Shaolin
G.O.A.T.
Regular Cyclone is not soft compared to ALU.
Cyclone Tour is very soft for a poly however and I would recommend it to the OP.
Softest, most arm and shoulder/elbow friendly poly?
- Thread starter kaiotic
- Start date
Regular Cyclone is not soft compared to ALU.
Cyclone Tour is very soft for a poly however and I would recommend it to the OP.
jbm
Rookie
I went down this rabbit hole a few years back. Nothing, and I mean, nothing worked until I took time off. I am of the Ratm355 camp. Take a break. Hard to do I know, but the real goal, for me was, and still is, longevity in the sport. I took time off, rested the arm, eventually started training in non-tennis activities. Now I am back and choose natural gut main Head Lynx cross as my go to, which did bother me before I healed. Good Luck.
g4driver
Legend
Tonight I tried: 1.25mm YPTA mains 54X with 1.30mm Head Velocity crosses #56X. Rocket launcher in a 12 oz Pure Aero+ Very soft. Buttery soft and way too powerful at 54M/56X. Much softer than Lux 1.30mm Gut mains / Head Hawk 1.25mm crosses, that I have used in frames on occasion for years going back to 2013. I will try YPTA in a full bed, but I sense this string is much softer than I anticipated.
I don't see how anyone who plays with any poly could use YTPA/Velocity in a Babolat Pure Aero or Pure Drive with so much power. I was spraying balls long on my serve and groundstrokes, then switched to the HDX Tour 1.35mm/YPTA 1.25mm sticks and balls were dropping in with more spin, less power. Granted the HDX Tour / YPTA set is more poly, but I never expected the YPTA/Velocity set to be so soft and so powerful. Perhaps if I strung it at 58M/56X or 60M/58X the power could be controlled, but that is just a setup I can't play with at 54M/56X.
I didn't expect this at all.
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g4driver
Legend
I have used 1.30 Wilson (Made in France) Natural Gut/ Head Hawk 1.25mm and Lux NG/HH in three frames since 2013 on occasion. The Yonex Poly Tour Air 1.25mm / Head Velocity 1.30mm crosses at 54M/56X felt much softer than the Wilson (made by Babolat Gut) or the Lux Gut with Head Hawk crosses that I have strung in my own frames numerous times. Yes, there are some setups that feel as soft as some Natural Gut Main/Poly crosses, but they just don't last like NG/poly crosses.
YPTA / Velocity is one setup I discovered tonight by sheer accident that feels as soft. Would it last? I highly doubt it. But I am not waiting to find out, as I don't need a rocket launcher with a Pure Aero. It felt more buttery than any NG I use because I always use a low powered dead poly in the crosses (Head Hawk). So I strung the mains lower as YPTA is at least 1/2 poly (the other 1/2 is Elastomer or a fancy word for rubber). Stringing the mains at 54 was too low.
For anyone looking for a powerful, soft setup, put some Yonex Poly Pro Air in the mains and 1.30 Head Velocity in the crosses, and don't go low in the tension or you will have a cannon. And FWIW, my elbow feels much better with my softer setups. I just can't play 7-9 times a week with a PA and VCT for two months.
YPTA / Velocity is one setup I discovered tonight by sheer accident that feels as soft. Would it last? I highly doubt it. But I am not waiting to find out, as I don't need a rocket launcher with a Pure Aero. It felt more buttery than any NG I use because I always use a low powered dead poly in the crosses (Head Hawk). So I strung the mains lower as YPTA is at least 1/2 poly (the other 1/2 is Elastomer or a fancy word for rubber). Stringing the mains at 54 was too low.
For anyone looking for a powerful, soft setup, put some Yonex Poly Pro Air in the mains and 1.30 Head Velocity in the crosses, and don't go low in the tension or you will have a cannon. And FWIW, my elbow feels much better with my softer setups. I just can't play 7-9 times a week with a PA and VCT for two months.
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Automatix
Legend
Typo? I think You meant to write "Air".
g4driver
Legend
Yes sorry for that mistake. Thank you for catching that.
Edited my post to reflect Poly Tour Air.
g4driver
Legend
You wouldn't like YPTA [emoji28].. it feels like a multi to me. Got my FW 1.25mm & GW 1.22mm reels on Sat.
Not sure if anyone's suggested using thinner gauge strings but they really are much easier on the arm. Used to get tennis elbow whenever I played too much but not once since I switched to the 1.20mm Luxilon Alu power. Obviously the downside is they don't last long at all. If I'm playing against a hard hitter they'll last me around 2 hours. Totally worth it for me though. And of course it helps that thinner gauges generally have better feel and spin too!
g4driver
Legend
@Happi
The YPTA is just too soft for me as a full bed. In the HDX Tour 1.35mm / YPTA setup, those HDX Tour mains are moving and sticking out of place on every shot. Hey I got 3 weeks out of two frames with that setup and let my elbow take a break. Played against 4.5s this am with my 4.5 partner and we lost 6-4. Switched back to VCT 1.30mm won the next set 6-4. The 5.0 I string for with VCT and a 4.5 Alu Power 1.25mm/HDMX bagelled their 4.5 opponents next to me.
The YPTA is just too soft for me as a full bed. In the HDX Tour 1.35mm / YPTA setup, those HDX Tour mains are moving and sticking out of place on every shot. Hey I got 3 weeks out of two frames with that setup and let my elbow take a break. Played against 4.5s this am with my 4.5 partner and we lost 6-4. Switched back to VCT 1.30mm won the next set 6-4. The 5.0 I string for with VCT and a 4.5 Alu Power 1.25mm/HDMX bagelled their 4.5 opponents next to me.
Happi
Hall of Fame
Thanks mate, I just strung up 2 matched Angell TC100, one with full bed YPTA and the other with Gosen Sidewinder. I had an hour casual slow hitting today, and I really like both strings, but perhaps I favor the YPTA, I will play some more tomorrow and will know better. For now I really like the Yonex Air, I did not like the VCT as I think it was too stiff for my liking, it was black so I ordered the red version just to be sure.
I am on a quest to find a poly that my elbow can handle, as I play better with poly. YPTA might be that one, but I have a bunch of soft poly strings from Polyfibre, Grapplesnake and Tier One that I also need to test out. I will report back my findings in this thread.
BTW did Technifibre abandon HDX Tour ?
Cheers, H
g4driver
Legend
Hey, glad the Yonex PTA is working for you.
Yes, HDX Tour was discontinued for reasons unknown per @TecnfibreOfficial but it had to do with not being made in reels and morphed into their new string HDMX.
Happi
Hall of Fame
Great, I will try this combo out.
It is strange how you can estimate a feel of a string just by unwrapping, touching and stringing. If we compare Yonex Poly Tour Air with Isospeed Cream, Cream feels stiff and coils a lot, Air feels soft (almost like a multi) and coils very little for a poly. I did not like the feel of Cream at all, to me it plays stiff and has a strange sound where Air has great feel and good sound. Cream is popular as a cross for gut (I did not like that either) so hopefully Air will be a good combo for me.
Air feels a little rubbery, but strings don't seem to move - how is string movement with gut mains ?
@g4driver thanks for exchanging
g4driver
Legend
Hitting this am and will let you know. The YPTA / Velocity vs Lux Gut / YPTA frames are in my bag. I ran out of time to do redo the frame and swap the Velocity with HDMX but will do that next.
I have five frames I need to do today for clients and am watching a junior tournament this afternoon for a few kids I string for.
Your elbow seems pretty sensitive , so glad this YPTA work for you. Not sure if you use gut but Lux feels the stiffest of Wilson, and Klip Legend IMO. I loved Pacfic Tough Gut but they went through a period where you couldn't get it and I found Lux to be a little stiffer but plays nearly as long.
Happi
Hall of Fame
Looking forward to your findings.
Yes I have a very sensitive elbow, almost like a thermometer for stringbed stiffness.
My usual goto setup is gut mains and isospeed professional classic (17) on the crosses - I have yet to find a more soft setup. This is a great combo, it is almost like these two strings are made for each other, minimal string movement too. I string Iso 1 kg higher as it has some initial tension loss, then settles down and plays great for a long time. When Iso starts to fray (or string movement starts to set in) I cut out the crosses and restring. This combo does not have a lot of spin but it is such a great arm saver.
For some reason, I don't seem to be very sensitive to different brands of gut, but I generally use Babolat VS, Klip Legend or Pacific (17g, 16g or 15g) - perhaps Isospeed evens out the difference.
Cheers, H
g4driver
Legend
@Happi
The Lux Gut / YPTA is a pretty soft setup. I strung my frame on the high side at 58M/56X (26M/25X for you metric types) but YPTA is still 1/2 poly 1/2 Rubber. The softest setup of those two still feels like YPTA/Head Velocity (yep strange but that is how my arm feels them). Since you use Isospeed Professional Classic 17 on the crosses, would you consider using a Gut / Head Velocity setup?
I string my own frames on an Alpha Ghost (6 point mount) and have no issue mounting my own frames and cutting out the crosses and swapping the crosses. I wouldn't do that for a client, but I have done this many times with my frames to swap crosses with the notched gut. I just string the new cross on the side of the gut without the notches, extending the gut when the Head Hawk Poly has died. I have about a dozen frames to string but will swap the YPTA crosses for Velocity first.
The Lux Gut / YPTA is a pretty soft setup. I strung my frame on the high side at 58M/56X (26M/25X for you metric types) but YPTA is still 1/2 poly 1/2 Rubber. The softest setup of those two still feels like YPTA/Head Velocity (yep strange but that is how my arm feels them). Since you use Isospeed Professional Classic 17 on the crosses, would you consider using a Gut / Head Velocity setup?
I string my own frames on an Alpha Ghost (6 point mount) and have no issue mounting my own frames and cutting out the crosses and swapping the crosses. I wouldn't do that for a client, but I have done this many times with my frames to swap crosses with the notched gut. I just string the new cross on the side of the gut without the notches, extending the gut when the Head Hawk Poly has died. I have about a dozen frames to string but will swap the YPTA crosses for Velocity first.
Shangri La
Hall of Fame
So the 1.20 ALU plays softer than the normal ALU but last even shorter? How does they compare in performance/playability?
D
Deleted member 768841
Guest
I was actually surprised how soft ultra cable is, I wonder why. The odd gauge? I get the thread has been answered but for those who have tried the string, is it really that soft feeling akin to isospeed cream?
Injured Again
Hall of Fame
Ultra Cable is a very comfortable string. I played with it last year and early this year leading into the pandemic, during a time when I was going through the worst of a wrist injury. Pretty similar to Hyper-G in terms of power and spin generation, with the same muted impact response. It added about six swingweight units to a racquet that is already near the upper end of what I want to use so that was a major downside for me.
Crazy Finn
Hall of Fame
Tourna Big Hitter Black 7
Happi
Hall of Fame
Thanks @g4driver I will try out YPTA / Velocity could look cool with a black Velocity in the crosses. I am actually very happy with my Gut / Isospeed setup, this is my bread and butter and I like everything about it. But I find that I sometimes get more performance out of a FB poly, I can rip balls harder and with more spin (I am a baseliner), but my elbow does not always agree with me. So trying a soft poly / multi combo could perhaps be a way to go. So far I like YPTA in FB and my elbow seems to agree.
Gosen sidewinder that I strung up in my other matched racquet, plays more stiff and does not hold tension as well as the YTPA, I have an ERT300 that I measure my stringbed stiffness with.
Thanks for exchanging ideas and experience
Soz didn't see your reply.
For me the 1.20 plays much better - it has better spin, better feel, and a bit more power. So despite the obvious lack of durability, since it's easier on the arm and has better playing qualities, I definitely prefer it. I'm trying out various other thin gauge polyester strings at the moment, to see if I can find something that plays similarly but isn't as expensive.
briancheng
Rookie
I've had a recent history of elbow issues and for me, Signum Pro X-perience represents the best comfort/playability ratio of any poly I've tried. Plays like a softer version of Hyper G, with slightly less spin and power, but also a tad more control. Great string overall.
Wheelz
Hall of Fame
I have it in stock to try but I was expecting a stiff string? Seems like in the TW do it is considered stiff.
What tension do you use? I found it really powerfull. By no means could I achieve the same control as with Hyper G
g4driver
Legend
Thanks @g4driver I will try out YPTA / Velocity could look cool with a black Velocity in the crosses.
So trying a soft poly / multi combo could perhaps be a way to go. So far I like YPTA in FB and my elbow seems to agree.
Thanks for exchanging ideas and experience
Did you get to try YPTA/Velocity?
Ever time I go back to VCT for two days in my PA+ frames my elbow yells at me. [emoji3525].
A teammate asked to hit with one of my frames yesterday and he tried both the VCT and Lux Gut/YPTA setups . He didn't have much to say about the strings but he did say "man your frames are heavy and hard to swing " [emoji23]
briancheng
Rookie
That’s very interesting - I found X-perience to be more control oriented than Hyper G at the same tension (comparing the 16L gauge Hyper G (1.25mm) vs 17 gauge X-perience (1.24mm). I string my Vcore 98+ racquets at 54lbs and my RD Ti-70 Long racquets at 52lbs.
briancheng
Rookie
Despite the stats, I found X-perience to play fairly soft and a bit muted. As an arm sensitive player, X-perience feels very comfortable for my arm. I also liked Hyper G, Head Hawk Touch and Revolve for my arm, whereas I found Kirschbaum Max Power, Alu Big Banger and Head Sonic Edge to be particularly irritating for my arm.
Happi
Hall of Fame
Waiting for some sets to arrive, then I will try the hybrid out. Actually YPTA holds tension pretty well, Sidewinder suddenly dropped a lot. Cyber Flash 17L is still my favorite soft poly, one of the few that agrees with my arm
However I am still in the quest and YPTA could be a candidate. Next up will be Ghostwire and some Polyfibre strings.Cheers, H
Dunlop Black Widow, veeery soft
g4driver
Legend
Soft must be a subjective term, because BW feels as stiff as Hyper G to me and the TW data agrees. It's is also gnarly to string due to it sharp edges. YPTA is the softest poly (poly/rubber actually ) I have found. 155 Stiffness rating. I own all three strings listed in the comparison below and YPTA is much softer than BW or Hyoer G.
How do you like poly tour air. Near impossible to find any reviews on it.Soft must be a subjective term, because BW feels as stiff as Hyper G to me and the TW data agrees. It's is also gnarly to string due to it sharp edges. YPTA is the softest poly (poly/rubber actually ) I have found. 155 Stiffness rating. I own all three strings listed in the comparison below and YPTA is much softer than BW or Hyoer G.
g4driver
Legend
It is great soft string. I have used personally as a main with Ghostwire 1.22mm, as a cross with both Lux 1.30mm and with Babolat 1.35mm Touch Tonic.
A 4.5A down from a Dec 2019 5.0 bump up, is using it as cross( he referred to it in his text below as "the blue ones") with Tecnfibre Triax 1.33mm mains. The other setup was 1.35mm HDX Tour 1.35mm/Velocity 1.39mm Here are his comments.
Thanks a lot! How was the tension maintenance and playability over time? I will order a pack and string it up in my ultra tour.It is great soft string. I have used personally as a main with Ghostwire 1.22mm, as a cross with both Lux 1.30mm and with Babolat 1.35mm Touch Tonic.
A 4.5A down from a Dec 2019 5.0 bump up, is using it as cross( he referred to it in his text below as "the blue ones") with Tecnfibre Triax 1.33mm mains. The other setup was 1.35mm HDX Tour 1.35mm/Velocity 1.39mm Here are his comments.
g4driver
Legend
@Jouke
As with most soft polys tension maintenance is the shortfall of YPTA, but I was able to get a month out of two frames playing 4 times a week.
With one frame I would get two weeks or roughly 16 hours per frame about the same time I break a 1.30mm multifilament. The strings are sticking out of place and I will restring them this week. I will try with GW mains / YPTA crosses next.
As with most soft polys tension maintenance is the shortfall of YPTA, but I was able to get a month out of two frames playing 4 times a week.
With one frame I would get two weeks or roughly 16 hours per frame about the same time I break a 1.30mm multifilament. The strings are sticking out of place and I will restring them this week. I will try with GW mains / YPTA crosses next.
beepee1972
Semi-Pro
Signum pro Firestorm, most powerful and comfortable poly I have played with so far!
Kirschbaum Pro Line Evolution also a good option
Kirschbaum Pro Line Evolution also a good option
I can’t imagine anyone finding Cream stiff. If you have to use full poly, cream would be my choice. It also holds tension much better than most, especially compared to Polyfibre strings which have awful tension hold. I string gut mains and cream crosses for a number of older players with elbow issues. Drop 3 lbs on the cross.
I've been having a hard time finding a setup that is soft and controllable while performant.... even picking up soft poly's I'm having to string higher. So much so that I'm wasting string jobs by not stringing high enough to reduce the power. Trying hybrids with multi I'm just blasting balls into space. Based on TW string DB, by the time I get the tension high enough on softer poly's to be controllable, the softer string has a higher stiffness than a stiffer string at lower tension.
Lynx and Cyclone Tour are most performant based on the DB and feel really soft, but I'm having a hard time controlling the power. Probably going to give them one more try going above the 50's but Stiff poly in mid to low 40's has been working best for me.
Signum Pro X-Perience will be next based on the recommendations above but the comments from Jouke and Ares have me concerned I'll be locked into low tension hyper g forever.
Lynx and Cyclone Tour are most performant based on the DB and feel really soft, but I'm having a hard time controlling the power. Probably going to give them one more try going above the 50's but Stiff poly in mid to low 40's has been working best for me.
Signum Pro X-Perience will be next based on the recommendations above but the comments from Jouke and Ares have me concerned I'll be locked into low tension hyper g forever.
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taydbear7
Professional
How does Signum Pro Firestorm compare to Signum Pro Yellow Jacket?
beepee1972
Semi-Pro
No idea. I do know the golden oldie Poly Plasma, and Firestorm is more powerful and softer at contact. Poly Plasma has more control (and a little more spin I think).
