Sphinx780's Multi-Quest

Well, it's time to add a complete non-update to this thread.

I'm still using Volkl Gripper and have found a new summer groove with it. The difference? To get the control I loved during the official winter tryouts, I upped the tension a few notches and settled in on 62/59.

Still nice and soft on my arm, noticeable cupping action and the power on serve is still easily accessible.

I do have a set of Discho Microfibre on hand and have complete intentions of getting it strung up for review. My plan as of now is to string it up upon next break. Which could be a while for the immediate time being but rest assured, it will be strung up and reviewed in my usual near full-assed way.

sphinx780 said:

Well, it's time to add a complete non-update to this thread.

I'm still using Volkl Gripper and have found a new summer groove with it. The difference? To get the control I loved during the official winter tryouts, I upped the tension a few notches and settled in on 62/59.

Still nice and soft on my arm, noticeable cupping action and the power on serve is still easily accessible.

I do have a set of Discho Microfibre on hand and have complete intentions of getting it strung up for review. My plan as of now is to string it up upon next break. Which could be a while for the immediate time being but rest assured, it will be strung up and reviewed in my usual near full-assed way.

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Have you gone done in tension on the Gripper now that the weather is warmer? I'll be curious to hear your comparisons between the Discho and Gripper.

In the winter I was using 54/51 on Gripper and loving it but the ball really flew on me once things warmed up, so I played with a 48/45 out of curiosity and loved the control on groundies but it was too mushy on serves.

Started up the ladder, and 62/59 seems to be my summer sweet spot.

sphinx780 said:

In the winter I was using 54/51 on Gripper and loving it but the ball really flew on me once things warmed up, so I played with a 48/45 out of curiosity and loved the control on groundies but it was too mushy on serves.

Started up the ladder, and 62/59 seems to be my summer sweet spot.

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Wow, that is a big increase.

Tell me about it.

I started incrementally, going up about 2 lbs a time to fine tune it.

The micronite is strung up and a tentative court time for 2 today, we'll see how the initial hit goes. I finally have time for the first day in a couple months to get out and hit outside of league matches. That's when the testing always begins.

Funny thing on Gripper, I usually play it until it breaks so for comparison purposes, I decided to see what the settled tension was on the last stick strung at 54/51 was and the 62/59 now that it has 4-6 sets on it. Both were at 48 on the nose. I thought they felt the same once they settled but this confirmed it for me. I may re-evaluate my upped tension choice upon the next restringing.

Pre-intitial thoughts on Discho Microfibre:

After one set of play with the Discho I find a lot of similarities with Gripper which only surprised me in it's inherent power. Discho seemed to provide a lot of easy power, especially on serve.

The other immediately noticeable characteristic with discho was how soft it felt on impact. I definitely need more time with it to feel comfortable with spin production as it seemed to offer a little less than Gripper in this initial hit but I'm very intrigued to get some more time in with this string and give it a full review. So far I like what I feel and as with any string, it'll take several more hits for me to really gauge the string itself as I haven't been able to hit more than once a week or less.

sphinx780 said:

Pre-intitial thoughts on Discho Microfibre:

After one set of play with the Discho I find a lot of similarities with Gripper which only surprised me in it's inherent power. Discho seemed to provide a lot of easy power, especially on serve.

The other immediately noticeable characteristic with discho was how soft it felt on impact. I definitely need more time with it to feel comfortable with spin production as it seemed to offer a little less than Gripper in this initial hit but I'm very intrigued to get some more time in with this string and give it a full review. So far I like what I feel and as with any string, it'll take several more hits for me to really gauge the string itself as I haven't been able to hit more than once a week or less.

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Microfibre is definitely soft and comfortable. I'm a bit surprised that you thought it had easy power. I found it to be low-medium powered among multis, which is ok for me because I don't need extra power. I found that the first 10 hours inspired a lot of confidence for me to take full swings at the ball. Later on, I thought it started feeling mushy and under-powered, but it gave me a lot of good hours.

I have a few favorite multis that I consider essentially interchangeable at this point: Microfibre, PPA, and KTM. They all play differently, but I really don't think my game gets any better or worse among these strings. KTM is the most expensive, but it seems to keep its original playing characteristics the longest, so price is pretty much a wash. So at this point, I think my choice of multi is dependent on whether or not I need to buy extra product from TW to get free shipping.

sphinx780 said:

Pre-intitial thoughts on Discho Microfibre:

After one set of play with the Discho I find a lot of similarities with Gripper which only surprised me in it's inherent power. Discho seemed to provide a lot of easy power, especially on serve.

The other immediately noticeable characteristic with discho was how soft it felt on impact. I definitely need more time with it to feel comfortable with spin production as it seemed to offer a little less than Gripper in this initial hit but I'm very intrigued to get some more time in with this string and give it a full review. So far I like what I feel and as with any string, it'll take several more hits for me to really gauge the string itself as I haven't been able to hit more than once a week or less.

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I also found Discho Microfibre to be high powered, with low spin production. I think the soft sticky surface of the string keeps it from snapping back.

DevilDog said:

I also found Discho Microfibre to be high powered, with low spin production. I think the soft sticky surface of the string keeps it from snapping back.

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This is interesting. I found the DM to be medium powered at 60 pounds. I'm now down to 54 pounds and the power level has slightly increased but I'm still able to control the ball. It is not one of the spinniest multis, I'll agree with you there.

mikeler said:

This is interesting. I found the DM to be medium powered at 60 pounds. I'm now down to 54 pounds and the power level has slightly increased but I'm still able to control the ball. It is not one of the spinniest multis, I'll agree with you there.

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I tried DM strung at 58lbs and then 60lbs in my IG Prestige Pro. For me it was way too powerful. But, it is a very unique string unlike any other multi I’ve tried. It did soften up the IGPP for anyone looking for more power and comfort from this frame.

DevilDog said:

I tried DM strung at 58lbs and then 60lbs in my IG Prestige Pro. For me it was way too powerful. But, it is a very unique string unlike any other multi I’ve tried. It did soften up the IGPP for anyone looking for more power and comfort from this frame.

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Do you normally use full multi setups? If you are coming from a poly hybrid or full poly then you would definitely notice more power.

DevilDog said:

I tried DM strung at 58lbs and then 60lbs in my IG Prestige Pro. For me it was way too powerful. But, it is a very unique string unlike any other multi I’ve tried. It did soften up the IGPP for anyone looking for more power and comfort from this frame.

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I thought Micronite was medium powered. Do you normally use multis?

mikeler said:

Do you normally use full multi setups? If you are coming from a poly hybrid or full poly then you would definitely notice more power.

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I always use multis. I love my healthy arm and shoulder. I normally use RIP somewhere between 60-56 lbs depending how im feeling.

In just one hit, I found it to be one of the more powerful multis I've tried but we'll see if that changes when it settles in.

sphinx780 said:

In just one hit, I found it to be one of the more powerful multis I've tried but we'll see if that changes when it settles in.

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I would agree 100%. I kind of knew it would be a powerful string when I felt the sting out of the package. Very rubbery.

For me after the string started to settle (notch) I lost some spin but didn’t really notice an increase or decrease in power.

Discho Microfibre 16 54/51:

General: Nice and easy to string, soft, this could be good.



Serve/Return of Serve: Serve 10/10 and 8.5/10 -Like Gripper: Flat serves were vicious and accurate. There is good spin with this but it's definitely not the spinniest multi, this would take an adjustment on my second serve to control the ball the way I prefer.

Groundstrokes: 8/10 -Apparently I've become very reliant on the additional spin from my current string of choice, I'm sure if I committed to a flatter stroke and had more time under my belt, I'd find the control from this as well. One thing this string has over the others I've tried: Dwell time. I can feel it catch in the string bed which led to some great control when I was in the position for a driving ball.

Volleys: 10/10 I don't require spin on my volleys, I felt the level of power and touch allowed me to do whatever I needed at net, when ever I needed...slice, punch, drop, soft angles..this string was immaculate for me at net.

Touch shots: 9.5/10. I felt my hands were in the control of the match entirely from blocks, to drops and lobs. Like the volleys, the touch on this string is excellent.

Stiffness: 4/10. Like Gripper, this is as soft as I'd want, stiffer than isospeed control but that leaves you with a soft string that doesn't come across as 'mushy' imho.

Tension: No noticable tension issues, seemed to hold great over the few days in between hits.

Durability: No noticeable wear after 4+ hours of hitting. Based on other reviews, I'm fairly confident that this will be the most durable multi I've had. I already cut Gripper out before it snaps so I'd assume the same here.

Movement: Some movement but fairly standard for a multi. If this is too much for you, then stop buying multi's!

Conclusion: The only issue I have is the lack of spin compared to my current Multi of choice and that's a deal breaker for me. That being said, if you don't require topspin to keep your groundies in play like I do many times or if you play a safer ball well within the lines, this is right up there with the best of them. I can see why everyone gives it favorable reviews and this is head and shoulders above all but my current string of choice from my limited testing list thus far...9/10

Alrighty, Klip Venom review coming tomorrow most likely.

You may say I'm a fan, you may say I'm not. That's the beauty of freedom of speech.

I still feel like I can get decent spin from the Discho but the Gripper should be tailor made to get some extra RPMs.

I don't think the discho is lacking in spin production for the most part. Gripper's rpm's are closer to Babolat Addiction if iirc...but still nice and soft on the arm.

It was only going directly back and forth between Discho and Gripper that I really noticed a difference in spin.

Klip Venom 17 50/48:

General: Didn't string it myself, but this felt pretty tight in the bed for a 50/48 job. I know the stringer and trust the tension, but wondered if this was going to be harsh on the arm before the first hit.



Serve/Return of Serve: Serve 8/10 - It could be my lack of 17 gauge play but this really bit into the ball. Which made accuracy and placement great with a variety of spins. It's a lower powered multi so the flat serve didn't get through the court as well as I typically like.

Groundstrokes: 8.5/10 -It has a lot of bite but little dwell time. With the lower powered nature of the string this was very controllable and there were no issues with my strokes. Ideally, I'd like a little more dwell and cupping action on the ball.

Volleys: 10/10 I don't require spin on my volleys, I felt the level of power and touch allowed me to do whatever I needed at net, when ever I needed...slice, punch, drop, soft angles..this string was immaculate for me at net...I've been feeling very confident at net lately, so it could be simply that the string doesn't inhibit what I want to accomplish

Touch shots: 8.5/10. I got the ball where and when it needed to go. This is where I noticed the lack of dwell time, I needed to play the touch shots safer than I traditionally do without that plush feel.

Stiffness: 5/10. I little stiffer string than gripper or discho but not harsh at all on the arm or shoulder.

Tension: No noticable tension issues, seemed to hold great over the few days in between hits.

Durability: I don't have anything to back me up on this, but I get a feeling this string would just 'snap' at some point instead of fraying or showing visible signs of wear. 4 sets in, I see nothing to suggest a lack of durability but I'm remain suspect that this point.

Movement: Very little movement for a Multi but by no means like a poly.

Conclusion: Overall I liked the lower powered nature of the string and the bit on the ball. It's not a bad string choice by any means but I do prefer a softer feel personally and unless the price point on this one dropped below $10 a string, I can't say I'd take it out on another date. Still, if you are looking for a crisp feel to your string bed with a consistent all around response on the court yet want to keep you arm feeling good, this might be worth a go.

8/10

Just wanted to ask on this excellent thread what are the top multi contenders in ppl's opinions re full job in stiffer frames (ie, Bab sticks)... the main characteristics I'm looking for are definitely spin, good power, softish feel, reasonable durability.

Thanks in advance.

I think it's because I hit with an eastern grip, but my hexy fiber 16 refuses to pop lol. I'm guessing mikeler hits with alot more topspin then I do. I agree that it gets ton of spin though. It really upped the potential spin on my serves. Spins don't quite cut like poly, but touch has always been a big part of my game and my set up has it in spades.

A little about me, Requested by Sphinx: I have an eastern forehand and love to counter punch and smash people's loopy shots on the rise. I currently have a lazy 3.5 baseline game but really have been working on taking smarter approaches and trying to finish at net. My goal is to be an all courter. I have a two handed backhand that rarely is a weapon, but i'm also debating whether to work on a one hander due to a oddly sore/weak left wrist. I love having a variety of serves because I lack the natural pop others do. I tend to really enjoy and play better with spin oriented strings due to the flatter nature of my strokes.

I'm definitely going to try 17 next and just have fun with it!

Hexy Fiber 16@58 lbs Drop weight. RDiS 200

General: As a budget player, I'm always looking for the next big thing for the smallest price. I was really looking for a textured string with FEEL so I can rid of poly from my life and decided to try Hexy Fiber 16 and was pleasantly surprised.

Serve/Return of Serve: 58lbs is pretty magical for me in this racket. Serves had plenty of spin and plenty of pop. I could really get it short with a little extra spin or get it deep when I needed to be more aggressive. Allowing this variety really allowed me to move the ball around confidently. 8/10 Great comfort on big returns and plenty of spin for the loopy defensive and decent power for the solid punch.7/10


Groundstrokes:Really great at the baseline. The directional control and trajectory felt so comfortable to me. Great touch even from the baseline and more spin then i've had with any other budget synthetic gut/multi. 8/10

Volleys: Great pop with the correct form. easy depth and good feel. I had some trouble hitting drops at the net, but i've been off on my volleys for a bit. 7.5/10

Touch shots: Great bite for those who like more spin on their touch. 8.5/10

Comfort: It's hard for me to say, since I've never tried a stiff multi. But the comfort works perfectly well for my arm. 8/10 for me.

Tension: Hasn't started launching for my quite yet. I have lost a little bit of control, but i've also been in a footwork slump. ?/10

Durability:For my eastern FH and not too spinny game... its top notch so far 8/10

Movement: For a Multi, I'd say normal. I got two sets of mains to touch lol. 5/10.

Conclusion: Great string for a decent price. The texture is there even if you can't see it. The bite is great compared to the plethora of multis out there with slick coatings. The feel is better for me at high tensions. i'd give this string a solid 8/10

The softest multi I have ever tried was Head FiberGel Power. That string lasted me 3 hours of half decent 3.0 hitting. For you guys, 10-30 minutes tops lol. This multi at high tension actually feels like a spinny version of forten sweet. Very soft, still some power at high tension, but the texture helps me get bite to it in.

Ross K said:

Just wanted to ask on this excellent thread what are the top multi contenders in ppl's opinions re full job in stiffer frames (ie, Bab sticks)... the main characteristics I'm looking for are definitely spin, good power, softish feel, reasonable durability.

Thanks in advance.

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My favorites (all 16 gauge):

Kirschbaum Touch Multifiber
Discho Microfibre
Prince Premier Attack

I've tried a bunch, and those are the 3 that stood out for me. They all play well and last long for multifilaments, but none of them last as long or play well as long as natural gut. So I'm going with gut for now and using multis as backups.

Ross K said:

Just wanted to ask on this excellent thread what are the top multi contenders in ppl's opinions re full job in stiffer frames (ie, Bab sticks)... the main characteristics I'm looking for are definitely spin, good power, softish feel, reasonable durability.

Thanks in advance.

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I'd throw Gripper into the mix with Ramon's suggestions. From what I've found, it offers some major spin compared to most multis. That being said, I don't have a stiffer racquet, so the qualities could be brought out in a different manner with a stiff stick. I haven't tried PPA yet but based on the the Multi-GOAT Mikeler's reviews, I have a very good understanding on how it'd play.

A side note to my DM review. Picked up the same set and played with it last week. The power dropped dramatically from the first two weeks of hitting that went into the review, and the spin increased as well. If it had played that well for me out of the gate, I would have been an immediate convert.

sansaephanh-

Thanks for the review! Give us a little info on your game, play style, etc. so others can get a decent gauge on how the string connects to you. I'd love to get that up with a link on post #1 to help the community too.

How would you compare HexyFiber's stiffness to the softest Multi you tried?

Alright, now I'm done thinking tennis for the night. I'm more concerned with my choice of some shiraz, a Black Lager or some Lagavulin to end the weekend...I don't take this decision lightly

sphinx780 said:

sansaephanh-

Thanks for the review! Give us a little info on your game, play style, etc. so others can get a decent gauge on how the string connects to you. I'd love to get that up with a link on post #1 to help the community too.

How would you compare HexyFiber's stiffness to the softest Multi you tried?

Alright, now I'm done thinking tennis for the night. I'm more concerned with my choice of some shiraz, a Black Lager or some Lagavulin to end the weekend...I don't take this decision lightly

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Post Updated +

sansaephanh said:

Post Updated +

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Thanks, attached to post 1.

@sansa..

I have a yonex rdis 200 too (the lite version), and cant break a string either! I wonder if it has something to do with the frame and its flex. I am using mantis comfort synthetic which from all the reviews here has terrible durability. I have gotten close to 20 hours on it already with nothing more than light fraying and a little bit of notching on the mains.

I have liked MCS though. It is starting a little inconsistent now, but if somebody is looking for a soft low powered multi at a reasonable price point, I strongly recommend it. While soft, I doubt it is the softest string out there but it is pretty soft.

haha. some of us just arent string breakers. I won't say that's a bad thing but I do like the confidence boost after counting how many mains I snapped. My hexy fiber is dead and not even fraying. I'm starting to launch rally balls and stuff already.

MCS is pretty soft, but everyone else has a immense topspin game compared to me. I smack stuff, win or lose lol.

karth500 said:

@sansa..

I have a yonex rdis 200 too (the lite version), and cant break a string either! I wonder if it has something to do with the frame and its flex. I am using mantis comfort synthetic which from all the reviews here has terrible durability. I have gotten close to 20 hours on it already with nothing more than light fraying and a little bit of notching on the mains.

I have liked MCS though. It is starting a little inconsistent now, but if somebody is looking for a soft low powered multi at a reasonable price point, I strongly recommend it. While soft, I doubt it is the softest string out there but it is pretty soft.

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20 hours and it's still playable and fine performance-wise? Wow...

Ross K said:

20 hours and it's still playable and fine performance-wise? Wow...

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He's obviously not a string breaker. I broke Mantis Comfort Synthetic in a little over 4 hours.

Ramon said:

He's obviously not a string breaker. I broke Mantis Comfort Synthetic in a little over 4 hours.

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Three to five hours was typically how long it lasted before breakage for me.

karth500 said:

@sansa..

I have a yonex rdis 200 too (the lite version), and cant break a string either! I wonder if it has something to do with the frame and its flex. I am using mantis comfort synthetic which from all the reviews here has terrible durability. I have gotten close to 20 hours on it already with nothing more than light fraying and a little bit of notching on the mains.

I have liked MCS though. It is starting a little inconsistent now, but if somebody is looking for a soft low powered multi at a reasonable price point, I strongly recommend it. While soft, I doubt it is the softest string out there but it is pretty soft.

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MCS is as soft as Wilson gut. I have not tried other guts but it's hard to imagine there are strings out there that are WAY softer than MCS.

mikeler said:

MCS is as soft as Wilson gut. I have not tried other guts but it's hard to imagine there are strings out there that are WAY softer than MCS.

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MCS actually felt a little softer than Klip Legend. I actually like the way MCS played on groundstrokes. It has nice feel and control for a multi. I didn't like it so much at net because I like a crisper string for it. Overall, it's a great string if you want something comfortable and you don't break strings, but the lack of durability kills it for me.

Ooohwee, I've got some PPA coming my way. Unfortunately, it'll be in the Boris Becker London Tour and not in my beloved Melbournes which will make for a difficult comparison until I have a good baseline measure string also in the new toy.

Stay tuned, with a newborn, I'm unsure as to how soon I'll get out to test it. Juggling these kiddos is bound to help the tennis game though, right? right ?!?

sphinx780 said:

Ooohwee, I've got some PPA coming my way. Unfortunately, it'll be in the Boris Becker London Tour and not in my beloved Melbournes which will make for a difficult comparison until I have a good baseline measure string also in the new toy.

Stay tuned, with a newborn, I'm unsure as to how soon I'll get out to test it. Juggling these kiddos is bound to help the tennis game though, right? right ?!?

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Kiddos implies multiple rugrats. Your game will never be the same unless your wife just like having you out of the house.

mikeler said:

Kiddos implies multiple rugrats. Your game will never be the same unless your wife just like having you out of the house.

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So, be less helpful around the house and generally cantankerous? Can do.

Wow, it's been a while. I will be stringing up some PPA this week in the Melbourne so that review is forthcoming..maybe May at the rate I've been going. In the meantime:

Volkl V-Feel 55/52:

General: Soft and powerful the first time out, it seems to stiffen up a little after the first couple hours and become a much more control oriented Multi.

Serves: Decent pop but the characteristic that stood out most to me was precision. It really opened up the spots in the box I could hit. As long as my shoulder remains healthy, this gives me the confidence to really go after my serves on both first and seconds 9/10

Returns: Still dialing it in as I've gotten comfortable blocking serves into play, this string leans more to a grip and rip philosophy. 8/10

Groundstrokes: I was able to get the spin I wanted from it, which is as good as any multi I've tried. Again, it was the precision that I noticed most. I could really pinpoint my strokes without backing off on the swing but that knockout punch isn't necessarily easy to access. Ymmv 8/10

Volleys: Good punch and control, the feel is a bit muted coming from Gripper, which will probably get me away from trying the high risk flashy dropper...that could be a very good thing for my game. 7.5/10

Touch shots: Good, not great. Left a few lobs short and a few dropshots long, which is atypical of my game. That'll just take a little more court time to adjust. 7/10

Stiffness: On mms (my multi scale). It's one of the stiffer strings after the first 2 hours. Not RIP control stiff, but still much stiffer than I've been playing...yet arm friendly, unlike babolat addictoion for me. 7/10

Tension: Very little movement and tension seems to hold consitently until breakage.

Durability: With 15+ hours in my 18x20, I would cut this out before it looks to break, but I'm not the string breaker I was in my wild and crazy days of yore. I've got this feeling with the coating on this string that it would just snap when it goes, no warning signs from fraying...but that's speculation. 8.5/10

Movement: Very good for a multi. It stays put as good as could be expected.

Conclusion: This string baffles me in the sense that it doesn't get the passing marks on touch and power that I've been looking for in a string over the past year or two, yet this is taking over as my main string. Similar to when I was using poly's in an older stick, I'm not a fan of the feel and feedback but I can execute the shots I need to be hitting consistently to be successful.

Overall 7.5/10 IF you are taking advantage of the half price special. I think it's a solid string for $8-9 per set. At $17, I wouldn't bother taking it for a test drive.

I tried V-twist and broke it in 2 sets in my Exo Tours. Maybe V-feel has better durability. I plan on trying the Maxim Touch you sent me in January.

V-feel definitely has better durability than Gripper but I don't think any of these multis that work so well in the Melbourne would have lasted long in my old Wilson 6.1s with a 16x19. I'd probably be back to needing 3 freshly strung to make it through a match.

The Melbourne seems to be oddly friendly with keeping strings in tact.