2012 Kirschbaum Playtest - Super Smash Orange 17

[bigmalik76]

Just finished playing an indoor tournament this past weekend with my playtest string. Playability is still there and it's been 18 hours.

I actually went ahead and bought a bunch of packs since I saw the $16 four pack deal the weekend after Thanksgiving.

I'm switching to this for the time being over my SPPP/synthetic gut hybrid. I've even updated my signature!

Here's my original review: http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=7029322&postcount=87

I strung it at 48 and really liked it but felt it might have played a bit crisper at 50. are you going to increase/decrease the tension in future setups or was 47 the right tension for you?

Where are you in the Bay Area?

 

[mad dog1]

just placed an order for a few packs of the 16 and 17g! i really like 16g Red Code and Outlast in open pattern sticks so i'm hoping this will also be comparable.

 

[jonnyjack]

I strung it at 48 and really liked it but felt it might have played a bit crisper at 50. are you going to increase/decrease the tension in future setups or was 47 the right tension for you?

Where are you in the Bay Area?

47 worked for me. I don't normally play full bed poly. I'm going to try a hybrid next and also see how it plays in my RDiS 100 MP. I just picked up the RDiS 200 but not going to break those out until spring time. Only have two more combo matches and then it's just going to be practice time until April when 4.0 starts back up!

I'm in Fremont area but play as far south as San Jose and as far north as Oakland sometimes. How about you?

 

[mad dog1]

^^ if you like the RDiS 100 MP, i wonder how you're gonna like the RDiS 200. i had them both at the same time and really liked the 100 MP but the stiffness ultimately got to my shoulder. even though the 200 was softer and easier on my shoulder, it just never felt quite right. something just felt off.

 

[jonnyjack]

^^ if you like the RDiS 100 MP, i wonder how you're gonna like the RDiS 200. i had them both at the same time and really liked the 100 MP but the stiffness ultimately got to my shoulder. even though the 200 was softer and easier on my shoulder, it just never felt quite right. something just felt off.

I have never hit with the RDiS 200 before. Actually, all three Yonex models I own, I bought without playtesting. I really like the RDS 003 and RDiS 100 so I hope the 200 follows that pattern. They were so cheap, I figured it was worth the risk.

I don't quite have enough power with the 100 but the control and volleys are way better than the 003 so hopefully the 200 is right in between.

And to keep this post relevant in this thread. I think a full bed of Super Smash Orange in the 200 should play well since I keep reading how soft that racquet is. For my 100, I think I better stick with a hybrid.

I'll shoot you an email in a few months when I finally string up the 200 and let you know!

 

[mad dog1]

I have never hit with the RDiS 200 before. Actually, all three Yonex models I own, I bought without playtesting. I really like the RDS 003 and RDiS 100 so I hope the 200 follows that pattern. They were so cheap, I figured it was worth the risk.

I don't quite have enough power with the 100 but the control and volleys are way better than the 003 so hopefully the 200 is right in between.

And to keep this post relevant in this thread. I think a full bed of Super Smash Orange in the 200 should play well since I keep reading how soft that racquet is. For my 100, I think I better stick with a hybrid.

I'll shoot you an email in a few months when I finally string up the 200 and let you know!

yeah, the RDiS 100 is fairly low powered. i tried adding 2 grams of lead each at 3 and 9 but that completely deadened the feel of the stringbed. the 200 is more powerful, but it didn't swing the same as the 100 even though the weight and balance were identical.

and i also think a full bed of super smash will work well in the 200.

 

[bigmalik76]

47 worked for me. I don't normally play full bed poly. I'm going to try a hybrid next and also see how it plays in my RDiS 100 MP. I just picked up the RDiS 200 but not going to break those out until spring time. Only have two more combo matches and then it's just going to be practice time until April when 4.0 starts back up!

I'm in Fremont area but play as far south as San Jose and as far north as Oakland sometimes. How about you?

I play in Sunnyvale during the week at lunchtime (depending on my work schedule). Other than that I play in Gilroy (just moved this way recently used to be in SJ), Morgan Hill, sometimes South San Jose. I will send you a message maybe we can hit sometime.

 

[Nostradamus]

is this any good compared to proline 2 ?

 

[db10s]

TW, have you thought about un-stickying this thread, since the last post was approx. a month ago?

 

[Dan D]

Tension used for playtest: 48 lbs

Regular string set up: Babolat Tonic 15L at 54lbs (mains) and Babolat RPM Team 17 at 54 lbs (crosses)

Racquet brand and model used for test: Head Youtek Radical Pro

Power of test string: I felt that the string was low on the power side. Similar to my experience with Proline 2 and B5E in full string beds and less powerful than RPM Blast and Team. Before this test I was unaware that Kirschbaum pre-stretched their strings with would be my guess why this seemed so low powered.

Feel: I enjoyed the feel of this string and compare it favorably to Proline 2 and RPM Blast except it maintains its feel longer than the latter. I didn't feel as though this required a break in period and I was pleasantly surprised considering I normally play a gut hybrid.

Spin: I felt this was one of the string's stronger qualities. I play with a lot of spin as it is and this accentuated it in a good way. I was unafraid of taking large swings even with a tension lower than I'm used to. I am very much looking forward to trying this as a cross with the gut mains.

Comfort: Again I was pleasantly surprised with this string. Comfort was very good and despite having a gimpy wrist I was able to play pain free throughout the two weeks the strings held up.

Durability: String broke after 2 weeks of play. Three times a week about 2 hours plus each session. That's about normal for me when playing a full bed of poly.

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time): The string maintained what I consider adequate playability until it broke. For the entire two weeks the strings snapped back into place and very little adjustment if any was required after a tennis session. The string maintained comfort and spin the entire playtest which I think is due to the string being pre-stretched. I know it's said pre-stretching poly is a bad idea but who am I to tell Kirschbaum that?

Control (predictable trajectory? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?): Control for this string was top notch the entire play test. No surprises with trajectory and there were no hot spots. Very consistent string which rewards you with very consistent play for at least two weeks and possibly longer.

Compare to the string you use most often: It's hard to compare it to a gut hybrid but I felt like my normal string had more comfort (obviously) but was less predictable. Sometimes the gut can send one flying if you're not careful where that was not the case with the test string. As I mentioned before this could be a good candidate for a cross string to help tame the gut. The test string was firm, controlled and comfortable.

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?): I would stick with the same tension but anyone playing this in a full bed I would recommend tensions in the 40's. The string is low powered and a full bed in the 50's would require more work than I'm prepared to give and I think it would be the case with most players as well.

Summary: List 1 or 2 primary likes and dislikes.: I really enjoyed the control this string provides and the amount of spin it helped me generate. I think it would make and EXCELLENT cross with gut but is still a great string for players who like full poly. I also enjoyed the way the string maintained playability for the length of the playtest. My only dislike (if it could be called that) is the comfort is not on par with my usual string setup and I feel like my days with a full poly are over. Overall I would say this is an excellent string on par with the best offerings from Kirschbaum and this will get a further look from me when released.

Hi @I Heart Thomas Muster,

If you compare the Super Smash Orange (SSO) with RPM Blast how SSO is? My question is bc I played with Blast and I am interested to test SSO bc. like you mentioned, this is pre-stretched. I think this characteristic should be good to my play style. I've played with Lynx but it was to flexible and to lively. The control was to low. Blast was fine but a little bit to strong for my arm.