New poly user. Advice on Yonex ez tour and yellow poly tour pro 1.25

[makey98]

Competitive HS school player 20 years ago and played rarely since. Getting back into the game with private lessons, play and various things to improve and build from ground up. Demoed a bunch of racquets and settled on Yonex 98 EZONE tour. Strung first time with yellow poly pro 1.25 at 52. First couple hits felt great as my only experience with poly was the EZONE demo that had some old strings in it and a Diadem elevate fs tour with a hybrid setup. First hits felt great. Noticeable spin improvement on all shots, serve was powerful and spiny when needed, groundstokes the string felt “stiffly elastic” and even volleys had touch and nice contact. Now I have played 4-5 hours over past 2 weeks with string and noticed that now feels more “trampoline” like, and many shots are 2-3 feet long. I was rallying today about 40 minutes in and literally hit 5 groundstrokes in a row 2 feet long in a rally. Never done that in my life!! I understand the tension loss and all that but not sure where to go from here. These 4-5 hours were just ground stroke rallies at 70% not a ball bashing session. Decent amount of balls because 1 hour of ball machine and 2 hours of private lessons and 2 hours of causal hitting. Tried to counteract with additional spin and that helped slightly but wasn’t ideal.
So where does one go from here?? My impression was this was a good all around soft poly with decent tension maint and all around pretty stable. Really need to have a string that plays consistently for more like 10 hours which would be 2-3 weeks. Should I start initial tension higher like 54? Different string recommendation? Is this just the reality and go back to a Syn gut or deal with it?? Any help welcome and appreciated!!

 

[EasternRocks]

Just have to re-string more often if you like the playability of it. Stringing it higher won't make a difference since initial tension loss is so high and you'll only see the stiffer / boardier tighter tension for your first hour - hour and a half. There are other polys that will hold tension better, but they will be a lot stiffer and have a lot less pocketing and feel.

 

[makey98]

Hmm. Thanks for the reply. So isn’t 4-5 hours a very low level of tension holding? Any similar suggestions for softer poly that hold for 10-15 hours?

 

[Mischko]

when you string poly tour pro, or most (older) poly strings, (or multifilament/syn gut strings, same thing) they lose tension as soon as you take the racquet out of the stringing machine. if a string is strung at 25kg/52lb it's approx. the same as hanging a 25kg/52lb weight on the same length of string in your garage. the string will stretch out slowly over days, until all elasticity is gone and it can't stretch anymore. in that first hour or two after stringing they lose 1kg/2lb or so, then slighly more overnight etc.

if the following day you play for 2h of hard hitting with them and then ping them you see that they lost an additional 1kg/2lb or so. if you continue to use them, and they kind of settle after another session or two, meaning they lost almost all of their initial elasticity.

at that point most advanced players call them many different things like "used and dead, no power, no elasticity, ball stays on the stringbed far too long when you hit hard and too many fly slightly long, I hit like a maniac but the ball doesn't go etc". to me personally they would break already at 4-5h max or I'd cut them out and restring, because they are thin and/or severely notched. but many recreational players like them exactly like that, looser, deader, so not too stiff like when new, but controlled. if you're not really that kind of recreational player, my advice is simple - swing wider and hit harder.

soft poly strings lose tension more quickly, it's a weaker material simply. stiffer polys lose tension less, and when they do loosen they are still stiff and controlled, those you find on the pro tour. many are intentionally prestretched during manufacturing so they lose tension less, like poly tour pro, which becomes dead but well dampened, very quickly to me.

note that almost all poly strings have coatings, so they are slick and slippery when new, providing elastic snap back on spin/slice shots, mains sliding on crosses. that gives rotation and forgiveness, so they feel less stiff. poly tour pro is one of those where it's quite noticeable when the slick surface is gone, after 20ish minutes of play. they still have snap back afterwards, but not like when new. newer strings are better there, yonex poly tour rev and head lynx tour really maintain their snap back much better over time.

there's been a lot of improvement with newer strings, with tension maintenance especially, but notching and snap back too. newer strings are visibly better. yonex poly tour rev, head lynx tour, tourna silver 7 tour, solinco confidential are all great with maintaining elasticity and tension, and are very controlled so you can string them 2kg/4,5lb lower and they last a lot. that's quite a bit better than strings from 10-15-20 years ago where you'd string them higher only because you knew that tomorrow that tension is already down without even playing.

 

[ichaseballs]

i think yonex strings in your EZT is a good choice.
most of the yonex videos i see in japan, from very good players all playing with 45-48 lb tension. i think that is the sweet spot on these racquets.

try a bunch of different yonex strings out. pro is the classic. spin is popular.. a shaped string. strike would be another one to try
higher tension usually means you will have more overall tension loss than stringing lower
i think all polys will die after a few sessions.

 

[makey98]

Thanks for the replies both of you. This is very interesting. Crazy to me that people are fine with a string that only plays well for 2-3 sessions. Seems this would make it really hard to have a consistent setup unless you restring every week! Maybe I should just go back to Prince Syn gut and call it, never had these issues before. The spin and feel of the poly pro tour was very very nice though.... any other suggestions or just keep trying new things??

 

[n8dawg6]

when you string poly tour pro, or most (older) poly strings, (or multifilament/syn gut strings, same thing) they lose tension as soon as you take the racquet out of the stringing machine. if a string is strung at 25kg/52lb it's approx. the same as hanging a 25kg/52lb weight on the same length of string in your garage. the string will stretch out slowly over days, until all elasticity is gone and it can't stretch anymore. in that first hour or two after stringing they lose 1kg/2lb or so, then slighly more overnight etc.

if the following day you play for 2h of hard hitting with them and then ping them you see that they lost an additional 1kg/2lb or so. if you continue to use them, and they kind of settle after another session or two, meaning they lost almost all of their initial elasticity.

at that point most advanced players call them many different things like "used and dead, no power, no elasticity, ball stays on the stringbed far too long when you hit hard and too many fly slightly long, I hit like a maniac but the ball doesn't go etc". to me personally they would break already at 4-5h max or I'd cut them out and restring, because they are thin and/or severely notched. but many recreational players like them exactly like that, looser, deader, so not too stiff like when new, but controlled. if you're not really that kind of recreational player, my advice is simple - swing wider and hit harder.

soft poly strings lose tension more quickly, it's a weaker material simply. stiffer polys lose tension less, and when they do loosen they are still stiff and controlled, those you find on the pro tour. many are intentionally prestretched during manufacturing so they lose tension less, like poly tour pro, which becomes dead but well dampened, very quickly to me.

note that almost all poly strings have coatings, so they are slick and slippery when new, providing elastic snap back on spin/slice shots, mains sliding on crosses. that gives rotation and forgiveness, so they feel less stiff. poly tour pro is one of those where it's quite noticeable when the slick surface is gone, after 20ish minutes of play. they still have snap back afterwards, but not like when new. newer strings are better there, yonex poly tour rev and head lynx tour really maintain their snap back much better over time.

there's been a lot of improvement with newer strings, with tension maintenance especially, but notching and snap back too. newer strings are visibly better. yonex poly tour rev, head lynx tour, tourna silver 7 tour, solinco confidential are all great with maintaining elasticity and tension, and are very controlled so you can string them 2kg/4,5lb lower and they last a lot. that's quite a bit better than strings from 10-15-20 years ago where you'd string them higher only because you knew that tomorrow that tension is already down without even playing.

lynx tour and poly tour rev have both been good strings for me

 

[ron schaap]

Competitive HS school player 20 years ago and played rarely since. Getting back into the game with private lessons, play and various things to improve and build from ground up. Demoed a bunch of racquets and settled on Yonex 98 EZONE tour. Strung first time with yellow poly pro 1.25 at 52. First couple hits felt great as my only experience with poly was the EZONE demo that had some old strings in it and a Diadem elevate fs tour with a hybrid setup. First hits felt great. Noticeable spin improvement on all shots, serve was powerful and spiny when needed, groundstokes the string felt “stiffly elastic” and even volleys had touch and nice contact. Now I have played 4-5 hours over past 2 weeks with string and noticed that now feels more “trampoline” like, and many shots are 2-3 feet long. I was rallying today about 40 minutes in and literally hit 5 groundstrokes in a row 2 feet long in a rally. Never done that in my life!! I understand the tension loss and all that but not sure where to go from here. These 4-5 hours were just ground stroke rallies at 70% not a ball bashing session. Decent amount of balls because 1 hour of ball machine and 2 hours of private lessons and 2 hours of causal hitting. Tried to counteract with additional spin and that helped slightly but wasn’t ideal.
So where does one go from here?? My impression was this was a good all around soft poly with decent tension maint and all around pretty stable. Really need to have a string that plays consistently for more like 10 hours which would be 2-3 weeks. Should I start initial tension higher like 54? Different string recommendation? Is this just the reality and go back to a Syn gut or deal with it?? Any help welcome and appreciated!!

i find ptp 1.25 sucks. Not enough spin potential. However the 1.20 playes much better.

 

[EasternRocks]

i find ptp 1.25 sucks. Not enough spin potential. However the 1.20 playes much better.

Have you ever tried dropping tension down a lot to see if spin would get better? I've never loved it and I've played it in so many set up's and went down as far as 48. Seeing Tiafoe string it down at 44 has me wondering if 45 or a 46 / 44 would give better results. I'm using a hybrid of yellow and blue PTP in 120 currently at 52 / 50.

 

[dave t]

I like PTP but can confirm, it seems to bag out pretty quick. It is also kind of sticky for a round poly. Love the feel but I think I've moved on.

 

[flanker2000fr]

I'd probably try something like a 4G (if your arm can handle it) or 4G Soft, which are very consistent and have some of the best tension maintenance on the market. They are very controlled strings, and being round they are not going to increase the launch angle to make you miss long. I would avoid stringing them more than 50 lbs, though, especially the regular 4G, as it is quite stiff. If stiffness is an issue, you could hybrid it with Cream in the crosses, which is much softer, but then probably bump up the tension in the crosses by a couple of lbs.

 

[EasternRocks]

I like PTP but can confirm, it seems to bag out pretty quick. It is also kind of sticky for a round poly. Love the feel but I think I've moved on.

The blue is less sticky and more slick, which is why I've reasoned it to work in a hybrid with the yellow. It also seems to notch a little less. Keep the feel, but improve the duration is the reasoning. Don't get it twisted though, it still is a 3 session string job.

Hence, I'm going to try the 125 lower in tension than I've ever tried before to see if I can get the feel I desire with a bit more duration before the "bag out".

 

[makey98]

Thanks all. I am going to add 4g and cream to the list. Ordered some Miyami big hit as well based on Galapagos reviews.

 

[cortado]

I'd probably try something like a 4G (if your arm can handle it) or 4G Soft, which are very consistent and have some of the best tension maintenance on the market. They are very controlled strings, and being round they are not going to increase the launch angle to make you miss long. I would avoid stringing them more than 50 lbs, though, especially the regular 4G, as it is quite stiff. If stiffness is an issue, you could hybrid it with Cream in the crosses, which is much softer, but then probably bump up the tension in the crosses by a couple of lbs.

What about Cream as the main, 4G as the cross?

 

[flanker2000fr]

What about Cream as the main, 4G as the cross?

Never tried it, but could be worth a try. I think the genral consensus is Cream being a very soft poly make it better suited as a cross to soften a string bed.

Also, if you are new to poly, start with 4G Soft rather than regular 4G, which is one of the stiffest strings out there. And avoid stringing it above 50-52lbs to avoid injuries.

 

[cortado]

Never tried it, but could be worth a try. I think the genral consensus is Cream being a very soft poly make it better suited as a cross to soften a string bed.

Also, if you are new to poly, start with 4G Soft rather than regular 4G, which is one of the stiffest strings out there. And avoid stringing it above 50-52lbs to avoid injuries.

I was thinking 4G soft, or maybe yonex poly tour pro yellow as I've already tried that and liked it.
My logic for Cream mains was that mains dominate the feeling, and I know I want it quite soft. It can't be any more powerful or erratic than natural gut mains, surely?

 

[flanker2000fr]

I was thinking 4G soft, or maybe yonex poly tour pro yellow as I've already tried that and liked it.
My logic for Cream mains was that mains dominate the feeling, and I know I want it quite soft. It can't be any more powerful or erratic than natural gut mains, surely?

It will not be anywhere nearly as powerful as gut. If you want a soft touch, it might be a good idea to put Cream in the mains and have 4G Soft in the crosses. If too mushy, you can always do try the reverse. Good luck.