The D.Drew Review: Volkl Cyclone 18

Okay so i cut out BGU because of the tension loss and the fact that i have a match tomorrow. Strung at 57 full bed played in cold conditions. I've only played with this string one time but i love it! Better then BGU!
Okay played on hard courts, i have a Vortex ES 100(wide string patten), i usually play with any full bed poly, im an advanced junior (in missouri valley they don't do NTRP for juniors) im a freshman whos number one varsity on the boys tennis team so i play usually seniors or juniors.

Spin- ....better then Blue Gear Ultra. Really good, could get a lot of kick on spin serves. Controllable spin too. 9/10

Power- Seems limited, wish i would of strung it lower. I can't get enough drive-through on shots but it has good pop. I'd say...6/10

Control- Excellent. Could swing as hard as i can and it would still go in. 9/10

Feel- Hmmm better then BGU but not great. I think it needs to break in a little. Volleys seemed nice though. 7/10

Comfort- No problem here. I mean, it isn't like playing with gut but not bad. It's pretty stiff though. 8/10

Groundstrokes- Great, my favorite thing about these strings. 9.5/10

Serves- Very good, except for the limited power. Slice serves were good,kicks excellent, and i loved hitting flats with this. They would go hard and fast and when it bounced all the sudden it would just bounce into a different direction. (Due to technique and gear shape)


I think i covered everything. Feel free to ask questions, my favorite string so far. I think i will be stringing up Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.18 next, hope this helped! Highly reccomended string.

So, do you prefer Blue Gear Ultra or Volkl?

I would have to say Volkl. I think the stiffness and power will get better after it breaks in so yeah volkl.

IMO, I wouldnt think that the cyclone would play better simply because of its price. I guess psychology isnt so pointless afterall

Ha yeah you'd think a five dollar string would play like crap but then again i've heard good things about gosen micro and its only 3.75$.

tennisfreak565 said:

I think i covered everything.

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If you do a review, it would be useful to know:
- which frame you use and its string pattern
- your playing style and level
- the surface you play on
- the level and type of opponents you play
etc.

How has the tension maintenence been with both strings as well as the durability?

tennisfreak565 said:

Ha yeah you'd think a five dollar string would play like crap but then again i've heard good things about gosen micro and its only 3.75$.

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Gosen takes you to the cleaners at that price. Their 660ft reel is $35. It's only $2/set if you buy a reel.

rlau said:

If you do a review, it would be useful to know:
- which frame you use and its string pattern
- your playing style and level
- the surface you play on
- the level and type of opponents you play
etc.

Click to expand...

Sorry im new to this stuff lol but i added it back in there.

Mighty Matteo said:

How has the tension maintenence been with both strings as well as the durability?

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I will update on this later today when i play with it the second time. Im actually hoping it has lost a little tension and broken in because it was pretty stiff the first night. Sorry for the wait but its been pretty cold down here, also VERY windy.

pvaudio said:

Gosen takes you to the cleaners at that price. Their 660ft reel is $35. It's only $2/set if you buy a reel.

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Thanks ill have to try that sometime. Are a lot of their strings good or just gosen micro sheep? In other words which string from them do you reccomend?

tennisfreak565 said:

Thanks ill have to try that sometime. Are a lot of their strings good or just gosen micro sheep? In other words which string from them do you reccomend?

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I liked og micro 17 and 16, and their Polylon SP 17.
Regular polylon 16 played like crap to me.
I did try it in a dense pattern (radical) racquet though...and that might have been one of the causes for it playing like a board.
The SP version however...is a good cheap string for soft poly lovers.

0d1n said:

I liked og micro 17 and 16, and their Polylon SP 17.
Regular polylon 16 played like crap to me.
I did try it in a dense pattern (radical) racquet though...and that might have been one of the causes for it playing like a board.
The SP version however...is a good cheap string for soft poly lovers.

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Okay thanks. I'm thinking about the og micro 17 and 18 so maybe it can soften up my full bed polys.

i've recently tried Cyclone 18 and like it. i agree w this review however i havent tried BGU so comparison portion i cannot comment.

my normal setup PSL GT w Gamma Live Wire XP 17 (multi) @ 62. went away from polys due to my GE. strung Cyclone 18 @ 58 full bed...have over 12 hours on it & still responsive.

i havent tested the tension, feels like a fair amount of tension loss, but no worse than Live Wire.

lower power & feel than Live Wire, so volleys took some getting used to...now is fine.

not sure if placebo...think i'm getting more spin, particularly when i really go after it.

amazing part if my GE feels better than using LW. Cyclone much softer than polys i'd used in the past (Lux Ace, Pro Hurricane, Kirsh Super Smash, Gamma Zo)

I am sorry to report i hate volkl cyclone now . I picked up the racquet(which has been left in a cover in room temperature) after 1 1/2 weeks because of the cold weather and it was terrible. Lost a little tension, not any less stiffer ( I Hoped it was going to be a lilttle less stiffer), hurt my arm, dead, and only o.k control. Might try this string later in 17g later which is suppposed to have more power and less stiff...

as they say...you get what you pay for! go with a Mfg that REALLY does Mfg their strings - not those that just show-up @ a generic Asian factory and orders what they can get for the best profit margin...

lol maybe, maybe...

tennisfreak565 said:

I am sorry to report i hate volkl cyclone now . I picked up the racquet(which has been left in a cover in room temperature) after 1 1/2 weeks because of the cold weather and it was terrible. Lost a little tension, not any less stiffer ( I Hoped it was going to be a lilttle less stiffer), hurt my arm, dead, and only o.k control. Might try this string later in 17g later which is suppposed to have more power and less stiff...

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So, you hate Cyclone because it didn't play the same as it did freshly strung, after you played it and left it in your racquet a week and a half. What did you expect? Poly loses tension and resiliency very fast, add to the fact that it was 18 gauge and the result should not be surprising at all.

Cyclone plays as well as any other poly on the market at half the cost, so if you liked it freshly strung, why not string it more often and get the best out of it and you won't have to worry about loss of tension and resiliency.