Looking into MSV Strings

[VamosPanda]

Hello everyone. It seems that MSV strings are really good based on the feedbacks I saw. The most popular ones are the MSV CoFocus and MSV Focus HEX. And then I saw MSV EVO Hex and MSV Hepta - Twist.
That Hepta twist really got my attention. Any thoughts in these strings?
Could be EVO Hex be better than Focus Hex? How about this Hepta twist?
Oh btw, I'm planning to use it as a cross for my APDGT. Along with gut mains.

 

[wmilas]

I have strung my Yonix RDiS with CoFocus, Foxus Hex, and Hepta. My impressions:

CoFocus 17: Strung hybrid with VS Gut and Pacific Natural Gut. (52 poly/56 gut) I liked it more in the mains which is a sin. Spin production with it in the cross with good, but control was an issue. Its a soft poly. Its not a traditional snappy or board like poly. It plays well with gut. some on this forum swear by the setup. Its very good all court with great volleys. Baseline play is jsut ok, and Serves were less than optimal. I did not like the serves at all.. felt mushy.

Hex 17: Used in hybrid with Gosen sheep micro 18 in crosses. (52/54) Again a soft string. More spin for me than the Co-Focus. Still soft. Volley not as good as co-focus (most likely the lack of gut). Serves better with more spin. Kicks higher.

Hepta twist 17: mains with sheep micro 18 crosses (52/54). I hated this string. I mean HATED it. It felt soft, mushy. Volleys felt dead, serves sucked. Just yuk. If i was to try it again (I still have half a set) I'd string it 4 lbs higher. Its SUPPOSED to be just the twisted hex, but it sure as heck didn't feel like it. It just felt dead. I cut it out after only an hour.

To me the msv is just too soft for a main. If you like gut hybrids its great as a cross.

 

[VamosPanda]

I have strung my Yonix RDiS with CoFocus, Foxus Hex, and Hepta. My impressions:

CoFocus 17: Strung hybrid with VS Gut and Pacific Natural Gut. (52 poly/56 gut) I liked it more in the mains which is a sin. Spin production with it in the cross with good, but control was an issue. Its a soft poly. Its not a traditional snappy or board like poly. It plays well with gut. some on this forum swear by the setup. Its very good all court with great volleys. Baseline play is jsut ok, and Serves were less than optimal. I did not like the serves at all.. felt mushy.

Hex 17: Used in hybrid with Gosen sheep micro 18 in crosses. (52/54) Again a soft string. More spin for me than the Co-Focus. Still soft. Volley not as good as co-focus (most likely the lack of gut). Serves better with more spin. Kicks higher.

Hepta twist 17: mains with sheep micro 18 crosses (52/54). I hated this string. I mean HATED it. It felt soft, mushy. Volleys felt dead, serves sucked. Just yuk. If i was to try it again (I still have half a set) I'd string it 4 lbs higher. Its SUPPOSED to be just the twisted hex, but it sure as heck didn't feel like it. It just felt dead. I cut it out after only an hour.

To me the msv is just too soft for a main. If you like gut hybrids its great as a cross.

I'm planning to use those as a cross. I really want gut to be in mains.
So hepta twist is a bad string? I was really thinking that it is a good one.
How about the EVO Hex? Is it better than Focus HEX?

 

[GlenK]

Stringing C0-Focus with Wilson Nat Gut and love it!! Control, touch, access to power, and good tension maintenance are all there.

 

[Hi I'm Ray]

I've heard most ppl generally suggest a smooth cross to go with gut as textured poly crosses cut into the gut mains too quickly. Co-focus seems to be one of the more popular choices to cross with a gut main.

I've heard several ppl say Hepta Twist loses tension too fast & evo doesn't seem to be too popular.

I've played with several sets of focus-hex and co-focus in different guages as mains but won't get into that if you just need them for crosses.

 

[VamosPanda]

Stringing C0-Focus with Wilson Nat Gut and love it!! Control, touch, access to power, and good tension maintenance are all there.

I see. But I really need a boost on my spin.
So, what about the MSV Focus HEX? You think it will do good like the co-focus?

 

[VamosPanda]

What do you guys think about Signum Hyperion?
Think it will give a good spin?

 

[VamosPanda]

I've heard most ppl generally suggest a smooth cross to go with gut as textured poly crosses cut into the gut mains too quickly. Co-focus seems to be one of the more popular choices to cross with a gut main.

I've heard several ppl say Hepta Twist loses tension too fast & evo doesn't seem to be too popular.

I've played with several sets of focus-hex and co-focus in different guages as mains but won't get into that if you just need them for crosses.

Unfortunately, I'm looking at them for cross not as mains.
Btw, since co-focus is a good combination with nat gut, what about Signum Hyperion? Based on some playtest I saw they're really good.

 

[GlenK]

I see. But I really need a boost on my spin.
So, what about the MSV Focus HEX? You think it will do good like the co-focus?

I have not tired Focus Hex. Once I tried Co-Focus I haven't had anything else in my racquet. It plays so well I'm having a hard time stringing up anything else right now. I get good spin with co-focus due to the small gauge and smoothness that allows the gut to slide well on the crosses.

 

[Smasher08]

Apparently CoF, Focus Hex and Hepta Twist are all made of the same material. So if that is indeed true, their playing characteristics should only differ due to their texturing.

If you want to see the most dramatic immediate difference in spin production, use Hepta. The tradeoff as opposed to CoF is that the texturing will probably saw through your mains in 12-18 hours (depending on your mechanics and how hard you hit the ball -- for those under NTRP 4.0 they may very well last much, much longer).

Hex will probably last somewhere inbetween Hepta and CoF. And CoF will likely last at least 25 hours, and probably double that if you use string savers.

More on a gut x CoF hybrid here.

 

[VamosPanda]

I have not tired Focus Hex. Once I tried Co-Focus I haven't had anything else in my racquet. It plays so well I'm having a hard time stringing up anything else right now. I get good spin with co-focus due to the small gauge and smoothness that allows the gut to slide well on the crosses.

I see. I guess I'll get CoFocus then.
Btw. What tension are you using?
In my APDGT, I'm currently using Babolat VS Touch Gut 16 full bed. At 61lbs.
I can say that I really had a strong arm. Even before when I'm using a full bed poly strung at around 62lbs. I don't feel any sore.
So what do you think if I strung the Wilson NG 1.25 / MSV CoFocus 1.18 at 61/58? Think that will do?

 

[VamosPanda]

Apparently CoF, Focus Hex and Hepta Twist are all made of the same material. So if that is indeed true, their playing characteristics should only differ due to their texturing.

If you want to see the most dramatic immediate difference in spin production, use Hepta. The tradeoff as opposed to CoF is that the texturing will probably saw through your mains in 12-18 hours (depending on your mechanics and how hard you hit the ball -- for those under NTRP 4.0 they may very well last much, much longer).

Hex will probably last somewhere inbetween Hepta and CoF. And CoF will likely last at least 25 hours, and probably double that if you use string savers.

More on a gut x CoF hybrid here.

Thanks for the info. I guess I'm getting CoF.

 

[GlenK]

I see. I guess I'll get CoFocus then.
Btw. What tension are you using?
In my APDGT, I'm currently using Babolat VS Touch Gut 16 full bed. At 61lbs.
I can say that I really had a strong arm. Even before when I'm using a full bed poly strung at around 62lbs. I don't feel any sore.
So what do you think if I strung the Wilson NG 1.25 / MSV CoFocus 1.18 at 61/58? Think that will do?

I am stringing the gut mains @54 and X's @ 52 on a CP machine. You are used to a much higher tension than I am so 61/58 may be fine for you. It would be way to tight for me. Depending on the mch you use that high may increase the breakin period a bit.

 

[VamosPanda]

I am stringing the gut mains @54 and X's @ 52 on a CP machine. You are used to a much higher tension than I am so 61/58 may be fine for you. It would be way to tight for me. Depending on the mch you use that high may increase the breakin period a bit.

I see. I guess I need to try it.
Another question, do thinner gauges really create more spin for the ball?
This is the first time I'm gonna try thinner strings. LOL.

 

[The Big Kahuna]

Lots of good information on MSV Co-Focus as a hybrid cross string with gut in this thread:

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=394623&highlight=msv+Co-Focus

 

[The Big Kahuna]

• Stringforum Top PRICE / PERFORMANCE Rated Poly Strings (as of 2/15/12):

1- Ashaway MonoGut 17

2- Signum Pro Poly Deluxe 1.25

3- Völkl Cyclone 17

5- Kirschbaum Touch Turbo 1.30

6 -MSV Co-Focus 1.18

7- MSV Focus - HEX® 1.27

8 - Topspin Poly Polar 17

9- Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.33

10- MSV Focus - HEX® 1.23

11- Kirschbaum Competition 1.20

12- Kirschbaum Competition 1.25

 

[brianb76]

Looking for good price on Reels of Black Hex 1.23. TW does not carry

 

[tripleWRECK]

Anyone know how Focus HEX compares to ALU Spin and Genesis SpinX?

 

[Winners or Errors]

MSV Focus Hex 1.18 is my favorite string for the 4D100. It's just such a good combination of power and spin at 50# tension that I think I'm going to buy a reel of it.

I prefer it to SPPP 1.23, Tour Bite 1.25, BHSR 17, and Cyberflash 1.25. Still waiting to try B5E, which I have a set of, but so far it wins pretty much hands down.

I don't use a full bed, though. I hybrid with Dunlop Hexy 16, which I have come to think of as the perfect cross string because I like the feel and it breaks in an appropriate amount of time so I don't have to worry about dead poly ripping my arm off.

I don't know if I'm going to keep looking for anything else, because at $77 a reel the MSV Focus Hex 1.18 really doesn't have a lot of competition. We shall see if B5E has that much more to offer...

 

[rodrigoamaral]

Anyone know how Focus HEX compares to ALU Spin and Genesis SpinX?

focus hex would be more comparable to the genesis hexonic

 

[tripleWRECK]

focus hex would be more comparable to the genesis hexonic

How so? Thanks for the info.

 

[rodrigoamaral]

How so? Thanks for the info.

read the description and construction for both and try them and let me know what you think

 

[GlenK]

I see. I guess I need to try it.
Another question, do thinner gauges really create more spin for the ball?
This is the first time I'm gonna try thinner strings. LOL.

Yea, I'd suggest giving it a shot at a couple of tensions. As for the string thickness and spin, that's a good question. I've seen many posters here say that but I'm not so sure. Co-Foc does give me good spin but I can't say without some doubt that's it's just the smaller diameter causing it. To many factors involved in spin production to say for sure.

Just give it a shot and see what you think. In terms of price it's not an expensive co-poly @ 7.90 a set.

**One thing I will add about co-focus is it seems to have a short breakin period every time I play with it. Usually about 15 minutes it seems a bit stiff and pocketing is not that great. Then it starts to click and feels great again. I have not seen anyone other than me write that so maybe it's just my imagination!!

 

[Power Player]

Cofocus is such a great poly.Basically the go to for me on a gut/poly setup. I also really like Heptatwist as well for this, but it does not feel as good.

By the way, nothing feels like Genesis Hexonic. No full poly string job feels like it. If I wanted to restring every 6 hours, this would be my go to full poly setup. when it does, it is immediate and horrible. Before that, it is awesome.

 

[Say Chi Sin Lo]

What's the difference between Co-Focus and the Focus Evo?

 

[VamosPanda]

Yea, I'd suggest giving it a shot at a couple of tensions. As for the string thickness and spin, that's a good question. I've seen many posters here say that but I'm not so sure. Co-Foc does give me good spin but I can't say without some doubt that's it's just the smaller diameter causing it. To many factors involved in spin production to say for sure.

Just give it a shot and see what you think. In terms of price it's not an expensive co-poly @ 7.90 a set.

**One thing I will add about co-focus is it seems to have a short breakin period every time I play with it. Usually about 15 minutes it seems a bit stiff and pocketing is not that great. Then it starts to click and feels great again. I have not seen anyone other than me write that so maybe it's just my imagination!!

Thank you very much. I'm about to buy the CoFocus now.

 

[Muppet]

Does anyone know what type of death Focus Hex 1.18 has? Will it stiffen up or become over-powered? I have it in the mains with N.vy 1.25 crosses in an 18x20 Aerogel 200. Tension is 48/50. I don't use it that racquet much. Will it still die even if only used infrequently?

TIA

 

[The Big Kahuna]

One thing I will add about co-focus is it seems to have a short breakin period every time I play with it. Usually about 15 minutes it seems a bit stiff and pocketing is not that great. Then it starts to click and feels great again. I have not seen anyone other than me write that so maybe it's just my imagination!!

I would agree with this. Please see my playtest from last year on the following hybrid:

Strings - KLIP Legend Tour 17g mains / MSV Co.-Focus 17L (1.18) crosses 48/52 (Poly Stringforum ranking: 94% satisfaction / PPR 3.87 / ranked 8th overall)

Power: A-
Control: (+ ranked) A-
Feel: A
Comfort: (+ ranked) A
Spin: A+
Tension Stability:
OVERALL:

Comments: Great ball pocketing and lively response. Very "Liquid" or "Airy" sensation when hitting ("Spaghetti Strings"?). Great bite on the ball - terrific spin potential. Slightly muted power (balls stayed in play). Larger sweet spot. Tons of dwell time.

After 6 hours of play with the MSV Co-Focus 18g hybrid @ 48 (with KLIP Legend Tour 17g mains @ 52) in my Head Youtek Prestige Pro I am ready to declare this playtest to an end. Every time I put down this racquet to try one with another poly (Weiss Silverstring or Kirshbaum Pro Line II) while they both feel very good, I can wait to get back to the MSV. The feel and ball pocketing is SO much better. I have never felt strings with so much comfort, spin, control, and feel. The power is dialed down just a tad from the other two strings, but more balls go IN the court as a result. My groundstrokes and serves are much more consistent than they have been with anything else to date and it feels like the racquet is simply an part of my arm - it is almost as if I am "throwing the ball" back. The sweet spot feels huge and the picketing is insane! I am totally addicted. It is really like a whole new game for me. Fantastic!

With PACIFIC CLASSIC 17g GUT in the main strings - it feels twice as good!

 

[The Big Kahuna]

Again, LOTS of good information on MSV Co-Focus as a hybrid cross string with gut in this thread:

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showt...t=msv+Co-Focus