Who else prefers cheaper polys to more expensive ones?

The Herm · Sep 14, 2016

I'll preface this by saying that I've used poly string exclusively for the last 10-15 years and prefer it for many reasons (durability, string movement, and overall playability).

I've tried a decent amount of different brands (Luxilon, Babolat, Volkl, and most recently Solinco) but still come back to using Gosen Polylon 17 and more recently Isospeed Baseline 17L. The Gosen and Isospeed are much more comfortable, better feel, more arm friendly, and overall better playability. I just hit with the Solinco Hyper-G and found this string to be a bit jarring and tough on my arm than Polylon of Baseline (both of these feel much better even though they are more the half the cost).

To make sure it's definitely the string difference, I've tried the other more expensive (and most have good overall reviews) strings with the same racquets and stringing at different tensions. I was curious if anyone else prefers the cheaper poly strings?

Deleted member 23235 · Sep 14, 2016

can't say I prefer it... I love lux4g, but breaking after a couple hours is too expensive!

I play exclusively with klippermate poly now, pretty cheap, and does the job.

MrRandom247 · Sep 14, 2016

I'm usually on the cheaper side of strings, thin 1.23mm, tight 58lbs + economy synthetic gut.

Except on my favourite racket of all time got recent overhaul of plush Kirschbaum Pro Line II Mains & cheaper Gosen OG sheep X's.
Paid for itself (I'm in love with it) when I beat an opponent that beat me a few weeks back - underpowered but solid & produced 1 double fault in a 6-3, 7-6 win

My solution to expensive $50 Luxilon Alu Power in my Head Radical Pro?
String savers!, easy...

3fees · Sep 14, 2016

Yonex Poly tour spin pays for itself and so does Genesis Hexonic 18L

Cheers
3Fees

BlueB · Sep 14, 2016

Another Baseline fan here

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

cknobman · Sep 15, 2016

I've found the at "peak" performance the expensive poly (such as RPM Blast) plays the absolute best

but that peak performance windows seems to last a very short time.

Overall I've settled with a super cheap poly that plays really well, maintains play-ability longer, and is far more comfortable than something like RPM Blast.

ISOSpeed Baseline Control

$40 for a 660 reel? Yes please

JustTennis76 · Sep 15, 2016

Gosen Polylon fan here. $41.95 for 660 ft reel.

bigserving · Sep 15, 2016

Isospeed strings are like a poor man's Dunlop Black Widow. I like and play with them both. I always have my ears and eyes open for good-playing inexpensive strings, but I play with what I like.

Doc Hollidae · Sep 15, 2016

Still haven't found any expensive string that I would prefer over Big Hitter Blue, Gut being the only exception.

neverstopplaying · Sep 15, 2016

3fees said:
Yonex Poly tour spin pays for itself and so does Genesis Hexonic 18L

Cheers
3Fees

I thought I was the one around here that plays with Hexonic, though I use I heavier gauge. Great feel for a poly.

BlueB · Sep 15, 2016

bigserving said:
Isospeed strings are like a poor man's Dunlop Black Widow. I like and play with them both. I always have my ears and eyes open for good-playing inexpensive strings, but I play with what I like.

I found it more like Head Sonic Pro. Actually, exactly like it

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Big_Dangerous · Sep 15, 2016

Would Cyclone be considered cheap? I'd say it's probably mid range, but I love it. It's the go to string for my mains.

Aretium · Sep 15, 2016

Get on the pro's pro. Wouldn't use the expensive stuff even if I had the money.

2nd Serve Ace · Sep 15, 2016

I would use BHB7 over Blast any day of the week! A reel can be had for just $89.

It IS a pain to string, however.

brianmch · Sep 15, 2016

I'm on my first reel of Genesis Pro Advantage after having had them recommended by a more experienced player. $45 per reel.

Haven't broken them in 3 months but when playing last night I think they started sounding funny on contact. Kind of ringy. Does that mean its time to replace? I've played them about 26 times, say 60 to 70 sets. Full bed in a Wilson Prostaff 95S, middle tension.

newton296 · Sep 15, 2016

2nd Serve Ace said:
I would use BHB7 over Blast any day of the week! A reel can be had for just $89.

It IS a pain to string, however.

I use BHB7 as my go to string and in a control oriented racket with pretty dense string pattern its hard to beat thanks to all the spin and power it whips up. I think it might be less ideal in a open string pattern powerful stick like a pure drive . I also use revolve but in a hybrid cause it feels weird to me in a full bed.

both strings pretty cheap . I am thinking of just going 6 more bucks and playing with alu power full time

python · Sep 15, 2016

The Herm said:
I was curious if anyone else prefers the cheaper poly strings?

I frequently use Gosen Polylon as I have two reels to go through.

I even let it stay in my racquet long, long after people here would have cut them out, claiming they have gone 'dead'. Old, dead Polylon still plays fine for my taste. Curiously right before it breaks, the strings feels more lively again which tells me I better get the spare racquet handy.

Irvin · Sep 15, 2016

Back maybe 10 years ago when I hit harder the first poly I ever tried was polylon mains and GOGM crosses and liked it pretty much.

skydog · Sep 15, 2016

Tourna BHS for the crosses in a hybrid. $69 for 660. Holds tension quite well in a hybrid with Monogut ZX.

fuzz nation · Sep 15, 2016

I was using 17 ga. Polylon for a while, but then I discovered the Isospeed Baseline options. The lightest gauge, 1.20mm (17L maybe?), has been a runaway hit both with high school sluggers I string for and a couple of decent local college players are loving it, too. I've resisted the whole poly thing for a long time myself, but I've recently started using the 1.20mm Baseline in a hybrid with syn. gut in a couple of my soft racquets and it's been quite good. Comfort hasn't suffered and control with those frames has improved nicely.

The low price of these reels has made it easy for me to stock every gauge available at TW. The thinner Baseline is great for softer hybrids, the middle gauges work well for anybody who needs a little more firmness, etc., and the 1.35mm has been pretty much ideal for any of those ultra open spin pattern racquets that can chew through thinner strings in record time.

MixedMaster · Sep 15, 2016

I've been using a guy/poly combo for the last couple of years now and I've tried a bunch in my crosses but keep coming back to Gamma iO. I've tried some Lux, Pro's Pro, Babolat, etc, but the iO seems to do it for me. It's not that cheap, but I've managed to get it on sale for about $5.00 a set and have a couple of sets left. Hopefully, I'll catch another sale soon.

2nd Serve Ace · Sep 16, 2016

newton296 said:
I use BHB7 as my go to string and in a control oriented racket with pretty dense string pattern its hard to beat thanks to all the spin and power it whips up. I think it might be less ideal in a open string pattern powerful stick like a pure drive .

I've had similar results. Initially used BHB7 in an Extreme Pro (100 sq inch, 16x19, 6 mains in the throat) at 52 lbs, and it was nothing special.

Then I tried it in my PT 57E (95 inch, 18x20) at 42 lbs, and that was a very compelling hit: Great spin, good pocketing, comfortable, good control, low but not too low power.

ChaelAZ · Sep 16, 2016

nytennisaddict said:
I love lux4g, but breaking after a couple hours is too expensive!

Same here. Such an amazing feel when it is fresh, but so hard on the wallet.

Been hitting with the Ytex Quadro Twist and love it.

RudyHuxtable · Sep 16, 2016

Tourna strings are great for the money. Black Zone and Cyclone are favorites for $8.
A lot of the more expensive Luxilon silver strings feel plastic to me. Too bad they jacked up the price of Poly Tour Pro.

newton296 · Sep 16, 2016

skydog said:
Tourna BHS for the crosses in a hybrid. $69 for 660. Holds tension quite well in a hybrid with Monogut ZX.

I like tourna silver too, seems to have pretty good control and feel for a poly. but never tried the zx mono hybrid. what does it play like ? can you say what yo like about the zx?

skydog · Sep 16, 2016

newton296 said:
I like tourna silver too, seems to have pretty good control and feel for a poly. but never tried the zx mono hybrid. what does it play like ? can you say what yo like about the zx?

I tried a full bed of Monogut ZX 3 years ago and did not like it....kind of a weird mushy feeling. Since then, I went through a PPC stage but hated the string movement issues even at higher tensions. Tried some full bed cyclone and cyclone hybrids but did not like the feel of it. Tried hybrids with Hyper G and Diadem Pro and liked the spin but not the feel with shaped poly mains. Went to a syn gut main with Tourna BHS crosses and loved that combo. Tried a Monogut ZX main on recommendation from one of my tennis instructors who is the club stringer and loved it.

The Monogut ZX main with BHS cross is by far the most comfortable / spin friendly hybrid I have hit. I can get similar spin results compared to a shaped poly main hybrid with a much more comfortable ride. Tension maintenance has been beyond expectations, I have gone up to 30 hours on a string job with no appreciable loss in dynamic tension per my ERT 300. I have never played gut, but this setup feels like I have heard a gut/poly hybrid described.

A poor man's Champion's choice hybrid or Djokovic hybrid.

newton296 · Sep 16, 2016

skydog said:
I tried a full bed of Monogut ZX 3 years ago and did not like it....kind of a weird mushy feeling. Since then, I went through a PPC stage but hated the string movement issues even at higher tensions. Tried some full bed cyclone and cyclone hybrids but did not like the feel of it. Tried hybrids with Hyper G and Diadem Pro and liked the spin but not the feel with shaped poly mains. Went to a syn gut main with Tourna BHS crosses and loved that combo. Tried a Monogut ZX main on recommendation from one of my tennis instructors who is the club stringer and loved it.

The Monogut ZX main with BHS cross is by far the most comfortable / spin friendly hybrid I have hit. I can get similar spin results compared to a shaped poly main hybrid with a much more comfortable ride. Tension maintenance has been beyond expectations, I have gone up to 30 hours on a string job with no appreciable loss in dynamic tension per my ERT 300. I have never played gut, but this setup feels like I have heard a gut/poly hybrid described.

A poor man's Champion's choice hybrid or Djokovic hybrid.

thanks for the input, but for only 7$ more per string job you could get klip natural legend gut . if I am adding right the ZX is actually pretty pricey at 15$ and klip gut is about 28$ right now. seems like you may as well go for the real gut yes?

skydog · Sep 16, 2016

newton296 said:
thanks for the input, but for only 7$ more per string job you could get klip natural legend gut . if I am adding right the ZX is actually pretty pricey at 15$ and klip gut is about 28$ right now. seems like you may as well go for the real gut yes?

200 ft reels for $65 brings the price down a bit on Monogut ZX. Having never tasted natural gut, I would like to avoid it in fear of becoming enamored with it. I would probably leave it in the racquet too long even if the poly went dead where as I have no issue cutting out the ZX when the poly starts to die.

Ignatz Tushwop · Sep 17, 2016

Tourna big hitter silver 16g 660 69$.
Don't like hybrids.
Rather string one piece.
Makes for more uniform stringbed and
better consistency.
Its bout 4$ for a string job
In my Pro Staff 85 54 Ib good for 10-15 hours hard hitting depends how lazy I feel to restring.
Probably going to try kirsch pro line II eventually it has nice reviews.

v-verb · Sep 17, 2016

Big_Dangerous said:
Would Cyclone be considered cheap? I'd say it's probably mid range, but I love it. It's the go to string for my mains.

Cyclone 19 for me - got a reel

2nd Serve Ace · Sep 17, 2016

newton296 said:
I like tourna silver too, seems to have pretty good control and feel for a poly. but never tried the zx mono hybrid. what does it play like ? can you say what yo like about the zx?

Used silver in a prestige mp and just didn't quite get the spin I was looking for, particularly on the back hand.

Probably would work better for flat hitters.

tegg96 · Sep 18, 2016

skydog said:
I tried a full bed of Monogut ZX 3 years ago and did not like it....kind of a weird mushy feeling. Since then, I went through a PPC stage but hated the string movement issues even at higher tensions. Tried some full bed cyclone and cyclone hybrids but did not like the feel of it. Tried hybrids with Hyper G and Diadem Pro and liked the spin but not the feel with shaped poly mains. Went to a syn gut main with Tourna BHS crosses and loved that combo. Tried a Monogut ZX main on recommendation from one of my tennis instructors who is the club stringer and loved it.

The Monogut ZX main with BHS cross is by far the most comfortable / spin friendly hybrid I have hit. I can get similar spin results compared to a shaped poly main hybrid with a much more comfortable ride. Tension maintenance has been beyond expectations, I have gone up to 30 hours on a string job with no appreciable loss in dynamic tension per my ERT 300. I have never played gut, but this setup feels like I have heard a gut/poly hybrid described.

A poor man's Champion's choice hybrid or Djokovic hybrid.

What tensions are you using. eg-High 50s mains Low 50s crosses?

skydog · Sep 19, 2016

tegg96 said:
What tensions are you using. eg-High 50s mains Low 50s crosses?

57lbs mains, 50 lbs cross. (Modified Blade 104 - 2015)

Shaolin · Sep 19, 2016

Nadal used polymono (duralast) forever and won many slams with it. Cheapest most basic tough poly ever. Could be used in a weed whacker.

Karstic · Sep 19, 2016

Since first discovering Tourna's Big Hitter Silver Rough, and then stumbling upon Pro's Pro Nano Vendetta, I've had no desire to try the expensive brands and never have. I'm even leaving the Nano Vendetta in far too long these days and still liking it.

esgee48 · Sep 19, 2016

I prefer the vanilla house brand SG (POSG or Gamma w/o Wearrguard) and polys (Gosen or Pros Pro) too. I prefer the term VALUE rather than CHEAP. Being ancient, I don't have the supersonic RHS required to get the performance out of the more expensive varieties.

pabletion · Sep 19, 2016

I used to..... 'till got arm/elbow issues. I used to buy Gosen Polylon Ice reels for the price but was really tough on my arm. It felt much better as a hybrid with Gosen OG Sheep Micro, but once I tried a better quality string (at that time Babolat Revenge) I realized that it is a good investment to go for decent strings. NOt necesarily the most expensive one, you've got to find your level of comfort: cost-benefit for you. Find a price range you feel comfortable in and test strings. It is the only part that actually MAKES CONTACT with the ball (Unless youre Mr. Shanksalot), it is, IMO, a GOOD investment if you're serious about tennis.

Keep in mind though, there are a lot of hyper-priced strings that aren't really worth it...

Ignatz Tushwop · Sep 19, 2016

Ignatz Tushwop said:
Tourna big hitter silver 16g 660 69$.
Don't like hybrids.
Rather string one piece.
Makes for more uniform stringbed and
better consistency.
Its bout 4$ for a string job
In my Pro Staff 85 54 Ib good for 10-15 hours hard hitting depends how lazy I feel to restring.
Probably going to try kirsch pro line II eventually it has nice reviews.

Yea now maybe upgrade from the tourna silver might be volki cyclone try this in yellow n black. 8 dollars a pack.

Kalin · Sep 20, 2016

Karstic said:
Since first discovering Tourna's Big Hitter Silver Rough, and then stumbling upon Pro's Pro Nano Vendetta, I've had no desire to try the expensive brands and never have. I'm even leaving the Nano Vendetta in far too long these days and still liking it.

Is the Vendetta harsh or is it manageable? I like polys but I prefer them to still have some 'give'.

My favourite cheap(ish) polys have been Topspin Cyberblue and Weiss Cannon Turbo Twist. Isospeed Baseline Speed is also nice, not very spinny, though.

Karstic · Sep 20, 2016

Kalin said:
Is the Vendetta harsh or is it manageable? I like polys but I prefer them to still have some 'give'.

My favourite cheap(ish) polys have been Topspin Cyberblue and Weiss Cannon Turbo Twist. Isospeed Baseline Speed is also nice, not very spinny, though.

Nano Vendetta seems to have some give to me, when swinging aggressively using a player's type of racquet. When hitting with some beginners and holding back it seems to feel flatter and stiffer. I suspect that to be the case in lighter racquets as well, and some in the big Pro's Pro thread here speak as such. The Vendetta, a completely different string, is said to have some give to it, though I haven't tried it. I have tried Red Devil though, and it may be more to your liking. Check the big Pro's Pro thread if you want to explore more of what they have.

rodrigoamaral · Sep 20, 2016

brianmch said:
I'm on my first reel of Genesis Pro Advantage after having had them recommended by a more experienced player. $45 per reel.

Haven't broken them in 3 months but when playing last night I think they started sounding funny on contact. Kind of ringy. Does that mean its time to replace? I've played them about 26 times, say 60 to 70 sets. Full bed in a Wilson Prostaff 95S, middle tension.

I string for a couple "budget" guys and they all swear by the Genesis Pro Advantage... a really good string for a jaw-dropping good bang for the buck.. Right up there with the best polys on market and it's made in Germany too!

Tennisist · Sep 20, 2016

You just found two of the softest polys out there, and they happened to be cheap. Soft polys exist also among the expensive strings. Have you tried Luxilon Fluoro or Polyfibre? They are even better. Generally, soft polys provide only one benefit - softness. This is where their usefulness ends. Stiffer polys provide much stronger spin and control. Those are more valuable in a match, if you want to win. I guess people are willing to pay more for those. Hence the research that goes into those strings, and the prices.

Backhanded Compliment · Sep 20, 2016

polylon is really nice, i love the sound it makes on contact... boom

yonex poly tour pro is awesome as is cyclone

as for really cheap kirschbaum super smash orange is great

i also like big hitter silver rough

purple-n-gold · Sep 20, 2016

Shaolin said:
Nadal used polymono (duralast) forever and won many slams with it. Cheapest most basic tough poly ever. Could be used in a weed whacker.

Used many other synthetics as well

Kalin · Sep 20, 2016

purple-n-gold said:
Used many other synthetics as well

You're lucky Octobrina doesn't frequent the strings forum...

Kalin · Sep 21, 2016

Karstic said:
Nano Vendetta seems to have some give to me, when swinging aggressively using a player's type of racquet. When hitting with some beginners and holding back it seems to feel flatter and stiffer. I suspect that to be the case in lighter racquets as well, and some in the big Pro's Pro thread here speak as such. The Vendetta, a completely different string, is said to have some give to it, though I haven't tried it. I have tried Red Devil though, and it may be more to your liking. Check the big Pro's Pro thread if you want to explore more of what they have.

Thanks, will do that! Many poly strings seem to have this particular characteristics, namely that they perform best at a certain narrow band of swingspeed. Some softer polys work great when you take it easy but become too powerful or stretchy at high RHS while stiffer polys work great when you hit hard but turn into boards when you take something off the shot.

sbaniak · Sep 22, 2016

I still love Iontec Hexa... on my 4th reel and looking forward to my 5th since they have it red now. Recently tried Cyberflash and it's nice so far in an uncharacteristically open string patten racket (for me) that I ended up with. Won't win me away from Iontec Hexa though in my fave 18x20 pattern.

graycrait · Oct 14, 2016

rodrigoamaral said:
I string for a couple "budget" guys and they all swear by the Genesis Pro Advantage... a really good string for a jaw-dropping good bang for the buck.. Right up there with the best polys on market and it's made in Germany too!

I'm experimenting with a number of poly's right now, "temporarily" leaving my arm comfortable POG OSs with Kevlar x Zyex strung at 63/63 or so. Of the polys I am using in 12.2oz, 9pts HL 98" 16x19 <66 RA racquets I'm liking Genesis Pro Advantage quite a bit. I have it full bed and hybrided in two rackets, one with Lux 4G in the mains and the other with Head Lynx in the mains. All 56/46lbs. The Head Lynx racquet is comfy but a ball launcher of sorts, the Lux 4G plays "boardy" unless I am swinging for the fences, the full bed of Genesis Pro Adv feels nice on soft shots, hard flat shots and when I am trying to "Sock" my forehand. For me it is kind of hard to ignore that Genesis Pro Adv costs $45.00/660'.

darklore009 · Oct 14, 2016

Its hard to replicate the expensive strings, but going with Pros pro was my choice for awhile

KaiserW · Oct 14, 2016

I would not mind finding something cheaper. I am currently using Revolve which $10 a pack.

Any users of ISOSpeed Baseline Control can compare it to Revolve? Does Baseline Control come in sets? I only see it in reels here but would like to test it and do not want to commit to a reel.

Who else prefers cheaper polys to more expensive ones?

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