konstantinos kalfountzos
Hall of Fame
Creating a separate thread about this new tennis string brand from Portugal (2023), called High-Tech. Reel packaging says: "Made In Germany". They'll start selling in 12.2 sets at some point. I got a sample of three strings to test myself and send my feedback back to them, also sharing it here:
Omega Hex 1.25 6-sided, red-wine coloured
Alpha 1.25 round-shaped (will play this one next)
Delta 1.25 Δ-shaped
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I played with Omega Hex 1.25 a couple more hours than I usually do with other strings I playtest. 9-10 hours total of groundstroke hitting, cross-court forehand and backhand drills, net drills, two tournament sets and a few more practice sets.
Pros:
+ Shinny, red-wine colour that stands out.
+ At low-to-medium pace groundstrokes, the stringbed didn't feel as stiff as I thought it would feel when I strang it.
+ The satisfying "brushing" feel on the ball made my life easier on all shots that included spin.
+ Power delivery came in handy when I was hitting against advanced hitting partners, especially during those 5th-6th heavy incoming balls in the middle of a long groundstroke practice rally.
so this one did feel more powerful than the previous 2 strings (LTec Premium Meteor Pro 1.25 and Stringlab Hydrogen Revo Hex 1.26)
+ Backhand slicing felt great, once I dialed-in the racketface + downwards swingpath + bodyweight transfer combo (had a few fly a bit High at first, not as much forwards bodyweight transfer needed as a couple previous string setups)
+ Enough power on flat serves
+ I rarely experience any discomfort and this was the case once more.
Cons:
Having to nitpick a couple "drawbacks" about this string, there have been only two circumstances I didn't enjoy using this string:
- The two first sets on two tournament matches I played on a slow green-carpet/turf court, dealing with medium-pace incoming balls. I had several flat shots land farther than I wanted, so top-spin was needed. I found better predictability/forgiveness on my flat shots when I switched a smaller headsize racket (the less powerful Prince Tour 95 2015) strung with a different, round-shaped string.
- At a lower pace of hitting than my liking, where having a fun experience comes second to getting the positive result, I feel I can hit the same flat forehands/winners more predictably with more "plasticky/mute/dead" strings. In expense to a good overall stringbed connection, "plasticky" strings offer me the confidence to hit the hell out of the ball from everywhere on the court and it still will land in bounds.
Summary:
For the most part, when I was playing on the usual municipal red-turf/carpet courts, that are quite fast, dealing with high pace incoming balls from advanced hitting partners, I found the 21-22kg tension range to be working great for me, giving me the joy I'm always looking for.
The best way to finish my review is to make sure I state once more that I kept Omega Hex 1.25 on my racket two more hours than I usually do with most strings.
On 98 sq inch rackets with similar specs to my Blade, I would urge you to get a couple of sets of this string, have it strung at 23 or 24kg at first and if needed, lower the tension the next time around.
I experienced a very well-balanced blend of Power and Control, I could flatten my balls better on fast pace hitting and the string has shown minor signs of playability drop-off.
* Racket used: Wilson Blade V5 16x19. Tension: 22/22kg. Balls used: Wilson US Open Extra Duty, Wilson Roland Garros, Tecnifibre Champion. Courts: fast red-turf, slow green-turf. Overall: very hot conditions.
** Quick-fire comparison: Omega Hex 1.25 felt to me like a more powerful version of Mayami Tour Hex 1.23. Slicker and more shinny surface. The red-wine colour is identical to the red variation of the Kirschbaum Max Power. Tension maintenance is pretty high, same level to these two strings, that are well above the usual 5-6 hours I usually experience playability drop off from most strings.
Omega Hex 1.25 6-sided, red-wine coloured
Alpha 1.25 round-shaped (will play this one next)
Delta 1.25 Δ-shaped
-----------------------------
I played with Omega Hex 1.25 a couple more hours than I usually do with other strings I playtest. 9-10 hours total of groundstroke hitting, cross-court forehand and backhand drills, net drills, two tournament sets and a few more practice sets.
Pros:
+ Shinny, red-wine colour that stands out.
+ At low-to-medium pace groundstrokes, the stringbed didn't feel as stiff as I thought it would feel when I strang it.
+ The satisfying "brushing" feel on the ball made my life easier on all shots that included spin.
+ Power delivery came in handy when I was hitting against advanced hitting partners, especially during those 5th-6th heavy incoming balls in the middle of a long groundstroke practice rally.
so this one did feel more powerful than the previous 2 strings (LTec Premium Meteor Pro 1.25 and Stringlab Hydrogen Revo Hex 1.26)
+ Backhand slicing felt great, once I dialed-in the racketface + downwards swingpath + bodyweight transfer combo (had a few fly a bit High at first, not as much forwards bodyweight transfer needed as a couple previous string setups)
+ Enough power on flat serves
+ I rarely experience any discomfort and this was the case once more.
Cons:
Having to nitpick a couple "drawbacks" about this string, there have been only two circumstances I didn't enjoy using this string:
- The two first sets on two tournament matches I played on a slow green-carpet/turf court, dealing with medium-pace incoming balls. I had several flat shots land farther than I wanted, so top-spin was needed. I found better predictability/forgiveness on my flat shots when I switched a smaller headsize racket (the less powerful Prince Tour 95 2015) strung with a different, round-shaped string.
- At a lower pace of hitting than my liking, where having a fun experience comes second to getting the positive result, I feel I can hit the same flat forehands/winners more predictably with more "plasticky/mute/dead" strings. In expense to a good overall stringbed connection, "plasticky" strings offer me the confidence to hit the hell out of the ball from everywhere on the court and it still will land in bounds.
Summary:
For the most part, when I was playing on the usual municipal red-turf/carpet courts, that are quite fast, dealing with high pace incoming balls from advanced hitting partners, I found the 21-22kg tension range to be working great for me, giving me the joy I'm always looking for.
The best way to finish my review is to make sure I state once more that I kept Omega Hex 1.25 on my racket two more hours than I usually do with most strings.
On 98 sq inch rackets with similar specs to my Blade, I would urge you to get a couple of sets of this string, have it strung at 23 or 24kg at first and if needed, lower the tension the next time around.
I experienced a very well-balanced blend of Power and Control, I could flatten my balls better on fast pace hitting and the string has shown minor signs of playability drop-off.
* Racket used: Wilson Blade V5 16x19. Tension: 22/22kg. Balls used: Wilson US Open Extra Duty, Wilson Roland Garros, Tecnifibre Champion. Courts: fast red-turf, slow green-turf. Overall: very hot conditions.
** Quick-fire comparison: Omega Hex 1.25 felt to me like a more powerful version of Mayami Tour Hex 1.23. Slicker and more shinny surface. The red-wine colour is identical to the red variation of the Kirschbaum Max Power. Tension maintenance is pretty high, same level to these two strings, that are well above the usual 5-6 hours I usually experience playability drop off from most strings.
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