Stringing poly low

racquet_jedi

Professional
Should a full/hybrid polyester string job strung in the lower tension range of the racquet present much of a problem for those with arm problems? Also for those who do this or have done this, does it?
 

tbini87

Hall of Fame
depends on your arm. have you ever hit with poly before, and if so, how did your arm react? stringing it low will help, but still might be too harsh if your arm is fragile. also remember you can string below recommended tension with some poly. i know people who swear by stringing poly REALLY low, like 10 lbs under recommended tension.
 

vndesu

Hall of Fame
hm

well it really depends.
on my ag200 i have strung it 2 above max wil alu power.
for the first few days it was rough, but then it got better.

but b4 that i had cyberflashes strung at 58, 2 below middle and it was very effective.
si i suggest maybe going for middle tension
 

ledor

Professional
if you already have a low power racquet, then it will be okay to string low. You should also still follow what it says on the package.
 
When I started learning tennis, I strung a light weight 95" stick with poly at 53lbs.

I didn't understand why my arm was killng me for months.

Now I know the major factors are bad technique and full poly. Secondary were light weight stick and inexperience.

Also poly loses its properties after several hours of playing or weeks of sitting in the closet.

If you have arm problems, don't go with poly! That's like playing with running shoes. Or jumping in front of a car.
 

downdaline

Professional
If u ALREADY have arm problems then under no circumstances should u be using a full poly and u should be wary abt hybrids.

Regardless of tension, a poly is a stiff string and it will hurt ur arm if it already has problems. The newer and softer co-polys may seem more forgiving, but i would highly recommend staying away from any kind of poly if u have arm problems.
 

Bud

Bionic Poster
Should a full/hybrid polyester string job strung in the lower tension range of the racquet present much of a problem for those with arm problems? Also for those who do this or have done this, does it?

Use a soft main string and loosely strung poly in the crosses.

If you string your racquets, experiment around with really low tensions. With poly it doesn't affect the power like gut, synthetic gut, multi, etc. It also won't turn your stick into a trampoline. Both Kevlar and Poly can be strung at fairly low tension and still feel pretty normal.
 
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Kcraig

Professional
I have tried several diff poly setups and have settled on a CP 52/MT 55 setup for now, but may even go lower due to the lower temps. One of the overlooked problems with arm problems and tennis is more so to do with the racquet stiffness more than the strings. Go with a <65 flex and poly/multi setup in
17g strings and don't go over 52# on the poly and maybe even lower. I may try all poly Cyberpower and string it at 50#--my experience with loose polys is alot of feel and tons of ball pocketing/spin, but the power is still under control. Good luck but don't overdo it. Full PSGD 17g also gives loads of spin and touch, but tons of string movement as well.
 

bubbatex

Rookie
I went from PSGM 16 @ 58# to the Bab PH/Conquest hybrid @ 56/60 and I can't tell any difference except the Bab hybrid spins a little more and has a little less power. My point is that PH is considered a stiff poly, but it does not harm my tender elbow anymore that PSGM did in this hybrid set-up. I have a 12oz stick w/60 flex - and I have an improving, but still slightly sore, elbow!
 
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bubbatex

Rookie
I have tried several diff poly setups and have settled on a CP 52/MT 55 setup for now, but may even go lower due to the lower temps. One of the overlooked problems with arm problems and tennis is more so to do with the racquet stiffness more than the strings. Go with a <65 flex and poly/multi setup in
17g strings and don't go over 52# on the poly and maybe even lower. I may try all poly Cyberpower and string it at 50#--my experience with loose polys is alot of feel and tons of ball pocketing/spin, but the power is still under control. Good luck but don't overdo it. Full PSGD 17g also gives loads of spin and touch, but tons of string movement as well.

Do you still have good control? I am trying to determine if dropping from the above tensions will give me some more "pop" without a lot of control loss. Have you ditched BA? I was just thinking about doing that with the Maxim a little lighter (54/58#) to see how it works.
 

PBODY99

Legend
I have settled on using the thinest Poly I can at a tension that is 10 to 15% lower than I would use with a multi or regular solid core string. This holds true for hy-birds and full jobs. I have had no complaints for the people I string for with this setup.
I don't recommend any poly to a person with arm problems.
 

0range

Hall of Fame
Should a full/hybrid polyester string job strung in the lower tension range of the racquet present much of a problem for those with arm problems? Also for those who do this or have done this, does it?

I don't have arm problems; my racquet's strung with full poly at the lowest recommanded tension and it felt VERY uncomfortable for the first couple of days of play. It felt much better now; probably got something to do with poly's high initial tension lost or something...
 

Bud

Bionic Poster
well it really depends.
on my ag200 i have strung it 2 above max wil alu power.
for the first few days it was rough, but then it got better.

but b4 that i had cyberflashes strung at 58, 2 below middle and it was very effective.
si i suggest maybe going for middle tension

Lol.. and your arm didn't fall off? Try a full poly job at 48-50# crosses and mains. You may be surprised.

I love full poly strung at tensions at or below 50#. No trampoline, yet still crisp... yet not hard on the arm.
 

Kcraig

Professional
Do you still have good control? I am trying to determine if dropping from the above tensions will give me some more "pop" without a lot of control loss. Have you ditched BA? I was just thinking about doing that with the Maxim a little lighter (54/58#) to see how it works.

Excellent control and more spin with CP/MT than BA/MT.
 

Automatix

Legend
Hey Bud what poly are you using with exact tension... I had a wrist problem so I went to multi but I feel I can go back to a mono string...

EDIT:

I also use Mid flexy frames... they work best for me, especially 18x20 string pattern ones... and I am thinking of stringing Kirschbaum Pro Line No.II 1,20mm at about 24/23kg or 23/22kg... so I'm eager to hear about your setup...
 
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I am currently playing with kevlar mains strung at 35lbs and poly crosses strung at 37lbs.......I really like the combo so far......seems to be arm-friendly at that tension and control is very good....so is spin.....
 

miniRafa386

Hall of Fame
a rule of thumb from jim courior (sp?): polys should be strung 5 lbs below what you normally string them at.

i heard him say it on USA during the open.
 

GoochMoney

Rookie
played both kirschbaum pro line II and pro supex big ace in hybrids at the top range of my recommended tension and low end of my rec tension...and really like the low end set ups.

fyi - i've played syn guts at max recommended tension for the past 15 years...
 

Kcraig

Professional
a rule of thumb from jim courior (sp?): polys should be strung 5 lbs below what you normally string them at.

i heard him say it on USA during the open.

Does that mean 5# lower than your typical syn gut (ie 10% less) OR does that after the 10% reduction--take another 5# off?? I am confused:confused:.
Would this mean:normal syn gut 60# = 54-55# (10% reduction) - 5# = 49-50# tension per Courier??? Please clarify if you know?? Thanks
 

violinguy

New User
I'm having good results stringing Poly mains very tight, say 60, and the crosses, some sort of soft syngut, Gosen OG or NRG2 at 50. This way the Poly doesn't move around but has room to stretch out and still be fairly tight, and the low tension crosses dampen the stiffness of the high tension mains. Very playable. I wouldn't recommend the reverse as you may crack your frame.
 

Midlife crisis

Hall of Fame
Does that mean 5# lower than your typical syn gut (ie 10% less) OR does that after the 10% reduction--take another 5# off?? I am confused:confused:.
Would this mean:normal syn gut 60# = 54-55# (10% reduction) - 5# = 49-50# tension per Courier??? Please clarify if you know?? Thanks

There is no rule of thumb like this that will work.

Poly strings have high axial stiffness, so if you have a stringbed that is physically very tight so that the crosses are close to each other, the high axial stiffness will increase the stiffness of the stringbed overall. In these cases, you'll need to drop poly string tensions more than usual.

For less dense stringbeds, you may need very little drop in tension going to a poly.

As a for instance, my son and I both play with 16X19 racquets. He uses a PDR+ (100 sq. in.) and I use a Thunder Rip (115 sq. in.). He dropped his synthetic gut to poly string tension from 60 pounds down to 46-48 pounds to get roughly equivalent response. I barely dropped, going from 67 pounds mains and crosses, to 66 pounds mains and 64 pounds crosses. We use primarily the same poly string.

I've strung up a number of other racquets with poly, and this has held true for all of them, from wood racquets upward. You should take into account the physical string density when choosing how much tension to lower when using poly.
 

Kcraig

Professional
There is no rule of thumb like this that will work.

Poly strings have high axial stiffness, so if you have a stringbed that is physically very tight so that the crosses are close to each other, the high axial stiffness will increase the stiffness of the stringbed overall. In these cases, you'll need to drop poly string tensions more than usual.

For less dense stringbeds, you may need very little drop in tension going to a poly.

As a for instance, my son and I both play with 16X19 racquets. He uses a PDR+ (100 sq. in.) and I use a Thunder Rip (115 sq. in.). He dropped his synthetic gut to poly string tension from 60 pounds down to 46-48 pounds to get roughly equivalent response. I barely dropped, going from 67 pounds mains and crosses, to 66 pounds mains and 64 pounds crosses. We use primarily the same poly string.

I've strung up a number of other racquets with poly, and this has held true for all of them, from wood racquets upward. You should take into account the physical string density when choosing how much tension to lower when using poly.

I am playing with a Diablo MP which has a 16x18 stringbed. Rec string tension is 58+/- 5, and I usually string a full syn gut job at 58. What do you recommend??

Your son's tension sounds intriquing to me, especially since the Diablo is so low powered that 52/50 or even lower tensions in full poly, such as Cyberpower 1.25, should be OK.
 

Midlife crisis

Hall of Fame
I am playing with a Diablo MP which has a 16x18 stringbed. Rec string tension is 58+/- 5, and I usually string a full syn gut job at 58. What do you recommend??

Your son's tension sounds intriquing to me, especially since the Diablo is so low powered that 52/50 or even lower tensions in full poly, such as Cyberpower 1.25, should be OK.

Midplus, so around 100 sq. inches, right? Depending on the poly, I'd probably go around 50 pounds. For a stiffer poly with better tension stability, like Red Code or the ProLine strings, it might be worth it to try even 48 pounds for a full poly stringjob. Something softer like SPPP, 50 sounds like a good number.

If you do try this, let me know how it works for you.
 

Kcraig

Professional
Midplus, so around 100 sq. inches, right? Depending on the poly, I'd probably go around 50 pounds. For a stiffer poly with better tension stability, like Red Code or the ProLine strings, it might be worth it to try even 48 pounds for a full poly stringjob. Something softer like SPPP, 50 sounds like a good number.

If you do try this, let me know how it works for you.

100 sq., 16x18--I ended up settling on 52# with Topspin Cyberpower, which is a very soft poly, but is suppossed to have nice tension maintence as Cyberflash is known for. Loved it on the first hit last night.
 

eagle

Hall of Fame
If you use a soft forgiving poly like the SPP, you can actually string it at your racquets recommended tension in a hybrid setup. With the poly on the mains, I set the synthetic at 4lbs below the mains tension.

I've done this with my old Volkl and a few times with my current Prince Tour Diablo Mid. No arms problems whatsoever.

YMMV. Depends on your arm health.

Thanks,
eagle
 
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