Gravity Pro, How Low Can You Go?

[CharlottesHead]

The range for recommended tension for the Gravity Pro seems pretty wide to me, 22- 26kg or 48-57lbs. I strung mine for the first time at 23kg which was the minimum tension for the 2 Wilson rackets I'd been using for a while (RF97 & SIX.ONE) but it feels a bit "boardy" to me which I was surprised by seeing as it's a larger head size than I've been using. It feels similar at contact to my old rackets when they where strung at 24kg.

It's worth noting that I did something that I shouldn't have with a brand new racket, that being string it with strings I haven't tried before. Luxilon Adrenaline as opposed to my usual Solinco barbed wire.

My question is, what has been your experience with stringing the Gravity Pro at the lowest recommended or lower? Is there a big drop off in control? How much has the power increased? How much do you think it could be down to the strings themselves?

 

[sanister]

The range for recommended tension for the Gravity Pro seems pretty wide to me, 22- 26kg or 48-57lbs. I strung mine for the first time at 23kg which was the minimum tension for the 2 Wilson rackets I'd been using for a while (RF97 & SIX.ONE) but it feels a bit "boardy" to me which I was surprised by seeing as it's a larger head size than I've been using. It feels similar at contact to my old rackets when they where strung at 24kg.

It's worth noting that I did something that I shouldn't have with a brand new racket, that being string it with strings I haven't tried before. Luxilon Adrenaline as opposed to my usual Solinco barbed wire.

My question is, what has been your experience with stringing the Gravity Pro at the lowest recommended or lower? Is there a big drop off in control? How much has the power increased? How much do you think it could be down to the strings themselves?

People in my club play with Gravity with as low as 40lbs and as high as 60lbs. I think in the end it becomes a matter of how you like your setup really.

As for tension dropping, contrary to what some think, there isn't a crazy boost of power. You might feel that the stringbed gets just a tad more muted when you drop tension, but it doesn't become overly powerful either.

I have gone as low as 35lbs full poly (not in Gravity Pro but in other racquets) and if you have modern strokes and not old school very very linear swingpath type of strokes, there is ample control. Once you hit for a few minutes you adjust quickly. I personally think the tension from 44-47 lbs is actually great for poly in 18x20 patterns. Higher than that and feeling starts to get boardy for me.

 

[CharlottesHead]

People in my club play with Gravity with as low as 40lbs and as high as 60lbs. I think in the end it becomes a matter of how you like your setup really.

As for tension dropping, contrary to what some think, there isn't a crazy boost of power. You might feel that the stringbed gets just a tad more muted when you drop tension, but it doesn't become overly powerful either.

I have gone as low as 35lbs full poly (not in Gravity Pro but in other racquets) and if you have modern strokes and not old school very very linear swingpath type of strokes, there is ample control. Once you hit for a few minutes you adjust quickly. I personally think the tension from 44-47 lbs is actually great for poly in 18x20 patterns. Higher than that and feeling starts to get boardy for me.

Thanks.
I'm going to restring it this week with my usual Solinco Barbed Wire (a shaped twisted poly) at 48lbs in the mains and 46lbs in the crosses, and work my way down from there. I have a modern swing with a lot of top spin so I like a bit of free pop. As the strings are at the moment my forehands are landing in the service box unless I flatten out my shots.

 

[Edgewood]

My best set up in my Head Gravity Pros is Solinco Hyper G 17guage at 45/43.

 

[gazz1]

I had to string at a lower tension with this racket also. 43lb worked well for me.

 

[CharlottesHead]

I had to string at a lower tension with this racket also. 43lb worked well for me.

I assume that means you tried something within the recommended tension first? May I ask what was it and string type?

 

[Edgewood]

I tried hybrids with gut/poly, gut/multi, multi/poly, poly/mult. Always did gut 60lbs-55lbs with poly 3-5 pounds less.
Liked full poly better. Used Tecnifibre Ice Code upper 50s and other poly in low 50. Tour bite soft upper 40s and lower 50s. Regular Tour Bite mid and upper 40s. For me the best is a 17 or 18 gauge low powered spin poly like Hyper G and low to mid 40s
This allows the frame to have a greater sweet spot and not as stiff. Just works.
You can try 48 pounds but 48 vs 43 or 45 is a huge difference in feel for some reason. Control is the same. Can’t explain it.

 

[dr325i]

I loved it with Hawk (17g) at 52/48.
the racket has plenty of power and no need to go super low however, The tension is subjective.
it has tons of control therefore you could go lower if necessary.
it also has a great feel and softness and I found Hawk to fit better than the Hawk Touch.

 

[smalahove]

I string my Pro with MSV Focus Hex Soft 1.25 @44 lbs. Great feel and control.

 

[Mark-Touch]

As for tension dropping, contrary to what some think, there isn't a crazy boost of power. You might feel that the stringbed gets just a tad more muted when you drop tension, but it doesn't become overly powerful either.

This!

 

[dr325i]

This!

Not if you drop 3lbs. But if you go from 55 to 42, you will certainly notice more power, less control

 

[Faris]

The range for recommended tension for the Gravity Pro seems pretty wide to me, 22- 26kg or 48-57lbs. I strung mine for the first time at 23kg which was the minimum tension for the 2 Wilson rackets I'd been using for a while (RF97 & SIX.ONE) but it feels a bit "boardy" to me which I was surprised by seeing as it's a larger head size than I've been using. It feels similar at contact to my old rackets when they where strung at 24kg.

It's worth noting that I did something that I shouldn't have with a brand new racket, that being string it with strings I haven't tried before. Luxilon Adrenaline as opposed to my usual Solinco barbed wire.

My question is, what has been your experience with stringing the Gravity Pro at the lowest recommended or lower? Is there a big drop off in control? How much has the power increased? How much do you think it could be down to the strings themselves?

If you strung it at 50 lbs before like you said and it felt boardy, definitely go lower.

Also, if have good racquet head speed and modern strokes you will be fine with control using polys in low 40s in the Gravity Pro. After a first few hits you will adjust. Not that big a deal. Plenty of people I know string it in the 40 lbs range and play good, high level tennis.

A big part of equation is poly strings. Modern strings allow you to drop tension without losing control granted you have the racquet head speed to impart enough spin on ball to bring it back down. Hyper G is a popular one amongst Gravity Pro users in my club. Try that if you haven't.

 

[Mark-Touch]

Not if you drop 3lbs. But if you go from 55 to 42, you will certainly notice more power, less control

"You might feel that the stringbed gets just a tad more muted when you drop tension, but it doesn't become overly powerful either. "

When I have gone from low 50's to low 40's I did not feel my rackets become overly powerful.

 

[tribesmen]

Different string tensions affect only dwell time and string movement mainly, therefore different ball trajectory and player’s feel of the impact. Power difference is very low even between 35-60 lbs.

If you like to have your shots more consistent use higher string tension, also spin will be easier, but if you don't like boardy feel them use lower tensions, but remember you must restring the racket more frequently, because of the string movement affect.

 

[1HBHfanatic]

-got mine strung up at 30lbs, fb poly
-i got to hit with it 1x time only, before the apocalypse started, felt great
-its a tight pattern racquet after all, so 18g and low tensions are going to work well, 4me
-low tensions do reward big swings, problem is, you dont always get to swing big, sometimes, a soft shot is needed

 

[alpenglo]

If I may ask a--perhaps stupid--question, should we be talking about the *actual* tension or what the stringing machine was set at? For instance, my GPro "strung at 50 lbs" with a poly/poly hybrid, measures at 42 lbs (with a phone app that seems to be accurate within a couple of pounds based on prior string-jobs). It certainly doesn't feel boardy in the least. Similarly, I had a Clash strung up at 48 lbs with 17ga Tour Bite measure 39 lbs upon getting home (no hitting at all). So is this racquet strung at 48 or 39?...

 

[CharlottesHead]

If I may ask a--perhaps stupid--question, should we be talking about the *actual* tension or what the stringing machine was set at? For instance, my GPro "strung at 50 lbs" with a poly/poly hybrid, measures at 42 lbs (with a phone app that seems to be accurate within a couple of pounds based on prior string-jobs). It certainly doesn't feel boardy in the least. Similarly, I had a Clash strung up at 48 lbs with 17ga Tour Bite measure 39 lbs upon getting home (no hitting at all). So is this racquet strung at 48 or 39?...

What's the app?

 

[CharlottesHead]

If I may ask a--perhaps stupid--question, should we be talking about the *actual* tension or what the stringing machine was set at? For instance, my GPro "strung at 50 lbs" with a poly/poly hybrid, measures at 42 lbs (with a phone app that seems to be accurate within a couple of pounds based on prior string-jobs). It certainly doesn't feel boardy in the least. Similarly, I had a Clash strung up at 48 lbs with 17ga Tour Bite measure 39 lbs upon getting home (no hitting at all). So is this racquet strung at 48 or 39?...

I found the/an app!
It's funny, last night I played a match and was thinking the strings felt like they had softened a bit, felt great. I've been playing with them now about 5 hours and thought they've probably dropped about 20% in tension as polys typically do in that timeframe.

Now I tried that app and apparently they're at 20kg/44lbs.
I guess that's the magic number for me...

 

[haegger]

People in my club play with Gravity with as low as 40lbs and as high as 60lbs. I think in the end it becomes a matter of how you like your setup really.

As for tension dropping, contrary to what some think, there isn't a crazy boost of power. You might feel that the stringbed gets just a tad more muted when you drop tension, but it doesn't become overly powerful either.

I have gone as low as 35lbs full poly (not in Gravity Pro but in other racquets) and if you have modern strokes and not old school very very linear swingpath type of strokes, there is ample control. Once you hit for a few minutes you adjust quickly. I personally think the tension from 44-47 lbs is actually great for poly in 18x20 patterns. Higher than that and feeling starts to get boardy for me.

GOAT answer ever!!!

 

[fjcamry]

Thanks.
I'm going to restring it this week with my usual Solinco Barbed Wire (a shaped twisted poly) at 48lbs in the mains and 46lbs in the crosses, and work my way down from there. I have a modern swing with a lot of top spin so I like a bit of free pop. As the strings are at the moment my forehands are landing in the service box unless I flatten out my shots.

Try higher tension and hybrid with syngut cross . Will fix your depth issue . The graphene is well balanced and stable in 360+s , just need to know that you can have the same control as full poly .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[alpenglo]

What's the app?

RacquetTune, but I guess you've figured that out on your own!

 

[alpenglo]

I found the/an app!
It's funny, last night I played a match and was thinking the strings felt like they had softened a bit, felt great. I've been playing with them now about 5 hours and thought they've probably dropped about 20% in tension as polys typically do in that timeframe.

Now I tried that app and apparently they're at 20kg/44lbs.
I guess that's the magic number for me...

So you started at 55lb, presumably? Back to my original question, then: Do you consider your racquet to be strung at 55 or 44lb? And what the heck do the TW play testers mean (like Chris Edwards saying he loves the GPro with poly in the 'low 40s'--is it really something like 30 lbs he's liking?)??

 

[CharlottesHead]

So you started at 55lb, presumably? Back to my original question, then: Do you consider your racquet to be strung at 55 or 44lb? And what the heck do the TW play testers mean (like Chris Edwards saying he loves the GPro with poly in the 'low 40s'--is it really something like 30 lbs he's liking?)??

No the app is 'Tennis Tension', a paid app that seems to work well.

I strung it originally at 50lbs and when I tested it it was 44lbs after about 5 hours of play.
The strings are luxilon Adrenaline and someone posted on stringforumDOTnet a test showing those specific strings going down 17% in tension over 10 hours. Which backs up my feeling the app is accurate and my Stringer is GOOD!

The stiffness has definitely dropped in the racket and it feels quite plush. A bit more pop as well but all the control is there as others have said.

I'm getting it restrung tomorrow and it'll be at 44lbs. I'll see how it goes.

 

[alpenglo]

Ah, a new tennis app! I'll have to try that as well. Racquet Tune let's you record the 'history' of all your racquets and strings. But it's flakey and hasn't been updated in forever.

 

[CharlottesHead]

Ah, a new tennis app! I'll have to try that as well. Racquet Tune let's you record the 'history' of all your racquets and strings. But it's flakey and hasn't been updated in forever.

So I got my G-Pro restrung at 21×20kg(I'm doing this in metric for my own sake, 1kg=2.2lbs but when I tested it before the match it was 22.5kg! Ok, fine. Nobody's perfect and I know these strings (solinco barbed wire) are softer than the luxilon I took out and loose tension quite quickly. No harm, no foul.
In the first 45mins I was playing God tier tennis. It was really nice to have strings I was familiar with in my new racket for the first time.
...then things started to go south...
Lol, it wasn't that bad but there was a noticeable lose of control. And at the time I was bewildered because I had been feeling so dialed in.
Then when I got home I tested it again. 20kg! 2.5kgs (or ~5.5lbs) lost in 90mins! Explains a bit I would say.
Anyway I'm changing strings again tomorrow. I have played again since that fateful night (testing 19kg afterwards) and they were fine, but a tad too soft for me.

Check below for a short list of strings I have in my bag if you want to make a suggestion.

 

[CharlottesHead]

What should I string it with next?
These are in my bag (don't bother suggesting anything else).

*Solinco Revolution 1.15
*Luxilon ALU Power Rough 1.25
*Luxilon Savage White 1.27
*Gamma Jet 1.23
*Polyfibre Evolution 1.20 (was considering using a polyfibre string in poly×poly hybrid)
*Polyfibre Cobra 1.20 (can't decide which one though)

What do YOOOU! think?

 

[Kal-El 34]

I went full bed signum pro x perience 17 g at 50lbs and it felt really nice

 

[gazz1]

I assume that means you tried something within the recommended tension first? May I ask what was it and string type?

I tried lynx at around 48 I think. I liked it much better @43. That’s just me.

 

[johnmccabe]

I have tourna big hitter silver 7 tour in mains 38 lbs and MSV soft 41lbs in the cross. First string job since I got the racquet. Felt pretty good as is, but may try to lower it a little more.

 

[Soundbyte]

When I had these I preferred full poly at 40-42lbs

 

[moon shot]

I played it a good while at 18/16kg Yonex ptp 1.25. I liked it.