Impressions: Pro Line II and Competition

[ChappyOnIce]

Not what I would consider detailed enough for a formal review, but some impressions on these 2 Kirschbaum co-polys. I've strung them up on identical frames at 54 lbs. and had a chance to hit with both in 1.20 gauge.

Stringing - Pro Line II is definitely the more elastic of the 2 strings. After cutting them both the same, the Pro Line II stretched more on the stringing machine and I had more left over. The Competition needed to be "rigged" in order to reach the tension head for the last pull and definitely did not stretch as much when pulled.

Hitting - Competition is a stiffer sting than Pro Line II in terms of overall feel. Balls seemed to leave the racquet face with lower trajectory and I found I had to swing harder than normal to get the ball deep into the opposing court. Though the feel was stiffer than syn gut or a multi, it was slightly softer than Luxilon BB which I've also tried. Feel was muted and directional control was good. Volleys needed more push through, which I expected after the first few baseline hits.

Pro Line II really surprised me. The stringbed felt pretty soft and provided good power, not too far off my previous set up of PSGM @ 60 lbs. Control was also very good. I found groundstrokes landing within 2-3 feet of the baseline consistently, even when I thought they might go long. Volleys maintained good control. My serve with the Pro Line II had nice amounts of spin and I could still hit a flatter serve with nice pop. I ended up using the Pro Line II strung frame more than the Competition because I found it better suited to my game.

Conclusion - I'm going to stick with the Pro Line II. I hit fairly hard and found than multi and syn gut setups were not giving me the control I needed. Pro Line II has exactly the right combination of power and control for my game. I was very impressed by how well it plays. If I were a really hard hitter (more so than I am), I might consider Competition to be more my style because of it's lower powered, high control results. Both strings have held tension fairly well, but it's still a bit early to tell overall.

I also want to note, that I did not have any elbow or arm pain using either of these strings, though I have hit the Pro Line II more than the Competition (about 8 hours to 5 hours).

Just thought I'd share...

 

[bruiser]

I have not hit with Competition but I have used Pro Line II recently. I loved Pro Line II. However, I felt like the playing characteristics "died" after a couple of hitting sessions. Have you experienced the same thing? I was disappointed because, if it held its paying characteristics, I would play only with Pro Line II. On the other hand, I can't afford to play a really poor set after a couple outings before I realize I should switch rackets. I can't "afford" it because (i) the strings are expensive and (ii) I don't want to lose because of dead feeling strings. I've been using Weiss Cannon Silverstring because the strings feel great and hold playing characterisics better than Pro Line II. I hit with a lot of topspin so perhaps that shortens the life of some types of strings.

 

[PROTENNIS63]

Pro Line II was a good jump for Kirschbaum. I always felt their strings played rather dead and did not give "energy" into the ball. But I still prefer Big Ace as it just has a little more what Pro Line II gave me. And it's cheaper.

 

[stormholloway]

I've played with both Pro Line II and Competition. Pro Line II is elastic while Competition is more crisp in my opinion. Pro Line II loses some of its life after several hours, but nothing like Luxilon that makes it unplayable. What I find is that after Pro Line II loses some initial tension, it stays playable for a while.

Competition seems to keep playability until it breaks. I prefer a crisper feel, but Pro Line II is a great string. I'm surprised more people don't dig Competition. It really bites the ball.

 

[Kevo]

I do really like competition. It was my full time string. I've since gone back to Topspin Cyberflash and Cyberpower. They seem just as good in my new frame as the competition and they are cheaper. Well, they don't last as long, but it's more than two thirds the lifespan at half the price so I think it's a good trade.

I also liked the ProLine II just a hair better than Competition, and although they do play a little different at the same tension, with a tension adjustment, I think you could use either one.

 

[ChappyOnIce]

However, I felt like the playing characteristics "died" after a couple of hitting sessions. Have you experienced the same thing?

I have not experienced that yet. I have 3 sets of doubles and 4 of singles plus about 50 minutes of drills on this set. Still feel great. Maybe it has to do with initial tension or gauge? I'm using 1.20.

 

[ChappyOnIce]

I also liked the ProLine II just a hair better than Competition, and although they do play a little different at the same tension, with a tension adjustment, I think you could use either one.

I agree 100%, but the PLII seems so nice right now that I don't even want to experiment with tensions. I'm not going to cut out the Competition though, I want to see how things go after more hits and some additional tension loss.

I think the key was how hard you hit the ball. Big hitters will like Competition. Semi-big hitters will like PLII. If you're not a big hitter, you're probably best in a multi or syn gut.

 

[stormholloway]

Right. I take big cuts at the ball and prefer Competition. Pro Line II, to me, had a similar power level to gut or multi.

 

[sruckauf]

I'm no poly expert.. more specifically I've tried a ton of them, and have an opinion on them, but I don't think many of them are very good.

Competition felt like RedCode to me. Towards a more first generation poly. Pretty darn stiff, unforgiving string.

Proline 2 felt like a really nice evolution of poly string to me. The only other string I've liked as much is CyberPower. Stiff and soft enough for big cuts, and mishits.

But that's the crux for me.. I'm only a 4.0 player. I have my share of mishits. So a bit of forgiveness is a must for me.

 

[Nadal46]

I use lux alu power but I used pro line 2 and it's the best string after alu for me.
Good durability and spin but too much power!

 

[bumblebee]

would Klip Legend in the mains and Competition on the crosses be a good hybrid? mybe at 60lbs on mains and 56~58 on crosses?

 

[Zach]

I've been trying the Pro line 2 in the 18g. I loved it, for about 3 hours. Then it went dead and I restrung with Signum propoly plasma 18g.

 

[miniRafa386]

so what would be better hybrid, Competition/Touch Multifibre, Pro Line II/Touch Multifibre, or my current set up with Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.18/Gamma Live Wire XP?