Hybrid Head RIP Control/Head Lynx armfriendly???

Dan D

Rookie
Hi

I want to try a hybrid setup with Head RIP Control 17/Head Lynx 18. I have after a practice session a little bit of discomfort in the elbow area and a feeling of discomfort in the shoulder (much less then in the elbow). With massage with ointment, and heat the problem disappear in 1-2 hours.

But, because I'm 57 years I want to protect myself. I changed to Wilson Blade 104 2015 and I tried a few strings. The best string until now was Head Lynx in 17G, 55/55 lbs and the discomfort is minimal, less then before.

Now I want to try Head RIP Control 17G in hybrid with Head Lynx 17G. What do you think about this? And what tension should I try: lower then 55? Same in whole bed or different between mains and crosses?

Thanks in advance!
 

Dan D

Rookie
It's a good idea. I should try this too.

My main thought was to get help from the Lynx crosses with the pop. I read that multi/poly hybrid is a better way and multi full job, when we talk about durability and feeling.

But the main reason is that I like Lynx and I want to try a smaller dimension, like 18G, but in combination with a softer/armfriendly multi.
 

Muppet

Legend
Try either full Lynx @52 or Lynx/syn gut @53/56. I'd prefer the hybrid since the syn gut crosses will play well in the Blades.

The thing about RIP/Lynx is that these are two very muted strings in a somewhat dead feeling racquet. The result would be a "thud" feel that could be damaging to your arm.
 

Dan D

Rookie
Try either full Lynx @52 or Lynx/syn gut @53/56. I'd prefer the hybrid since the syn gut crosses will play well in the Blades.

The thing about RIP/Lynx is that these are two very muted strings in a somewhat dead feeling racquet. The result would be a "thud" feel that could be damaging to your arm.
Very good input.

Should Lynx in 18G get along beter with the Blade 104 and my elbow discomfort? I mean that I've tried 17G and it was quite good and I think a thinner gauge should be better for elbow issues. I don't break the strings!!!

Which syn gut do you recommend?
 

Muppet

Legend
Very good input.

Should Lynx in 18G get along better with the Blade 104 and my elbow discomfort? I mean that I've tried 17G and it was quite good and I think a thinner gauge should be better for elbow issues. I don't break the strings!!!

Which syn gut do you recommend?
I just strung Solinco Pro Stacked in the crosses with Lynx 1.25 mains @48/51 in a 95" 345g MuscleWave racquet. It feels on the crisp side of muted. I might be able to try it on Saturday.

I like 1.25 Lynx. It's the first one I tried and I'm sticking with it. But the 1.20 got very good reviews on stringforum.net. I would stick with the 1.20 for now since it's what you have. You may need to adjust the tension after the first try.
 
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Dan D

Rookie
For the moment I have Lynx 1.25/55+55 lbs on my racquets. But I managed to buy a reel of 1.20 besides 1.25 sets I already have. This week I want to get my racquets strung and then I want to test the 1.20. Maybe I've try the same tension like before to start with.

I read a lot about that RIP Control is so good for the elbow that I start to plan to test it. But one maybe I give a new try to Lynx 1.20.

In Sweden, where I leave, I don't have so many option to buy syn gut.
 

n8dawg6

Legend
i havent played them in a hybrid but ive played them separately in full beds pretty extensively. both very muted. if i had to guess it would feel like hitting w a wooden board w a pillow strapped to it
 

Dan D

Rookie
i havent played them in a hybrid but ive played them separately in full beds pretty extensively. both very muted. if i had to guess it would feel like hitting w a wooden board w a pillow strapped to it
How can you describe the difference between that 2 strings? Which is more armfriendly? I like he muted feeling that Lynx have.
 

Dan D

Rookie
What if I mixed Lynx 1.25/Lynx 1.20? It's something positive in that combination?

I've read about the possibility to get in the crosses thinner string then in mains. If you tension mains and crosses with the same tension you get more elasticity in the crosses.
 

Pneumated1

Hall of Fame
I used a hybrid of RIP mains and Volkl V-Pro crosses a few years back, both 16g IIRC. Played one league match on clay and really liked it from a control/command, comfort, and spin perspective. The mains busted in the warm-up before the next match. Loved the hybrid but concluded I needed more durability. Had full RIP (black) in my other frame, and I'm guessing it lasted me 6-8 hours. Good string but haven't hit it since:unsure:
 

Dan D

Rookie
I've managed to change the Lynx 18G/1.20 to 17G/1,25, because 18G should be too thin for elbow (like I read).

When we talk about RIP Ctrl and durabillity is any difference between different colors? Some strings may have difference between colors maybe because the additive.
 

Pneumated1

Hall of Fame
I've managed to change the Lynx 18G/1.20 to 17G/1,25, because 18G should be too thin for elbow (like I read).

When we talk about RIP Ctrl and durabillity is any difference between different colors? Some strings may have difference between colors maybe because the additive.

In my limited experience, and for what it's worth, the hybrid with RIP Control mains that I mentioned above was natural. The black lasted me twice as long, but I had it in a full bed. I'd think it would be a wash everything else being equal.
 

Dan D

Rookie
Some reviews on TT here come with idea that other natural or white should be better. But I don't found anything on Internet about this.
 

dr. godmode

Hall of Fame
I agree with the above posts about RipC not hybriding well. It's very textured so it doesn't promote a lot of snap back with the poly. Something slippery like Velocity should let strings slide, reducing shock and promoting spin. I think Lynx 18 is great for comfort (for a poly), so you should concentrate on finding a good nylon to pait it with.
 
Most multis would be arm friendly. I play with Laserfibre Supreme 2 (1.25) in the mains and Lynx (1.25) in the crosses. My racket is 97 sq inches 16 by 19. The tension is 53/49.

It’s very comfortable for me. I choose Laserfibre over other multis I’ve tried with Lynx including: Head Velocity, Tier One Triumph and Head Reflex.
 

Dan D

Rookie
I agree with the above posts about RipC not hybriding well. It's very textured so it doesn't promote a lot of snap back with the poly. Something slippery like Velocity should let strings slide, reducing shock and promoting spin. I think Lynx 18 is great for comfort (for a poly), so you should concentrate on finding a good nylon to pait it with.
Lynx is very slippery too and may lower the friction enough that RIP should slide to promote spin. I plan to test that. Maybe should work well. I even want to use elasto crosses for the same reason.

Because my little discomfort in my arm I already changed Lynx 18 to Lynx 17. Like I read for elbow issues too thin string is not so good. Instead I want to lower the tension from 55/55, like I use to have, to 53/49 and maybe after I first tested I can go even lower to 51/57 or 50/56.
Most multis would be arm friendly. I play with Laserfibre Supreme 2 (1.25) in the mains and Lynx (1.25) in the crosses. My racket is 97 sq inches 16 by 19. The tension is 53/49.

It’s very comfortable for me. I choose Laserfibre over other multis I’ve tried with Lynx including: Head Velocity, Tier One Triumph and Head Reflex.
I know that with armfriendly multi and I tested some of them (Sensation, NXT Ctrl, XCel French Open black, etc) but the best for me was Lynx, even that is a co-poly.

I improve my technique, I train the hole body (arms, torso and legs in the old fashion way with elastic bands, weights and other exercises), I changed to Blade 104 2015 and I warm up properly. The last thing I want to try is to find a softer string then Lynx. Therefore I want to give a chance to RIP Ctrl. My question is: do I choose 17G/1.25 or 16G/1.30? In my opinion 1.25 should be better.
 

Dan D

Rookie
RIP control is a multi filament string is it not?
Yes, indeed.

I meant that I've tried by accident Lynx (witch is a co-poly) and fit me and my arm discomfort. But now I want to test RIP Control (who is a multi) because I want to have something more armfriendly then Lynx, and among poly I didn't find a softer and more armfriendly then Lynx.
 
Ah, OK, sorry I misunderstood. However, one option might be to hybrid multi mains and Lynx crosses. Softer than a full bed of Lynx. Good luck finding the right string(s) for you.
 

Dan D

Rookie
It's a good idea. I should do test that. I hope it helps with my arm issue.
 
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1HBHfanatic

Legend
@Dan D
multi mains/poly cross is a good optin IMO for this racquet
the racquet has a 18/19 pattern, just begging for a combo setup
the 2 strings you mentioned are a bit on the power side, combined in a power frame "104", plenty of power!!
but if you go higher on the tension, it should feel good at least,,
let us know how it worked out..
 

Dan D

Rookie
@1HBHfanatic thanks for answer!

Opinions are different from person to person. Some says that 104 have a muted feeling, some says that it is powerful. Same thing is with RIP and Lynx. But for me 104 and Lynx is just right. I can provide enough power with this combination and I like the muted feeling. I even play with dampener because I don't like the sound without. I fell better in witch way I hit the balls.

My ambition is to reduce the vibrations in my arm, to get an more armfriendly combination of racquet and string/strings then I have today: 104 with Lynx in full bed. I hope I can do the trick with RIP C in full bed or in hybrid with Lynx.
 
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Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
Lots better options for arm friendliness out there. If you want muted less lively strings, then Velocity, RIP control, Prince Premier Control, HDX Tour are good alternatives to poly. If you must hybrid a poly in there, then Cream is probably the best arm friendly poly I've used.

I'd stay away from any firm poly's if you have elbow pain. Even so called arm friendly poly's are far harsher than any multi.
 

Dan D

Rookie
@Dartagnan64
It's what I wrote: I want to test RIP Control in full bed or in hybrid with Lynx in crosses (who I like a lot).

I accidentally test Lynx (it was on 2 racquets that I bought, Blade 104 2015) and I liked it very much. My arm managed this combo very well.

Where I'm live I don't have so many possibilities to test new strings and if I can it's cost quite a lot, IMO. Therefor I want to test only few strings and on reliable bases. RIP Control is the most praised multi I ever read about. It's the best multi after natural gut!
 
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Dan D

Rookie
According to TW String Compare:

PropertyIsoSpeed Cream 17 (1.28)Head Rip Control 17 (1.25)Difference %
MaterialPolyesterNylon/PolyolefinNA
Stiffness (lb/in)178138-22
Tension Loss (%)2818-36
Energy Return (%)90944
Spin PotentialNA4.2NA
String to String Friction (COF)NA0.117NaN
String to Ball Friction (COF)NA0.489NaN

and:

PropertyIsoSpeed Cream 17 (1.28)Head Lynx 17 (1.25)Difference %
MaterialPolyesterPolyesterNA
Stiffness (lb/in)1781791
Tension Loss (%)284768
Energy Return (%)9085-6
Spin PotentialNA6.4NA
String to String Friction (COF)NA0.071NaN
String to Ball Friction (COF)NA0.453NaN

IMO Cream is not so soft like RIP Ctrl. It's more comparable to Lynx, besides tension loss.
 
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RIP Control is definitely a comfortable playing string but some find it feels too muted, somewhat dead feeling and somewhat lacking in spin relative to a poly; Cream and Yonex Poly Tour Air are amongst the softest playing polys available - Cream has the benefit of added materials that make it play softer than the stiffness index numbers would suggest, PT Air is at 155 - but, as has been mentioned by others, polys are still polys. I prefer Intellitour and Intellistring to RIP Control, less durability, probably even less spin, but better feel and responsiveness.
 

Dan D

Rookie
RIP Control is definitely a comfortable playing string but some find it feels too muted, somewhat dead feeling and somewhat lacking in spin relative to a poly; Cream and Yonex Poly Tour Air are amongst the softest playing polys available - Cream has the benefit of added materials that make it play softer than the stiffness index numbers would suggest, PT Air is at 155 - but, as has been mentioned by others, polys are still polys. I prefer Intellitour and Intellistring to RIP Control, less durability, probably even less spin, but better feel and responsiveness.
I never heard before about Head IntelliTour but what I read is very interesting. On the other hand I can't find on TW to buy Intellistring.

@jmacdaununder2 can you tell me more about Head IntelliTour? Thanks in advance!
 
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Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
IMO Cream is not so soft like RIP Ctrl. It's more comparable to Lynx, besides tension loss.

Agreed. I was comparing Velocity, HDX Tour, Prince Premier Control to RIP Control. I was comparing Cream to Lynx.

Velocity is better than RIP in my opinion. More spin. Similar control.
 

Dan D

Rookie
Ohh, thanks @Dartagnan64!

How is the Velocity when we talk about armfriendliness in comparacy with RIP? I like muted feeling and I do not break the strings. I didn't play with so much spin but when I do it's quite good if is possible to have this possibility.
 

ByeByePoly

G.O.A.T.
Hi

I want to try a hybrid setup with Head RIP Control 17/Head Lynx 18. I have after a practice session a little bit of discomfort in the elbow area and a feeling of discomfort in the shoulder (much less then in the elbow). With massage with ointment, and heat the problem disappear in 1-2 hours.

But, because I'm 57 years I want to protect myself. I changed to Wilson Blade 104 2015 and I tried a few strings. The best string until now was Head Lynx in 17G, 55/55 lbs and the discomfort is minimal, less then before.

Now I want to try Head RIP Control 17G in hybrid with Head Lynx 17G. What do you think about this? And what tension should I try: lower then 55? Same in whole bed or different between mains and crosses?

Thanks in advance!

Outside elbow? TE side? If so ... I swear by rollerbar massage of forearm and tricep above and behind elbow BEFORE hitting. I do it before I leave the house and head to the courts. I don't have shoulder issues ... but sometimes use resistance band and several exercises to warm up shoulder. You start seeing shoulder injuries around our age ... one of my friends had surgery last year.
 

Dan D

Rookie
Outside elbow? TE side? If so ... I swear by rollerbar massage of forearm and tricep above and behind elbow BEFORE hitting. I do it before I leave the house and head to the courts. I don't have shoulder issues ... but sometimes use resistance band and several exercises to warm up shoulder. You start seeing shoulder injuries around our age ... one of my friends had surgery last year.
Yes, TE side. I do a lot of push-ups, knee bending, resistance band and different exercises to warm up my arms and shoulders. Of course BEFORE hitting! My "problems" is not big but I want to protect me and therefor I do things in advance: massage, heat and so on.
 
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ByeByePoly

G.O.A.T.
Yes, TE side. I do a lot of push-ups, knee bending, resistance band and different exercises to warm up my arms and shoulders. Of course BEFORE Hitting! My "problems" is not big but I want to protect me and therefor I do things in advance: massage, heat and so on.

My TE was at age 57 (61 now). My guess is if I was rollerbar massaging my arm before matches back then ... even playing rpm blast ... I would have avoided TE.
 

Dan D

Rookie
I do try to buy a rollerbar. I discover that if I do deep massage with ointment (hard and try to find muscle "knots" and to get them away) helps very much. In combination with all the exercises I do (and of course warmup before the hitting) I don't have any problems now. On the rare occasions when I do have discomfort over more then a week I take paus from tennis for at least a week or two.
 

ByeByePoly

G.O.A.T.
I do try to buy a rollerbar. I discover that if I do deep massage with ointment (hard and try to find muscle "knots" and to get them away) helps very much. In combination with all the exercises I do (and of course warmup before the hitting) I don't have any problems now. On the rare occasions when I do have discomfort over more then a week I take paus from tennis for at least a week or two.

Oh ... already working the knots. (y) Same thing ... rollerbar just makes it easier/quicker ... but the goal is the knots. I have used my thumb also ... think they call it cross friction. We are all guessing with TE ... but that massage may be way more helpful than string or racquet choice.
 

Dan D

Rookie
I take care of my body. I like to take all the opportunity's to recover: heat, ointment and massage, warmups, push-ups, different exercises, eat well, good sleep, and so on.

Thanks for advices!
 
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ByeByePoly

G.O.A.T.
Hi @ByeByePoly could you reccomend and perhaps link to the rollerbar you use for your arm. Thanks.

Sorry ... it's one of the few things I did not buy on Amazon ... just use wife's and have no idea where she got it (we have had it for quite a while). I don't think it really matters though ... the point is working out the knots, and any rollerbar or good manual massage technique will work. If a player has never felt around on their forearm for knots, they are likely to be very surprised that they are there. You don't really notice them until you feel for them.

I watched this guy's video soon after TE

 
D

Deleted member 54265

Guest
Sorry ... it's one of the few things I did not buy on Amazon ... just use wife's and have no idea where she got it (we have had it for quite a while). I don't think it really matters though ... the point is working out the knots, and any rollerbar or good manual massage technique will work. If a player has never felt around on their forearm for knots, they are likely to be very surprised that they are there. You don't really notice them until you feel for them.

I watched this guy's video soon after TE


Thanks BBP, I will look into this and get one.

Just got a powerball today to strenghten wrist and forearm:


Cheers, Toby
 

t_pac

Semi-Pro
Ohh, thanks @Dartagnan64!

How is the Velocity when we talk about armfriendliness in comparacy with RIP? I like muted feeling and I do not break the strings. I didn't play with so much spin but when I do it's quite good if is possible to have this possibility.

RIP Control and Velocity are pretty similar in terms of comfort. For me, Velocity is the better string overall though.
 

t_pac

Semi-Pro
Thanks BBP, I will look into this and get one.

Just got a powerball today to strenghten wrist and forearm:


Cheers, Toby

Powerballs are great, I use mine daily as part of my on-going strengthening/'never getting TE again' routine. I also take mine to the courts and use it before matches, really helps loosen up the arm and get the blood flowing, much better than hitting with a 'cold' elbow.
 

Aus_Hack

New User
...Cream has the benefit of added materials that make it play softer than the stiffness index numbers would suggest...

This is the difficulty in just looking at numbers. I too have l had a nasty case of both tennis elbow and golf elbow from poly, including GE on my other arm from my 2HBH . Has calmed down, but now I find my arms very sensitive to polys.

This has caused me to start experimenting with strings to see if there’s any poly I can play with. I liked the RIP 17 natural in one of my previous racquets as a FB, but just strung it in my Prince Phantom Pro 100 @ 52 and I can’t hit a forehand in! This tension was fine in my Head Graphene Touch Speed MP, but that racquet (even though not feeling harsh when playing and having the dampening tech) still caused soreness even with the RIP.

First time the RIP felt too muted as well. Couldn’t really feel the ball leaving the racquet face - maybe this is what people mean when they say it is “mushy”? Didn’t experience that with RIP in my other racquets... Was going to try it @ a higher tension, but the comments about Velocity has me considering this instead.

The TW University String Compare Tool http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/comparestrings.php and String Performance Database http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/reporter2.php have been super helpful to narrow down searching for strings. However it comes back to the individual, as I even tried the very soft (based on stiffness numbers) Volkl Cyclone Tour in both 18 and 16 in a hybrid, but then started to get tennis bicep??? Didn’t even know that was a thing. Maybe it’s my technique after all... lol.

Anyway I’m also now interested to try cream as others have suggested it’s soft, even though its stiffness is on par with Head Lynx (the very string with the Speed MP that started my TE/GE) [emoji29] I continue to search for that elusive perfect setup myself...

Good luck in your quest to find a suitable string combo!


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