Prince Premiere Attack 16 at Lower Tension

WilsonWand12 · Oct 18, 2012

I'm currently experimenting with Prince Premiere Attack 16 in my two Wilson Pro Staff Six.One 90s, one strung at 58, the other at 55. I've realized that for multifilaments, these strings are fairly low/mid powered. I guess I was expecting more pop after switching from Wilson Enduro Pro. I can easily generate my own power, but when I try to force it as I have been doing, I'm arming my shots and the strain is starting to get to me. On my next string job whenever I pop this current set, I want to string the PPA lower, like between 48-53, but I'm not sure if this is too low and am I threatening turning my racquet into a rocket launcher. Has anyone experimented with these strings strung at low tensions in this range? If so, how did it perform? I know experiences will vary considering different racquets, especially a control oriented one like the Pro Staff, but it'd be really helpful to have a heads up.

Ramon · Oct 18, 2012

I've tried PPA at lower tensions. I think it's a string that performs best in the high 50's at least. In the high 50's the string really bites into the ball, produces spin you normally don't get from a multi, the strings hardly move, and control is great. When you go lower, you lose all of that and balls start to fly. I was using a Pro Kennex Ki 5x, which I'd say is control-oriented.

WilsonWand12 · Oct 18, 2012

That was the first thing that I noticed about PPA that was so shocking was the amount of spin I was getting on my forehand. Very respectable! So in your opinion, would 54-55 be a pretty fair compromise? And I just checked the specs on your racquet, and I noticed it's 100 sq. in. Does the larger headsize maybe contribute a little extra power?

P.S. - You and Mikeler are the reasons why I chose PPA as my possible go-to string!

Ramon · Oct 18, 2012

Good to know people are reading my reviews! I would agree that the PK Ki 5x is more powerful than the Pro Staff Six.One 90. Thus, I don't need as much power out of my strings. PPA is not high powered, but it's not low powered either. Mikeler's reviews might give you ideas of more powerful strings to try. They would actually be at the bottom of his list because he doesn't like too much power. Natural gut is more powerful also, and surprisingly, the durability seems to pay off for me, so that's why I like it.

As for 54-55 lbs, if I string it on my drop-weight stringer that's fine. If I let a friend or a pro shop do it, then it might not be so good because in reality they might string it much lower than that (I've seen it on RacquetTune). So you'll have to judge that for yourself based on the kind of results you're getting now. On your racquet, I'm guessing that the strings shouldn't be moving other than occassionally. If they are moving frequently, you're probably in dangerous territory.

mikeler · Oct 19, 2012

When I tried DM at 50 it was just a little bit too springy for me. I think the same thing would happen with Prince Premiere Attack.

chrisberchris · Oct 19, 2012

I string mine up at 59 mains and 57 cross on a blade tour and that works great for me.

WilsonWand12 · Oct 20, 2012

Ramon, I neither strings really move much at all. Only when I'm hitting with topspin do they really do anything. So I'm not in dangerous territory yet, haha. Also, I want to try out natural gut soon! After my fourth set of PPA breaks, I'm definitely going to get some Mamba Premium Natural Gut.

Mikeler, I consider it an honor that both you and Ramon are commenting on my post, considering you influenced my string decision! And I might test the PPA at 50 just to make sure I do or don't like it. Better safe than sorry. But hopefully that is as low as I'll have to go.

chrisberchris, I doubt I could go/stay that high, because the 58 seemed to be too stiff for me, but maybe the racquet and string combination just isn't the best at high tensions. Then again, the blade tour does have similar specs, AND I have been arming my forehands, so it could be the stiffness of my racquet itself taking a toll.

MikeHitsHard93 · Oct 20, 2012

I also tried PPA based on these gentlemen's reviews. Very satisfied with the control that I found. Strung up in a Pacific XForce @57. I like the feel of them (almost like a soft poly) and they are quite slick. I think it was strung a bit tight in the XForce though. Not much spin or power. I'm also getting over my honeymoon with that racket.

Ramon · Oct 20, 2012

PPA is my backup string right now because I bought so many sets of it after I first tried it. I'm not playing any important matches, so I had it on one of my racquets. Today I broke it on a shank after less than 4 hours of play. It's the first time that happened, but I see that PPA can be susceptible to shear stress like others have stated.

My other racquet was strung with Alpha Sphere (a decent multi that came with my stringing machine). What a difference the string makes! My winners suddenly became normal, returnable shots! I'm not even sure if natural gut plays any better than PPA, but I think I'll stay with gut because of the durability.

The only time I found PPA disappointing was when someone else strung it, and it came back lower than usual. I'm starting to think that most people who are disappointed in it didn't string it tight enough. Just because you asked for 57 pounds doesn't mean that's what you actually got, especially if the stringer is in a hurry. When they say it moves, that's my first clue.

mikeler · Oct 20, 2012

Interesting news about PPA and shanks. I busted my only set of DM on a shank but that was still after 10 sets. I don't think the DM will last as long in my new Exos.

MikeHitsHard93 · Oct 20, 2012

Ramon said:
PPA is my backup string right now because I bought so many sets of it after I first tried it. I'm not playing any important matches, so I had it on one of my racquets. Today I broke it on a shank after less than 4 hours of play. It's the first time that happened, but I see that PPA can be susceptible to shear stress like others have stated.

My other racquet was strung with Alpha Sphere (a decent multi that came with my stringing machine). What a difference the string makes! My winners suddenly became normal, returnable shots! I'm not even sure if natural gut plays any better than PPA, but I think I'll stay with gut because of the durability.

The only time I found PPA disappointing was when someone else strung it, and it came back lower than usual. I'm starting to think that most people who are disappointed in it didn't string it tight enough. Just because you asked for 57 pounds doesn't mean that's what you actually got, especially if the stringer is in a hurry. When they say it moves, that's my first clue.

Its pretty dang tight. Too tight IMO. I'm a spin guy, and this string is not helping. :/

Ramon · Oct 20, 2012

MikeHitsHard93 said:
Its pretty dang tight. Too tight IMO. I'm a spin guy, and this string is not helping. :/

It has good spin for a multi, but nothing is going to give you the spin you get from fresh poly. I just wish poly would stay fresh for more than 3 hours.

MikeHitsHard93 · Oct 20, 2012

Ramon said:
It has good spin for a multi, but nothing is going to give you the spin you get from fresh poly. I just wish poly would stay fresh for more than 3 hours.

Yeah that's what I'm wanting. Considering getting 4G

WilsonWand12 · Oct 20, 2012

Mikeler, do you find DM being more cost effective than PPA?

Ramon, so based on your support of natural gut's durability, do you believe it is more cost effective than PPA?

Mike, I find that the lower tension PPA I have was performing leaps and bounds over the tighter tension when it came to my topspin forehand. I was forcing errors because the ball was jumping off the court so high! The tighter one just didn't have the same pop, and I really had to strain myself to get more pace. So I agree that it can be a huge hindrance when it's strung too tightly.

mikeler · Oct 21, 2012

WilsonWand12 said:
Mikeler, do you find DM being more cost effective than PPA?

Ramon, so based on your support of natural gut's durability, do you believe it is more cost effective than PPA?

Mike, I find that the lower tension PPA I have was performing leaps and bounds over the tighter tension when it came to my topspin forehand. I was forcing errors because the ball was jumping off the court so high! The tighter one just didn't have the same pop, and I really had to strain myself to get more pace. So I agree that it can be a huge hindrance when it's strung too tightly.

DM is more expensive in the pack but less so in the reel. It really comes down to how the two strings perform near the end of their life. DM does not seem to change a whole lot for me while PPA seems to stiffen some. I may try PPA again in my new Exos.

Ramon · Oct 21, 2012

WilsonWand12 said:
Mikeler, do you find DM being more cost effective than PPA?

Ramon, so based on your support of natural gut's durability, do you believe it is more cost effective than PPA?

Mike, I find that the lower tension PPA I have was performing leaps and bounds over the tighter tension when it came to my topspin forehand. I was forcing errors because the ball was jumping off the court so high! The tighter one just didn't have the same pop, and I really had to strain myself to get more pace. So I agree that it can be a huge hindrance when it's strung too tightly.

I have to keep using gut a little more to get a better idea of the cost effectiveness of it. I had a very tough set of gut last time. I think it's going to be pretty close. I shanked my last set of PPA early, but that was the first time it happened. Normally, it's one of the most cost effective multis out there.

I've tried DM too. The cost effectiveness is up there also (the free shipping has to be factored into it). DM is softer and more precise. PPA is more of an aggressive playing string. I normally cut PPA out after it gets too stiff. I cut DM out because it started feeling mushy and lost some of its pop. Natural gut will generally keep its playability until it breaks. I order my gut from TW, so it's nice for me to add a backup string to my order so I get free shipping. Maybe TW should add SP Micronite to its inventory.

If going lower is working out for you, then stick with it. Your racquet has a smaller head, so the optimal tension for it should be less than mine.

WilsonWand12 · Oct 22, 2012

Sounds like I'm definitely going to try out a set of DM in the near future. I'll test it at the same time with PNG and see which I prefer (only a difference of $2, so no big deal there). However, on my next string job, I'll retry PPA at a lower tension, because like Ramon pointed out, my racquet headsize is smaller, so my string tension may need to be a little lower.

Side Note - I don't get how DM is cheaper in a reel but more expensive in a set...business used to make sense to me. I guess it's like going to Sam's Club and buying in bulk.

Bowtiesarecool · Oct 22, 2012

I am currently using PPA on one of my PS85s (8g of lead from 11-1 o'clock, replaced leather grip with a synth to move the weight to the ends for better spin.) at 52lbs with string savers in an 8x8 square in the center of the pattern, and I think its a tad too low. They seem to move around a little too much when I hit off center. The power is ok, but nothing to write home about even at this low tension. Service returns deffinitely require less effort than with NXT duo II (nxt mains at 49, adrenaline crosses at 47 with string savers). I am finding the strings bite into the ball quite well. One poster above mentioned they seems fairly slick and this does not appear to be the case for me at least.

P.S. I forgot to mention that I'm using PPA 17, not 16.

anubis · Oct 22, 2012

I'm no longer using PPA b/c its too expensive. I just use cheap syn gut now. But when I was using it (and I used it exclusively for about 6 months), the lowest I strung it was @ 52 lbs. Very spinny and VERY powerful. Couldn't keep the ball in. 80% of my shots sailed long. I now string at around 64 or 65 lbs and I have to try really, really hard to hit the ball long.

But over all, very spinny and very powerful at low tensions. If that's what you're going for, that is.

KenC · Oct 23, 2012

I've been using PPA 16 Black for about a week now in my PK Ki5 315s at 51lbs and 53lbs. I think these are very interesting strings and play fine at lower tensions. The strings move a bit at these lower tensions but it is nothing excessive. I don't find them to be that powerful at all at these tensions but there is a noticeable increase in spin. Control is fine but I am used to playing multis at these tensions.

I think 53lbs in a 90in. racquet would be just fine, even 50lbs would probably be OK. I think Federer strings gut at 50lbs in the mains in his.

Ramon · Oct 23, 2012

Bowtiesarecool said:
I am currently using PPA on one of my PS85s (8g of lead from 11-1 o'clock, replaced leather grip with a synth to move the weight to the ends for better spin.) at 52lbs with string savers in an 8x8 square in the center of the pattern, and I think its a tad too low. They seem to move around a little too much when I hit off center. The power is ok, but nothing to write home about even at this low tension. Service returns deffinitely require less effort than with NXT duo II (nxt mains at 49, adrenaline crosses at 47 with string savers). I am finding the strings bite into the ball quite well. One poster above mentioned they seems fairly slick and this does not appear to be the case for me at least.

P.S. I forgot to mention that I'm using PPA 17, not 16.

When a set of PPA 16 was starting to look worn, I put a couple of Babolat Elastocross string savers in the worn out areas to keep them going a little longer. I noticed that the strings moved more at the string saver intersections and lost some bite. Unlike poly, I think friction actually helps to keep these strings in place and gets more spin that way. I won't use string savers with these kind of strings anymore.

WilsonWand12 · Oct 23, 2012

anubis, wow, you must be using a really powerful frame, because I don't think I would string PPA that high.

KenC, Even more spin?! Sounds good to me! I was really impressed with how much spin I generated with these strings, so that will definitely help. And given the frame you're using and you still feel they're not too powerful, that kind of reassures me that they should be okay in the 90.

Ramon · Oct 23, 2012

KenC said:
I've been using PPA 16 Black for about a week now in my PK Ki5 315s at 51lbs and 53lbs. I think these are very interesting strings and play fine at lower tensions. The strings move a bit at these lower tensions but it is nothing excessive. I don't find them to be that powerful at all at these tensions but there is a noticeable increase in spin. Control is fine but I am used to playing multis at these tensions.

I think 53lbs in a 90in. racquet would be just fine, even 50lbs would probably be OK. I think Federer strings gut at 50lbs in the mains in his.

That's interesting. Your frame is very similar to mine. At lower tensions, I feel I don't get the kind of control I have at higher tensions, and I get more than enough power when I'm in the high 50's. Just a difference in taste I guess. Either that, or I need to improve my consistency. :lol:

KenC · Oct 23, 2012

Ramon said:
That's interesting. Your frame is very similar to mine. At lower tensions, I feel I don't get the kind of control I have at higher tensions, and I get more than enough power when I'm in the high 50's. Just a difference in taste I guess. Either that, or I need to improve my consistency. :lol:

Hey Ramon! I'm used to playing multis at low tension because I want to pamper my elbow. I bet if you dropped down to 53lbs in a couple of weeks you would adapt.

In our racquets I don't think there are really large differences between 50 and 60 lbs like there are when you start to go below or above those tensions. I think of it as sort of a string "sweet spot." I think it one hits with a lot of topspin they can stay toward 50 and get away with it, if they hit rather flat they might be better off close to 60. Of course, in a Pure Drive the string sweet spot may be like 55 to 65, and in a Head Prestige Mid 45-55. Its up to the player to find out where the stringing sweet spot is for them in their particular frame.

Bowtiesarecool · Oct 25, 2012

Ramon said:
When a set of PPA 16 was starting to look worn, I put a couple of Babolat Elastocross string savers in the worn out areas to keep them going a little longer. I noticed that the strings moved more at the string saver intersections and lost some bite. Unlike poly, I think friction actually helps to keep these strings in place and gets more spin that way. I won't use string savers with these kind of strings anymore.

Perhaps. Though, my observations lead me to believe that the lack of bite I get with this setup is becase while the elastocross does work as intended, they prevent my strings from snapping back into place quickly enough due to it being such a soft material.

Prince Premiere Attack 16 at Lower Tension

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