Let's Talk About YTEX

[Nexus]

Hey guys,

I'm currently on a spree of testing YTEX strings because I get a solid discount from them and string all my clients rackets with it now. That being said, have any of you guys tried any of their strings? If so, what do you find it comparable to? What are your likes and dislikes?

I recently switched away from the Pro Staff 90 (darn things kept cracking!) to the Boris Becker Melbourne. I'm right handed, use a one-handed backhand (can do both), and mostly play USTA league.

That being said, my favorite YTEX string is their Triple Twister Silver. I strung it at 50lbs and it plays amazing! I always play full-poly, one piece setups. Feels like (and looks like!) Wilson Spin Cycle, yet has more pop.

I've also tried their Protour line and not all colors play the same. Black and orange, for example, are a lot stiffer and feel like RPM Blast to me. Their blue plays softer -- more like MSV co.focus.

Square-X and Quadro Twist were nice (square x had more pop, quadro had more spin) but both broke in less than 5 hours of play time.

More to come in the following posts (Octotwist, Sintex, and many more!)

 

[mikeler]

i liked square-x and quadro twist but the durability was too low for me.

 

[NilssonTennis]

I have a set of quadro twist I've been meaning to try for some time but haven't gotten around to. They seem to be pretty good strings based on what I've read, and one of the customers I strung for I put in the Ytex Pro Tour Orange and he's been very pleased. I get an email every so often from a rep there offering wholesale pricing, which at some point I would like to take advantage of, unfortunately it's just not that time...

I'd love to try some of their strings though, they appear to be pretty good quality.

 

[ae11]

Hey guys,

I'm currently on a spree of testing YTEX strings because I get a solid discount from them and string all my clients rackets with it now. That being said, have any of you guys tried any of their strings? If so, what do you find it comparable to? What are your likes and dislikes?

I recently switched away from the Pro Staff 90 (darn things kept cracking!) to the Boris Becker Melbourne. I'm right handed, use a one-handed backhand (can do both), and mostly play USTA league.

That being said, my favorite YTEX string is their Triple Twister Silver. I strung it at 50lbs and it plays amazing! I always play full-poly, one piece setups. Feels like (and looks like!) Wilson Spin Cycle, yet has more pop.

I've also tried their Protour line and not all colors play the same. Black and orange, for example, are a lot stiffer and feel like RPM Blast to me. Their blue plays softer -- more like MSV co.focus.

Square-X and Quadro Twist were nice (square x had more pop, quadro had more spin) but both broke in less than 5 hours of play time.

More to come in the following posts (Octotwist, Sintex, and many more!)

how's the durability on Triple Twisted Silver? esp how does it play towards the end of its life? i have been very interested in
that string too but it doesn't seem to be too many people out there trying it.

 

[Nexus]

ae11,

Triple Twister Silver lasted me from my first hit with it on Saturday 9/19/2015 in a 9.5 combo match until last night 9/25/2015 when they popped on a forehand. My girlfriend has been out of town visiting family for roughly a week and I have been able to play every day, which is a rare treat! I'd say they lasted me between 15 and 17 hours (65% doubles, 35% singles) on an 18x20 string pattern.

I have zero complaints about the string. I loved it from the first hit to the very last hit, although it did seem to get softer towards the end of its lifespan. It never moved and is probably one of my favorite strings now. I like it more than I like Genesis Typhoon. If you don't play daily, it'll probably last weeks. Also, I'm in California and even now it has still been pretty hot 90+ degrees so I can't tell you how it would play in cooler weather.

Today I've got the ProTour orange on my racket with black Wilson NXT in the crosses at 50 lbs again. The orange and black play stiffer than the blue so I'm curious to see how it does. My clients compare Orange/Black Protour to Babolat RPM Blast. I also usually don't bother with hybrids, but I couldn't pass up a free 1/2 set of NXT.

 

[ae11]

nexus,
thanks for the information. i have a reel of the triple twister silver and i am glad to hear you have been very happy with it. it looks like Ytex has stopped making this string though!
btw, have you had any experience with octo twist?

 

[Nexus]

Octo Twist was stiff and low powered compared to their other strings. Definitely an excellent choice if you can provide your own power. I can't be too credible because I had it on a PS 97 LS and those sticks are garbage lol. Every kind of string moved when I used those rackets (2 weeks). The biggest thing, I'd say, is just to string them at low tension.

I have also confirmed that YTEX IS NOT DISCONTINUING TRIPLE TWISTER. As a matter of fact, they will be introducing more colors in the near future!

I've had a chance to use their Poly Power red. It is rigid and feels kind of plastic-y. It even squeaks a bit if you have to adjust the strings once they move. Despite that initial impression, after a couple hitting sessions I don't have anything bad to say about it. I may not get as much spin as I would using the triple twister or pro-tour, but it is a nice middle of the road string. You pay less, you get less. It seems to be durable as it hasn't notched as much as the other strings have in the same amount of time. Nice eye-catching red color too. The one remarkable thing is that I can really feel the ball. It seems to linger on the string bed and allow me to really get the ball to dip when hitting at people at the net.

 

[djkahn86]

I love quadro twist in my RF strung around 52lbs... good pocketing , power and spin... was not a huge fan of square x but going to try it again.

Havent tried pro tour yet... but I will next.. but i cant say enough of quadro twist.. made me fall in love with my RF all over again..

 

[Aestheticsaboveallelse]

Stop ignoring polyspin honey its the biggest darkhorse string in existence

 

[ryushen21]

Here's a more objective take on Ytex based on my experience with them over the last year.

For reference, I have a school/coach account with them

Like most, I started with a demo box from Ytex with several different poly strings. To date, I have played with Square X, Quadro Twist, Penta Power Twisted, Octo Twist, Triangle Twisted, and Hexagon X. The strings that Ytex offers are not bad strings by any stretch at all. They offer comfort and good spin potential with decent durability. As I have quite a few players using stiffer racquets, I like to have softer options for them and Ytex fits that nicely.

However, there is still much to be desired from Ytex. There are practically zero options when it comes to string gauges on their offerings with no expectation of new gauges being offered at any time. You effectively are told to be happy with what they offer. The second issue is the price. For an unestablished company in the stringing world, the prices are too high. $15 for a set of Quadro Twist is too much and the reel prices are not discounted enough to entice stringers or schools to carry them regularly. Yet, in my situation they still expect a minimum number of reels to be ordered each year to maintain my account. While I can understand that as a growing company they want to keep costs down, you have to listen to consumers at some point. The prices are too high for most of their offerings and the lack of gauge options is frustrating.

It has me reconsidering if I want to maintain the partnership in the future.

 

[Nexus]

OP here, I suppose I should provide an update since my initial post 7 years ago. I've pretty much moved away from personally using shaped or twisted strings. My current favorite is Yonex PolyTour Rev which is octagonal, but I don't notice it/it is not dramatic.

I was one of the YTEX reps for a stint and was trying to help build brand awareness. Overall, I didn't make much money in the process and as their prices and rules changed, it became less and less worth my time. I got in when there was little or no minimum order required, and I don't remember having to purchase $x amount annually -- but this was 7 years ago so my memory could be failing me. Had I been able to build an actual base of clients with recurring orders it would have been great. I straight up called/emailed clubs, retailers, and would message stringers I saw online. (Did I mention I dislike sales?)

It got pretty old pretty fast with people constantly asking me for free stuff when I wasn't given the autonomy to do it, and most certainly wasn't going to spend my own money to give people samples. I wholeheartedly agree that a couple sample sets is a great way to build some traction, but the reps shouldn't have to shoulder the cost or feel discouraged from requesting samples for potential leads.

In terms of small companies I think Genesis blows YTEX out of the water in terms of what they offer and the pricing. As a coach or stringer, you can probably get a discount from Genesis (The Tennis Depot) without much hassle. The owner seems sincere and they're regularly trying new products. His emails could use some proofreading, though. I think I received one a while back that accidentally said "The Tennis Warehouse" instead of "Depot," lol. I'd take Black Magic over Square X or Quadro any day -- better price and performance, while also being a softer poly IMO. Volkl Cyclone also deserves a shout out, and is one of the most common strings I use for my clients that are more price sensitive.

I haven't carried YTEX for years and do not plan on it in the foreseeable future. They are overpriced. There are better options out there from Genesis, Volkl, MSV, Kirschbaum, and even Pro's Pro. I think Diadem has a better discount program than YTEX as well, but don't quote me on that.

 

[ryushen21]

I agree with everything you said.

My account is not for sales or business but as a high school coach. I'm only stringing for my players and we're going to offer stringing to the community as a fundraiser. Ytex prices aren't leaving much room for margin. Even at their discounted price, I have to charge a higher rate to cover the costs. It's unfortunate because my players enjoy their strings and I really like Penta Power Twisted.

By comparison, my business account with Tier One Sports receives a far better price. For reference, at the discounted rates, I am paying twice as much or more for a reel of Ytex string compared to what I pay for Tier One. Unless my players or our customers start requesting Ytex specifically, I'm pretty sure we will end our relationship at the end of this year.