Ashaway 100% Zyex monofilament

[Lakers4Life]

Two other strings that are made with Zyex, Wilson NXT Max and Gamma Livewire XP.

I've only strung the MG ZX, I have yet to try it for myself. I'm hoping to get a few sets for personal use, once my client submits his review to Ashaway. Sure I can always buy it, but FREE is always nice.

[corners]

Originally Posted by RD 7

This is a good point Corners. I'm above my pay-grade here, but what about comparing the medium tension /fast swing tension loss of Revenge (19.2 lbs) to ZXM (24 lbs). Polys lose a ton of tension, but remain stiff in the lab. I'm not sure what the implications of this are. What struck me when stringing it was the elongation. For me this thing stretched as much as Gamma Professional - way more than most polys I've strung (save perhaps TBHB7). I'm intrigued by MZX.

Yeah, the Zyex has low static stiffness, so it elongates a lot when tensioned slowly. But that low stiffness also means it doesn't stiffen up in dynamic situations, like when struck with a ball or hammer. Polys are stiff to begin with, are stiff after tensioning and get even stiffer during impact.

But what I meant with the Zyex vs. gut is that the zyex loses more tension than gut, so when tested it appears to be even less stiff than it is, because it ends up getting tested at a lower tension than a gut. Hopefully I'm explaining this right. Anyway, the point is that your chart made MZX look just as flexible as gut. Its not, but it's only a little stiffer than the chart has it. Rather than 105.7 it's more like 120. Syngut is around 200. Revenge is about 300. The new 17g version should be even less stiff.

Regarding tension loss, TW University tests show that MZX loses tension like a poly. But Ashaway claims it loses less tension than syngut. I don't think the TW University tests accurately reflect real-world tension loss. It seems extreme to me. But I don't know who to believe regarding MZX.

In the book Technical Tennis, the authors talk about how loose strings generating more power is overrated. They estimated that halving the stiffness of your strings nets you about 3 extra mph. Since dropping the tension of a syngut by 10 pounds only reduces stringbed stiffness by about 20%, you'd only get about 0.6 extra miles per hour, at the expense of some control. But gut is half as stiff as syngut, so if you can control a full bed of gut you'll get a nice 3 mph by switching from syngut to gut. And if you happen to switch from Revenge to gut you'll get a whopping 6 mph extra on your 1st serve. Sounds nice. MZX might get you 5 mph. So if it can be controlled it could be a great string.

I asked TW Chris about it today in the Q section and apparently he finds it too lively. I'm going to give it a go when the weather turns. I think it should work at the right tension.

[sstchur]

Originally Posted by Lakers4Life

Two other strings that are made with Zyex, Wilson NXT Max and Gamma Livewire XP.

I've only strung the MG ZX, I have yet to try it for myself. I'm hoping to get a few sets for personal use, once my client submits his review to Ashaway. Sure I can always buy it, but FREE is always nice.

Gamma Professional also has Zyex in it.

[Torres]

Sounds like this string might benefit from a pre-stretch.

[ricki]

Before I played with BBO and my forearm had no comments. Now I played 4x 1 hr seession in 4 days and my arm is on fire, pain in arm while wiping my .... But it could be with change of racket - now toying with Prince Ignite - great stick!!!

But playability wise it really feels like syn gut (crisp such as PSGDF) and doesnt move so much (mains do move a little).

More spin, durability and better slice than PSGDF.

[Automatix]

I've found no similarities to gut when I playtested this string.

[maxpotapov]

Originally Posted by Automatix

I've found no similarities to gut when I playtested this string.

What about differences with regular polyester?

[ricki]

Originally Posted by maxpotapov

What about differences with regular polyester?

Poly does not move.
Same stiffness - maybe monogut even stiffer.
Edit: I had the "beige-caramel" color monogut

[TW Staff]

Originally Posted by RD 7

This is a good point Corners. I'm above my pay-grade here, but what about comparing the medium tension /fast swing tension loss of Revenge (19.2 lbs) to ZXM (24 lbs). Polys lose a ton of tension, but remain stiff in the lab. I'm not sure what the implications of this are. What struck me when stringing it was the elongation. For me this thing stretched as much as Gamma Professional - way more than most polys I've strung (save perhaps TBHB7). I'm intrigued by MZX.

I tested an earlier prototype of ZX on the string basher down in Vista, CA (on the first version of the TW professor's machine). When pulled to 28KG it elongated 44 mm as compared to your average stiff poly 4-to-6 mm. Crazy. The elongation is closer to that found with a soft multi. But yes, nothing quite matches natty gut's low stiffness at higher tensions. I must say, as regards ZX, the stiffness value didn't change as much as you'd think over the course of the test. Despite how soft ZX tested in the lab and how comparable the installed stiffness may or may not be to N.G., the difference in feel and feedback between it and N.G. (both tactile and auditory) suggests that stiffness is not the whole story. Responses on the playtests I've conducted have been all over the board. Some people think it's remarkably soft and powerful, others not so much. The whole experience has left me wanting the professor to build a perception machine in the lab so we can figure out why their is so little agreement about this string.

Jon

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by TW Staff

I tested an earlier prototype of ZX on the string basher down in Vista, CA (on the first version of the TW professor's machine). When pulled to 28KG it elongated 44 mm as compared to your average stiff poly 4-to-6 mm. Crazy. The elongation is closer to that found with a soft multi. But yes, nothing quite matches natty gut's low stiffness at higher tensions. I must say, as regards ZX, the stiffness value didn't change as much as you'd think over the course of the test. Despite how soft ZX tested in the lab and how comparable the installed stiffness may or may not be to N.G., the difference in feel and feedback between it and N.G. (both tactile and auditory) suggests that stiffness is not the whole story. Responses on the playtests I've conducted have been all over the board. Some people think it's remarkably soft and powerful, others not so much. The whole experience has left me wanting the professor to build a perception machine in the lab so we can figure out why their is so little agreement about this string.

Jon

Put that Professor to work!

[PBODY99]

I have played ZYEX strings since TOA released their first green string that had problems with bonding agents and a several reels of the original Ashway braided string.
The first generation, similar to the 16G that is out now was the favorite of several Senior players I strung for in the 1990s as their back up racket for wet weather, and one switched to using it as a lower cost option once he retired.These men were flat hitters who did not break string using mid size frames. The 10% tension drop was what I used on the braided version.
The mono version is working fine for me crossed with a poly, the set up remains playable for far longer than any other string I have used. I drop the tension 20% the same as I do for polys.
The mono in a full bed isn't my cup of tea, as I feel that the Tough is better for my style,

[corners]

Originally Posted by ricki

Poly does not move.
Same stiffness - maybe monogut even stiffer.
Edit: I had the "beige-caramel" color monogut

Monogut ZX is less than half as stiff as copolys.

[corners]

Originally Posted by Torres

Sounds like this string might benefit from a pre-stretch.

Ashaway recommends ten second pulls.

[corners]

Originally Posted by Automatix

I've found no similarities to gut when I playtested this string.

Care to share how you did find it?

[corners]

Originally Posted by TW Staff

Responses on the playtests I've conducted have been all over the board. Some people think it's remarkably soft and powerful, others not so much. The whole experience has left me wanting the professor to build a perception machine in the lab so we can figure out why their is so little agreement about this string.

Jon

LOL. The USRSA playtesters were also very mixed in their judgements of this string. I guess we all have to find out about it for ourselves.

Although the stiffness numbers may not tell the whole story of this string, they do reveal the basic fact that MonogutZX is just a little stiffer than natural gut and therefore should, objectively, be nearly as easy on the arm.

[Automatix]

Originally Posted by corners

Care to share how you did find it?

Sure. Sorry, I don't really read this section often.

For me this string is nothing special. It felt softer to me than some of the stiffer polys like Signum Pro Tornado but it wasn't as comfy as multis I've used e.g. MCS, NRG2, TGV, X-One or soft polys, like Polyfibre Black Venom, for that matter.

To tell you the truth I wouldn't recommend it to players with arm problems.
And I really am stumped by this. I mean the data suggest it's close to gut... in my short experience with it, it's not... not by a country mile.

It didn't provide as much spin as polys or Head RIP Control.
It had controllable power and I had good sense of where the ball was going, no problem with depth or length.

The thing is I only tested it in a full bed and as such it didn't shine in any department for me. Maybe except the fact the strings didn't notch as much as multis. This made me wonder how it would work in a hybrid.

[corners]

Originally Posted by Automatix

Sure. Sorry, I don't really read this section often.

For me this string is nothing special. It felt softer to me than some of the stiffer polys like Signum Pro Tornado but it wasn't as comfy as multis I've used e.g. MCS, NRG2, TGV, X-One or soft polys, like Polyfibre Black Venom, for that matter.

To tell you the truth I wouldn't recommend it to players with arm problems.
And I really am stumped by this. I mean the data suggest it's close to gut... in my short experience with it, it's not... not by a country mile.

It didn't provide as much spin as polys or Head RIP Control.
It had controllable power and I had good sense of where the ball was going, no problem with depth or length.

The thing is I only tested it in a full bed and as such it didn't shine in any department for me. Maybe except the fact the strings didn't notch as much as multis. This made me wonder how it would work in a hybrid.

Hmm, what a strange string. Thanks for your report Automatix!

[corners]

Originally Posted by Torres

That's interesting. I wonder how well it holds tension.

Ashaway claims it holds tension better than syngut, which if true is pretty good. TWU's numbers, however, show it loses tension just like a copoly. But I think TWU's testing protocol for tension loss is extreme. I think we'll need some reports from people with ERTs or RacquetTune to find out how it does in the real world. Given how variable the reports about this string have been, I wouldn't put too much stock in purely subjective opinions about tension loss.

I have a set of the red now. Will probably string it up at some point.

Look forward to hearing how it plays for you.

[Automatix]

A pleasure.
This strings' behaviour in regard to its specs is still a mystery to me.

[corners]

Originally Posted by Automatix

A pleasure.
This strings' behaviour in regard to its specs is still a mystery to me.

I guess it makes sense in a way. All the strings we have played for years have been basically of three types: natural gut, nylon and polyester. We've all grown pretty familiar with the playing characteristics of these materials so, even though Zyex resembles gut in stiffness and poly in slipperiness, it is a completely different material and seems to perform differently for everyone.

Given this, it might be helpful if future reviews posted in this thread make greater mention of playing style, level and the favorite strings of the reviewer than usual. This would give us better context of where the reviewer is coming from and might help us figure out what the strengths and weakness of Monogut ZX are, and for what type of player it might be suitable.