2023 pure aero string for wrist pain

[bigapple33]

Hi everyone. I currently use a 2018 PA with Babolat RPM Blast at 55 pounds and start getting pain on my hand near the wrist. I am considering getting the Pure Aero 2023 which is less stiff than my current racket and get gut or hybrid string. I read online and most of the string recommendation for this racket is RPM blast because of great spin feature. I wonder if anyone tries hybrid or gut string for this racket? I like the spin feature and want to continue with it. But I am also open to other racket options if gut string doesnt work well with this one.

thank you.

 

[bigapple33]

if I can use hybrid or gut string, should I still get 55 pounds like I have for the RPM or should I adjust that as well?

 

[Crimsonchen]

You could try switching to a thinner gauge of string, switching to a softer string like hyper g soft, lowering the tension, or doing a hybrid. Rpm blast is a pretty stiff string

 

[iceman_dl6]

Try Luxilon Element. I have it on my 2018 Pure Drive Tour Plus and it is an arm friendly and comfy poly but with decent control and spin.

 

[bigapple33]

Try Luxilon Element. I have it on my 2018 Pure Drive Tour Plus and it is an arm friendly and comfy poly but with decent control and spin.

thank you for your recommendation.

 

[bigapple33]

Try Luxilon Element. I have it on my 2018 Pure Drive Tour Plus and it is an arm friendly and comfy poly but with decent control and spin.

thank you. i will take a look at that.

You could try switching to a thinner gauge of string, switching to a softer string like hyper g soft, lowering the tension, or doing a hybrid. Rpm blast is a pretty stiff string

thank you

 

[Power Player]

I would not do element. I have a reel and have been using it a lot. The problem with element is it notches very fast if you hit hard and once it stops moving it will send vibrations down the arm. So if you do use element, treat it as a 4 hour setup like most Lux strings.

What I suggest is the thinner gauge polys. I use 1.15 solincos in my pa23 and the playability is great. No arm pain. Awesome feel and spin. Just a better experience than element for me.

 

[Lack]

Which part of the wrist if I may ask

 

[g4driver]

Hi everyone. I currently use a 2018 PA with Babolat RPM Blast at 55 pounds and start getting pain on my hand near the wrist.

I wonder if anyone tries hybrid or gut string for this racket? I like the spin feature and want to continue with it. But I am also open to other racket options if gut string doesnt work well with this one.

thank you.

I have four PA+ models that were sold 2016-17-18 day glow yellow/green not the 2019 weeks old Banana PA

There are better strings choices for anyone with wrist/elbow/arm pain and you should be able to create spin with a PA regardless of string with it's Uber open 16x19 pattern.

My PA+ frames :
2x HGS 54M 1.25mm/ GW 52X 1.22mm
2X Lux NG 58M 1.30mm / GW 56X 1.22mm

The gut / GW setups are super soft and more powerful hence higher tension on those frames.

 

[sajlent555]

I also had wrist pain.

Now after 2 week break I strung my ezone 98 with MSV Swift 1.25 and it's very comfortable. Zero pain during my 2,5h session.

I strung at 21kg and it's a lil bit launchy.

 

[Teddie]

I also had wrist pain.

Now after 2 week break I strung my ezone 98 with MSV Swift 1.25 and it's very comfortable. Zero pain during my 2,5h session.

I strung at 21kg and it's a lil bit launchy.

the pain usually feels the next day or so... haven't you?

 

[sajlent555]

the pain usually feels the next day or so... haven't you?

Nope. My wrist is fine. My hand (upper part) was a lil bit sore yesterday right after playing but today is better. So it didn't get worse I much rather feel my thighs and legs after that 2week break.

I did some wrist and hand stretching yesterday after playing tho. Still not 100% recovered but at least I don't feel wrist pain everytime I hit a forehand.

 

[Winners or Errors]

Are there any strings that can make that racquet arm friendly?

 

[Trip]

@bigapple33 - Not entirely surprising with RPM @ 55 in a frame as stiff and raw as the PA19. It also doesn't help that RPM's silicone oil coating tends to wear off anywhere between 1 and 5 hours, and at that point any semblance of arm-friendliness is more or less completely removed.

That said, you may not gain enough comfort by replacing one full-bed of poly with another, at any level of softness, but if you'd at least like to try, I'd recommend the following more comfortable alternatives that have similar playability and usually better longevity:

6-10 Sided (some twisted) Shaped:
- Gamma Jet
- Genesis Heptonic
- Gosen G-Spin 3
- MSV Focus Hex Soft (also FH +25, FH +38 if needed), Hepta Twist
- Signum Pro Thunderstorm (10-sided, twisted)
- Tourna Big Hitter Black 7
- Volkl Cyclone Tour 16 (don't bother with 17 or 18, they pale in comparison)
- Yonex Poly Tour Rev
- YTEX Quadro-Twist, Square-X, Octo-Twist

Round:
- Gosen G-Tour 3
- IsoSpeed Cream
- MSV Swift
- Tier One Ghost Wire
- Yonex Poly Tour Pro
- YTEX ProTour

Optionally, you could do a P/P hybrid, of one of the shaped mains from the above list, with one of the round crosses.

As you try out strings, first try dropping tension in that gauge your used to, then reduce gauge, then decrement tension again.

If none of the above works, I would look at hybriding natural gut or durable multi mains (Multifeel, Quasi Gut Armor, etc.) with a slick but gentle poly cross like Ghost Wire, Swift or Cream.

If that fails, too, then hybrid gut mains with Multifeel crosses (ie. arguable the slickest non-poly synthetic out there), and if that fails, full-bed natural gut.

Beyond that, you could add weight to the frame to try and increase comfort, but otherwise, new frame altogether.

 

[Steve Huff]

If money isn't a big deal, I'd string it with a natural gut at 60#. I think you'll get just as much spin, and a lot more comfort.

 

[Deleted member 775108]

Hi everyone. I currently use a 2018 PA with Babolat RPM Blast at 55 pounds and start getting pain on my hand near the wrist. I am considering getting the Pure Aero 2023 which is less stiff than my current racket and get gut or hybrid string. I read online and most of the string recommendation for this racket is RPM blast because of great spin feature. I wonder if anyone tries hybrid or gut string for this racket? I like the spin feature and want to continue with it. But I am also open to other racket options if gut string doesnt work well with this one.

thank you.

Are you a string breaker? If so how many hours do you get on the bed?

 

[bigapple33]

Are you a string breaker? If so how many hours do you get on the bed?

no. I never broke any string. I play 4-5 times a week. From March to today I have played 55 hours in total. Not sure if it's the tension of the string or if I overused my arm, either way, I want to have arm friendly option so that i can continue to play.

let me correct that. i used the same string with 52 lbs before and restrung my racket with 55 lbs at the end of March. I have played for about 20 hours since then. is it time to restring again?

 

[bigapple33]

If money isn't a big deal, I'd string it with a natural gut at 60#. I think you'll get just as much spin, and a lot more comfort.

can I string natural gut on pure aero? I asked the tw specialist and they said they won't recommend natural gut for this racket. so I was thinking if I should get a different racket, such as head speed mp. I have the Clash which is the least stiff racket but I don't like it. I enjoy the spin and power that PA brought to me and want something similar, but less harmful to the arm.

 

[bigapple33]

@bigapple33 - Not entirely surprising with RPM @ 55 in a frame as stiff and raw as the PA19. It also doesn't help that RPM's silicone oil coating tends to wear off anywhere between 1 and 5 hours, and at that point any semblance of arm-friendliness is more or less completely removed.

That said, you may not gain enough comfort by replacing one full-bed of poly with another, at any level of softness, but if you'd at least like to try, I'd recommend the following more comfortable alternatives that have similar playability and usually better longevity:

6-10 Sided (some twisted) Shaped:
- Gamma Jet
- Genesis Heptonic
- Gosen G-Spin 3
- MSV Focus Hex Soft (also FH +25, FH +38 if needed), Hepta Twist
- Signum Pro Thunderstorm (10-sided, twisted)
- Tourna Big Hitter Black 7
- Volkl Cyclone Tour 16 (don't bother with 17 or 18, they pale in comparison)
- Yonex Poly Tour Rev
- YTEX Quadro-Twist, Square-X, Octo-Twist

Round:
- Gosen G-Tour 3
- IsoSpeed Cream
- MSV Swift
- Tier One Ghost Wire
- Yonex Poly Tour Pro
- YTEX ProTour

Optionally, you could do a P/P hybrid, of one of the shaped mains from the above list, with one of the round crosses.

As you try out strings, first try dropping tension in that gauge your used to, then reduce gauge, then decrement tension again.

If none of the above works, I would look at hybriding natural gut or durable multi mains (Multifeel, Quasi Gut Armor, etc.) with a slick but gentle poly cross like Ghost Wire, Swift or Cream.

If that fails, too, then hybrid gut mains with Multifeel crosses (ie. arguable the slickest non-poly synthetic out there), and if that fails, full-bed natural gut.

Beyond that, you could add weight to the frame to try and increase comfort, but otherwise, new frame altogether.

thank you for spending time and giving me such detailed responses and recommendations. I am going to try a heavier racket (currently 285g and will order a 300g). i am going to try the strings you mentioned. thanks a lot.

 

[bigapple33]

Which part of the wrist if I may ask

it's the hand close to the pinky side. I think my wrist is fine. it's the hand and forearm, but on the pinky side, not the thumb side. i did some research online. it may not be tennis elbow.

 

[bigapple33]

I have four PA+ models that were sold 2016-17-18 day glow yellow/green not the 2019 weeks old Banana PA

There are better strings choices for anyone with wrist/elbow/arm pain and you should be able to create spin with a PA regardless of string with it's Uber open 16x19 pattern.

My PA+ frames :
2x HGS 54M 1.25mm/ GW 52X 1.22mm
2X Lux NG 58M 1.30mm / GW 56X 1.22mm

The gut / GW setups are super soft and more powerful hence higher tension on those frames.

thanks for sharing. i will try these next time.

 

[bigapple33]

I would not do element. I have a reel and have been using it a lot. The problem with element is it notches very fast if you hit hard and once it stops moving it will send vibrations down the arm. So if you do use element, treat it as a 4 hour setup like most Lux strings.

What I suggest is the thinner gauge polys. I use 1.15 solincos in my pa23 and the playability is great. No arm pain. Awesome feel and spin. Just a better experience than element for me.

I definitely will try a thinner gauge. thank you.

 

[Deleted member 775108]

no. I never broke any string. I play 4-5 times a week. From March to today I have played 55 hours in total. Not sure if it's the tension of the string or if I overused my arm, either way, I want to have arm friendly option so that i can continue to play.

Scary!

The string probably died completely 45 hours ago and every vibration since then has been going straight to your arm and shoulder. My recommendation for now - Get a reel of synthetic guy and string at 58-62 lbs. I recommend Kirschbaum Synthetic Gut 16 - available for $29/reel (should work for 17 restrings so you dont have to play with a string for 55 hours ever again)

 

[bigapple33]

Scary!

The string probably died completely 45 hours ago and every vibration since then has been going straight to your arm and shoulder. My recommendation for now - Get a reel of synthetic guy and string at 58-62 lbs. I recommend Kirschbaum Synthetic Gut 16 - available for $29/reel (should work for 17 restrings so you dont have to play with a string for 55 hours ever again)

my instructor said i should restring my racket the same as how many times i play a week. so if i play 4-5 times a week, he said i should restring 4-5 times a year, which is every 2-3 months. does poly go dead sooner than other strings? shall I restring more often? sorry for a lot of questions. I am still new to this tennis world and trying to learn here.

 

[Deleted member 775108]

my instructor said i should restring my racket the same as how many times i play a week. so if i play 4-5 times a week, he said i should restring 4-5 times a year, which is every 2-3 months. does poly go dead sooner than other strings? shall I restring more often? sorry for a lot of questions. I am still new to this tennis world and trying to learn here.

Play with multi-filament or synthetic gut and that rule is pretty good. In my experience Multi-filaments are overrated. They play very similar to synthetic gut but cost a lot more - some like Multi-feel might be an exception as they do seem to offer a little more than a regular synthetic gut and price/performance ratio is good.

RPM Blast loses it elasticity faster than many other poly strings so it is worse than even other polys.

 

[Power Player]

my instructor said i should restring my racket the same as how many times i play a week. so if i play 4-5 times a week, he said i should restring 4-5 times a year, which is every 2-3 months. does poly go dead sooner than other strings? shall I restring more often? sorry for a lot of questions. I am still new to this tennis world and trying to learn here.

Poly dies every 6-10 hours at most. Its easy to see because it notches and stops moving. You should seriously conisder synthetic gut, or a better option if you don't restring much is natural gut.

Poly is for players who restring or break after every 3-4 matches

 

[Lack]

I think it is best for you to communicate with your instructor before making any switch with your equipment. Poly does die fast but it depends on how hard your opponent and you are hitting the ball back and forth. If your instructor told you to change every 2 - 3 months, then I believe it is because the level of play isn't extreme enough yet to change frequently.
Since you said that your hand and your forearm on the pinkie side hurts, it could be because you use too much ulnar deviation instead of radial deviation during the swing. Or it could be because you have your wrist positioned uncomfortably on your daily activity maybe when using a laptop or something.

 

[bigapple33]

I think it is best for you to communicate with your instructor before making any switch with your equipment. Poly does die fast but it depends on how hard your opponent and you are hitting the ball back and forth. If your instructor told you to change every 2 - 3 months, then I believe it is because the level of play isn't extreme enough yet to change frequently.
Since you said that your hand and your forearm on the pinkie side hurts, it could be because you use too much ulnar deviation instead of radial deviation during the swing. Or it could be because you have your wrist positioned uncomfortably on your daily activity maybe when using a laptop or something.

You are right. I just started learning tennis last year and I am at the advanced beginner level. My instructor pointed out the issue that I grab my racket too tight. Also I bend my arm too early before I hit it forward, and not have a straight arm when I hit with my forehand.

The string service in nyc is not cheap. I prefer to have a string that I don’t need to restring every week. I am going to look at other string options you listed. Thank you very much for your help.

 

[Lack]

Yes, bending your elbow too early before the impact can cause stress on your ulnar nerve. I think you have an amazing instructor and I hope this can lead to you being able to use whatever equipment you want to use without any arm issue in the future. Cheers

 

[Power Player]

You are right. I just started learning tennis last year and I am at the advanced beginner level. My instructor pointed out the issue that I grab my racket too tight. Also I bend my arm too early before I hit it forward, and not have a straight arm when I hit with my forehand.

The string service in nyc is not cheap. I prefer to have a string that I don’t need to restring every week. I am going to look at other string options you listed. Thank you very much for your help.

Synthetic gut is all you need right now. It's inexpensive and will last. If you want to ride in a cadillac, try natural gut. Mid 50's tension should work either way.

A really nice syn gut is forten sweet. I love that one. You could try a thicker gauge and get longer life out of it.

 

[badmice2]

can I string natural gut on pure aero? I asked the tw specialist and they said they won't recommend natural gut for this racket. so I was thinking if I should get a different racket, such as head speed mp. I have the Clash which is the least stiff racket but I don't like it. I enjoy the spin and power that PA brought to me and want something similar, but less harmful to the arm.

You can put NG on any stick. A big reason why TW might not recommend it is PA is known to eat strings. Assuming you hit a lot of spin, breakage is not worth the cost. Which means at the end of day it really depends on your game and your breakage cadence.

55lbs on the PA is high. As someone pointed out, maybe use a higher gauge? Though NG > thin gauge poly.

 

[Hawks9451]

Triax 16 ga

 

[born_hard]

Be carful with the wrist pain, it builds up slow and you dont see it coming and teh BAAAM , you have an injury which will cost you 1 year to heal up...So buy a wrist brace , corrrect your technique and dont overuse it, If it hurts stop playing for a couple weeks, Look up you tube videos for stretching and strengthening. Buy a softer racket and play softer strings.

 

[HeavyHitter]

RPM Blast when fresh plays very nice, with decent comfort. If you're using 1.30mm, and if you're not breaking the strings by 6hr mark, you need to cut it out. It falls off and becomes harsh. If you like the crispness of the RPM but want better tension maintenance, try Luxilon 4G Soft in 1.25mm. It'll have similar sensation as RPM 1.30 but with little more pop and comfort. Head Hawk Touch 1.30 is very comfortable in the Pure Aero, plush and powerful but lacks little bit of spin RPM provides.

 

[Steve Huff]

You say you are an advanced beginner. 1) Ditch the poly. It won't help you, and as you are finding out, could hurt you. 2) Why did someone tell you not to use natural gut in a Pure Aero? Maybe they just didn't stock gut, and didn't want to go through the process of buying it. 3) For now, I'd just get a nice synthetic gut. You'll most likely get no more or no less spin than you will with any other string at this point.

 

[DG21]

I would not do element. I have a reel and have been using it a lot. The problem with element is it notches very fast if you hit hard and once it stops moving it will send vibrations down the arm. So if you do use element, treat it as a 4 hour setup like most Lux strings.

What I suggest is the thinner gauge polys. I use 1.15 solincos in my pa23 and the playability is great. No arm pain. Awesome feel and spin. Just a better experience than element for me.

Do you have issue with control? I play with PA2016 and it’s a power and spin beast due to its super open string bed. I have hard times to control it with Alu Power 1.25 25kg even.

Agree on longevity of Lux strings. After 3h Alu is almost shredded with huge dents in the middle where i hit the ball. I think 1-2h more and it will snap.

 

[Power Player]

Do you have issue with control? I play with PA2016 and it’s a power and spin beast due to its super open string bed. I have hard times to control it with Alu Power 1.25 25kg even.

Agree on longevity of Lux strings. After 3h Alu is almost shredded with huge dents in the middle where i hit the ball. I think 1-2h more and it will snap.

No I hit with a of spin just due to my grip and swing style so i can control the power frames pretty well. Sometimes I over hit but my consistency is higher then when using a control oriented frame because I can hit deep even when defending.

Since that post I went from thin strings to 1.25 and just use much lower tension of 40#s. I like this setup even more, mainly because I like the springy feel of the stringbed plus the spin generation is very high.

 

[DG21]

No I hit with a of spin just due to my grip and swing style so i can control the power frames pretty well. Sometimes I over hit but my consistency is higher then when using a control oriented frame because I can hit deep even when defending.

Since that post I went from thin strings to 1.25 and just use much lower tension of 40#s. I like this setup even more, mainly because I like the springy feel of the stringbed plus the spin generation is very high.

Damn. That low. I need to try it too as i am currently suffering with some wrist, elbow and shoulder pain. PA2016 is very raw and stiff.

 

[socallefty]

You need to read my PSA thread of changing poly often and definitely before it causes pain. RPM Blast at 55 will likely hurt me within 5-7 hours.