Bab RPM Blast - Addicting Strings! HELP

I need your help and opinions.

Strung up RPM Blast 16 in a Wilson K90 at 47 lbs and went out to play a 5 setter.

The feel was PERFECT for me. Perfect amount of pop but zero trampoline. Linear power, no surprises. With my regular windshield wiper forehand the ball climbed up a yard to two yards over the net on every ball with magnificent directional control. Wide slice serves to the deuce court were VERY wide and opened the court nicely for a flatter down-the-line forehand deep to finish that particular play. Fairly plush feeling for a poly. Played 5 sets over 4 or so hours and i won 4 of the five against a speedy aggressive player.

Did the racket feel the same in the fifth set as in the first set? No, it did not.

Grade: A+.

THE NEXT MORNING at 8am, i was out on the courts against a NTRP 5.5 aggressive player. I had just beaten this man 3 straight times over the last 3 weeks playing with a different K90 strung with some tired but expensive poly. I expected to leave the court with his head in my 12 pack bag.

We began the warm up.
....What the f)&#? No pop, dead feel, wooden feel. Was I tired from the day before? What was wrong? Was there something wrong with this can of balls? I opened another fresh can for the start of the match, because something was way wrong. I was having to muscle the ball. If i have to put it into words, it felt like the springiness response of the string had SLOWED. The racket felt paddle-ish. Yesterday's effect of the ball climbing up over the net and then dropping was just gone. No matter how fast i swung, i could not get the same beautiful ball arch on the ball that i had achieved easily in rallies the day before. The day before i felt that I could do anything I wanted with the ball, and today i was struggling just to not make errors and to keep the ball deep. Anything short and this guy was all over me.

I won the first two sets and lost the last 3 by a break each. I tried my best but with a guy this good, a short ball from me and he had me on a string. Where I had been cruising and playing my game, today I was struggling to keep errors in check. My serve was down by about 10mph and far less spin and so less control. The wide ones were not wide enough so they went right into his forehand strike zone and he could do whatever the f)*# he wanted.

Here is my question: What string will give me the effect of a fresh full bed of RPM Blast at low-ish tension but will last at least a bit longer? Or am I now a cocaine addict and if I want the high I just have to pay the piper and string this stuff twice a week after every 5th set? (to be honest....if it was a tournament I would change to a fresh RPM Blast job after every 10 to 12 games).

I have never in my life experienced this noticeable a drop off in performance OVERNIGHT. In all seriousness, if my life was on the line to answer the question "is this the same string that was in your racket the day before?" i would have said "no, it is not the same string i used yesterday."

if you dont mind the price, signum pro tornado

mrtrinh said:

if you dont mind the price, signum pro tornado

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Thank you. Looking at it now. The price is ok. What makes this a better option, in your opinion?

mrtrinh said:

if you dont mind the price, signum pro tornado

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Not sure if this string can match RPM blast in Spin and Feel department ??

At 5.5 level, I'm surprised you actually got 5 good sets out of RPM.

TenFanLA said:

At 5.5 level, I'm surprised you actually got 5 good sets out of RPM.

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I get about 4 sets out of it and it is DEAD. I heard Genesis Barbwire is just as good but lasts longer, is this true ?

TenFanLA said:

At 5.5 level, I'm surprised you actually got 5 good sets out of RPM.

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Like I said, it did not feel the same at the end of that match as at the beginning. I certainly did feel the drop off. But, when i walked off the court, I intended to use it for my match the next morning. In other words, while I did notice the decline it was not sufficient for me to cut it out and re-string. What shocked me was the alarming drop off over night. I am not exaggerating by saying: The next day it was unplayable.

Fedace said:

Not sure if this string can match RPM blast in Spin and Feel department ??

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Fedace: I've experimented with a lot of strings and for me this fresh 1-hour-old RPM Blast is the best I've ever experienced. But damn the fun didn't last long. The next morning it felt like spun wood.

Weisscannon Silverstring is very nice. But fresh, RPM Blast is far better. More pop, just as plush if not more, more spin. Everything: MORE. But a day later Silverstring feels 90% the same as it did fresh and pretty much stays that way for the rest of the week. Even fully played out, it's still pretty playable. RPM Blast, I would never play this again unless it's a tournament and i string 3 rackets for the day. I've never experienced anything less cost-effective than this....unfortunately I've never experienced anything better than when it's fresh, either.

In all fairness though, I've never strung up a poly and then went right out and hit with it within 1 hour. I've usually strung it the night before or even 3 days. So that might be part of the reason for it's feeling soooooo goooood.

schwuller said:

I need your help and opinions.

Strung up RPM Blast 16 in a Wilson K90 at 47 lbs and went out to play a 5 setter.
The feel was PERFECT for me. Perfect amount of pop but zero trampoline. Linear power, no surprises. With my regular windshield wiper forehand the ball climbed up a yard to two yards over the net on every ball with magnificent directional control. Wide slice serves to the deuce court were VERY wide and opened the court nicely for a flatter down-the-line forehand deep to finish that particular play. Fairly plush feeling for a poly. Played 5 sets over 4 or so hours and i won 4 of the five against a speedy aggressive player.

Did the racket feel the same in the fifth set as in the first set? No, it did not.

Grade: A+.

THE NEXT MORNING at 8am, i was out on the courts against a NTRP 5.5 aggressive player. I had just beaten this man 3 straight times over the last 3 weeks playing with a different K90 strung with some tired but expensive poly. I expected to leave the court with his head in my 12 pack bag.

We began the warm up.
....What the f)&#? No pop, dead feel, wooden feel. Was I tired from the day before? What was wrong? Was there something wrong with this can of balls? I opened another fresh can for the start of the match, because something was way wrong. I was having to muscle the ball. If i have to put it into words, it felt like the springiness response of the string had SLOWED. The racket felt paddle-ish. Yesterday's effect of the ball climbing up over the net and then dropping was just gone. No matter how fast i swung, i could not get the same beautiful ball arch on the ball that i had achieved easily in rallies the day before. The day before i felt that I could do anything I wanted with the ball, and today i was struggling just to not make errors and to keep the ball deep. Anything short and this guy was all over me.

I won the first two sets and lost the last 3 by a break each. I tried my best but with a guy this good, a short ball from me and he had me on a string. Where I had been cruising and playing my game, today I was struggling to keep errors in check. My serve was down by about 10mph and far less spin and so less control. The wide ones were not wide enough so they went right into his forehand strike zone and he could do whatever the f)*# he wanted.

Here is my question: What string will give me the effect of a fresh full bed of RPM Blast at low-ish tension but will last at least a bit longer? Or am I now a cocaine addict and if I want the high I just have to pay the piper and string this stuff twice a week after every 5th set? (to be honest....if it was a tournament I would change to a fresh RPM Blast job after every 10 to 12 games).

I have never in my life experienced this noticeable a drop off in performance OVERNIGHT. In all seriousness, if my life was on the line to answer the question "is this the same string that was in your racket the day before?" i would have said "no, it is not the same string i used yesterday."

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I use Weiss Cannon Black5 Edge and think its way better than RPM and better tension maintenance, better feel, cheaper and at least same spin production. You can buy it in Guts and Glory tennis

I am also about to try Polyfibre Black Venom,a TW playtester recommended it highly.

Good luck with your rehab program!

Black widow but idk how it'd hold up at 5.5

Boricua said:

I use Weiss Cannon Black5 Edge and think its way better than RPM and better tension maintenance, better feel, cheaper and at least same spin production. You can buy it in Guts and Glory tennis

I am also about to try Polyfibre Black Venom,a TW playtester recommended it highly.

Good luck with your rehab program!

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lol i appreciate that.

i've had nothing but good things to say about weisscannon in the past so i'll order a pack of the black5 edge tomorrow and string it up in the mid-high 40s.

let me look up polyfibre black venom right now. jesus what a name!

schwuller said:

Thank you. Looking at it now. The price is ok. What makes this a better option, in your opinion?

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Imo tornado matches rpm on every level when it comes to feel, power, and spin (more spin with tornado). Tornado maintains its tension and liveliness so much longer than rpm. I use to play exclusively just rpm blast but hated how it went dead so quick. I read all the reviews and hype about tornado and the string definitely lives up to its expectation.

I've also heard good things about the new luxilon savage, but i have yet to try it.

schwuller said:

lol i appreciate that.

i've had nothing but good things to say about weisscannon in the past so i'll order a pack of the black5 edge tomorrow and string it up in the mid-high 40s.

let me look up polyfibre black venom right now. jesus what a name!

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I did not think B5E was that similar to RPM and much prefer RPM. post what you think when you get it. I find B5E to have less pop, slightly less spin, but better tension maintenance and feel

mrtrinh said:

Imo tornado matches rpm on every level when it comes to feel, power, and spin (more spin with tornado). Tornado maintains its tension and liveliness so much longer than rpm. I use to play exclusively just rpm blast but hated how it went dead so quick. I read all the reviews and hype about tornado and the string definitely lives up to its expectation.

I've also heard good things about the new luxilon savage, but i have yet to try it.

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Thanks so much. So you had the same experience with RPM that I did. Alright, I'll try a pack of Tornado. And I'll look up Savage right now...

Europe has much better prices for Tornado and shipping reels is very cheap. Tornado is great and has super tension maintenance.

nickarnold2000 said:

Europe has much better prices for Tornado and shipping reels is very cheap. Tornado is great and has super tension maintenance.

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Thank you. I notice in your sig that you are playing full poly at low tensions. So maybe we like the same sort of setup. Will you please give me a link where to order a full reel of this at a good price? A private message might be appropriate out of respect for TW.

Expensive and only one time use, sounds about right

I'm trying out Genesis Black Magic right now, and it's exactly what you're looking for. I only played with it for about 4 hours, so I'll keep you posted on future thoughts.
Can't comment on life and durability, but there's not much string movement. Feel is like butter compared to other polys, and has great power.

flashfire276 said:

I'm trying out Genesis Black Magic right now, and it's exactly what you're looking for. I only played with it for about 4 hours, so I'll keep you posted on future thoughts.
Can't comment on life and durability, but there's not much string movement. Feel is like butter compared to other polys, and has great power.

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A reel of that is less than $100! You've used RPM? How does this Genesis compare to a fresh bed of RPM?

schwuller said:

A reel of that is less than $100! You've used RPM? How does this Genesis compare to a fresh bed of RPM?

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I used RPM a bit after it came out. Strung it at 58.
Honestly, I hated it! Felt dead, muted, and just couldn't control it!! Maybe I strung it too high, but I always string my polys at 58. I didn't want to invest in stringing it lower, because this stuff is WAY too expensive!

Ahh man.. Black Magic is just amazing. Soft, the crisp feel at net and that "pop" sound is just beast! Spin is okay, nothing really special. I'm a flat hitter, so that doesn't really bother me. Has great power, and great control. Strings aren't moving so far. But like I said, I only played with it for 4 hours.

I’m stringing Black Code (similar to RPM blast) at 40 on my kps88 and it actually feels better after a few hours of play. Am I strange? I’ve alternate my racquets and been using the same string job for few weeks now. I don’t foresee restringing until the string breaks. Maybe I like the feel of dead poly? I need help or something. I can’t argue the benefit it’s had on my wallet though.

Yesterday I played with some really dead RPM blast and it compares very well with say dead Lux - not harsh at all - sure there is considerable drop off in performance - but it still feels quite plush - and a little extra lead at 12 will tweak power levels back to where you want them ... Overall RPM is an amazing string

schwuller said:

lol i appreciate that.

i've had nothing but good things to say about weisscannon in the past so i'll order a pack of the black5 edge tomorrow and string it up in the mid-high 40s.

let me look up polyfibre black venom right now. jesus what a name!

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The name Black Venom will at least work in your opponents mind, kind of a psychological thing. Really, it is worth a try later on as it seems to be a good string, similar to Polyfibre TCS but with better spin production and better tension maintenance, that I was told.

Seriously, I think you'll like Weiss Cannon B5E if you like RPM when it's fresh.

Let us know what you think of both strings when you try them out.

PS-Weiss Cannon Turbo Twist is also a good string, very comfortable, good tension maintenance but with more power and less access to spin than B5E. Have that one in mind as well. In the long run its a matter of personal choice.

I hope it works out!

Martina and McEnroe have both publicly called for RPM to be banned. Its just too good of a string and gives unfair advantage to weak players.

I'm going to start a web site pushing for it to be banned and get Martina as a spokeswomen. It has raised Rafa's level past NTRP 7.0, hes like a 7.5 with RPM, 6.5 with Duralast.

JoelDali said:

Martina and McEnroe have both publicly called for RPM to be banned. Its just too good of a string and gives unfair advantage to weak players.

I'm going to start a web site pushing for it to be banned and get Martina as a spokeswomen. It has raised Rafa's level past NTRP 7.0, hes like a 7.5 with RPM, 6.5 with Duralast.

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I would start a website against yours.

btw is the quote in your sig from Charlie Sheen??

Kiteboard

10Lunatics

This may sound weird, but I would think at your level you would have 3-4 rackets strung up all at once. I am only a 3.5 player but keep 3 rackets ready. If I were in your shoes I would have just pulled a fresh racket out of the bag.

schwuller said:

I need your help and opinions.

Strung up RPM Blast 16 in a Wilson K90 at 47 lbs and went out to play a 5 setter.

The feel was PERFECT for me. Perfect amount of pop but zero trampoline. Linear power, no surprises. With my regular windshield wiper forehand the ball climbed up a yard to two yards over the net on every ball with magnificent directional control. Wide slice serves to the deuce court were VERY wide and opened the court nicely for a flatter down-the-line forehand deep to finish that particular play. Fairly plush feeling for a poly. Played 5 sets over 4 or so hours and i won 4 of the five against a speedy aggressive player.

Did the racket feel the same in the fifth set as in the first set? No, it did not.

Grade: A+.

THE NEXT MORNING at 8am, i was out on the courts against a NTRP 5.5 aggressive player. I had just beaten this man 3 straight times over the last 3 weeks playing with a different K90 strung with some tired but expensive poly. I expected to leave the court with his head in my 12 pack bag.

We began the warm up.
....What the f)&#? No pop, dead feel, wooden feel. Was I tired from the day before? What was wrong? Was there something wrong with this can of balls? I opened another fresh can for the start of the match, because something was way wrong. I was having to muscle the ball. If i have to put it into words, it felt like the springiness response of the string had SLOWED. The racket felt paddle-ish. Yesterday's effect of the ball climbing up over the net and then dropping was just gone. No matter how fast i swung, i could not get the same beautiful ball arch on the ball that i had achieved easily in rallies the day before. The day before i felt that I could do anything I wanted with the ball, and today i was struggling just to not make errors and to keep the ball deep. Anything short and this guy was all over me.

I won the first two sets and lost the last 3 by a break each. I tried my best but with a guy this good, a short ball from me and he had me on a string. Where I had been cruising and playing my game, today I was struggling to keep errors in check. My serve was down by about 10mph and far less spin and so less control. The wide ones were not wide enough so they went right into his forehand strike zone and he could do whatever the f)*# he wanted.

Here is my question: What string will give me the effect of a fresh full bed of RPM Blast at low-ish tension but will last at least a bit longer? Or am I now a cocaine addict and if I want the high I just have to pay the piper and string this stuff twice a week after every 5th set? (to be honest....if it was a tournament I would change to a fresh RPM Blast job after every 10 to 12 games).

I have never in my life experienced this noticeable a drop off in performance OVERNIGHT. In all seriousness, if my life was on the line to answer the question "is this the same string that was in your racket the day before?" i would have said "no, it is not the same string i used yesterday."

Click to expand...

Using a heavy racquet and swinging hard, you won't find a poly that will last past one long match and not drop off in performance.

The only answer with poly if your a big hitter is to restring before every match.

Have you tried Volkl Cyclone in 17g it is very similar to RPM 16 in play. Yes, the 17g not the 16g Cyclone.

roperteacher said:

This may sound weird, but I would think at your level you would have 3-4 rackets strung up all at once. I am only a 3.5 player but keep 3 rackets ready. If I were in your shoes I would have just pulled a fresh racket out of the bag.

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You are absolutely right. And if it was league play or a tourny etc, I would have. But this was just two guys going out to play 5 sets on a Sunday. I had cut my strings out that morning, and he called me to go out and hit. So i strung up a k90 right then and there and was at the court 20 minutes after pulling the racket out of the clamps. I was very very surprised at the spectacular performance. By the fifth set yes, it had degraded but was playable just not brilliant. The next morning I went out for a friendly 5 setter against another friend...and was very surprised at the alarming drop off in performance. Very surprised.

If i were to string up two with this stuff, it would give me 5 sets total. But, I would have to cut the string out of both the next day. So I would be doing six string jobs a week just for leisure play? No way, not doing it.

Lsmkenpo said:

Using a heavy racquet and swinging hard, you won't find a poly that will last past one long match and not drop off in performance.

The only answer with poly if your a big hitter is to restring before every match.

Have you tried Volkl Cyclone in 17g it is very similar to RPM 16 in play. Yes, the 17g not the 16g Cyclone.

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I'm coming to the exact same conclusion. There's going to be a serious drop off, and that's that. I think that with some of the suggestions here, the drop off might not be so damned unbearable though.

I picked up some Cyclone 18 from the Racket Doctor here in LA when I asked for Silverstring and they didn't have it but recommended Cyclone. I went through about 6 or 7 sets of it myself and my friend went through a few sets. It was ok fresh, and settled down into 'blah' mode. Even fresh it did not approach RPM in my opinion. It had nice spin but was a bit 'wiry' feeling and lacked feel. I think Silverstring is a good tick better. I complained about it a bit and never bought any more. The 17g Cyclone I have not tried. I'm willing to try it, though.

schwuller said:

I'm coming to the exact same conclusion. There's going to be a serious drop off, and that's that. I think that with some of the suggestions here, the drop off might not be so damned unbearable though.

I picked up some Cyclone 18 from the Racket Doctor here in LA when I asked for Silverstring and they didn't have it but recommended Cyclone. I went through about 6 or 7 sets of it myself and my friend went through a few sets. It was ok fresh, and settled down into 'blah' mode. Even fresh it did not approach RPM in my opinion. It had nice spin but was a bit 'wiry' feeling and lacked feel. I think Silverstring is a good tick better. I complained about it a bit and never bought any more. The 17g Cyclone I have not tried. I'm willing to try it, though.

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If you try the cyclone 17g drop your tension 2lbs lower than what you strung the RPM16 at, and it will be closer in feel and pop to RPM. It is a string that plays very differently in a short tension range, but it is worth the experiment when you find the right initial tension.

I only like the 17g cyclone, the 18g lost resiliency too quickly and the 16g lacked pop and feel.

RPM Blast Recommended Tension

Anyone has an idea about the difference recommended tension in RPM Blast package for different string gauge? 17 string should be strung at 52 lbs and 16 at 62 lbs.

Thanks in advance.

KLE said:

Anyone has an idea about the difference recommended tension in RPM Blast package for different string gauge? 17 string should be strung at 52 lbs and 16 at 62 lbs.

Thanks in advance.

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Wait wait... what?
You string at your own preference. That's as clear as I can say it.
But what I'd recommend is string maybe around 55. From there, find out if you want to go higher or lower.

schwuller said:

You are absolutely right. And if it was league play or a tourny etc, I would have. But this was just two guys going out to play 5 sets on a Sunday. I had cut my strings out that morning, and he called me to go out and hit. So i strung up a k90 right then and there and was at the court 20 minutes after pulling the racket out of the clamps. I was very very surprised at the spectacular performance. By the fifth set yes, it had degraded but was playable just not brilliant. The next morning I went out for a friendly 5 setter against another friend...and was very surprised at the alarming drop off in performance. Very surprised.

If i were to string up two with this stuff, it would give me 5 sets total. But, I would have to cut the string out of both the next day. So I would be doing six string jobs a week just for leisure play? No way, not doing it.

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Dont forget Weiss Cannon B5E and Polyfibre Black Venom, just a reminder between all the advice you are being given. Also, string in the 40s they say its better. I am about to try it out.Also, rememebre that polys life is limited unfotunately.

Boricua said:

Dont forget Weiss Cannon B5E and Polyfibre Black Venom, just a reminder between all the advice you are being given. Also, string in the 40s they say its better. I am about to try it out.Also, rememebre that polys life is limited unfotunately.

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As we speak i'm ordering a set of polyfibre black venom 17L and a set of genesis black magic from TW, a few sets of B5E from the Weisscannon guy down in atlanta or wherever he is (great guy). Oooops....TW hasn't got genesis. I'll add a pack of Signum Pro Tornado 17 to the black venom 17L and if I like it I'll order a reel (of Tornado) from Europe for 95 Euros. I was going to skip the volkl cyclone 17 for now because i've already done at least 6 sets of the 18g cyclone at 56-58lbs and rated it as good spin but wiry and lacking in feel; but RPM did NOT excite me at all at 56lbs but blew me away at 47-48lbs. So, adding a set of cyclone 17 in hopes that at lower tension it will be a RPM alternative at half the price.

Alright, well this has been a real group effort, and I appreciate the input. so, I'll do a detailed play test on each one of these with photos. Full bed on each. 46 lbs in a K90 on each.

I would say pay the piper if you relaly like it that much. I love RPM blast but like Prince Beast just as much it was very comparable to me and didn't leave the ball up as RPM does

Centryx said:

I would say pay the piper if you relaly like it that much. I love RPM blast but like Prince Beast just as much it was very comparable to me and didn't leave the ball up as RPM does

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Interesting I didnt think they were remotely similar with RPM being far better

Centryx said:

I would say pay the piper if you relaly like it that much. I love RPM blast but like Prince Beast just as much it was very comparable to me and didn't leave the ball up as RPM does

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Hang on a sec. When I'm playing, invariably someone comes up to ask "what strings you have in that club of yours today?" And you want me to say "I've got a full set of BEAST"??!! Who's naming this crap these days, Charlie Sheen?

schwuller said:

As we speak i'm ordering a set of polyfibre black venom 17L and a set of genesis black magic from TW, a few sets of B5E from the Weisscannon guy down in atlanta or wherever he is (great guy). Oooops....TW hasn't got genesis. I'll add a pack of Signum Pro Tornado 17 to the black venom 17L and if I like it I'll order a reel (of Tornado) from Europe for 95 Euros. I was going to skip the volkl cyclone 17 for now because i've already done at least 6 sets of the 18g cyclone at 56-58lbs and rated it as good spin but wiry and lacking in feel; but RPM did NOT excite me at all at 56lbs but blew me away at 47-48lbs. So, adding a set of cyclone 17 in hopes that at lower tension it will be a RPM alternative at half the price.

Alright, well this has been a real group effort, and I appreciate the input. so, I'll do a detailed play test on each one of these with photos. Full bed on each. 46 lbs in a K90 on each.

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The guy fron Atlanta is called John Youngblood, sounds like a name ofa boxer or football player. He is very cooperative and knows alot of the merchandise that he carries. Let us know about you reviews.Good luck!

Boricua said:

The guy fron Atlanta is called John Youngblood, sounds like a name ofa boxer or football player. He is very cooperative and knows alot of the merchandise that he carries. Let us know about you reviews.Good luck!

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Great guy on the phone, superb advice. He is the person who introduced me to my go-to string of the last year and a half or so: silverstring. And my mother playes Xplosiv! (or however it is spelled) which we order from him.
On a side-note, I am hoping that the booths at BNP Indian Wells will have some interesting things to pick up and try out as well.

Sorry for the delay.

First up is Polyfibre Black Venom 1.30mm in a Vantage 90. 43&41lbs. I used a drop weight to string this. I noticed immediately that this is a firm string. Using a drop weight machine gives some clues about what type of string I am about to deal with on the court. And this was screaming: this is going to be a FIRM stringbead.

And it was. I was on the court an hour after stringing, and this felt like a first generation poly to me. FIRM. I did not like it at all during the initial moments of the warmup. Too hard, and no pop. So I flattened out my swing, lengthened it, and really hammered it. OH! DAMN! There's the pop. Wow. I was able to use my long full-blooded swing without fear of hitting out. In other words, i did not have to 'cage' my swing at all. With RPM blast at this tension in this racket, I would have to add spin to keep the ball in. Not a problem, but it's something i would have to remember with RPM. With this Black Venom, i was swinging harder and flatter. Amazing control. During the warmup i actually lengthened my forehand stroke more to take more advantage of this string. During the match i was standing at the back of the court, get my feet under me and load up, and hitting huge huge flat-ish forehands for the corners and taking the net to finish off the weak reply. I was playing a very fast mover who I've played hundreds of times, and he commented that he'd never seen me hit so many winners off the ground. His words, not mine.

This in no way feels like RPM Blast. It is its own thing and has it's own qualities. It does, however, share one thing with RPM Blast: it was dying after two hard sets. I won 6-3, 6-2 but by the third set I was no longer able to stand on the baseline and boss him around with my forehand. I was now having to work. The pop was gone, and the whole racket felt like it had no sweetspot. The 'energy' of the string was going fast. Third set went to a tiebreak and i won it but not comfortably. The fourth set went to a tiebreak and i won it by a mini-break using some drops and lobs and being very clever. My bomb bay was all empty of missles by then.

I swear to you all that in the first two sets I was playing like an amateur version of Del Potro. A big high takeback, a deep grunt and hammer that ball anywhere i damn well wanted to. Very few errors. After an hour I was having to hustle and having to swing more carefully to keep things under control. The stringbed was one huge dull plane with no sweetspot to be found. But God it was great while it lasted!

The original point of this thread was to find a string with the qualities of RPM Blast but that would be playable longer. Polyfibre Black Venom is not that string. It is a very fine string for someone with long precise strokes and a lot of rackethead speed. I would not want to use this string in a light racket or at higher tensions though, unless my health insurance was excellent. It does not allow you to "shape your shot" like RPM Blast does because it does not produce anywhere near the same spin, it is harder on the arm than RPM Blast, and it lasts no longer than RPM. However, it does allow you to hit much harder than RPM if you have the stroke mechanics to take advantage of it.

Next up: Solinco Tour Bite 1.30mm.

I used RPM and Lux extensively for a long time and have recently this year tried Tecnifibre. Black code was so so... seemed rather "mushy" after few sets...
I now use Pro Red Code (17). Absolutely love it. Seems to last MUCH longer than RPM or Lux...

abeldm: thank you. i will give that a try as well. so far, i am coming to the conclusion that there is no poly that retains its 'magic' and 'energy' beyond 2.5 (i will not even go as far as to say 3) hard sets. but let's continue, and find out if i am wrong.