"Poly-Lite" is how I would be describing the playing characteristics of Monogut ZX at the moment.
During hours 2-3.5 hours, tension within the stringbed seems to have evened out and I'm not noticing that big differential between the cental sweetspot and the area immediately outside the sweetspot anymore. Stringbed characteristics seems ALOT more consistent. The central sweetspot is no longer super soft nor the edge of the stringbed slightly boardy. It's much more even. Maybe the string has simply broken in, or the tension in the stringbed evened out, or the stringbed simply settled. I originally played with the strings in my first hitting session (1 hour) about 2 hours immediately after stringing which may have accounted for the unusual characteristics that I commented on previously during the first hour of hitting. Maybe you have to let this string sit for 24 hours after stringing? Or maybe it needs an hour of hitting to break it in? Either way, the stringbed characteristics feel much more 'normal' and predictable now.
Now (during hours 2-3.5 of hitting) ZX seems to play with soft poly-esque characteristics. I really would describe it as a "poly-lite". It has elements of a soft poly feel to it, but doesn't have the firmness of even a soft co-poly. It's firmer than a multi but not ultimately as firm as even the softest co-poly.
Its not massively overpowered like a multi might be but there is some power on demand particularly if you nail the ball in the sweetspot. Power is very controllable (though note the tension I used and the racquet its strung in). Power is less than a multi, but more than a soft poly provided you nail that central sweetspot. I think my opponent was suprised at how much court length I could get even from defensive positions. Pushed out deep and wide on the BH side I can still get depth and pace right into that cross court corner. You can moderate the power pretty well and adjust based on racquet speed and swing length. That 'volume knob' power modulation is still there, just less extreme at either end. It feels pretty good in terms of the way it plays.
At no time does it feel uncomfortable (though though bear in mind that full bed co-polys are my usual choice of string). I would not describe it as soft pillowy string though (not at the tension I used anyway). It's not as soft or powerful as say Multifeel 17 but it is alot more controlled. It has poly-esque elements to it, and some characteristics of muti and gut in terms of feel and power, though this of course, is a question of degree.
It doesn't quite provide the ultimate nth degree of spin/bite/action on the ball that you would get with a good grabby poly and ton of racquet speed - I certainly couldn't get my sliced serve curving out of the court in the same way I can with the grabby Genesis Black Magic 17 for example - but you can certainly feel that there is some grab on the ball (ALOT more than a multi or synthetic gut) and that the string is adding control to the equation, particularly on groundstrokes. I like how it feels and plays, even though its a somewhat different sensation to what I'm used to.
I played some singles routines and patterns, playing at 90-100%, and I have to say that I enjoyed hitting with this string. Poly-lite characteristics in terms of a degree of control and grab on the ball (though not as much as the best 'grabby' polys), some useful power on demand to hit through the court and get the ball beyond your opponent, the ability to take a big swing at the ball and not hold back (though again, note the racquet that it was strung in), and a reasonable degree of comfort thrown in as well (less than a multi, more than a poly). I have to admit that I enjoyed the hitting session and how the string performed. I'm tempted to get another set and string my 'normal' racquet with this (Wilson JP) to see how it plays.
Got a match on Sunday evening and I think I'm going to give the ZX/6.1 combo its first, full, competitive outing.
I think the key to this string is going to be how long it lasts in terms of playability. If its playability life is noticeably longer than a typical poly without noticeable tennis loss, deadness, or other performance drop offs, we could have something really interesting here.
During hours 2-3.5 hours, tension within the stringbed seems to have evened out and I'm not noticing that big differential between the cental sweetspot and the area immediately outside the sweetspot anymore. Stringbed characteristics seems ALOT more consistent. The central sweetspot is no longer super soft nor the edge of the stringbed slightly boardy. It's much more even. Maybe the string has simply broken in, or the tension in the stringbed evened out, or the stringbed simply settled. I originally played with the strings in my first hitting session (1 hour) about 2 hours immediately after stringing which may have accounted for the unusual characteristics that I commented on previously during the first hour of hitting. Maybe you have to let this string sit for 24 hours after stringing? Or maybe it needs an hour of hitting to break it in? Either way, the stringbed characteristics feel much more 'normal' and predictable now.
Now (during hours 2-3.5 of hitting) ZX seems to play with soft poly-esque characteristics. I really would describe it as a "poly-lite". It has elements of a soft poly feel to it, but doesn't have the firmness of even a soft co-poly. It's firmer than a multi but not ultimately as firm as even the softest co-poly.
Its not massively overpowered like a multi might be but there is some power on demand particularly if you nail the ball in the sweetspot. Power is very controllable (though note the tension I used and the racquet its strung in). Power is less than a multi, but more than a soft poly provided you nail that central sweetspot. I think my opponent was suprised at how much court length I could get even from defensive positions. Pushed out deep and wide on the BH side I can still get depth and pace right into that cross court corner. You can moderate the power pretty well and adjust based on racquet speed and swing length. That 'volume knob' power modulation is still there, just less extreme at either end. It feels pretty good in terms of the way it plays.
At no time does it feel uncomfortable (though though bear in mind that full bed co-polys are my usual choice of string). I would not describe it as soft pillowy string though (not at the tension I used anyway). It's not as soft or powerful as say Multifeel 17 but it is alot more controlled. It has poly-esque elements to it, and some characteristics of muti and gut in terms of feel and power, though this of course, is a question of degree.
It doesn't quite provide the ultimate nth degree of spin/bite/action on the ball that you would get with a good grabby poly and ton of racquet speed - I certainly couldn't get my sliced serve curving out of the court in the same way I can with the grabby Genesis Black Magic 17 for example - but you can certainly feel that there is some grab on the ball (ALOT more than a multi or synthetic gut) and that the string is adding control to the equation, particularly on groundstrokes. I like how it feels and plays, even though its a somewhat different sensation to what I'm used to.
I played some singles routines and patterns, playing at 90-100%, and I have to say that I enjoyed hitting with this string. Poly-lite characteristics in terms of a degree of control and grab on the ball (though not as much as the best 'grabby' polys), some useful power on demand to hit through the court and get the ball beyond your opponent, the ability to take a big swing at the ball and not hold back (though again, note the racquet that it was strung in), and a reasonable degree of comfort thrown in as well (less than a multi, more than a poly). I have to admit that I enjoyed the hitting session and how the string performed. I'm tempted to get another set and string my 'normal' racquet with this (Wilson JP) to see how it plays.
Got a match on Sunday evening and I think I'm going to give the ZX/6.1 combo its first, full, competitive outing.
I think the key to this string is going to be how long it lasts in terms of playability. If its playability life is noticeably longer than a typical poly without noticeable tennis loss, deadness, or other performance drop offs, we could have something really interesting here.
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