Pacific Classic 1.25 x MSV Co-Focus 1.18

[filphil]

Originally Posted by Smasher08

If you hadn't prestretched it, you probably wouldn't be able to notice any poly death at all. Unfortunately when I used prestretched setups, I could definitely feel it around hours 20-26 or so, but afterwards it was just fine.

I didn't pre-stretch the sppp bed.

I probably won't be able to get that many hours out of this bed since I'll be playing mostly on clay until November so we'll see how it all goes.

[Smasher08]

Originally Posted by filphil

I probably won't be able to get that many hours out of this bed since I'll be playing mostly on clay until November so we'll see how it all goes.

You never know. I played a good 12-15 hours on clay over the summer and still got to 70 hours on my stringjob.

[tennisnut09]

Originally Posted by Smasher08

You never know. I played a good 12-15 hours on clay over the summer and still got to 70 hours on my stringjob.

Hi Smasher08,
can you give me a suggestion on the tension for my set up. I have the pacific classic 16L and MSV co focus 1.23. I have a PDR 2012. My racket is extremly powerful. I want to do the right tension since the gut is very expensive.

Thank you!

[Smasher08]

Originally Posted by tennisnut09

Hi Smasher08,
can you give me a suggestion on the tension for my set up. I have the pacific classic 16L and MSV co focus 1.23. I have a PDR 2012. My racket is extremly powerful. I want to do the right tension since the gut is very expensive.

Thank you!

Sure, I'll try to help.

If you've read around this thread you'll know that I'm usually a big proponent of playing with loose strings near the bottom of your racket's recommended tension. The reason for this is related to two things: the fact that the poly crosses will stiffen up your stringbed, and the fact that looser tensions facilitate string deflection and snapback (therefore increasing spin and control).

It would be helpful if you told me a little more about your playing style and what you're looking for from this hybrid combination.

1) What's your NTRP? (this will give me a rough description of your technical fundamentals)

2) What's your playing style? (e.g. aggressive baseliner, retriever, counterpuncher, serve and volleyer, etc)

3) What kind of strings have you been using in the past few years, and at what tension(s)?

4) What are you looking to get from this setup? (e.g. durability, increased spin, power, control, help with certain shots, etc)

That's all I can think of for now!

[tennisnut09]

Hi
I am a consistent 4.0
counterpuncher
play double more than single lately
Looking for control, feel and durabiilty.
Previously played with dunlop 300 tour MSV hex 1.18 56 lbs, youtek prestige mp NXT tour 56-58 lbs or tourbite 1.20 54 lbs (love NXT feel and control). Currently, PDR 2012 in the try out period. I like the B5E/TB 54/58 lbs feel but it is lack a bit of spin and power at time.

Thank you!

[lcalamar]

I just played with my PacGut (56) mains and Co-Focus (52) Crosses last night.

Initially struggled with power - and getting much top spin - seemed the balls were flying before I could get on top of them. I had to adjust my stroke a bit and it seemed things settled down.

At the end of an hour I was getting quite comfortable and the power was there when needed. Great comfort - even though it still felt a little stiff.

I'd be tempted to drop the gut down to 54 next time - maybe the poly to 51 and try that, though I'm still a little concerned about the lack of control. If I do well with 56/52 - then 54/51 would seem the next step.

Great setup though - I'm comparing it to my standard setup of Co-Focus mains (52) and OGSM crosses (56). This setup is very nice - good control but I do feel it in my arm especially if I'm not consistently hitting the sweet spot. If I can learn to control the gut/poly setup - then it has some huge advantages over the poly/sgut. Also - I'm hopeful the gut/poly is more durable - to help pay for the gut!

There were some balls I hit with the gut/poly setup that I was just able to crush - the pocketing was amazing!

[tennisnut09]

Originally Posted by lcalamar

I just played with my PacGut (52) mains and Co-Focus (56) Crosses last night.

Initially struggled with power - and getting much top spin - seemed the balls were flying before I could get on top of them. I had to adjust my stroke a bit and it seemed things settled down.

At the end of an hour I was getting quite comfortable and the power was there when needed. Great comfort - even though it still felt a little stiff.

I'd be tempted to drop the gut down to 54 next time - maybe the poly to 51 and try that, though I'm still a little concerned about the lack of control. If I do well with 56/52 - then 54/51 would seem the next step.

Great setup though - I'm comparing it to my standard setup of Co-Focus mains (52) and OGSM crosses (56). This setup is very nice - good control but I do feel it in my arm especially if I'm not consistently hitting the sweet spot. If I can learn to control the gut/poly setup - then it has some huge advantages over the poly/sgut. Also - I'm hopeful the gut/poly is more durable - to help pay for the gut!

There were some balls I hit with the gut/poly setup that I was just able to crush - the pocketing was amazing!

What is your racket lcalamar?

[jk175d]

Originally Posted by lcalamar

I just played with my PacGut (52) mains and Co-Focus (56) Crosses last night.

Initially struggled with power - and getting much top spin - seemed the balls were flying before I could get on top of them. I had to adjust my stroke a bit and it seemed things settled down.

I'd be tempted to drop the gut down to 54 next time - maybe the poly to 51 and try that, though I'm still a little concerned about the lack of control. If I do well with 56/52 - then 54/51 would seem the next step.

There were some balls I hit with the gut/poly setup that I was just able to crush - the pocketing was amazing!

I'm assuming you meant gut at 56 and poly at 52. My advice if you want more control is to stop the poly to 45-47 range. You can bring the gut down relative to that where you want it. Most people seem to go with a 3-8 lbs differential.

Poly is at its most trampoliny in the 50-55 range. You will get more pocketing and spin when you drop it into the 40s. That translates into control.

[lcalamar]

Yes - meant to say gut at 56 poly at 52 (corrected)

I should really try dropping that poly into the 40's - just seems counter to what I'd expect...

I am playing with a Volkl Organix 8 300 - I've added weight to the head.

[tennisnut09]

Originally Posted by tennisnut09

Hi
I am a consistent 4.0
counterpuncher
play double more than single lately
Looking for control, feel and durabiilty.
Previously played with dunlop 300 tour MSV hex 1.18 56 lbs, youtek prestige mp NXT tour 56-58 lbs or tourbite 1.20 54 lbs (love NXT feel and control). Currently, PDR 2012 in the try out period. I like the B5E/TB 54/58 lbs feel but it is lack a bit of spin and power at time.

Thank you!

bump up for Smasher08.

[Smasher08]

Originally Posted by tennisnut09

Hi
I am a consistent 4.0
counterpuncher
play double more than single lately
Looking for control, feel and durabiilty.
Previously played with dunlop 300 tour MSV hex 1.18 56 lbs, youtek prestige mp NXT tour 56-58 lbs or tourbite 1.20 54 lbs (love NXT feel and control). Currently, PDR 2012 in the try out period. I like the B5E/TB 54/58 lbs feel but it is lack a bit of spin and power at time.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by lcalamar

I just played with my PacGut (56) mains and Co-Focus (52) Crosses last night.

Initially struggled with power - and getting much top spin - seemed the balls were flying before I could get on top of them. I had to adjust my stroke a bit and it seemed things settled down.

At the end of an hour I was getting quite comfortable and the power was there when needed. Great comfort - even though it still felt a little stiff.

I'd be tempted to drop the gut down to 54 next time - maybe the poly to 51 and try that, though I'm still a little concerned about the lack of control. If I do well with 56/52 - then 54/51 would seem the next step.

Great setup though - I'm comparing it to my standard setup of Co-Focus mains (52) and OGSM crosses (56). This setup is very nice - good control but I do feel it in my arm especially if I'm not consistently hitting the sweet spot. If I can learn to control the gut/poly setup - then it has some huge advantages over the poly/sgut. Also - I'm hopeful the gut/poly is more durable - to help pay for the gut!

There were some balls I hit with the gut/poly setup that I was just able to crush - the pocketing was amazing!

Hi guys

I'm going to respond to the both of you together because the same advice applies.

Looser strings produce a spinnier stringbed. This is because spin is caused by your main strings deflecting (sliding along your cross strings) at impact with the ball and snapping back -- all within a few hundredths of a second. In this sense, mostly all the crosses do is hold the mains in place. And spinnier strings are predominantly those which allow the mains to deflect maximally, and snap back the most (i.e. return all the way back to their initial position).

One of you is stringing poly at a relatively high tension, and then lamenting its apparent lack of spin. The reality is that the tension is far too high to permit a decent degree of deflection, even though it's somewhat trampoliney. Poly generally needs to be strung 5-10 lbs looser than a syngut or multi for this very reason. You'll also get the added benefit of more feel at looser tensions.

(Your swing mechanics may contribute to the lack of spin as well, but we can't say either way since we can't see them here)

Although it may be counter intuitive, stringing your strings looser will, up to a certain point, give you more spin which in turn will give you more control. (You may also need to silightly alter the angle of your racket face during impact to harness more spin, but more spin you will get.)

Because poly crosses stiffen the stringbed, you shouldn't string gut-poly hybrids at the same tension as a syngut or multi -- just as you shouldn't string poly at those tensions either. (You can, but you won't be getting the full benefits of using them.).

You should be stringing your gut mains somewhere between a poly tension and a multi/syngut tension. It should be at a tension that permits optimal deflection and snapback. And it should probably be at a tension that is closer to the poly end of that spectrum. This means it will be somewhere around the bottom of the recommended range for your racket, or even a little lower. And at the 3.5/4.0/4.5 level, it may also entail some tweaks to your technique to allow you to generate more spin on your strokes, but that will only help you become a better player and progress more.

If you want my specific starting point for your mains tension I'd suggest right at the bottom of your racket's recommended tension range. If that completely freaks you out, then add two pounds. Crosses should be 3-5 lbs lower. Your mileage may vary, but I find I get good results from a four pound differential. And mains should *not* be prestretched at all -- prestretching seems to remove a substantial amount of spin from this kind of setup (note: poly should never be prestretched either).

As for the other of you dropping your gut-poly tension 2 lbs, I'd recommend instead to drop it 3-4 lbs because you will gain more from this setup by having your strings as loose (and therefore as spinny) as you can manage. As a benefit, you'll be able to swing at 3/4 speed most of the time and almost effortlessly generate decent depth and pace, and then really cream the ball when you go full-throttle.

Remember: looser strings equals considerably more spin AND more power.

Good luck guys, let us know how it goes!

[tennisnut09]

Got it strung 58/54 on my PDR 2012. My racket range from 55-65. Hit some balls against the wall and it feels very nice. Will have some rally/game tomorrow.

[tennisnut09]

Just one word "Amazing". It plays better than any previous set up that I have ever played with. It feels like NXT tour with a bit more control and a lot more spin. My hitting partner noticed the ball came to him faster/heavier. At net, it is precise, enough punch, and the ball stays low. Awesome!! it is $20 per set, not too bad. I hope it will last 30 hours.

[lcalamar]

Smasher08 - thanks for the detailed reply - very helpful.

I've been hitting with the PacGut/Co-Focus for about 5 hours now - and I like it more and more.

I'm going to take the suggestion - and cut out my current Co-Focus/OGSM setup - and put in the PacGut/Co-Focus at 52/49 - to compare with my current PacGut/Co-Focus which is at 56/52.

Will be fun to test out the difference.

Feels like I'm getting to a definitive setup now - it would be tough to go back from the gut now...

[ramos77]

have been using wilson NG and co-focus for 8 weeks now on PS90 blx

great combo, up until the last time I played, it was way too powerful and boardy, great for the first serve, but uncontrollable for groundstrokes.

Is this normal? and which other string would you suggest to maintain the tension better? co-focus lasts a long time with gut, there is barely any wear other than a few frayed strings, but I cannot control the ball anymore....

[Smasher08]

Originally Posted by ramos77

have been using wilson NG and co-focus for 8 weeks now on PS90 blx

Hi

Unfortunately, using weeks as a measure of time is meaningless since you could be playing anywhere from 0-70 hours in any given week.

A few questions then in order to help:

1. How many hours do you think you've logged in?

2. Is this your first stringjob with CoF

3. What gauge and tensions are your mains and crosses?

4. Did you string it yourself or was it it done by a stringer?

5. Were the mains prestretched at all?

6. What is your NTRP and playing style?

7. What string(s) and tensions have you been using in the past couple of years, and how did they compare at a similar time mark?

My apologies in advance if you've provided any of these before!!

[finalfantasy7]

still got mine it, beein using it for now around 36-40 hours, still feels good but i can feel the poly is dying really quickly - lost significant of pop on ball,
funny enough the gut looks fresh, post a pic soon

[finalfantasy7]

actually not fresh, bit of fraying especially where my dampner is, but at the top of 2nd pic thr aint that much fraying ??.

still really enjoying hitting with this setup

[lcalamar]

I tried out the Pac Nat Gut/Co Focus at 52/49 and do like it better than 56/52.

Funny thing is I actually seem to have more control and a little less power - which just makes no sense.

I'll continue to test different tensions - but wow - I'm done with looking for hybrid combinations - not sure what I'd find that would perform better than this for me. I really notice it in my arm - especially if I'm hitting off center a bit - no issues.

Thanks for all the help here - glad I found this thread!

[lcalamar]

Question - on my first racket strung at 56/52, I wonder if I nicked or bent or ??? the Gut - because after only about 6 hours hitting - one of the mains is ready to go... completely frayed.

One of the benefits of this hybrid should be durability - but if I can expect only 6 hours or so... I can't afford this setup.

My second racket - at 52/49 - has about 6 hours play - and looks like new still.

This was the first time I'd strung Gut - and did find it a little challenging - the second time went much better.

Also - I used 17 gauge - would I be better off switching to 16 gauge (1.30)? What difference would I find (my co-focus is 1.23)