irulan
Rookie
Inspired by @galapagos's thread on his search for the perfect string, I decided to chronicle my journey 'holicking through every poly under the sun.
Current Tier List
1. Magical, would commit if it were cheaper
Head Hawk 18 (will also try Hawk Rough and Hawk Touch, though I found regular hawk to be soft enough)
Alu Power 17 (tried it in a Wilson Blade 18x20 demo and it was awesome, would love to see how it does in my VCPHDs)
Weiss Cannon Ultra Cable 17 (definitely the best shaped string I've played with, searching for the right cross. If I choose a shaped string, it'll probably be this one)
2. Excellent performance, but not a clear winner
Tier One Black Knight (too long of a break-in period, even at 18G)
Genesis Trionic (wonderful spin and pocketing, would like more feel and a bit more consistent response)
Kirschbaum Max Power (Amazing as a cross, wish I'd tried it full bed before returning the reel)
3. Would consider trying again in VCPHD (originally reviewed in EZone 98+)
Tier One Firewire / Durafluxx / Tour Status
4. Inexpensive and good
Pro's Pro Blackout (great for 2-3 sessions, cheap at $3.50 a stringjob)
OGSM 18 (fantastic cross string for budget self-stringing)
9. Wow that was bad
Tier One Strike Force Rip (dimples aren't for me)
Signum Pro Poly Plasma Hextreme Pure (amazingly bad tension maintenance, dropped 20% overnight)
RPM Blast 18 (expensive, and I just don't hit hard enough to get the fabled spin out of it)
Mayami Hepta Power (awful feel, hollow and tinny)
Volkl Cyclone Tour (horrendous sound, mediocre tension maintenance)
Volkl V-Square (ridiculously powerful, mediocre tension maintenance)
About Me:
Played lots of league tennis as a teen, but had to stop due to a combination of ProStaff / Alu Power-induced shoulder pain and a snowboarding rotator cuff injury. Returned recently to the sport and discovered that I LOVE SHAPED POLYs when my first 98+ came with HyperG 20.
I'd self-rate athigh 4.0 / low 4.5 (revised to low 4.0 after a tourney and some match play, LOL). I play exclusively hardcourt, mostly outdoor; there's no clay in my area.
Sticks
2x Yonex EZone98+ (gifted to sibling who took a liking to them)
Prince Phantom Pro 93p 14x18 (heard that it was a spin monster and very string-forward; thought it'd help me tighten up form as a heavier, smaller player's racquet. Open string pattern is much more to my liking than the 18x20)
Prince Ripstick 300 (backup stick for when form is absent or if I start feeling arm discomfort)
2x Yonex VCore Pro HD (winner of the second round of demos, selected for being less forgiving and a forcing function to improve footwork/timing)
Game style/mindset:
Serve & volley. Big flat serve, big kick serve, big forehand. Working on improving the 1HBH, but I try to win points quickly off of a big serve or a big return.
Review Format:
Racquet: Main | Cross at Main Tension | Cross Tension. All stringing done myself on a Gamma X-2, Yusuki method for mains and Yonex method for crosses. 98+1 and 98+2 indicate different racquets, as I was able to compare some strings side by side
Hrs Played:
Thought process behind choosing this string setup
Total: Score out of 20, with THWACK and LAUNCH normalized for values exceeding 5
THWACK: How consistently can I land the ball near the baseline. Values more than 5 indicate that I have to rein in my usual full stroke. Also includes some element of ball heaviness to receiver
LAUNCH: How does the launch angle play with my game? Low values indicate that I've got to work harder for topspin, high values indicate that I'm struggling at flat shot delivery.
SHAPE: How gnarly are the kick serves, slices and high looping topspin shots.
COMFORT: That perfect balance of plush, crisp and feel with no arm pain after 2 hours of match play.
String reviews are posted chronologically. I'll review crosses once I lock down a main string so that I can provide apples-to-apples impressions.
Strings Listed (29/50 complete)
Crosses (score out of 5)
Forten Sweet 17
[4.5/5] Gosen OG Sheep Micro 18
Gosen Umishima AK Pro CX 17
[4.5/5]Kirschbaum Max Power 17
[3/5] Prince Original Synthetic Gut 16 White
[4.5/5] Tier One Ghostwire 19
[4.5/5]Tecnifibre Pro Red Code Wax
[2/5] Wilson Sensation 16
Wilson Revolve Spin 17 Lime
[1/5] Yonex Rexis Speed 17
Mains [score out of 20, linked to relevant post]
[14/20] Babolat RPM Blast 18
[15/20] Diadem Solstice Power
[13.5/20] Dunlop Black Widow 18
[17.5/20] Genesis Trionic 18
[15/20] Genesis Hexonic 18
[19.5/20] Head Hawk 18
[13/20] Isospeed Baseline Control
[16/20] Kirschbaum Max Power 18
Mayami Big Spin 17
[12/20] Mayami Hepta Power 17L
Mayami Magic Twist 17L
[15/20] Mayami Tour Hex 17L
[15/20] Pro's Pro Blackout 17
[12/20] Signum Pro Poly Plasma Pure Hextreme 16L
[11/20] Signum Pro Yellow Jacket 17L
[15/20] Solinco Confidential 18
[16/20] Solinco Hyper G 20
[17/20] Solinco TourBite Soft 18
[16/20] Taan Fusion 5600
[14/20] Tecnifibre Ice Code 17
[18/20] Tier One Black Knight 16
[16.5/20] Tier One Black Knight 18
[14/20] Tier One Durafluxx 18
Tier One Strike Force RIP 18
[17/20] Tier One Firewire 18
[14/20] Tier One Tour Status 18
[11/20] Topspin Cyber Blue 17L
Toroline Absolute 17
Toroline Caviar 17
[12/20] Toroline Wasabi 17 (Green/Pink/Purple)
Tourna Big Hitter Silver 7 Tour
[11.5/20] Volkl Cyclone Tour 18
Volkl Psycho Hybrid 17 (Cyclone | Power Fiber II, might split and use the strings separately)
[13.5/20] Volkl V-Square 19
[19/20] WeissCannon Ultra Cable 17
[13/20] Yonex Polytour Pro 17
Deprioritized (Unlikely to be candidates for main string)
Kirschbaum Pro Line Evolution 17
Luxilon 4G 17
Luxilon Natural Gut 1.25
[12/20] Mayami Hit Pro 17
Natural Gut Wholesale V5 Black 16
WeissCannon Red Ghost 17
Strings I'm curious about but haven't bought yet
Grapplesnake lineup (Liquid, Irukandji, Cube hybrids)
MSV Focus Hex
Current Tier List
1. Magical, would commit if it were cheaper
Head Hawk 18 (will also try Hawk Rough and Hawk Touch, though I found regular hawk to be soft enough)
Alu Power 17 (tried it in a Wilson Blade 18x20 demo and it was awesome, would love to see how it does in my VCPHDs)
Weiss Cannon Ultra Cable 17 (definitely the best shaped string I've played with, searching for the right cross. If I choose a shaped string, it'll probably be this one)
2. Excellent performance, but not a clear winner
Genesis Trionic (wonderful spin and pocketing, would like more feel and a bit more consistent response)
Kirschbaum Max Power (Amazing as a cross, wish I'd tried it full bed before returning the reel)
3. Would consider trying again in VCPHD (originally reviewed in EZone 98+)
Tier One Firewire / Durafluxx / Tour Status
4. Inexpensive and good
Pro's Pro Blackout (great for 2-3 sessions, cheap at $3.50 a stringjob)
OGSM 18 (fantastic cross string for budget self-stringing)
9. Wow that was bad
Tier One Strike Force Rip (dimples aren't for me)
Signum Pro Poly Plasma Hextreme Pure (amazingly bad tension maintenance, dropped 20% overnight)
RPM Blast 18 (expensive, and I just don't hit hard enough to get the fabled spin out of it)
Mayami Hepta Power (awful feel, hollow and tinny)
Volkl Cyclone Tour (horrendous sound, mediocre tension maintenance)
Volkl V-Square (ridiculously powerful, mediocre tension maintenance)
About Me:
Played lots of league tennis as a teen, but had to stop due to a combination of ProStaff / Alu Power-induced shoulder pain and a snowboarding rotator cuff injury. Returned recently to the sport and discovered that I LOVE SHAPED POLYs when my first 98+ came with HyperG 20.
I'd self-rate at
Sticks
Prince Phantom Pro 93p 14x18 (heard that it was a spin monster and very string-forward; thought it'd help me tighten up form as a heavier, smaller player's racquet. Open string pattern is much more to my liking than the 18x20)
Prince Ripstick 300 (backup stick for when form is absent or if I start feeling arm discomfort)
2x Yonex VCore Pro HD (winner of the second round of demos, selected for being less forgiving and a forcing function to improve footwork/timing)
Game style/mindset:
Serve & volley. Big flat serve, big kick serve, big forehand. Working on improving the 1HBH, but I try to win points quickly off of a big serve or a big return.
Review Format:
Racquet: Main | Cross at Main Tension | Cross Tension. All stringing done myself on a Gamma X-2, Yusuki method for mains and Yonex method for crosses. 98+1 and 98+2 indicate different racquets, as I was able to compare some strings side by side
Hrs Played:
Thought process behind choosing this string setup
Total: Score out of 20, with THWACK and LAUNCH normalized for values exceeding 5
THWACK: How consistently can I land the ball near the baseline. Values more than 5 indicate that I have to rein in my usual full stroke. Also includes some element of ball heaviness to receiver
LAUNCH: How does the launch angle play with my game? Low values indicate that I've got to work harder for topspin, high values indicate that I'm struggling at flat shot delivery.
SHAPE: How gnarly are the kick serves, slices and high looping topspin shots.
COMFORT: That perfect balance of plush, crisp and feel with no arm pain after 2 hours of match play.
String reviews are posted chronologically. I'll review crosses once I lock down a main string so that I can provide apples-to-apples impressions.
Strings Listed (29/50 complete)
Crosses (score out of 5)
Forten Sweet 17
[4.5/5] Gosen OG Sheep Micro 18
Gosen Umishima AK Pro CX 17
[4.5/5]Kirschbaum Max Power 17
[3/5] Prince Original Synthetic Gut 16 White
[4.5/5] Tier One Ghostwire 19
[4.5/5]Tecnifibre Pro Red Code Wax
[2/5] Wilson Sensation 16
Wilson Revolve Spin 17 Lime
[1/5] Yonex Rexis Speed 17
Mains [score out of 20, linked to relevant post]
[14/20] Babolat RPM Blast 18
[15/20] Diadem Solstice Power
[13.5/20] Dunlop Black Widow 18
[17.5/20] Genesis Trionic 18
[15/20] Genesis Hexonic 18
[19.5/20] Head Hawk 18
[13/20] Isospeed Baseline Control
[16/20] Kirschbaum Max Power 18
Mayami Big Spin 17
[12/20] Mayami Hepta Power 17L
Mayami Magic Twist 17L
[15/20] Mayami Tour Hex 17L
[15/20] Pro's Pro Blackout 17
[12/20] Signum Pro Poly Plasma Pure Hextreme 16L
[11/20] Signum Pro Yellow Jacket 17L
[15/20] Solinco Confidential 18
[16/20] Solinco Hyper G 20
[17/20] Solinco TourBite Soft 18
[16/20] Taan Fusion 5600
[14/20] Tecnifibre Ice Code 17
[18/20] Tier One Black Knight 16
[16.5/20] Tier One Black Knight 18
[14/20] Tier One Durafluxx 18
[17/20] Tier One Firewire 18
[14/20] Tier One Tour Status 18
[11/20] Topspin Cyber Blue 17L
Toroline Absolute 17
Toroline Caviar 17
[12/20] Toroline Wasabi 17 (Green/Pink/Purple)
Tourna Big Hitter Silver 7 Tour
[11.5/20] Volkl Cyclone Tour 18
[13.5/20] Volkl V-Square 19
[19/20] WeissCannon Ultra Cable 17
[13/20] Yonex Polytour Pro 17
Deprioritized (Unlikely to be candidates for main string)
Kirschbaum Pro Line Evolution 17
Luxilon 4G 17
Luxilon Natural Gut 1.25
[12/20] Mayami Hit Pro 17
Natural Gut Wholesale V5 Black 16
Strings I'm curious about but haven't bought yet
Grapplesnake lineup (Liquid, Irukandji, Cube hybrids)
MSV Focus Hex
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