Word of warning about Solinco Revolution.

J011yroger

Talk Tennis Guru
I am not one who normally talks down about a string, however I feel the need to state that which might not be obvious to testers.

My friend/regular hitting partner tried the Solinco Revolution among many others when looking for a durable poly that he liked.

He said he liked it, and it felt good, but from my end his ball did absolutely nothing.

It had no kick, no pace, and minimal spin.

Worst string ever as far as I was concerned.

He hit a better ball with PSGD.

Every other string he tried, even the cheapest poly produced a better ball than this stuff.

So if you think you are digging it, I advise you to ask someone who normally hits with you if your shot is the same, or if it is better/worse with the Solinco Revolution.

As soon as he would switch to the racquet with the Solinco, I would say to myself "Is he getting tired or something?" and then look over and say "Oh, no, he is just using that blue string again."

Just a caveat since most reviews I have seen were positive.

J
 

autumn_leaf

Hall of Fame
i think this is a great thread in general for all string reviews. different perspectives is everything. and while the player's opinion of the string is important it is equally important to get the opponents opinion.
 

rodrigoamaral

Hall of Fame
thanks for the review.. string reviews and even racquet reviews are always subjective.. everyone has different opinion and seeing negative reviews on a product is as good as seeing a positive one.. thanks!!
 

Archmage

New User
I just played with Solinco Revolution 1.20 (56 lbs) on my friend's APD-GT today.

The racquet was previously strung with Solinco Tour Bite 1.20, which both my friend and I liked.

The revolution, however, didn't play as well. I noticed that we were hitting quite wimpy balls - these were comments made on the court before I ever saw this post. I happened to be experimenting with natural gut on my racquet, so the difference was just HUGE.

The spin production isn't quite at the Tour Bite level, either... but that wasn't the issue.

I'm not sure what to think yet... It could just be that I wasn't well-adjusted to the racquet. It is too light for me (I'd prefer at least a little lead at the top). That, and my hitting partner is not well-developed enough a player to evaluate strings.

Still - we didn't encounter this issue with the Tour Bite (57 lbs).
 

Archmage

New User
Well then, no arguing with that.

Others are playing well with it, so the problem is on our end.

It was probably just the huge weight and balance disparity between racquets - Switching from a heavier racquet to a stock APD-GT and back again... so quickly... I'm bound to have some calibration issues.

I'll give it another try and re-evaluate. If that doesn't work, I'll try adding a bit of lead to the hoop of my friend's racquet. He has been wanting to anyway.
 

ryangoring

Professional
Just watched the first 2 mins of the video and I know I'm off topic here, but, doesn't anyone play with a 1HBH anymore?!?!?!?
My gosh it hurts to see the 2HBH!!!! arch!!! No disrespect to anyone who uses it.
And I like the review from another perspective, we always here what we the tester feels about it, Although it is us who it matters too, but it's nice to hear what the opposing player thinks too as well.
Btw I like revolution!!!!!!!
 

Bottom_Edge

New User
@Jo11yRoger: Congrats on over 10000 posts! Keep up the good work :)

Maybe these strings will give a better result at a different tension or a different spec racquet. And since the person using it was happy, wat more can be said.
 

David123

Hall of Fame
I love revolution... don't know what you're talking about because when I hit with my buddy he said balls were were kicking.
 

Stormcrow

New User
Revolution is for a banger, someone who supplies their own power and is looking for control with moderate spin production. It is not a powerful poly at all, it doesn't have a lot of trampoline effect. The 17g supplies ample spin, don't know about the 16g. To each his own, but Revolution 17g is my string of choice. Not an outstanding string in any one category, but very solid control, spin, tension maintenance and feel.
 

wrxtotoro

Rookie
I used it in a hybrid setup in one of my Speed MP. It retains tension very well unlike the Heptatwist which just dies after 5 hours. It doesn't really give me more spin though when compare to a full bed of WC Silverstring at the same tension. I am going to try the Tour Bite sometime this week. Let's see how it goes.
 

meowmix

Hall of Fame
I have a feeling that the only reason a lot of guys are harping on this is because Jolly said this. Regardless of who said it, the biggest point of the original post is very valid:

Although you may feel a string is great, the only true way to tell whether it's really good for your game is to see what happens on the other side.

Whether or not this applies to Revolution is irrelevant.
 

Archmage

New User
So I hit with the revolution again today on the same APD-GT.

It doesn't have the power of natural gut, obviously, but I take back what I said earlier in this thread. It seems to play fine after break-in.

- I was probably more fatigued that day... today was a little better
- I was uncomfortable switching back and forth between 2 nearly opposite frames
- I had played when freshly strung (strung 5 minutes earlier), and the tension was higher than I had initially stated (59 lbs, NOT 56)
- Now the strings have lost some tension, and they feel better (He should have gone with 56, but it's fine now)
- Adding just a few grams of lead to the frame solved some issues


That said... control is good, spin is lower than tour bite, but better than Weiss Cannon Turbotwist, and power seems good enough, but definitely not the strong suit.
I preferred the Tour Bite, but I could probably play well with the revolution. There were just too many large variables affecting the paytest the last time - the string is not bad.

I actually had a similar issue with RPM-Blast when I strung that too high. After a few hours of hitting, it hit a tension sweet-spot in which it performed beautifully!
 

J011yroger

Talk Tennis Guru
I wouldn't base my opinion on a string on someone else using it, especially not a college. I know several colleges who string their players frames with Technifibre Polyspin (Basically the worst string on the planet).

I am not advising people not to buy it, I am not advising people not to try it, I am not saying it sucks, and I am not trying to offend anyone who uses it as their primary string.

All I am saying is that maybe when you try it, you could ask someone who hits with you regularly if your ball seems to do the same thing as with other strings, or not.

I fail to see why that is a bad idea.

If you don't respect my opinion, don't listen to my advice. If you are going to get defensive when someone mentions a bad experience with a string you use, maybe you are overreacting a bit.

If you do use the string, and have had a positive experience with it, perhaps tell us a bit about yourself and your game, so that others may be able to relate.

J
 

chaddles

Semi-Pro
Whenever I try out new racquets especially, and also strings, I always quiz my partner about how they were seeing the balls from their side and vice versa.

As for Solinco's, there are so many other poly's out there that do the same thing and are around the same price - some even cheaper.. Still the best poly's I have used are the M2 Pro & Alu Power Grey - if you can't get insane spin and power from those then no string is going to help you.
 

genius24

Semi-Pro
Whenever I try out new racquets especially, and also strings, I always quiz my partner about how they were seeing the balls from their side and vice versa.

As for Solinco's, there are so many other poly's out there that do the same thing and are around the same price - some even cheaper.. Still the best poly's I have used are the M2 Pro & Alu Power Grey - if you can't get insane spin and power from those then no string is going to help you.

in terms of heavy spin potential, there is no poly out there that does the "same thing" as the tour bite....

as for the revolution, it is a very solid all around poly which im sure many players will agree with. is it for everyone? of course not. but calling it the worst string? come on dude... thats where you lose a lot of credibility (speaking to OP). any objective tennis player that is knowledgable with strings will say its anything but the worst string out there. ive played with the revolution many times in the past, and was told by my hitting partner there was tons of action on the ball....
 
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T

TennisandMusic

Guest
I am not advising people not to buy it, I am not advising people not to try it, I am not saying it sucks, and I am not trying to offend anyone who uses it as their primary string.

All I am saying is that maybe when you try it, you could ask someone who hits with you regularly if your ball seems to do the same thing as with other strings, or not.

I fail to see why that is a bad idea.

J

Actually...

"Worst string ever as far as I was concerned.

He hit a better ball with PSGD.

Every other string he tried, even the cheapest poly produced a better ball than this stuff."

What you said at the top is reasonable, what you initially quoted as above was that it was the worst string ever. The two don't really match up. Sure , people shouldn't be offended, but maybe you shouldn't act like you're being "falsely accused" or something. Maybe the guy you were hitting against doesn't really hit that hard anyway? Solinco stuff is for BIG hitters...it's very low powered.
 

Stormcrow

New User
I will support the statement above that there is a little break in time before Revolution performs at its peak. I initially misjudged the Revolution the first time I hit with it, then it settled in and has been great. The statement I don't agree with is that any cheaper poly will do the same things as Revolution. Cheaper polys don't have the same feel or tension maintenance. Many of the more expensive polys don't even hold tension as well(Luxillon).
 

Stormcrow

New User
So I hit with the revolution again today on the same APD-GT.

It doesn't have the power of natural gut, obviously, but I take back what I said earlier in this thread. It seems to play fine after break-in.

- I was probably more fatigued that day... today was a little better
- I was uncomfortable switching back and forth between 2 nearly opposite frames
- I had played when freshly strung (strung 5 minutes earlier), and the tension was higher than I had initially stated (59 lbs, NOT 56)
- Now the strings have lost some tension, and they feel better (He should have gone with 56, but it's fine now)
- Adding just a few grams of lead to the frame solved some issues


That said... control is good, spin is lower than tour bite, but better than Weiss Cannon Turbotwist, and power seems good enough, but definitely not the strong suit.
I preferred the Tour Bite, but I could probably play well with the revolution. There were just too many large variables affecting the paytest the last time - the string is not bad.

I actually had a similar issue with RPM-Blast when I strung that too high. After a few hours of hitting, it hit a tension sweet-spot in which it performed beautifully!

No wonder you couldn't get any pace or spin with the racquet strung at 59. I sting my KPro Tour at 49/47 and the Revolution still has to settle in before it starts performing. Have you tried low 50's or high 40's?
 

genius24

Semi-Pro
Actually...

"Worst string ever as far as I was concerned.

He hit a better ball with PSGD.

Every other string he tried, even the cheapest poly produced a better ball than this stuff."

What you said at the top is reasonable, what you initially quoted as above was that it was the worst string ever. The two don't really match up. Sure , people shouldn't be offended, but maybe you shouldn't act like you're being "falsely accused" or something. Maybe the guy you were hitting against doesn't really hit that hard anyway? Solinco stuff is for BIG hitters...it's very low powered.


im not sure if you are referring to the tour bite or not when you say "solinco stuff" being low powered, but it came in 13th out of all strings ever tested in the power category in a recent play test conducted by the RSI:

"To back that up, Tour Bite 17 also came in 13th best in the Power category..."
 

Keifers

Legend
Actually...

"Worst string ever as far as I was concerned.

He hit a better ball with PSGD.

Every other string he tried, even the cheapest poly produced a better ball than this stuff."

What you said at the top is reasonable, what you initially quoted as above was that it was the worst string ever. The two don't really match up. Sure , people shouldn't be offended, but maybe you shouldn't act like you're being "falsely accused" or something. Maybe the guy you were hitting against doesn't really hit that hard anyway? Solinco stuff is for BIG hitters...it's very low powered.
He did not say that it was the worst string ever. What he said was, "Worst string ever as far as I was concerned."

There's a difference -- he did not make a global pronouncement (that would be pretty stupid); he did state an opinion that he clearly owns.
 

J011yroger

Talk Tennis Guru
Actually...

"Worst string ever as far as I was concerned.

He hit a better ball with PSGD.

Every other string he tried, even the cheapest poly produced a better ball than this stuff."

What you said at the top is reasonable, what you initially quoted as above was that it was the worst string ever. The two don't really match up. Sure , people shouldn't be offended, but maybe you shouldn't act like you're being "falsely accused" or something. Maybe the guy you were hitting against doesn't really hit that hard anyway? Solinco stuff is for BIG hitters...it's very low powered.

Ahhh, my mistake then. Looking back I did poorly word that. I was thinking to say that it was the worst string out of all the ones he tried as far as I was concerned.

I think BBO lasted him the longest at around 6 hours, and Adrenaline 17 he liked best but it lasted approx 2 hours. Currently testing Adrenaline 16 to see how much longer than the 17 it lasts.

J
 

J011yroger

Talk Tennis Guru
Oh, and for the record, the title holder in my personal J011yroger worst string ever category has got to be Kirschbaum Super Smash Spiky.

I hated that string more than any other string on the planet.

J
 

sruckauf

Professional
[/B]

im not sure if you are referring to the tour bite or not when you say "solinco stuff" being low powered, but it came in 13th out of all strings ever tested in the power category in a recent play test conducted by the RSI:

"To back that up, Tour Bite 17 also came in 13th best in the Power category..."

Meaning no disrespect... but all you do in almost all your posts is promote the Solinco line. (Outlat, Rev., Tour Bite, etc..) The day I read any of your posts that refer to playtests with any other strings, I'll start thinking about taking your word over someone like Jolly that has a long history with varied product reviews on here.

Don't take it personally.. it's just that you're like a broken record with Solinco strings... It's one thing to say that you like it and it works for you, but these blanket statements that they're the best... anyway, carry on.
 

genius24

Semi-Pro
Meaning no disrespect... but all you do in almost all your posts is promote the Solinco line. (Outlat, Rev., Tour Bite, etc..) The day I read any of your posts that refer to playtests with any other strings, I'll start thinking about taking your word over someone like Jolly that has a long history with varied product reviews on here.

Don't take it personally.. it's just that you're like a broken record with Solinco strings... It's one thing to say that you like it and it works for you, but these blanket statements that they're the best... anyway, carry on.

nothing personal taken. whether you take my word or not is purely up to you. if you don't, you are most likely missing out. i just say it as it is....

its not just me, everyone is raving about solinco strings right now for a reason....
 
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sruckauf

Professional
nothing personal taken. whether you take my word or not is purely up to you. if you don't, you are most likely missing out. i just say it as it is....

its not just me, everyone is raving about solinco strings right now for a reason....

Right on. I'm glad you like them.
 

scotus

G.O.A.T.
Meaning no disrespect... but all you do in almost all your posts is promote the Solinco line. (Outlat, Rev., Tour Bite, etc..) The day I read any of your posts that refer to playtests with any other strings, I'll start thinking about taking your word over someone like Jolly that has a long history with varied product reviews on here.

Don't take it personally.. it's just that you're like a broken record with Solinco strings... It's one thing to say that you like it and it works for you, but these blanket statements that they're the best... anyway, carry on.

I agree.

I write positive things about my favorite string once in a while.

But genius24 does it so excessively that I just have to tune him out.
 

chaddles

Semi-Pro
nothing special about the tour bite??? its only the #1 string ever tested by the rsi in terms of spin potential....how is that nothing special. i guess the ultimate authority in strings doesn't mean much to you. i agree with you that spin comes mainly from technique, but all things equal, it is fair to say the tour bite is the best when it comes to spin potential. not to mention it got incredibly high ratings in power and string movement as well. love it or hate it, its a great string that is loved by many and taking the tennis world by storm......

Fair enough, there is certainly a lot of buzz about these strings - and FWIW I don't hate it, only string I hate is Wilson Ultra 15L.. I just believe that there is way too much hype, as there has been about a lot of strings.

But taking the tennis world by storm, I think that is going over the top - how many pro's are using this string???? How many players in the top 50 use this??? Luxilon took the tennis world by storm, and still has the best string on the market... No gimmicks, just a secret formula that creates a unique playing string that is still the number 1 on tour.

I will eat my racquets the day Solinco takes over Luxilon or Babolat or Tecnifibre etc.
 
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Cup8489

G.O.A.T.
Fair enough, there is certainly a lot of buzz about these strings - and FWIW I don't hate it, only string I hate is Wilson Ultra 15L.. I just believe that there is way too much hype, as there has been about a lot of strings.

But taking the tennis world by storm, I think that is going over the top - how many pro's are using this string???? How many players in the top 50 use this??? Luxilon took the tennis world by storm, and still has the best string on the market... No gimmicks, just a secret formula that creates a unique playing string that is still the number 1 on tour.

I will eat my racquets the day Solinco takes over Luxilon or Babolat or Tecnifibre etc.

As will I. As far as I'm concerned, Luxilon is still the company to best... and no one has come close yet.
 

chaddles

Semi-Pro
As will I. As far as I'm concerned, Luxilon is still the company to best... and no one has come close yet.

Unfortunately for my bank balance, Luxilon Alu Power & M2 Pro are comfortably the best strings that I have ever used. I still try out new strings and I like quite a few such as Cyclone, Touch Turbo, PHT, but they have nothing compared to a full bed of Lux. I better stop, people might think I'm a Lux/Wilson rep - oh thats right, they don't need spruiking cause they are the real deal.

Anyway, good luck to Solinco in an overcrowded poly market - the next poly string I am looking forward to is Tecnifibres X Code.
 

Archmage

New User
No wonder you couldn't get any pace or spin with the racquet strung at 59. I sting my KPro Tour at 49/47 and the Revolution still has to settle in before it starts performing. Have you tried low 50's or high 40's?

I haven't tried a lower tension yet, unfortunately.

I played again today, and re-balanced my friend's APD-GT with more careful application of lead. I'm guessing the tension has dropped further by now.

I was able to hit some fierce shots with plenty of topspin and power - put a grin on my face. The strings are good - I can see it now.

It's difficult for me to make any definite assessment w/o stringing these up on my racquets (which I may do next time).
 

Keifers

Legend
nothing special about the tour bite??? its only the #1 string ever tested by the rsi in terms of spin potential....how is that nothing special. i guess the ultimate authority in strings doesn't mean much to you. i agree with you that spin comes mainly from technique, but all things equal, it is fair to say the tour bite is the best when it comes to spin potential. not to mention it got incredibly high ratings in power and string movement as well. love it or hate it, its a great string that is loved by many and taking the tennis world by storm......
Yes but can you tell us what you really think about Tour Bite? I guess I'm a little unclear on that...
 

ryushen21

Legend
I've been hearing about these solinco strings from a few people around my area. Most of them have not been terribly impressed. The only one that has seemed to be of any positive mention was the tour bite.

I'll admit I'm curious but not curious enough to go and try them out. For me, I've found what works and I'm plenty happy to keep using it until there is a need to change.

As for best string in the world.....regardless of who rates it and what scores it gets, how many people use it is the real measure. Just my 2c here, ALU rough is the best string in the world despite the fact that it dies so quickly.
 

J011yroger

Talk Tennis Guru
As for best string in the world.....regardless of who rates it and what scores it gets, how many people use it is the real measure. Just my 2c here, ALU rough is the best string in the world despite the fact that it dies so quickly.

+1

I consider ALU or ALU Rough to be the gold standard against which all others are judged.

J
 

dodgers

New User
Unfortunately for my bank balance, Luxilon Alu Power & M2 Pro are comfortably the best strings that I have ever used. I still try out new strings and I like quite a few such as Cyclone, Touch Turbo, PHT, but they have nothing compared to a full bed of Lux. I better stop, people might think I'm a Lux/Wilson rep - oh thats right, they don't need spruiking cause they are the real deal.

Anyway, good luck to Solinco in an overcrowded poly market - the next poly string I am looking forward to is Tecnifibres X Code.

Hey chaddles, You work in Melbourne?? My buddy is big into tennis in Melbourne. Which shop you work in??
 

thejuice

Hall of Fame
+1

I consider ALU or ALU Rough to be the gold standard against which all others are judged.

J

J0lly, thanks for this thread. I think it is a great conversation piece. I personally like Revolution but didn't like it so much when it was freshly strung. I play with a PSLGT and have the Rev 18g strung in a hybrid with Gosen Micro Sheep 18g. I had it strung at 53/52 and definitely believe that the Rev has to "settle in" to be truly appreciated. The guy I played with yesterday (someone I've played with in the past) said that my groundstrokes were must "nastier" than normal and that my second serve was difficult for him to handle. With that said, I still prefer Kirschbaum PLII but am more a fan of Rev now than I was when it was first strung.
 

Chanto

Rookie
i think this is a great thread in general for all string reviews. different perspectives is everything. and while the player's opinion of the string is important it is equally important to get the opponents opinion.

Not only string, even rackets. It's irritating when one tells you that anything they use is game changing when you, their opponent, can't see the difference at all.
 

ryushen21

Legend
+1

I consider ALU or ALU Rough to be the gold standard against which all others are judged.

J

Indeed. The day that luxilon figures out a way to make ALU Rough that can last 10-12 hours (for we normal folk who don't break it in 60-90 minutes), will be the day that I go back to using it.
 

ryushen21

Legend
But it's sooooo nice when it's new :(

J

Oh don't get me wrong. A freshly strung frame with ALU rough is the greatest hitting in the world. The action you can put on the ball is phenomenal. But after 4 hours (for me at least) it's gone. I just want that ALU rough magic to last for a little bit longer as it's definitely not economical to restring that quickly.
 

J011yroger

Talk Tennis Guru
Oh don't get me wrong. A freshly strung frame with ALU rough is the greatest hitting in the world. The action you can put on the ball is phenomenal. But after 4 hours (for me at least) it's gone. I just want that ALU rough magic to last for a little bit longer as it's definitely not economical to restring that quickly.

Believe it or not I actually like "The Jolly Rig" better than full ALU now.

After 2 months of absolute misery in trying to find a string/combo that I could afford to play with, and having everything I tried suck, not last much longer, and not be much cheaper.

And it lasts approx 3X as long, and costs a bit less.

Admittedly the last 1/3 of it's life isn't so great, and is fit for practice only, but dead ALU was no bargain either.

J
 

Ace man

New User
I strongly disagree, how can you review a string you haven't personally used it. I use revolution and like it pretty well, it has good spin (idk what was going on with your partner), good power, and great control and feel.
 

Gasolina

Professional
Strung this at 40 lbs. I've strung a lot of polys from 40-42 lbs.

First off the first time I hit with it, it had very little power. I was quite surprised by how anemic my shots were. The first time I served with it I was catching the net a lot on my first serves.

Playing a game I had the same experience on my groundstrokes. I found myself looping my shots more to hit them deep. Backhands were a little better since I hit them flat, but not as deep as I'm used to hitting.

I had to spin all my serves in on my match. First serve was just useless.

I thought it'd play better once I've broken it in. However, it was more of the same. Low power, low spin, not much action. I had also a lot of trouble with my drop shots from the net because they were coming off so weak from the string bed, that I was always coming up short. I had no choice but to play exclusively from the baseline.
 

Steve Huff

G.O.A.T.
I tried the Solinco strings (Outlast 18, Tour Revolution 18 and Tour Bite 17) and thought they felt stiff, low powered, and maybe even a little harsh. I called KT Kim, the distributor. He said these strings, even the 18g, are meant to be strung low, even lower than most other polyesters. I lowered the tension to the high 40's and low 50's. People I string for seem to like them at the low tensions. That's not to say they've taken over the poly business in my stringing. For people who have been stringing in the 60s most of their lives to be told you need to string these in the low 50s--well some aren't always so receptive. I have Tour Revolution at 30 in one of my frames, and it is powerful at that tension, but not to the degree you'd think a racket strung at 30 would be.
 
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