Ashaway 100% Zyex monofilament

[Ramon]

Originally Posted by corners

Thanks Ramon. But you only tried it for a few minutes? That doesn't seem like enough time to even adjust for the setup's rebound angle, let alone evaluate the string's potential for control. But I hear what you're saying - you hated it and wanted it out of your racquet. That's too bad. I can totally understand how a string with gut-like "power" but with less spin and feel would suck. I'm still going to try it but your comments have dampened my enthusiasm.

My comments aren't here to discourage anyone from trying if they are set on it. Some people just want to hear other experiences before they try. I tried it primarily because I've heard very few comments from play testers and decided to be a guinea pig myself.

I wanted to like it and gave it what I thought was more than enough time. Generally, when I like a string, I can tell from the very first hit. Poly, gut, and my favorite multis all felt great from the first hit. A few strings are disasters and since this was a unique setup, I gave it extra time compared to other disasters.

Let us know what you think when you try it out. I'm curious to hear what others say.

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by maggmaster

Ah sorry this was Dynamite 17 not monogut.

17g usually is more powerful than 16g. Guess I will go with 45 pounds then.

[corners]

Originally Posted by Ramon

My comments aren't here to discourage anyone from trying if they are set on it. Some people just want to hear other experiences before they try. I tried it primarily because I've heard very few comments from play testers and decided to be a guinea pig myself.

I wanted to like it and gave it what I thought was more than enough time. Generally, when I like a string, I can tell from the very first hit. Poly, gut, and my favorite multis all felt great from the first hit. A few strings are disasters and since this was a unique setup, I gave it extra time compared to other disasters.

Let us know what you think when you try it out. I'm curious to hear what others say.

OK, thanks again Ramon. Sorry it was such a waste for you. I'm definitely going to try it, probably in a full bed, as a cross with gut mains like you did, and as a cross for a soft and bitey copoly main (like BHB7 or Tourbite 1. This string has to have a good use somewhere

It's going to take some time, though, as I'm not playing at the moment. But when I get to it I'll post my reviews in this thread.

[corners]

Originally Posted by mikeler

17g usually is more powerful than 16g. Guess I will go with 45 pounds then.

I just took a look at the TWU data and saw that Dynamite 17 is almost identical, in terms of stiffness and energy return, to Isospeed Pro Classic. Thought I'd mention it in case the info could help you choose a good tension.

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by corners

I just took a look at the TWU data and saw that Dynamite 17 is almost identical, in terms of stiffness and energy return, to Isospeed Pro Classic. Thought I'd mention it in case the info could help you choose a good tension.

Isospeed Pro Classic 16 is next in line after Dynamite for my playtesting so that is good to know.

[Torres]

Interestingly on the back of the packet for Monogut ZX it makes the following stringing recommendations:-

10-15% lower tension than traditional nylon string for the natural colored ZX

15-20% lower tension than traditional nylon string for the colored (ie red) version of ZX.

20% lower??? No way!

Out of the packet, the string isn't a floppy 'string like' material at all. It's not multifilament floppy, for example like, Technifibre Multifeel or Mantis Comfort Synthetic. It's more like a poly in that it wants to hold its shape. But its also unlike poly in that its very, very bendy with alot of "give" to it. Even the springier soft co-polys aren't anywhere near as bendy as this. Gauge looks thin. 1.27mm looks alot thinner than 1.27mm. Put some pulling tension through and its going to be even thinner.

I think I'll string it up at my normal soft-poly tensions of 52lbs CP and see what happens, but if I had to guess, there's no way this string is going to be as stiff as a poly, or even as stiff as a soft co-poly. But out of the packet at least, neither does it feel as soft as a say synethetic gut like Gosen Micro. It still wants to hold its shape.

I suspect the correct tension would probably be somewhere between what you'd string a soft co-poly at and what you'd string a synthetic gut at, or as corners suggested, have a slightly longer pull time during stringing to take out some of that bounciness / springiness from the string. There's certainly alot of "give" to it. I can't imagine that this is going to be a stiff string. But equally I can't imagine that its going to be as soft as a high quality natural gut either but who knows....

[Ramon]

Originally Posted by Torres

Interestingly on the back of the packet for Monogut ZX it makes the following stringing recommendations:-

10-15% lower tension than traditional nylon string for the natural colored ZX

15-20% lower tension than traditional nylon string for the colored (ie red) version of ZX.

20% lower??? No way!

Out of the packet, the string isn't a floppy 'string like' material at all. It's not multifilament floppy, for example like, Technifibre Multifeel or Mantis Comfort Synthetic. It's more like a poly in that it wants to hold its shape. But its also unlike poly in that its very, very bendy with alot of "give" to it. Even the springier soft co-polys aren't anywhere near as bendy as this. Gauge looks thin. 1.27mm looks alot thinner than 1.27mm. Put some pulling tension through and its going to be even thinner.

I think I'll string it up at my normal soft-poly tensions of 52lbs CP and see what happens, but if I had to guess, there's no way this string is going to be as stiff as a poly, or even as stiff as a soft co-poly. But out of the packet at least, neither does it feel as soft as a say synethetic gut like Gosen Micro. It still wants to hold its shape.

I suspect the correct tension would probably be somewhere between what you'd string a soft co-poly at and what you'd string a synthetic gut at, or as corners suggested, have a slightly longer pull time during stringing to take out some of that bounciness / springiness from the string. There's certainly alot of "give" to it. I can't imagine that this is going to be a stiff string. But equally I can't imagine that its going to be as soft as a high quality natural gut either but who knows....

I think you're correct in your assessment. One thing that surprised me was the big amount of elongation I was getting on my drop weight machine. It's definitely not as stiff as poly.

[corners]

Originally Posted by Ramon

I think you're correct in your assessment. One thing that surprised me was the big amount of elongation I was getting on my drop weight machine. It's definitely not as stiff as poly.

Yeah, it's half as stiff as a typical poly and a good 60% less stiff than a typical syngut. It's interesting that it's stiffer in the hand than syngut; this must have something to do with its surface hardness, which is more similar to poly and accounts for its resistance to notching. It's the surface hardness and slickness, combined with dynamic stiffness nearly as low as gut, that makes this stuff interesting, and puzzling, seemingly.

If we wanted to generalize about stiffness across string materials, from less stiff to more stiff, it goes:

natural gut << zyex < polyolefin < nylon multi << nylon syngut << softest copoly <<<< stiffest copoly <<<<<<<< kevlar

[Torres]

Originally Posted by corners

this must have something to do with its surface hardness, which is more similar to poly and accounts for its resistance to notching. It's the surface hardness and slickness, combined with dynamic stiffness nearly as low as gut, that makes this stuff interesting, and puzzling, seemingly.

Definitely unusual, and definitely unlike any other string material. The article below suggests that Zyex is very resistant to abrasion (and breakage) but also that it has alot of elongation and 'snap back' like natural gut. You wouldn't expect the two characteristics to go together ie something that elongates alot and supposedly springs back, you'd expect to be soft and thus susceptible to abrasion/breakage.

What is Zyex?

http://www.ashawayusa.com/SquashTip26.php

[Player#1]

If anyone wants to trade some of this string, let me know. I want to try this one!

[corners]

Originally Posted by Torres

Definitely unusual, and definitely unlike any other string material. The article below suggests that Zyex is very resistant to abrasion (and breakage) but also that it has alot of elongation and 'snap back' like natural gut. You wouldn't expect the two characteristics to go together ie something that elongates alot and supposedly springs back, you'd expect to be soft and thus susceptible to abrasion/breakage.

Yeah, there are lots of measureable physical qualities at play here: stiffness, elasticity, surface hardness, abrasion resistance. Like you say, we have an intuitive sense of how these qualities should be distributed in a material and that some of them should be linked and other exclusive each other. But some materials are strange.

The article you linked notes that zyex also has a high melting point. Polyester and nylon strings notch partly because they melt at the intersections from all the string movement: zyex monofilament should be less susceptible to this.

[dParis]

Originally Posted by mikeler

Isospeed Pro Classic 16 is next in line after Dynamite for my playtesting so that is good to know.

Iso Pro Classic is 17g. Iso Control Classic is 16g. Same string otherwise.

I felt Control lacked character. I think you'll find it too springy in a "mushy" sort of way. Pro is much more responsive. More touch/feel, pocketing and bite - and more power, as would be expected.

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by dParis

Iso Pro Classic is 17g. Iso Control Classic is 16g. Same string otherwise.

I felt Control lacked character. I think you'll find it too springy in a "mushy" sort of way. Pro is much more responsive. More touch/feel, pocketing and bite - and more power, as would be expected.

My bad, I meant Control. After having a bad experience with the newer version of Control, several people mentioned the Control Classic was much better.

As for the Zyex, I'm trying to break my last set of Discho Microfibre and then I'll put the Dynamite Tough in that racket, hopefully this weekend.

[Player#1]

Any info on this string at higher tension? (66lbs+)

[Torres]

Wilson BLX 6.1 95 18x20
Ashaway Monogut ZX (Red) 1.27mm @ 54lbs CP
(Note: According to Ashaway the red version is supposedly slightly stiffer than the natural)

I think I might have seriously misjudged the tension that would be appropriate for this string in this racquet.

In this racquet, I usually string a soft, lively, co-poly like BHBR16 at 53lbs CP. Perfect tension for that string in that racquet (for me anyway). A synthetic gut like Gosen in the same stick I would probably string at around 57-58lbs CP.

Out of the packet the Monogut ZX feels like a springy co-poly, so I thought I would ignore Ashaway's instructions of 15%-20% lower than nylon for the red ZX, and string it at a higher than recommended tension of 54lbs CP (about 7% lower than nylon). It strings like a poly but with quite a bit of stretch when pulling tension.

I'm wondering whether that 54lbs CP tension was a big mistake.The Monogut ZX strings up like a board at that tension. Bouncing the stringbed against the heel of your hand immediately after stringing, and it feels very stiff with very little 'give' to it. Trying to pull the mains with your fingers and the mains don't really want to move. Feels more like a poly stringbed strung at 60-62lbs.

Weirdly though, with a ball bounce test on the stringbed, the stringbed doesn't feel too boardy. The strings seem to 'give' with the impact of the ball. ALOT of vibration coming through the racquet though. Weird. Sweetspot seems smaller than normal (probably as a result of me having strung it too high) and anything immediately outside the sweetspot gives a tinny feedback. On a ball bounce test at least, anything right in the middle of the sweetspot, somewhat weirdly, actually feels quite plush....

Going to have a hit with it later this evening but I'm pretty sure this isn't going to be the ideal tension for this string.

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by Torres

Wilson BLX 6.1 95 18x20
Ashaway Monogut ZX (Red) @ 54lbs CP

I think I have seriously misjudged the tension that would be appropriate for this string in this racqquet.

In this racquet, I usually string a soft, lively, co-poly like BHBR16 at 53lbs CP. Perfect tension for that string and racquet. A synthetic gut in the same stick I would probably string at around 57-58lbs CP.

Out of the packet the ZX feels like a springy co-poly, so I thought I would ignore Ashaway's instructions of 15%-20% lower than nylon for the red ZX, and decided to string it at 54lbs CP (about 7% lower than nylon).

Big mistake.

The string strings up like a board at that tension. Bouncing the stringbed against the heel of your hand immediately after string, and feels like a board - very stiff with very little 'give' to it. Feels more like poly stringbed strung at 60-62lbs.

Going to have a hit with it later this evening, but I'm pretty sure that I've strung this up way, way, too high a tension to allow for any meaningful playtest.....

Serves you right for not listening. :0

I'm looking forward to hitting with Dynamite Tough 16 soon. I strung mine up at 50 pounds lockout and it feels OK.

[Torres]

Originally Posted by mikeler

Serves you right for not listening. :0

You never know, it might loosen up with a bit of hitting!

I hope.

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by Torres

You never know, it might loosen up with a bit of hitting!

I hope.

So far the Dynamite Tough has only lost 5.8% tension after stringing and with a few minutes of hitting. Maybe it will start dropping tension once I play with it full time.

[corners]

Originally Posted by Torres

Wilson BLX 6.1 95 18x20
Ashaway Monogut ZX (Red) @ 54lbs CP

I think I might have seriously misjudged the tension that would be appropriate for this string in this racquet.

In this racquet, I usually string a soft, lively, co-poly like BHBR16 at 53lbs CP. Perfect tension for that string in that racquet. A synthetic gut like Gosen in the same stick I would probably string at around 57-58lbs CP.

Out of the packet the Monogut ZX feels like a springy co-poly, so I thought I would ignore Ashaway's instructions of 15%-20% lower than nylon for the red ZX, and string it at a higher than recommended tension of 54lbs CP (about 7% lower than nylon). It strings like a poly but with quite a bit of stretch when pulling tension.

I'm wondering whether that 54lbs CP tension was a big mistake.The Monogut ZX strings up like a board at that tension. Bouncing the stringbed against the heel of your hand immediately after stringing, and it feels very stiff with very little 'give' to it. Trying to pull the mains with your fingers and the mains don't really want to move. Feels more like a poly stringbed strung at 60-62lbs.

Weirdly though, with a ball bounce test on the stringbed, the stringbed doesn't feel too boardy. The strings seem to 'give' with the impact of the ball. ALOT of vibration coming through the racquet though. Weird. Sweetspot seems smaller than normal (probably as a result of me having strung it too high) and anything immediately outside the sweetspot gives a tinny feedback. On a ball bounce test at least, anything right in the middle of the sweetspot, somewhat weirdly, actually feels quite plush....

Going to have a hit with it later this evening but I'm pretty sure this isn't going to be the ideal tension for this string.

Looking forward to reading your on-court impressions. I don't blame you for not following the 15-20% lower recommendation for ZX. There's nothing about the string that suggests it should be strung lower than copoly. I've scrutinized the lab data, comparing ZX to poly and nylon and I just don't get why Ashaway makes this recommendation. I emailed them about this and their final recommendation was 53-55 pounds as a good place to start, so maybe you'll be fine.

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by corners

Looking forward to reading your on-court impressions. I don't blame you for not following the 15-20% lower recommendation for ZX. There's nothing about the string that suggests it should be strung lower than copoly. I've scrutinized the lab data, comparing ZX to poly and nylon and I just don't get why Ashaway makes this recommendation. I emailed them about this and their final recommendation was 53-55 pounds as a good place to start, so maybe you'll be fine.

They never returned my e-mail for tension recommendations.