Armsty's String Reviews

armsty

Hall of Fame
So I've been using different strings for about 18 months now, I have been posting reviews on the Aussie forum for this time, and I feel I am continually repeating myself here and there's never anything wrong with extra reviews.

A little about me, I started off my reviews playing a hybrid of Poly mains and Syn gut cross, then I moved to a full poly at 57lbs usually - then I suffered some TE. Currently using a poly main (50lbs) and a multi cross (55lbs). The cross I'm using with all these polys is Pro Supex Maxim Touch.

Up until January I would string up these in a KPro Open, and now I am using a Pro Open BLX weighted up to 345gms strung. I use a dampener and vary my OG's between Wilson Pro, Supergrap and Tournagrip in the summer months. I play an all court game, I love to serve volley when playing well but doesn't always work out so I have a good baseline game, so I feel to make up for it. I'd self rate myself around a 4.0, I've been told a couple times I wouldn't be out of place in 4.5 but I will have to travel over to the States one day to have a go at that.

These are my opinion on strings, I don't care what others say, but I will make a comparison where needed. I am currently a textured/shaped/twisted copoly addict, admitting it is the first step.

I will add in some reviews on each string I have done over the past 18 months and link them back to this first post.

Hope atleast 1 person benefits from this, although in the end I am doing this to find my ideal string.
 
A quick run down on some Synthetics I'd tried previous to starting my reviews on the other forum in October 09.

Tecnifiber Synthetic Gut This is a great string, the best synthetic I carry for customers and if I didn't break it so often I would use it for myself. If I feel like a softer setup this is my cross string no doubt.
Prince Synthetic Gut W/ Duraflex A decent string, one of the better syn guts but I didn't find a great deal to write how about there. It's a in line to be with the Tecnifiber but has a bit more feel to it.
cheap no name stuff off the bay The price is right at what I think was $35 for a reel. I put it in for $15 for the customers who don't care and only break once a year or so. I basically don't charge for this string as I usually just run off $15 + string...
rainbow synthetic gut Used this for one hit, was the same as the cheap stuff off the bay. I use it in my coaching racket though of little kids but apparently now new rules from Wilson say I need to use a pee-wee racket.
Wilson Super Spin Hex Wasn't the excitement I anticipated. I quite like it, as it was soft and a change from my Big Banger but snapped in 3 hours of use and that's not worth the marginal spin I gained. Reccomended if you like looking at your strings close up and find the black inside a clear coating cool I guess.
Jadee Synthetic Gut Was free with my machine, used a job of it and it was quite difficult to use, felt overly elastic, with no control. Maybe done 4 string jobs for others with it as a string between the crap and tecnifiber
Wilson Stamina Was good, was a solid string, got a few sets cheap off the bay again and quite enjoyed the hit, not soft enough to use as a cross but it is durable enough.
 
Also a few polys I'd used before I really started reviewing strings and such:

Topspin Polytech About $5 a set and plays like it's worth. Died in about an hours play and before then it still had a boring feel. Was such a dissapointment, the reason I didn't go to other Topspin strings earlier.
Wilson Enduro Was alright, about 2 hours then started to die. Was a cheap buy so I gave it a try, a little easier to string compared to other polys but still quite nice. Wouldn't touch it again but got a teammate that uses it and somehow can use it for a year in his racket... only slightly dead...
Big Banger Original Was a good string, was a bit stiff for me so I hybrid'd it with Tecnifiber Synthetic Gut. Was quite happy with it then developed some tennis elbow so I moved away from it soon after.
Super String Pure Control V8 Was a test stringer for this, was very difficult to string, didn't like it at all from then. Played like it was metal, had no give was as stiff a board. Used it for about a week, developed a shoulder problem caused by over use/poor serving technique at the time.
Topspin Cyberblue My main string, has been since I got a reel for about half price off a mate who thought he'd like it. He moved onto cyberflash and I capitalised. Love it, not only looks good but plays well, fairly soft, easy to string up for a poly. Happy with it. I played around with tension for a while as I had a reel, went down to 40lbs for a while but then decided on 57lbs in the end, which wasn't the best for my arm in the long run but was good while it lasted.
 
Gensis Black Magic. The first of my experimental strings. posted a short review in the other thread:

Stringing
This was not the easiest to string, had coil memory that was a bit harsh to work around, so an extra few minutes in slowing the process down to make sure no kinks were put into the string. It wasn't as easy as Cyberblue to string which is my usual setup, in comparison. It seemed to stretch though a lot more than regular polys.

Groundstrokes
Wow. The string was just so soft was so much different to what I imagined it to be after stringing. I have avoided reading too many peoples reviews on this string as to make sure I had only a basic outline of what the string was like. It was soft, it was comfortable, it was amazing. I really enjoyed the feel of the Black Magic. The control was pretty good, not as good as I get with my Cyberblue but still fairly solid and the tension didn't seem to drop too much, which made it very much like Cyberblue, just a bit softer, with a bit less control.

Serves
Felt just like a regular poly, possibly a bit more boom but nothing amazing there, felt good though.

Not many volleys hit with it as I only had a quick hit and was more concentrating on the groundstrokes and my opponent who was a mate who is getting better as we go along and I hit with him for the fun of it.

HAVING SAID THAT! Here's the follow up:

Tension loss was quite high. Was not impressed, felt very wire like and not as flexible as previously, causing very poor comfort. Was not able to get a lot of depth from my usual swing, had to give the ball more loop causing difficulty to use a lot of pace on the ball without it sailing long. Was not impressed and am really hoping spin X is not as much of a let down.

The first hit was great and if I had the money to spend $15 per hit on string I would but until I am that good... not going to happen. The volleys in the end I won't do a proper review since the strings were... well crap. Will string a racket up again and see if it goes better at a lower tension later on in time.
 
Genesis Spin X (Red)

Stringing
Completed stringing up my racket with this in 17G @ 57lbs. If this is not suited to me I will rage as the coil memory wasted about 5-10 extra minutes of my life. Was terrible. Other than that the textured string was very obvious in feel, you could see it as well as feel that it was something different. Was a little above average in terms of stretch for a copoly. All went pretty smooth, first time I've done a red string in my frame so it was funny to watch it unfold to look pretty terrible if I say so. I am not very into the whole extra spin due to string after using Wilson Super Spin and finding hardly any difference to regular syn gut. We shall see though.

img1362q.jpg




As for playing, hit up with a guy that is just below my level, hit for about 20 mins and felt I was really in control and had a nice pop to it. Played a couple rallys with the Spin X in the racket and a couple with the Cyberblue I usually use, alternated rackets and there was a difference indeed I got more power out of the Cyberblue but that was expected. Then the tension seemed to drop a fair bit as we started playing the first set, lost a fair bit of control and was really starting to get some uneven power/control. Was a bit strange, not that quick have I used a poly that did that, only about 30 mins into using it. By about the 3rd game it had evened out though, had a bit less control than I'd like from a string but kept going of course. My opponent snapped a string in his APDC (will talk in another thread about it, had a bit of a hit before hand with it) so he used my other racket meaning I pretty much had the set summed up at 3-1. I went on to win it 6-2 with some big shots coming off well like they would and others not so, was hitting the ball alright but just the bit of lost control put me off.

Groundstrokes
Not bad. Wasn't overly impressed once the strings losened up a bit, got some solid forehands going and my backhands were coming off clean. The spin that is supposed to be added, I asked my opponent if he noticed a difference and he said no, we rally atleast once a week. I felt that I wasn't really getting a great amount more spin, possibly a little more but nothing that'd turn heads and win a match for me. Possibly would string this one tighter that I would my other polys but that's just me from this hit.

Volleys
Very impressed. Got some great depth when warming up and great touch when playing points to put it out of reach. Not much more to be said, quite impressed.

Serves
Lack of control, extra power, both took a bit of adjusting to my serve, was probably going from a percentage of 75% in to 65% in when really going for it. No aces, usually get a handful on this guy so wasn't overly impressed.

To sum up, was a great strng at the start then it seemed to die a bit, will do a follow up test, possibly a bit different this time around as I prestretched a bit more for this string than I usually would, always give strings a second go though. Looking forward to Tuesday's training session with it, see how it goes.

Follow up hit with Spin X - Awesome

I think the effect yesterday was that I got used to the feel of the massive control at the start before the string lost a bit of that tension. It had great control today, a little less power than Cyberblue in the end, string is definately broken in now. Will continue to use tomorrow for a final hit. Quite happy to it, for me personally I'd call it a lower powered alternative to my Cyberblue setup. Great string, regret saying a bad word about it.
 
Typhoon. More reviews coming in the next few hours probably, then I am happy to answer questions, help out where I can, etc.
 
Cool..

Armsty, for some reason I didn't enjoy the Tour Bite right off the bat today..

Fresh strung at 58 lbs.

Started to like it a bit towards the end, but still felt it was lacking something that I want in a string. But then again I am using a new racquet the Tec 325.. which is what I'm switching to.

Maybe I'm being too picky? If the Genesis Typhoon and the Tec Black Code both don't play better than the TB then I guess I will stick with the TB.
 
Different things for different people. Black Code gave me a great feel on the ball, played some awesome tennis with it. Typhoon's spin potential was amazing, and Tour Bite is even more.

Typhoons a powerful version of Tour Bite, or visa versa.
 
^ So your saying, the power level of TB and Typhoon depends on the user?

Which would you say out of the 3 would play most similarly to Pro Hurricane Tour?

That was my previous string, hybrided with VS Natural
 
Didn't come out right, Typhoon is more powerful, Tour Bite is more controlling.

Closest to PHT would be Tour Bite, as I found PHT to be stiff, too stiff for me.
 
Hmm. Then I'm still amazed why I didn't like Tour Bite as much as I thought I would right from the get go.. Felt that placing the ball where I wanted to was a bit troubling. Didn't get as much "grip" as many people have saying the TB gives. The TB almost felt soft in my opinion.

Felt that I had to adjust.. not sure if it was the strings or the racquet. Maybe both..

I have 3 racquets, one is strung with Tour Bite, the other 2 will be strung with Black Code and Genesis Typhoon.

Give each racquet time during a week long session of playing and see how I feel by the end of that.
 
Spinfire Ignition

Quite impressed. Good control, decent power and as I expected, not any noticeable extra spin. I am a firm believer that technique is 95% of where the spin comes from but still, am really impressed by this string.

Groundstrokes I had great control, good pop and was really easy to get the ball deep and low.

Volleys were good, great touch and control.

Serves were booming. Never served so well, such good sidespin, I think this is the only time i thought "Wow, might actually make a difference"

In all honesty this string is equal to, if not better than Cyberblue. I think I might use this set for another couple of days, play with it on the weekend and decide if it'll take over as my main string
 
Big Ace
I didn't really write much of a review on this so going of memory and what I did say at the end of last year, this was a very controlling yet comfortable poly for me. I remember hitting really well with it though, suited my game quite nicely. Just didn't have much pop to it and died a bit quicker than expected.

Hepta Twist
Tested as a blindtest for Stringforum, was amazing. First time I'd ever hit with a shaped poly and the difference in spin was unbelievable. I really liked this string, I felt like I could hit higher over the net with confidence it would come down just inside the baseline every time. My volleys didn't get much of a look in though as I would close out points by making mistakes or hitting an approach shot which wasn't returned. Serves I got massive slice on but flat serves weren't very good.

Cyber Flash
I will never forget the day I used Cyberflash for the first time, was down 6-0 in the first set due to a lack of confidence against a guy who for years has been miles ahead of me. I decided in the second set insted of just popping the ball back, I'd go for it every shot. Went up 5-3 then lost it 7-5, played the best tennis of my life. The control I got from the Cyberflash was extraordinary though, was great. There was a lack of spin, so I was powering shots flat and deep. Felt awesome to hit with, really similar to ALU Power from what I'd heard. I can see why a few guys I know swear by it, it's amazing value.
 
First multi - Tecnifiber X-One BiPhase.

Great string, soft, easy as on the arm and controlling. Gives a great basis for returns, really lets you swing free and control where you want the ball to go. Feels great for cushioning it and really swinging through. I would almost be happy to use this string as my first choice multi, even though i've tried just one, but if I was told I could have it, even at a decent price, I would have to decline it.

More impressive though, is the power. Never, not with Cyberflash, not with anything, have I had such great power, with this control. It's amazing, my serves were hitting the back of the box and bouncing up to a good height before the fence. Forehands would have a good power hit when in the sweetspot, but the touch on volleys was lost because of this.

Without the touch on the volleys, I felt that I didn't want to come into the net as much because I'd be setting my opponent up for an easy pass. The spin as well was a real let down as well, although the control was there and I could get the ball in deep, it was either controlled or with pace and flat... hard to explain... was good to use but couldn't get the spin I like to use on approach shots, which also led to the lack of net play.

All in all, not overly impressed with the so called best multi around, especially for the price. Might be a good start though for multis, we shall see. Multi feel and XCel to try now... but first I have Natural Gut in my stick at 57lbs. Was a bit of a ***** to get in there, have to adjust my string gripper for next time, the clamps weren't too bad on it though so i'm happy, looks like it won't snap till I give it a good hit which is awesome since I have never even touched gut before. Review will be posted soonish, it's Gaucho gut for those really that interested. 16G Gold.

This gut turned out to break in the frame so it was never tested.
 
Red code - was a bit stiff, control was its best feature of course being a poly. Really wasn't a lot of bite on the ball and power was minimal. The tension seemed to drop a bit after a few hours which made it a bit more playable but wasn't for me.

I tried Black Magic again, but the same result, it just died on me after a few hours and I didn't like it. This seems like the opposite to what was happening for others so it's all self preference.

These two had PSGD crosses.

Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour: For a string that's one of the most sold and used by the Babolat sponsored players... I have to ask why? It's not special. I felt no extra power, infact it was overly controlled for my liking, often hitting balls well inside the service line and it wasn't because of spin, I felt I had next to no spin. Was quite dissapointed with this string, and keep reccomending my mates who liked their factory setups with their PDC and APDC's to try something new but they just don't. I won't be using this crap again anytime soon.

SuperString Nikita Soft: What rubbish that was. Playtest from the same place as the MSV, had some form of rubber to make it a softer string mixed in with it and I'd hope the company realised that this string was useless shortly after the playtests. It felt like I had a sponge in my hand which just didn't let the ball go anywhere. I had no power, yet no touch at the net. The stringbed felt like it pocketed the power, control and feel and didn't let it go... Dissapointment of the year.

Tecnifiber Black Code: Currently in my BLX which I have come to like after some lead tape was added. Originally I had a set that snapped while stringing crosses in a KPro Open so a few months later I bought another set and decided to give it a rip with a softer cross. So I had the BC in my mains at 50lbs, and crosses of Tecnifiber Multifeel @ 54lbs. It felt pretty good, a lot better than the intital hit of Black Magic with a nylon cross. I felt the ball was getting a bit more bite and I could control it more. There wasn't a great deal of power considering the setup which is the only down side I can put on it.
 
Blue Gear

Too stiff for my elbow even with a soft cross. Was starting to feel it in the arm about an hour in. It had no power either, was dropping the ball short and with the spin added to this, was easy for my opponent to put the ball away. Nothing much happening with this string, was not impressed, the price is right for it though.

MSV Hepta Twist, with Pro Supex Maxim Touch cross, wasn't as impressed. I am basically looking for a string that makes me "wow" everytime I use it. The added spin in this setup lacked a lot of control, as balls would dip long and short quite often. My big plans of getting a cheaper reel of that went out the door. Thanks to dapara for the emails regarding this. I am sorry I couldn't help you out trying to get a 44ft set. If anybody can get a 44ft set cheap, let me know please and I can link you guys up.

I have tried out Topspin Cyber Red. Again with PSMT cross. Wasn't too bad, had a good control but wasn't arm friendly enough for me. I only had a few hits with it, but if I had a better elbow right now I'd give it a big crack indeed.

MSV Focus Hex was before these. I really liked it had a great spin potential but when I wanted to flatten the ball out I was confident I was able to keep it in (with the spin I suppose) and as with most of these strings, the multi cross allowed some good touch shots. I can't say it was a great feel on the ball though, I wanted a bit more bite out of it, but other than that, happy with it.

ALU Rough main (50lbs) and XCel cross (55lbs) and I don't think I need to say much more, the reputation of both strings speaks for itself. I was ripping shots from everywhere. Two weeks is a long time to last me for a setup at the moment, as I either get over them of the tension just drops too much. I played about 10 sets and a few hours of training with the setup, so the tension loss of the Alu Rough, although assisted by the Xcel, I felt wasn't as bad as it's made out to be. I felt it in my singles today just drop and then as I ripped a down the line forehand winner in the last game in my singles, the Xcel finally split (Multi doesn't snap, it splits i reckon :p). If I had the elbow to handle this stuff (felt it a bit at the end of today) I'd put the $400 or whatever the hell it is into a reel of it and lock it in a safe. Having said that, I'm happy I have a dodgy elbow for the economic side of it :)
 
Superstring Nikita Red Star. in the past I've hated the 3 Superstrings I have playtested but I really liked this one. I got good spin and control out of it, felt I could really take a rip on my forehand. There was a lack of power though that's for sure, serves weren't coming off like I wanted but on flat serves I could put it where I wanted which I think is a bit more important. Volleys it lacked the feel on the ball I love to get. It's definately a string for the baseliner who wants to sit back all day and whack groundies, but for me, playing an agressive all court game, not a good mix.

Typhoon:

Even with the heavy ball and court conditions, was bloody impressed. Will continue to hit this one probably through till next week. The spin was crazy, I can't really compare to ALU Rough right now but it has to be up there if not better. The comfort and feel is what really worked for me... It was a muggy couple of weeks but I got one hit in with the dry court and the Typhoon had a heap of power but the spin helped keep the ball in the court, was great stuff, for the price, it's tempting to grab a reel and convince a heap of my customers to give it a go.

Tour Bite:

Wow. I thought I would settle on Typhoon then this had just given me that shadow of a doubt on it. The Tour Bite had the power I wanted, but with more control and the same ripping spin, if not more. The touch was amazing at the net in some big hitting doubles, but the best part was the movement of the ball off the serve. Not only that, but when I hit a flatter serve, it felt awesome, had the power to really drill it into the opponent. Favourite string so far, hard to top.
 
Thanks for the reviews...very interested in how you compare the Gaucho natural gut to to the X-One Biphase.

I'm hitting with Biphase right now for the first time...didn't care for it the first few times out but its growing on me a bit. I've liked Multifeel in other racquets and am trying to decide between trying that next or a natural gut (not a string breaker). I'm mainly looking for more spin but polys are not an option for me due to arm issues.
 
First multi - Tecnifiber X-One BiPhase.

.....

All in all, not overly impressed with the so called best multi around, especially for the price. Might be a good start though for multis, we shall see. Multi feel and XCel to try now... but first I have Natural Gut in my stick at 57lbs. Was a bit of a ***** to get in there, have to adjust my string gripper for next time, the clamps weren't too bad on it though so i'm happy, looks like it won't snap till I give it a good hit which is awesome since I have never even touched gut before. Review will be posted soonish, it's Gaucho gut for those really that interested. 16G Gold.

This gut turned out to break in the frame so it was never tested.

I didn't compare Gaucho and X-One...

Sorry, I didn't mean you had already reviewed Gaucho nat gut and compared but I thought you were going to. Then I just looked back and see that the Gaucho broke in your frame so you never were able to test it. Bummer...if you do try some other nat gut I'd be interested in the comparison to X-One...or maybe you already have? Thanks.
 
BC mains and Multi Feel on crossed on the BLX better than Alu Roughs only? what about the control? :) i was also planning to restring my BLX from Alu Power 125 to...
 
I liked the look. I also tried Black code with a black multi which was awesome. Can't tell you what it was as I also don't know, was a blind test.
 
Superstring Nikita Red Star. in the past I've hated the 3 Superstrings I have playtested but I really liked this one. I got good spin and control out of it, felt I could really take a rip on my forehand. There was a lack of power though that's for sure, serves weren't coming off like I wanted but on flat serves I could put it where I wanted which I think is a bit more important. Volleys it lacked the feel on the ball I love to get. It's definately a string for the baseliner who wants to sit back all day and whack groundies, but for me, playing an agressive all court game, not a good mix.

Typhoon:

Even with the heavy ball and court conditions, was bloody impressed. Will continue to hit this one probably through till next week. The spin was crazy, I can't really compare to ALU Rough right now but it has to be up there if not better. The comfort and feel is what really worked for me... It was a muggy couple of weeks but I got one hit in with the dry court and the Typhoon had a heap of power but the spin helped keep the ball in the court, was great stuff, for the price, it's tempting to grab a reel and convince a heap of my customers to give it a go.

Tour Bite:

Wow. I thought I would settle on Typhoon then this had just given me that shadow of a doubt on it. The Tour Bite had the power I wanted, but with more control and the same ripping spin, if not more. The touch was amazing at the net in some big hitting doubles, but the best part was the movement of the ball off the serve. Not only that, but when I hit a flatter serve, it felt awesome, had the power to really drill it into the opponent. Favourite string so far, hard to top.

Yup agree with you on the Tour Bite... i've switched and am using it too. Great string. I'll be trying the Typhoon out (maybe this weekend).
 
^ I tried Tour Bite and I am not OVERLY impressed. I like the string, but feel that possibly I might like Typhoon or Black Code more..


Armsty... do you prefer the full bed of BC or the hybrid?
 
I never used a full bed of Black Code. I was using full poly for about 4 months last year before my TE came about again, and I was 3/4 of the way through stringing a full black code when it snapped in the frame, so I almost did.
 
Armsty, maybe the reason why I am not enjoying the TB as much as everyone else is because I am coming from Hurr Tour and that is possibly one of the stiffest polyesters out there. (I hybrid with VS Touch in the cross, but the stiffness is still there)

TB feels very comfortable to me and it is very enjoyable to hit with, but the lack of stiffness sort of gives me trouble because I am just not used to the softer polys. This may lead to why I am feeling sort of a lack of confidence with directional control on softer polys.

My question to you is, how do you rank the stiffness between the 3 strings of Typhoon, TB and BC? And is Typhoon the stiffest of the 3? If not, then I might give up hope on all 3.

BC feels soft as well, and I basically am crossing that out from the possible list of strings I may switch to. I'd rank TB > BC for sure because BC didn't give me the level of comfortability of hitting the ball, however both felt too soft for me.

I am hoping that Typhoon isn't as soft as I hope and that my test of Red Code will answer my question of which string I will switch to.
 
I think their stiffness is about the same, I felt the Tour Bite was a bit stiffer, maybe it's just because I was getting some extra control out of it. Try it out anyway, maybe string them up an extra few pounds in the mains for a bit more control.
 
Just strung up Adrenaline Mains/PSMT cross 55/50

Also strung another stick with Gaucho/nikita red star 55/50 but I expect the gut to break in the stick
 
I think their stiffness is about the same, I felt the Tour Bite was a bit stiffer, maybe it's just because I was getting some extra control out of it. Try it out anyway, maybe string them up an extra few pounds in the mains for a bit more control.

Hmm, so you think TB is actually stiffer than Typhoon? This might be troublesome because I felt that the lack of stiffness in the TB caused me to feel a lack in controlling the ball where I wanted to place it.. directional control .

Something I get more out of my PHT/VS Touch combo.
 
Yeah possibly.

I think I still will go with the finalist 2 choices I have come down to : Typhoon and Red Code

These are the 2 stiffest polyesters I believe out of the bunch ( Not 100% about Typhoon > TB), but felt TB is too soft personally at the tension of 58.
 
For the past week I've been playing a Lux Adrenaline/Maxim Touch (50/55).

Reminded me a lot of Topspin Cyberflash, but this had a bit more feel I reckon. It definitely lacked that big spin that I really enjoy, was definitely a string for flat hitters who want a bit more feel. On serve I lost a bit of control, especially on slice serves, due to the lack of spin I like. Flat serves were coming off nicely though, was very good for power.

Groundstrokes it gave me a great amount of depth, control was fairly good as well. I was able to stand right up to the line against a big hitter and take a confident swing back at the ball without the ball flying long.

Volleys I had a good touch on the ball which was surprising for me, but it really felt like I could zone in on where I was hitting the ball on the string bed and place the ball where I wanted it.

Tension maintenance was surprisingly good, I don't think during the week there was much variation. I have a new wise tension head so I now have the option to prestretch, but as for these reviews, I won't be using it, as most people won't have that as an option either. Customers will have the option though for a prestretch for sure.

When released, Luxilon said this string was supposed to be a version of ALU Power with better tension maintenance. I have only used ALU Power Rough, but if you take spin out of it, I believe they're not too far off with this claim, the power was fairly similar, it had a bit more feel and touch to me as well. Really enjoyed this and played some good tennis with it.

Next up is Isospeed Pyramid, which I have had a customer already say he pretty much hates it. 1.30mm poly which is triangular in profile, lets see how that goes.
 
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