A Co-Poly worth trying if polys hurt your arm

netman · Jul 2, 2011

I had to bail on co-polys after an extended trial due to elbow and shoulder problems (Getting old sucks). But I really missed the spin potential the polys added to my game. Then I stumbled upon Genesis Heptonic 18. With a stiffness rating of 200 (only 1 pt stiffer than my favorite syn gut Gosen SM 17) I figured it was worth a shot. So I strung up my Prince Shark LBs with Heptonic mains at 55 and SM 17 crosses at 52. Now 40+ hours into this setup and no pain. Awesome spin (from a flat ball hitter) and great control. Only downside is that the Heptonic goes dead after roughly 12-15 hours or hard hitting. Since a reel is only $75 and the SM 17 is only $36 a reel, this is not a big deal for a self stringer.

Heptonic doesn't have a cool name like Twisted Razor or Cyclone, or cool colors like black, but it is a nice solid co-poly that won't break the bank or your delicate joints. If you have had arm problems with polys in the past, it might be worth a try.

-k-

mikeler · Jul 2, 2011

Thanks for the info. My arm disagrees with most polys. I can play pain free with a Genesis Black Magic hybrid or Weiss Cannon B5E hybrid. So if you ever want to experiment with other polys those may work for you.

Deleted member 120290 · Jul 2, 2011

mikeler said:
Thanks for the info. My arm disagrees with most polys. I can play pain free with a Genesis Black Magic hybrid or Weiss Cannon B5E hybrid. So if you ever want to experiment with other polys those may work for you.

I know B5E is one of your favorites, if not the favorite. How does Black Magic compare to B5E, in terms of power, comfort, spin, most importantly control? BM seems to be getting a lot of attention and love these days.

tlm · Jul 2, 2011

The most arm friendly co-poly i have found is weiss cannon turbo twist.

Cfidave · Jul 2, 2011

Genesis black magic and Dunlop black widow are both very easy on the arm.

yonexpurestorm · Jul 2, 2011

i used to get horrible tennis elbow. started using multis crosses and poly mains. but they would break after to matches. i just started using full beds of polystar energy 17. bought a reel and love it. good pop and spin. its soft and doesnt give me any tennis elbow. i used to not serve flat at all because that would give me pain right away. now i can smash flat first serves without pain.

Power Player · Jul 2, 2011

Can only speak for myself, but Black Magic crossed with Gosen Micro provides wonderful feel and good comfort.

fortun8son · Jul 3, 2011

Be careful in lumping all poly/copoly together.
There are big differences.
Gauge and tension are very important, even with the same string!

mikeler · Jul 3, 2011

yonexpurestorm said:
i used to get horrible tennis elbow. started using multis crosses and poly mains. but they would break after to matches. i just started using full beds of polystar energy 17. bought a reel and love it. good pop and spin. its soft and doesnt give me any tennis elbow. i used to not serve flat at all because that would give me pain right away. now i can smash flat first serves without pain.

I tried a full bed of this and it was too stiff for me.

mikeler · Jul 3, 2011

TenFanLA said:
I know B5E is one of your favorites, if not the favorite. How does Black Magic compare to B5E, in terms of power, comfort, spin, most importantly control? BM seems to be getting a lot of attention and love these days.

Oops, I should have also added Black Widow to the list of polys that worked for my elbow. Anyhoo, BM is not for me. It is softer than B5E but that is the only thing it does better for me. Power Player loves it, so it just depends on the player.

Backhanded Compliment · Jul 3, 2011

Try Cyclone 18g, at 52lbs in my prestige MP it was quite plush.. probably too plush for me.

Very elastic, long lasting... and probably the best string for returns I have ever encountered. great for serves and nice control+ spin + pop = overall great performer that is as kind to your elbow as your pocketbook.

Backhanded Compliment · Jul 3, 2011

Black magic is also very kind on the arm but it's lack of spin was a deal breaker for me. Right now silverstring offers everything I want, including arm kindness.

mikeler · Jul 3, 2011

Backhanded Compliment said:
Try Cyclone 18g, at 52lbs in my prestige MP it was quite plush.. probably too plush for me.

Very elastic, long lasting... and probably the best string for returns I have ever encountered. great for serves and nice control+ spin + pop = overall great performer that is as kind to your elbow as your pocketbook.

Return of serve is the weakest part of my game, so you have me interested.

Backhanded Compliment · Jul 3, 2011

My return is perhaps my best so I could do without its added help... that said my most frequent hitting partner still uses Volkl Cyclone 18g in his BLX 6.1 16x18 and it definitely improved his returns (I serve big so he needed it, why did I ever give him that string??? Every time he breaks me I wonder what was I thinking).

I think the elasticity pokets the ball really well for a poly but still has the control... which is a lethal combo. I got 12 hours of use out of it... it has a very dampened feel too.

fortun8son · Jul 3, 2011

BB Ace is still a viable option.

goober · Jul 4, 2011

netman said:
I had to bail on co-polys after an extended trial due to elbow and shoulder problems (Getting old sucks). But I really missed the spin potential the polys added to my game. Then I stumbled upon Genesis Heptonic 18. With a stiffness rating of 200 (only 1 pt stiffer than my favorite syn gut Gosen SM 17) I figured it was worth a shot. So I strung up my Prince Shark LBs with Heptonic mains at 55 and SM 17 crosses at 52. Now 40+ hours into this setup and no pain. Awesome spin (from a flat ball hitter) and great control. Only downside is that the Heptonic goes dead after roughly 12-15 hours or hard hitting. Since a reel is only $75 and the SM 17 is only $36 a reel, this is not a big deal for a self stringer.

Heptonic doesn't have a cool name like Twisted Razor or Cyclone, or cool colors like black, but it is a nice solid co-poly that won't break the bank or your delicate joints. If you have had arm problems with polys in the past, it might be worth a try.

-k-

I am going to give a try. Did you ever try pro hurricane 18g which has a slightly lower stiffness rating?

scotus · Jul 4, 2011

goober said:
I am going to give a try. Did you ever try pro hurricane 18g which has a slightly lower stiffness rating?

Hurricane 18g is incredibly arm-friendly and offers superb playability.

Unfortunately, both the arm-friendliness and playability go south after one hitting session.

But if you don't mind restringing all the time, this is one of the biggest bang for the buck.

rodrigoamaral · Jul 4, 2011

netman said:
I had to bail on co-polys after an extended trial due to elbow and shoulder problems (Getting old sucks). But I really missed the spin potential the polys added to my game. Then I stumbled upon Genesis Heptonic 18. With a stiffness rating of 200 (only 1 pt stiffer than my favorite syn gut Gosen SM 17) I figured it was worth a shot. So I strung up my Prince Shark LBs with Heptonic mains at 55 and SM 17 crosses at 52. Now 40+ hours into this setup and no pain. Awesome spin (from a flat ball hitter) and great control. Only downside is that the Heptonic goes dead after roughly 12-15 hours or hard hitting. Since a reel is only $75 and the SM 17 is only $36 a reel, this is not a big deal for a self stringer.

Heptonic doesn't have a cool name like Twisted Razor or Cyclone, or cool colors like black, but it is a nice solid co-poly that won't break the bank or your delicate joints. If you have had arm problems with polys in the past, it might be worth a try.

-k-

thanks for the review.. my buddy is looking for a soft poly and I will mention that he checks this one out..

goober · Jul 10, 2011

I tried this stuff today.

It is the thinnest string I have ever used (1.14 mm). It was like badminton string. It has the most feel of any poly I have tried. Interestingly I didn't really feel like I have the control that I normally get from polys- so I'm not sure that it is even worth switching to. I had no arm pain after 2 hours of play.

netman · Jul 11, 2011

goober said:
I am going to give a try. Did you ever try pro hurricane 18g which has a slightly lower stiffness rating?

I did. It was too flexy for my taste. I have found that strings in the 200-210 stiffness range work best for my game.

-k-

TripleB · Jul 11, 2011

tlm said:
The most arm friendly co-poly i have found is weiss cannon turbo twist.

Ditto....if you hybrid it with Forten Sweet Sythetic 16g it's an extremely soft feeling, spin creating, control oriented set up with some pop (depending on tension)!

TripleB

Chi · Jul 11, 2011

I've found the Signum Pro Blackline to be pretty nice - not too harsh at all.

A Co-Poly worth trying if polys hurt your arm

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