New Version of MSV Focus Hex "Soft"

M

Maui19

Hall of Fame
Interesting. I recently switched my crosses to Hurricane Feel, which has the same benefits of the Focus-Hex Soft, and it is just an awesome string. Better feel, performance and much better tension maintenance.
 
syke

syke

Professional
I am reluctant to try anything from MSV, but hopefully with these new strings the boardy & muted feel is addressed.

Wouldn't mind trying though if they sent me a free set.
 
T

tistrapukcipeht

Professional
syke said:
I am reluctant to try anything from MSV, but hopefully with these new strings the boardy & muted feel is addressed.

Wouldn't mind trying though if they sent me a free set.
Click to expand...

I agree with you again, I practiced with someone the other day for 25 mins until his coach (late) got there.

He is a good Jr, top 25 (u-16) in his area, he had one of his Xi's with MSV (I'm sure which one) freshly strung, He put it down after 5 mins, for his old RPM Blast, He said it was the worst polyester he ever tried, no feel whatsoever and very stiff, so as good as he is, with the same racquet, his feedback is very important for me, of course only thing I can hit with him is forehands, otherwise everything else He crushes me.

I told him to try the YPTSpin.
 
W

wmilas

Rookie
Agreed. Co focus in a gut hybrid as a cross is simply sublime. I've tried 20+ other polys. Nothing comes close to co-focus.

In a full bed I wonder if these "pros" actually read MSV's literature where it states it should not be strung over 50 lbs. 52 lbs and higher, true enough, it starts to go board like. At 56 its unplayable.

At 46 to 48 with good technique in a players frame its simply godlike.
 
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W

wmilas

Rookie
Scorpion, to me, seemed too powerful crossed with the gut. I like the b5e as a cross better.

That said Scorpion as a main was excellent with OGSM 17 or 18 as a cross. This setup was solid for 6-8 hours for me.
 
syke

syke

Professional
tistrapukcipeht said:
I agree with you again, I practiced with someone the other day for 25 mins until his coach (late) got there.

He is a good Jr, top 25 (u-16) in his area, he had one of his Xi's with MSV (I'm sure which one) freshly strung, He put it down after 5 mins, for his old RPM Blast, He said it was the worst polyester he ever tried, no feel whatsoever and very stiff, so as good as he is, with the same racquet, his feedback is very important for me, of course only thing I can hit with him is forehands, otherwise everything else He crushes me.

I told him to try the YPTSpin.
Click to expand...

Exactly, they feel horrendous freshly strung. Only after breaking them in, they become "playable" with good durability. Little wonder why they aren't popular amongst pros.
 
dadozen

dadozen

Hall of Fame
I'm playing Focus Hex 1.10 as a cross for any other poly I use in the mains and it's one of the best to be used this way. It holds tension well, keep the stringbed firmness for a much longer time and it's cheap. Also it lets the main strings slide easily through the entire life span.

As other have said, it's a string to be used in very low tensions. I'm stringing it @ 39( mains @ 43 ).

Also, it must be noted that Focus Hex 1.10 is a much lighter string. Even on a 18x20 stringbed and 98" headsize, a full bed of Focus Hex 1.10 weighs only 14g. depending on tension, it also helps in the boardy feel. That's one of the reasons that it must be stung @ lower tensions
 
H

Hi I'm Ray

Professional
Focus-hex does take about an hour to break in. I strung up left over focus-hex in some flexible players rackets with good feel and I was surprised the string bed feels much nicer there. But pair Focus hex with a frame with already low feel (usually the stiff power frames) and you won't be feeling much.
 
GlenK

GlenK

Professional
franks said:
Have you ever tried Scorpion as a cross with natural gut? if so how does it compare to MSV Co-focus?

Thanks for your reply
Frank
Click to expand...


Yes, I tried Scorpion and did like it, but Co-Focus has better control and longevity. It also seems to tame the power of the gut a little better than Scorpion.
 
kimguroo

kimguroo

Legend
sundaypunch said:
Any more news on the MSV Hex "soft"? I don't see anyone in the USA selling it yet.
Click to expand...

Guts&glory is US distributor. He is in Atlanta.
I spoke with him a few weeks ago. I got the individual packages and ask about reels. He told me that it's in custom processing. I think he might get new strings now.
 
kimguroo

kimguroo

Legend
I tested 1.15. I feel same as regular hex plus it's softer.
I like the string and might change to Hex soft.
 
ccmtennis

ccmtennis

Semi-Pro
Justus_Jonas said:
Hi all,

there is a new Version of the Msv Hex on the market, called MSV Focus
hex "soft":

http://www.tennistotal.net/msv-focus-hex-soft-tennissaite-1-25mm-200m-red.2141.html

i had a chance to play with it for 2h now, and it´s realy amazing. The normal hex was always a compromise in feel and Stiffness to me, but the soft is killing this issues. Great control and spin, same as the normal Version.

Regards
JJ
Click to expand...

Have you compared it to WC line at all? I would to try it since I live the hex but I felt it was lacking big time in feel and judging by your response you think the feel here is much better
 
Cfidave

Cfidave

Professional
Just received some of the soft in 18L. Strung it up at 47/45, full bed in my IG prestige pro. This string definately plays softer then the original Focus Hex.

I found it to have better ball pocketing, more pop, and great spin. A very comfortable string to play with. I never felt any harshness right from the start, as I did with the original. Overall a solid improvement in all areas of performance. The teal color is really cool as well. Gonna try the Yellow 17L in my other PP strung slightly tighter, and compare.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n138/cfidave/FocusHex.jpg
 
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Cfidave

Cfidave

Professional
Up&comer said:
^^ Could it be that the very thin gauge factored into the softness?
Click to expand...

Could be, that is why I'm going to try the 17 in yellow and compare. I should have a comparison very soon, but I really like the new "soft' version after two sessions.
 
T

Torres

Banned
Softer in what sense? More elastic and springier, or simply a softer material with more feel?

I like the original Hex but it just seems to die so quickly, particularly the thinner gauges.
 
Cfidave

Cfidave

Professional
Torres said:
Softer in what sense? More elastic and springier, or simply a softer material with more feel?

I like the original Hex but it just seems to die so quickly, particularly the thinner gauges.
Click to expand...

I would say more the latter. I didn't think it felt springy as such, but did notice that the ball did seem to pocket a bit more then the original. The feel, I thought, was much improved. Control, even at the tensions I had it, was very good.
 
Cfidave

Cfidave

Professional
Had a chance to hit with the yellow 17ga today. It plays firmer, as expected, then the 18ga teal, but still plays softer then the original. I actually like the yellow 17 better then the teal. I found it offered all the same nice playing characteristics of the 18ga, but seemed to add a little more bite on the ball. The control was also better. I felt I could really hit out with confidence. The 18ga teal may offer a little more pop, but the yellow has even better control.

If the playability stays good for a few weeks, I would say this is my new string.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n138/cfidave/FocusHexy.jpg
 
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C

commish00

New User
I too have been hitting with the MSV Hex soft. I had been a long time user of MSV Focus Hex until recently switching to Pro Supex Big Ace Micro. My main complaint with the original MSV focus Hex was that it would occasionally feel a bit like plastic. A characteristic I have noticed with other poly's as well. Other than that I have always loved the pocketing, feel, and spin generation of the MSV Focus Hex. I believe MSV has improved upon the original Focus Hex. The Hex soft is a tad bit softer as the name implies but the biggest improvement is the plastic feeling has disappeared. All other attributes of the original Focus Hex remain, good pocketing, good tension maintenance, good spin generation, etc. As a matter of fact the new soft version plays very much like my new favorite string Big Ace Micro. A few times I had to look down to see which racquet I was using while doing my playtest.

Luckily for me, I recently bought a reel of Big Ace Micro so I don't have a tough decision as to which one to choose, however, had i not purchased that reel I really don't know which I would choose.
 
P

pvaudio

Legend
Those asking about Scorpion as a cross: CoFocus is likely the best polyester cross that exists. I am only slightly reluctant to say that since I haven't tried all poly crosses, but it really is superb. Scorpion adds too much pop, Silverstring takes too much away and SPPP reduces feel. Iontec is a fabulous cross string, but it really shines mostly as a main or in full.
 
S

sundaypunch

Hall of Fame
I broke down and bought a reel a couple of months ago. Same performance and durability of the regular Focus Hex. It definitely has a softer, more muted feel. If you like that feel (which I do) it is an improvement.
 
L

lcalamar

Rookie
have tried the hex soft but actually preferred the co-focus. I am using a nat gut w/co-focus cross now so anything else I hit with would be a step down for me.

nice to settle on a configuration, though I am going back and forth with classic and tough gut...
 
J

joshthefisher

Rookie
Hi I have been playing with focus hex 17L on and off for 4 years trying many different pollys inbetween. I always go back to hex. For the last 8months I hybrided hex mains with lightning Xx spin 16 X's and got a very soft feeling stringbed @ 58#. Looking forward to trying soft 17L but even if I love it I have 3/4 reel original so that has to be used. All this said I think the soft will definatly be the best polyp of all.
 
canny

canny

Rookie
Been trying out alot of new polys and hybrids lately but nothing has given me the results I got with a full bed of focus hex. So I just bought two sets of the 18g soft. Cant wait to string it up later this week and give it a spin. Have you guys been stinging it lower or higher than its non soft counter part? I guess ill start off at 54/52 my ush?
 
E

enderx1x

New User
I strung the 17l hex soft in my RDiS 100 mp at 48. Overall it was decent but nothing special. I haven't tried the regular hex yet, but I believe it would be better from the reviews I'm seeing. This string was soft which I am grateful for as I have had a few tingles in my elbow recently, but other than that my normal set up of TB/Navy was much better in every category. I haven't tried too many strings, but the best way for me to describe this is bhb7 with less spin and a slightly different feel.

It lasted me 8-12 hours until breaking, and I broke it on a shank at the grommet (not something I usually do with poly but 17l is thinner than I usually go). I don't know about tension maintenance, but this string kept most of it's playing characteristics until about 2 hours before it broke. It didn't go stiff like some polys, but it felt lifeless at that point.
 
B

brianb76

Rookie
I tried the 17L (yellow one). Think im gonna stick with the regular Hex though.

Was definitly softer out of the gate. Also notice it had more power and tension loss was quicker. Started landing balls just long and wide. Serve was definitly 5-10 mph higher, only part I did like.
 
Don't Let It Bounce

Don't Let It Bounce

Hall of Fame
Since this thread was active, there have been a couple new versions of Hex released. While Focus Hex Soft is apparently 8% softer than the original, Focus Hex Plus 25 is 25% softer, and Focus Hex Plus 38 is 38% softer.

If anyone has tried these, especially someone who can compare the two newer, softer ones to Focus Hex Soft, it would be good to hear about that, as well as about any recent experiences as per JackB1's request.
 
JackB1

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
Don't Let It Bounce said:
Since this thread was active, there have been a couple new versions of Hex released. While Focus Hex Soft is apparently 8% softer than the original, Focus Hex Plus 25 is 25% softer, and Focus Hex Plus 38 is 38% softer.

If anyone has tried these, especially someone who can compare the two newer, softer ones to Focus Hex Soft, it would be good to hear about that, as well as about any recent experiences as per JackB1's request.
Click to expand...

Looks like TW is reducing their stock of MSV strings for some reason?
They only have one guage of MSV Hex left. Also, they gave away free packages in recent orders that I got from them, so it seems like they are trying to liquidate their Hex stock?

Not sure why this string (Focus Hex) gets so little respect? It still beats most of the softer copolys out there and you can't beat the price! I'd put it right up there next to Cyclone, which everyone seems to love.
 
JackB1

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
Cfidave said:
Had a chance to hit with the yellow 17ga today. It plays firmer, as expected, then the 18ga teal, but still plays softer then the original. I actually like the yellow 17 better then the teal. I found it offered all the same nice playing characteristics of the 18ga, but seemed to add a little more bite on the ball. The control was also better. I felt I could really hit out with confidence. The 18ga teal may offer a little more pop, but the yellow has even better control.

If the playability stays good for a few weeks, I would say this is my new string.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n138/cfidave/FocusHexy.jpg
Click to expand...

So u still liking the yellow soft?
 
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