Recommend a poly to me, please?

J

jasonmiller

Rookie
I have just gotten back playing tennis this summer after 2 year knee ordeal, and I'm interested in trying some new strings.

Previously, I liked Luxilon Alu, but it always felt like crap after a couple weeks. I *think* I liked the yellow Babolat Hurricane, but can't remember for sure. And if I did like it, it also felt like crap after a short period. However, I remember buying a used racquet that had an orange poly in it, which I can only assume was Signum, and it played well for a much longer period of time- beside however much time it already had on it when I bought the racquet.

So, there seem to be quite a few poly's new to the market in the last 2 years. The local shop has solinco, technifibre, luxilon, babolat, wilson, and prince. I'm also not opposed to ordering something from TW; and the shop said bringing your own string was fine. They also said they'd string whatever you supplied for $15, which I thought was reasonable.

Anyone want to make suggestions on strings to try? Has the hybrid approach pretty much taken over, or do people still do full beds of poly? Suggestions on hybrids? I'm not really picky, mostly looking for something that plays well for as long as possible...
 
anubis

anubis

Hall of Fame
what are you going for? Most ppl who go for poly want low power, high control, max spin. You mention that you have arm issues, which tells me you probably have strung your poly too tight in the past. however, you've also taken a 2 year hiatus, correct? a lot has changed with poly since then, the market is dominated by softer co-polys.

I'd try something on the softer side, like tourna, solinco, things like that. try stringing it on the lowest end of your racquet's recommended range.

try that and see what happens. whatever happens can help to telll you what your next move is.
 
J

jasonmiller

Rookie
I don't see where I mentioned arm issues anywhere. Never had any.

And yeah, I already knew to string poly's lower. Luxilon recommended dropping tension 10% when they came on the market.



I thought it was pretty obvious in my original post that I was acknowledging the change in the market over the last two years. I was hoping someone could give me a rundown of which specific poly's dominate the market these days. The last time I did any string research, signum and msv were the new kids on the block trying to take over a market dominated by Luxilon, and Babolat/Technifibre were just starting to introduce better and more competitive poly's.

No offense, but you just told me to go try something, see if I like it, and then try something else. I could easily do that without anyone on a forum telling me to. I was really hoping to get a more specific recommendation...
 
Last edited:
J

jasonmiller

Rookie
Maybe I should be more specific: I'm assuming that with two years' worth of market growth, Luxilon Alu isn't the dominant poly anymore. Is there any one string, or select few strings, that are currently considered top dog? I was hoping someone could narrow things down for me.
 
L

lawrencejin

Rookie
jasonmiller said:
No offense, but you just told me to go try something, see if I like it, and then try something else. I could easily do that without anyone on a forum telling me to. I was really hoping to get a more specific recommendation...
Click to expand...

Chill out, buddy. This is an internet forum, and people mostly skim through posts and reply, sometimes imperfect but still with good intentions to be helpful. If you find a post unhelpful, then you can just leave it at that -- no need to rub it in someone's face.

People have vastly differing opinions on this forum, so we can't pinpoint the "top dog" string(s). You could check this out for reference:
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=446347

Is price an important factor for you?

My favorite poly is Signum Pro Tornado. It's great (albeit not fantastic) in everything: high power, with great spin, control, feel (for me), and playable duration. This kind of neutrality is what I look for in a set-up. I've tried a few hybrid combinations, but I liked full-bed of Tornado the most.

Since you're not stringing yourself, it makes sense to look for strings that play well for a long time. In this regard, my experiences point to any of the Signum Pro or Weiss Cannon strings. E.g. I had great experiences with both Signum Pro Poly Plasma and Weiss Cannon Silverstring. Again, they're neutrally good at everything, all the while maintaining playability for a very long time. I found that these strings hybrid quite well with synthetic guts in the crosses, which makes them a bit softer, but otherwise I prefer the full-bed.

Good luck!
 
J

jasonmiller

Rookie
Yes, I understand. But if someone isn't going to even read a post, then they can very easily not reply. Sorry. I didn't mean for that to be terribly rude, but it does get annoying with so many people on internet forums these days that just want to post something without either reading all of the thread they're posting to, or considering whether or not their input is relevant.


Thanks for your contribution. I remembered that Signum string playing well for quite some time, and I was hoping someone like you could come along and confirm/compare that impression. Any chance you have hit with any of the Solinco strings and can compare? I don't mind ordering Signum, but it would just be easy since the stringer has Solinco.

Also, I had a Klippermate that I strung lots of racquets on, but left it when I moved several states away. It's round gripper didn't do so well with poly's, anyway. Price isn't that much of a concern. I don't play frequently enough to be re-stringing very often...


And thanks for the link, also. I read that thread the other day, and it seemed like there were some pretty mixed emotions. I was hoping for more comparisons with strings I had previously tried, which you provided. Thanks again.
 
sansaephanh

sansaephanh

Professional
BH= Big hitter line
B, S, b7 = Blue, silver, black7
R= rough

This is a line of co poly strings by Tourna that emphasizes inexpensive comfort and playability.

BHB = Big Hitter Blue (round)
BHBR = Big Hitter Blue Rough (textured)
BHS = Big Hitter Silver (round)
BHSR = Big Hitter Silver Rough (textured)
BHB7 = Big Hitter Black 7 (seven sided textured)
 
fortun8son

fortun8son

Hall of Fame
The orange poly, most likely Signum Pro Poly Plasma, is still quite popular.
I've heard that Solinco Outlast is similar in many ways.
You may want to give Iontec Black a try.
Search for Mamba.
 
anubis

anubis

Hall of Fame
If you want our help, you need to tell us what you're going for. strings aren't a "one size fits all". different strings help different people in different ways, depending on their style of play.

What's your NTRP?
Is your game a control or power one?
Do you like finesse or do you like 75+mph passing shots?
What racquet do you play with?
what tension did you string your ALU at?
Did you like that tension?
Do you add weight to your racquet?

All these things matter and can help us figure out what may work best for you. Just because I may like one type of string doesn't mean you'll like it, if we play completely different games.

I went through more than two dozen different types of strings before I settled with what I prefer. It's been a long, strange trip as they say, and I couldn't have gotten there simply by listening to other people. a lot of it was reading string reviews, buying a pack or two and stringing it up. I can't tell you how many sets of strings only saw one game on them before they were cut out.
 
D

Deleted member 369227

Guest
sansaephanh said:
BH= Big hitter line
B, S, b7 = Blue, silver, black7
R= rough

This is a line of co poly strings by Tourna that emphasizes inexpensive comfort and playability.

BHB = Big Hitter Blue (round)
BHBR = Big Hitter Blue Rough (textured)
BHS = Big Hitter Silver (round)
BHSR = Big Hitter Silver Rough (textured)
BHB7 = Big Hitter Black 7 (seven sided textured)
Click to expand...


Well, not all people (particularly newcomers) understand BHB7, SPPP, and other SSFLAs ;) (String-Specific Four Letter Acronyms ;).

Overusing acronyms does not necessarily make someone expert in any field. Also, it impedes searches, as you have to guess whether somebody uses acronym, full name of a string, or semi-shortened name (e.g. X-One -> X1, X-1 etc.)

Is it really that difficult to anybody to type Big Hitter Blue Rough instead of BHBR?
 
sansaephanh

sansaephanh

Professional
Just tossing some knowledge around. it took me a long time to start understanding all the string acronyms. I even made a thread on acronyms. not running anymore, because new sticks every year make it a pain to update lol.
 
K

K21ferg

New User
I'm a string breaker and for the longest time I was looking for a poly that had both durability and playability. Like you I tried the luxilon alu and it felt like I was hitting with a piece of wood. Eventually after hearing all the hype of the new luxilon 4g I decided to give it a try and for me it really lived up to my expectations. This poly had a very soft feel while still offering the durability and power of the alu. While the alu playability would drop off after a few days the 4gs hold up and have great feel giving a very crisp response after every shot.
 
K

K21ferg

New User
Luxilon 4g(16 gauge) 54 pounds

I'm a string breaker and for the longest time I was looking for a poly that had both durability and playability. Like you I tried the luxilon alu and it felt like I was hitting with a piece of wood. Eventually after hearing all the hype of the new luxilon 4g(16 gauge) I decided to give it a try and for me it really lived up to my expectations. This poly had a very soft feel while still offering the durability and power of the alu. While the alu playability would drop off after a few days the 4gs hold up and have great feel giving a very crisp response after every shot.
 
db10s

db10s

Hall of Fame
K21ferg said:
I'm a string breaker and for the longest time I was looking for a poly that had both durability and playability. Like you I tried the luxilon alu and it felt like I was hitting with a piece of wood. Eventually after hearing all the hype of the new luxilon 4g(16 gauge) I decided to give it a try and for me it really lived up to my expectations. This poly had a very soft feel while still offering the durability and power of the alu. While the alu playability would drop off after a few days the 4gs hold up and have great feel giving a very crisp response after every shot.
Click to expand...

And what else have you tried? It sure seems like $ isn't an issue for you.... 4G is mediocre to good for me. Just an overpriced slightly above average poly.
 
K

K21ferg

New User
I agree the 4gs are a bit overpriced but for me it is the first string that I have used that gave me the best balance of playability, feel, and durability.
Other strings I have tried include: luxilon alu power, alu rough, prince beast, luxilon m2, snake-bite, babolat rpm, vokl cyclones, head sonic pro, and babolat hurricanes. In my opinion the other strings sacrifice a lot of playability and after a few days lose a lot of tension while the 4gs hold the tension and play overall the best throughout the strings life cycle.
 
db10s

db10s

Hall of Fame
K21ferg said:
I agree the 4gs are a bit overpriced but for me it is the first string that I have used that gave me the best balance of playability, feel, and durability.
Other strings I have tried include: luxilon alu power, alu rough, prince beast, luxilon m2, snake-bite, babolat rpm, vokl cyclones, head sonic pro, and babolat hurricanes. In my opinion the other strings sacrifice a lot of playability and after a few days lose a lot of tension while the 4gs hold the tension and play overall the best throughout the strings life cycle.
Click to expand...

You should try playing with some of the Tourna brand strings, they are a cheap alternative to the name-brand strings that are popular which you have been using. Dunlop Ice is a clone of Lux Alu Rough that maintains tension, it is also overlooked by many.
 
K

K21ferg

New User
Thanks I will definitely give them a try. I will get back to you and let you know what I think about those torna strings ASAP
 
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