Confidential for Blade v8

[squall]

Hi,

I'm looking for a new reel for my Blade v8 98 16x19. I've been playing with ALU for a year now and it has definitely been the best string I've ever played with, but it dies too quick, so after 6h it doesn't have the same feel as in the beginning.
Have played before on my Clash with string such as: Hyper G, Tourna BHS7T, tried Confidential, but I hated it in the first couple of hours, because it was so boardy for me.
Currently I have Tourna BHS7T strung on my Blade and hm... I like it, but not like ALU and I hate stringing this string... it's so sharp and hard.

What do you think about Confidential in the Blade v8? I was considering trying 1.20 version. I want to have similar feel to ALU and maybe a bit more spin than I get from ALU (I don't say it's bad with ALU). I was also considering some hybrid, maybe with something like Element? Would it work?
I usually string at 23 or 22kg.

 

[TennisJrDad]

What are you looking for in a string, other than tension maintainence and playability durability which you have mentioned?

 

[FoldingChair]

Try Grapplesnake Tour Sniper

 

[Hawks9451]

If you like Alu, I don't know what else to recommend that's similar. Really nothing. I like Luxilon Eco, and it's slightly cheaper than Alu. Plays well in the Blade.

 

[Mircat]

First you need to move on from ALU mentally. There isn't a replacement. I'm also a v8 user and have gone through a tone of strings trying to find the right fit for me.

My Top 4 are:

Head Lynx tour
Hyper G 16L or 17
4G or 4G rough (at around 42ish)
Yonex PTP

String near 50ish. The Lynx needs at least an hour to settle.

 

[TennisJrDad]

Have you looked at a full bed of Outlast 1.20?

 

[squall]

What are you looking for in a string, other than tension maintainence and playability durability which you have mentioned?

I don't care that much about tension maintainence if the string is not that expensive as ALU, since I'm stringing myself. I expect feel/response similar to ALU and spin.
Would at least some hybrid with ALU on cross work?

Try Grapplesnake Tour Sniper

It is not available in my country

Confi is an underpowered string in a no-gas racquet. Have you tried Hawk Power?

If you like Alu, I don't know what else to recommend that's similar. Really nothing. Tour Sniper and all the other German strings just aren't the same as Luxilon. I actually like Luxilon Eco, and it's slightly cheaper than Alu.

so you'd say it sucks in Blade v8?

First you need to move on from ALU mentally. There isn't a replacement. I'm also a v8 user and have gone through a tone of strings trying to find the right fit for me.

My Top 4 are:

Head Lynx tour
Hyper G 16L or 17
4G or 4G rough (at around 42ish)
Yonex PTP

String near 50ish. The Lynx needs at least an hour to settle.

yeah, this is what I'm trying to achieve - maybe not fully replace ALU, but find a string with a similar response that I would also love. ALU just is a bit too expensive and lives a bit too short. It doesn't break, but just loses its magic.


I tried Hyper G 1.15 (18G), but didn't like it as much as ALU. I literally HATED 4G, but I've probably strung it too low (around 18kg) when usually I string at 22kg or 23kg.
Haven't tried Lynx.

 

[squall]

Have you looked at a full bed of Outlast 1.20?

no, I have not

 

[Hawks9451]

so you'd say it [Confidential] sucks in Blade v8?

I feel that way. My favorite strings in the Blade are Poly Tour Pro 1.25, but I like round strings. Lux Eco is shaped but it has a similarly soft feel.

 

[TennisJrDad]

@squall One of my sons played the Blade V8 for a while, based on his game, some strings which performed really well in that racquet were:

• Mayami Tour Hex 123
• Genesis Hexonic Power 123
• Yonex Poly Tour Rev (Purple) 125

 

[SirCraigoryy]

As mentioned previously there is definitely no one for one replacement for ALU or else everyone would be using it. That being said most of the strings you mentioned were sharp and shaped. I think your best bet would be to try other round crisp polys specifically of the same or similar color i.e. silver since the color of the dye has been known to change playing characteristics of strings. NOTE: definitely try a single set or two before committing to a real.

My recommendations would be:

Head Hawk - (Probably the closes thing to ALU I have hit but only slightly cheaper.)

Topspin Cyber Flash - (The poor man's ALU, I think this should be your starting point. It's super cheap and I think it's an incredibly underrated string in general.)

Wilson Revolve - (One of my all time favorite round polys, I've never gotten more spin with another round poly than this one. It's definitely on the softer side as far as polys go. It has pretty good tension maintenance but when it does go you're gonna notice for sure so that's both good and bad. Just note on TW the color is listed as black but it's more a charcoal gray.)

Good luck.

 

[squall]

I feel that way. My favorite strings in the Blade are Poly Tour Pro 1.20, but I like round strings. Haven't played with Lux Eco in that racquet, but I'd suggest it as well. Both strings are readily available.

I feel like I also like round strings, but honestly ALU was one of the few round I've ever tried, but I also felt like round strings are more consistent, there are not "weird" shots with that.

@squall One of my sons played the Blade V8 for a while, based on his game, some strings which performed really well in that racquet were:

• Mayami Tour Hex 123
• Genesis Hexonic Power 123
• Yonex Poly Tour Rev (Purple) 125

First two are not available in my shop and as for Yonex Poly Tour Rev I heard many opinions that it is the most overrated string and not worth its price. Is it?

As mentioned previously there is definitely no one for one replacement for ALU or else everyone would be using it. That being said most of the strings you mentioned were sharp and shaped. I think your best bet would be to try other round crisp polys specifically of the same or similar color i.e. silver since the color of the dye has been known to change playing characteristics of strings. NOTE: definitely try a single set or two before committing to a real.

My recommendations would be:

Head Hawk - (Probably the closes thing to ALU I have hit but only slightly cheaper.)

Topspin Cyber Flash - (The poor man's ALU, I think this should be your starting point. It's super cheap and I think it's an incredibly underrated string in general.)

Wilson Revolve - (One of my all time favorite round polys, I've never gotten more spin with another round poly than this one. It's definitely on the softer side as far as polys go. It has pretty good tension maintenance but when it does go you're gonna notice for sure so that's both good and bad. Just note on TW the color is listed as black but it's more a charcoal gray.)

Good luck.

thanks for that long reply. I had Revolve once a few years ago when I was playing with Burn 100S - it felt good honestly, but is it comparable to ALU?


Btw. A friend of mine can sell me a reel of ALU for a price of Solinco's reels, so would you say it is worth for me to try e.g. Revolve, or go for ALU again if I can get it for a lower price?

 

[SirCraigoryy]

I feel like I also like round strings, but honestly ALU was one of the few round I've ever tried, but I also felt like round strings are more consistent, there are not "weird" shots with that.


First two are not available in my shop and as for Yonex Poly Tour Rev I heard many opinions that it is the most overrated string and not worth its price. Is it?


thanks for that long reply. I had Revolve once a few years ago when I was playing with Burn 100S - it felt good honestly, but is it comparable to ALU?


Btw. A friend of mine can sell me a reel of ALU for a price of Solinco's reels, so would you say it is worth for me to try e.g. Revolve, or go for ALU again if I can get it for a lower price?

Of course, I’ve hit about 30 strings in the last 4 years or so because I was looking for something similar for a while. I do find shaped strings fun but I’ve always gravitated towards round strings as you’re right they do play more consistently and that’s generally the most important thing in the game.

I don’t have any experience with Yonex Poly Tour Rev so I can’t speak to that. As far as Revolve goes it has more spin and comfort than ALU and good feel but still less than ALU. The main difference is that it’s noticeably softer and plays longer.

That’s a great deal that you can get an ALU at that price to begin with. As far as going with ALU it really depends on your tolerance for playing with dead/dying strings. Normally it doesn’t bother me and personally I think that premium priced strings like ALU and RPM Blast are very overrated. Are they good strings? Sure, but in the grand scheme of things there are much cheaper comparable alternatives.

If you’re really that curious I would say get a set of Revolve 17g (half the price of a single set of ALU). I think that gauge plays closer to the 16L ALU than 16g as it has more feel and try it out.

FWIW all 3 strings I mentioned can be ordered on TW.com in 17g.

 

[squall]

Of course, I’ve hit about 30 strings in the last 4 years or so because I was looking for something similar for a while. I do find shaped strings fun but I’ve always gravitated towards round strings as you’re right they do play more consistently and that’s generally the most important thing in the game.

I don’t have any experience with Yonex Poly Tour Rev so I can’t speak to that. As far as Revolve goes it has more spin and comfort than ALU and good feel but still less than ALU. The main difference is that it’s noticeably softer and plays longer.

That’s a great deal that you can get an ALU at that price to begin with. As far as going with ALU it really depends on your tolerance for playing with dead/dying strings. Normally it doesn’t bother me and personally I think that premium priced strings like ALU and RPM Blast are very overrated. Are they good strings? Sure, but in the grand scheme of things there are much cheaper comparable alternatives.

If you’re really that curious I would say get a set of Revolve 17g (half the price of a single set of ALU). I think that gauge plays closer to the 16L ALU than 16g as it has more feel and try it out.

FWIW all 3 strings I mentioned can be ordered on TW.com in 17g.

thanks, I'll try it out - would you say the color matters? I was considering the black one

 

[Hawks9451]

Do Alu if it's cheaper than retail and you string your own.

 

[TennisJrDad]

@squall You can Order the Hexonic Power and Tour Hex direct online. We liked the Poly Tour Rev (in the purple color) a lot. It was a good performing string.

I feel like I also like round strings, but honestly ALU was one of the few round I've ever tried, but I also felt like round strings are more consistent, there are not "weird" shots with that.


First two are not available in my shop and as for Yonex Poly Tour Rev I heard many opinions that it is the most overrated string and not worth its price. Is it?


thanks for that long reply. I had Revolve once a few years ago when I was playing with Burn 100S - it felt good honestly, but is it comparable to ALU?


Btw. A friend of mine can sell me a reel of ALU for a price of Solinco's reels, so would you say it is worth for me to try e.g. Revolve, or go for ALU again if I can get it for a lower

price?

 

[SirCraigoryy]

thanks, I'll try it out - would you say the color matters? I was considering the black one

I can’t speak to the others since I’ve only hit the black and it’s more of a charcoal gray color. I do think Topspin Cyber Flash may be your best alternative which is $7.50 a set on tenniswarehouse.com

 

[Casper777]

TopSpin Cyber Blue also plays similar

 

[zhyatt]

Hi,

I'm looking for a new reel for my Blade v8 98 16x19. I've been playing with ALU for a year now and it has definitely been the best string I've ever played with, but it dies too quick, so after 6h it doesn't have the same feel as in the beginning.
Have played before on my Clash with string such as: Hyper G, Tourna BHS7T, tried Confidential, but I hated it in the first couple of hours, because it was so boardy for me.
Currently I have Tourna BHS7T strung on my Blade and hm... I like it, but not like ALU and I hate stringing this string... it's so sharp and hard.

What do you think about Confidential in the Blade v8? I was considering trying 1.20 version. I want to have similar feel to ALU and maybe a bit more spin than I get from ALU (I don't say it's bad with ALU). I was also considering some hybrid, maybe with something like Element? Would it work?
I usually string at 23 or 22kg.

Confidential 1.25 is absolutely great in the blade v8 16x19. If you string around 52 or higher depending on where you live with the weather conditions the tension maintains is great. It plays pretty hard for about the first 1 or so and then it drops a little in tension resulting in a very solid playability. You should give it a try.

 

[zhyatt]

Confidential 1.25 is absolutely great in the blade v8 16x19. If you string around 52 or higher depending on where you live with the weather conditions the tension maintains is great. It plays pretty hard for about the first 1 or so and then it drops a little in tension resulting in a very solid playability. You should give it a try.

Also tour bite is similar to ALU just not the best tension maintains.

 

[Hawks9451]

Alu is the best string for tennis racquets

 

[zhyatt]

Alu is the best string for tennis racquets

Normally would agree but, ALU is expensive.

 

[Snipe]

I just don't understand how the string technology has stood up for all these years. Materials have come a LONG way since Alu was released, as have manufacturing processes, yet not only has nobody been able to copy it, but they've not been able to improve on it either? It just makes no sense.

 

[Mircat]

Confidential 1.25 is absolutely great in the blade v8 16x19. If you string around 52 or higher depending on where you live with the weather conditions the tension maintains is great. It plays pretty hard for about the first 1 or so and then it drops a little in tension resulting in a very solid playability. You should give it a try.

Basically me right now but at 50. Blade has some lead at 3 and 9, SW around 328. I like it a lot, specially after it settles around the 1.5hr mark. I just don't know if I like it more than hyper g or Lynx tour. The colour beats puke green though.

 

[am1899]

Long time ALU addict here. These days I mostly play with Tier One Black Knight. No “ALU magic.” But what I lose there I gain in value and playability duration. BK is also very slightly shaped, so I get a little extra “bite.” As a result probably lose some consistency in the string bed in terms of launch. But it’s minimal IMO. Strikes a great balance of soft but not mushy, almost crisp, but not harsh. Really great string, and the price is right.

I used to still string up ALU for a match occasionally. But I haven’t enjoyed it as much in the Blade Pro, so I probably won’t do that much anymore.

Oh, another option is Tourna Silver 7 Tour. It is more aggressively shaped than BK. But there is also a little “magic” when it is fresh - not quite ALU territory, but for me it’s there. It is very crisp and firm. Probably will have to revisit it at some point with the Blade Pro.

 

[zhyatt]

Basically me right now but at 50. Blade has some lead at 3 and 9, SW around 328. I like it a lot, specially after it settles around the 1.5hr mark. I just don't know if I like it more than hyper g or Lynx tour. The colour beats puke green though.

Yeah, I just strung hyper g in a blade and its just not that good in my opinion. It lacks so much control that confidential or tour bite provide. Confidential is one of the best strings in my opinion its stiff but not too stiff and is comfortable but still offers a deader feeling if you like that. It has great spin power and control.

 

[Aretium]

4g is great in blade. String it 6lbs lower than usual though. Lasts 3/4 sessions which is a lot more than most esp alu

 

[THE FIGHTER]

I found a sweet-spot tension for confidential at 52/51 as my regular setup for the blade v8 16x19. I came from volkl cyclone strung at 48lbs which was my string of choice for years across multiple racquets.

For some reason, the feel and performance is just better for confidential at 52 instead of 48, despite confidential being the stiffer string. Where as for the softer cyclone, lower felt better.

It might be worth stating my blade is weighted up to 360g, so the power potential is less of an issue.

I recently tried tour bite, which I think feels the closest to ALU of the solinco offerings. So it might be worth a try. But it went dead noticeably more quickly than confidential.