Cheap poly reviews?

I have no clue what poly strings cost in terms of R&D, production, marketing, etc. But some of these 10 hr strings (and no poly last more than 10hrs right?) cost a lot of money. Seems like that they don't really warrant the cost - but I am wrong about a lot of things.

Is there some body or even a single person that reviews cheap poly/plastic string? I've used a lot of poly based on reviews by the two most prolific poly TT reviewers, but now I am using some really cheap stuff I like. I am getting some vibe that there might be a lot of cheap poly/plastic string that are pretty darn good. I don't play like Djokovic, Murray, Theim, Nishikori or Wawrinka, but I have delusions.

Have you perused the Pro's Pro thread yet? Lots of discussion/argument over there.

The only one I can "review" is Isospeed Baseline, but I'm not much of a poly player and I can't really even compare this stuff to any other poly.

I've also been wow'ed by the prices of some premium polys. My home stringing business isn't nearly busy enough to justify my stocking up on that more expensive stuff, but I also haven't seen much for complaints on this lower budget string. I've even had a couple of young sluggers switch into this Isospeed from Babolat RPM Blast, both for its performance and also for it's much lower cost.

The 17L (1.20mm) Baseline is thin enough that it can play quite comfortably at moderate tension, especially in a hybrid with a syn. gut cross. I tried this hybrid in a rather powerful racquet of mine looking to get more control without its feel going rock hard. It turned out to be about as comfortable as a snug bed of full syn. gut, but it also gave me a welcome extra measure of control there.

I'm also not a ferocious hitter and I haven't really figured out just how long this layout plays before going dead. But from what I've done with it so far, I haven't caught an impression of this hybrid turning a drastic corner and turning unplayable after only a few outings. I also don't use this poly hybrid in any of my other racquets. They give me enough comfort and control with syn. gut.

My next experiment in that same powerful racquet will probably be a hybrid of Luxilon 4G Soft (1.25mm) mains with a 16 ga. syn. gut cross. I haven't had good luck with a couple of thicker "soft" polys, but this one may be interesting.

I am a big fan of Discho's Iontec strings (Hexa & round). I haven't found any poly that plays better or stays playable longer. Granted, I have never bothered trying any Lux strings.. But I have tried many of the Babolats, Technifibres and others. Previously My go-to had been Völkl Cyclone which is also comparatively cheap and a great string, but not even close to as good or as cheap as Iontec.

If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. - B. L.
I go with the best string(s) for my game and frame, period. Hunt for great deals on reels. Done. I also love finding the underdog strings also. Trying to stay away from the big ones with the huge markups, endorsements and marketing hype...

big ace pro supex.

graycrait said:

I have no clue what poly strings cost in terms of R&D, production, marketing, etc. But some of these 10 hr strings (and no poly last more than 10hrs right?) cost a lot of money. Seems like that they don't really warrant the cost - but I am wrong about a lot of things.

Is there some body or even a single person that reviews cheap poly/plastic string? I've used a lot of poly based on reviews by the two most prolific poly TT reviewers, but now I am using some really cheap stuff I like. I am getting some vibe that there might be a lot of cheap poly/plastic string that are pretty darn good. I don't play like Djokovic, Murray, Theim, Nishikori or Wawrinka, but I have delusions.

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While there is certainly something to be said for materials and R&D that go into tennis strings, there is a company out there that is known for producing a quality string at an affordable price, Genesis. This is the whole mission the company was founded upon, and its why I've become a fan of some of their stuff. In my early, uneducated stages, I thought more $$ probably meant a better string, but like many things, this isn't always the case. Check them out for some good poly's that won't break the bank! I'm not sure what you're looking for in a string, but the Black Magic is a good, balanced, smooth poly with a bit of everything, including spin, power, feel (yes, for a poly!) and control. Others like the Trionic and Typhoon are shaped polys that are more spin focused and more on the stiff side.

Doppelganger,
I tried Genesis Typhoon and it was fine, but I am really liking Genesis Pro Advantage 17 especially since I got it on sale for about $28.00/reel. Having used GPA for a month now I was just wondering if there were other polys that were priced like this stuff but still worked.

^ Ahh, well glad to hear you're all over it! Yeah, the Pro Advantage is a bargain that really can't be beat. It's by no means a top poly out there, but at what it offers, its a value that's very tough to argue. My testing of different tennis strings across the board is pretty limited, but I've also tried and liked the HEAD Hawk. By comparison, I like Genesis Black Magic better though, and its about $5 less on average. Double AR's Twice Dragon was a good poly for my style also, but again, it was a few more per set. I am curious to see the results of your search too, because I've yet to find a poly string manufacturer that beats Genesis performance/value.

graycrait said:

I have no clue what poly strings cost in terms of R&D, production, marketing, etc. But some of these 10 hr strings (and no poly last more than 10hrs right?) cost a lot of money. Seems like that they don't really warrant the cost - but I am wrong about a lot of things.

Is there some body or even a single person that reviews cheap poly/plastic string? I've used a lot of poly based on reviews by the two most prolific poly TT reviewers, but now I am using some really cheap stuff I like. I am getting some vibe that there might be a lot of cheap poly/plastic string that are pretty darn good. I don't play like Djokovic, Murray, Theim, Nishikori or Wawrinka, but I have delusions.

Click to expand...

graycrait said:

I have no clue what poly strings cost in terms of R&D, production, marketing, etc. But some of these 10 hr strings (and no poly last more than 10hrs right?) cost a lot of money. Seems like that they don't really warrant the cost - but I am wrong about a lot of things.

Is there some body or even a single person that reviews cheap poly/plastic string? I've used a lot of poly based on reviews by the two most prolific poly TT reviewers, but now I am using some really cheap stuff I like. I am getting some vibe that there might be a lot of cheap poly/plastic string that are pretty darn good. I don't play like Djokovic, Murray, Theim, Nishikori or Wawrinka, but I have delusions.

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I consider myself a poly cheapo because I have two kids and myself playing lots of tennis. We go through lots of string during the year so I've decided to try different polys to find the right combination of quality and price. I made a thread out of it. Below is the link. Hope this can help.

https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/my-poly-reviews-like-we-need-more-emoji50.575589/

graycrait said:

I have no clue what poly strings cost in terms of R&D, production, marketing, etc. But some of these 10 hr strings (and no poly last more than 10hrs right?) cost a lot of money. Seems like that they don't really warrant the cost - but I am wrong about a lot of things.

Is there some body or even a single person that reviews cheap poly/plastic string? I've used a lot of poly based on reviews by the two most prolific poly TT reviewers, but now I am using some really cheap stuff I like. I am getting some vibe that there might be a lot of cheap poly/plastic string that are pretty darn good. I don't play like Djokovic, Murray, Theim, Nishikori or Wawrinka, but I have delusions.

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What is your definition of a cheap poly? $10 or less?

MarioRich said:

I consider myself a poly cheapo because I have two kids and myself playing lots of tennis. We go through lots of string during the year so I've decided to try different polys to find the right combination of quality and price. I made a thread out of it. Below is the link. Hope this can help.

https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/my-poly-reviews-like-we-need-more-emoji50.575589/

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I see you speak highly of Black Code 4S up there. If you spend time in the Pro's Pro thread you will see a lot of comparisons and claims for equivalency for their strings with more expensive ones. Most of these are questioned and debated quite a bit. It's a marketing tool I guess. There seems to be considerable agreement though that Black Out is identical to Black Code. Might be worth a look if you want to go bargain hunting.

Karstic said:

I see you speak highly of Black Code 4S up there. If you spend time in the Pro's Pro thread you will see a lot of comparisons and claims for equivalency for their strings with more expensive ones. Most of these are questioned and debated quite a bit. It's a marketing tool I guess. There seems to be considerable agreement though that Black Out is identical to Black Code. Might be worth a look if you want to go bargain hunting.

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I have read that some strings are the same with different brand names. The most common one I've heard was Isospeed baseline same string as Head Sonic Pro. I can confirm they are not. I tried them both and they are very different. Head Sonic Pro more expensive but MUCH better string than the Isospeed. I may think Topspin and Tourna are probably the same strings with different brand name (considering they have the same exact string lines, colors, gauges, ratings and similar pricing), but I doubt very much Tecnifibre would give their string to Pro's Pro. They may be similar in characteristics but not the same string. Tecnifibre invest LOTS of money on their polymer research. It took 4 years to develop Razor Code. Anyways thanks for the advice but do not think it is true and have not seen a US store selling Pro's Pro strings.

MarioRich said:

I have read that some strings are the same with different brand names. The most common one I've heard was Isospeed baseline same string as Head Sonic Pro. I can confirm they are not. I tried them both and they are very different. Head Sonic Pro more expensive but MUCH better string than the Isospeed. I may think Topspin and Tourna are probably the same strings with different brand name (considering they have the same exact string lines, colors, gauges, ratings and similar pricing), but I doubt very much Tecnifibre would give their string to Pro's Pro. They may be similar in characteristics but not the same string. Tecnifibre invest LOTS of money on their polymer research. It took 4 years to develop Razor Code. Anyways thanks for the advice but do not think it is true and have not seen a US store selling Pro's Pro strings.

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I didn't mean to imply that they were, in fact, the same strings, but that claims had been made that they played identically, and there was little refutation. Pro's Pro Black Out is manufactured in Germany and Technifibre I believe is manufactured in France, so they are not the same.

Karstic said:

I didn't mean to imply that they were, in fact, the same strings, but that claims had been made that they played identically, and there was little refutation. Pro's Pro Black Out is manufactured in Germany and Technifibre I believe is manufactured in France, so they are not the same.

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Too bad I can't buy Pro's Pro Black out here in the States...If available I would definitely buy some considering Black Code's price. I only tried Black Code because my local tennis shop had it for 7.50$ for a couple of weeks.

I'm getting some dyreex starblast in the next couple of weeks and will review when I get it. 200 meters for 60 bucks to my door is pretty cheap, right? It gets almost unbelievable reviews on the stringing forum.

MarioRich said:

Too bad I can't buy Pro's Pro Black out here in the States...If available I would definitely buy some considering Black Code's price. I only tried Black Code because my local tennis shop had it for 7.50$ for a couple of weeks.

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Google is your friend.

Karstic said:

I see you speak highly of Black Code 4S up there. If you spend time in the Pro's Pro thread you will see a lot of comparisons and claims for equivalency for their strings with more expensive ones. Most of these are questioned and debated quite a bit. It's a marketing tool I guess. There seems to be considerable agreement though that Black Out is identical to Black Code. Might be worth a look if you want to go bargain hunting.

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Do you know of a cheaper alternative to Head Hawk 17? It is my fav round poly and would to find a cheaper alternative.


Enviado desde mi iPhone utilizando Tapatalk

MarioRich said:

Too bad I can't buy Pro's Pro Black out here in the States...If available I would definitely buy some considering Black Code's price. I only tried Black Code because my local tennis shop had it for 7.50$ for a couple of weeks.

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As Doc Hollidae said above, "Google is your friend." There is a U.S. distributor and it sales for just under forty dollars per reel (200m). I'd tell you who, but as they are competitors to our hosts here, you will have to search.

MarioRich said:

Do you know of a cheaper alternative to Head Hawk 17? It is my fav round poly and would to find a cheaper alternative.

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Don't know anything about Head Hawk and don't recall any discussion of similar strings in the thread, but it is a long one and it may be buried in there somewhere. Suggest you go ask. If anyone has an opinion you will hear it.

graycrait said:

Doppelganger,
I tried Genesis Typhoon and it was fine, but I am really liking Genesis Pro Advantage 17 especially since I got it on sale for about $28.00/reel. Having used GPA for a month now I was just wondering if there were other polys that were priced like this stuff but still worked.

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Probably not the news you wanted to see if you're still using Pro Advantage....

GENESIS
December 21 at 7:50pm ·
There will be a price increase on the PRO ADVANTAGE string beginning in the New Year to $53.90 for the 660' reel (still a phenomenal deal) so we recommend you to stock up on this string, especially with the Buy 2, Get 1 FREE Promo on it: http://www.holabirdsports.com/…/reel-genesis-pro-advantage-…

I picked up 3 reels of GPA on the promo a couple of weeks ago.