travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
Yes. This really works.
My favorite racquet (my leaded-up, shortened BLX 6.1 95 18x20) is now strung with full-bed Silverstring 1.20, 80 lbs in the mains and 40 lbs in the crosses.
To make this work so that it maintains the tension differential, you must prestretch the string thoroughly. And even then, when pulling the mains at 80 lbs, you need to let the drop-weight fall for at least 10 seconds after each pull to let the string creep out. Otherwise, you will lose most of the advantage of stringing at extreme differential.
What is the advantage?
It gives you the precise launch angle control, sharp-shooting, and targeting on flat shots, blocked returns, slices, and volleys of a stiff stringbed. But at the same time, it gives you tremendous spin potential, snapback, and grab when you want to shape your shot with heavy spin, American twists, or nasty drop shots. In other words, it combines the advantages of a tight/dense stringbed with the advantages of a loose/open stringbed, without having to compromise.
Full disclosure: I'm not usually a fan of full poly (my favorite string type is kevlar/ZX hybrid, also strung at extreme differential). But stringing with mains 40 lbs tighter than crosses makes full poly a satisfactory option with excellent control and all-around performance. Plays similar to my Kevlar/ZX, although the kevlar/ZX is more arm-friendly and (and I expect more durable).
My favorite racquet (my leaded-up, shortened BLX 6.1 95 18x20) is now strung with full-bed Silverstring 1.20, 80 lbs in the mains and 40 lbs in the crosses.
To make this work so that it maintains the tension differential, you must prestretch the string thoroughly. And even then, when pulling the mains at 80 lbs, you need to let the drop-weight fall for at least 10 seconds after each pull to let the string creep out. Otherwise, you will lose most of the advantage of stringing at extreme differential.
What is the advantage?
It gives you the precise launch angle control, sharp-shooting, and targeting on flat shots, blocked returns, slices, and volleys of a stiff stringbed. But at the same time, it gives you tremendous spin potential, snapback, and grab when you want to shape your shot with heavy spin, American twists, or nasty drop shots. In other words, it combines the advantages of a tight/dense stringbed with the advantages of a loose/open stringbed, without having to compromise.
Full disclosure: I'm not usually a fan of full poly (my favorite string type is kevlar/ZX hybrid, also strung at extreme differential). But stringing with mains 40 lbs tighter than crosses makes full poly a satisfactory option with excellent control and all-around performance. Plays similar to my Kevlar/ZX, although the kevlar/ZX is more arm-friendly and (and I expect more durable).
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