Rodrigo's string reviews

rodrigoamaral

Hall of Fame
Hey guys.. I have been trying many different strings this summer so I decided to write down in a few sentences what I thought of each string. For me, value is very important so I gave each string a number out of 100 of what its value is IMO.

BTW, I'm a 5.0, agressive baseliner who uses a Head MG Radical.. If you guys have some questions, I'll try my best to answer them

Babolat RPM Blast
- This string is overhyped. It plays great for the first 4 hours and then loses tension FAST. Good spin, doesn’t play too stiff compared to other polys and I had high expectations coming in and was disappointed. About 80% of my friends and people who I know tried it said they were disappointed. When considering the price, this string gets an 85/100 in my book.

Kirschbaum pro line2- A pretty good string that holds tension well and has good control and pop. I like that it comes in both red and black color. When considering the price, I give this string a 90/100 in my book

Msv focus hex- Tried this string and it did not meet my expectations. It felt very plasticky and gave some good spin. The string lacked in overall performance when compared to other textured polys such as Tornado, Turbo, Blue Gear, etc. When considering the price, I give this a 91/100 in my book.

Mantis power poly- Another string that I thought played just Ok. It felt very awkward and it didn’t play like a poly. Control was poor and it had too much uncontrollable power. When considering the price, I give this an 87/100 in my book.

Polyfibre TCS- The softest poly I ever tried. Excellent spin production, holds tension ok and durability is not as good as other polys. Performance wise, this is among the best strings I ever tried. I broke this string within 6 hours but for those 6 hours, I was in heaven. If you are looking for something as soft as a syn gut but with good control and spin, try this. Considering the price, I give this a 91/100.

Polystar energy- A pretty unique co-polyester string that provided me with excellent feel and touch for a poly. This string played remarkably soft and had tons of power, maybe even a bit too much at times. Control was average and it held tension average to above-average compared to other polys. It seemed that every time the ball left my racquet, it exploded out and my opponent commented how much quicker the ball was flying than my other racquet. Spin was good and my volleys were improved with the feel of this string. Considering the price, I give this a 94/100

Signum Pro Tornado- An excellent co-poly string that really holds tension remarkably well. Spin was above average and the power was there. Overall, I really enjoyed this string but feel the price on sets is a bit overpriced. Otherwise, I Would recommend this string if you like RPM but feel it looses tension to quick. Considering price, I give this a 92/100

Poly star turbo- I read that this is the same string as the Energy but has like 16 edges or something like that. Well it does because this string provided me A LOT of spin and my balls were pretty heavy when coming of the stringbed. Control was good and power was average for a poly. It held tension pretty well and overall I was pleased with this string. I prefer the Energy over the Turbo but only by a small margin. Considering the price, I give this a 93/100.

Klip K-boom- Used this string exclusively for about 2.5 years. Great string that gave excellent control and spin. It held tension better than the Cyber Flash and power level was just average. Since I gave up on this string, I tried many other “Lux clones” and this string is overpriced and doesn’t perform nearly as well as some of the others. Considering price, this string gets an 84/100 in my book.

Tecnifibre black code- Very good string with excellent spin product. Power is good and it holds tension above average compared to other polys. Excited to try out the new Tecnifibre string that is coming out soon. Believe this was one of the first black polys that hit the market. Considering price, this string gets a 93/100 in my book.

Genesis typhoon- A string that really exceeded my expectations. Power was high, maybe a bit too much but it held tension very well and the spin was good. Would of liked a bit more control but I was very pleased with the way this string played. Considering price, I would give it a 93/100.

Genesis Spin X- Another great string that really complements my game really well. I love the ball-pocketing and the control I get from this string. Everything seems just right and it holds tension very well for a poly. Considering price, I give this a 92/100.

Signum pro poly plasma
- A very low-powered mutel feel that even felt a bit mushy for me. It held tension exceptionally well and provided me with excellent control. I really didn’t feel that string is a high-performance string and I expected more from this string after reading so much positive feedback. Considering price, I give this string a 92/100.

Kirschbaum Spiky Shark- A good string for spin, but nothing special. Holds tension pretty well and it is not stiff by any means. I think there are better strings than this in the same price range and this may be my favorite string from Kirschbaum. Considering price, I give this a 88/100

NOTE: This is my opinion and my thoughts from my experience. I'm sure same will share the same opinion while others will have an entirely different experience with each string.

NEW Reviews:

Poly Star Strike- A pretty good poly that holds tension better than all of the other Poly Star strings. It has pretty good spin potential but it lacked the pinpoint accuracy that I enjoyed with the energy. I also felt that it provided me with less power than the polystar energy.. Not a bad string by any means. Considering price, I give this a 90/100

Tecnifibre Red Code- Great control-oriented poly that just plays "solid" in every department. I felt that it held average and it gave pretty good spin. In regards to feel, it played softer than most of the other stiffer polys like Luxilon and kirschbaum. Considering price, I give this a 91/100

Polyfibre Hexa Blade- This string is now among the top 3 "textured" strings I have ever tried and probably top 7 among all strings I ever tried. It broke at the 15 hr mark but I was bloody impressed with the spin and feel of this string. First off, it plays and feels very soft, yet gives insane spin. It was low-powered, good control and it held tension OK. I was hitting some of the heaviest balls ever with these strings and I will consider switching to this string after my testing is complete. Considering price, I give this a 93/100.

Solinco Tour Bite- Great string for spin but average spin potential. I had pretty high expectations coming in with this string but thought it did not meet all its hype. It has a good amount of power for a poly, good durability and the feel and comfort for a poly is average. When considering price, I give it a 89/100.

Volkl Cyclone- A pretty good string with good spin potential, good control and holds tension average compared to other polys. This string lasted for about 12 hours before breaking. Power is average, feel and comfort is also average. Considering the price, there really should not be a reason one wont try it. When considering price, this string is a 93/100 in my book.

Genesis Hexonic- A very nice spin-oriented co-poly that is low-powered and has great control. Holds tension pretty good and I was amazed how much control this string gave me for a shaped poly. It felt stiffer than some of the other strings I have tried but since both Poly Star and Polyfibre are pretty darn soft, I would still say this one is "soft" when compared to the luxilons and kirschbaums. When you consider the price (especially in reels), this string is a 91/100 in my book.

Luxilon Adrenaline- This string has been out for a while but I haven't been able to get a chance to give you shot yet. This string felt similar to Kirschbaum competition but I havent used that one in about 2 years. The adrenaline is nice and soft, has good control, mediocre spin, holds tension better than some of the other Lux strings but is nothing special. If this string was $100 per reel, I may consider it but this string is like a cyber flash but priced 2x higher. It has a fair amount of poly, decent comfort and feel and broke in about 8 hours for me. Considering price, I give this a 88/100 in my book.

Pro Supex Blue Gear Ultra Spin-
Stringing: Easier than the regular blue gear as it is softer. Still not as easy as syn guts but not that bad. Took me a few min longer than the typical stringjob.

Spin: Very comparable to Blue Gear. I think this string produces as much spin 10 hours in as it does during the first 1 hour. The original blue gear "ridges" sort of wear off after like 6-7 hours or so.. I'd give it a 9/10

Durability: On about 14 hours and its great so far. Would give it a 9/10

Control: Better than the original as I can actually control my balls. Not as good pinpoint accuracy as regular round strings but still pretty good. 8.5/10

Power: This string has some pop with is and would consider the power level to be average. I'd give it a 8/10

Comfort: This is after all a textured poly but it doesnt play as stiff as some Kirschbaums and Luxilons. I'd give it a 8/10 for comfort and feel

This string is great if you have an aggressive baseline game and not recommended for serve and volleyers. My slice serves out-wide were amazing as I had about 8 aces in my match when I typically average about 2-3.

Overall I'd give this string a 90/100
 
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Chace

Hall of Fame
Nice reviews. Thanks for posting. Have you had a chance to use any of the Solinco strings?
 

rodrigoamaral

Hall of Fame
Nice reviews. Thanks for posting. Have you had a chance to use any of the Solinco strings?

No, I have not used them yet..I have a few laying around and hope to try them out really soon.. Hope to add some reviews when I get a chance to playtest them and some other ones

Head Sonic Pro- Sonic Pro strung pretty easy for a poly, a lot easier than some of the textured polys like tour bite and typhoon and overall played fairly soft for a polyester string. This string held tension decent as I broke it at the 8 hr mark. This string brought quite a bit of power and pop with it and had average to below average control. This string in the spin department provides no where as much spin as some of the textured poly’s and would give this string a grade of below average for a poly in the spin department. I felt like this string was great for baseliners and players who like to occasionally come to net as it offered good feel and comfort around the net. When considering price and performance, this string gets a 8.5 out of 10.

Dunlop Black Widow- This string is definitely one of the softer polys out there on the market and offers excellent playability, average durability and below average value. This string does not hold tension as well as the other poly’s such as the Genesis Typhoon. This string offered some good spin potential, average control, excellent power and comfort for a poly and played pretty well overall. This string would work best for the player seeking a soft poly with good feel and comfort and does not mind cutting out the string often. When considering the high price tag and its poor tension stability, this string gets an 8 of out 10.

Genesis Twisted Razor Review
String was strung on Head YouTek Radical Pro at 57 lbs.
Stringing: This is definitely not the easiest string I have ever strung with as much more difficult to string with than Tornado, Barb Wire, Typhoon, Spiky Shark, etc… It took me probably an additional 5-7 min to string so that wasn’t too bad.
Ground Strokes: This string played relatively soft and surprised me quite a bit. I felt I was able to generate excellent spin from the baseline and did not lose any significant control or power with this string. Overall, my ground strokes produced heavier balls than normal and this setup benefited my game.
Volleys: Textured strings typically do not aid in volleys but my volleys were still pretty good. There were a few balls I wasn’t able to put away but not bad!

Serves: Excellent for slice serves but not that great for flat serves
Power: 8/10 Average. For a textured poly, pretty good
Spin: 10/10 Among the best out there
Durability: 9/10 Lasted 10 hours and did not break
Control: 9/10 Pretty good control
Comfort/Feel- 8.5/10 This is a textured poly after all but was a lot softer when playing then I thought it be after stringing
Tension Stability- 9/10 Very Impressive for a poly
Price Performance- 9/10 under $10 for a set or $120 for a reel
If anyone has any questions, I will do my best to answer them. For those interested in trying this, I know TW does not carry it but I just did a quick google search and saw that hola bird sports carries it…

Tourna Big Hitter Blue Rough
String was strung on Head YouTek Radical Pro at 57 lbs.

Stringing: This is definitely easier to string than most other textured polys and was a please to string compared to some other
Ground Strokes: This string played relatively soft and surprised me quite a bit. I felt I was able to generate excellent spin from the baseline. Would of hoped it held tension a bit better and more pop but not bad by any means.
Volleys: Textured strings typically do not aid in volleys but my volleys were still pretty good. Pretty good feel with these bad boys..
Serves: Served not as good as usual but don’t think I can use the string excuse for this one

Power: 8.5/10 Average. For a textured poly, pretty good
Spin: 9/10 Above Average
Durability: 8/10 Broke after 7 hours
Control: 8.5/10 Pretty good control
Comfort/Feel- 9/10 This is a textured poly after all and played relatively soft for one
Tension Stability- 8/10 Felt like this could have been a bit better
Price Performance- 9/10 under $8 for a set or 80 for a reel
 
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Figjam

Banned
thanks for the reviews, but I find your rating system, a bit lacking, No offense, but all those ratings seem fairly close to me, how a bout a 1-10 scale so they are more defined??
 

gflyer

Professional
Nice reviews. Thank you for the time you spent doing this.
I agree with you on all the strings I have tried in your list.
My favorite are Energy and Turbo, maybe I give a little edge to Energy because of the feel.
I did love Typhoon, but coming from tennis elbow it was a little too harsh for me.
I am curious about TCS (never tried it).
Is it as comfy on the arm as Energy? Reading your review it sounds like an amazing string.
If you don't consider price and durability, but only perfomance would you still prefer Energy over TCS?
Thank you again.
Cheers
g
 
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rodrigoamaral

Hall of Fame
thanks for the reviews, but I find your rating system, a bit lacking, No offense, but all those ratings seem fairly close to me, how a bout a 1-10 scale so they are more defined??

i agree with you to some extent but i think that rating it out of 100 is a lot more accurate than just doing it out of 10.. plus if divide my rating by 10, you will get your 1-10 scale..let me know if any of my ratings were misleading..
 

rodrigoamaral

Hall of Fame
Nice reviews. Thank you for the time you spent doing this.
I agree with you on all the strings I have tried in your list.
My favorite are Energy and Turbo, maybe I give a little edge to Energy because of the feel.
I did love Typhoon, but coming from tennis elbow it was a little too harsh for me.
I am curious about TCS (never tried it).
Is it as comfy on the arm as Energy? Reading your review it sounds like an amazing string.
If you don't consider price and durability, but only perfomance would you still prefer Energy over TCS?
Thank you again.
Cheers
g

I tried TCS probably around 3 years ago and when I did I recall it being almost as soft a syn gut.. I would definately say it is softer than polystar energy..

If I didnt consider price, I may prefer the TCS over the energy but somehow, the energy gives me some amazing feel and touch at net which the TCS didnt.. i also broke the TCS in about 6 hours in a 18x20 prestige racquet..

Honestly, its hard to say which of the 2 i prefer peformance-wise.. with strings being so personal, all I can say that it is definately worth a try :)
 

Marcy21

New User
How long does Solinco Tour Bite 17g last for? Because my signum pro tornado 1.23 only last for about 1 week and a half.
 

genius24

Semi-Pro
How long does Solinco Tour Bite 17g last for? Because my signum pro tornado 1.23 only last for about 1 week and a half.[/QUOTE

it totally depends on how often you play, how hard you hit the ball, the amount of spin you play with, and so many other factor as well. it totally depnds....
 

ManuGinobili

Hall of Fame
After alllll that testing, i hope you've found the one? lol.

What about quick comparisons between some PolyStar and Genesis strings?There have not been much (if any) on this forum.
 

rodrigoamaral

Hall of Fame
After alllll that testing, i hope you've found the one? lol.

What about quick comparisons between some PolyStar and Genesis strings?There have not been much (if any) on this forum.

lol.. Actually, I just switched racquets so I'm still testing our different strings and setups to see what's best for me.. I'm really digging the Polystar energy right now due to the feel and comfort..

IMO, Polystar and Genesis strings are really different as polystar are soft, classic-type feel for polys with average tension matienance but genesis in my experience hold tension very, very well and are a bit stiffer than poly star but still have good spin, control, etc...

If you'd like, tell me which strings you would like me to compare and I will do it :)

BTW, I'll be adding a few other reviews to this thread this weekend as I left out a few other strings that I feel should be on here..
 

ManuGinobili

Hall of Fame
No I was just trying to stir up some heated arguments on the forum LOL... personally I got a reel of Energy and never looked back, tried out some more strings for fun recently and got tired really quick and had to return to it

Great job by the way, very nice assessment, didn't get overly complicated
 

rodrigoamaral

Hall of Fame
No I was just trying to stir up some heated arguments on the forum LOL... personally I got a reel of Energy and never looked back, tried out some more strings for fun recently and got tired really quick and had to return to it

Great job by the way, very nice assessment, didn't get overly complicated

thanks :) I just finished testing some other strings so hopefully I'll have a chance to write up a small review tonight..
 

rodrigoamaral

Hall of Fame
can you compare PolyStar Turbo to Pro Supex Blue Gear?? Much appreciated if you can.

When I tried the blue gear, I felt that it gave too much spin (is that possible?)

Comparing the 2 side by side:

Spin: Blue Gear
Power: Turbo
Control: Turbo
Tension Matienance: Blue Gear
Durability: Blue Gear
Comfort: Turbo
Feel: Turbo


When considering price, they are nearly the same.. If you want something a bit softer and more power than blue gear, I would recommend you try out the Turbo.. hope this helps!
 

auzzieizm

Semi-Pro
basically, I'm looking for something exactly like Blue Gear that is better for touch shots. I love the control, spin, low power level, durability, tension maintenance, everything really. Its just that I don't always have a feel for the ball and this is especially pronounced when playing against opponents who don't give me much pace.

appreciate the feedback!
 

rodrigoamaral

Hall of Fame
basically, I'm looking for something exactly like Blue Gear that is better for touch shots. I love the control, spin, low power level, durability, tension maintenance, everything really. Its just that I don't always have a feel for the ball and this is especially pronounced when playing against opponents who don't give me much pace.

appreciate the feedback!

no worries.. your going to have a tough time finding a good spin-oriented string but good for touch shots as most of these twisted and hex strings, etc.. all are designed for baseliners rather than people who rush to net, thus need more touch.. hope this helps mate
 

rodrigoamaral

Hall of Fame
for those interested, I added 3 more reviews to my initial post. If you guys have questions, I will try to answer.

Rodrigo
 

jmhs

Rookie
for those interested, I added 3 more reviews to my initial post. If you guys have questions, I will try to answer. Rodrigo

Many thanks for some great info. What gauge Hexa Blade did you use? Was it softer than Pro Line II and Black Code? Do you agree that PL II and Black Code are ofter than Spiky Shark, Spin X, and Typhoon?
 

Jamesm182

Semi-Pro
Hi, Great reviiews. Thanks for all the effort you have put into this.

Would it be possible for you to offer any comparisons between the Blue gear ,and the Hexablade?
I'm currently using the Polyfibre black venom, but the tension maintenance isn't too great.
 

Tennis_Crazed

Semi-Pro
Thanks for these great reviews! Maybe one suggestion? Rather than giving an overall rating which you adjust based on price for each strings, maybe you can rate a consistent category of characteristics between the strings so that we can judge the actual characteristics of the string..
 

nickarnold2000

Hall of Fame
Another great value poly string seems to be Cyclone(made by Volkl?). It's currently sold out at TW and they actually took it off the site as a listing until they more in October.
I can't demo it where I live so what do you guys think about it? :)
Thanks for the reviews, mate.
 

rodrigoamaral

Hall of Fame
Many thanks for some great info. What gauge Hexa Blade did you use? Was it softer than Pro Line II and Black Code? Do you agree that PL II and Black Code are ofter than Spiky Shark, Spin X, and Typhoon?

I used the hexa blade in the 1.25mm..Yes, it was A LOT softer than the pro line 2 and black code..

No, I wouldnt say that the PL 2 and black code are softer than those..the Typhoon is pretty soft IMO..
 

rodrigoamaral

Hall of Fame
Hi, Great reviiews. Thanks for all the effort you have put into this.

Would it be possible for you to offer any comparisons between the Blue gear ,and the Hexablade?
I'm currently using the Polyfibre black venom, but the tension maintenance isn't too great.

Thanks.

Blue gear has a lot more spin than hexablade but is also stiffer, thus holds tension better than hexablade.. hexablade has less power and better control.. both are good strings and worth a try
 

JTathlete

Rookie
since you seem to have a lot of experience with polys, what is something that is soft, has good spin and has good control?
 

kiteboard

Banned
According to your listed ratings, you still like the poly star energy the most. Have you tried the tour bite or barb wire?
 

rodrigoamaral

Hall of Fame
According to your listed ratings, you still like the poly star energy the most. Have you tried the tour bite or barb wire?

I tried the tour bite and thought it was just average, not to impressed with the string, great spin but lost tension pretty quick..
just added my short take on the tour bite
 
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clay courter

New User
Rodrigo,

I find your reviews to be quite accurate compared to my feelings regarding 4 or so of the strings that you've listed. If you get the chance, I'd love to read your thoughts about Babolat's new, "Hurricane Feel" string. Thanks for considering this request!
 

rodrigoamaral

Hall of Fame
Rodrigo,

I find your reviews to be quite accurate compared to my feelings regarding 4 or so of the strings that you've listed. If you get the chance, I'd love to read your thoughts about Babolat's new, "Hurricane Feel" string. Thanks for considering this request!

I never tried the hurricane feel by Babolat.. I've been trying out most of the newer polys out there and i know this one is also pretty new but it doesnt get much attention on here..
 

Racer41c

Professional
i agree with you to some extent but i think that rating it out of 100 is a lot more accurate than just doing it out of 10.. plus if divide my rating by 10, you will get your 1-10 scale..let me know if any of my ratings were misleading..

At first I was also wondering about your rating scale, but it just reminds me of Wifred Wong, and I'm ok with that!
 

rodrigoamaral

Hall of Fame
Just added 3 more reviews!

Hey guys.. sorry for the delay.. Just added 3 more short reviews of the following:
Volkl cyclone
Genesis Hexonic
Luxilon Adrenaline
 

bad_call

Legend
string gauge?

Rodrigo - would be beneficial to add string gauge...cause same string in one gauge can play a bit differently than another gauge.
 

mozzer

Hall of Fame
What is your regular string man?

Forgot to add, great reviews man, persuaded me to try PolyStar Energy, what a beautiful string for the price!
 
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Kokopelli

Rookie
Rodrigo,

First, many thanks for your effort!!!

Second, I'm NOT a modern heavy spinner by any definition. I have an eastern grip and hit a decent pace and flat-trajectory ball with some topspin. As a result, I love natural gut or multi-filament (not necessarily because they are the softest, but because they are the "stretchiest"). With these 2 types of strings, when the ball hits the stringbed, the string seems to stretch out and pocket/absorb/hold on to the ball, thus giving me the sensation of the ball sticking to (pancaking to) the stringbed for a longer period of time. This is the feeling I've been after with a poly.

Of all the strings you listed in your first post, please rank the top-3 that would get me closest to this "pocketing" feeling.

Third, could you please add to your original post (regardless of price):
a) rank the top-5 softest
b) rank the top-5 most powerful
c) rank the top-5 spiniest
d) your top-3 favorites
And just update them as you add more string reviews.

Many Thanks!!!
 
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rodrigoamaral

Hall of Fame
Rodrigo,

First, many thanks for your effort!!!

Second, I'm NOT a modern heavy spinner by any definition. I have an eastern grip and hit a decent pace and flat-trajectory ball with some topspin. As a result, I love natural gut or multi-filament (not necessarily because they are the softest, but because they are the "stretchiest"). With these 2 types of strings, when the ball hits the stringbed, the string seems to stretch out and pocket/absorb/hold on to the ball, thus giving me the sensation of the ball sticking to (pancaking to) the stringbed for a longer period of time. This is the feeling I've been after with a poly.

Of all the strings you listed in your first post, please rank the top-3 that would get me closest to this "pocketing" feeling.

Third, could you please add to your original post (regardless of price):
a) rank the top-5 softest
b) rank the top-5 most powerful
c) rank the top-5 spiniest
d) your top-3 favorites
And just update them as you add more string reviews.

Many Thanks!!!

a) rank the top-5 softest- Poly Star Energy, polyfibre tcs, polyfibre hexa blade, Mantis power poly and poly star turbo or SPPP
b) rank the top-5 most powerful- poly star energy, mantis, Cyclone, Gen typhoon, kbaum pro line 2
c) rank the top-5 spiniest- pro supex blue gear, polyfibre hexablade, babolat rpm, volkl cyclone, genesis hexonic
d) your top-3 favorites- genesis black magic, poly star energy and signum pro tornado

if you look for that pocketing feeling, i would suggest trying a nice soft poly and hybrid it with a multi

hope this helps
 

kiteboard

Banned
I've tried lots of tour bite and bg, bgu, but not hexablade yet, although I have one set. It's very blue. I think it's a hex string. Tour is more soft, more powerful, and not as much spin, or tens. main. than bg. I've also hybrid them with gut, vs team, and with bc, and barb wire. Which do you prefer for match play?
 
Rodrigo how did you like Tornado compared to Polystar Strike and Turbo? without taking into consideration the price? Those are the three strings I'm looking at right now.
 

rodrigoamaral

Hall of Fame
Rodrigo how did you like Tornado compared to Polystar Strike and Turbo? without taking into consideration the price? Those are the three strings I'm looking at right now.

Tornado has better tension matienance, less power, equal spin, Turbo's comfort is best of the three.. durability is tornado is best

all depends on what you are looking for, I'd try all 3 and see what works best for you..
 
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