Diary of a Racketaholic

[Fuji]

Also, holy dyna. We're now at 13,000 posts in this thread.

-Fuji

[maxpotapov]

I can't believe you guys are talking about Polylon. I'm not sure about Ice version, but the white I'm using is so uncool. Cheap piece of plastic, hard cold lifeless string that just keeps the ball from going through the hoop. To borrow AA expression, it's like hitting with garbage can lid. I actively used it only for economy reason. Crossed with Gosen OGSM it was unbreakable and unbeatable for the price (like $2 a stringbed good for weeks). Men it was exhausting... The only excuse to use Polylon is that many much more expensive polys play even worse after 5-8 hours of hitting...

[Boricua]

Originally Posted by Power Player

I agree and disagree. Some cheap polys die and suck so fast that it is not worth it (*cough cough* pros pro for example).

The Dunlop Ice I have was $44 bucks for a reel and is extremely close to 4G for me in terms of performance. I have a strong suspicion that Polyon will deliver. I may get a pack when my Ice reel gets low and do a comparison. If it is as good as Ice, then it's a no brainer for me. The spin and control I get with Ice is up there with the best of them and it lasts longer than I thought.

Black Magic is a fantastic string for the price. Its just a soft launchy poly and you have to like that. I prefer the control polys. They just perform far better for how I play.



Actually I mentioned cyclone a few times as I was trying it out before I discovered 4g and Ice. Great string, but soft and launchy for me. It plays much better if you hybrid it with a syn gut like OGSM. The reason is that OGSM gives back some of the control.

A minute ago I was checking out a video review of Isospeed Black Fire. According to Chris and Andy its a control , firm and confortable string. Also, pretty cheap, if you buy three sets its five bucks each right now. I will check it out in the future.

And, I personally like 4g full bed in the VCORE 97 Tour so Ill have to try Ice if its similar to 4g.

[mad dog1]

Originally Posted by Ross K

@ mad dog,

Finally nailed some Hexa 1.20. Am almost certainly going to hybrid with TB at some point as I can find TB a bit stiff, though I just love the combination of power/spin/control.

Q. What other polys do you think it hybrids very well with?

RossK, missed this one...

cool. the nice thing about the TB/Hexa hybrid is that it maintains the power, spin and control and adds COMFORT and improved feel/touch to the mix.

i honestly haven't given it much thought as far as what other hybrids TB could work well with. it'd have to be a softer, more comfy CONTROL poly though. softer and more comfy all the while maintaining control is a tough ask for most polys. usually softer, more comfy means more elastic and therefore more power and less control. TB is already quite powerfull albeit stiff and harsh while Hexa is a comfy CONTROL poly. i can't think of other strings that have this mix of qualities that makes Iontec so unique. another string that could work well is regular Iontec 1.20 or 1.25 since i found it to be even more comfy than the hexa version and offer even better control.

anyways if you like hexa and need me to bring you a reel or a few sets, let me know.

[Power Player]

Yeah that string sounds good. They need to offer it in reels.

Random note - the insert on the PSTeam says the unstrung racquet is 69RA! I looked at every Pure Storm version and they all said that. The APD insert says theirs is 74.

I think Babolat got lazy and uses the same insert for all their storms. My stick feels like 63 at most.

[PED]

Originally Posted by Power Player

Y
Random note - the insert on the PSTeam says the unstrung racquet is 69RA! I looked at every Pure Storm version and they all said that. The APD insert says theirs is 74.

I think Babolat got lazy and uses the same insert for all their storms. My stick feels like 63 at most.

It's always hard to tell on the stiffness ratings because of where they measure them in the throat. I know regarding the STeam that some are complaining about stiffness, I think the problem isn't the STeam, it's the thick @$$ poly we have to use in there for it to work properly.

The Team is a great stick, I had the black and brown one back in 07. I'll bet the GT version has that extra bit of oomph that they gave all the Storms with that evolution.

Wicked racquet speed and nice for all court. I used a X1 mains/PHT cross in there quite a few times: very nice.

[Power Player]

PEd, the way mine is setup now is right up your alley. The 325 weight plus 325 SW is very very fast through the air. Just a great racquet that flew way under the radar.

Another intriguing platform stick if I was to play an open pattern is that IG Instinct Rev. It is my favorite PJ of any stick. Just awesome. 59 RA though...We are overlooking the potential magic of some of these lightweight beauties.

[Meaghan]

Ross I did a load of poly hybrids, tb worked reapply well with iontec, mosquito bite, hyperion but mainly Timo 1.10.....MD is right in what he says, I combated power and control by making the cross thinner and therefore relatively stiffer and strung both cross and main at the same tension. Best out of several variations I had was bhb7 1.25 main, Timo 1.10 cross.

[mad dog1]

^^ the meaghmeister is back??? whoah! we thought you had found a cure to the rackaholic disease and we had lost you!

interesting on BHB7/Timo...BHB7 can feel harsh and wiry. it's not bad from a spin aspect. my biggest complaint about BHB7 16g is poor durability. i only get 3-4 hrs before the mains snap.

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by Power Player

PEd, the way mine is setup now is right up your alley. The 325 weight plus 325 SW is very very fast through the air. Just a great racquet that flew way under the radar.

Another intriguing platform stick if I was to play an open pattern is that IG Instinct Rev. It is my favorite PJ of any stick. Just awesome. 59 RA though...We are overlooking the potential magic of some of these lightweight beauties.

Granny sticks next?

[Ross K]

mad dog & Meags,

Cheers for above. You know what? I've never hybrided a poly with a poly ever. May be time to address that.


RHs,

I've got a ton of strings in lately; the 99s, PC Team, Black Blade and a few more racs I want to look at in a hurry in the very near future... God, but I love this racketaholicing!

[Hi I'm Ray]

Looks like others are liking thin crosses as well, & poly/poly hybrids too.

[Meaghan]

Originally Posted by mad dog1

^^ the meaghmeister is back??? whoah! we thought you had found a cure to the rackaholic disease and we had lost you!

interesting on BHB7/Timo...BHB7 can feel harsh and wiry. it's not bad from a spin aspect. my biggest complaint about BHB7 16g is poor durability. i only get 3-4 hrs before the mains snap.

Thanks MD and yes I have found a cure......

Originally Posted by Ross K

mad dog & Meags,

Cheers for above. You know what? I've never hybrided a poly with a poly ever. May be time to address that.


RHs,

I've got a ton of strings in lately; the 99s, PC Team, Black Blade and a few more racs I want to look at in a hurry in the very near future... God, but I love this racketaholicing!

Personally Ross, although there is some science to the experiment with the thinner smooth cross sliding up and down the Mains quicker creating more action on the ball, is it really better than a 1 piece, it's negligible, yes some great playability and I did find some longevity if you don't break strings.....is it worth the hassle, cos there are a lot more options.....you like tb stick with that and try a soft smooth poly cross at a thinner gauze, see if it does the trick.

I've gone down the track of cheap poly (blackout) strung for each match. Better consistency.

[Ross K]

RH diary Q of the day re the 'F' word...

What exactly do we mean by 'feel'?

What does this mean for you?

Hear it a lot on the boards but sometimes I wonder if we're talking about quite the same thing.

... feel?

[sansaephanh]

Do you guys play with what wins you matches or what wins your heart?

The 6.0 95 wins me more matches than any other stick, but the black ace and the IG prestige are pretty godly in terms of feel.

I just wish fxp tour comes out in 17 gauge and i'd be set for a RH's life. Maybe a month or 2?

[crosscourt]

Originally Posted by Ross K

RH diary Q of the day re the 'F' word...

What exactly do we mean by 'feel'?

What does this mean for you?

Hear it a lot on the boards but sometimes I wonder if we're talking about quite the same thing.

... feel?

Be careful. You could be mistaken for Jeremy Irons!

[Dgdavid]

Is the 6.0 95 worth getting still? Someone has a job lot of them on Stringersclassified.

[PED]

Originally Posted by Ross K

RH diary Q of the day re the 'F' word...

What exactly do we mean by 'feel'?

What does this mean for you?

It's the warm feeling I get below the belt when I rip a winner

All kidding aside, I find feel to be overrated, at least for me. I switch sticks more than I should but I tend to switch sell off the two I was using and carry on with the new ones. I say this because within a week or so, I've totally gotten used to the new ones and forgotten about the old ones.

But in the old days, I would have several different models in my bag and that never led me anywhere good- i was always swapping around on the court and it led to me being inconsistent as well as driving my hitting partners crazy. There were always pluses and minuses with each stick.

[bad_call]

JGads - question for you. in your racquet testing, what racquet is reasonably comfortable and can manage a somewhat acceptable return when body jammed on the fh side? this old player can't always move the body and get out of the way and into a good hitting position. tradeoffs/comments are welcome discussion. TIA.

[MikeHitsHard93]

Originally Posted by Dgdavid

Is the 6.0 95 worth getting still? Someone has a job lot of them on Stringersclassified.

Definitely worth it. It's a great stick with lots of potential