POLL: What is the lifespan of your poly strings?

How many hours?

  • Total voters
    177
gallen1999

gallen1999

Rookie
How long do your poly strings last before you either break them or cut them out?

Also, what guage and tension do you use?

For me, its 21-30 hours with Big Ace 17g at 52 pounds.
 
CopolyX

CopolyX

Hall of Fame
So many variables.. You want to play it safe, 10/12 hours.
What to take a chance, 20 hours ..max...
Hours are tough...
Say I hit 2000 balls in play/practice 5 hours.
You hit 400...in 5 hours
Hours can be a guide line...but it is not the best...

Also there is many threads of this already.
Please search and you will find lots of info on this which will help understand when you should.
 
Karma Tennis

Karma Tennis

Legend
As @CopolyX has pointed out, hitting hours depends on what type of hitting is involved. Poly string will wear a lot more quickly doing tennis drilling compared to playing matches. I would almost say that one can get almost twice as many hours of matchplay compared to doing Training Drills.

I would say 8-10 hours is the limit for matchplay, and perhaps anywhere from 4 ot 6 hours for heavy training drilling.
 
SteveI

SteveI

Legend
CopolyX said:
So many variables.. You want to play it safe, 10/12 hours.
What to take a chance, 20 hours ..max...
Hours are tough...
Say I hit 2000 balls in play/practice 5 hours.
You hit 400...in 5 hours
Hours can be a guide line...but it is not the best...

Also there is many threads of this already.
Please search and you will find lots of info on this which will help understand when you should.
Click to expand...


Depends on many factors... :)
 
CosmosMpower

CosmosMpower

Hall of Fame
I cut out around 6-8 hours typically. If I string in the mid to high 50's by then it's usually in the mid 40's and pretty hard to control. It won't lose more tension than that but it's no good for my game.

This is for 1.20 all the way to 1.30mm. I have not found any poly that plays well beyond 20 hours, not even 4G.
 
U

USPTARF97

Hall of Fame
Playing Luxilon Alu Power. 3-4 hrs then cut it out.
Solinco Hyper G and Solinco Tour Bite. 6-8 hrs. Just started playing with Weiss Cannon. Interested to see how long it is playable.
 
D

Dominic

Semi-Pro
I get 3-4 hrs before breaking ...Pure Aero Tour..55lbs...
my usual steings
Yonex Poly Spin G
Super Smash Spikey
4G
 
MarTennis

MarTennis

Semi-Pro
gallen1999 said:
How long do your poly strings last before you either break them or cut them out?

Also, what guage and tension do you use?

For me, its 21-30 hours with Big Ace 17g at 52 pounds.
Click to expand...
Do you play with notched strings?

Sent from my Z955A using Tapatalk
 
S

scotus

G.O.A.T.
Most polys I cut out after 2 hitting sessions.

Tecnifibre HDX Tour plays well and holds tension until it breaks.
 
M

Mac33

Professional
I don't get you guys...

Been using Luxillon Alu Power at 48 pounds tension for the last 6 weeks or so.

I do not notice any drop in performance.

I expect it to last for 6 months. I play anywhere from two to six times per week. Around two hours a session,sets only.

I do hit the ball pretty flat though.

I would be broke re-stringing it every week!
 
Karma Tennis

Karma Tennis

Legend
Mac33 said:
I don't get you guys...

Been using Luxillon Alu Power at 48 pounds tension for the last 6 weeks or so.

I do not notice any drop in performance.

I expect it to last for 6 months. I play anywhere from two to six times per week. Around two hours a session,sets only.

I do hit the ball pretty flat though.

I would be broke re-stringing it every week!
Click to expand...

Some players have arms that are susceptible to the negative effects of well used poly string. The danger with many poly strings is that they can look visibly new well after they should have been replaced. Susceptibility depends on several factors which include player genetics, stroke technique, string bed stiffness, and physical characteristics of the actual racquet frame.

So in some cases, even though the string might look new, after several hours of hitting it could be contributing to tennis related arm injuries in the medium to long term. Many such injuries tend to creep up on a player.

Many of us prefer to be "safe" rather than "sorry". We restring poly at a regular interval regardless of what the string looks like or how it is performing when a restring is due.
 
B

bkr

Rookie
Mac33 said:
I don't get you guys...

Been using Luxillon Alu Power at 48 pounds tension for the last 6 weeks or so.

I do not notice any drop in performance.

I expect it to last for 6 months. I play anywhere from two to six times per week. Around two hours a session,sets only.

I do hit the ball pretty flat though.

I would be broke re-stringing it every week!
Click to expand...

I have Solinco tour bite 17 or 18G on RF97 and they seem to play well until I break them.I do hit flat as well and 18G breaks quickly but 17G lasts longer.
 
AgassiFan88

AgassiFan88

Rookie
I used a full bed of Sonic Pro (smooth/black) 16g and I get about 2 weeks of drills in before control goes out the window. Usually between 6-8 hours in those 2 weeks.
 
L

LocNetMonster

Professional
As Copolyx said there are way too many variables and I'll add the racquet/frame as one of them. Here's my rule of thumb;

  1. How long do your poly strings last before you either break them or cut them out?
I restring a stick after 3-4 weeks, probably after around 15-18 hrs of playing time. I don't break strings and barely notch them. Generally speaking, if I miss 3-4 down the line shots because the ball pulls/fades to the right out of bounds as it travels, it means its time to restring.

  1. Also, what guage and tension do you use?
Mostly 18 gauge, some 17s and may be some 16s once in a while. Tension range from 65# to 55# depending on the string brand and temperature.
 
tlm

tlm

G.O.A.T.
I usually use a new set for a match, but even for practice I don’t go past 12 hours much. To me there is nothing like new or freshly strung poly, if you get used to newer poly it’s hard to play with that old stiff crap.
 
Shroud

Shroud

G.O.A.T.
I used 4g in the crosses and manually prestretch. I cut it out after a few months when the tension is gone.
 
Bender

Bender

G.O.A.T.
Used to be about 6-8 hours with RPM, ALU, polys like that

I'm still using ALU (blue) but I'm either breaking them (sometimes in more than one place) or cutting them out due to some significant tension loss in just about 5 hours, 6 at most.

Thought it was just a bad stringjob but this has been going on for months, and even a temporary switch to Confidential did not change results. That one died after 4 hours.
 
Crashbaby

Crashbaby

Semi-Pro
I tend to use the racquet tune app, once the strings have lost 15% I cut them out, or if I reach 20 hours of play, cut them out regardless. To many players think they know better until they don’t.
Injury prevention aside, time is precious. Why would you spend valuable time playing with dead strings with reduced performance? You don’t play with dead balls, why play with dead strings??
 
socallefty

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
I use gut mains and poly crosses. Stiff polys like ALU Power last only 5-6 hours before they go dead and start feeling harsh. Soft polys like Cyclone, Cyclone Tour and Tour Bite Soft last 10-12 hours before the same things happens. I’ve found out that HyperG and HyperG Soft last longer between 18-20 hours and so, I’ve been using them as my cross with VS mains for the past six months. Since I break the gut mains around 15 hours, I usually end up breaking the gut before I have to cut out the HyperG hybrid string job.
 
Karma Tennis

Karma Tennis

Legend
socallefty said:
Since I break the gut mains around 15 hours, I usually end up breaking the gut before I have to cut out the HyperG hybrid string job.
Click to expand...

Hyper-G is a shaped string with edges - granted they aren't that sharp, edges nevertheless. Would you get more life out of your Gut mains with a smooth round cross Poly string? There are several of them available.
 
W

WNB93

Semi-Pro
Around the 9-12 hour mark I start to feel that the feel changes from a comfotable pop to a very uncomfortable bash...
Depends on the string and racket and who I play against. 4 hours of ball bashing down the middle does to my strings more harm than 3-4 matches that last 2 hours each because the rallies are usually really short...
 
sredna42

sredna42

Hall of Fame
Hyper G is really awesome for the first few sessions, then it opens up and stays a little softer and open and playable for a suprisingly long time (week or two) then it goes dead
 
socallefty

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
Karma Tennis said:
Hyper-G is a shaped string with edges - granted they aren't that sharp, edges nevertheless. Would you get more life out of your Gut mains with a smooth round cross Poly string? There are several of them available.
Click to expand...
Which round poly will last more than 15 hours without going dead and has as much spin as HyperG in a hybrid? ALU Power was great for only 4-5 hours. I plan to try Poly Tour Fire soon. 15 hours per string job is fine for me as the playability is good until then with HG and HGS.

My stringer does not stock Tier One or Kirschbaum.
 
N

NLBwell

Legend
I use gut/poly hybrid and play with it until the gut breaks.
As the gut wears through and poly goes dead the racket is rotated to a practice racket.
Not worried about arm issues with dead poly because of the comfortable gut and the tension loss, but it gets hard to control the ball.
 
Karma Tennis

Karma Tennis

Legend
socallefty said:
Which round poly will last more than 15 hours without going dead and has as much spin as HyperG in a hybrid?
Click to expand...

Wilson Revolve.
Wilson Revolve Twist.

Mantis Tour Polyester.
Mantis Power Polyester.
Mantis Comfort Polyester.

Or you could try a thick gauge Synthetic Gut like Wilson Synthetic Gut Power 15 or 16.
 
L

La Pavoni

Rookie
I've been suffering from arm problems this year and I've become very string sensitive.
I find that performance for me falls off a cliff at around the 8 hour mark (mixture of matches and drills).
This is pretty much for any hybrid that I've been trying recently of softer co-polys. YPTP and Cream etc.

It does make picking strings difficult. These hybrids cost me around £7 per set. I tend to break multis slightly quicker than this in a full bed. So as I get a nicer feel from the polys, it makes sense to just use them until I notice that they've started to lose their feel.

Switching from one whose performance has really dulled to a fresh (identical) racquet can be quite an eye opener.
 
Dartagnan64

Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
Mac33 said:
I don't get you guys...

Been using Luxillon Alu Power at 48 pounds tension for the last 6 weeks or so.

I do not notice any drop in performance.

I expect it to last for 6 months. I play anywhere from two to six times per week. Around two hours a session,sets only.

I do hit the ball pretty flat though.

I would be broke re-stringing it every week!
Click to expand...

If you hit flat, and don't break strings, why are you using poly. Just like to gamble with your arm?
 
Dartagnan64

Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
I just actually tested poly durability in my Phantom 107G. Cream broke at 44 hours. Of course the string bed was pretty shabby as far as control is concerned at that point. If I'd actually been playing anything other than social matches I'd have cut it out around 15-20 hrs.
 
G

greg280

Rookie
If i take out a 16x19 frame with alu power i will brake it in a 2 hour ball machine session. string savers help me get 3 non ball machine hits in before i break.
 
J

John Z.

Semi-Pro
gallen1999 said:
How long do your poly strings last before you either break them or cut them out?

Also, what guage and tension do you use?

For me, its 21-30 hours with Big Ace 17g at 52 pounds.
Click to expand...
Answers to these questions are entirely dependent of level of players, string gauge, and string pattern of your frame. For example, a string with 25h lifespan in 1.20 for an avg 3.5 could easily be done after 2.5h for an avg 5.5 even in 1.30 .
 
E

emkant

New User
I play with Yonex EZONE 98s, strung with a full bed of Solinco Hyper-G 16L between 47-51, depending on my mood and the season. I string my own rackets and have been monitoring the exacts on breaking/dead habits for the past few months. I pop a string every 4-6 hours, but typically toward the 4-4.5 hours mark. If they don't break (rare), they die after about 8 hours.

Of course, as many people have said above, this is largely contingent on a bunch of factors (type of ball you hit, level, tension, how often you play, etc). For my case, I'm a 5.5-6.0 (ex-college recruit), play 3-4 times a week, and hit with a ton of topspin. For years I played with Luxilon ALU Power, but was breaking it at the same frequency mentioned above, so I moved over to Solinco Hyper-G, which is a fraction of the price and for me, it plays really well and is super comfortable. Worth trying out if you haven't already. I hate that it's neon green, but doesn't deter me from using it, hah.

Maybe an odd opinion, but I think that Hyper-G plays at its peak toward the 3-4 hour mark of play, which for me, is when it is about to break.
 
Red001

Red001

New User
I am 4.0-4.5 club player. I never break poly strings but after 8-10 hours of playing on my level tension drops 16-20% and that is when I restring my racquets. I use ERT300 to measure tension drop, - tried and measured different poly strings all in gauge 1.18 -1.25 mm from Tecnifibre, Luxilon, Babolat, Solinco, MSV, Tier One, Volkl, Genesis, Tourna and several others - in general, results are the same. Exception is, - some brands have strings where I could play only 3-4 hours maximum before tension drops too much for my taste. I string for myself and friends at the club and have very few clients who bring racquets with broken strings, - vast majority my clients change strings when they feel that it became difficult to control depth, spin and/or accuracy.
 
LOBALOT

LOBALOT

Hall of Fame
I put down 6-10 hours as I usually get between 8-10 but I figured most would indicate a longer duration so I was really surprised that most people picked 6-10.

Two things come to mind.

The first is the string manufacturers really need to do something about that.

The second is a majority of the players that I string for that use full poly play with the stuff forever (i.e. until it snaps). One guy (a Doctor) insists on full poly and told me flat out he wants a string that "Lasts forever like ALU Power". I try to speak to them but frankly have given up unless they are older players or my pals.
 
T

travlerajm

Talk Tennis Guru
The trick to getting poly to last long while continuing to have excellent playing characteristics is to prevent:
A. Tension loss.
B. Notching of the mains.
C. Notching of the crosses.

I don’t always play poly, but when I do, I prestretch both mains and crosses manually very thoroughly until I can’t extend them further. And then I use a hybrid with poly in the mains and nylon in the crosses. It works.

A. The prestretching mostly eliminates tension loss. So the stringbed plays well for the long haul.

B. Putting nylon in the crosses, which has a softer surface than the poly mains, prevents the mains from notching. So it will take a really, really long time for the mains to break.

C. The synthetic gut crosses wear flatter into ribbon shape rather than denting or notching. This wear pattern is more comfortable on the arm. It also makes spin increase a bit as it wears.
 
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