Any recommendations for a cheaper substitute for Tecnifibre X-one biphase? I got tennis elbow about a year ago and started playing with soft multis.
My priority is to avoid getting tennis elbow again, so wondering if there is other alternative or if I should keep using x-one biphase.
I also used it as Hybrid with Alu power rough, experiencing the same short life. Thanks.
The first thing I would recommend is you swap Alu Power Rough for ALU Power Soft. Theses string are similar in many aspects, but the Alu Power Soft is a smooth poly, unlike Alu Rough. Shaped strings saw through soft multis quicker than smooth polys. I am surprised that nobody has mentioned that to you yet.
Like you I like X1 Bi-phase. I personally went through four 16g reels in my own frames as a cross a few years back. I used 16.5 feet off of each reel, giving me 40 sets of X1 crosses (660/16.5). X1 prices went like this while I was using it. $225 per reel, then $230, $250, $255, $275, $280 then now at $299 a reel. I thought $225 was expensive and I didn't pay $225. When it hit $250 a reel, I bailed on X1.
Now compare that to Prince Premier Control 16g which sells at 2 reels for $90 per reel and 15L at $62 per reel when you buy two reels.
Yes X1 is a good string, but at $299 a reel or any price over $10 a pack is it a good value ? No it isn't. Not to me. Prince Premier Control does everything X1 does at one third the price. I doubt any other poster has personally uses four reels of X1 in four years. I was dumb. Don't follow my putt. Pick a better value string without hurting your elbow at the same time.
Here my .02 since I don't know how long X1 is lasting you or what gauge you are using. Alu Power Soft Mains and then Prince Premiere Control crosses in either 15/15L/16 gauge
PPC is is softer than 16g X1 in both 16 and 15L gauges. A USTA 4.0 guy went 24-1 last year in his USTA matches. Yep, he is a very good 4.0 guy. And I string his Pure Drives with Head Hawk 17g / PPC 15g. He breaks the PPC cross every 3 weeks like clockwork. We have no idea what your level is, but even if you are a 4.5 guy an ALU Power Soft 16L / PPC Hybrid is going to feel as close to your current setup as any string combo I can think of and the PPC crosses can drop to $2.25 per cross. $90 / 40 sets of crosses if you only use 16.5 for crosses like me. If you use 20' for crosses, the price will $90/ (660'/20') = $2.73 per PPC cross since you get 33 20' cross strings from reel of 660'.
You wrote you are hybriding X1 with Alu Power but you didn't mention the gauge of the X1 nor how long the X1 lasts. The gauge of the X1 and the number of hours you put on the frame before the X1 breaks are two questions that would help in giving you a better recommendation. Hope this helps.
Look at the difference between 15L and 16 gauge PPC.