Q on Poly playability duration

[udonman]

I read that Polyester string last about two weeks in average before they go dead.

Does this "two week" period refer to two weeks of actual playing time (24 hours x 14 days = approx. 336 hours of playing time) or does this include idle time (racket sitting in your bag)?

[pvaudio]

Neither. Do not go by weeks, go by hours. 6-10 hours of playing is your target.

[bigmalik76]

Originally Posted by pvaudio

Neither. Do not go by weeks, go by hours. 6-10 hours of playing is your target.

I agree with pvaudio, hours is the measure you want to use here.

[udonman]

Originally Posted by pvaudio

Neither. Do not go by weeks, go by hours. 6-10 hours of playing is your target.

Does it mean then, if you play say two hours a day, then after five days, the playability of polyester string goes dead? (2 hrs/day x 5 days = 10 hrs)

That seems a very short duration of playability. Maybe better off playing with natural guts eventhough it's more expensive since gut's playabililty usually lasts until it breaks.

[pvaudio]

Yep, actually, that sounds just about right. Polyester is not meant to last long at all from a playability standpoint, only from a durability standpoint. For example, after 10 hours, a true poly user would have shredded a multifilament or popped a syn gut unless they hit flat only. So either way, you get the same playability duration, but the poly will let you keep on using it if you don't restring it due to death. A hybrid, however, will let you keep playing for a bit longer as you're using the other string to compensate a bit. For example, this is WeissCannon Scorpion after I believe 6.5 hours:



The 16g syn gut cross let me keep playing before it popped until hour 8 since I'm so lazy with restringing.

[Fuji]

Originally Posted by pvaudio

Yep, actually, that sounds just about right. Polyester is not meant to last long at all from a playability standpoint, only from a durability standpoint. For example, after 10 hours, a true poly user would have shredded a multifilament or popped a syn gut unless they hit flat only. So either way, you get the same playability duration, but the poly will let you keep on using it if you don't restring it due to death. A hybrid, however, will let you keep playing for a bit longer as you're using the other string to compensate a bit. For example, this is WeissCannon Scorpion after I believe 6.5 hours:



The 16g syn gut cross let me keep playing before it popped until hour 8 since I'm so lazy with restringing.

Great points!

-Fuji

[Ramon]

If you get elbow problems from stiff strings like I do, poly lasts about 3 hours because that's about when my arm starts to feel it, and I already notice the loss of spin before then. Touring pros who use poly typically change racquets between sets, so they don't even approach that mark.

[fortun8son]

It also depends on how hard you hit and which string.
You may get as much as 15-20 out of RedCode or as little as 2-3 out of RPM Blast.
Soft syngut or multi crosses do give a good wear indicator.

If you do not see the above picture within 2 months, you probably do not need poly (unless string movement messes with your OCD).