I have a couple of gammas and I want to restring one but I like to be thrifty so I am waiting for one of the setups to go dead. But my teammates just say to cut them out since they say it feels dead. I don't know if I'm not noticing it or I just don't know what a dead poly feels like. :twisted: So if anybody could explain what a dead poly feels like it would be appreciated
How can you tell when a poly is dead?
- Thread starter exo3
- Start date
mathieu
Rookie
It is actually hard to notice for some polys, but pretty much if you have had the string for a month or more, even if you didn't use it much, CUT IT OUT. Don't wait till you feel something, as you will hurt yourself with dead string.
essentially, when the strings stop moving back into place is the 1st "sign" of a dying string. beyond that, you've got maybe a week or two at best left before it's officially "dead". please do note that many players do in fact play with a "dead" poly and some actually (although i can't fathom how) enjoy it!
SirGounder
Hall of Fame
I figure poly is dead when it starts to move a lot.
thebuffman
Professional
i always looked for the strings to stop automatically realigning itself. if you have to readjust your strings between points, its dead. however, the other day i experienced something different. i put a lot of hours in with my spiky shark / gosen sheep micro setup and noticed that the ball was hitting on the service line during my normal rally ball. also the setup felt very muted. essentially if i wanted ANY kind of power out of the strings, i had to exert more effort. so even though the strings still realigned themselves automatically, it was still going dead if not dead already.
bad_call
Legend
re: bolded - tension loss not the same as dead strings. ever see pros like Kim Clijsters adjusting her strings between points?
Larrysümmers
Hall of Fame
thats because she uses gut strings. poly snaps back into place really fast, causing the extra spin, while gut strings and nylon based strings do not.
BobFL
Hall of Fame
Well, the first 2 things I notice are:
1. my serve loses pace and action
2. block returns of hard and flat first serves give me a lot of trouble (this is where polys feel terrible when they are dead)
BTW, polys go dead even if you are not using them hence my general rule is to restring a racquet after either 7-8 hours of play or 3 weeks of being strung, whichever occurs first...
1. my serve loses pace and action
2. block returns of hard and flat first serves give me a lot of trouble (this is where polys feel terrible when they are dead)
BTW, polys go dead even if you are not using them hence my general rule is to restring a racquet after either 7-8 hours of play or 3 weeks of being strung, whichever occurs first...
B
backatcha
Guest
Some polys can play longer (several months) with marginal effectiveness. This is good news for those of us who are cheap bast#$ds... I like the hybrids because the multis give me better feedback that the strings have to be replaced.... I have a friend who uses BB Roughs in the mains and will just replace the multi crosses when they fray. He says that the new multis revitalize the elasticity and feel he likes... He definitely is a cheap bast#$d.
bad_call
Legend
bad_call
Legend
HAHA...might have to try that.
Larrysümmers
Hall of Fame
someone's paying attention.
lmao. i spend too much time on the gear section...way too much time.
Smitty7712
Rookie
To me, there is only a slight difference between a new poly and a "dead" poly. Some polys last much longer than others, and sometimes i dont even notice when it goes dead.
I hybrid most of the time with VS gut, and idk if it's just me, but it feels as if either the poly stays alive longer with gut, or the gut helps compensate for any dead feeling.
The only time I worry about my strings are if they have been through a big temperature change or are extremely old. My game depends much more on how I feel/how I am playing that day, rather than if my strings are a 3 hours too old.
I hybrid most of the time with VS gut, and idk if it's just me, but it feels as if either the poly stays alive longer with gut, or the gut helps compensate for any dead feeling.
The only time I worry about my strings are if they have been through a big temperature change or are extremely old. My game depends much more on how I feel/how I am playing that day, rather than if my strings are a 3 hours too old.
Bud
Bionic Poster
IME, most don't last for more than 15-20 hours max for club players. I've noticed that they move more in the stringbed... and my arm/wrist/shoulder start getting stiff when poly is near the end of its life.
On the pro tour (men and women), where the ball is truck much harder, the players change out their racquets a few times per match.
Faster
Hall of Fame
I liked the RPM blast the best the last hours before I broke them, and that was after they had been in my racket for 6 months
Faster
Hall of Fame
I liked the RPM blast the best the last hours before I broke them, and that was after they had been in my racket for 6 months
Edit: the strings however weren't moving at all at that point?
fruitytennis1
Professional
If the string is dead it will start to feel "mushy" and the clean contact feel goes away.
tennisexecutor
Rookie
the tension will be stabilized and it won't feel as crisp no more. you won't feel the ball pocketing anymore and the power and control will be gone. but keep in mind that it will be impossibly difficult to tell if you you like to string your racquet with poly at 70 lbs.
