Its a 70RA and man I wish it was 80. Margaret Court would beat half this board probably at her current age. 68 is nothing man. LeeD is like 210@Shroud , what is the RA of the racket you are using? I would be inclined to try Ash Kev/4G in a RA 69+ racket. I used it in a Microgel OS and thought I had to swing the racket like FAA-lite to get anything "happening." Realize also my next B-day will be my 68th, so there is that Margaret Court sort of thing going on with my technique
One of the major advantages of kev/zx is that it lasts forever and gets near full poly spin. But in my case I just like a really really stiff stringbed, and I can’t string the zx high enough. If I was still using my 6.1 18x20 kev/zx would be great but using my 110” granny stick I need the 4g’s stiffness. With the higher sw I am using definitely need a stiff bed at high tensions. 4g is much stiffer so its a win for me. 16g def here. Said another way, if I could string zx at 86lbs I would probably be using it.
Yes sorry I wrote it backward
Max power is good with kev, mosquitobite is great too if you like thin gauge.
So confused. There are 3 strings mentioned here. What are the mains and crosses?
Sorry. I meant xtreme as a cross for kev mains, as an alternative to zx.
I usually use 65lb AK mains 58lb ZX crosses in OS rackets, but I'll try your 62/50 next time I string up one of my 107 18/19 Heads. I may try your setup in the 107 16x19 Gamma F 9.0 Diamond Fiber that is coming in tomorrow.
With a 16 x 19, you may need to go a bit tighter. I have found the more open the pattern, the tighter I have to go on the Kevlar.
I would start with a 6 wide x 5 deep grid (30 savers) centered over the highest use region.
Yes probably 8 wide better.
I'm using ng/zx hybrid:
Not prestretching or having a long pull on a constant pull machine will likely lead to tension loss in the ZX and an increasingly powerful string bed as it breaks in. Folks have pulled tighter than 60 lbs and got away with it, but it is not recommended.
If the stringbed is softening over time, that just means you didn’t prestretch enough.
I'm not sure I agree.
I'm going to have to get my winch set up out again and prestretch the bejeezus out of a half set each of ZX and Ash Kev and string it up in an APD. Why? A couple of years ago when I was using my NEOS with LO head I just started to pull tension on the Ash Kev mains 3x and just pulled tenon on ZX really slow till LO. Now with my Wise I just set it on the slowest setting and just pull tension on both Ash Kev mains and and ZX at 62/58 if stringing a racket 100" or lower. I've been stringing a young guy's PDs that way for about a year now who plays and lives 60miles away where one league he plays in has former SEC (D1) and other skilled players, many that were "developed" as juniors. He tells me first he likes the durability as a cost factor but even though he is a spin meister it only took him a week or two to transition from polys. When he dropped off three PDs the other day he told me he really liked the way the string settled then maintained tension till the Ash Kev mains break. As you can see in post #2671 he broke the Ash Kev in the same spot on 2 PDs.
4g will notch the kevlar and the kevlar will snap before the 4g. Fwiw I have both sizes and prefer the bigger myself because its stiffer.Just want to bump this one more time before restringing with the Kev/4G.
Does 4G as a cross develop any notching when paired with Kevlar mains?
Do prestretched poly crosses tend to snap before Kevlar mains are sawed through? Debating whether I need 1.30 durability for the 4G cross, or if 1.25 4G will outlast the Kevlar.
The 1.25 4G should allow for better snapback of the Kevlar mains, but I want to consider 1.30 4G based on the answers to the above questions.
cc: @travlerajm, @Shroud, @tlm, @graycrait, @esgee48 - Thanks for any thoughts
Of course, that’s true of any poly, or any zx. The kevlar mains get sawed first, but still last longer than a poly main would.
With kevlar/poly, I prefer to prestretch both the kevlar and the poly. Otherwise, the stringbed will soften over time, and get more powerful and spinnier with higher launch angle as the poly drops tension until I lose control.
I should add, the re-tension step requires me to walk the slack off across the stringbed by pulling with with my fingers from the tied end to the drop weight supported end, transferring the slack from one string to the next.
We need more winch and bejeezus testing.
Terms of reference: Bejeezus ZXP stretching means stretching it to the point where I am afraid to stretch it further in case it breaks at the far end and whips through the air and takes a bite out of my hand, arm or face. That has happened to me before. Today I was "living on the edge" taking no hand, arm or face precautions. Even using the winch stretching ZX can be interesting if it breaks at the far end and you are too close. I should just throw a towel over the stretching ZX to mitigate the Lash LaRue effect.
When the whiplash effect occurs, I notice that the zx is no longer straightened, and I have re-stretch it. Goggles a good investment.
You are right, when that stuff breaks or slips through the fixed point and whips through the air the ZX has a "strange" look. But a bit more stretching "straightens" it out.
