"In praise of Kevlar/ZX hybrid" spinoff - unofficial review

Episode 4 - A New Tension

As per previous update, I thought I needed a bit more control, which meant upping the Kevlar mains tension a bit (68lbs) and the ZX crosses a lot (55lbs). Previously I had tried 65/45 (that string job still going strong as you'll see).

Got a couple of sets of Kevlar/ZX from @TypeRx again (thank you!), this time he only prestretched the ZX. Gave it to my usual stringer to string and when I got the racquet back, while using my Tourna Stringmeter I noticed that 3 of the central mains were at 68lbs, but other 5 were at a lot higher tension... not too sure what to think of this but conspiracy theories abound!

Anyway, the day to test out the new string job arrived and with it a pretty big drop in temps. Last week we were in the 100s and now I'm playing in the 60s. Even if I took the rubber mallet to the new strings for around 1200 hits, this stringbed was just too tight... good spin but really boardy. I hit with it around 30mins until a light bulb lit up... maybe with the lower temps the other Kevlar/ZX racquet plays ok?

DING-DING-DING!!! It did!!!

Really no issues with control and very good spin coming out of it. This string job by now has more than 10 hours of hitting and it feels really plush. I really like these strings, like I mentioned before, similar spin than fb poly but none of the scary kind of elbow pain I get from poly.

Not sure now what to do with the higher tension stringjob. Get to 10k rubber mallet hits? Give it to @Shroud? Suggestions welcomed.
Save your tighter strung kevlar/zx for that next brutal SD temperature spike.
 
Episode 4 - A New Tension

As per previous update, I thought I needed a bit more control, which meant upping the Kevlar mains tension a bit (68lbs) and the ZX crosses a lot (55lbs). Previously I had tried 65/45 (that string job still going strong as you'll see).

Got a couple of sets of Kevlar/ZX from @TypeRx again (thank you!), this time he only prestretched the ZX. Gave it to my usual stringer to string and when I got the racquet back, while using my Tourna Stringmeter I noticed that 3 of the central mains were at 68lbs, but other 5 were at a lot higher tension... not too sure what to think of this but conspiracy theories abound!

Anyway, the day to test out the new string job arrived and with it a pretty big drop in temps. Last week we were in the 100s and now I'm playing in the 60s. Even if I took the rubber mallet to the new strings for around 1200 hits, this stringbed was just too tight... good spin but really boardy. I hit with it around 30mins until a light bulb lit up... maybe with the lower temps the other Kevlar/ZX racquet plays ok?

DING-DING-DING!!! It did!!!

Really no issues with control and very good spin coming out of it. This string job by now has more than 10 hours of hitting and it feels really plush. I really like these strings, like I mentioned before, similar spin than fb poly but none of the scary kind of elbow pain I get from poly.

Not sure now what to do with the higher tension stringjob. Get to 10k rubber mallet hits? Give it to @Shroud? Suggestions welcomed.
I would happily break it in for you. Agree with graycrait about the stepping. Couldnt hurt. But it seems like the real answer is to make the temperature warmer...
 
Not sure now what to do with the higher tension stringjob. Get to 10k rubber mallet hits? Give it to @Shroud? Suggestions welcomed.

There is definitely a difference in performance (I think driven by the ZXP, not the Kev) with temperature. I find it much easier to pre-stretch the ZXP when I leave it out in the sun for ~10 minutes.

I wouldn't fret about the racket that feels "too tight". It will loosen up...the question is how you want to get it there. I'd suggest the best way is to simply go out and bash another 30-60 minutes. Hit a bunch of overheads, big flat serves, and big groundies. Another thing you can do is to put the racket on the ground (with a towel or something under it to prevent scratches on the frame) and, with one foot, step onto the stringbed and place all your weight on it. Yes, step on your racket. Do this and hold for 5-10 seconds. Now repeat like 5-10 times. Lightly "jump" up and down on that 1 foot if you want. Switch feet if you want...doesn't matter. Flip the racket over and repeat (why? i dunno, just cuz). Another idea, go out and hit a lacrosse ball with your racket against a wall. That will loosen it up quicker than playing tennis!

All the above sounds silly, but I am pretty sure you will get rid of the boardy feeling with just a little more play time. That boardy feeling is driven by Kev anyways, not the ZXP. It will loosen up soon.
 
I really don't care for Kev/ZX, but that's me..

One of my favorite setups on clay is Kev/4G..

I use the Kev/ZX, and the few times I've played on clay, the stringbed locked up pretty quick, the Kevlar mains would no longer move and snap back along the ZX crosses, and a lot of the benefits of this setup seemed to be lost... spin and control definitely reduced. I wonder if the clay particles get lodged int the Kevlar strands and make them unable to slide across the ZX.

Have you noticed that?
 
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