Volkl Cyclone Tour Playtest

[djNEiGht]

Originally Posted by swfh

Does anyone else think that this string looks like black mamba gear twisted?

I've heard that fr a friend who get's strings supplied to him by the rep.

[seekay]

Gauge of playtest string: I got the 16 gauge

Tension used for playtest: 45lb

Regular string set up: Big Hitter Black 7 17 @ 45lb

Racquet brand and model used for test: Wilson BLX2 Six.One 95 16x18

Power of test string: This is definitely on the powerful/springy end of the poly spectrum, much more so than I expected having played with the original Cyclone. I probably should have strung it at a higher tension, since as tested, it was too powerful for some of the other qualities of the string to shine.

Feel: Much better than I expected. It felt plasticky when I strung it up and I expected a mushy, unresponsive stringbed. I was pleasantly surprised when it hit with it; I could tell by feel where the ball was hitting the stringbed.

Spin: Spin was excellent. Not quite at the BHB7 level, but that's a high bar. I had a hard time getting heavy balls to spin down into the court, but I expect a tension adjustment would fix that.

Comfort: Very good for a poly. It's definitely on the softer side. I'm recovering from a light case of tennis elbow (Pure Storm + ALU), so I'm suddenly more sensitive than ever before, and the Cyclone Tour didn't aggravate things at all.

Durability: It seems to be holding up well, but I gave up on it after about 8 hours of hitting. I just couldn't adjust to the springiness.

Playability Duration: I feel like it softened up noticeably in the first half hour or so. After that, it was always too springy for me, so it's hard to say for sure how stable it was.

Control: Control was sub-par for me, but that's probably directly related to the low tension and high power. I suspect that stringing it more appropriately would bring the control up to where it should be.

Tension recommendations: 45lb is my usual tension for pretty much any poly in this frame. BHB7, Cyclone, Solinco Tour Bite, MSV Co-Focus, you name it and 45lb works. But not Cyclone Tour. I'd want to jump up to at least 50lb and maybe iterate up from there to try and reign it in. For me, the string wasn't really playable at 45lb, and that's a shame, because I think it's got promise.

Compare to the string you use most often: Definitely springier than BHB7, with less spin and less control. It's also far redder; way too red to look right in my 2012 6.1's.

More seriously, I didn't enjoy stringing Cyclone Tour. The twisting caused extreme coil memory, akin to Solinco Barb Wire. Every time I pulled a cross, I had to carefully manage the loop on the other side of the frame and help it unwind so it wouldn't kink. I've yet to be convinced that twisting the string improves performance, so I'm not really interested in making this my normal string.

If you have played with the original Cyclone, please compare: Cyclone Tour isn't going to be confused with Cyclone. The new string is much more lively and free-spirited. I went through a reel of 16g Cyclone before switching to BHB7, and I have fond memories of it. Cyclone Tour seems to be taking the string in a new direction, and it doesn't work as well for me as the original.

That said, I appreciate the chance to try it out. Thanks TW and Völkl!

[eidolonshinobi]

I am currently in Taiwan playtesting this string in 80%+ humidity during the winter season. I will be using both hard court and red clay courts.



Gauge of playtest string : 16G
Tension used for playtest : 55lbs
Regular string set up : Weisscannon Scorpion 50-52bls
Racquet brand and model used for test : Yonex Vcore Tour 97 (330g)

Power of test string : 8/10. I found way too much power on these strings. I was aiming for service box lines for rallies and they were going closer to the baseline.

Feel : 7/10. Meh. A lot of my "touch" volleys and drop shots weren't going where I wanted them to.

Spin : 7/10. Mixed bag here. Sometimes the string would provide some good spin (not great), other times...just simply mediocre.

Comfort : 8/10, This was a very comfortable string! On par with my WC scorpion. Had I strung at a higher tension, I'm sure the comfortableness would be there.

Durability : 8/10. Great durability as well. No complaints here.


Playability Duration : Played about three hours of solid hitting today and it held up nicely, I started feeling the tension dip slightly at the end of hour 3.

Control : I found my WC scorpions were FAR superior in this department. I felt that my shots were spraying sometimes and that not placed as well as I'm used to. The higher power made it fairly difficult to place anything where I wanted it to.

Tension recommendations : I cranked up the tension to 55 lbs, 3 lbs more than what I usually string at, in response to the majority of the play tester's recommendations. I STILL found it to have too much pop.

Compare to the string you use most often : No comparison here. Weisscannon Scorpion is a much better string for my game. This string can definitely benefit the all court player, but I much prefer the Scorpion in all departments, especially tension maintenance, spin, and FEEL.

If you have played with the original Cyclone, please compare : I have played the previous cyclone and that string was heavenly...for the first 7 or so hours. Once the tension dropped, balls would be overshot left and right. While I feel that Volkl has tried to address some of the previous version's tension maintenance, they should have left the spin potential alone. This string is superior in terms for comfort and power. But I would still prefer using the 1st iteration of the cyclone.

This string was odd. I didn't like this string that much, but I didn't hate it either. It fell flatly in the middle, nothing special about it. I could easily overlook this string had I not heard about it. Especially at the price point there are better strings that are cheaper.

Update: Strings cut at hour 10. Just not the string for me.

[Andyroo10567]

After numerous attempts to reserve a court, i finally managed to pick up 2 30 minute sessions on 2 different days.

Gauge of playtest string : Received a 17G.

Tension used for playtest : 43lb. Yes, i strung it pretty low. I would probably have a different opinion on it during spring/summer with higher tensions

Regular string set up Was Babolat Revenge 17G. Experimenting with new.

Racquet brand and model used for test Head IG Prestige Pro

Power of test string My goodness. Playing against a ball machine for the first 30 minutes was a eye popper. The power was extremely high. Should have taken these reviews previous users have made into account when stringing. Basically just slowed down my swing to maintain the power. When playing the second time, i learned my mistakes from the ball machine and played fine. Ground strokes were great. Volleys were hitting bit too deep. Serves rarely too deep, hits nicely on serves. Backhands were hitting baseline, partner couldnt tell if some were out. this is just 7/10.

Feel I think it felt pretty soft. Like lawrencejin said as well, I love the blasting bam noise in the indoor courts. I got a little bit of the sound i wanted, but not enough. Feels ok, not bad, not amazing. Maybe if i had an 18G i could get more bam into my shots. overall, 5/10

Spin Slices were great! My forehand doesnt have much topspin but there was a noticeable amount of increased spin on my forehand. My backhand had plenty of topspin. Going for winners with my backhand was easy to score with. Topspin lobs were easy to mess with. My dropshots were on spot. 8/10

Comfort Did not hurt my arm at all. Felt like i could play with this string perfectly fine until it goes dead and breaks. 9/10

Durability Did not break on me yet. I usually snip out my strings every now and then if they last too long. I would prefer a fresh feel like most people do. 8/10

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time) : Played well for the first day. Second day it was dead. Still played fine but the feel and power was different. Felt more dead, and power was higher. The tension dropped quite a lot from what i was seeing. 7/10

Control (predictable trajectory? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?) Had pretty good directional control. With a higher tension, i would definitely have more confidence since it had so much power. 8/10

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?) : Probably about 58 and higher. This just has too much power to use my normal strokes.

Compare to the string you use most often Less pop on the ball. ( bam sound ). Had better directional control. Better spin. But since the stringbed im using atm, i just dont want to switch. Natural gut feels so.... good.... But soo.... Expensive...

If you have played with the original Cyclone, please compare. Never used Cyclone before. :/

Enjoyed this play test. Thanks TW! Would recommend this string to some of my partners!

[ten11]

Gauge of playtest string: 16g

Tension used for playtest: 49lbs/46lbs on lockout machine

Regular string set up: 50lbs/48lbs kischbaum super smash orange

Racquet brand and model used for test: head pro tour 630 18x20

Power of test string: powerful string. Actually one of the most powerful poly ever used. It is fun to play with and for some of weak shot, like back hand volley, the extra power made it look good, but on the other end, I hit a lot of serve and forehand, back hand out due to the extra power. I will string it tight next time to cut down some of the power.

Feel: Very nice feel, crisp and fun to hit with. It is very easy to volley due to the extra power. Also the feel is very good in volley. In forehand and back hand drive, I feel the control is a bit off and cannot place the ball where I want it to be.

Spin: very good spin coming off this string both forehand and backhand when dig in. With proper topspin technique, this string will reward those players a lot. With the extra power this string provides, the capable player can focus more on generating spin and less on hitting through to create monster spin.

Comfort: this is very crisp and soft string, I have strung it in low tension so the feel is very comfortable. I have played syn gut and multi strung in 60lbs before and I will say this poly in 50lbs is more comfortable than those strings. It is a perfect string for players have elbow problem but want to use poly for the extra spin.

Durability: I have hit with this string for 7 hours and it is still fine. There is hardly string movement in my 18x20 racket and no obvious notch. It holds very well.

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time): playability still the same after 6 hours of hitting. Still have that crisp, lively feel when I stroke the ball. Spin and power also still the same. Very happy with the playability compare to a lot of other polys I have used.

Control (predictable trajectory? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?): because this is powerful string and I have strung it low tension, control is not that good for me. Hit a lot of server and forehand long. I think the reason for this is because the string tension is a bit too low. I would love to string it 5 lbs high and try it out again to see if it will increase the control while also reduce some power. If that can be done by string it tighter, this will be one of my favorite strings.

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?) I will up at least 5 lbs in my 18x20 racket to 54/51 to cut down some power and also increase the control. This is a very nice string and I believe if it strung in right tension, it will perform really well.

Compare to the string you use most often: Kischbaum super smash orange(KSSO) is a fun string to hit with. power, spin, control and comfort are all very good. Cyclone tour is definite more fun to hit with because of the crisp feel of the string bed. Even though the control is not as good as the KSSO, I believe it is caused the strung tension. I will rate cyclone tour above KSSO.

If you have played with the original Cyclone, please compare. Never used cyclone before. cannot compare.

Thanks for the play testing opportunity. definitely will recommend to players I know and in the list of my next string.

[Nuke]

Gauge of playtest string 16

Tension used for playtest. 60 pounds on both mains and crosses. High, I know, but others here and in the comments on the sales page have lamented not stringing this at higher tension to tame it. I went up 5 pounds over my regular setup.

Regular string set up. Generally hybrid Cyber Flash or Big Hitter Silver 17 mains with OGSM crosses

Racquet brand and model used for test Prince Warrior OS

Power of test string. Power was good. There was a welcome bit of pop, unlike a lot of the common dead polys.

Feel. Another strength of this string. Firm enough for my preference, without feeling too muted or rubbery. I did notice it seemed to stretch a bit on stringing, so maybe it's softer than most polys.

Spin. Good spin. I'm always expecting shaped and twisted strings to have a crazy amount of spin, but usually find, as is the case here, that the access to spin isn't really all that much greater than my normal round strings. I did think this Cyclone Tour was particularly good at grabbing the ball for chop-and-drop shots, but my baseline topspin was just marginally better than normal.

Comfort. Good. Not jarring on the arm, and more comfortable than my usual setup.

Durability. Just OK. After 10 hours, the ridges have smoothed out a bit, and the tension loss is making me spray balls all over the place.

Playability Duration Good only for maybe 4 hours before I started to lose confidence in it over a loss of control from the tension loss. And a couple of hours after that, the spin benefit from the shaped ridges was diminished as the string rounded out a bit. So, not a string you're going to get 20 hours from. I cut it out after 10.

Control This was the deal breaker for me. It really ruined my first serve percentage when I was swinging out. Man, I just couldn't buy a first serve with this string. In a couple of sessions, I switched off to another racquet with 20-hour-old Lux 4G (still sitting there from a previous playtest) to see if it was the Cyclone or me having serving problems. Both times, my first serves instantly came back with the Lux. Switching back to the Cyclone required me to take something off the first serve and groundstrokes to get directional control. I suppose there was still some life left in this string after 10 hours, but my lack of control with it is the main reason I cut it out.

Tension recommendations I don't know where to go with this string. I already bumped the tension up 5 pounds over my usual poly tension, and still couldn't get good directional control. Not sure if going higher would have helped.

Compare to the string you use most often. Cyclone has good power and spin, reasonably close to my regular Cyber Flash. Cyclone has a more comfortable feel than the CF. Cyclone has slightly better spin potential than CF, particularly on slices. The CF is much better than the Cyclone in directional control. Overall, this string is not for me. While the power, feel and spin were all very nice, I just couldn't consistently put the ball where I wanted when swinging out with this string.

If you have played with the original Cyclone, please compare. Sorry, no experience with regular Cyclone.

[wrxinsc]

Originally Posted by Nuke

Gauge of playtest string 16

Tension used for playtest. 60 pounds on both mains and crosses. High, I know, but others here and in the comments on the sales page have lamented not stringing this at higher tension to tame it. I went up 5 pounds over my regular setup.

Regular string set up. Generally hybrid Cyber Flash or Big Hitter Silver 17 mains with OGSM crosses

Racquet brand and model used for test Prince Warrior OS

Power of test string. Power was good. There was a welcome bit of pop, unlike a lot of the common dead polys.

Feel. Another strength of this string. Firm enough for my preference, without feeling too muted or rubbery. I did notice it seemed to stretch a bit on stringing, so maybe it's softer than most polys.

Spin. Good spin. I'm always expecting shaped and twisted strings to have a crazy amount of spin, but usually find, as is the case here, that the access to spin isn't really all that much greater than my normal round strings. I did think this Cyclone Tour was particularly good at grabbing the ball for chop-and-drop shots, but my baseline topspin was just marginally better than normal.

Comfort. Good. Not jarring on the arm, and more comfortable than my usual setup.

Durability. Just OK. After 10 hours, the ridges have smoothed out a bit, and the tension loss is making me spray balls all over the place.

Playability Duration Good only for maybe 4 hours before I started to lose confidence in it over a loss of control from the tension loss. And a couple of hours after that, the spin benefit from the shaped ridges was diminished as the string rounded out a bit. So, not a string you're going to get 20 hours from. I cut it out after 10.

Control This was the deal breaker for me. It really ruined my first serve percentage when I was swinging out. Man, I just couldn't buy a first serve with this string. In a couple of sessions, I switched off to another racquet with 20-hour-old Lux 4G (still sitting there from a previous playtest) to see if it was the Cyclone or me having serving problems. Both times, my first serves instantly came back with the Lux. Switching back to the Cyclone required me to take something off the first serve and groundstrokes to get directional control. I suppose there was still some life left in this string after 10 hours, but my lack of control with it is the main reason I cut it out.

Tension recommendations I don't know where to go with this string. I already bumped the tension up 5 pounds over my usual poly tension, and still couldn't get good directional control. Not sure if going higher would have helped.

Compare to the string you use most often. Cyclone has good power and spin, reasonably close to my regular Cyber Flash. Cyclone has a more comfortable feel than the CF. Cyclone has slightly better spin potential than CF, particularly on slices. The CF is much better than the Cyclone in directional control. Overall, this string is not for me. While the power, feel and spin were all very nice, I just couldn't consistently put the ball where I wanted when swinging out with this string.

If you have played with the original Cyclone, please compare. Sorry, no experience with regular Cyclone.

good review nuke

[wrxinsc]

Originally Posted by Andyroo10567

After numerous attempts to reserve a court, i finally managed to pick up 2 30 minute sessions on 2 different days.

Gauge of playtest string : Received a 17G.

Tension used for playtest : 43lb. Yes, i strung it pretty low. I would probably have a different opinion on it during spring/summer with higher tensions

Regular string set up Was Babolat Revenge 17G. Experimenting with new.

Racquet brand and model used for test Head IG Prestige Pro

Power of test string My goodness. Playing against a ball machine for the first 30 minutes was a eye popper. The power was extremely high. Should have taken these reviews previous users have made into account when stringing. Basically just slowed down my swing to maintain the power. When playing the second time, i learned my mistakes from the ball machine and played fine. Ground strokes were great. Volleys were hitting bit too deep. Serves rarely too deep, hits nicely on serves. Backhands were hitting baseline, partner couldnt tell if some were out. this is just 7/10.

Feel I think it felt pretty soft. Like lawrencejin said as well, I love the blasting bam noise in the indoor courts. I got a little bit of the sound i wanted, but not enough. Feels ok, not bad, not amazing. Maybe if i had an 18G i could get more bam into my shots. overall, 5/10

Spin Slices were great! My forehand doesnt have much topspin but there was a noticeable amount of increased spin on my forehand. My backhand had plenty of topspin. Going for winners with my backhand was easy to score with. Topspin lobs were easy to mess with. My dropshots were on spot. 8/10

Comfort Did not hurt my arm at all. Felt like i could play with this string perfectly fine until it goes dead and breaks. 9/10

Durability Did not break on me yet. I usually snip out my strings every now and then if they last too long. I would prefer a fresh feel like most people do. 8/10

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time) : Played well for the first day. Second day it was dead. Still played fine but the feel and power was different. Felt more dead, and power was higher. The tension dropped quite a lot from what i was seeing. 7/10

Control (predictable trajectory? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?) Had pretty good directional control. With a higher tension, i would definitely have more confidence since it had so much power. 8/10

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?) : Probably about 58 and higher. This just has too much power to use my normal strokes.

Compare to the string you use most often Less pop on the ball. ( bam sound ). Had better directional control. Better spin. But since the stringbed im using atm, i just dont want to switch. Natural gut feels so.... good.... But soo.... Expensive...

If you have played with the original Cyclone, please compare. Never used Cyclone before. :/

Enjoyed this play test. Thanks TW! Would recommend this string to some of my partners!

interested in your sound comparisons. thanks.

[wrxinsc]

Originally Posted by seekay

lively and free-spirited

yep; spot on.

[Doubles]

Well, I broke this at right around the 6 hour mark, so here's my review:

Gauge of playtest string: 17 Gauge

Tension used for playtest: 47 Lbs.

Regular string set up: Tour Bite at 45 Lbs.

Racquet brand and model used for test: IG Prestige Pro

Power of test string: For a poly, this string had some pop to it. I would compare it power wise to Tour Bite.

Feel: Nice feel for a poly. I could feel it sink into the strings as I hit with it, as opposed to Tour Bite which has absolutely no give to it. Volleys felt crisp and I didn't have an issue placing the ball when I wanted to.

Spin: Impressive. The texture on the string definitely helps with the grab on the ball. It's not Tour Bite level, but it's above other polys that I've tried. Kickers and slice both had nice action on them. Groundies seemed pretty spinny, too.

Comfort: Comfy for a poly. It's soft so it didn't cause me any problems.

Durability: I snapped it at six hours. I was happy with that given the would-be price of the string. Nothing spectacular, but I've dealt with worse.

Playability Duration: It remained playable during the course of its life. I don't know how long this would last before it died, but for me, it was still relatively fresh by the time I broke it.

Control: Spin helps create control. I was able to generate plenty of spin with this string, so control was nice. Not as good as with Tour Bite, but it's hard to beat Tour Bite in terms of spin.

Tension recommendations: String it a few pounds higher than what you normall use for a poly. This is definitely on the softer side.

Compare to the string you use most often: It seems similar to Tour Bite in terms of spin potential, but it's significantly softer. It plays better at the net than Tour Bite does, but I liked it less for ground strokes and serves.

[Laney Tennis]

Gauge of playtest string - 16 gauge

Tension used for playtest - Cyclone Tour full bed at 57lbs

Regular string set up - Tourna Big Hitter Blue Rough 16g mains 17g cross

Racquet brand and model used for test - Pro Staff Tour 95

Power of test string - This is a very powerful co-poly. First day hitting I wasn't quite sure what to make of it, the string is very soft and springy but yet it grabs the ball nicely. I was afraid the shots I hit would sail out but somehow the spin was able to keep it in the court. Definitely takes a little getting used to, one needs to have a lot of confidence in their strokes to be willing to hit out with this. Occasionally there will be a flyer or two but if you're able to control that power, this setup can be addictive! The added power along with a high launch angle creates a very heavy ball that is difficult for the opponents to handle.

Feel - One word, springy. This is a love/hate relationship for me. I love it when the springy and powerful stringbed allows me to launch a super heavy ball and the opponent struggles to get it back. I hate it when I'm on defense, had to block a shot back and the ball sails on me when I barely touched it. I thought to myself how can anyone control this stuff if they don't use spin, they can't. Initially I thought the wording on the TW site was a bit strange "Volkl Cyclone Tour, a somewhat springy co-poly designed for big hitters," but that pretty much nailed it.

Spin - At the start I was a bit unsure what the Cyclone Tour was capable of, looking at all the texture and and twists I was expecting this to be a spin monster but that wasn't the case. In rallying I was getting good spin but not tremendous spin, it wasn't until I started to hit out and take full strokes that the spin potential was fully realized. Once full racquet speed was used, the ball launched, nose dived into the court then exploded toward the back fence, it was jaw dropping. I could not believe what I was seeing, I really didn't think such a springy, powerful string bed could be controlled but it did. There were streaks where I hit 20+ forehands at full speed and every single one of them dove into the court, then jumping in an unpredictable fashion. The only way I can explain this is when striking the ball with full force, the soft/springy string bed cradles the ball and the textured strings bite and launch it with tremendous spin and power behind it. I have to say this stuff is not for everyone, some will say no thanks at the first sign of springyness but for those that can find a way to control it, it could be a really fun ride!

Comfort - Needless to say the Cyclone Tour scored high in this category. I had the 16 gauge, strung it at 57lbs and this is one of the softest co-polys I have tried. I thought the comfort level was on par with Black Magic or maybe even more comfortable than BM for how soft and springy the string bed is. I really don't think anybody can hurt themselves with this string unless you are stringing it at 60lbs +, I am not a believer in stringing polys that high. If one likes the firmer feel, they can simply play with Babolat Revenge or Alu power. The impression this string had made on me is I can hit big with tremendous power and spin but at the same time its not going to shred my arm into pieces, what a wonderful concept! Win win situation, best of both worlds!

Durability - This is always one of my main concerns as I am a string breaker. At the end of the 3rd hit session the strings are starting to move a bit, there are some notching but I expect to be able to get another 3 sessions out of it before breakage. The initial playability of the string with the textures and sharp edges only lasted one session and it wore off quickly like everyone says. Midway through the 3rd session there was a huge tension drop and the springiness got springier. At nine dollars a pop and $140 per reel, it is a bit difficult for me to pull the trigger since I break strings about once a week. To me the more realistic price point has to be $100 or less per reel, competition is stiff out there.

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time) - Playability at the start is tremendous, the strings are sharp, the texture is there, the string bed cradles and bites the ball nicely and has a certain amount of crispness to it surprisingly. Couple hours into it, the texture is eroding, string bed is very lively, the bite is still there although not as sharp as earlier. In the 2nd session I thought the string maintained its playability quite nicely, nothing really changed much after the initial drop off. It maintained that consistency until midway through the 3rd session that's when I experienced a major tension drop and control is starting to suffer. I am still hitting the ball fine but in the back of my mind I am always thinking when is that flyer going to come. In match situation I may have to switch to a new string bed.

Control (predictable trajectory? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?) - Control was good as long as I have enough racquet speed going through my shots but in certain defensive situations where I have to block the ball back then it becomes a challenge. I find it very difficult after hitting full strokes then have to hit a touch shot and control the depth with this setup, that's the downside of a powerful setup. Other than that, I thought the control was very good for something this powerful. In my opinion, the more powerful the setup, the more difficult it is to get that pinpoint accuracy for the simple reason that so much more action could be put on the ball. To me, this string performed more than satisfactory in this area but I'm sure there will be others that disagree.

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?) - For big hitters or people that like it a bit firmer they may want to string this up 2 or 3lbs higher than their usual co-poly but for me I'm going to stay at my usual 57lbs. The thinking behind that is this string is designed to be soft, springy, powerful. If I take it up to 60lbs +, it'll bring a lot more control back into play but at the same time it takes the "fun" qualities of the string out. Bottom line is if I want a control oriented string, there are plenty of those out on the market.

Compare to the string you use most often - Bhbr is a control string compared to the Cyclone Tour, they are both powerful strings but CT is in a class of its own. It is the most powerful co-poly I have used. In the spin department, I'd say they're about equal but its a different kind of spin. With the added power, pocketing and spin, CT's trajectory and flight path allowed me to do things other strings cannot. The one thing that keeps coming to mind is the control issue, while the majority of the time I am able to tame the power of the CT but there is that one shot under pressure where it can fly have me second guessing if this string is ready for competitive match play. Overall, I'd say one has to take the good along with the bad, I'm curious how CT holds up in the summer heat but at the moment it is definitely a good winter blend.

If you have played with the original Cyclone, please compare - Have not played with the original Cyclone

Summary - Overall I thought this was one of the more fun playtest I've had, there were many other ones where I was hoping to get it over with quickly. Sad to say but there are times where some of the manufacturers were putting out strings that they should not be, *ahem I won't say who.

The Volkl Cyclone Tour is definitely worth further investigating, it has unique attributes which I don't see many others have. In a way CT is allowing players to experience co-poly at low tension without physically going to that tension. The recent trend on the boards have players stringing polys in the 30's or 40's, in a way this is what the CT feels like but with added power and maybe slightly more firmness and crispness to that.

I never thought I could associate pocketing with co-poly strings but this is exactly what the Cyclone Tour has done. The soft characteristics allowed the ball to be more easily pocketed and effectively gives it more spin to control the shots, to me the extra spin seems not to be coming from the texture or the material of the string with but rather from the pocketing effect. I've tried low tension before and was a none believer but this playtest leaves me thinking I should explore that a bit further. I will be dropping tension wth BHBR from 57 to 52, 50, 48, 45 to see if I can create the same effect.

The CT is definitely something I would like to have in my bag for days when I just want something fun to hit with. I am really curious how other players will react to its unique characteristics by changing their setup to this. Unfortunately at $140 per reel I will not be taking that risk. I would have pulled the trigger if it was $100 or below, how about a promotion like what Kirschbaum did with the Super Smash so we can explore it a bit more?

Thanks TW for letting me playtest this string, it was a really fun ride~

[briianxd]

I got the 16g Cyclone Tour and I tested it out in my Volkl PB10 mid stock weight at 52#s and I am comparing it KB PL II 17 at 52#s.
Power of test string=CT is one of the most powerful polys out there. It gave me great pop off the stringbed and it felt like I didn't have to work for my shots.
Feel= This string is very soft with good ball pocketing. Despite being really soft for a poly, it was kind of crisp but not enough for me.
Spin= EXTREME! I loved this string because I got insane spin comapred to the smooth poly I currently use. I especially loved my slice serve and slice groundie. It gave it some a low skidding effect on the ball with great amount of side spin.
Comfort= It felt very comforatable. It gave me nice ball pocketing that helped contribute to soft feeling of it.
Durability= I think it is about average compared to other polys. I can see notching in my sweetspot and I am on my 5th hr on the string.
Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time)= Playability decreased on the third hour after hitting with heavy spin and power.
Control (predictable trajectory? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?)= sprayed a little bit on flat shots, but was still controllable. Perhaps this was due to the lower tension
Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?) = Would have been better had it been 2 lbs tighter. Controll was lacking at the tension used.
Compare to the string you use most often = kirschbaum proline II had better control and feel but this string won in the other areas.

[Brocolt]

Gauge of playtest string
Tension used for playtest: 16 gauge string at 57Lbs strung on a Gamma lock-out crank I would typically string my polys at 50 I increased tension expecting a soft powerful string

Regular string set up: Always trying diffrent strings bounce bck and forth with multis and Polys

Racquet brand and model used for test: Babolat pure drive gt

Power of test string: 10/10 The power level for a poly was big. I was quite suprised. To much power for the PD. would be great in a softer framed racket

Feel: 8/10 I would compare the feel almost up there with some of the stiffer Multis, Volleys were pleasant with a nice pocketing feel

Spin: 10/10 Loved the amount of spin for the first 5-6 hrs I could swing away and see the ball really crank down on the other side of the net. reminded me of head sonic pro but with more spin:

Comfort 9/10 great for a poly. Definately one of the softer ones I have played. I broke my wrist back in March and I had no issuse with the string.

Durability 7/0 lost tension a little quicker than I would of liked 8 hrs. I think with a softer racket the playability would be longer

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time): The first 8 hrs were great just like a brand new car. once the tension started to drop the power level jumped a little more and the control started to be an issue. However they did not get that dead boardy feeling like most polys. There was still a good feel to the strings

Control : I have a big kick serve and these strings made it even bigger. I was able to place the ball anywhere in the box with dramatic results even after the string lost tension . Groundstrokes for the first 8 hrs, reminded me of throwing a wiffle ball. The amount of movment from topspin generated was crazy. My partner had a hard time judging the ball because they would look like they were going to sail into the back drop then just crank down on the baseline. After the honeymoon period (tension drop) I started missing the baseline by a foot. Volleys were spot on

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?) I would string it at whatever you would string a Multi at. or at least 5lbs heavier than your normal poly .

Compare to the string you use most often: Last poly I had in my racket was Rpm this string was softer more powerful with more spin. Lacked a little in the control


If you have played with the original Cyclone, please compare. I have not played the original

I am a 4.0 40 year old male that plays with my son 4 days a week. This string was a pleasure to try. I am looking to switch to a softer framed racket and I will try this string again. As for the frame I have now (PD) it is a little to powerful for my game.

[Chace]

Gauge of playtest string- 17g

Tension used for playtest- 52lbs

Regular string set up- Genesis black magic 17g at 52lbs

Racquet brand and model used for test-Tecnifibre Tfight 320 16 by 19

Power of test string- For a poly this had alot of power, much more than black magic.

Feel- The feel was decent. It felt kind of plasticky. It reminded me of genesis spin x in terms of feel.

Spin- The spin was comparable to black magic as far as topspin. However on backhand slices it didnt seem like i was getting the same "bite" compared to black magic. The same was true with slice serves.

Comfort- Despite the plasticky feel, the string was comfortable. Softer than most polys.

Durability- I cant really speak to the durability. I had about 4 hours of play on it. I then sold the racket. For the 4 hours of play the durability seemed fine. Looking at the notching on the mains i would say i probably had another 2 hours or so left before breakage. Black magic lasts me anywhere from 6-7 hours of play before it breaks.

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time)- The playability was ok. Around 3 hours of play the balls started to fly somewhat due to the tension loss.

Control (predictable trajectory? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?)- The stringbed did not feel honest at times, was a little inconsistent. Didn't have my usual confidence when trying to put away midcourt balls. They seemed to fly when flattening them out, so had to compensate by using more topspin. Slices didnt have the normal bite on the backhand side. They had a tendency to stay up a bit.
On flat serves the pop was there but a little trouble hitting my spots.

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?)- Probably would go up to 55lbs for a little more control.

Compare to the string you use most often- Black magic felt more solid all around with the exception of the Volkl being more powerful. Both strings are comfortable and soft for polys. In terms of feel I like the feel of black magic better. The Volkl felt too plasticky.

If you have played with the original Cyclone, please compare.- Sorry I haven't used the original cyclone.

Thanks TW and Volkl for the playtest.
Chace

[njsigman]

First off, thanks again to TW and Volkl for letting me participate in the playtest!

Gauge of playtest string: 17g

Tension used for playtest. 52 pounds on both mains and crosses.

Regular string set up. Generally Donnay X-Hybrid polyester mains at 50 pounds and synthetic crosses at 55 pounds.

Racquet brand and model used for test: Donnay Pro One 97 18x20

Power of test string. Extremely powerful. Was like a rocket launcher on serves and groundies

Feel. Had nice feel, especially at the net. Definitely feels softer than most full poly set ups that I have used in the past.

Spin. Very good access to spin. My racquet and current setup are usually best for flat hitting baseliners like myself. I expected that this string would provide that level of spin based on the fact that it is shaped and twisted string. Back hand slice and drop shots were especially effective in this department.

Comfort. Very good. This is a very comfortable poly string and felt surprisingly comfortable compared to my usual hybrid setup.

Durability. Average. After about 5 hours of agressive play, the twisted ridges on the string are beginning to flatten in some spots, and there is noticeable tension loss.

Playability. Good for maybe 4 - 5 hours of agressive play before I began to notice a bit more loss of control and balls were flying long. With continued play there is a noticeable reduction in the level of spin due to the flattening of the twisted string.

Control. I had good control with this string for about 5 hours of play. In the first hour or two I was able to hit some serious bombs with this string especially on my first serves. Groundies were also powerful and controlled. As play time progressed I noticed diminished control when hitting all out. It still had good control at net but from the baseline the balls began to fly long.

Tension recommendations. I would probably take this string up another 3 or 4 pounds to 55 or 56 in both the mains and the crosses. The string feels comfortable enough as is and there would probably be an increased benefit on the control side. don't know where to go with this string.

Compare to the string you use most often. Cyclone Tour has good access to power and spin, reasonably close to my Donnay X Hybrid setup. However, the tension maintenance for me has been superior with my regular setup. I feel that I can get twice as much duration out of it. This Cyclone Tour string is extremely comfortable and has good access to spin as well until the twisted string wears out a bit. At that point it becomes much more difficult to control the ball. Overall, I think it is a good string, but the tension maintenance suffers much earlier on than expected.

If you have played with the original Cyclone, please compare. I have not used the original Cyclone string.

[bspitch1]

Gauge of playtest string: 16

Tension used for playtest: 50lbs

Regular string set up: Luxilon 4G at 50 lbs

Racquet brand and model used for test: Babolat PSTGT

Power of test string: Very powerful string, especially compared to 4G. The power was my biggest complaint but could be do to my normal string setup.

Feel: Feel was good, volleys were better than groundstrokes for me. Touch shots got better as I got used to the string. Slightly better than average.

Spin: Incredible spin. My favorite quality of the string was the spin that it produced. Definitely a major plus

Comfort: Good comfort, especially for a poly.

Durability: Hit with it for college practices, broke after 6ish hours. About average for me.

Playability Duration: I felt that it played pretty well for the time that I used it. 6 hours over twoish days wasn't too much time for it to change though.

Control: Less than I expected. I found it to be lacking in this category.

Tension recommendations: 45lb is my usual tension for pretty much any poly in this frame. BHB7, Cyclone, Solinco Tour Bite, MSV Co-Focus, you name it and 45lb works. But not Cyclone Tour. I'd want to jump up to at least 50lb and maybe iterate up from there to try and reign it in. For me, the string wasn't really playable at 45lb, and that's a shame, because I think it's got promise.

Compare to the string you use most often: More power, more spin, and less control than 4G. I don't think I will be switching any time soon

[Sardines]

Gauge of playtest string: 18

Tension used for playtest: 40/37lbs

Regular string set up: RPM Blast 17/VS 17 38/36 lbs

Racquet brand and model used for test: Donnay Pro One 16x19

Power of test string: Good power. Not as powerful as my hybrid combo, but the combo of spin and power gave my racquet a bit more bite and control. My SHB was a bit short at first because of the lower power, but I adjusted and used the bite.

Feel: Feel was so so. About the same as the RPM17, which for an 18g thickness is not great.

Spin: Very good bite on the ball. I'd say 10% more than my hybrid combo. The spin on 1st and 2nd serves provide good margin so I actually hit harder.

Comfort: Pretty comfortable like a co-poly. My forearm aches a tad more after heavy hitting.

Durability: 4 hours of doubles, 3 hours of hitting and so far still quite playable with good spin.

Playability Duration: 7 hours of hitting over 4 days and still providing good spin and power. Good so far!

Control: Nice control with spin and power. I'm still surprised! I can swing freely off the serve and forehand. Volleys lack that bit of touch feel which I miss for short angle and drop volleys.

Tension recommendations: I'd agree that the string is pretty powerful and needs to be strung a bit tighter. That's why I moved up 2 lbs. If you have arm issues, I'd recommend keeping the tension on the lower end and use the spin potential for control.

Compare to the string you use most often: More spin, good power. Allows better lunge recovery shots. I'm a little torn as I like it, but I can't feel the ball as well on the volleys. I'll have to experiment with it as a hybrid with gut.

PS I bought my own Cyclone Tour string so I'm not part of the playtest. NTRP 5.5 all court.

[tennisnj]

Sorry for the late posting but snow & the lack of competitive hitting have kept me off the courts aside from giving lessons.

Gauge: 16

Tension for playtest: 50 lbs
Tension (normal): 50 or below

Regular string set up: Honestly I change strings almost every string job but 90% of the time Syn Gut in low tensions.

Racquet: Boris Becker V1 OS.

Power: I Found it to be a little lacking in power for me, which was similar to regular Cyclone, which I too found to be a little under-powered.

Feel: A little better feel than the last string I had in this specific racquet which was Volkl Cyclone 16, but nothing earth-shattering.

Comfort: I play with 2 hands on both sides so comfort is never an issue.

Control: No issues keeping the ball in even at a lower tension. Control is my strongest point, so it did nothing to change it either way.

Spin: I'm a firm believer that technique is much more important than a string for spin, that being said, I didn't notice any difference in spin from the Cyclone to the Cyclone Tour.

Durability: I'm not much of a string breaker unless you get up into the 18 syn guts, but after about 4 hours of hitting with it, no fraying, no movement.

Playability: It just seemed to be lacking any 'oomph' to it even at a lower tension. Just not a crisp enough string.

Tension recommendations: I'm going against what almost everyone else on here suggestions. I say keep it low if you have no issues with control & need a little more power.

Compare to string used most: I tend to use Syn Gut in most of my racquets, cheap stuff no less---& I just didn't find anything superstar about it which would make me change to a co-poly permanently. I find Genesis Hex to be far superior in each & every category which I usually add in my string rotation.

I have used the original Cyclone & to me there wasn't any noticeable differences that would make me choose 1 over the other. I wasn't wowed by either.

[purple-n-gold]

Gauge-17g

Tension-60lbs on my lockout

Regular string-currently testing out different strings

Racquet-Yonex Vcore 100 customized

Power-medium power, adequate for a poly, became more powerful after a couple of hours. I strung this higher due to everyone stating how powerful a poly this was but at 60lbs initially this string played well and I had no issues with control.

Feel-muted,crispy, sort of plastic-like, not harsh though. No issues stringing with kinks but it had some serious coil memory right out of the package.

Spin-a good textured string, sent ball fuzz flying through the air with big cuts I would put it right up there with some of the higher end textured strings as far as capable spin production.

Comfort-decent for a full bed of poly, similiar to strings like alu rough where the texture actually softens the strings feel a bit.

Durability-non issue, cut the strings out at the 4 hr mark. They were notched pretty well and would have probably lasted a few more hrs before breaking, I typically cut out full poly beds anyhow at 5-6 hrs playing time for me about 2 weeks.

Playability Duration- 3 hours. The performance took a nose dive around this mark, became more powerful and found the control to be lacking.

Control- really good control with all spin shots, top and slice came off the racket nice & predictable within the first 3 hours, at and around this time I sent a few flyers long and lost some accuracy on serves.

Tension recommendations- I stay around the 52-58lb range typically with full poly in 100" frames depending on a strings stiffness. I could have come down 2-3lbs with the Cyclone Tour and this could have possibly helped with the strings playable duration.

Comparability to other strings- I found this string matched up well in comparison to other textured strings. I will throw out there that to me there was some similiarities with alu rough as far as the muted, dampened feel and spin. It lacked alu's thick feel and awesomeness though. The playability just did not last long enough, so I doubt I will stock it due to other cheaper options that I prefer.

I have not tried the original Cyclone,yet.

Thanks TW and Volkl for the opportunity and Happy New Year!

[davedomart]

Gauge of playtest string: I received the 16.

Tension used for playtest: 56 LBS.

Regular string set up: Pro Supex Big Ace 16 @ 56 LBS.

Racquet brand and model used for test: Wilson K Six One Team 95 (18x20)

Power of test string: Very powerful for a poly. I found it more powerful than big ace, which is a powerful poly. The power was fine on spin shots, but when I flattened it out, the ball tended to fly long.

Feel: I liked the feel of this one a lot. It had what I call 'cupping' crispness. It was soft and cupped the ball, but not muted or plasticky like other polys as you could still feel the ball through the crispness.

Spin: Definitely more spin than my regular setup; one of the spinniest strings I have tried.

Comfort: Very good for a poly. Even when it lost tension it felt soft.

Durability: This string was not as durable as Big Ace, which is not surprising since it is twisted and textured. It lasted me 10 hours.

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time): It remained pretty stable until the last hour where it became really springy.

Control (predictable trajectory? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?): Control was fine when I was hitting spinny forehands, but other parts of my game suffered. My backhand which is pretty flat, was going out a lot. I also had to spin my serves in because my flat serve kept going long. Slices were fine, but drop volleys sat up a little bit. Near the end of the string life I really had to be careful or every shot would go out.

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?): I would string it maybe two pounds higher, at 58, so flat shots would have better control.

Compare to the string you use most often: This had more spin and power than big ace, but at the expense of control and durability. The feel with this was similar to Big Ace, maybe a bit crisper because of shape. I think I could play with either string and do well, but I prefer to hit flatter and through the court more so Big Ace is probably better for my style. If I were a loopy heavy topspin player, I would probably use Cyclone Tour. But my only spinny shot is my forehand.

If you have played with the original Cyclone, please compare.: I have not played with the original Cyclone.

Thanks TW & Volkl for this playtest. I enjoyed it a lot!