I'm thinking of starting to experiment with some poly strings but wanted to look into the softer co-polys. Then I got to thinking if maybe that would defeat the purpose of poly (extra spin that is)? Those of you who have experience with poly, is that indeed the case? Does playing with a soft poly defeat the purpose? Would the spin be the same as hitting with normal synthetic gut? Thanks for any input.
Does soft poly defeat the 'purpose' (spin) of poly?
- Thread starter pmata814
- Start date
dr325i
G.O.A.T.
Have you tried the Solinco Tour Bite SOFT. Nice and soft, excellent spin, decent durability, great power.
Bobby Jr
G.O.A.T.
You can generally string them looser than syn gut so in that respect you'd gain more spin anyway in-general. I've used softer polys and found them way more spin-friendly than syn gut (even string as a hybrid with syn gut in the crosses).
If you are happy with the feel of them then that's an important attribute also.
If you are happy with the feel of them then that's an important attribute also.
As long as they are not too flexible, in other words strung too loose, you'll be fine. It's not the stiffness of poly strings that produces extra spin, rather its their hard, slippery surfaces - which allow the mains to slide sideways along the crosses and then snapback into place, producing a spin-producing sideways kick. To get the same snapback timing and energy with a softer (more flexible) copoly you just string a little tighter than you would with a stiffer copoly. How much flexibility is optimal will depend on the player (how fast you swing, mainly) and the racquet (heavier racquets = string tighter; more open pattern = string tighter). From a practical POV, many good intermediate players find that soft copolys strung as low as 35 pounds still have enough stiffness to slide and snapback in a spin-augmenting fashion. Stronger players will probably have to string a little tighter, although the pro Volandri used to string full poly at around 26 pounds.
BTW, I've avoided using the word "soft" because the opposite of stiffness is flexibility, not softness. I think "soft" is a word that does a good job describing impact feel, but it only confuses discussions of stringed dynamics.
optimaltennis
Rookie
From my experiences, tb soft doesn't give as much spin as tour bite regular
parasailing
Legend
If a soft poly is what allows you to put it in your racquet due to it being easier on your arm, then you will still benefit from the increase spin production over a multi-filiament, synthetic gut, or natural gut string.
Gut4Tennis
Hall of Fame
SCRAP IRON
Professional
This statement is the essence of textured co-poly strings. People use them to generate more spin and control while not being too harsh. However, if you have ever had arm issues from tennis, you should not even dabble with a full bed of poly strings.
mattavery24
Rookie
Black widow is very soft as well and has great spin. It is very shaped and grabs the ball well.
anubis
Hall of Fame
Out of curiosity, where did you find that value for spin for BHB7?
newpball
Legend
There isn't such a thing, polyester is stiff.
SteveI
Legend
Hi,
RSI did a review of Tourna Big Hitter Black 7 17G and it is the highest rated string they ever tested for spin. The 6.3 number is from TW University.. right on this site and it is also contained in the TW review of this product.
http://www.tennisindustrymag.com/articles/2012/05/13_playtest_tourna_big_hitter.html
http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/reviews/UBHBK17/UBHBK17Review.html
The spin is off the charts this this stuff. TW has a few strings rated higher but not many.
Happy Holidays...
SteveI
sovertennis
Professional
I went from regular TB 17 to TB Soft 16 and noticed no discernible difference in spin.
My reel of TB Soft 16 is just about done, and I'm on the fence about whether to get another reel of it, or the TB Soft 17. Comments/suggestions?
My reel of TB Soft 16 is just about done, and I'm on the fence about whether to get another reel of it, or the TB Soft 17. Comments/suggestions?
The TWU figure you cited is just a combination of inter string friction and ball/string friction. This figure is meant more for a ballpark and an easy way for people to access the friction data collected by TWU. It may more may not be a great reflection of a string's spin-potential in the real world.
But TWU did collect real spin data with a Pro Open strung with BHB7 17 at 52 pounds in this paper (scroll down to the graph "Average Spin vs. Racquet"). It was in the top 4 of polys tested.
SteveI
Legend
Thanks for the link...bottom line.. Big Hitter Black 17G is soft and the spin potential is outstanding.. one of the best. I have been playing this string on and off for a year and if you can't produce spin with this stuff.. you will never be able to...
I have also playtested TB Soft in 16L and it is also one of the best at spin production..
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phishbiscuits
Rookie
Poly isn't just for spin- it's for control too...
Gut4Tennis
Hall of Fame
exactly
some like the feel and touch it gives as well
everyone has a different experience
