Cyclone Tour 17g mains and Ashaway Monogut ZX 16g crosses

JoshTheLMT

JoshTheLMT

Rookie
I have this combo going in to a couple GXT Prestige Pros. One of them came with a used combo of Cyclone 18g and Monogut ZX Pro 17g at 48/50, when I received it. I loved how it played. I break Strings a little easier than I’d like, so I thought I’d try the the Cyclone Tour 17 and Ashaway Monogut ZX 16 combo this time. My question, because it costs me $20 to have them strung (and I’m NOT made of money), is there a way to figure out what tension would play similar to the previous string setup? The Cyclone string difference is not too large, but TW doesn’t seem to have the ZX 17g test specs.
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Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.[emoji16][emoji106]

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I don't have an answer for you on the tension question, but I'd be very interested to know what you think about the set-up. Did you spend much time playing with the set-up the way it came in the racquet? What was it like? I know you said it was used already, but did it seem to have some durability to you? I've got Cyclone 17 full bed in my Prince Graphite II right now at 35 lbs., but am very interested in trying it in some hybrid set-ups as well. Haven't had enough time with it in this racquet to evaluate things real good yet. Interested to see whether the Cyclone or the ZX breaks in your racquet first, and how long it lasts. Please report back with results.
 
@ashridge
The original string job is still in the racquet. Still plays good, although it seems to be losing some spin production and control at this point. When I got it, the strings had already showed signs of use. The 18g Cyclone was notched, and the “gear shape” was worn a bit. It was still awesome! Lol As I stated though, it’s now starting to play different. Not so awesome now. I’m not sure how long they were in the racquet when I got it, but I’ve hit with it for about 12 hours.


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What kind of shape are the ZX crosses in? Are they showing any wear or notching? Are the Cyclone mains "snapping back" still on the crosses, or are they moving and staying put where you have to straighten them back out? What is the comfort level like on your arm?

JoshTheLMT said:
@ashridge
The original string job is still in the racquet. Still plays good, although it seems to be losing some spin production and control at this point. When I got it, the strings had already showed signs of use. The 18g Cyclone was notched, and the “gear shape” was worn a bit. It was still awesome! Lol As I stated though, it’s now starting to play different. Not so awesome now. I’m not sure how long they were in the racquet when I got it, but I’ve hit with it for about 12 hours.


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Click to expand...
 
The Cyclone 18g has considerable notching now, and doesn’t snap back as well as it did when I first got it. The Ashaway 17g looks perfect. The combo was perfect on my elbow. Conversely, I had some spare Black Code 17g laying around, and I had my other Prestige Pro strung at 50lbs with a full bed, and my elbow is still killing me, days later, after only hitting with it for an hour and a half. [emoji853]


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Good info., thanks. I've had some elbow/shoulder issues with full bed poly in the 50's, so I'm glad to know adding ZX as a cross seemed to make for a more comfortable stringbed.

JoshTheLMT said:
The Cyclone 18g has considerable notching now, and doesn’t snap back as well as it did when I first got it. The Ashaway 17g looks perfect. The combo was perfect on my elbow. Conversely, I had some spare Black Code 17g laying around, and I had my other Prestige Pro strung at 50lbs with a full bed, and my elbow is still killing me, days later, after only hitting with it for an hour and a half. [emoji853]


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JoshTheLMT said:
My question, because it costs me $20 to have them strung (and I’m NOT made of money), is there a way to figure out what tension would play similar to the previous string setup? The Cyclone string difference is not too large, but TW doesn’t seem to have the ZX 17g test specs.
Click to expand...
Some thoughts. Cyclone Tour is known for losing a lot of tension. ZX needs a healthy pre-stretch and still loses tension. How much time do you normally get with Cyclone 18g before needing to restring?

I found CT to only hit well for about 2-3hrs before it gained too much power. And ZX hits for about 6-8 before it gets too powerful.

Did you find Cyclone18/ZX17 to play differently at different hours of play?

If you go CT/ZX route, would be interested to hear your review.
 
@Traffic

I’ve gotten about 12 hours now, and I’m finally noticing a big difference in playability. I’m getting less bite, and unpredictable power. I got the Racquet used, so I’m not sure exactly how they play brand new, or how many hours were on them when I got the racquet.

I’m getting the new strings in today, and I’ll drop one Racquet at the stringer, and I’ll have time to play with it this weekend hopefully. I’ll post my thoughts here.


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ashridge said:
I don't have an answer for you on the tension question, but I'd be very interested to know what you think about the set-up. Did you spend much time playing with the set-up the way it came in the racquet? What was it like? I know you said it was used already, but did it seem to have some durability to you? I've got Cyclone 17 full bed in my Prince Graphite II right now at 35 lbs., but am very interested in trying it in some hybrid set-ups as well. Haven't had enough time with it in this racquet to evaluate things real good yet. Interested to see whether the Cyclone or the ZX breaks in your racquet first, and how long it lasts. Please report back with results.
Click to expand...
Cyclone is going down 1st! Its a rare main that breaks before a zx cross. At least from normal wear
 
Shroud said:
Cyclone is going down 1st! Its a rare main that breaks before a zx cross. At least from normal wear
Click to expand...

I cut out the Cyclone 18g / Ashaway ZX Pro 17g. The Cyclone DEFINITELY would’ve went first. The Ashaway was wavy, but the some spots of the Cyclone were notched past 50%.


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ashridge said:
Thanks, had me confused there for a sec.:)

I'm curious to test out and see if poly/zx will last longer in my Prince Graphite II or if Natural Gut/zx will last longer.
Click to expand...
Here is my last gut/zx stringbed. I am going with the poly lasting longer

242akqx.jpg


Sure i cut the zx but the gut was fraying in multiple places and iirc it broke in two places.
 
Since you've played with Gut/ZX, poly/ZX and AshKev/ZX, which did you think was the most comfortable of the three? I know I've seen you say you like a really stiff stringbed, but did one of those hybrids seem to play a little "softer" than the others? How long did the Gut/ZX hybrid last you? Wish I had 10 racquets to try a bunch side by side for comparison with different hybrid combos, but I'm going to have to do them one stringjob test variation at a time.

Shroud said:
Here is my last gut/zx stringbed. I am going with the poly lasting longer

242akqx.jpg


Sure i cut the zx but the gut was fraying in multiple places and iirc it broke in two places.
Click to expand...
 
ashridge said:
Since you've played with Gut/ZX, poly/ZX and AshKev/ZX, which did you think was the most comfortable of the three? I know I've seen you say you like a really stiff stringbed, but did one of those hybrids seem to play a little "softer" than the others? How long did the Gut/ZX hybrid last you? Wish I had 10 racquets to try a bunch side by side for comparison with different hybrid combos, but I'm going to have to do them one stringjob test variation at a time.
Click to expand...
Never played poly/zx. Gut/zx is softer for sure.

It lasted a while say 7 sets till i tweaked my fh and was hitting with a western. I think 20 min of me hitting like that shredded it.
 
Sounds like the Gut/ZX may be a short lived test for me. I've never played with natural gut, period, either full bed or in a hybrid, so this will be my first time. I did get 15l Tonic + gut, so maybe being thicker it might last a bit longer.

Does Gut/ZX benefit from the same high tension differential that AshKev/ZX does? I know you said you haven't played with poly/ZX, but would you guess that benefits from a high tension differential between mains & crosses also, or not?

Shroud said:
Never played poly/zx. Gut/zx is softer for sure.

It lasted a while say 7 sets till i tweaked my fh and was hitting with a western. I think 20 min of me hitting like that shredded it.
Click to expand...
 
ashridge said:
Sounds like the Gut/ZX may be a short lived test for me. I've never played with natural gut, period, either full bed or in a hybrid, so this will be my first time. I did get 15l Tonic + gut, so maybe being thicker it might last a bit longer.

Does Gut/ZX benefit from the same high tension differential that AshKev/ZX does? I know you said you haven't played with poly/ZX, but would you guess that benefits from a high tension differential between mains & crosses also, or not?
Click to expand...
15g is better for durability. You maybe surprised.

I used a 20 lb differential. Iirc travlerajm made a big deal about kev stiffness and zx stiffness and the stiffness of kevlar was a big deal. I liked the gut zx pretty much. But that was after playing low tensions and getting ball pocketing. No clue if i would like it now
 
How "spinny" did you find the Gut/ZX to be at a high tension differential, compared to the spin generated from a high tension differential with an AshKev/ZX bed? I had intended to do the Gut/ZX at around 60x56, but maybe I should try doing one at around 60x40 also to compare? I am planning to try out the Kev/ZX starting out at 60x40 to try and get that "esp" effect.

Shroud said:
15g is better for durability. You maybe surprised.

I used a 20 lb differential. Iirc travlerajm made a big deal about kev stiffness and zx stiffness and the stiffness of kevlar was a big deal. I liked the gut zx pretty much. But that was after playing low tensions and getting ball pocketing. No clue if i would like it now
Click to expand...
 
ashridge said:
How "spinny" did you find the Gut/ZX to be at a high tension differential, compared to the spin generated from a high tension differential with an AshKev/ZX bed? I had intended to do the Gut/ZX at around 60x56, but maybe I should try doing one at around 60x40 also to compare? I am planning to try out the Kev/ZX starting out at 60x40 to try and get that "esp" effect.
Click to expand...
Hard to say. There are some people who get spin from "ball pocketing". I dont get that myself. But gut/zx would do a better job in that dept. if you get spin from fast swings and stiff lower powered strings kev/zx is better. Fwiw i think my sticks are too stiff to get the esp effect. Guessing a bit but i did get it on a ps85 with kev/zx at 60/40 because its not a stiff racquet. My other sticks are much stiffer and didnt seem to get the esp as much.
 
JoshTheLMT said:
Too powerful at 48/50 CT/ZX. Lol I will be going with the regular Cyclone next time, or upping the tension on the CT for sure.




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Did you prestretch the zx? Enough to permanently elongate it at least 1ft??
 
JoshTheLMT said:
I didn’t string it myself, I’d say no. Is there a way to do that DIY, at home?


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Click to expand...
Yep. Tie one end to a doorknob and tie one end to something you can pull on like a baseball bat 1” dowel rod, etc. and pull slowly and carefully incase the knots slip or something. Zx will give easily. Lean with your body weight till you get some permanent elongation. You should get about a foot.

It will elongate that much after strung if you dont do it thorough prestretching. Thats why its super powerful. Prestretching should tame the tension loss and get you more control
 
I've tried a few ploly/zx combos and all of the time the poly got notched first and stopped sliding back.
So far I'm running kev/zx (lasts forever and not too harsh at 60/40)
 
I played with Kevlar, one time, in high school. Got the worst case of Golfers Elbow, then hurt my shoulder. That was 25 years ago though. Lol I’m guessing they may have changed a bit since then. [emoji6]


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JoshTheLMT said:
Too powerful at 48/50 CT/ZX. Lol I will be going with the regular Cyclone next time, or upping the tension on the CT for sure.
Click to expand...

Many people make a lot of comments about Cyclone Tour losing tension and how unplayable it is.

My first guess is this: they all use 17 or 18g CT which is garbage IMO.

Then there is the 1.30mm Cyclone Tour. Yep the 1.30 vs 1.25 mm is only .05 mm different, but it is oceans apart in playability and tension maintenance.

Here are pics of a 4.0 soon to be bumped to 4.5 player's frames who dropped off two of his frames yesterday. While I️ recommend he restring prior to breakage, he actually likes the strings all the way to breakage. I remember the quote was "I️ am not restringing till I️ lose" [emoji102] He snapped these in six weeks.

And yes, he can afford to restring frequently as he is an orthopedics surgeon and one of three friends I️ don't charge for stringing.


90f101ac393a8d303435a38631c5f6a3.jpg


I️ replaced the grommets last night as his bumper guards are worn and missing chunks.
 
Had the Stringer put the tension to 50/52 on my IG Radical Pro. Much better for me.
To g4driver’s point: I thought about that, but I was coming from a 18g/17g set up, so I just bumped each up one. I have tennis elbow issues, and I was a little weary of jumping up two full gauges right off the bat.


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CT 1.30mm plays like most other 1.25mm polys I️ am used to.

I️ have reels of Head Hawk, Head Hawk Touch, Solinco Revolution & Hyoer G, Wilson Revolve, Lux Alu Power, Yonex Poly Tour Pro...all in 1.25mm. Isospeed Cream is 1.28mm if I️ recall.

All of my Cyclone Tour is 1.30mm and I️ am down to four reels from six I️ had on had this summer. I️ use is more than any other string.

1.30mm plays well for a month for me, but I have several 4.0 and 4.5 guys who break it in about 5 to 6 Weeks. None have Tennis Elbow and one uses my elbow nemesis, the Pure Drive. [emoji848]
 
I thought it may be soft enough, but I didn’t want to chance it. If I get my hands on a Prince Textreme 100P, I think I’m going to try just a full bed of Cyclone Tour 17g at 50.

PS: I got a great deal on 4 of each set (CT and ZX) so I’m going to try different lbs and maybe a full bed here and there, until I’m out, or find what works for me. If I run out before anything works, I will try the 16g, thanks for the info.[emoji6][emoji106]


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Volkl cyclone 18L mains 22kg - ashaway monogut zx pro 17 23 kg.
In a yonex dr98 plays great, for the moment 6 hours play, no notching and great snapback...
Great spin and feel...
 
Rody said:
Volkl cyclone 18L mains 22kg - ashaway monogut zx pro 17 23 kg.
In a yonex dr98 plays great, for the moment 6 hours play, no notching and great snapback...
Great spin and feel...
Click to expand...

That’s what was originally in my Prestige Pro! Lol Severe notching by the time it got into my hands. I’m not sure how long they were in there before I got it though. Please keep me posted here.


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You had cyclone 18 , i use 18L
You had monogut zx , i use zx pro

The big difference is my setup strings have much less tension loss and more spin potential according TW university.
I will update when i have another few hours with this setup..
 
g4driver said:
CT 1.30mm plays like most other 1.25mm polys I️ am used to.
..............

All of my Cyclone Tour is 1.30mm and I️ am down to four reels from six I️ had on had this summer.
Click to expand...
I got a home stringing machine this week, and I’ve been practicing. Just strung up a Prince 100P with CT 16g @ 52 lbs. I’m going to try and hit with it a bit tomorrow AM. Thanks for the advise. Hopefully it hits the spot. [emoji16][emoji106]


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So, I wasn’t “in love” with the CT 16ga @ 52, in my Prince Textreme Tour 100P. I decided to prestretch the Monogut ZX 16ga, and try the CT 17ga main/ Monogut ZX 16ga crosses hybrid setup again. This time, I upped the tension on both, along with the prestretch. I also let the dropweight sit for 15 seconds each pull of the Ashaway in the crosses, and went very slow as I put them under tension. Another change, is I moved the CT up to 55lbs and the MG ZX to 57. Three days later (today) I got a chance to hit with it, and loved it! Tons of spin, control, and feel! I know the ZX will end up sawing through the CT, but I don’t care! Now that I can string for myself, the playability is worth the lack of durability. [emoji6][emoji106]


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Hey, I wanted to get an update on how the CT @55 x ZX @57 set-up was working out for you. Are you still playing with it, or did you already break them? If you broke them, how many hours of play did they last, and did you have good spin, control and feel through the whole time? Was this in your Textreme Tour 100P? I'm assuming the set-up was ok on your elbow? I'm thinking about trying a CT/ZX hybrid or Firewire/ZX hybrid in my RF97A. I know the RF97A is a lot stiffer than the Tour 100P, but I won't know how comfy it is unless I try.

JoshTheLMT said:
So, I wasn’t “in love” with the CT 16ga @ 52, in my Prince Textreme Tour 100P. I decided to prestretch the Monogut ZX 16ga, and try the CT 17ga main/ Monogut ZX 16ga crosses hybrid setup again. This time, I upped the tension on both, along with the prestretch. I also let the dropweight sit for 15 seconds each pull of the Ashaway in the crosses, and went very slow as I put them under tension. Another change, is I moved the CT up to 55lbs and the MG ZX to 57. Three days later (today) I got a chance to hit with it, and loved it! Tons of spin, control, and feel! I know the ZX will end up sawing through the CT, but I don’t care! Now that I can string for myself, the playability is worth the lack of durability. [emoji6][emoji106]


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Click to expand...
 
ashridge said:
Hey, I wanted to get an update on how the CT @55 x ZX @57 set-up was working out for you. Are you still playing with it, or did you already break them? If you broke them, how many hours of play did they last, and did you have good spin, control and feel through the whole time? Was this in your Textreme Tour 100P? I'm assuming the set-up was ok on your elbow? I'm thinking about trying a CT/ZX hybrid or Firewire/ZX hybrid in my RF97A. I know the RF97A is a lot stiffer than the Tour 100P, but I won't know how comfy it is unless I try.
Click to expand...

Cyclone tour 18l - ashaway monogut zw pro 22 - 23 12 hours of play... in a yonex ezone dr98, still great spin, touch and feel seems getting better, still no notching, very easy on the arm...
Playstyle first serv hard and mostly flat, second serv kick or spin... medium fast stroke.
In my other dr 98 WC ultra cable and Ashaway monogut zx pro 21-22,5 somewhat stiffer , more spin, less touch and feel, i guess this setup is better for hard spin hitters...
Other dr98 tecnifibre HDX tour 1.24 25kg best of both worlds, Great allround string, fantastic touch and feel , less spin but great on the arm, and great tension maintenance.
 
Thanks for your comments, seems to be a durable combo for you so far.

Rody said:
Cyclone tour 18l - ashaway monogut zw pro 22 - 23 12 hours of play... in a yonex ezone dr98, still great spin, touch and feel seems getting better, still no notching, very easy on the arm...
Playstyle first serv hard and mostly flat, second serv kick or spin... medium fast stroke.
In my other dr 98 WC ultra cable and Ashaway monogut zx pro 21-22,5 somewhat stiffer , more spin, less touch and feel, i guess this setup is better for hard spin hitters...
Other dr98 tecnifibre HDX tour 1.24 25kg best of both worlds, Great allround string, fantastic touch and feel , less spin but great on the arm, and great tension maintenance.
Click to expand...
 
ashridge said:
Hey, I wanted to get an update on how the CT @55 x ZX @57 set-up was working out for you. Are you still playing with it, or did you already break them? If you broke them, how many hours of play did they last, and did you have good spin, control and feel through the whole time? Was this in your Textreme Tour 100P? I'm assuming the set-up was ok on your elbow? I'm thinking about trying a CT/ZX hybrid or Firewire/ZX hybrid in my RF97A. I know the RF97A is a lot stiffer than the Tour 100P, but I won't know how comfy it is unless I try.
Click to expand...

I played with them for about 4 hrs, before I cut them out. Played well for the first couple hours, still a little powerful for me. By the fourth hour, they became too inconsistent and WAY too powerful for my game. I hit heavy topspin on both wings, with lots of cut and kick serves. They were severely notched by the time I cut them out as well. I’m thinking CT isn’t for me. I’ve since moved on to Solinco Hyper G 17g @ 51 Mains/ Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16g @ 55 Crosses, and after 3 hours, I love it so far. The GOSM is notching a bit, but the Hyper G is still perfect. My favorite part; it only cost me about $5 to string it up ( got the reel of Hyper G for $115, and the GOGSM for $40). I get great spin, good controllable power, and inconsistency hasn’t been an issue at all...so far. Everything has been in my Prince TT 100P. Elbow hasn’t been an issue in either setup. I just ordered a reel of Weiss Cannon Ultra Cable for $92. I’m hoping that plays into my swing style even more than the Hyper G has. [emoji16][emoji106]


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Interesting comments, thanks.

Do you think the "too much power" was more due to the Cyclone Tour mains or the ZX crosses? Interesting that the Hyper G/Gosen hybrid is *less* powerful than the CT/ZX, even at lower tension.

Sounds like the Hyper G/Gosen might not be a real durable combo if the Gosen is already notching, which would be an issue for me since I don't string my own racquets. I am glad to hear it isn't causing you any elbow issues.

I demo'd the Textreme Tour 100P twice over the last few months, and it was easy on my arm even with a full bed of poly (Prince Beast XP 17 poly), but it felt very "boingy/springy" every time I made contact with the ball, even with a string vibration dampener. I didn't care for that feel so much, though I did really like the topspin and control that I got with the racquet. Do you recognize that "springy" feel I'm talking about with the Hyper G/Gosen hybrid you're currently using? I eventually decided to go with a very different racquet, the RF97A, because I absolutely love the solid stability and plowthrough it has. The TT100P was in my top 3 and I might still consider it if I can't find a very comfy (but durable) string set-up for my RF97A. I'm currently using Babolat Tonic NG 15l mains @55 and Isospeed Cream poly crosses @35, and it's pretty nice, though my arm is pretty tired after playing a few hours. Not sure if that's just the heft/weight of the RF97A that I will eventually get used to, or if that's a string issue. I have some other hybrid combos I have plans to try. The CT/ZX was one I'm interested in.

JoshTheLMT said:
I played with them for about 4 hrs, before I cut them out. Played well for the first couple hours, still a little powerful for me. By the fourth hour, they became too inconsistent and WAY too powerful for my game. I hit heavy topspin on both wings, with lots of cut and kick serves. They were severely notched by the time I cut them out as well. I’m thinking CT isn’t for me. I’ve since moved on to Solinco Hyper G 17g @ 51 Mains/ Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16g @ 55 Crosses, and after 3 hours, I love it so far. The GOSM is notching a bit, but the Hyper G is still perfect. My favorite part; it only cost me about $5 to string it up ( got the reel of Hyper G for $115, and the GOGSM for $40). I get great spin, good controllable power, and inconsistency hasn’t been an issue at all...so far. Everything has been in my Prince TT 100P. Elbow hasn’t been an issue in either setup. I just ordered a reel of Weiss Cannon Ultra Cable for $92. I’m hoping that plays into my swing style even more than the Hyper G has. [emoji16][emoji106]


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Click to expand...
 
Still a little noisy, but the higher pitch of the Ashaway, made it worse for sure. FYI. I’ve noticed that the Hyper G/ GOGSM isn’t as noisy. On a side note: By a cheap drop weight stringer for $190. Then watch every YouTube vid you can find, on how to string a racquet and tie knots. I’ve only been doing it for less than two months, and it’s already paid for itself.


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I actually have a drop weight stringer that I used to string my racquets on as a teenager 25 years ago. I think it may be up in the attic somewhere at my parents home halfway across the U.S. from me. May try to see if I can find it next time I'm down there. Would definitely have to re-learn how to string because I've forgotten everything about it in the 25 years since I last did one.

JoshTheLMT said:
Still a little noisy, but the higher pitch of the Ashaway, made it worse for sure. FYI. I’ve noticed that the Hyper G/ GOGSM isn’t as noisy. On a side note: By a cheap drop weight stringer for $190. Then watch every YouTube vid you can find, on how to string a racquet and tie knots. I’ve only been doing it for less than two months, and it’s already paid for itself.


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