Mikeler's Multis

mikeler

Moderator
Had a 3 hour singles match yesterday with DNA. Then I hit with the Gamma Pro and Ashaway Dynamite this morning for about 5 minutes each. The Dyamite felt softer today. After 1 hour of hitting, I played the same guy I did yesterday 2 sets of singles and then we played 2 sets of dubs.

The good news is that DNA is one of the best multis I've tried. The better news is that Gamma Pro and Dynamite felt even better to me in the brief time I used both.
 

mikeler

Moderator
5 more sets of singles (against a pusher), 2 sets of doubles against hard hitters and 2 more sets against a standard 4.5 this weekend. The DNA is still hanging on. I'm thinking this is going to be a top 5 multi when all is said and done.
 

Nostradamus

Bionic Poster
What is just as good as X-1 biphase but is little cheaper like about $5 cheaper ??. X-1 is getting little too expensive now.
 

mikeler

Moderator
Gamma Professional is your answer. Ok, it's not actually cheaper. But it could be, if you know where to get it.

I played 2 more sets of doubles last night with Dunlop DNA. Part of me was hoping the string would break so I could finally try out your favorite Gamma Pro.
 

mikeler

Moderator
Mikeler, I see that most of the strings listed are 16g. Is it because you didnt test a whole lot of 17g or because 17g didnt make the cut even when the 16g of the same string got your thumbs up?

I'm a string breaker so 17g strings are not a great option for me. I did use Pro Supex Maxim Touch 17 for almost a year but that was to help my arm. All the other 17g strings were given to me to playtest. In general, I find most 17g multis a little too springy for me.
 

mikeler

Moderator
Broke 3 strings on the DNA tonight. It looked severely damaged after it broke! Review tomorrow.

I played almost a set with Gamma Pro. Wow, very nice string. It may tempt me to try Gamma Pro spin or some of the mid level Gammas.
 

sstchur

Hall of Fame
Broke 3 strings on the DNA tonight. It looked severely damaged after it broke! Review tomorrow.

I played almost a set with Gamma Pro. Wow, very nice string. It may tempt me to try Gamma Pro spin or some of the mid level Gammas.

I will tell you something about Gamma Pro spin, but you have to ask me.
 

sstchur

Hall of Fame
Broke 3 strings on the DNA tonight. It looked severely damaged after it broke! Review tomorrow.

I played almost a set with Gamma Pro. Wow, very nice string. It may tempt me to try Gamma Pro spin or some of the mid level Gammas.

I tried two experiments to see if I could find something that felt equally nice as GPro but without the cost. Both failed.

1. Gamma Syn Gut at M:33,X:30. This was crazy. It was impossible to control unless I REALLY forced myself to keep a FIRM and FULL western grip. And even then it felt like a crap shoot.

2. Pro Supex Maxim Touch in the Mains at 61, Forten Nylon in the crosses at 58. This was MUCH better than number. Felt soft enough and comfy, but it lacked the feel and feedback that GPro gives me.

I have a lot of GPro but I hate to burn though it since I could be selling it to customers. There's just nothing else quite like it for me. It's soft, but not mushy. Comfortable, but not "spongy."

I would say the only knock against it is that it does lose some tension. But I'm also experiment with prestretching it, and I think that might resolve the tension loss issue. Although, for me, it doesn't matter that much, since I break it in about 6 hours anyway.

Maybe I'll try GPro mains and Gamma Syn Gut crosses next.
 

mikeler

Moderator
I will tell you something about Gamma Pro spin, but you have to ask me.

I'll shoot you an e-mail.


I tried two experiments to see if I could find something that felt equally nice as GPro but without the cost. Both failed.

1. Gamma Syn Gut at M:33,X:30. This was crazy. It was impossible to control unless I REALLY forced myself to keep a FIRM and FULL western grip. And even then it felt like a crap shoot.

2. Pro Supex Maxim Touch in the Mains at 61, Forten Nylon in the crosses at 58. This was MUCH better than number. Felt soft enough and comfy, but it lacked the feel and feedback that GPro gives me.

I have a lot of GPro but I hate to burn though it since I could be selling it to customers. There's just nothing else quite like it for me. It's soft, but not mushy. Comfortable, but not "spongy."

I would say the only knock against it is that it does lose some tension. But I'm also experiment with prestretching it, and I think that might resolve the tension loss issue. Although, for me, it doesn't matter that much, since I break it in about 6 hours anyway.

Maybe I'll try GPro mains and Gamma Syn Gut crosses next.

The GPro looks pretty beat up after a set. I don't expect it to last very long.
 

mikeler

Moderator
I forgot to mention I strung up Volkl Power Fiber last night. It definitely has a firmer feel than all the other multis I've tried. Seems like it has good spin potential just bouncing balls off it. One of the balls I was bouncing hit the ceiling so it does have some power!
 

mikeler

Moderator
DNA is dynamite!

OK, here is my review in the TW format of the Dunlop DNA 16. I liked the cheaper Hexy Fiber multi previously but the Dunlop Silk which is more expensive felt terrible to me after a few minutes hitting with it. So I was leery about trying the similarly priced DNA. Luckily I caught a 30% off sale and picked it up because boy this is a good string.

There is some minor ghosting associated with it while stringing. Nothing else stands out from a stringing standpoint.

Tension it is strung: 50 pounds on a lockout machine full bed
Your regular string set up: Discho Microfibre 16 @ 50 pounds
Racket: Prince Exo3 Tour
String pattern of your racquet: 16 x 18
Power (or lack there of): Medium powered multi
Feel: Maybe the best of any multi I've used
Tension maintenance: Final tension loss reading was 13.5% on RacquetTune
Price: $12.95/set, $210.00/reel.
Overall comments and feedback: See below

General: My first outing with this I knew it was love at first site.

Serve/Return of Serve: First serve has some great pop on it with this. It seemed like I was averaging a few aces every match. Kick serves were really jumping off the court, I never felt under too much pressure on 2nd serves. Returns were pretty good too.

Strokes: Very good spin on both wings. Probably a top 10 in spin potential. My slice backhand did great with it too.

Volleys: Pretty good.

Touch shots: I was tempted to hit touch shots because I was having a lot of success with it. Sometimes that is bad though since it takes me out of a more aggressive mindset (no comments ssgator80).

Softness: The string feels pretty soft to me, no arm issues

Tension: Perfect for my game.

Durability: I played 9 sets of singles with it (5 were against a pusher though) and 4 sets of doubles along with 45 minutes of drilling. That is terrific durability in the Exo Tour. The strings were pretty severely notched for the last few sets. When the setup finally broke, it went out with a bang with 3 mains busting. Interestingly enough, they were not 3 consecutive mains, there was one unbroken string between the three. The 2nd time I tried it, I don't think I even got 5 sets out of it.

Movement: String movement was not overly excessive until the last set I played where they started moving all over the place.

Conclusion: This is definitely one to try out.
 
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sstchur

Hall of Fame
I'll shoot you an e-mail.




The GPro looks pretty beat up after a set. I don't expect it to last very long.

This is surpsising to me. You're using Gamma Professional right? Not LiveWire XP? Pro never shows any signs of wear for me. It always looks about the same right up until the moment it breaks.

LiveWire XP on the other hand, definitely frays and it starts to get very obvious when it is close to breaking.
 

mikeler

Moderator
This is surpsising to me. You're using Gamma Professional right? Not LiveWire XP? Pro never shows any signs of wear for me. It always looks about the same right up until the moment it breaks.

LiveWire XP on the other hand, definitely frays and it starts to get very obvious when it is close to breaking.

It is not fraying but there is already some discoloration of the string.
 

sstchur

Hall of Fame
It is not fraying but there is already some discoloration of the string.

Ok, yeah, I guess that is normal. If you can, try to keep track of how many hours you get. It's fairly consistent for me (the 16g) that I get about 6 to 8. I string up in the high 50s low 60s (cp) though, so not sure if the tension tension you use will contribute more to movement and notching (and therefore breaking). Will be interesting to see.
 

sstchur

Hall of Fame
Do you think its better to use a multi than an eco priced gut like Klip legend and pacific classic in a hybrid?

Klip Legend is a really good string! I like it a lot. For the price, it's definitely a good option. I like GPro (personally) even a little better than gut, but I'm weird like that.

I think gut mains and synth crosses could be a good option, but I've never actually tried it.

Maybe Mikeler has...
 

mikeler

Moderator
Ok, yeah, I guess that is normal. If you can, try to keep track of how many hours you get. It's fairly consistent for me (the 16g) that I get about 6 to 8. I string up in the high 50s low 60s (cp) though, so not sure if the tension tension you use will contribute more to movement and notching (and therefore breaking). Will be interesting to see.

I forget what racket you are using but not many multi strings make it more than 8 hours in the Exo3 Tour.


Do you think its better to use a multi than an eco priced gut like Klip legend and pacific classic in a hybrid?

Gut mains are certainly going to offer some more pop and spin versus multi mains. If you are a control guy, then multi mains could be a better option. I don't use soft strings in the mains with hard crosses. I never get more than 2 or 3 hours out of those setups.

Gut crosses versus multi crosses is easier to answer for me. Gut in the crosses is just a little bit better but not worth the extra expense and stringing hassle.


Klip Legend is a really good string! I like it a lot. For the price, it's definitely a good option. I like GPro (personally) even a little better than gut, but I'm weird like that.

I think gut mains and synth crosses could be a good option, but I've never actually tried it.

Maybe Mikeler has...

Klip Legend was not very exciting to me. I liked the Wilson gut much better. That is pretty much my full gut experience except for an unknown red natural gut I used in high school for 2 sets until it broke.
 

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
I forgot to mention I strung up Volkl Power Fiber last night. It definitely has a firmer feel than all the other multis I've tried. Seems like it has good spin potential just bouncing balls off it. One of the balls I was bouncing hit the ceiling so it does have some power!

I love Power Fiber. Are you trying the black or the natural?
 

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
I tried two experiments to see if I could find something that felt equally nice as GPro but without the cost. Both failed.

1. Gamma Syn Gut at M:33,X:30. This was crazy. It was impossible to control unless I REALLY forced myself to keep a FIRM and FULL western grip. And even then it felt like a crap shoot.

2. Pro Supex Maxim Touch in the Mains at 61, Forten Nylon in the crosses at 58. This was MUCH better than number. Felt soft enough and comfy, but it lacked the feel and feedback that GPro gives me.

I have a lot of GPro but I hate to burn though it since I could be selling it to customers. There's just nothing else quite like it for me. It's soft, but not mushy. Comfortable, but not "spongy."

I would say the only knock against it is that it does lose some tension. But I'm also experiment with prestretching it, and I think that might resolve the tension loss issue. Although, for me, it doesn't matter that much, since I break it in about 6 hours anyway.

Maybe I'll try GPro mains and Gamma Syn Gut crosses next.

Maybe try Gamma Pro Mains w/ Maxim Touch crosses? I agree about Gamm Pro being one of the best and also one of the most "gut like" multi's. Maxim Touch is also one my all time fav multi's.
 

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
OK, here is my review in the TW format of the Dunlop DNA 16. I liked the cheaper Hexy Fiber multi previously but the Dunlop Silk which is more expensive felt terrible to me after a few minutes hitting with it. So I was leery about trying the similarly priced DNA. Luckily I caught a 30% off sale and picked it up because boy this is a good string.

There is some minor ghosting associated with it while stringing. Nothing else stands out from a stringing standpoint.

Tension it is strung: 50 pounds on a lockout machine full bed
Your regular string set up: Discho Microfibre 16 @ 50 pounds
Racket: Prince Exo3 Tour
String pattern of your racquet: 16 x 18
Power (or lack there of): Medium powered multi
Feel: Maybe the best of any multi I've used
Tension maintenance: Final tension loss reading was 13.5% on RacquetTune
Price: $12.95/set, $210.00/reel.
Overall comments and feedback: See below

General: My first outing with this I knew it was love at first site.

Serve/Return of Serve: First serve has some great pop on it with this. It seemed like I was averaging a few aces every match. Kick serves were really jumping off the court, I never felt under too much pressure on 2nd serves. Returns were pretty good too.

Strokes: Very good spin on both wings. Probably a top 10 in spin potential. My slice backhand did great with it too.

Volleys: Pretty good.

Touch shots: I was tempted to hit touch shots because I was having a lot of success with it. Sometimes that is bad though since it takes me out of a more aggressive mindset (no comments ssgator80).

Softness: The string feels pretty soft to me, no arm issues

Tension: Perfect for my game.

Durability: Another area where the string shines. I played 9 sets of singles with it (5 were against a pusher though) and 4 sets of doubles. That is terrific durability in the Exo Tour. The strings were pretty severely notched for the last few sets.

Movement: String movement was not overly excessive until the last set I played where they started moving all over the place.

Conclusion: This is definitely one to try out.

The common knock on DNA is it's lack of durability. Interested to hear how long yours holds up. It looks "wirey"...it it hard to string? Does it feel like other multi's, to the touch?
 

mikeler

Moderator
Jack,

I'm using the natural color Power Fiber II. As for mixing multis in hybrids, I've only done that with RIP Control and MCS and one time (by accident) with Prince Recoil. My "gut" feeling is that Gamma Pro is not going to meet my durability needs but I could be wrong.

As for durability, I updated the review since it was unclear that I had broken the strings. Read the durability section over again and you'll see I got pretty good mileage out of it. It looks wirey but it just has one strand like Klip Venom and Discho Acura running along the length of the string. It was easy to string and actually pretty soft.
 

mikeler

Moderator
Thanks mikeler how about in terms of durability? Because i dont really have the time to keep restringing

For me, gut lasts as long as the few multis I've tested that have exceptional durability. I'm not really the gut expert here on the boards. Poly/gut lasted quite a long time for me as do poly/multi hybrids.
 

mrmike

Semi-Pro
I forgot to mention I strung up Volkl Power Fiber last night. It definitely has a firmer feel than all the other multis I've tried. Seems like it has good spin potential just bouncing balls off it. One of the balls I was bouncing hit the ceiling so it does have some power!

So far comparing all the multis I have tried with my C10 Pro, the Power Fiber II was the most controllable without being too harsh on the arm. As you say, it is stiffer than most multis. I cut it out after 3 months, sharing use between another frame. Held up well other than the black color version was wearing off on the balls.
 

mikeler

Moderator
So far comparing all the multis I have tried with my C10 Pro, the Power Fiber II was the most controllable without being too harsh on the arm. As you say, it is stiffer than most multis. I cut it out after 3 months, sharing use between another frame. Held up well other than the black color version was wearing off on the balls.

A lot of black strings suffer from that problem. They do let you know where you hit the ball on the stringbed but I'm not a fan of all the black marks on the ball.

Just want to give a shout out to g4driver. He sent me a few sets of B5E to try out after my multi testing is done. I plan to try it as a main string.
 

Francis27

Semi-Pro
For me, gut lasts as long as the few multis I've tested that have exceptional durability. I'm not really the gut expert here on the boards. Poly/gut lasted quite a long time for me as do poly/multi hybrids.

Ok and lastly i decided to use Prince premier attack 16 with rpm team 16 on a Pd2012 i have 1 set of the rpm so thats why im using it. Can you reccomend me a tension? and what do you think would work best poly in mains or cross?
 

Ramon

Legend
Do you think its better to use a multi than an eco priced gut like Klip legend and pacific classic in a hybrid?

I'm going to use (mains/crosses) when I refer to hybrids. I've tried poly/multi, multi/poly, and gut/poly. Multi/poly will break in the first 5 hours for most advanced players, so it's not economical. Poly/multi is a popular combination because it's cheap and fairly durable. Gut/poly is the most arm-friendly combination and also fairly durable. I know that a lot of pros use poly/gut. Then again most pros are sponsored by these companies and change their racquets after every set so they always have fresh poly, and they are obviously not price-sensitive like the rest of us. Klip Legend and Pacific Classic are lower priced than VS or Wilson but still much higher than multifilaments. That's why I can't imagine using gut as a cross unless maybe it's $15 econogut. The mains have more effect on play, and crosses are just modifiers. The truth is that by the time the multi breaks in a poly/multi hybrid, the poly is close to dead anyway, so there's no benefit to getting more durable cross.
 

sstchur

Hall of Fame
I'm going to use (mains/crosses) when I refer to hybrids. I've tried poly/multi, multi/poly, and gut/poly. Multi/poly will break in the first 5 hours for most advanced players, so it's not economical. Poly/multi is a popular combination because it's cheap and fairly durable. Gut/poly is the most arm-friendly combination and also fairly durable. I know that a lot of pros use poly/gut. Then again most pros are sponsored by these companies and change their racquets after every set so they always have fresh poly, and they are obviously not price-sensitive like the rest of us. Klip Legend and Pacific Classic are lower priced than VS or Wilson but still much higher than multifilaments. That's why I can't imagine using gut as a cross unless maybe it's $15 econogut. The mains have more effect on play, and crosses are just modifiers. The truth is that by the time the multi breaks in a poly/multi hybrid, the poly is close to dead anyway, so there's no benefit to getting more durable cross.

Last time I did multi mains/poly crosses, I got about 2 hours before it broke :-(
 

mikeler

Moderator
Ok and lastly i decided to use Prince premier attack 16 with rpm team 16 on a Pd2012 i have 1 set of the rpm so thats why im using it. Can you reccomend me a tension? and what do you think would work best poly in mains or cross?

Hard to say without knowing your game and I've never used RPM Blast. Your racket has a lot of power, so I'm thinking something like 56/52 if PPA is in the mains or 52/56 if PPA is in the crosses. Go 4 pounds lower on the poly whatever you choose.
 

mikeler

Moderator
I had to update the durability section of DNA again, I forgot about a 45 minute hitting session I had with the piano player.

I cut my sets of Isospeed Classic and **** tonight. The Classic comes in this weird mini reel type container. They could probably knock a buck or two off the price if they used zip ties. The **** feels like DM but is quite a bit darker in color and looks slightly different.

That will be it for the new multis once they break. I'll try PPA and X1 again after that. Then hopefully my arm will be ready to try B5E mains with DM, NvY and ThunderBlast crosses to determine a multi cross winner once and for all...for me.
 
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Francis27

Semi-Pro
Hard to say without knowing your game and I've never used RPM Blast. Your racket has a lot of power, so I'm thinking something like 56/52 if PPA is in the mains or 52/56 if PPA is in the crosses. Go 4 pounds lower on the poly whatever you choose.

Thanks im gnna try 52/56 i like to hit topspin and im mostly a baseliner
 

Overheadsmash

Professional
Last time I did multi mains/poly crosses, I got about 2 hours before it broke :-(

I have been liking Tf X-1 Biphase 16 in the mains, and TF Red Code 18 in the crosses. This is in a denser string patterned Dunlop Biomimmetic 300. No problem with breakage. Conversely, when I had TF X-1 Biphase 18 and the Red Code 18 in a more open string pattern stick the mains broke after about three hours. Just an FYI in case you like the feel of that multi mains poly cross setup. Personally, that Dunlop feels great with that setup. I'm 52on the mains, 48 on the crosses. I get great movement on my serves with that setup.
 

GS

Professional
Mike---I'm about to try another MCS/Rip Control hybrid, but with Mantis in the mains this time, like you suggested. I like a 57 lb stringbed, but should I have the Rip at a slightly different tension? Thanks in advance. (Now I owe you a 3rd ahi burger.)
 
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mikeler

Moderator
Mike---I'm about to try another MCS/Rip Control hybrid, but with Mantis in the mains this time, like you suggested. I like a 57 lb stringbed, but should I have the Rip at a slightly different tension? Thanks in advance. (Now I owe you a 3rd ahi burger.)

I don't see a reason to vary the tension between those two strings.
 

mikeler

Moderator
I forgot to mention, Ashaway Dynamite has only lost 5.8% tension after stringing and hitting with it for a few minutes. That is the lowest I can remember seeing on RacquetTune.
 

sstchur

Hall of Fame
I forgot to mention, Ashaway Dynamite has only lost 5.8% tension after stringing and hitting with it for a few minutes. That is the lowest I can remember seeing on RacquetTune.

What g are you using in the Ashaway Dynamite? Is it the soft version? I tried the AD Soft in 18g, and I got about 45 minutes until it broke :-/

And it wasn't a mishit either -- was dead center.
 

mikeler

Moderator
What g are you using in the Ashaway Dynamite? Is it the soft version? I tried the AD Soft in 18g, and I got about 45 minutes until it broke :-/

And it wasn't a mishit either -- was dead center.


Dynamite Tough 16. I've never used 18g before with any string type.
 

Francis27

Semi-Pro
Hey sorry i keep bringing up PPA i just wanna know more about it before i buy a set and possibly a reel if i like it but when you say it stiffens up overtime will it hurt your arm or will it still be comfortable? (Putting as a cross with poly mains)
 

Ramon

Legend
Hey sorry i keep bringing up PPA i just wanna know more about it before i buy a set and possibly a reel if i like it but when you say it stiffens up overtime will it hurt your arm or will it still be comfortable? (Putting as a cross with poly mains)

I've used PPA a lot. Even when it stiffens up it is still quite playable and not an arm killer. It's certainly more arm friendly than Babolat Addiction (a stiff multi) and more arm friendly than any poly. If your arm starts hurting from your hybrid, I'm quite certain the culprit is the poly.
 
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