Thank you.
So if someone says you should string a multi... this actually means not so much since it can be different kind of materials.
Although they have different materials in their individual recipes, most multis are relatively soft. I like to keep a reel of Prince Premier Control on hand for occasional string jobs that need a multi. This string in comprised of mostly the tiny filaments that we see with most multis, but it also has three little monofilaments bundled together at the core. These might give the string a little better resistance to softening over time compared with some others in the family, but it's still a soft string - perhaps slightly more firm than something like Wilson Sensation that is made entirely with tiny filaments.
A tennis string comparison tool allowing the user to design reports on string stiffness, energy return, tension loss, peak impact force, impact tension increase, dwell time, deflection, etc., for user-defined impact conditions including string tension and swing speed.
twu.tennis-warehouse.com
I found this Tool quite usefull.
Does it make sense to sort for Spinfriendly and Stiffness and then choose the best performers. My goal is to find a string which is very spinfriendly but not as stiff.
Or are strings like rackets.. specs on paper is not really appicable?
If you're looking for some inherent spin in your string layout, but you don't want it to be too stiff, I recommend trying a hybrid that includes a rather light gauge poly or co-poly main combined with a softer cross like a 16 ga. synthetic gut. The version of this hybrid that I've installed in recent years for some local players with much success is Isospeed Baseline 1.20mm mains and Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16 crosses.
A full bed of a thin gauge of poly will likely "go dead" rather quickly, but a hybrid will likely degrade at a much more gradual rate. Gosen OGSM seems to perform well as a cross with a poly because it's rather durable and it's also somewhat slippery.
One or two more notes on string terms:
Nylon: often the "old-fashioned" term used to refer to synthetic gut or tournament nylon that preceded it. Synthetic gut is still a great option for many players and if you haven't sampled a few different sets of this string, you might want to consider them now. Syn. gut is generally slightly more firm than multifiber, but not as stiff as a poly. I love its combo of moderate softness and crisp feel in my own frames. It's also generally more affordable than premium multifibers or exotic polys/co-polys
Polys/Co-Polys: I often refer to all of these as "polys", but some newer co-polys offer a little more softness than early generation polys ("co-poly" indicates that the string is made from a blend of materials, not just one sort of poly). The differences are subtle though, and if a player is looking for an arm-friendly string to perhaps protect a sensitive elbow or wrist, I do NOT recommend a "softer" co-poly for this case. Multi or even syn. gut is likely the smarter choice. Natural gut is still the very best string for anybody who needs maximum comfort from their string bed.
Kevlar: this is a super-tough fiber that can be braided into an extremely durable string, but it's usually only used in a hybrid combined with a syn. gut or multifiber cross. That sort of hybrid seemed to be a little more popular a few years ago, but lots of players today seem to gravitate toward the toughness of a poly hybrid that might also seem to offer better performance for some players. Some folks still like Kevlar, but its popularity has probably diminished because so many of the pros on TV use polys.
...and now we break for coffee...
