Low, low tensions. 30lbs feels great. 20lbs pretty good, too

C

cperda

New User
Last night I strung my pk ki5 with rpm blast at 14kg (30 lbs). I will try it tonight. The guy that was stringing told me I was the second person in his life who asked him for a job at such low tension. The first one was Volandri at Viña del Mar Open (11kg).
 
N

nirianto

New User
Are there strings that don't play well at low tension at all? I'm guessing powerful string like BHBR will feel like trampoline at 30lbs range compared to at high 40s.
 
Backhanded Compliment

Backhanded Compliment

Legend
Im looking for input.

Ive been trying a full bed of poly so far with cyclone 17 mains at 47lbs and Kirschbaum super smash orange 1.23 at 45 for the crosses. I use silicone spray. Ive gotten about 20 hours and now Im noticing a slight lack of control... but still no arm pain. Time for the next low tension string job.

Now that it is getting colder Im thinking of trying a full bed of Yonex Poly Tour Pro 1.25 at 45Lbs or a gut hybrid of Toughgut 16 at say 50 (or is 47 better) and poly tour pro crosses at 45 but Im concerned about the gut being too powerful. Would the poly Tour tame it?

This would be in a Pacific xfeel pro 95. It is a very low powered for an open patterned 95. Im a 4.5 all courter.

Just looking for a little feedback on whether the low tension stuff works on a gut/poly or if it is better full poly?
 
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Don't Let It Bounce

Don't Let It Bounce

Hall of Fame
nirianto said:
Are there strings that don't play well at low tension at all? I'm guessing powerful string like BHBR will feel like trampoline at 30lbs range compared to at high 40s.
Click to expand...
There is such a category in my experience, but BHBR does not fall into it for me. I've always liked softer stringbeds, including full beds of low-stiffness polys at ~30 lb, but even for me the two Polyfibre strings I tried like that (Poly Hightec and TCS) were uncontrollable.
 
ChicagoJack

ChicagoJack

Hall of Fame
Regarding replies 2063 and 2067

We are at very strange cross roads regarding understanding the true nature of poly. We have a truck load of new information, yet the old misconceptions keep getting recycled. Back in late 90's to mid 2000's, when poly use really started to escalate, you almost never heard anybody cutting string out, and the phrases "poly death" and "loss of elasticity" were pretty rare. Now these buzz words / catch phrases are like the secret handshake to gain entrance to the club house. Yet we are sitting right on top of two very controlled studies here at the TWU that indicate strings don't lose elasticity, our most fundamental beliefs about this material are flawed, and by the way, player descriptions about how string plays as it ages varies wildly and is often contradictory.

We know poly does not lose much elasticity because string that was literally hammered on until tension went to zero will behave almost identically to fresh string, provided that same string is simply re-tensioned. The testing procedure repeated this hammer till tension toss goes to zero -> restring procedure 6 times, it was designed to torture string well beyond any typical playing situations, the results were pretty amazing.

Below are some old posts of mine that explain this a little bit.

ChicagoJack said:
For the past 5-10 years the prevailing wisdom here at TW forums has been that poly loses "resiliency" or "elasticity" as it ages, and that is what creates the boardy/stiff feeling often associated with arm pain. However, there's an equal number of players who verbalize dead poly as that moment when the string bed looses so much tension, that it becomes an uncontrollable trampoline/rocket launcher.

So, let's back up the truck here, (beep .. beep ... beep...) The first thing to understand is that Poly "death" means different things to different players:

"The strings lose power."
"The strings hurt my arm."
"The strings feel stiffer."
"It hits like a board."
"The strings lose their resiliency."
"The strings lose their elasticity."
"My strings are staying out of place."
"There is no pop."
"I can't hit the ball deep."

or ...

"I can't control the ball."
"I spray the ball all over the place."
"I can't keep the ball in play"
"The ball just takes off."
"The the strings are mushy."
"The strings trampoline the ball."
"My ball isn't as heavy."
"I can't hit with as much spin."

These are all comments used to describe string death/aging, and yet some seem to directly contradict the other. One guy says the string bed becomes a powerless, boardy, arm breaker, and next says the racquet becomes a mushy, uncontrollable rocket launcher and they start spraying the ball to the back fence. So... how do we reconcile all of these various player comments attributed to string aging? Crawford Lindsey aka TW Professor has provided us some insight after extensive lab study on the issue. These (seemingly) contradictory accounts are entirely explainable.

- Jack
Click to expand...


ChicagoJack said:
1. Poly death is a combination of two competing factors, tension loss and increasing friction.

2. As poly ages, it does lose tension, and yes, this does increase comfort. However, it is also getting rougher and it slides and snaps back less, which reduces the dwell time. Whenever dwell time is reduced, impact shock is increased. This is most likely what creates the "boardy" feel associated with "dead poly". So these things are occurring at the same time, and eventually, one or the other will win out and dominate the feel of the string bed.

3. These two competing forces explain why there is such a wide variety of complaints about aging poly .... If it seems like it's "mushy", "trampoliney", and has "uncontrollable power", that means the tension loss is winning the battle.

4. If increasing friction is winning the battle, the sensation will be stiffness, boardy, lifeless, dead, I can't hit with spin, etc.

That is a way too short, and somewhat incomplete explanation, but you can read more about it in the links provided below. I've also posted the key quote and underlined the part that speaks to this very question for you.

[..]

Quote: " The lower tensions and perpendicular stiffness of many polyesters leads to longer dwell times and greater deflection. This keeps the ball on the racquet for a longer arc of the stroke, potentially creating "power" problems with the ball going deeper, wider and higher than desired. The decrease in perpendicular stiffness also contributes to the sensation that the strings get "mushy" or behave like a trampoline. A loss of control is the end result. Further, the stroke itself may thus be affected to compensate for the changes in the string.

On the other side of the coin, increasing static and/or sliding coefficients of friction will decrease the amount and efficiency of the sideways main string movement and snap back. This, in turn, decreases spin, lowers launch angle, and stiffens the stringbed parallel to the strings. This is perceived as a loss of power and spin as well as an increase in stiffness, harshness, and pain, especially if the player starts swinging even faster to compensate.

If only it were so easy. It seems whenever there is one causal factor acting to increase a performance variable, there is another that arises to decrease that variable. In this case, as tension and perpendicular stiffness decrease with repetitions, increasing the "power" behavior of the strings, so to do the repetitions increase the friction coefficients, making the strings feel stiffer and low-powered. And, then, in another turn, the decrease in tension should also decrease the friction between strings. So the strings are simultaneously gaining and losing in power behaviors or in stiffness and softness characteristics. It is the net effect that determines the player's perception of string performance."

-- Crawford Lindsey, TW Professor
How Tennis Strings Go Dead, Part 1
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/deadstrings.php

How Tennis Strings Go Dead, Part 2, Do Strings Lose Elasticity With Repeated Impacts?
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/deadstringsPart2.php

-Jack
Click to expand...
 
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Chotobaka

Chotobaka

Hall of Fame
ChicagoJack said:
Pff, whatever dude. The only person I am quoting as an authoritative source is Crawford Lindsey.
Click to expand...

You are citing a ten+ year old book. Strings and racquets have changed significantly during that time. I am so sick of the pseudo-science yobos. You are a self anointed *** hat. Lots of posts, but nothing of real substance there. In other words, you don't know what you don't know.
 
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S&V Specialist

S&V Specialist

Rookie
Chotobaka said:
You are citing a ten+ year old book. Strings and racquets have changed significantly during that time. I am so sick of the pseudo-science yobos. You are a self anointed *** hat. Lots of posts, but nothing of real substance there. In other words, you don't know what you don't know.
Click to expand...

It definitely seems that he knows what he is talking about within the context of this thread (and elsewhere). I would definitely call Crawford Lindsey and authoritative source when it comes to tennis science, and ChicagoJack has simply made the writings of Crawford Lindsey more concise and readable to the general tennis playing public. Now back to the thread...
 
ChicagoJack

ChicagoJack

Hall of Fame
Chotobaka said:
You are citing a ten+ year old book. Strings and racquets have changed significantly during that time. I am so sick of the pseudo-science yobos. You are a self anointed *** hat. Lots of posts, but nothing of real substance there. In other words, you don't know what you don't know.
Click to expand...

1. OY. Your upset stems from something you think you saw while skimming quickly. It is an entirely self inflicted wound. If you had actually read my post, you'd see that the quotes and links I provided are not from Lindsey's book. They are from the March - April 2013 studies available in the Tennis Warehouse University. Seems clear you've never once glanced at the studies either, because the dates are listed very clearly right underneath the titles. Poly death has been mentioned a gazillion times in this thread, and I thought it might be helpful to shed some light in here.

2. I didn't quote your statement directly, because I didn't want you to feel like I was calling you out on a fairly common misconception. I'll be more direct. What you don't seem to be comprehending (perhaps because you joined TT in March 2012), is the idea that strings go dead due to lost resiliency is not the new news, it is the old baseless theory which has been circulating around here since 2008 or so, and has since been dis-proven. The March 2013 studies indicate that poly death is merely a matter of two factors, tension loss and increasing friction caused by notching and abrasion. I invite you to reconsider who "doesn't know what you don't know" here.

3. If you would like to double check my sources, my interpretation of the study, or the science behind it, I encourage you to look to the following link below. It's a tough read, but the conversation 15-18 paragraphs down, in the section entitled "The Experiment, Loss of Elasticity and Resilience Tests" is pretty illuminating and gets to the heart of the matter.

How Tennis Strings "Go Dead" — Part 2, Do Strings Lose Elasticity with Repeated Impacts?
Crawford Lindsey, Tennis Warehouse, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401 April 17, 2013
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/deadstringsPart2.php

S&V Specialist said:
It definitely seems that he knows what he is talking about within the context of this thread (and elsewhere). I would definitely call Crawford Lindsey and authoritative source when it comes to tennis science, and ChicagoJack has simply made the writings of Crawford Lindsey more concise and readable to the general tennis playing public. Now back to the thread...
Click to expand...

Thank you SV Specialist, much appreciated. Yeah, Lindsey is a tough read. I'm just doing my best to translate some very dense information into something more easily understood. Sometimes people interpret the length of my posts as expression of ego. I simply have a passion for certain complex topics, and these topics are difficult to cover concisely. I'm actually much more of a lurker around here. I don't post all that often, compared to many recent TT members (1,700 posts since 2005) but when I do, I try to make it something useful.

-Jack
 
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jackcrawford

jackcrawford

Professional
ChicagoJack said:
1. OY. Your upset stems from something you think you saw while skimming quickly. It is an entirely self inflicted wound. If you had actually read my post, you'd see that the quotes and links I provided are not from Lindsey's book. They are from the March - April 2013 studies available in the Tennis Warehouse University. Seems clear you've never once glanced at the studies either, because the dates are listed very clearly right underneath the titles. Poly death has been mentioned a gazillion times in this thread, and I thought it might be helpful to shed some light in here.

2. I didn't quote your statement directly, because I didn't want you to feel like I was calling you out on a fairly common misconception. I'll be more direct. What you don't seem to be comprehending (perhaps because you joined TT in March 2012), is the idea that strings go dead due to lost resiliency is not the new news, it is the old baseless theory which has been circulating around here since 2008 or so, and has since been dis-proven. The March 2013 studies indicate that poly death is merely a matter of two factors, tension loss and increasing friction caused by notching and abrasion. I invite you to reconsider who "doesn't know what you don't know" here.

3. If you would like to double check my sources, my interpretation of the study, or the science behind it, I encourage you to look to the following link below. It's a tough read, but the conversation 15-18 paragraphs down, in the section entitled "The Experiment, Loss of Elasticity and Resilience Tests" is pretty illuminating and gets to the heart of the matter.

How Tennis Strings "Go Dead" — Part 2, Do Strings Lose Elasticity with Repeated Impacts?
Crawford Lindsey, Tennis Warehouse, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401 April 17, 2013
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/deadstringsPart2.php



Thank you SV Specialist, much appreciated. Yeah, Lindsey is a tough read. I'm just doing my best to translate some very dense information into something more easily understood. Sometimes people interpret the length of my posts as expression of ego. I simply have a passion for certain complex topics, and these topics are difficult to cover concisely. I'm actually much more of a lurker around here. I don't post all that often, compared to many recent TT members (1,700 posts since 2005) but when I do, I try to make it something useful.

-Jack
Click to expand...
Terrific information, thanks for the effort to post it. It fits in with what I have experienced in my play with poly, but scientific studies are always needed to back up anecdotal notes.
 
unorthodox stringing

unorthodox stringing

Rookie
ChicagoJack said:
We know poly does not lose much elasticity because string that was literally hammered on until tension went to zero will behave almost identically to fresh string, provided that same string is simply re-tensioned. The testing procedure repeated this hammer till tension toss goes to zero -> restring procedure 6 times, it was designed to torture string well beyond any typical playing situations, the results were pretty amazing.
Click to expand...

Great post Jack!

I'm with you on this one for sure cos I personally tested it many times...despite being called crazy and stingy :)

http://unorthodoxstringing.blogspot.sg/2013/08/residual-elasticity-part-2-hammer58.html

That's why I recommended re-using used poly too!

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=479853

Guess I'm not that unorthodox after all... ;)
 
The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight

Legend
ChicagoJack said:
Regarding replies 2063 and 2067

We are at very strange cross roads regarding understanding the true nature of poly. We have a truck load of new information, yet the old misconceptions keep getting recycled. Back in late 90's to mid 2000's, when poly use really started to escalate, you almost never heard anybody cutting string out, and the phrases "poly death" and "loss of elasticity" were pretty rare. Now these buzz words / catch phrases are like the secret handshake to gain entrance to the club house. Yet we are sitting right on top of two very controlled studies here at the TWU that indicate strings don't lose elasticity, our most fundamental beliefs about this material are flawed, and by the way, player descriptions about how string plays as it ages varies wildly and is often contradictory.

We know poly does not lose much elasticity because string that was literally hammered on until tension went to zero will behave almost identically to fresh string, provided that same string is simply re-tensioned. The testing procedure repeated this hammer till tension toss goes to zero -> restring procedure 6 times, it was designed to torture string well beyond any typical playing situations, the results were pretty amazing.

Below are some old posts of mine that explain this a little bit.
Click to expand...

I don't know the scientific reasons as to why? But I find that poly changes after every match and is not constant.

I think that the only way to get a constant with poly is a fresh string job after every match .
 
T

Tcbtennis

Hall of Fame
Shroud said:
I don't know. When I see her, ALL I see is but :)
Click to expand...

When I see her I see a champion who has won 17 singles and 15 doubles grand slams, 3 Olympic gold medals and has the best serve in the women's game EVER. I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder.
 
Shroud

Shroud

G.O.A.T.
danbrenner said:
Hello. Serena no longer uses an all but set up. She has been using 4g crosses for over a year. And incidentally, they catapulted her game.
Click to expand...

Tcbtennis said:
When I see her I see a champion who has won 17 singles and 15 doubles grand slams, 3 Olympic gold medals and has the best serve in the women's game EVER. I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder.
Click to expand...

FWIW I was making fun of Dbrenner's typo...."an all but set up". Of all the players to be talking about and make that typo, you have to admit it is an interesting mistake.

Nothing against Serena or her accomplishments.

I'll try to limit my drinking while TTing.
 
SOY78

SOY78

Professional
Back to the OP. I have tried 3 low tension setups.

1) Volkl C10 Pro Extended MP with Topspin Polytech 17 at 35#'s.
2) Boris Becker DC London Tour with Polyfibre Hightec 17 at 35#'s.
3) Volkl Tour 10 V-Engine mid with Pro Supex Big Ace 17L at 35#.

So far my favorite out of those is the C10 Extended with the cheap poly. I played with it almost a year now and it still feels ok. The T10v and Boris Becker just didn't have good feel for some reason maybe I should go down on those even more close to 30 pounds. I have also just strung a Prince EXO3 tour 18x20 with Polystar Classic 1.10. I will post the results here as soon as I will play with it sometime this week. BTW stringing so low takes about 10 minutes off my stringing time. I have tried polys at 50#'s in the same timeframe as ELT and the 50# felt like a 2x4 compared to the ELT. With ELT I just have to tweak my strokes just a little to compensate for the power.
 
D

danotje

Rookie
I've been playing ELT for a while now, too, and I see no reason to go back. Found a great spin set up in BHBR x WC Silverstring. Even dragging some guys down with me as everyone I let try it seems to like it. Good stuff.
 
N

nickarnold2000

Hall of Fame
danotje said:
I've been playing ELT for a while now, too, and I see no reason to go back. Found a great spin set up in BHBR x WC Silverstring. Even dragging some guys down with me as everyone I let try it seems to like it. Good stuff.
Click to expand...
How many hours are you getting out of this set up? I liked mid 30's full poly for about 1.5 hours and then the snap back stopped and I started having problems with control.
 
The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight

Legend
nickarnold2000 said:
How many hours are you getting out of this set up? I liked mid 30's full poly for about 1.5 hours and then the snap back stopped and I started having problems with control.
Click to expand...

Exactly!!

Poly is awesome for a short time then it sucks!

Look we try and simulate what the pros do. The pros play a match and then use a new set of poly for the next day.......

This is the way poly was meant to be used.

I realized this and figured out a solution. ........I found a string which is almost as good as poly but it maintains tension an playability for a very very long time......it's ESPECIALLY good on low tensions.

That string is Kevlar hybrid with gut on the crosses.

Although Kevlar is not as good as poly at the outset .....it's far better after just a couple of hours . It maintains its tension and just keeps playing great for a long time.

Bottom line:

Poly > kevlar for one match

Kevlar > poly for anything after one match
 
S

souledge

Semi-Pro
New convert to 30 lbs poly.

Strung up BHBR 17 in my Head EP 2.0 and my opponent commented on how heavy the ball was. Made my PT630 Gut/CoFocus look like a flat ball.
 
tlm

tlm

G.O.A.T.
The Dark Knight said:
Exactly!!

Poly is awesome for a short time then it sucks!

Look we try and simulate what the pros do. The pros play a match and then use a new set of poly for the next day.......

This is the way poly was meant to be used.

I realized this and figured out a solution. ........I found a string which is almost as good as poly but it maintains tension an playability for a very very long time......it's ESPECIALLY good on low tensions.

That string is Kevlar hybrid with gut on the crosses.

Although Kevlar is not as good as poly at the outset .....it's far better after just a couple of hours . It maintains its tension and just keeps playing great for a long time.

Bottom line:

Poly > kevlar for one match

Kevlar > poly for anything after one match
Click to expand...



I have found kevlar main with poly x's to be the best set up.
 
tlm

tlm

G.O.A.T.
Shroud said:
Its relative I suppose. I thought 30 was super comfy coming from the 60s, but going down to 20, or even 15, and then going to 30, 30 was harsh at first.
Click to expand...

Now 30lbs can feel harsh? this thread is hilarious, I suggest you guys just string the racket by hand. No need for a machine just pull the tension by hand, should be able to avoid those harsh 30 lbs set ups that way. lol
 
Shroud

Shroud

G.O.A.T.
tlm said:
Now 30lbs can feel harsh? this thread is hilarious, I suggest you guys just string the racket by hand. No need for a machine just pull the tension by hand, should be able to avoid those harsh 30 lbs set ups that way. lol
Click to expand...

The only reason I ever tried the low tension was because of TE. So yeah 30lbs can be harsh to a sensitive arm.

And yes, my machine only goes as low as 15lbs. I wish it would go lower.

and it has to do too with racket size. 20lbs in and os is different than 20lbs in an 85. Oh and that 30lb setup that seemed harsh was using kevlar in the mains, which most people don't use. Kevlar produces a stiff stringbed even at 30lbs....
 
tlm

tlm

G.O.A.T.
Shroud said:
The only reason I ever tried the low tension was because of TE. So yeah 30lbs can be harsh to a sensitive arm.

And yes, my machine only goes as low as 15lbs. I wish it would go lower.

and it has to do too with racket size. 20lbs in and os is different than 20lbs in an 85. Oh and that 30lb setup that seemed harsh was using kevlar in the mains, which most people don't use. Kevlar produces a stiff stringbed even at 30lbs....
Click to expand...

Ya kevlar can be pretty stiff at any tension, I know because I use kevlar mains and nothing is better for a consistent string bed.

If you have had TE and are worried about it then I would suggest not using poly and use a multi.
 
Shroud

Shroud

G.O.A.T.
tlm said:
Ya kevlar can be pretty stiff at any tension, I know because I use kevlar mains and nothing is better for a consistent string bed.

If you have had TE and are worried about it then I would suggest not using poly and use a multi.
Click to expand...

Yeah you are right. Though I really dig a stiff stringbed, even if my arm doesnt. Played with Kevlar for the last 15+ years I think.

I will try a multi and have in the past. I really like the Prince Premier string. Very soft and comfy.

Also, I could be wrong but since I switched to the Prostaff 85 and its more dense pattern, doesnt poly loose some of its spin magic anyhow?
 
tlm

tlm

G.O.A.T.
Shroud said:
Yeah you are right. Though I really dig a stiff stringbed, even if my arm doesnt. Played with Kevlar for the last 15+ years I think.

I will try a multi and have in the past. I really like the Prince Premier string. Very soft and comfy.

Also, I could be wrong but since I switched to the Prostaff 85 and its more dense pattern, doesnt poly loose some of its spin magic anyhow?
Click to expand...

I think that the tighter pattern does take away from the spin that poly provides.
 
tlm

tlm

G.O.A.T.
souledge said:
I used to play gut poly at 50+ pounds.

30 lbs full bed poly is much harsher.
Click to expand...

I can't imagine poly at 30 lbs. being harsh, I have tried it in the high 30's and it seemed like I had rubber bands in the racket. Did not care for it but it was anything but harsh.
 
W

wmilas

Rookie
My 2 cents if it matters to anyone.

Last night I strung up a steam 99s with bhb7 at 32 to see what the buzz was about. I normally us OGSM/TCS at 54. Mostline baseline games with a big hitting partner.. ex-college 5.5 player. 90 minutes session.

As others stated the experience was not what I expected at all. First thing I noticed was the buzzing of the strings. It was very pronounced, and annoying. Second thing was the easy access to power at low swing speeds. I then noticed that the power dod not ramp linearly.. There seemed a law of diminishing returns. 75% swing speed as oppose to 90% swing speed produced almost the same ball for me depth wise. It is possible that the full out swing was producing more rpm's but I did not get that impression.

The ball DID move faster that my normal setup. There was more rpm and the trajectory actually seemed a bit lower as I adjusted. I'm normally a full western, but I felt very comfortable in semi-western and smashing the ball flatter and lower over the net. This was surprising to me.

Volleys were much nicer compared to full poly at a higher tension. IMHO this is where the lower string tension really shines. Backspin slice volleys were butter smooth, punch volleys were easy power. Drop volleys had lots of bite. They didn't float as much as I expected.

I did not serve enough to have a real opinion. I was concentrating on baseline and some volleys.

Now the bad. I felt an acute lack of control when I was not able to execute a full swing. I don't mean a fast swing, I mean the full technique. Getting jammed at the baseline where you need to grab it low and flick it up for example. These shot FLEW. I would have to re-learn these shots.

Also as I tired into the last 15 minutes I noticed my forehands getting more out of control as I throttled back the RPMs.

The worst part for me was two fold, and mostly in my head. First was the vibration. I HATED it. I did not like it at all. I can't stress this enough. I lick a crisp contact and even though I'm pretty sure the initial contact was crispish, the on going vibration was annoying as all get out. Even after 90 minutes and continually trying to ignore it it was driving me nuts.

The second was the sound. There was none besides a twang. A weird twang. An unholy twang. I'm used to positive feedback from the ball strike. This was just odd. I might be able to get used to it... might.

all and all for me it was a mixed bag. I'm not going to discount it right off the bat. I'll keep a stick strung with it in my bag and experiment with it from time to time. I'm curios to see how it servers. I'm guessing I'll get some huge serves out of it.
 
K

keithfival

Professional
I've tried it a few times now and had very similar results as ^^^. Feels great for relaxed groundstrokes and fantastic for volleys but stick saves/reaction shots/flicks all just flew out of the building. Also, I always lose speed on my serve with it - similar to what you are saying about hitting harder and the ball not going any faster.
 
Shroud

Shroud

G.O.A.T.
wmilas said:
My 2 cents if it matters to anyone.

Last night I strung up a steam 99s with bhb7 at 32 to see what the buzz was about. I normally us OGSM/TCS at 54. Mostline baseline games with a big hitting partner.. ex-college 5.5 player. 90 minutes session.

As others stated the experience was not what I expected at all. First thing I noticed was the buzzing of the strings. It was very pronounced, and annoying. Second thing was the easy access to power at low swing speeds. I then noticed that the power dod not ramp linearly.. There seemed a law of diminishing returns. 75% swing speed as oppose to 90% swing speed produced almost the same ball for me depth wise. It is possible that the full out swing was producing more rpm's but I did not get that impression.

The ball DID move faster that my normal setup. There was more rpm and the trajectory actually seemed a bit lower as I adjusted. I'm normally a full western, but I felt very comfortable in semi-western and smashing the ball flatter and lower over the net. This was surprising to me.

Volleys were much nicer compared to full poly at a higher tension. IMHO this is where the lower string tension really shines. Backspin slice volleys were butter smooth, punch volleys were easy power. Drop volleys had lots of bite. They didn't float as much as I expected.

I did not serve enough to have a real opinion. I was concentrating on baseline and some volleys.

Now the bad. I felt an acute lack of control when I was not able to execute a full swing. I don't mean a fast swing, I mean the full technique. Getting jammed at the baseline where you need to grab it low and flick it up for example. These shot FLEW. I would have to re-learn these shots.

Also as I tired into the last 15 minutes I noticed my forehands getting more out of control as I throttled back the RPMs.

The worst part for me was two fold, and mostly in my head. First was the vibration. I HATED it. I did not like it at all. I can't stress this enough. I lick a crisp contact and even though I'm pretty sure the initial contact was crispish, the on going vibration was annoying as all get out. Even after 90 minutes and continually trying to ignore it it was driving me nuts.

The second was the sound. There was none besides a twang. A weird twang. An unholy twang. I'm used to positive feedback from the ball strike. This was just odd. I might be able to get used to it... might.

all and all for me it was a mixed bag. I'm not going to discount it right off the bat. I'll keep a stick strung with it in my bag and experiment with it from time to time. I'm curios to see how it servers. I'm guessing I'll get some huge serves out of it.
Click to expand...

On the vibes. Its true, and every racket is a bit different. There are a few options. sometimes 5lbs lower or higher totally changes the vibe situation. I solved it with some plastidip and later with some shocktape for the grip. If you adjust and like the low tensions, know that it is possible to solve the vibration issue.

I was told by my coach that the lack of sound was challenging. He said that it was harder to tell if the ball was hit hard or not and that it made playing the ball tougher.

I had the same experience. The SW was always a bit of a crapshoot and western for me was alot more consistent. NOw its reversed and for some reason I just nail the SW now.
 
Shroud

Shroud

G.O.A.T.
dominikk1985 said:
isn't the consensus here that extreme open patterns should be strung higher because an ESP stringbed is softer at the same tension? (less crosses stabilizing it)
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FWIW I strung up my prince pog mid at 15lbs but skipped every other cross creating a 14/10 pattern. Because this racket was not designed for that I doubled tension on the crosses to 30.

I was using kevlar/poly hybrids. It was great on many levels though ultimately a bit unpredictable on some shots. There probably is a need for more tension, though with the strings I used it was a pretty stiff bed.
 
D

dtomelden

New User
Wilson PS Classic 6.1 18x20 Wiess Silverstring 17g @ 32#

Made the jump to low tension 1 yr ago. Was SPPP 16g @ 54# on PS Classic Stretch.

Now Weiss Silverstring 17g @32, Stretch cutdown to 27", 13oz 14pt HL.

Very nice improvement in comfort and control, highly reliable serve, volley ok. Nice topspin using a higher trajectory, good slice and drop shots. Winning consistently with this setup.

I string on a Gamma X-Stringer but I pull tension slowly and gently. I think that is key when working with poly. Having your own stringer helps solve the tension puzzle. After some (not much) trial and error, I stumbled on string, diameter and tension epiphany. The Pro Staff 6.1 Classic is a beast. Now she's a beast that does what I want and does not hurt me. I get sore after 5 sets, but, I play 5 sets hard and I win. It works for me, I encourage others to try.
 
2

2ndServe

Hall of Fame
what tension is best for someone who volleys?

what tension is best for someone who volleys? I don't hit very many groundies, I come in on every serve and even most returns I'll hit and come in. I play doubles so I'd prefer a tension that doesn't have a high launch angle. A lot comments I've read deal with groundies, I'm interested in the best tension for serving and volleying. Thanks
 
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Smasher08

Smasher08

Legend
2ndServe said:
I don't hit very many groundies, I come in on every serve and even most returns I'll hit and come in. I play doubles so I'd prefer a tension that doesn't have a high launch angle. A lot comments I've read deal with groundies, I'm interested in the best tension for serving and volleying. Thanks
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37.25, regardless of racket.
 
SCRAP IRON

SCRAP IRON

Professional
wmilas said:
The above might be what I'm experiencing. I should try it at 38 to 42 and see what that is like.
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If you are using the 99s and you are a big hitter, you should not poly strings with a low tension. You need control brother. Coupled with the fact that you didn't care for sound/feel, you can close that experiment. I am curious though, what poly strings did you use?
 
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