A couple string tests
- Thread starter Up&comer
- Start date
Up&comer
Hall of Fame
You might like thunderblast. I'd order two packs and string one at your regular tension and one 2 pounds lower. Thunderblast is noticeable stiffer.
Up&comer
Hall of Fame
Up&comer
Hall of Fame
I'm not so sure that's true. If a reel is 660' and a set is 40' that means a reel is equivalent to 16.5 sets. Let's assume you can get 17 string jobs from one reel and the reel is $100. $100/17 = $5.88 per string job. You can buy RIP Control for $5.90/set (essentially same price). You can find Thunderblast for $7.43/set, which is a little higher but when you consider that you don't have to commit to 17 sets, it's a no brainer to me. JMO
mikeler
Moderator
RIP is a love it or hate it string. Not many reviews are in between. The Thunder Blast is a good value multi if you like low powered multis that provide adequate spin.
Rozroz
G.O.A.T.
it's the safest bet for the price..
if i'll find the optimal tension with the PDGT i guess i'll be pretty satisfied
(except for the black stripes on the balls
).
mikeler
Moderator
it's the safest bet for the price..
if i'll find the optimal tension with the PDGT i guess i'll be pretty satisfied
(except for the black stripes on the balls
The black stripes will annoy your opponent. That is just a bonus. :twisted:
mikeler
Moderator
that this means only your opponents bring new balls?
It means you send them home a loser with 3 old black striped balls to boot (if they brought them).
Up&comer
Hall of Fame
I'd say right about 16 hours a week.
If my original guess about durability was wrong, I change it, but for the most part the different forms of setups all last about the same time (as in gut mains poly crosses last about 6 hours, poly main gut crosses about 10-12, and I cut out full poly after 6-8 hours, depending on the poly. Multis are something I'm going to put in eventually, simply because their breakage time varies more.)
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Up&comer
Hall of Fame
mikeler
Moderator
I used to average about 12-14 hours pre kid. That was when I had to buy a stringer. Was just getting too expensive.
UCSF2012
Hall of Fame
Don't buy Thunderblast. The Blizzard Syn Gut black has the exact same "spin coating" as the Thunderblast, and it's $50/reel. The same black coating that comes off on the balls. And you have the option of getting 17 gauge.
I've only tried Thunderblast (16g) once and Blizzard Syn Gut 17 black 10-15 times, but I think they may be the same physical string, just repackaged.
Thunderblast 16 = Blizzard Syn Gut black 16? possibly.
I've only tried Thunderblast (16g) once and Blizzard Syn Gut 17 black 10-15 times, but I think they may be the same physical string, just repackaged.
Thunderblast 16 = Blizzard Syn Gut black 16? possibly.
mikeler
Moderator
Interesting. I think Power Player may have some Blizzard. Maybe I can get a cut out from him and compare string cross sections. I'd be surprised if they were the same string.
Rozroz
G.O.A.T.
oh no!!!
don't get me confused again!
how can you be sure of this?
had they been tested side by side?
are they exactly the same?
Regardless of whether they are the same or not, you have testimony from someone with experience who says he can't tell the difference.
16 hours a week, man...damn. Even in my best junior days, I would get maybe 10hrs/week. Then again, I wasn't nearly that good so it didn't matter much, but still. I only know of one person personally who could keep up that level of tennis. She played 1 for us all four years, was an outstanding junior and just defended her PhD last week I believe...in biomedical engineering having also done undergrad, and her Masters here as well. Only a few years older than me too. Makes me feel dumb
Rozroz
G.O.A.T.
i dunno,
this is weird.
after all if i'm to buy a reel, it's better be a somewhat precise one.
it's not that i'm not relying on UCSF's experience, but who knows.
he only played once with thunderblast..
It's hard for me to believe that a company would be dumb enough to repack their own product and sell both versions in the same country to the same customers. I mean, that's just stupid!
However, it's totally believable that the difference between the two products is so subtle that it's inconsequential.
UCSF2012
Hall of Fame
Fine print... I compared Thunderblast (16g) with Blizzard Syn Gut 17. Different gauges. They're both soft strings with identical "spin" coating.
Regarding the coating, when you first string up the frame, the string is a shiny black. Once you hit a few shots, it turns matte black. After 2-3 hours of play, the ball has multiple black stripes, and the string starts turning clear. When you have 6+ hours to them, there are multiple clear areas on the strings. The texture feels identical by hand throughout the playing process. I truly think the coating is the same.
Whether the nylon string component is identical, well....they just feel so much alike. I'd rather pay $50/reel for the Blizzard than $9.90 for a set of Thunderblast.
Regarding the coating, when you first string up the frame, the string is a shiny black. Once you hit a few shots, it turns matte black. After 2-3 hours of play, the ball has multiple black stripes, and the string starts turning clear. When you have 6+ hours to them, there are multiple clear areas on the strings. The texture feels identical by hand throughout the playing process. I truly think the coating is the same.
Whether the nylon string component is identical, well....they just feel so much alike. I'd rather pay $50/reel for the Blizzard than $9.90 for a set of Thunderblast.
UCSF2012
Hall of Fame
Well, the Thunderblast is advertised to have "spin on demand" due to a special black coating. It sells for $150 per reel, on sale at $99 per reel. Yet, they put the exact same coating on their basic synthetic gut string. Why? Probably because it's the only black coating they have.
Not that I'm complaining. I love the Blizzard Syn Gut 17 string. Soft, good spin, doesn't move much until 5-6 hrs into play, good pop. And all that for $3 per string job. It plays better than my $15 multi's.
mikeler
Moderator
They are currently testing a newer black multi that supposedly does not lose the black coloring on the string. I kind of like it, because it showed me where I was hitting the ball on the string bed. I've made a conscious effort the last few months to hit the ball closer to the sweet spot and the worn off sections of the string show me that I'm doing a better job now.
Hmm...instead of getting rid of that dye, maybe they should market it as a teaching aid. :lol:
mikeler
Moderator
It really is interesting to see where you hit the ball. I always knew I hit it higher on the string bed but what surprised me is that I was also hitting it towards the top side of the racket on ground strokes. I'm a chronic mishitthing player so I probably should have expected this. So I've been trying to make contact lower on the string bed when I have time to reach the ball. That in turns seems to have me hitting closer to the middle of the string bed.
I wanted to give what little feedback I could after reading this thread and having it help me try a few different things.
I'm an older (39) player that returned to the game 18 months ago. I play 6 hours a week, am probably a 4.0 at this point (weight doesn't come off as fast as it did when I was younger). I'm transitioning to a heavy spin game both fh and bh from a flat fh and a slice/chip backhand. I'm a one handed bh. My serves are junk/kick to pure kick... I'm not a heavy slicer or flat pounder.
I play with Yonex RDiS 100 Midplus (98sq in) sticks. I used to play with natural gut years ago and have spent the last 8 or so months trying all kinds of guts and multi's as I learn the new faster more spin friendly game.
My favorite set up currently is X one biphase in the mains and Bab VS gut in the crosses. The problem is that as I advance that setup lasts me about 5-6 hours now before I blow the mains and the gut won't hold another restring. The cost isn't so much of an issue for me, but it seems a bit wasteful.
I switched to the gut in the crosses and the multi in the mains and I get about 10-12 hours before the multi blows in the crosses. The gut is usually about to go at that time.
Both setups gut and multi is strung @ 56 both ways. I get less spin with the gut in the mains, but more power. I prefer the multi mains as I can really work on acceleration and speed generation and not put it past the baseline.
Btw I've tried all the multis that mikeler recommends both full and hybrid. Biphase is by far my favorite and I would never go back top a full bed. The gut in the crosses (or mains) makes the bed much more playable at the net.
My head speed has gone up considerably and I was considering trying a poly hybrid when I ran across this thread.
I just want to say THANK YOU to U&C and (mikeler for his input when I started on multi search months ago). Its has made selection of my first poly's much easier.
I tried MSV co-poly 17 mains and pacific in the crosses at 53/55. I though I'd give my experiences from someone that has NEVER hit a single ball with a poly and cannot generate stupid amounts of head speed.
The poly is more noticeably "dead" off the sweet spot. It is also much more noticeable live in the sweet spot. When I say much more I mean was shocked that if I did not apply aggressive spin I'd hit the back nets before the ball hit the court. Almost cannon like. Off center it was very unforgiving and I'd dump it over the net but very short if I had aggressive spin.
As far as spin, it spins. Alot. Not as much spin as easy as I thought... head speed has to be at my maximum range to really produce a heavy ball at the baseline but that ball will be moving like a rocket at that point.
Short volley felt very similar to a hybrid gut/multi. Midcourt volley was a different beast though... I had trouble controlling the power. Deep volleys from mid court would go long unless I produced enough underspin to force the ball low. At my level I care more about deep first and underspin second so it was a bit disconcerting.
Serves I have no opinion on yet. The string bed is so different I can't control my kick yet as its spinning way too much compared to before. I'm dumping it way short with massive spin, or over hitting and pushing it long. I'm going to have to slow down my take-back and speed up the head in the moments before it hits the ball, instead of my (mostly) linear current motion.
I'm going to play till the gut breaks then string it reverse. I bought some b5e to try also. I'll prolly string the b5e this week in another racquet to compare them side by side.
Conclusion... at my level the poly is not as forgiving as a multi/gut hybrid. The sweet spot feels smaller and hitting it off the spot causes a much shorter ball. Swing speed for aggressive spin is high but accuracy must be fairly high as the ball is moving with considerable speed at that point. Mid court vollyes will take better form to execute properly. Serve I have no idea.
I'm not sure I'll stick with the poly. I'll give it a few months and see if I can bring my game up enough to benefit from it. If I can't constantly generate accurate head speed the multi will serve me better.
That's my two sense.. hope it helps someone trying it for the first time as I did.
I'm an older (39) player that returned to the game 18 months ago. I play 6 hours a week, am probably a 4.0 at this point (weight doesn't come off as fast as it did when I was younger). I'm transitioning to a heavy spin game both fh and bh from a flat fh and a slice/chip backhand. I'm a one handed bh. My serves are junk/kick to pure kick... I'm not a heavy slicer or flat pounder.
I play with Yonex RDiS 100 Midplus (98sq in) sticks. I used to play with natural gut years ago and have spent the last 8 or so months trying all kinds of guts and multi's as I learn the new faster more spin friendly game.
My favorite set up currently is X one biphase in the mains and Bab VS gut in the crosses. The problem is that as I advance that setup lasts me about 5-6 hours now before I blow the mains and the gut won't hold another restring. The cost isn't so much of an issue for me, but it seems a bit wasteful.
I switched to the gut in the crosses and the multi in the mains and I get about 10-12 hours before the multi blows in the crosses. The gut is usually about to go at that time.
Both setups gut and multi is strung @ 56 both ways. I get less spin with the gut in the mains, but more power. I prefer the multi mains as I can really work on acceleration and speed generation and not put it past the baseline.
Btw I've tried all the multis that mikeler recommends both full and hybrid. Biphase is by far my favorite and I would never go back top a full bed. The gut in the crosses (or mains) makes the bed much more playable at the net.
My head speed has gone up considerably and I was considering trying a poly hybrid when I ran across this thread.
I just want to say THANK YOU to U&C and (mikeler for his input when I started on multi search months ago). Its has made selection of my first poly's much easier.
I tried MSV co-poly 17 mains and pacific in the crosses at 53/55. I though I'd give my experiences from someone that has NEVER hit a single ball with a poly and cannot generate stupid amounts of head speed.
The poly is more noticeably "dead" off the sweet spot. It is also much more noticeable live in the sweet spot. When I say much more I mean was shocked that if I did not apply aggressive spin I'd hit the back nets before the ball hit the court. Almost cannon like. Off center it was very unforgiving and I'd dump it over the net but very short if I had aggressive spin.
As far as spin, it spins. Alot. Not as much spin as easy as I thought... head speed has to be at my maximum range to really produce a heavy ball at the baseline but that ball will be moving like a rocket at that point.
Short volley felt very similar to a hybrid gut/multi. Midcourt volley was a different beast though... I had trouble controlling the power. Deep volleys from mid court would go long unless I produced enough underspin to force the ball low. At my level I care more about deep first and underspin second so it was a bit disconcerting.
Serves I have no opinion on yet. The string bed is so different I can't control my kick yet as its spinning way too much compared to before. I'm dumping it way short with massive spin, or over hitting and pushing it long. I'm going to have to slow down my take-back and speed up the head in the moments before it hits the ball, instead of my (mostly) linear current motion.
I'm going to play till the gut breaks then string it reverse. I bought some b5e to try also. I'll prolly string the b5e this week in another racquet to compare them side by side.
Conclusion... at my level the poly is not as forgiving as a multi/gut hybrid. The sweet spot feels smaller and hitting it off the spot causes a much shorter ball. Swing speed for aggressive spin is high but accuracy must be fairly high as the ball is moving with considerable speed at that point. Mid court vollyes will take better form to execute properly. Serve I have no idea.
I'm not sure I'll stick with the poly. I'll give it a few months and see if I can bring my game up enough to benefit from it. If I can't constantly generate accurate head speed the multi will serve me better.
That's my two sense.. hope it helps someone trying it for the first time as I did.
Up&comer
Hall of Fame
djNEiGht
Legend
on my latest string break, you could see where it was really worn down. it was pretty much in the center of the crosses. when you look at it from the perspective on the mains you see it sit off to one side a bit more.
i wonder if it was a grip preference, where i found myself favoring the handle one way over the other.
thanks for the string reviews and the comments from those in here.
i wonder if it was a grip preference, where i found myself favoring the handle one way over the other.
thanks for the string reviews and the comments from those in here.
mikeler
Moderator
mikeler
Moderator
on my latest string break, you could see where it was really worn down. it was pretty much in the center of the crosses. when you look at it from the perspective on the mains you see it sit off to one side a bit more.
i wonder if it was a grip preference, where i found myself favoring the handle one way over the other.
thanks for the string reviews and the comments from those in here.
That is one of your 2 middle strings. You can't get any closer to the center of the mains (maybe if you broke both).
fruitytennis1
Professional
Seeing as you tested quite a few string...
Could you give a suggestion for a string that has similar/greater spin than PHT with better tension maintenance(doesn't go dead as quick)
Could you give a suggestion for a string that has similar/greater spin than PHT with better tension maintenance(doesn't go dead as quick)
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Up&comer
Hall of Fame
In a full bed, I'd check out solinco tour bite. Crazy spin and lasts longer than pht.
mikeler
Moderator
Up&comer
Hall of Fame
Yep. It's more of a 8.5 maybe low 9.0. It has more power than your beloved b5e and arguably more spin. It doesn't work as well in a hybrid though.
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