Genesis Black Magic

Orion

Orion

Semi-Pro
PED-

Wait until the BM begins to break in!!! It's hits stride after about 1-1.5 hours of play. I played a hybrid with BM mains and Prince Recoil crosses. The Recoil really pocketed the ball and complemented the BM. I had the BM at 56 and the Recoil at 60. Felt like the recoil could have handled 63-64.
 
PED

PED

Legend
Nice!!! I like enough already! I really am pleasantly surprised with this string. I was afraid that it was a lot of hype but so far so good.

I dropped my tension from 60. The BM probably easily could have handled it but I wanted to get a higher arcing ball and really play to the strengths of the Rad and its working so far. I almost feel like the spin X is even a bit softer.

I had concept pure in before and this is a good deal better to me. I didn't dislike the Pure but I may have gone too high with the 60/58 tension. It didn't really grip the ball and didn't really have the explosiveness I was looking for like a pl2. Not a bad string by any means but on the basis of my early experience on the genesis, I like it much better.
 
PED

PED

Legend
Orion, I think I just hit that period where the BM takes to another level. It has loosened up a bit but not losing any control and it's putting some nice hurt on the ball. It has every bit of the elasticity of PL2; I'm really enjoying it so far.

BTW, it's 65 here today and when it's this warm consistently, I think I'll edge the tension up to 58/56 to 60/58 for mid summer.
 
T

TennisandMusic

Guest
PED, you are liking the BM? The last set I recently tried felt like it didn't have nearly the spin of some of the more expensive polys that you know about...

Maybe I just needed to give it more time?
 
O

old coach

Rookie
I just strung my racket with Genesis Black Magic. It feels wow...
I've got a free set from one of my players and decided to see how it's plays.
I'm amazed with durability of it even I'm using on open string pattern. Nice surprised. Maybe be a little stiffer in the beginning. Overall it is a nice feeling and power. Great product.
 
P

Perry the Platypus

Rookie
This is a holy grail of strings for me. It's awesome! Not too harsh, very playable, great tension maintenance and incredible price. Seriously what is not to like?

I did drop my tension from 62 down to 60 and I just love this stuff. I've been using it for just over 2 months now.

For comparison sake, the past couple of years I had used/tried the following polys: Pacific Polyforce (also excellent), Klip K-Boom, TF Blackcode & Pro Hurricane Tour. To me Black Magic is the best of the bunch.

I tried the Spin X and was not as wild about it.

I'm a 4.5 player & used the string on both my MG Rad Pro and a PST GT.
 
blackfrido

blackfrido

Hall of Fame
drakulie said:
^^I feel the opposite. After about an hour of drilling, the string breaks in very nicely.
Click to expand...

Hi Drak,

what tension range would you recommend in a flexible mid size frame?
I had long ago a frame strung with BM and I love it. I bought a reel couple of weeks ago and I'm about to string the first frame but have no clue about tension.
Usually I start any poly at 52 but I read this one is relatively soft!
thanks
 
drakulie

drakulie

Talk Tennis Guru
^^frido, I would start at that tension. From there you will be able to gauge if you need to go up or down in tension.

Whenever I switch strings, I always string it at the same tension I've been stringing at. It rules out many "what if" questions.

Anyway, I strung at a very large tournament this weekend, and the range for this string was between low 50's to 60's.
 
blackfrido

blackfrido

Hall of Fame
drakulie said:
^^frido, I would start at that tension. From there you will be able to gauge if you need to go up or down in tension.

Whenever I switch strings, I always string it at the same tension I've been stringing at. It rules out many "what if" questions.

Anyway, I strung at a very large tournament this weekend, and the range for this string was between low 50's to 60's.
Click to expand...

I always start at 52 as a reference tension, but since this one seems to be a little different (from this forum's opinions) I was wandering if I have to change to a higher or lower tension?

gracias, frido
 
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drakulie

drakulie

Talk Tennis Guru
Frido, to me this string is not as stiff as Lux Alu power. So if you are use to stringing higher than 52, other than stiff polies, you could probably go a bit higher.

Hope this helps, amigo!! :)
 
blackfrido

blackfrido

Hall of Fame
drakulie said:
Frido, to me this string is not as stiff as Lux Alu power. So if you are use to stringing higher than 52, other than stiff polies, you could probably go a bit higher.

Hope this helps, amigo!! :)
Click to expand...

gracias Drak! cuando jugamos? espero que sigas jugando no solo encordando raquetas :)
 
PED

PED

Legend
I liked black magic much more than black code....a lot more :)

It should work well in that apd xl. Nice power and feel, I ended up going with a reel of spinX because of the extra spin but the black magic was fantastic.
 
Bud

Bud

Bionic Poster
PED said:
I liked black magic much more than black code....a lot more :)

It should work well in that apd xl. Nice power and feel, I ended up going with a reel of spinX because of the extra spin but the black magic was fantastic.
Click to expand...

Yeah... lotta positive feedback on the GBM string. Lookin forward to tryin it out :)

**edit**

My first impression during stringing... This is a very stiff string with little to no stretch... almost like a first generation poly. I'm curious to see what it feels like on court.
 
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drummerdan

drummerdan

Semi-Pro
Bud said:
Yeah... lotta positive feedback on the GBM string. Lookin forward to tryin it out :)

**edit**

My first impression during stringing... This is a very stiff string with little to no stretch... almost like a first generation poly. I'm curious to see what it feels like on court.
Click to expand...

That's strange because I felt just the opposite. It was soft and not stiff at all when I strung it. 1st gen poly feels like wire and GBM feels close to a syn gut - IMHO.
 
Standupnfall

Standupnfall

Semi-Pro
I have 1 set 17g in retail package up for trade.

Looking for 8+ Tourna XL overgrips for trade.
Would consider other trades too.
Im in NY, US only please

istringit @gmail .com
 
PED

PED

Legend
Bud said:
Yeah... lotta positive feedback on the GBM string. Lookin forward to tryin it out :)

**edit**

My first impression during stringing... This is a very stiff string with little to no stretch... almost like a first generation poly. I'm curious to see what it feels like on court.
Click to expand...

It plays quite soft I found; it's softer than pl2 and MUCH softer than ALU. I got 5 hours out of the 16 before breaking but it kept it's playability right up until the end.

I'll be surprised if you don't find it fairly soft-I did mine at 56/54 and the temps were in the 40's and it was still really nice. I was with the 16 so the 17 should be even nicer from a feel standpoint.

Be sure to try out the spinX as well.
 
Bud

Bud

Bionic Poster
drummerdan said:
That's strange because I felt just the opposite. It was soft and not stiff at all when I strung it. 1st gen poly feels like wire and GBM feels close to a syn gut - IMHO.
Click to expand...

Naw... even when you cut it with clippers it cuts quickly and cleanly with a nice 'snap'... which means it's very stiff.

Try Isospeed Baseline... that's a soft poly. When cutting, it makes little noise and the clippers just kind of sink into the string.

I have 2 singles matches and a doubles match, tomorrow so will have a good chance to try it out.
 
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Standupnfall

Standupnfall

Semi-Pro
Bud said:
Naw... even when you cut it with clippers it cuts quickly and cleanly with a nice 'snap'... which means it's very stiff.

Try Isospeed Baseline... that's a soft poly. When cutting, it makes little noise and the clippers just kind of sink into the string.

I have 2 singles matches and a doubles match, tomorrow so will have a good chance to try it out.
Click to expand...

Great observation. Polystar classic feels kinda soft when you clip it, the opposite of MSV focus hex
 
Bud

Bud

Bionic Poster
Standupnfall said:
Great observation. Polystar classic feels kinda soft when you clip it, the opposite of MSV focus hex
Click to expand...

Yeah... and the softer it is (i.e. snap versus no snap when cutting)... the more it stretches on the stringing machine.

Isospeed Baseline will require 1 ratchet click on my X-2 due to stretching. The Black Magic required no ratcheting AND I even had to give it some slack before releasing the weight or it simply wouldn't level out. There is simply no stretch in the string... and I strung it at a hefty 58# (since the gut mains were already well broken in).

This is why I'm so curious about the comments about it playing so comfortably with excellent durability and long life. Based on the stringing charactieristics, I'd expect the complete opposite. I hope I'm pleasantly surprised! :)
 
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drakulie

drakulie

Talk Tennis Guru
wow, bud. I'm surprised at your experience with the BM.

I agree with the others, as it was quite easy to srting for a poly, and much softer than strings like PL2, Lux Alu, M2, BPHT, etc.

anyways, look forward to reading your review on how it plays.
 
Orion

Orion

Semi-Pro
Good to see BM is getting the props it deserves!! IMO it has the best bang for the buck it's better than average in performance, durability, comfort, spin, and price. I've yet to try the 17g as I was using a 16x19 when I first tried BM and wanted to go with a thicker gauge string. I've since switched back to 18x20. My preferred gauge in 18x20 was 17g. I felt I was able to generate a little more spin with a 17g.
 
Bud

Bud

Bionic Poster
Bud said:
Yeah... lotta positive feedback on the GBM string. Lookin forward to tryin it out :)

**edit**

My first impression during stringing... This is a very stiff string with little to no stretch... almost like a first generation poly. I'm curious to see what it feels like on court.
Click to expand...

Bud said:
Naw... even when you cut it with clippers it cuts quickly and cleanly with a nice 'snap'... which means it's very stiff.

Try Isospeed Baseline... that's a soft poly. When cutting, it makes little noise and the clippers just kind of sink into the string.

I have 2 singles matches and a doubles match, tomorrow so will have a good chance to try it out.
Click to expand...

Bud said:
Yeah... and the softer it is (i.e. snap versus no snap when cutting)... the more it stretches on the stringing machine.

Isospeed Baseline will require 1 ratchet click on my X-2 due to stretching. The Black Magic required no ratcheting AND I even had to give it some slack before releasing the weight or it simply wouldn't level out. There is simply no stretch in the string... and I strung it at a hefty 58# (since the gut mains were already well broken in).

This is why I'm so curious about the comments about it playing so comfortably with excellent durability and long life. Based on the stringing charactieristics, I'd expect the complete opposite. I hope I'm pleasantly surprised! :)
Click to expand...

Just played my morning doubles and singles matches...

The Black Magic is definitely comfortable on the arm. I don't feel any stiffness or tightness. I'm pretty amazed.

Playing my afternoon singles match in half an hour and will report back later :)

Tonight, I'll tear out the string and replace the GG mains with Klip Armour Pro mains to stiffen up the stringbed a bit... and reinstall some Black Magic crosses. I should have replaced the GG mains last night when I installed the BM crosses... as the stringbed felt too soft today.
 
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S

scotus

G.O.A.T.
Bud said:
Just played my morning doubles and singles matches...

The Black Magic is definitely comfortable on the arm. I don't feel any stiffness or tightness. I'm pretty amazed.

Playing my afternoon singles match in half an hour and will report back later :)

Tonight, I'll tear out the string and replace the GG mains with Klip Armour Pro mains to stiffen up the stringbed a bit... and reinstall some Black Magic crosses. I should have replaced the GG mains last night when I installed the BM crosses... as the stringbed felt too soft today.
Click to expand...

Have you written a review on Klip Armour Pro yet? I'd be interested.
 
Bud

Bud

Bionic Poster
scotus said:
Have you written a review on Klip Armour Pro yet? I'd be interested.
Click to expand...

I haven't but it's my favorite of the gut strings... just too expensive with my penchant to test different strings. If I can find a nice Armour Pro / poly setup that will last me a month or more, I may switch back to it. This Black Magic may be the ticket... assuming it maintains its playability.

Armour pro is like a stiffer more durable gut. It has the comfort of gut... is much easier to string and is much more resistant to notching, weather, etc.
 
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Bud

Bud

Bionic Poster
Bud said:
Just played my morning doubles and singles matches...

The Black Magic is definitely comfortable on the arm. I don't feel any stiffness or tightness. I'm pretty amazed.

Playing my afternoon singles match in half an hour and will report back later :)

Tonight, I'll tear out the string and replace the GG mains with Klip Armour Pro mains to stiffen up the stringbed a bit... and reinstall some Black Magic crosses. I should have replaced the GG mains last night when I installed the BM crosses... as the stringbed felt too soft today.
Click to expand...

Just played a portion of an A level ladder match... only got a set in (which I took 6-1) before we got rained out :evil: (although we really do need the rain here)...

Still no arm stiffness whatsoever... which I'm pretty surprised (based on my perception of the string when stringing the frame, last night).

Before the match, I placed a couple dozen Babolat string savers around the perimeter of the sweet zone to tighten up the stringbed slightly. It seemed to work... It felt much less 'bouncy' than this morning and I felt I had more directional control. Will continue using it line this for another week before swapping out the Global Gut with the Armour Pro.
 
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Orion

Orion

Semi-Pro
Bud said:
Just played a portion of an A level ladder match... only got a set in (which I took 6-1) before we got rained out :evil: (although we really do need the rain here)...

Still no arm stiffness whatsoever... which I'm pretty surprised (based on my perception of the string when stringing the frame, last night).

Before the match, I placed a couple dozen Babolat string savers around the perimeter of the sweet zone to tighten up the stringbed slightly. It seemed to work... It felt much less 'bouncy' than this morning and I felt I had more directional control. Will continue using it line this for another week before swapping out the Global Gut with the Armour Pro.
Click to expand...

Bud I've been using it in crosses and it does take about a set and a half to settle down. I find it works excellent in the crosses with the right gut. Tension loss is minimal and playability remains constant for a good 8-12 hours depending on match type and temps. I find playability drops much faster in the mains, crosses or mains it's traditional poly when it goes.... control and feel will be non-existent. :-x

I've been experimenting with multi's in the mains crossing with BM. Not as crisp as the gut/BM setup but solid nonetheless.
 
S

stanfordtennis alum

Hall of Fame
Bud said:
Just played a portion of an A level ladder match... only got a set in (which I took 6-1) before we got rained out :evil: (although we really do need the rain here)...

Still no arm stiffness whatsoever... which I'm pretty surprised (based on my perception of the string when stringing the frame, last night).

Before the match, I placed a couple dozen Babolat string savers around the perimeter of the sweet zone to tighten up the stringbed slightly. It seemed to work... It felt much less 'bouncy' than this morning and I felt I had more directional control. Will continue using it line this for another week before swapping out the Global Gut with the Armour Pro.
Click to expand...

thanks for the review.. i too agree that string feels a bit stiff upon stringing but plays very soft for a poly... don't worry, some of the TW posters think you too are affiliated with Genesis since you say a positive comment about it..i along with drakulie and a few others have already been accused
 
Bud

Bud

Bionic Poster
stanfordtennis alum said:
thanks for the review.. i too agree that string feels a bit stiff upon stringing but plays very soft for a poly... don't worry, some of the TW posters think you too are affiliated with Genesis since you say a positive comment about it..i along with drakulie and a few others have already been accused
Click to expand...

:lol:

Are you serious? I must have missed all that. Was it earlier in this thread?

I can almost always tell how a poly will play and its life expectancy... based on the stringing characteristics. This one surprised me.

I may even get adventurous and string up a full bed of this stuff... just to see how tender it may make my arm.

Weird stuff, it is.
 
drakulie

drakulie

Talk Tennis Guru
^^It was in another thread, but it seems to be prevalent with a few posters who seem to think anytime someone writes a review (positive), they are somehow affiliated with the company. Oh, well.

anyway, thanks for your review, Bud.

I've been exclusivley playing with the Black Majic (full string job). It's a very solid string, with good feel, and playing characteristics.
 
Bud

Bud

Bionic Poster
drakulie said:
^^It was in another thread, but it seems to be prevalent with a few posters who seem to think anytime someone writes a review (positive), they are somehow affiliated with the company. Oh, well.

anyway, thanks for your review, Bud.

I've been exclusivley playing with the Black Majic (full string job). It's a very solid string, with good feel, and playing characteristics.
Click to expand...

Hi Drak...

Have you ever suffered from arm/wrist issues?

Does the full poly bed of BM cause any issues?

Any other polys you've used that are as comfortable as the BM?
 
drakulie

drakulie

Talk Tennis Guru
I had a very bad shoulder injury when playing college, which is why I quit tennis for a long time.

Since coming back, I have continued to string relatively tight, and for a while was using Kevlar hybrids. I've never really had any arm issues due to tennis. The shoulder injury was the cause of a car accident.

Pro Supex Big Ace is a bit softer than Lux, as is a Dunlop string I played with once, but it lost a lot of tension quickly.

If you get a chance, send samster an email and ask him what string he put in my MG Mid when I was in Tennessee. I popped my strings while I was there, and he was kind enough to restring the frame for me. I can't remember the name, but recall it played very swEeET! It was also a softer poly.
 
PED

PED

Legend
Bud, one point I'll make on the BM as opposed to big ace is that BM seems to grab the ball a bit better and it's easier IMO to the ball up and down (to use a golf phrase).

The result is similar to ALU whereas the ball seems to drop out of the sky and catch the back line. Of course, BM is a good deal more arm friendly than ALU.

I've always found that the softer polys seemed to work better for me in thick beamed sticks like the APD. I used to love BA in my apdc. I love ALU in thinner beamed sticks like a Rad or Prestige but the stiffness seemed to bother me a bit in Babolat's.
 
S

scotus

G.O.A.T.
Bud said:
:lol:

Are you serious? I must have missed all that. Was it earlier in this thread?

I can almost always tell how a poly will play and its life expectancy... based on the stringing characteristics. This one surprised me.

I may even get adventurous and string up a full bed of this stuff... just to see how tender it may make my arm.

Weird stuff, it is.
Click to expand...

We know Bud and Drakulie are not affiliated with Genesis ...

because they are affiliated with Global Gut! :)
 
PED

PED

Legend
Interesting followup on Bud's comments on the BM while stringing. I was picking up my stick at the stringers tonight and he had been playing around with the leftover BM-he uses a Star 5 and we put it on 60lbs and compared the elasticity of Blue Gear to Black Magic-amazing how much "give" the BM had and it pulled a good deal further over the BG.

My stringer conjectured that he thought that BM might end haivng similar qualities like the new Bab RPM poly that everyone seems to be switching too. Querry mentioned that it was very elastic and held tension much better than what he had been using.

Interesting that Bab with the new RPM poly and Lux with Adrenaline are finally being forced by the competition to come up with something new and better. As a consumer it's better for everyone :)

On a side note, I had my first hit today with Red SpinX. I usually use the Silver and I found the red does play a good deal softer than the silver. The silver had more of an "edge" to it and a little more pop. I do think the Red would be more arm friendly.
 
Orion

Orion

Semi-Pro
Wanna get some feedback from anyone using BM in crosses. I have it crossed with VS mains and noticed it was moving around like crazy last night. First time I've seen it move this much I'm wondering if it was the coating on the VS??? It's strung at 56.
 
Bud

Bud

Bionic Poster
Orion said:
Wanna get some feedback from anyone using BM in crosses. I have it crossed with VS mains and noticed it was moving around like crazy last night. First time I've seen it move this much I'm wondering if it was the coating on the VS??? It's strung at 56.
Click to expand...

I have it strung in the crosses with Global Gut mains and virtually no movement.
 
Bud

Bud

Bionic Poster
Cut out the GG mains and Black Magic crosses...

Re-strung with Klip Armour Pro 17 mains (60#) and Black Magic crosses at 55#.
 
(K)evin

(K)evin

Rookie
Ljubicic for number1 said:
I don't think TW would even look at stocking this string until its more established, there is very little feedback on it so far.

It took them a while to stock topspin didn't it? I seem to remember the cyberflash craze flourishing for a while before they stocked it.
Click to expand...

I don't see why they didn't stock it during the craze they would have made alot more profit
 
(K)evin

(K)evin

Rookie
I have to say I would love to switch from lux alu rough to genesis not only because of the money I'll be saving but also because it's an american based company which I like alot.
 
Orion

Orion

Semi-Pro
(K)evin said:
I have to say I would love to switch from lux alu rough to genesis not only because of the money I'll be saving but also because it's an american based company which I like alot.
Click to expand...

Genesis isn't American they are German based.

I crossed Gamma Livewire with BM @ 59. After 8 hr split between singles and doubles and an hour with the ball machine, the BM crosses are picking up tons of fuzz. I've NEVER seen BM or any poly fray or wear like this. I'll post pics of it tomorrow. I tried my best to pop it hitting tonight but it wasn't happening playing doubles.
 
Bartelby

Bartelby

Bionic Poster
I think the company is American, but the product is German-made.



Orion said:
Genesis isn't American they are German based.

I crossed Gamma Livewire with BM @ 59. After 8 hr split between singles and doubles and an hour with the ball machine, the BM crosses are picking up tons of fuzz. I've NEVER seen BM or any poly fray or wear like this. I'll post pics of it tomorrow. I tried my best to pop it hitting tonight but it wasn't happening playing doubles.
Click to expand...
 
Orion

Orion

Semi-Pro
Bartelby said:
I think the company is American, but the product is German-made.
Click to expand...

You're right American with German subsidiaries. I haven't done enough research to find out what the issue is with their ownership but their is a level of resentment in some of the threads on TW.

Here are pics of the fraying I had for the first time on crosses. This was my first time using Gamma Livewire 16 in the mains. I'm wondering if the Livewire is sliding and pinching fuzz from the balls??

Been using Genesis for close to a year and this is the first time I've ever seen it catch fuzz and fray like this. If this were in the mains I would think that the strings must have slipped through the clamps and burned but not in the crosses.

IMG_0689.jpg


IMG_0693.jpg


IMG_0696.jpg
 
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blackfrido

blackfrido

Hall of Fame
Orion,
I'm waiting for my order of NRG2 to use it mains with BM crosses.
I strung one racquet (M-Speed #1) with full bed of BM at 53, it feels dead!
I have long swings both sides (1HB) but the ball is always landing short which is good because does not go out, but too short.
I hope a multi like NRG2 helps to get more fell and pop.
 
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