Now that I've snapped the VST16 with Tecnifibre Pro Redcode Wax 18g cross, I'll give my 1 cent:
Tension: 58lbs mains 53lbs cross 2% prestretch setting.
Compared to Yonex Poly Tour Fire 17 1.2mm:
Fresh off the stringer onto the court, the VST16/TPRW combo had very good bite and feels stiffer than the YPTF. This lends to a crisper feel. After about 2 sets, the tension did drop a bit, and the string bed had more power than the similarly string YPTF setup. I then rallied for 40 mins to really break in the strings. Even though the string bed had more power, the bite was as good as YPTF. With singles, this extra power would be more useful. I liked it after 2+ hrs of play. Stringmeter read 43lbs on the crosses before and 39lbs after the session. Feel was ok, on par with YPTF, but neither did much to give me superb feel with the SV98+. Volleys did feel a little looser, but nice power.
2 days later, I played 5.5/6.0 doubles and the tension drop was noticeable but not bad. I had to slightly adjust my swing to hit more spin, but the wax coating kept the spin going pretty well. Good power and spin, with feel even improving with the tension loss. I noticed a bit more fraying on the gut because of the added spin production. Stringmeter read 38lbs before and 36lbs after.
3 days after, I hit 30 mins then played 2 singles sets with a heavy hitting 5.5. I expected the tension to drop drastically but it didn't feel bad, like a gentle drop. The 1st set, topspin was still good, but by the 2nd set, the serves and groundies flew slightly. I suspect the wax coating was wearing out. Stringmeter read 34lbs before and 31lbs after the session. More fraying on the 3rd and 4th main around the 5th cross down, my usual hitting zone area.
4th session: I sprayed dry type silicone spray for the first time, thin coat. Spin production came back and tension loss seemed to have plateaued slightly to a comfortable tension. The control was still good, with the power being controlled by the extra bite. The spray seemed to work for the entire 2+ hr session, which was surprising since usually with a single coat, it doesn't. Still fraying was quite evident with the opponents big serve.
The gut finally snapped around the 12th hr mark, which put it on par of durability with YPTF. I did not have the opportunity to use the Playsight courts to check on veracity of my feel. Overall, it's a more powerful version of YPTF. I'd probably string it 1-2lbs higher to temper the power. I was ready to cut the string really because it was a bit too powerful for me to enjoy off the serve and low volleys especially, but quite nice to have off the ground and crunching high volleys and overheads.
Spin felt the same but I think YPTF's SIF coating lasts a bit longer, since I don't spray until the 5th or 6th session.
Tension maintenance was good, with a slightly steeper curve from YPTF.
Feel got better after the initial stiffness. YPTF has a more linear feel in tension loss.
Overall, I liked the TPRW as a cross for hybrid. And it is cheaper than the YPTF in reel form by 20%, which is significant. YPTF is more linear and has overall playability in a control string. TPRW has a bit of a tension curve then plays steadily as it tension loss begins to lineate after the initial curve. I'll have to experiment with tension to see if I can improve on it.