Many thanks, jmacdaununder2!
These dimension can not be right.
Look at the pictures. The cross-sections show the edges are not straight lines but more like arcs.
I believe the equivalent gauge dimension is not accurate, 1.2 mm diameter is r = 0.6 mm. The surface area of the string is 1.15 * 1.15 or 1.3225 mm^2. Area of circle is Pi*r^2. Backtracking to r ~ 0.64 mm or d ~ 1.28 mm, which is more in the 17 or 16L range. With shaped strings, manufacturers normally also post the equivalent round string gauge. As the string approaches a circular pattern with more sides, the estimate becomes more accurate.
what about power level compared to Cyclone tour ? similar ? I thought cyclone lacked power while cyclone tour had decent power. not sure where this V square fits in ?
WOW,,, strung up the V-square today,, and it felt so soft. hit only 5 minutes but it is amazingly soft string bed and grabs the ball like crazy. I can't put a full review on 5 minutes of hitting but will report more soon.
17 G
Yes, I know what you mean, I really had issues with feeling the Ball with Ultracable. but with V square, I had much better feel, albeit with any Square shaped string, feel isn't going to be top notch. that is just the way it is due to shape of the string. however, the reason V square has much better feel is due to its softness and ability to pocket the ball on impact. I hit hard for about 1 hour and I had no pain in my wrist or shoulder. I have to demo it for few more hours to get the better idea of its full potential.
I believe #1 is ultra cable. Lol
I had a tough 2 1/2 hour hit with a former college player. This is a nice string. It has excellent spin capability - I think fresh V-Torque might have had the tiniest bit more grab on the most skimming of shots, but it is so close on most everything else. I has a bit more power than V-Torque, but also a bit more control. I can't say how much of that is due to having strung this thinner gauge of V-Square about 7% tighter than the thicker V-Torque. I can say that even with this thin gauge, that tension loss has been about average but hasn't affected the control. Directional accuracy is very good. It has a good pocketing feel that gave me an immediate confidence in hitting with the string.
What is noticeable is that the strings started moving around within about ten minutes, and now after one 2.5 hour session, the strings are all over the place, just like with V-Torque. Also, the strings are notched severely. I don't think I have another 30 minutes on this string before it snaps. I have to say that both of us were pretty on yesterday so we were hitting the ball as hard and cleanly as we ever would. Take a look at the third string from the bottom - that's a main with the cross moved out of the notch.
The balls also took a beating. We opened two new cans and proceeded to wear the balls down to unplayability. There are string burn/residue marks all over the balls. This photo doesn't show them with the same clarity as in person - the marks are very noticeable.
The sharp edges on the mains are worn down a bit but there is still a noticeably square shape. The crosses still have their sharp edge.
Power is above average, probably 7.5 out of ten for a poly string. Comfort is better than average. Spin capability is 9.5 out of 10. Tension maintenance is average but hasn't affected control (yet). Control is probably about a 7 out of 10, just due to the high power levels. Incoming spin sensitivity is pretty high - more than V-Torque. I popped up a couple of volleys off dipping, heavy topspin shots and could more significantly feel the spin on the ball bite into the strings on contact than most other shaped poly strings I've tried. I had a great serving day. I hit a couple of 60 MPH slice serves in the deuce court that landed half way up in the service box and were several feet outside the doubles alley by the time they reached the baseline. Kickers were head high.
Durability is the major downside. In this thin gauge, it looks like three hours before it breaks. I'll try the next thicker gauge next time around with my next order from TW. When this breaks, I'm going to string up 1.20 Tour Bite to see how that string compares in roughly the same gauge.
Even though I'm an old dude at 57, I still like to pound the ball. I've posted some pretty ugly videos of myself hitting, because I believe that seeing how I play gives others a good basis for knowing how to interpret my opinions on tennis stuff. So with that said, when I was chosen as a tester for the Pure Drive VS, I posted this groundstroke video - during hard play, I'd probably swing 20-30% harder on a good percentage of shots.
My son has used the 1.25 gauge of Cyclone in a 365 gram Pure Drive Tour Plus for the last three or so years. He strings it pretty tightly at 52 pounds with a hard prestretch and hits a pretty flat two hander but a pretty spinning forehand.
On my SW104, I've found that the higher string density means that most strings in the 1.25 to 1.30 gauge range need about 48-49 pounds in the center mains and 46-47 pounds in the center crosses, and I decrease tension as I move towards the edges. That's where I strung the Cyclone 1.25, and it was just too springy right from the get-go, and only got more springy as it lost tension.
I did buy this:
But I've come to realize that I like the way my racquet swings and feels on impact if I have less weight in the stringbed and more weight at 3 and 9 o'clock, so I've been going to thinner gauges. That just makes my string problem worse but it is fun testing strings to see if any poly in around a 1.20 gauge has enough stiffness to give me the feel I like.
Found this post strangely arousing...
