Best Hybrid Combinations/Best Poly/Best Multi

anandsap123

New User
Hi all, I am a 10th grader in high school looking to play high school tennis this upcoming year. I am not a string breaker but I play at least three times a week. I try to hit with topspin on both sides and I use a Babolat AeroPro Drive GT. I cannot afford really expensive strings. The max I would pay for any hybrid string setup or full bed is $25-30.

In strings, I look for power, control, and spin. With emphasis on the control and spin. I was given the advice to go with a poly by TW Staff on Live Chat until he learned of my age.

He thought that with the high stiffness rating of AeroPro Drive GT, that a poly would not be good for me as I am still developing and growing. What do you all think of this statement? And if this statement is true are there any poly's out there, once again inexpensive, that are "soft" but still have the control and spin I am looking for?

After learning of my age, the TW Staff Member recommended doing a hybrid combination.
He recommended the setup of:
Mains: Volkl Cyclone 17 Crosses: Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16. He claimed this setup worked extremely well and is the best bang for ones buck (total price for two full sets of this combo is $11.74)

What do you all think of this setup? What are some other good hybrid setups that will provide me with good control and spin and some power? That are once again not too inexpensive. And any good hybrids of a poly for spin&control and then something else for power?

Lastly for full bed recommendations he recommended multifilaments, (remember he did all this considering my age and his statement of poly's being too stiff for me) What good and cheap multi's are there?

Thanks and please provide what string tension to use for any setups or strings you recommend. I think this will help a ton of players just starting out and not just me so please be thoughtful!
 
It's just the level you play + technique... nothing to do with age. I've been playing full poly since 7th grade haha.

But go with a full bed of multi. Try PPA or Head Power Fibergel... something along that range. Both are cheap and pretty comfortable.

Don't go with poly until you can break multis fast... I've seen too many people on JV that use poly believing that it will help their shots go in... trust me, it won't.

PS. I don't know much about hybrid stringing, so I can't help you on that.
 
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anandsap123

New User
It's just the level you play... nothing to do with age. I've been playing full poly since 7th grade haha.

But go with a full bed of multi. Try PPA or Head Power Fibergel... something along that range. Both are cheap and pretty comfortable.

Don't go with poly until you can break multis fast... I've seen too many people on JV that use poly believing that it will help their shots go in... trust me, it won't.

PS. I don't know much about hybrid stringing, so I can't help you on that.

What do you mean by PPA, and what are the things multi's are good at? Power,control,etc?

And why do you say until you can break multi's fast??

And explain why poly isn't good for the level I play please?
 
PPA is Prince Premier Attack. This one has nice power, decent spin (not as good as poly.. but most people don't notice), and good control.

Because... you don't need poly unless you hit with a fast stroke + extreme topspin. Those two are what causes string breakage (unless you shank it badly)... so unless you are breaking your current strings in only a couple sessions, don't switch.

Also... problem with poly is you need to restring every 1-2 weeks.

Trust me, stick with multi. I used multifilaments for the first 5-6 years I played...
 

newpball

Legend
That is all we need for the future, young beginning players using stiff rackets with polyester wanting to hit hard with a lot of spin.

Sigh........
 

Brocolt

Rookie
Try head rip control. Prince premire attack and discho multifibre. String at the low end of recommend tension 55lbs i think for that racket. Pick your favorite one stick with it until you break them in less than 10 hrs. Then try a hybrid with poly in the string you break( some break mains and some break crosses with multis.
 

drgchen

Rookie
For beginner and intermediate players ordinary synthetic gut or a nice multifilament will provide more power, more feel, and more touch than a polyester string.

Polys are meant to be durable for high spin players and less powerful for strong players with a fast string.

I would not recommend a poly until you reach at least 4.0 ntrp or varsity. Plus you will need to restring poly strings more often, when they go dead.
 

anandsap123

New User
Thanks so much everyone. Can we now redirect the conversation to what are the best multifilaments? And what are peoples opinions on the hybrid setup i listed and what other hybrid setups are good and inexpensive?
 

spinovic

Hall of Fame
X-One Biphase is definitely my favorite multi at this point. Haven't tried a whole lot yet, so I still have several more to go.

Not cheap at $17 per set, but it is very good. Comfort and power would be the two words that come to mind in my experience.
 

Chotobaka

Hall of Fame
This isn't very creative since it is a pre-packaged hybrid, but Pacific's ATP Power Hybrid is pretty wonderful -- this is Polyforce and Powerline.
 

Ross K

Legend
As someone who has used mainly full poly for ages, I find this rather interesting, and not least as i don't know a whole lot about multis, and nothing about syn guts, with the singular exception of N.Vy, which I've crossed a lot in the past with a poly... and yet, to my surprise, when I hit with a full syn gut strung frame a few weeks back, don't know if it's due to other factors and variables (it was a first hit with a new frame after all), but I imagined there was some nice extra zip and pop.

So... re multis and syn guts, as full jobs, how long do they actually last before performance goes belly up?

What makes somebody choose a full multi job over a full syn gut? What are the differences here?

And my slightly left-field question here... are there any polys that people think have some characteristics which remind them of a multi (or syn gut, too, I suppose)?
 

fortun8son

Hall of Fame
Prince Premier Attack is an excellent choice for fullbed multi. Start at mid-range tension.
If you insist on trying a hybrid, take a shot with Tourna Big Hitter Blue Rough (BHBR)17 mains and Gosen OG Sheep Micro 17 crosses.
Keep the tension fairly low, maybe 48m/52x to start.
Good luck.
 

g4driver

Legend
Prince Premier Attack is an excellent choice for fullbed multi. Start at mid-range tension.
If you insist on trying a hybrid, take a shot with Tourna Big Hitter Blue Rough (BHBR)17 mains and Gosen OG Sheep Micro 17 crosses.
Keep the tension fairly low, maybe 48m/52x to start.
Good luck.

I know RSI rated BBHR as it's 2nd highest string overall (second only to Wilson Natural Gut), but I personally hate it. I have strung it dozens of times for friends, 4.0 and 4.5 ex college players, but there are strings that feel better for nearly the same amount .

WeissCannon Black5Edge is low powered, hold tension greatly with very high spin potential, while it is fairly soft for a poly.

Mix it with Technifbre Multi-feel, NRG2 or X-One and it feels amazing- you could even use Gosen Micro or N.Vy , but B5E/NRG2 is a sweet setup-

Strings are the only part of your racquet that should touch the ball, so I pick a more flexible frame and stick with hybrids if your elbow has an issues. A stiff frame can't be cured with soft strings- it is still a stiff frame .
 
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