Mikeler's Multis

mikeler

Moderator
I retested tensions on my setups. Isospeed Control Classic has now lost over 25% tension. PPA is at 7.7% and prestretched X1 is at 7%. I have not hit with PPA or X1 yet.
 
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mikeler

Moderator
So are you going to hybrid the two? I was wondering why you posted about the Tour Bite when this is a multi thread :).

I'll probably play the Yonex full bed. Not sure what I'll cross the Tour Bite Soft with. Man people get uptight when I talk about polys here! :)
 

mikeler

Moderator
I hit on the wall for 5 minutes today to assess my elbow. It was a little tender on some shots with the Isospeed Classic Control. So I switched over to the X1 setup and did not feel a thing which means the Isospeed will most likely get the scissors and I'll probably post a review tomorrow.
 
I hit on the wall for 5 minutes today to assess my elbow. It was a little tender on some shots with the Isospeed Classic Control. So I switched over to the X1 setup and did not feel a thing which means the Isospeed will most likely get the scissors and I'll probably post a review tomorrow.

X1 is the best and nothing like it unless Laserfibre SNPSG comes back, sigh always wanted to try out what I was missing :(.
 

sstchur

Hall of Fame
X1 is the best and nothing like it unless Laserfibre SNPSG comes back, sigh always wanted to try out what I was missing :(.

I never had a chance to try Laserfibre, but I've heard so many people rave about it.

X1 is alright, but it's not as good as Gamma Professional.
 
I have played Laserfibre SNPSG years ago when it was sold by TW. Yes it was one of the better multi's of the day, but no better than current premium multi's. I would compare it with Prince Premier LT for its soft somewhat muted feel but I would rank Babolat Xcel better than SNPSG as it has equal feel but better tension maintenance. X1 is great for an initial hard hit but losses its crisp play by the 2nd time out and very quickly becomes inconsistent for my game.
 

mikeler

Moderator
I played 2 sets of singles with the prestretched X1 last night. The good news to report is that the tension loss according to RacquetTune is that it only went from 7.1% tension loss to 7.7% which is quite impressive. The bad news is that it does not feel like the X1 without the prestretch. That free almost gut like power on demand is nowhere to be found. It still plays pretty well especially on touch shots and still produces some of the best spin of any of the multis.

Tennis is cruel. Just as my tennis elbow went away, I got a wrist injury. Then when the wrist healed, on 1 shot last week my TE came back and is worse than ever. Time to hang up the rackets for a few weeks. :(
 
I played 2 sets of singles with the prestretched X1 last night. The good news to report is that the tension loss according to RacquetTune is that it only went from 7.1% tension loss to 7.7% which is quite impressive. The bad news is that it does not feel like the X1 without the prestretch. That free almost gut like power on demand is nowhere to be found. It still plays pretty well especially on touch shots and still produces some of the best spin of any of the multis.

Tennis is cruel. Just as my tennis elbow went away, I got a wrist injury. Then when the wrist healed, on 1 shot last week my TE came back and is worse than ever. Time to hang up the rackets for a few weeks. :(

Yep, I've been there, Mike. I had pretty severe tennis elbow for a number of years. I don't have that any longer, just achilles tendonitis along with some shoulder and back problems. Good stuff...lol. I've walked away from the sport a few times, but I love it too much to give it up.
 

mikeler

Moderator
Yep, I've been there, Mike. I had pretty severe tennis elbow for a number of years. I don't have that any longer, just achilles tendonitis along with some shoulder and back problems. Good stuff...lol. I've walked away from the sport a few times, but I love it too much to give it up.

I walk away only for a matter of weeks. I'll be firing up my PT tools every night. For the Achilles, I find that certain shoes cause me problems. Just switching shoes usually fixes the issue quickly for me.
 

GS

Professional
Got one of those Thera-Band Flexbars, Mike?
I don't know if they really work, but I use the blue one, anyway. I never want to get TE ever again.
 

mikeler

Moderator
Got one of those Thera-Band Flexbars, Mike?
I don't know if they really work, but I use the blue one, anyway. I never want to get TE ever again.

I've got the blue and green one. They work better for me on GE rather than TE.
 

Lambsscroll

Hall of Fame
Are you asking if that is how I hurt it? If that is the question, the answer is no. I'm finding that I squeeze the handle to tight on forehands so I've got to figure out a way to cast aside that bad habit.

I remember a long long time ago my grip was too big or it might have been too soft and too big but I started getting TE from the grip. When I reduced the grip size this also reduced the extra cushion and the TE went away.

The extra cushion was allowing me to squeeze harder and this I believe sent more strain to the tendons.
 
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mikeler

Moderator
I remember a long long time my grip was too big or it might have been too soft and too big but I started getting TE from the grip. When I reduced the grip size this also reduced the extra cushion and the TE went away.

The extra cushion was allowing me to squeeze harder and this I believe sent more strain to the tendons.


I'm wondering if I should go down in grip size now.
 
If you are squeezing too hard maybe it is the grip, change something there. Might even try going bigger not smaller. I had TE for a big while but addressed with many equipment changes, grip being one. I use a leather grip with a single overgrip.

Other components were a heavy flexy racquet RA 62, 355g strung, smaller headsize 95, open string pattern 16x19, being picky about my gut/poly choices (cofocus 1.18 is the stiffest cross i can handle). Any of the "soft" polys are ok as crosses, but keep the tension below 50.

Incidentally most full multis bug my arm. Gut/multi is ok though.
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
If you are squeezing too hard maybe it is the grip, change something there. Might even try going bigger not smaller. I had TE for a big while but addressed with many equipment changes, grip being one. I use a leather grip with a single overgrip.

Other components were a heavy flexy racquet RA 62, 355g strung, smaller headsize 95, open string pattern 16x19, being picky about my gut/poly choices (cofocus 1.18 is the stiffest cross i can handle). Any of the "soft" polys are ok as crosses, but keep the tension below 50.

Incidentally most full multis bug my arm. Gut/multi is ok though.

Leather felt great but aggravated every part joint from my hand to my shoulder. Arthur bites
 

mikeler

Moderator
If you are squeezing too hard maybe it is the grip, change something there. Might even try going bigger not smaller. I had TE for a big while but addressed with many equipment changes, grip being one. I use a leather grip with a single overgrip.

Other components were a heavy flexy racquet RA 62, 355g strung, smaller headsize 95, open string pattern 16x19, being picky about my gut/poly choices (cofocus 1.18 is the stiffest cross i can handle). Any of the "soft" polys are ok as crosses, but keep the tension below 50.

Incidentally most full multis bug my arm. Gut/multi is ok though.

My grip measures to 4-1/4. After I got GE a few years ago, I went up to 4-3/8 because it seemed easier on my elbow. If anything, I'd go a little smaller by trying a Prince ResiThin replacement grip.

The Exo Tour flexes at 52 with a 16x18 pattern. I like the mid plus head sizes best. I can't swing a 355g racket without bothering my shoulder. I just strung up gut/Ytex to see if that helps any. It feels about the same stiffness as a full bed of X1 but not quite as soft as PPA.

Leather felt great but aggravated every part joint from my hand to my shoulder. Arthur bites

Yeah, leather transmits too much shock. I've also thought about buying the Shock Shield replacement grips.
 
let us know how it goes.

I did try the shock shield grip, it's a normal grip with a thick blue goo adhesive on the back, i lost too much bevel feel to be practical for me but it might work for you.
 

mikeler

Moderator
Been there,, tempted to try the old Gosen Sorbothane replacement grip system but it adds more weight than leather.

I like the weight and balance of the Exo stock, so I'm always a little leery of putting a new replacement grip on that could change that feeling.
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
I like the weight and balance of the Exo stock, so I'm always a little leery of putting a new replacement grip on that could change that feeling.

Screwed up more Radicals modifying them, adding lead, CAP grommets, heatshrink sleeves, leather, and silicone. Never kept the feel of the original. What string were you using when the TE attacked?
 

mikeler

Moderator
Screwed up more Radicals modifying them, adding lead, CAP grommets, heatshrink sleeves, leather, and silicone. Never kept the feel of the original. What string were you using when the TE attacked?

Full job of Isospeed Control Classic. It happened on one forehand. I'm using too much arm and cocking my wrist too far back. That reminds me, I still need to write a review of that string.
 

mikeler

Moderator
Isospeed Control Classic = Much Better Than Newer Version

OK, here is my review in the TW format of the Isospeed Control Classic 16. I did not have a good experience with the newer version of this string but tried it based on other TTW reviews of it. I'm glad I tried it.

Stringing was fairly easy with some minor ghosting.

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): Low/Medium powered multi
Feel: Very good
Tension maintenance: Final tension loss reading was 25.4% on RacquetTune
Price: $9.99/set, I don't think they sell reels.
Overall comments and feedback: See below

General: My first outing with this went very well and despite the high tension loss, it seemed to play great over the time I played with it.

Serve/Return of Serve: First serve seemed to find the corners quite well. It seemed like I was averaging a few aces every match. Kick serves seemed to find the right spots on the court too. Returns were good but not great.

Strokes: Decent spin on both wings.

Volleys: This is THE BEST string at net I've ever tried. I'm not sure why but volleys were just so solid with this string.

Touch shots: Pretty good touch.

Softness: The string feels a little stiffer than the RSI ratings would indicate but still feels comfortable. I did develop tennis elbow with this string but it was from 1 forehand so I don't blame the string for it.

Tension: The tension loss was the largest I've measured with RacquetTune but the strange thing is that I did not notice the drop when I played. Still, those that are tension sensitive need to be aware of this before stringing.

Durability: I think I got 8 or 9 sets of singles and a few sets of doubles before I cut the string out so it is one of the more durable multis.

Movement: String movement was non-existent the first 2 sets. The mains were snapping back and providing better spin. Once the crosses got roughed up, the mains were no longer snapping back but the movement was still not too bad.

Conclusion: This is definitely one to try out for those who play a lot of doubles or if you are a net rusher.
 

mikeler

Moderator
I just read in another thread somebody who had tennis elbow and switched to the Shock Shield and they said it really helped. I've got nothing else to do with my free time the next few days. Maybe I'll do some regripping...
 

djNEiGht

Legend
I normally play w leather (w lead on the hoop)and caught the TE/GE bug again last fall. I added another BB London to the others w the same mods and played with it with gut and in stock form for a little bit. The stock grip was very comfy but just didn't have the solid feel of leather. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the racquet at stock weight compared to before. I decided to get another one to have a couple with some mods and a couple in stock form.

My elbow feels so much better but I also did cut down the visits to the court with the holidays, getting sick, and a little bit of rain.

I really enjoy the feel of the bevels and recently started hitting with my leather/leaded racquet again. I did however remove the lead (3/9&5/7) and set up with less led at 10/2 to give it the same stock balance. I put lead at 12 on the other one for the same balance and have yet to hit with it. I think it's a little bit over 12 oz. Currently with a poly/multi set up.
 
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mikeler

Moderator
I bought 3 Shock Shield replacement grips on Wednesday. Still have not installed them yet. Got my first match back from TE on Sunday. Naturally, it will be one of the coldest days of the year here.
 

mikeler

Moderator
I installed the Wilson Shock Shield Hybrid Replacement Grip on all 3 Prince Exo3 Tour 16x18 rackets tonight. I'm not good at getting them perfect down at the bottom of the handle but fortunately I use overgrips and don't have to look at my messy handywork.

I skipped the holding tape at the top since the Wilson grip weighs slightly more than the stock replacement grip of the Exo3 Tour which is white Prince ResiPro. That seems to be a good move since the weighting feels about the same.

As for the comfort, I won't be able to tell until Sunday. Just bouncing balls off each racket, they do feel a little more comfortable than the Prince ResiPro.
 

mikeler

Moderator
Played a set with PPA 16 today then switched to the Wilson gut 16 mains with Ytex Pro Tour 16L poly crosses. PPA is softer but the hybrid was still fine on my arm. Hit a few super heavy forehands with it. Almost no string movement. PPA behaved fairly well in that regard too.
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
Played a set with PPA 16 today then switched to the Wilson gut 16 mains with Ytex Pro Tour 16L poly crosses. PPA is softer but the hybrid was still fine on my arm. Hit a few super heavy forehands with it. Almost no string movement. PPA behaved fairly well in that regard too.

How are the Shock Shield grips?
 

mikeler

Moderator
How are the Shock Shield grips?

They are definitely more comfortable when I hit the ball in the sweet spot. With the 15 MPH winds today and 10 days off from tennis, I hit plenty of balls outside the sweetspot and on the frame. On those hits, I didn't notice any extra protection. Bottom line is I'd recommend them to anyone with arm issues.
 
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