If you have the same string or string one piece, just try same tension on mains and crosses first. See how it feels. If you go hybrid with softer poly in crosses (like my case with Wasabi/Wasabi X) then add 1kg or 2lbs to the cross.
I haven't tried Hyper G soft but I had full bed of Technifibre Triax in my Shift Pros. It's a very soft string and more multi-feeling experience than a typical poly. Triax is a multi but made of tiny polyester fibers. I had to ditch the dampner to get some kind of response from the frame and I'm glad I did that. I don't use a dampner with Shift Pros anymore even for full stiff poly like Tourna Silver 7 Tour and I love the extra response and feel. I noticed that there's no super-annoying high-pitched pingy sound that all other rackets have. Takes maybe 30 minutes of hitting to get used to [if you always played with damps] but imo definitely worth trying.
I ve tried triax in the past. Probably my favourite multi….. because it feels like a hybrid between multi and poly and less mushy/muted like most multis. Silver Tour 7 is crisp and connected but to me felt kinda medium to low power. What’s your main string right now ? Now i strung it with 1.20 confidential. My main string on my blade v5 is 4G.
I have Wasabi/Wasabi X on my prototype Shift Pro and Tecnifibre Razor Soft/Triax on a retail Shift Pro at the moment. If I'm playing a tournament tomorrow I'd string one of them (the looser one) with Silver Tour 7 or Solinco Confidential.
Well, hello Wilson QC… never know what you are going to get..Mystery solved. Static weight is on spec. But balance off. As a result i have a very very low SW. So here are my specs:
Unstrung:313,5gr/ 284,5SW /30,8BL
TBS 1.20:330gr / 312SW / 31,8BL
I ditched 1.20 tour byte soft and string it with HyperG soft 1.25:
331,6 / 317,5SW / 31,9
I added the missing 1,5gr on 12:
333,1gr / 324SW / 32,1BL
So in conclusion:
1)1.20mm string adds to shift around 27points.
2)1.25mm string adds around 33 points.
3)In stock form with 1.20 TBS I had very fast reactions with the low 312SW but I noticed a minor instability at 3/9 on volleys which were out of the sweet spot. In general i did not have stability issues even against big hitters….. also i am amazed how much of a heavy ball i was producing with such low SW….maybe because the static weight is spot on ??
So for my playstyle i am looking for a shift with an unstrung SW in the range of 285-292!
My next phase of testing is to evaluate if my launch angle is shorter with 1.25 cause with 1.20 was just perfect. Also to evaluate if the increased SW affects my performance.
My stringer also told my that he hasn’t seen so many holes on the down side of the head (crosses) on a 18x20 pattern. I didn’t understand what he was telling me and didn’t bother to ask him to explain it to me ?
I have both versions and they are nearly identical. Some reviewers reported slightly higher vertical flex on retail version, I personally didn't feel that.
18x20 definitely helps to control flatter shots. tbh if you hit only real fast and flat with very little topspin and slice, Shift Pro might not be the best fit for you.
Retail. You should be intrigued cause i still play with blade V5
Yes, 10 mains partly also the vertical flex helps to create extra spin. But if you hit faster and flatter might spray, land a bunch of shots long. Slightly tighter crosses as compared to mains is a solution! This review there I first heard about tighter crosses for Shift Pro:
Can’t help you enough on the flat shot question. As for reviewers raving about the spin potential of shift is wrong because it’s not on Aeros level for example. Shift has sth weird…. a unique pop and better spin potential than ultra/clash for example but you have to extract it with your technique like with extreme tour….. it doesn’t comes by default like those traditional tweeners. My swing style is pure flattish (back swing and just come forward….. i get rarely under the ball when i have time to load) but I apply as many top spin as i can. It’s a powerful frame for sure so you must be careful to make proper contact… but when you do it it’s all about control if you know what i mean. It’s not like clash that some balls will sail with no reason. You always get the feedback of what is going on.
That razor soft….. such a demanding string in full bed. Glad you make it work. How is your toroline playtest progressing ? Hype or the real deal ?
It’s on my demo list, as it seems to provide something unique. Might be hard to fully appreciate exactly what it does without testing it.
Considering Wilson’s QC I hope you to find sth manageable. What is your main racquet right now ?
Agreed - I have a fairly flat two handed backhand, and had no problem with hitting a flatter ball with this stick - in fact, the plow through this racquet provides really helped my backhand.
I weight up my sticks a lot. Currently using a Prostaff BLX 6.1 Team 18x20 modified up to 370sw.
Haven’t played it with it but everything that had the BLX on it was top notch in terms of ball connection. I owned for example the 2 BLX editions of six one 95.
Yeah also to add that shift pro has the "classic Blade sink" of the ball on the stringbed so you have time to launch it properly with proper contact. It’s not like those stiff 100 inch tweeners that your balls can sail long even with half follow thought. Kudos to babolat that made the latest aero 100 more plush / denser in the middle and pissed off it’s fanbase
The team version actually has a more open pattern and softer layup then the regular one.
Great analysis. Having very similar thoughts.
I’m not using full bed of Razor Soft but with Triax in crosses. I really like that setup but I love Wasabi/Wasabi X. Razor Soft + Triax might a bit more powerful but still kind of harsh at 53lbs, I sometimes get unpredictable launch of this string bed on flatter faster strokes and lastly it’s expensive and I snap Triax within 7-10h of hitting. This hybrid has an awesome feel though! Wasabi/Wasabi X at 52lbs might be the best set I’ve tried with my Shift Pros. Great control, lots of spin and pop and incredible feel. And I can hit up to 15h with the thing. Definitely a keeper, I don’t think I’m going even to try other strings from Toroline. I tried only Enzo Pro and it was just okay before stringing this green Wasabi/blue Wasabi X combo. Bottom line, not a hype and really inexpensive (with sales) to try them for yourself
I have one of these sticks too but mine is around 350sw. Really fun frame to hit with!
Pink wasabi with a pink Wilson pro would look even betterI’m not using full bed of Razor Soft but with Triax in crosses. I really like that setup but I love Wasabi/Wasabi X. Razor Soft + Triax might a bit more powerful but still kind of harsh at 53lbs, I sometimes get unpredictable launch of this string bed on flatter faster strokes and lastly it’s expensive and I snap Triax within 7-10h of hitting. This hybrid has an awesome feel though! Wasabi/Wasabi X at 52lbs might be the best set I’ve tried with my Shift Pros. Great control, lots of spin and pop and incredible feel. And I can hit up to 15h with the thing. Definitely a keeper, I don’t think I’m going even to try other strings from Toroline. I tried only Enzo Pro and it was just okay before stringing this green Wasabi/blue Wasabi X combo. Bottom line, not a hype and really inexpensive (with sales) to try them for yourself
I never paid attention to the matching colors, always use the same white OGs for last 10 years with a bunch of different racquets. I don't think I've ever even considered rackets looks before. My tennis amigos were like "wow, this Yonex or Babolat is SO ugly" and I really don't care if the frame is killer in my hands. And poly strings, there are all kinds of colors nowadays. I referred to green Wasabi and blue Wasabi X because the same string in a different color might have slightly different performance. Known fact that darker strings are stiffer and maintain tension better due to the added dye as compared to their lighter siblings, good example RPM Blast. Also, if you call your string Wasabi, it better be greenPink wasabi with a pink Wilson pro would look even better
Gotta try these Mayami strings someday. Shame on me for not trying yet, especially considering I'm living in the Miami area...
I am waiting my samples of toroline and tour hex. The 2 famous offerings from Grapplesnake (M8 and tour sniper) were decent but not my cup of tea. Let’s see how it goes with the other ones.
That’s why I always question TW’s reviews of basically any Wilson frame coz they always use Alu Power. I tried 4G too, it was okay for a hybrid with multi but nothing extra special even in terms of tension maintenance which Lux claims to be otherworldly…
Just snapped my Wasabi/Wasabi X 52/53lbs after a month (and over 20h) of hitting. It was very controllable and nice feeling until the last moment. This hybrid lost only 6lbs in a month, was at 46.8lbs right before the last hit. That’s according to RacketTune. I’m officially switching to Toroline and will play my next tourney with this hybrid. The only thing to note that I do 10% pre-stretch on my stringing machine to avoid initial and basically immediate tension loss that most/all polys have. You brought up Grapplesnake and it’s one of exceptions as it’s already pre-stretched.
Did you test wasabi full bed, super toro, caviar, k pop and k pro ?
No, I tried Enzo Pro full bed and Wasabi in a hybrid with Technifibre Ice Code and didn’t like both of them at all. Cut them off after a couple of hitting sessions. Then I watched someone’s review of mixing Wasabi and Wasabi X in crosses, I’ll try to find it in my YouTube history. That was before Toroline released that exact hybrid set. So I decided to try it and it took me an hour or two to fully dial with it. I went 54/55 first time, a bit too high I guess and needed some tension loss to get the feel. Next two times I went 53/54 and 52/53 and they felt awesome from getgo. Just restrung another one at 52/53 today! And this review (after this hybrid was released) completely convinced me that this hybrid is the best besides I’m hitting like a beast now both on clay and hard courts. You know I might want to try other Toroline strings and hybrids but I’ll just settle on green Wasabi mixed with blue Wasabi X for now. All my hitting folks are a bit stunned with the depth and power coupled with spins, slices, drop shots etc.
What’s your take in terms of feel and ball connection ? Some say they are more muted than solinco offerings for example. You said that you didnt enjoy 4G that much on shift pro….. but what about ball feedback ?
I actually liked Solinco Hyper G 16 gauge in mains with Ice Code 17 in crosses in my Shifts. The only thing is its tension maintenance was way below average even in 1.30mm. Confidential 1.25mm full bed is a great option, lower powered, less muted and crisper than above mentioned Hyper G/Ice Code plus better durability and tens maintenance. I never got full bed of 4G 1.25, it was one of the first sets on Shifts I tried with Yonex Rexis multi in crosses. 4G is a known elbow killer and Shift is on a stiffer side on flat shots and off center contacts. This hydrid was kind of anemic, not much feel, no extra power you would expect from Rexis. So I cut it off even before breaking multi which is unusual for me. Wasabi/Wasabi X feels awesome on contact (w/o dampner) not too stiff not too muted, just the right amount of crispiness and feedback. Besides due to incredible snapback [which Solinco strings don’t have], you get higher spin levels, great tension maintenance and durability. And that lasts until you snap the thing while Solinco Hyper G or Confidential, I always cut them off after 10-15h of play.
Kind of lost my interest in trying K-pop and probably other Torolines after seeing this. Smooth slick round poly in crosses is obviously going to be better in poly-poly hybrids. The reason why Wasabi/Wasabi X rocks!
Thanks for the info. I have ordered wasabi and wasabi X and waiting for my order. I have Wilson shift Pro and Nadal Origin. I am going to use the Wasabi mains and Wasabi X crosses hybrid setup. I normally use 52 LBS Hyper G 16L fullbed. This time I will try your tensions 52x53. I have some questions; why not 2 pound difference, should I use 52x53 also for Nadal Origin or a different tension. What can be the effect if we change the order of wasabi and wasabi x if we are not a string breaker. I am not in US so it's a little bit difficult for me to try the different setups. Thanks again.
You got two quite different rackets, pal. I used 52x53 with Wasabi/Wasabi X in my Shift Pro because cross string is a little stiffer than the main. Then I use the same string say Solinco Confidential, the tensions would be 50 mains/52 crosses. Generally lower tensions used for 18x20 frames as Babolat is a really open 16x19. I think it might be worth switching to Wasabi X mains and Wasabi crosses in Nadal Origin, this way you’ll get slightly less spin as Wasabi X is a smooth round poly with less bite than square-profile Wasabi. But it’s an advice for non-string breaker as you mentioned. Expect better durability with slick round poly (Wasabi X) in crosses.
Thanks for the reply. For shift pro 52x53, wasabi,wasabi x and for Nadal 52x53 wasabi x, wasabi. So this is the way for NOT string breakers. Or something different. Thanks again.
You are welcome. If I was stringing these 2 frames for myself, I'd go Wasabi mains at 51lbs, Wasabi X crosses at 52 on Shift Pro. Then Wasabi X mains at 54lbs and Wasabi crosses at 53 on Nadal's Aero. You want to have 2-3 lbs lower tensions on 18x20 as opposed to 16x19 to have similar/same dynamic tensions on both stringbeds. I hope that makes sense and you'll like these hybrids in both of the frames. #HappyHitting
My issue with gen 3 was that it felt so much different than project one and i am not referring to feel that gen 3 became more muted. I couldn’t stand the long throat and the head was far away the grip so it never felt natural holding it. 98s strikes and 100 felt to me having very small sweet spots….. the only exception was strike tour….. it was more plush and more natural to swing but the swing weight was unbearable. Project one to me was more like a blade but the feel was sooo harsh. Gen 3s mold was like playing with an ezone 98….. while shift is like a 99 version of blade with a tubular throat….. but the weight distribution feels like a blade…… solid in the head and with substance not hollow and like a toy.
So gen4 is even more muted and there’s no Tour version available (yet). From past memories Strike VS felt better than new Strike 97. All 3 Strikes gen4 I tried today didn’t exactly feel hollow, that was a thing of a couple Yonex-es I used before. There was hollowness at top of the hoop. I believe it’s been addressed for latest Percepts. Might demo 97 and 97HD at some point. I like Blade v8 18x20 better than any of Pure Strikes but it still lacks some substance and crispness, extra put away power then needed. Shift Pro got it all though
Still too many racquets to demo. New blades and new CXs. I also have to demo those 2 100 inch strikes.So gen4 is even more muted and there’s no Tour version available (yet). From past memories Strike VS felt better than new Strike 97. All 3 Strikes gen4 I tried today didn’t exactly feel hollow, that was a thing of a couple Yonex-es I used before. There was hollowness at top of the hoop. I believe it’s been addressed for latest Percepts. Might demo 97 and 97HD at some point. I like Blade v8 18x20 better than any of Pure Strikes but it still lacks some substance and crispness, extra put away power then needed. Shift Pro got it all though
These two new Pure Strike 100s have very open 16 mains. Pure Strike 98 (16x19) has much more closed pattern, might be a better match to Shift Pro’s. That frame was not on my friend’s demo though.
