skydog
Professional
The common misconception of Kevlar is that if it so much stiffer than other strings, it must be bad for your arm health as it must transmit more vibration into your racquet.
What most folks forget is that DuPont designed Kevlar to be a shock absorber. It was designed to be used in bulletproof vests and car bumpers to absorb extreme shock and energy and disperse it before reaching something more valuable such as human flesh. Kevlar tennis string is essentially a rope made up of Kevlar fibers, similar to the way a multi fiber tennis string is made up of multiple nylon fibers versus a syngut composed of a larger nylon core. Kevlar tennis string is the least stiffest string as it comes off the reel, it flexes easily and does not have any coil memory almost to the point to where it can be difficult to string. If you read the thread, some folks recommend Super glueing the tips to help get it through the holes as you need a bit more stiffness when stringing.
So why the bad rep for Kevlar strings? Locked string beds. When you cross Kevlar with syngut or another cross that Kevlar will notch, the locked bed prevents the strings from moving and absorbing energy so it gets transmitted to the racquet and then to your arm.
This is the beauty of the ZX as a cross, ZX will notch the Kevlar and resists being notched by the Kevlar. Even when notched, the Kevlar mains continue to move freely allowing them to continue to absorb shock and energy dissipating the amount of shock and energy that reaches the frame and your arm.
I use the Kevlar/ZX hybrid to get the spin potential of a Poly in a more arm friendly set up. By adjusting the tensions, I can control power and feel of the stringbed. More power? Lower the ZX tension. Stiffer feel? Increase the Kevlar tension. After experimenting with this hybrid for several years, I have no desire to ever string another Poly into one of my racquets.
What most folks forget is that DuPont designed Kevlar to be a shock absorber. It was designed to be used in bulletproof vests and car bumpers to absorb extreme shock and energy and disperse it before reaching something more valuable such as human flesh. Kevlar tennis string is essentially a rope made up of Kevlar fibers, similar to the way a multi fiber tennis string is made up of multiple nylon fibers versus a syngut composed of a larger nylon core. Kevlar tennis string is the least stiffest string as it comes off the reel, it flexes easily and does not have any coil memory almost to the point to where it can be difficult to string. If you read the thread, some folks recommend Super glueing the tips to help get it through the holes as you need a bit more stiffness when stringing.
So why the bad rep for Kevlar strings? Locked string beds. When you cross Kevlar with syngut or another cross that Kevlar will notch, the locked bed prevents the strings from moving and absorbing energy so it gets transmitted to the racquet and then to your arm.
This is the beauty of the ZX as a cross, ZX will notch the Kevlar and resists being notched by the Kevlar. Even when notched, the Kevlar mains continue to move freely allowing them to continue to absorb shock and energy dissipating the amount of shock and energy that reaches the frame and your arm.
I use the Kevlar/ZX hybrid to get the spin potential of a Poly in a more arm friendly set up. By adjusting the tensions, I can control power and feel of the stringbed. More power? Lower the ZX tension. Stiffer feel? Increase the Kevlar tension. After experimenting with this hybrid for several years, I have no desire to ever string another Poly into one of my racquets.