 (not necessarily bad, just not there)
Comfort:4.5-5/5
Tension:N/A
Durability:3.0/5

[mikeler]

^^^ Sensational review!

[alidisperanza]

Nice one!

10sticks