Volkl Cyclone "does anything beat it"?

Cool. But elaborate on the the characteristics of the v torque as compared with cyclone. I heard that v tourqe had lower than average tension retension?

V-Torque has more spin than Cyclone. It is lowered power than Cyclone so you can take a big swing and keep it in play. I find comfort as a push. Durability is slightly better but durability is down the list of my concerns. I like the spin better. I am not ripping on Cyclone, I bought a reel on the $50 happy hour a couple of weeks ago and will use it. Although, overall, I like V-Torque better.

I play with a Steam Spin Effect and it is truly a string eater so tension stability is not an issue. I had sectionals an in 4 matches, I went through three sets of strings (all doubles). Sadly, this is the down side to the Spin Effect racquets.

I have several sets of Cyclone Tour but have not tried any yet. I will give feedback when I string one up with it.
 

BLX_Andy

Professional
there are alot of great strings. here are some of the ones i have found to be excellent

volkl cyclone 1.25
msv evo hex 1.25
discho iontec 1.25
discho iontec hexa 1.25 and 1.20 is great for crosses
yonex poly tour pro 1.30 and 1.25
yonex poly tour spin (only tried 1.25 so far)
solinco tour bite soft 1.30
solinco tour bite 1.25 (hybrid w/ soft poly cross)
tier one firewire 1.25 (hybrid w/ round poly cross)
kirschbaum pro line II 1.25

How does Pro Line II play? Does it still have that pop even though it's already pre-stretched?
 

Sander001

Hall of Fame
I don't want to sound like a broken record but I did not feel that the thinner gauges of cyclone held tension very well. I'm currently using msv 18l (1.10mm) and I recently tried cyclone 18g (1.20mm).

It played amazing the first two sessions but after that it felt like the tension maintenance fell off a cliff.

I string myself and I wouldn't say money is an issue but I didn't want to be stringing my racket after two sessions (6 hours total). I'm currently restringing around 15 hours max with my set up with msv hex.

Some people say cyclone holds tension well, but I had different results which are more in line with tennis warehouse university’s results. For a comparison I picked two gauges which were similar in thickness.

Focus Hex 17L (1.18 ) strung at low tension (40 lbs) had a total tension loss of ~17.9 lbs (45%)
Focus Hex 17L (1.18 ) strung at med tension (51 lbs) had a total tension loss of ~13.7 lbs (27%)
Focus Hex 17L (1.18 ) strung at high tension (62 lbs) had a total tension loss of ~16.6 lbs (28%)

Cyclone 18 (1.20 ) strung at low tension (40 lbs) had a total tension loss of ~22.5 lbs (56%)
Cyclone 18 (1.20 ) strung at med tension (51 lbs) had a total tension loss of ~24.3 lbs (48%)
Cyclone 18 (1.20 ) strung at high tension (62 lbs) had a total tension loss of ~26.0 lbs (42%)

http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/reporter.php

In instances the tension difference was 10 lbs which is huge! If you are stringing at a mid tension there is almost a 20% difference in tension loss between strings. Maybe the fact I use thinner gauge strings skew this test, but I just love the thinner strings in a dense string pattern.

Everyone’s results will vary and everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but I liked the plain jane msv hex more. It doesn’t stand out in any area but its predictable with a very gradual drop in tension, which is why I sold my reel of cyclone and purchased another reel of msv hex.

The price of 5 dollars a set with a reel is also nice =)
When people talk about playability duration with polys, it's much more to do with the strings going dead than it is a loss of tension.
Cyclone[18] is great that it retains its playability for much longer than most other polys because it keeps its snap back. But some do mistakenly characterize this as holding tension.
 

BIGJ98

Rookie
Lack, I agree with you.Sonic pro edge or volkl cyclone plays great in a prestige s at 20lbs. I tried it and I like it.
 
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Lack

Rookie
@Lack
thats interessting, because this two will be my next to test

can you please make a short comparsion of this two (cyclone and Head sonic edge)?

Thx

JJ

Sure. I've strung those 2 at 57. For me, HSE had more power, spin, better tension maintenance, and comfort than cyclone. Cyclone had better control, less string movement, and more durable than HSE. Hope this helps.
 

RogueFLIP

Professional
You see opinions are so varied. Tour is by far for me the softest of those 3. And I mean by far. It's softer and higher powered. Regular cyclone is wiry and harsh in Comparison. R u sure u are not getting original cyclone e mixed up with th tour?

Opinions are varied. My friend loves the Cyclone, and after a 7+ month search, it'll be his go to string. He tried the Tour, and it started to hurt his arm after one session.

I'll most likely give it a go after hearing his opinion on it, plus lately seeing all these threads on it.

Heard its similiar to RPM which I love.
 

Shred

New User
Strung Bab ball feel mains with cyclone tour at 50/47 and played my best tennis of the year. What is this happy hour 50% off a reel deal? Do you have to get on the TW mailing list?
 

SCRAP IRON

Professional
I am not sure if Solinco Tour Bite Soft was mentioned, but you should give that a try. If you want a powerful poly, I have never experienced a string like Tourna Big Hitter Black 7!
 

danbrenner

Legend
I am not sure if Solinco Tour Bite Soft was mentioned, but you should give that a try. If you want a powerful poly, I have never experienced a string like Tourna Big Hitter Black 7!

I tried TB soft. I liked it. But I would rather stick with the original and dial the tension down a few pounds.
 

BIGJ98

Rookie
Hi BIgj. Are you stringing up your racquets at super low tensions? And if so, what are the reasons?

I don't do it currently but when I did it with volkl cyclone the spin was amazing and I like it but I hit flatter so I really didn't get that much benefit.
 

Lack

Rookie
Lack, I agree with you.Sonic pro edge or volkl cyclone plays great in a prestige s at 20lbs. I tried it and I like it.

My partner and I also tried sonic pro edge in prestige s at 20 lbs after reading an article "how low can you go". We're currently testing out 30 lbs with cyclone. Can you please make a short summary about how you played with cyclone tension 20.
 

finalfantasy7

Semi-Pro
whats the difference between the cyclone & cyclone tour?

and with the cyclone, as its always described as stiff, what tension range have you tried it at?
 

Pumpkin

Professional
@danbrenner I've been critical of polys generally . I find they go "dead" pretty quickly. Are you saying the volkl is playable for a reasonable length of time? I hit with moderate spin. What would you recommend that is softer and is playable for a good duration? I've tried blue code but it was rubbish. Too hard and lost playability quickly. I've tried luxilon original and ALU power. Much softer but still became unplayable far too soon. Didn't get much time out of them.
 

esgee48

G.O.A.T.
You need to look at TWU or peruse the polyester threads. All polyesters are designed for short longevity. They were initially designed for pros who change racquets every 9 games. Even pre stretched ploys will last only 16-20 hours.
 

WYK

Hall of Fame
I've been using the 1.15 18L as a cross in my 18X20's for a couple of years. They hold tension so well and resist notching so well and stay slick so long, I started to use them instead of tour Fire 120 in my 16X18 Ripstick and 16X19 03 Tour as a cross.
Has plenty of control and lets the mains do their thing.
It's a common saying that Cyclone doesn't hold tension, but it does fine on it's own. I string it a few lbs higher than other poly's that hold tension like HyperG. Once it settles, it stays there for long enough until I am ready to cut it out. I find 18 and 18L as a cross hold tension much better than 125 120 TB and 16/17G VCT and many other popular poly's. They def are using a slightly different composition from the 16g for the 18G versions.
And when it does lose tension, it doesn't just die like some other polys may do. It's more subtle. But, then again, it sort of starts out dead compared to most polys if you use the blk/anthrct Cyclone.
 
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Pumpkin

Professional
Hello. Which poly lasts the longest in terms of how long it takes before it goes "dead" and you have to replace them? And how long would that be?
 

jugheadfla

Semi-Pro
Anyone have any comparisons on the slight differences in color with Cyclone (Black, Orange, Yellow)? I would assume yellow would be slight more lively followed by orange as Black plays rather dead.
 

diegoeste

Rookie
I really like Cyclone, only big problem is when starting to lose tension, simply cant control the ball properly...too launchy. Depending of the player, it lasts 4 to 6 hours after that......better to have other racket with fresh strings. I tried the 1,25mm in orange and black, not a big difference to report. If Volkl improves this string, I will use it as my first choice.
 

SteveI

Legend
Anyone have any comparisons on the slight differences in color with Cyclone (Black, Orange, Yellow)? I would assume yellow would be slight more lively followed by orange as Black plays rather dead.


I think Chris did a review of Cylcone and talked about the different colors and how they play. I will try to locate it.
 

Injured Again

Hall of Fame
Hello. Which poly lasts the longest in terms of how long it takes before it goes "dead" and you have to replace them? And how long would that be?

It really depends on how hard you are on the strings. The harder and with more spin that you hit, the faster a poly string will lose elasticity. I'm generally in the camp that says if you don't break a poly string within about 20 hours (with very few exceptions), you really should consider if you should be using poly strings at all. A string other than a poly could probably be helpful in providing a boost in ball speed, and there likely will be minimal loss of spin with another type of string if you're not notching through a poly string.

That being said, the most durable poly string I've tried is Ultra Cable, which is very notching resistant and because of the thickness lasts a long time. The downsides are a moderate amount of tension loss that can cause problems in more open string pattern racquets. A tighter stringbed pattern helps offset the tension loss and keeps response similar for longer. If you're not a poly string breaker within 20 hours of play, I doubt you could break Ultra Cable with several months of play.
 

Pumpkin

Professional
It really depends on how hard you are on the strings. The harder and with more spin that you hit, the faster a poly string will lose elasticity. I'm generally in the camp that says if you don't break a poly string within about 20 hours (with very few exceptions), you really should consider if you should be using poly strings at all. A string other than a poly could probably be helpful in providing a boost in ball speed, and there likely will be minimal loss of spin with another type of string if you're not notching through a poly string.

That being said, the most durable poly string I've tried is Ultra Cable, which is very notching resistant and because of the thickness lasts a long time. The downsides are a moderate amount of tension loss that can cause problems in more open string pattern racquets. A tighter stringbed pattern helps offset the tension loss and keeps response similar for longer. If you're not a poly string breaker within 20 hours of play, I doubt you could break Ultra Cable with several months of play.
Ok thanks for the info. I definitely get more spin with a poly. . I'm not really worried about breaking it. It just goes what I call "dead" on me ( don't know if that is a technically correct term) after about 8 hours of play. Looking for one that last longer in terms of retaining its elasticity.
 

WYK

Hall of Fame
It really depends on how hard you are on the strings. The harder and with more spin that you hit, the faster a poly string will lose elasticity. I'm generally in the camp that says if you don't break a poly string within about 20 hours (with very few exceptions), you really should consider if you should be using poly strings at all. A string other than a poly could probably be helpful in providing a boost in ball speed, and there likely will be minimal loss of spin with another type of string if you're not notching through a poly string.

That being said, the most durable poly string I've tried is Ultra Cable, which is very notching resistant and because of the thickness lasts a long time. The downsides are a moderate amount of tension loss that can cause problems in more open string pattern racquets. A tighter stringbed pattern helps offset the tension loss and keeps response similar for longer. If you're not a poly string breaker within 20 hours of play, I doubt you could break Ultra Cable with several months of play.
Even if poly never broke or notched or died in 100 years because you don't swing hard enough to destroy it, its worth it for the control alone. I just suggest recreational users restring at least once a month if they are active. Most social players can get away with an entire season since they aren't hitting hard enough to ruin their arms to begin with.
 
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WYK

Hall of Fame
Ok thanks for the info. I definitely get more spin with a poly. . I'm not really worried about breaking it. It just goes what I call "dead" on me ( don't know if that is a technically correct term) after about 8 hours of play. Looking for one that last longer in terms of retaining its elasticity.

8 hours is pretty good. I am very happy when I get 8 hours out of a poly without it changing too drastically.

ETA - having said that, I can only go about 2 hours before I am having to adjust the strings on my VCT even when the crosses are still slick. Well, OK, I don't bother anymore since they don't go way out of whack, but it is interesting to note that VCT can wander some even when it is fairly fresh. Spin and control are still good up until nearly 8 hours. Still, it's best in those first 2 hours.
 
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Pumpkin

Professional
8 hours is pretty good. I am very happy when I get 8 hours out of a poly without it changing too drastically.

ETA - having said that, I can only go about 2 hours before I am having to adjust the strings on my VCT even when the crosses are still slick. Well, OK, I don't bother anymore since they don't go way out of whack, but it is interesting to note that VCT can wander some even when it is fairly fresh. Spin and control are still good up until nearly 8 hours. Still, it's best in those first 2 hours.
But we are not playing table tennis mate. We are not standing behind the table hitting heavy topspin shots. In tennis you can run on the table and come to the net. But what's the point?. The opponent can hit the ball so fast that you can't react and it lands in because of the spin. We've eliminated half the game. I don't know how old you are but tennis used to be good to watch. Polyester has destroyed the game. It has also destroyed many players arms.
 

SteveI

Legend
But we are not playing table tennis mate. We are not standing behind the table hitting heavy topspin shots. In tennis you can run on the table and come to the net. But what's the point?. The opponent can hit the ball so fast that you can't react and it lands in because of the spin. We've eliminated half the game. I don't know how old you are but tennis used to be good to watch. Polyester has destroyed the game. It has also destroyed many players arms.

You forgot... lighter and better frames. It was not poly.. it was the frames 1st. Polys came later. Enter the Pure Drive and others.. no more Serve and Volley
 

WYK

Hall of Fame
But we are not playing table tennis mate. We are not standing behind the table hitting heavy topspin shots. In tennis you can run on the table and come to the net. But what's the point?. The opponent can hit the ball so fast that you can't react and it lands in because of the spin. We've eliminated half the game. I don't know how old you are but tennis used to be good to watch. Polyester has destroyed the game. It has also destroyed many players arms.

Well - as far as age goes, I joined TT in 2004 - long after I left college, where I played a good deal of tennis. Chris himself invited me to TT.
I play on two vastly different types of courts. A synth grass that is rather fast and a synthetic clay that is super slow. I enjoy the game either way.
I got lobbed twice on the synth grass yesterday. Ah well. It happens. I got to make at least one good smash, so I am OK with it.
The clay stuff is a slug fest, but fun.
The poly gives me great control on both surfaces.
 

BeRadical

New User
Well - as far as age goes, I joined TT in 2004 - long after I left college, where I played a good deal of tennis. Chris himself invited me to TT.
I play on two vastly different types of courts. A synth grass that is rather fast and a synthetic clay that is super slow. I enjoy the game either way.
I got lobbed twice on the synth grass yesterday. Ah well. It happens. I got to make at least one good smash, so I am OK with it.
The clay stuff is a slug fest, but fun.
The poly gives me great control on both surfaces.

Synthetic clay courts? What is the court made of? I did not know they existed, but I have not played much tennis outside of a hardcourt.
 
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Pumpkin

Professional
You forgot... lighter and better frames. It was not poly.. it was the frames 1st. Polys came later. Enter the Pure Drive and others.. no more Serve and Volley
Firstly, I'm not advocating just wanting to see a serve volley game. I'd like to see different styles. S&V, all court style and aggressive or counterpunching baseliner styles. At the moment I only see one distinct style.

Are you sure it's lighter racquets and not the string? Don't a lot of pros end up with heavier racquets with all the lead? I've heard Wawrinka has quite a heavy racquet.
 

SteveI

Legend
Firstly, I'm not advocating just wanting to see a serve volley game. I'd like to see different styles. S&V, all court style and aggressive or counterpunching baseliner styles. At the moment I only see one distinct style.

Are you sure it's lighter racquets and not the string? Don't a lot of pros end up with heavier racquets with all the lead? I've heard Wawrinka has quite a heavy racquet.

Compared to wood.. etc.
 

WYK

Hall of Fame
Synthetic clay courts? What is the court made of? I did not know they existed, but I have not played much tennis outside of a hardcourt.

It's really called 'Articifial Clay'(and synth grass is usually referred to as Artifical grass in the industry as well). It's basically artificial grass with a boatload of sand.
If you have ever seen the Japanese tennis videos with the super sandy courts - that's basically it:

 

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
I prefer HyperG and HyperG Soft to Cyclone and Cyclone Tour both in fullbed and in hybrids after trying them all out. HGS is my favorite. YMMV.
 

BeRadical

New User
It's really called 'Articifial Clay'(and synth grass is usually referred to as Artifical grass in the industry as well). It's basically artificial grass with a boatload of sand.
If you have ever seen the Japanese tennis videos with the super sandy courts - that's basically it:

Thank you for the link. It looks like a great alternative to natural materials.
 

BeRadical

New User
Cyclone was my first poly string I tried. I enjoy the spin, control, and low power. It offers a lot of playability for a cheaper poly. I enjoy the Psycho hybrid too, but does not last long.
 
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Injured Again

Hall of Fame
Ok thanks for the info. I definitely get more spin with a poly. . I'm not really worried about breaking it. It just goes what I call "dead" on me ( don't know if that is a technically correct term) after about 8 hours of play. Looking for one that last longer in terms of retaining its elasticity.

This is the part that confuses me a bit. I string for a number of players, including some older age groupers who don't hit that hard but still use full poly. Like you, they also don't break strings for many months, but unlike you they don't really find that poly goes dead/loses elasticity to the point where it affects launch angle, spin capability, ball speed, or even comfort to a large degree. When I do restring for them after a couple of months and maybe 40 hours of play, there is still significant drawback on the string when I cut the middle mains, and that indicates there is still some elasticity.

I hit the ball harder and with more spin and so when the same string breaks for me, there's much reduced drawback, indicating a greater loss of elasticity.

The part that confuses me is that you say you don't break strings but it goes dead for you. So either you are hitting hard but pretty flat, in which case another string type that stays elastic should work better and be an easy transition, or you're not hitting hard enough to deaden most poly strings in eight hours.

In any case, a stiffer poly string will stay consistent for longer. I'd suggest Silver 7 Tour or 4G at low tension.
 

Injured Again

Hall of Fame
Even if poly never broke or notched or died in 100 years because you don't swing hard enough to destroy it, its worth it for the control alone. I just suggest recreational users restring at least once a month if they are active. Most social players can get away with an entire season since they aren't hitting hard enough to ruin their arms to begin with.

Power differences between string materials are most noticeable when hitting hard. A softer hitter is mostly deforming the ball and not the stringbed no matter the string material so while there are differences and they may be noticeable, it's not nearly as great as someone who swings hard. That's why I firmly believe a softer hitter can get equally good control from a more elastic, non-poly string.
 

Pumpkin

Professional
The part that confuses me is that you say you don't break strings but it goes dead for you. So either you are hitting hard but pretty flat
Yes that's it. I hit hard but pretty flat. Moderate spin actually. . I normally use multifilament.

Do you think I'd get any benefit from a hybrid, say multi in the mains and poly in the crosses and would a setup like that last me longer in terms of the poly remaining lively for longer?

I find the multi stays pretty lively till it breaks.
 

WYK

Hall of Fame
Power differences between string materials are most noticeable when hitting hard. A softer hitter is mostly deforming the ball and not the stringbed no matter the string material so while there are differences and they may be noticeable, it's not nearly as great as someone who swings hard. That's why I firmly believe a softer hitter can get equally good control from a more elastic, non-poly string.

For the slowest swingers amongst us, I would venture to guess you are right.
For your average club player, poly is still a great alternative. I know several more middle-aged players that have decent swings, but are purely recreational. They are competitive in the club circles often because they use a fairly powerful stick with poly. I see a lot of Clashes, PD's, APD's, Extremes, and TiS6's. Strung at modest tensions with poly(I do a lot of the club stringing), these racquets have power and control. It allows them to use more conservative swings, put pace on the ball, and keep it in the court. It especially allows them to better hold serve.
Is such a set up easy on the arm? Well, the Clash is, and the Extremes are surprisingly forgiving. But these are rec players. Some here don't even bother to play the winter leagues.
 

WYK

Hall of Fame
I prefer HyperG and HyperG Soft to Cyclone and Cyclone Tour both in fullbed and in hybrids after trying them all out. HGS is my favorite. YMMV.

Those strings can be quite different. Cyclone plays very dead and comfy compared to HyperG, especially in the smaller gauges.
Having said it, I find HyperG lasts quite a bit longer as far as tension, but loses playability sooner. But I don't mind a dead HyperG until I start to have difficulty holding serve.
I usually put HyperG in a more lower powered stick like my Blade 18X20, Tour 98's and 6.1 95. All of which are rather flexy.
I use Cyclone in my RipStick and Textreme Tour 100.
I mainly use a RipStick now. It is basically a super forgiving, lower powered APD.
I string the mains with VCT 16g at 53lbs and the crosses at 51 with 18L(1.15) standard non tour Cyclone. It is a very dead stringbed that is all about the comfort, control and spin.
This allows me to use a 280G RipStick modded to 317g on the court. It reigns in the power and adds the control like I used to have in my old 338g Tour 98.
With the insane ports on the Ripstick, there is a lot of forgiveness on off-center hits you wouldn't expect from such a light racquet.
 
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WYK

Hall of Fame
Thank you for the link. It looks like a great alternative to natural materials.

I forgot to add, the reason for such courts is the maintenance is super easy and affordable. This being Ireland, they drain rather well. It can rain in the morning, be sunny in the afternoon, and the courts are nice and dry by evening. And, very importantly, they are rather easy on your joints.

Here's and actual artificial clay court I play on in Waterford. There is rather more sand than it looks in the photo here taken after it was freshly installed:

172075997.GVYOWP36.jpg


And here's the artificial grass courts we use:

171280852.Hco5JmVZ.jpg


171280855.eUsmyTs5.jpg


And the actual grass courts:

171817962.2VKLyNhY.jpg
 
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