Discho strings/Black mamba??

D-money

D-money

Rookie
Has any one had any experience with these strings particularly the shaped polys like the Black Mamba gear or the Penta? I came across these but I've never heard of them. And can't seem to find any info on them. Any help would be appreciated.
 
I'll be trying them out in the next few weeks and I believe PVAudio will be playtesting them soon as well.
 
Sweet

Awesome I look forward to your review. They seem to me like repackaged RPM blast, Cyclone and Black code. Obviously only the cyclone is made in germany so I doubt that's true. But at those prices if they're even OK they seem like a bargain.
 
Indeed I will. I shall be trying at least 4 of their offerings. Since there is a lot of controversy surrounding their origins, and I happen to own, play with or otherwise have playtested all of the "controversial" alternatives, I'll give my insight as compared to the alleged identical strings from other manufacturers. I do know, however, that while they may be made in the same place in Germany, they aren't the same string. I mean, does anyone actually believe that SPP Pure is the same as WC Silverstring? Yeah...no.
 
pvaudio said:
Indeed I will. I shall be trying at least 4 of their offerings. Since there is a lot of controversy surrounding their origins, and I happen to own, play with or otherwise have playtested all of the "controversial" alternatives, I'll give my insight as compared to the alleged identical strings from other manufacturers. I do know, however, that while they may be made in the same place in Germany, they aren't the same string. I mean, does anyone actually believe that SPP Pure is the same as WC Silverstring? Yeah...no.
Click to expand...


We will both go into it with an open mind. Since PV has more poly experience, he'll be the better judge for the polys and hopefully I can give some good comparisons with the multifilaments.
 
Awesome! Controversial tennis string? That's pretty funny. What is the controversy? I must admit I saw the prices and assumed they were garbage but they intrigued me with their pitch claiming 3rd generation poly. Sounds good to me. The few 3rd gen polys I've played have been fantastic. And I've loved the shapped strings Ive played with as well like focus hex, tour bite and RPM, the ladder being my least favorite only cause it was playable the least amount of time. Anyways I can't wait to hear the reviews good or bad thanks for the replies.
 
Many of the German poly strings are made in the same factory. There has always been controversy that because of this, the big name ones all sell the same string albeit with a different name. However, having playtested most of the ones in question, I can promise you that while they may be made at the same place, they are nothing similar. It's the most touchy with the smooth black poly strings. Some people say Genesis Black Magic and Signum Pro Hyperion are the same string. Not even close.
 
pvaudio said:
Many of the German poly strings are made in the same factory. There has always been controversy that because of this, the big name ones all sell the same string albeit with a different name. However, having playtested most of the ones in question, I can promise you that while they may be made at the same place, they are nothing similar. It's the most touchy with the smooth black poly strings. Some people say Genesis Black Magic and Signum Pro Hyperion are the same string. Not even close.
Click to expand...


I've found similar strings before from various manufacturers but I still have not found a string from one manufacturer that plays exactly like a string from another manufacturer.
 
Just don't wait till the winter guys (PV and Mike) :-P I trust your judgement, can't wait for the feedback.
 
pepka said:
Just don't wait till the winter guys (PV and Mike) :-P I trust your judgement, can't wait for the feedback.
Click to expand...


I've got two more PK 7Gs coming at the end of the week. I'll have two rackets with my "goto" setup and one with a Mamba hybrid.
 
mikeler said:
I've got two more PK 7Gs coming at the end of the week. I'll have two rackets with my "goto" setup and one with a Mamba hybrid.
Click to expand...

Softer feames? ;> Was PS to stiff or is this just precaution? Going full poly maybe? ;-)
 
pepka said:
Softer feames? ;> Was PS to stiff or is this just precaution? Going full poly maybe? ;-)
Click to expand...


My shoulder has been very slow to heal since I tweaked it in February. A guy down at my club recommended it to me, so I bought one last week. After this weekend playing two matches with it, I bought 2 more yesterday.

The PST is fairly soft but there is no comparison with the 7G. The 7G is so much softer but does not feel flexy which is exactly what I want. I actually think I could play full poly in the 7G but I doubt I will. So I'll likely be selling my PSTs shortly.
 
Discho sports has some excellent co-poly's from the latest generation, i would advice to ignore the very cheapest ones, these are not good IMO
The black Mamba/Penta is here to test but didnt string it up yet...
The best i've come across so far is the Discho Iontec Hexa, strange colour but very nice string with a nice soft touch and a very good bite on the ball.
Is also quite durable.
Ionspin rough is also good.
I would stay away from Pure Poly and Silver Speed, way too hard and no feel.
 
Well unfortunately my playtest did not last very long with a Black Spin/Techno Ace hybrid. The first five shots I felt everyone of them in my elbow so I'll have to end that playtest there. Sucks having a sensitive arm. :(
 
I have played the Discho Iontec and the Black Mamba

Iontec- plays like a poly that has been pre-stretched, it has a muted feel similar to some of the kirshbaum polys. Soft, low powered, average spin, very easy on the arm for a poly. It would be a good choice for a claycourter looking for a soft, control oriented string.

Black Mamba- Good spin, average power, gives the loud kaboom sound at impact, other players asked me what string I was using because of the sound. It is also a soft poly, plays like a slightly stiffer version of sonic pro. It didn't stretch as much as Sonic Pro when I strung it, but plays very similar with feel, spin and power.

I will try Black Spin shortly and report back.
 
Last edited:
just tried Pro's Pro Revoltec and liked it better than Pro's Pro Blackout at the same tension(53lbs)

Still had good spin even having no texture/profile and had more power than Blackout. Everything else felt pretty equal
 
Discho Black Mamba 1.23

blackmamba.jpg


bmmacro.jpg


Stringing: Without question this is one of the most stubborn, stiff and recalcitrant strings that I've ever dealt with. Honestly, it's second only to Alien Black Diamond in terms of diabolical stringability. Nonetheless, the Alien stuff is truly a great poly even though it's deadly to string up, so I'm not basing anything off of this. Anyone thinking that this stuff is the same as SP Hyperion or Genesis Black Magic......you've got to be kidding me. Strung at 47/47.

Groundstrokes: This string plays how it feels and strings, but only from a power and feel standpoint. It is not a harsh string at all, but it's not soft. I would say that Hyperion is slightly softer, but not by much. It's about as soft as maybe Cyberflash, but without the other qualities. It has very little power anywhere in the court. You really need to work the racquet to get your shots to work how you want them to. There is a very strange feeling to it, something that I have only experienced with X-1. It honestly feels as though the racquet is strung at different tensions all across the string bed. if you hit the ball a bit lower in the stringbed to get a sharper angle, there is no power. If you hit it a bit above the sweet spot, there is a bit more power, but not by much. The string really takes the sweetspot of even the deadest polys and shrinks it. To put it another way, the strings just feel dead right from the get go. Normally, I would say that there is a type of player that would like this, but no play style would benefit from the way it played for me.
Overall: 7/10

Serves: Same as the groundstrokes. This is not a server's string as there is no help whatsoever on a power or spin standpoint. It's simply just a dead feeling string and seems to take away pace that you already would have had even with a syn gut. Since I rely heavily on my serve, this is a definite no.
Overall: 6/10

Volleys: Too stiff. There is no feel from the stringbed. The same applies here about the "uneven" stringbed. You have absolutely no way of knowing whether or not your volley is going to go where you want it. Now, I know I play with gut crosses in my go-to setup, but even then, mushy Black Magic is more reliable.
Overall: 6/10

Durability: It may be too early to tell since not enough time has passed, but this seems to be a rather durable poly. There is no notching whatsoever, but honestly, after feeling it, that's not surprising. The crosses were sliding all over the place though. Either way, the strings felt dead even after they broke in, so I really can't imagine what it will be like once they die.
Overall: Too early.

I don't believe in reviewing something and not being honest, so I won't be doing that. This is not a string for me. I'm not going to use any hyperbole here, so I'm just relaying exactly what I think. I know that some people like it, but for groundstrokes this reminds me from a feel standpoint of Signum Pro Hyperion. Similar spin off of both wings as well. The difference is, Hyperion is easy to string, doesn't move about and is very playable at the net and on serves. For groundstrokes though, it's very similar. Not that soft, stiff feeling and very low powered. In all other aspects, it isn't even close. It doesn't feel plasticky like Black Code, but it plays just as poorly.

Overall: 6.5/10
 
Thanks a lot for the review, PV. That is very interesting, and not at all my experience with this string. So, I would like to get some additional feedback.

Anyone who would like a sample set of these strings to try and is willing to share your feedback with me, please email me at ray at mambatennis dot com. US and Canada only please (sorry).
 
@pv audio
The black mamba is a very soft material and one of the softest polyester on the market and very easy to string. You write exact the different to 99% of all players. Some of the best germany juniors (playes with this string) The stringer of the italian fed-cup team (and of some atp tournaments) strings this and the black-mamba penta for many tournament players. But he strings it fo this players only with 48 lbs sometimes with 50 lbs. They normaly have have 57 or 59 lbs. After that you have to play one our and then the string has the optimal playabiltiy without losing control. So you there was not enough power you have to try to string it lower and i promise you, you will like it. mamba tennis will give you a new string for sure. The string is also not stiffer (from the material) as other strings like bab. rpm blast and so on.
 
I am going to string it at 55 and the multi cross at 58. I don't want to hyrbid at low tensions..it doesn't work for me in this racquet since the tension will drop anyway and I don't want a 7G with multi crosses playing at 40#s.
 
Power Player said:
I am going to string it at 55 and the multi cross at 58. I don't want to hyrbid at low tensions..it doesn't work for me in this racquet since the tension will drop anyway and I don't want a 7G with multi crosses playing at 40#s.
Click to expand...

Sorry but there was so many players which told mario parisio (this is the name of this stringer) that they can´t play only 2-3 lbs lower bequause they tried it often and they can´t play with lower tenson. But he told them don´t be afraid, try it and you will see it works. Most of them are very happy. So feel free to try something new. I personly only play 62 lbs ore more and a very thin racket frame. I play not much top spin and with 58 lbs my balls are to long and i have not enough control. I need not a string which have power bequause i have enough power by my self. But i play black mamba always 3-6 lbs lower when i play with it (i prefer the iontec string bequause it is a controll string with not much power). So if there is anybody who has not enough power with black mamba, you should string lower. You will not loose control.
 
@power player, sorry i did not see that you wrote about hybrid. So sure you can also go a little bit lower with the tension of black mamba. But not much lower then normal if you don´t want to make experiences beqause of the high price of the cross string
 
Tennisman.de said:
@pv audio
The black mamba is a very soft material and one of the softest polyester on the market and very easy to string. You write exact the different to 99% of all players. Some of the best germany juniors (playes with this string) The stringer of the italian fed-cup team (and of some atp tournaments) strings this and the black-mamba penta for many tournament players. But he strings it fo this players only with 48 lbs sometimes with 50 lbs. They normaly have have 57 or 59 lbs. After that you have to play one our and then the string has the optimal playabiltiy without losing control. So you there was not enough power you have to try to string it lower and i promise you, you will like it. mamba tennis will give you a new string for sure. The string is also not stiffer (from the material) as other strings like bab. rpm blast and so on.
Click to expand...
With all due respect, I do not like in the slightest being told that my experiences are wrong. I couldn't care less who in Europe plays with or strings with this string; their view are completely independent of and completely irrelevant with respect to mine. You need to have an open mind when reading reviews, and if your experience is opposite of someone else's, you don't tell them that their experience is wrong. With that said, I will simply be polite and say thank you for the information, but I'll decline to take your advice.
 
Well I string Black Magic at 58 in a hybrid and 52#s if it was a full job. So if the Mamba won't work at 55#s in the mains, I won't use it. Hybrid tension range took me forever to dial in, and now that I have it, I want to stay in that range.
 
Strung one of my Ozone Pro Tours Monday with Black Mamba 1.23 mains and Iontec 1.20 crosses at 48 for both.

I’ve been testing several poly/poly hybrids this year with great results and had to smile when G&G posted a Blog article promoting the concept. As they suggest, going with a thinner poly cross yields excellent results. For me, the combination of a stiff main and a softer thinner poly cross has been terrific. The common reaction to hybriding two polys has been negative on these boards, but considering the different string length of a main vs. a cross, it seems logical to me to have a lighter gauge for the cross strings. Syn gut crosses do the job of softening up the string bed, sure, but they notch badly after a hitting session or two.

Where Poly/Nylon hybrids work best from 50/54 to 56/60 for me (depending on gauge and stiffness characteristics) poly/polys need to be dropped down a good bit.

As PV states above, the Mamba is a stiff poly, surprisingly so for a 1.23 The Iontec feels much softer. I had no trouble stringing either, though I’m sure Mamba would not be so fun to string as a cross. Knots were a pain on the Mamba, no trouble with the Iontec.

I’ve logged just a few hours on the set-up now and I am very pleased so far. Compared to the other two poly hybrids I’m testing currently, PolySrar Strike 1.25 / SPPP1.18 @ 52 and Twisted Razor 1.27 / SPPP 1.18 @ 48, it is less powerful than the PS, and about the same as the TR. Spin potential is less than both, but is very predictable, producing the best control. Touch and size of the sweet spot seems a bit lacking, so the tension choice of 48/48 I made is feeling a little high for this combo. I’ll try 45/45 the next go round. Too early to comment on tension maintenance, but string movement and notching are nonexistent so far.

BTW, I have no intention of trying a full bed of BM. I’ve tried many stiff polys in the past and found they don’t work for me in a full bed, but the Iontec might be worth a shot.
 
I keep hearing Black Mamba is stiff..if that is the case I probably wont even put it in my stick. I can't risk that right now.
 
Power Player said:
I keep hearing Black Mamba is stiff..if that is the case I probably wont even put it in my stick. I can't risk that right now.
Click to expand...

It doesn't play stiff , it is one of the softer polys out there and low powered. String it 2-3 pounds lower than you normally string other polys if you try it.
 
I haven't found any of the Black Mamba polys difficult to string, much easier than Cyclone or Alu in comparison.
 
Last edited:
Mamba just sent me a free set of black mamba and the black mamba penta twist. I'll send my review here. I don't have a camera, so i won't have a pv like review.

I will say one thing. Customer service is top notch. They respond quickly to emails and even gave the sets first class mail.

(I get back in the US on Saturday so I'm amped.) he said the sets should arrive Monday.

That being said, the great customer service will not affect my review.
 
Up&comer said:
Mamba just sent me a free set of black mamba and the black mamba penta twist. I'll send my review here. I don't have a camera, so i won't have a pv like review.

I will say one thing. Customer service is top notch. They respond quickly to emails and even gave the sets first class mail.

(I get back in the US on Saturday so I'm amped.) he said the sets should arrive Monday.

That being said, the great customer service will not affect my review.
Click to expand...


Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the Penta.
 
^^^thy recommend to string with that stuff at 40 lbs;

"For those that really want to dial in the experience that a top quality polyester can provide, we recommend planning to go through a few sets and make regular adjustments. Start as low as 40lbs of tension: that's right 40."
 
I tried 47, and I have another set of it. So, I'll try 40 instead of a hybrid. If I never like it in a full bed, I never like it as a hybrid anyway.
 
By the way all my tests are going to be in a full bed at 54 and are going to stay in there as long as i can until they break, go dead, or just aren't up to par.

I can take pictures on my phone, so if I could email it to someone and they could post it, that'd be great.
 
I have the penta...it should be strung at 40??

damn..Im not going to hybrid at that tension..I need my cross to be at 55#s minimum.
 
The suggestion is to START as low as 40 in a full bed and work up until you fall in love. I have found that easier to do rather than starting high and dealing with whatever it is in us (me too) that does not like to lower tension.

Hybrids are obviously different and anyone is free to do as they like, of course.

I string the Penta Twisted at 48. It is one of my favorite strings along with Thunderstrings 3VO.

But... if you take my suggestion on a tension and you hate it, just let me know and I will send you another set to string as you like.
 
I just have to be super conservative right now with my wrist...it sucks. I was planning to try the Mamba in a full job at whatever tension was reccomended, but now that probably will not happen.
 
pvaudio said:
Thanks Ray! I'll test drive the Mamba at 40lbs and repeat!
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've decided to drop my tension for these two. I'm going 48 on them instead. He insisted, and if I dont like them, he said I'd get another set to try.

I just can't get over the great customer service. Free samples, prompt replies, the whole shabang.
 
I strung a second stick with Black Mamba / Iontec at 44/44 just now. I play with my regular doubles friends tomorrow and will see how it goes.
 
I have a set of Black Mamba and Black Mamba Twist on the way. I can't wait to try these, but from the picture, Black Mamba Twist it going to be a pain to string...
 
Really interesting to me to hear a few people saying that Black Mamba is a stiff string. It is certainly stiffer than the Black Mamba Gear by my findings but compared to a number of other strings (RPM, Black Code, Volkl Cyclone, Mesquito Bite, etc) I find Mamba to be pretty soft. The trajectory with the mamba gear was really unpredictable, regular mamba was not as unpredictable but still I felt like there was a lot of trampoline effect off of the string bed. This was a pretty high powered string and did not really feel like I got much bite on the ball. I strung up the first two sets that I tried at 56,58 respectively and then 57,59. I have since tried two more sets at 53,55 and 50,53. The last two I could only hit with for about 15 min. each in warmup and could not control anything about the ball. Power was really high and spin was not there at all. I am going to try one final test at 62,64 and see if the trampoline on the string bed goes away and the really firm hard bite from the stringbed that I look for is there or not.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

G
Discho Iontec & Black Mamba Tennis Strings
Replies
19
Views
3K
sbaniak
sbaniak
The Meat
Anyone else try Mamba Black Spin?
Replies
5
Views
1K
Deleted member 120290
D
BorderLine
Stiffness Measure for Discho Microfibre 16 or 17
Replies
5
Views
2K
Muppet
Muppet
W
Tournament String Setup: Mamba Gut/?Poly?
Replies
33
Views
5K
Ramon
R
S
Mamba Premium Natural Gut - Review
4 5 6
Replies
255
Views
43K
yangster007
yangster007
Back
Top