New Volkl String -massive spin

[jmacdaununder2]

Strokes look fine to me; I'd probably suggest trying a little bigger loop on the forehand backswing, especially on a slower court, and trying to use your left arm more - i.e. leave your left hand on the racquet throat as you start the loop so that your left arm ends up across your body after this preparation phase - body permitting of course. Just my 2c.

 

[Nostradamus]

I retired a couple of years ago and that has been my fountain of youth. I can sleep and rest as much as I want to, and I can work out as much as I need to. I'm physically better than I've been for probably the last ten years, but still I have osteoarthritis in my back, hips, and knees. I had a spinal fusion in my c4/5 a couple of years ago to deal with chronic injury from a lifetime of throwing and racquet sports. And I get hilariously stiff and walk really funny if I play more than a couple of hours of tennis a day.

As for elbows and wrist, I'm pretty good. I realized that as I got older, I tended to mis-hit more, especially on hard shots coming at me. So a long time ago, I started using oversized racquets and that has saved my arm. I religiously do resistance training so I can continue to swing a 355 gram, 348 swingweight racquet, which helps a lot since I mis-hit quite a bit.

I did play with my son tonight, after playing 90 minutes in the morning. I wasn't going to post this, but figure why not - it shows the worst of the worst. My son hasn't played in a week, and I also spread eight cubic yards of bark in the last two days. I started recording about 70 minutes in - the first clip is from when I first set the camera up, and the last, longer clip is the physical breakdown right as we got to the end of our 90 minutes of court time.

This was with the V-Square. I was sure it was going to break - I didn't use it this morning and really want to break it tonight so I could restring, but it amazingly lasted despite being so notched earlier. I never really hit any balls super hard like I did when I last played last time against the former college player. Anyhow, have some laughs at my expense.

About 70 minutes into our non-stop practice, when the body was starting to betray me. We were already missing quite a bit more by then, and the balls had lost their bounce:

And the total physical breakdown - the last 7.5 minutes of our 90 minute session. I couldn't hit a ball into the court to save my life:

Why is it that you are making no attempt to chase down wide balls ? HItting on the run is very important in the string test. Understanding how the string perform when hitting on the run is very important because ability to create angles and Depth on the run is completely different from hitting while standing still. and understanding how the string is able to perform in this regard while on the dead run also figures into how you will play overall with the new string.

Also, your shot tolerance is about 3. that is not a insult since most amateurs fit into this category. Work on increasing your shot tolerance to 5. It will drastically improve your overall game.

 

[Karma Tennis]

HItting on the run is very important in the string test.

For higher level players where string configurations are really important, the most important aspect of a string is how it plays when one is in control of the point.

Players who are constantly chasing down balls probably need to work on the way they play the game rather than their equipment.

 

[teachingprotx]

Why do they always make these strings with such fancy crazy colors? I don't get it... any plans for a more neutral color coming out? White? Natural? Light blue, Grey? I don't like these flashy bright colors at all in my racquet, I like classic ones..

Don’t get me wrong I love fancy colors ! But .. it would be nice if they made white . I love white . No one like the white but me and the Op fire ..

 

[PBODY99]

@teachingprotx

Color affects how many strings play, so dye does matter.
Branding may also play a role.
I got some Ghostwire to string

 

[Moveforwardalways]

Guy posts a video of him hitting with a new string and unsolicited advice on stroke mechanics comes out of the woodwork from board experts. Lol.

 

[Injured Again]

Why is it that you are making no attempt to chase down wide balls ? HItting on the run is very important in the string test. Understanding how the string perform when hitting on the run is very important because ability to create angles and Depth on the run is completely different from hitting while standing still. and understanding how the string is able to perform in this regard while on the dead run also figures into how you will play overall with the new string.

Also, your shot tolerance is about 3. that is not a insult since most amateurs fit into this category. Work on increasing your shot tolerance to 5. It will drastically improve your overall game.

Since I'm not blessed with young age, nor was I fresh at that time, and playing against shots that are as hard hit on average as most 4.5 or open age group matches I have played (and I have played many at the 18+ and 40+ 4.5 level as well as many open age group matches), I wouldn't be able to reach them if I tried, and that was immediately obvious to me the moment my son hit the ball.

As far as my shot tolerance, against this level of hitting, it is what it is or I would be rated higher than the 4.5 that I am. I would, however, love to see a video of you hitting so maybe I can learn how to increase my shot tolerance and get to more shots?

By the way, I totally agree with @Karma Tennis - I choose a string for what it can do for me when I am in the driver's seat. That's why if you look back over the last few months, you'll see threads about me looking for the proper launch angle when I'm on the attack.

So, getting back to the V-Square, it broke within five minutes of the next session, so I got almost exactly four hours out of it. The string played fine until it broke - there was some loss of control but not to the point of causing bad problems. I ended up stringing up Tour Bite 1.20 at 51/47 in the center mains/crosses. The Tour Bite added two grams of weight over the V-Square.

Tour Bite is very noticeably lower powered, especially at medium swing speeds. When swinging hard, ball speeds were pretty similar and I didn't lose any noticeable speed off my flat serve. Spin capability is a bit lower, as is launch angle, but control is better and incoming ball spin sensitivity is much lower. Tour Bite is a much more crisp hitting string and gives me more confidence to aim a bit closer to the lines, but harsher when mis-hitting.

I'm torn - I love the free power and extra spin capability but don't love the durability.

 

[Injured Again]

Guy posts a video of him hitting with a new string and unsolicited advice on stroke mechanics comes out of the woodwork from board experts. Lol.

I'm totally fine with getting advice on stroke mechanics. @jmacdaununder2 provided some very useful feedback and it is a known problem to me that I just haven't been able to solve yet. But I'm also well aware that putting a video out there also attracts a lot of internet heroes. It's okay - I think it's pretty obvious after a short period of time which forum users are those that can be counted on for experienced, informative, and relevant posts.

Besides, as I've said before, I've gotten a lot of very useful information from this forum, and TW has chosen me to test strings and a racquet for them so I feel it's only fair to try to help the community as much as possible and I think a video does that better than any number of words.

 

[jmacdaununder2]

Thanks, I only posted as you made some slightly self-deprecating remarks at the end of your video post, and I wanted to let you know that IMO your strokes are just fine. ( BTW I am a fully qualified coach, and in Melbourne when I passed the one year long course in '91 just to get into the course you had to actually be playing Grade Two VTA Pennant - three sections of eight teams - or above as one of four listed players per team, and winning matches; at that point this was a very high qualifying standard, as State Grade only had one section of eight teams where players got paid for playing, and Grade One only had two sections of eight teams. )

 

[Injured Again]

Thanks, I only posted as you made some slightly self-deprecating remarks at the end of your video post, and I wanted to let you know that IMO your strokes are just fine. ( BTW I am a fully qualified coach, and in Melbourne when I passed the one year long course in '91 just to get into the course you had to actually be playing Grade Two VTA Pennant - three sections of eight teams - or above as one of four listed players per team, and winning matches; at that point this was a very high qualifying standard, as State Grade only had one section of eight teams where players got paid for playing, and Grade One only had two sections of eight teams. )

Sounds like a tough course not only to get into, but I'm sure it was hard and comprehensive once you were in. I really do appreciate the feedback, and was working this morning on re-centering the racquet and at least gripping the throat with my off hand after every shot. Always something to work on...

In hindsight, I think the V-Square provided me the launch angle that I was looking for all this time. I'm having a tougher time transitioning back to Tour Bite than I thought I would, so I really do need to test the next thicker gauge of V-Square to see if it will get me enough durability.

 

[Sardines]

Finally got to this V-Square 18g as a hybrid with Tecnifibre Pro Redcode Wax 18g. Did a 10% prestretch and strung @ 47lbs, to neutralize the launch angle a little on the VC98+. My baseline is VC18L/PRCW18g, and VS/PRCW18g came in 1.5g heavier.
Coming from the Neon Dust test, this string is softer and has more feel, being thinner. I can feel the bite better off every hit and thus, I think there is good spin. Playsight data is best to judge.
Playing with it for 2 hrs, I felt it is a good main string for hitting out with control, and there was a bit of extra bite sensation. Serves had enough bite, and on the dead run, there was enough power and bite to hit out for recovery and attempted passing/winners. Groundstrokes felt good, with good bite. I could flatten or hit with more spin effectively, and not have to swing out harder. Volleys felt good, controlled newt/drop volleys.
After my game, I warmed up a guy on new balls and the string felt looser, even my stringmeter only noted a 5lbs drop from fresh off the stringer. I'll play on a Playsight court and confirm the ball speed/spin data as well as the tension maintenance. Overall, the VS18g has good bite over the VC18L, but a little less powerful and softer.

It's apples and oranges to compare Neon Dust to V-Square because of the different gauges and crosses, except in results. The ND is quite board like, low powered and launch angle, which actually helps tone down the open string pattern of the VC98+, and made it nicer to swing out on everything. It does require more effort overall, and doesn't give you anything extra. Volleys were nice, especially 'newt' and drop volleys. It's only average on serves to me, and made the VC98+ have the same power as the SV98+, a less powerful racquet. Thanks to ND, I found a way to make the VC98+ play even more like the SV98+, my racquet of choice.

 

[Shangri La]

@TW Staff can you please add "V-Square " to the thread title for better archive and search results?

PS eagerly awaiting the review.

 

[marquette100]

Any comparison to FireWire?

 

[hoodjem]

Do we know how soft is the 18g?

 

[Injured Again]

Do we know how soft is the 18g?

I used the 18 gauge/1.20 mm and it broke in about four hours after notching through. Just due to the very high elasticity and that so much string material transfers to the ball, I don't get the impression that the material itself is very hard.

If you're talking about overall stringbed firmness, the V-Square makes for a pretty cushioned response but there's still a good pocketing sensation. Not crisp but not mush either - about in between.

 

[mikeeeee]

Seems too soft/stretchy. I’ll stick with Hyper-G and Tour Bite for square strings

 

[hoodjem]

I used the 18 gauge/1.20 mm and it broke in about four hours after notching through. Just due to the very high elasticity and that so much string material transfers to the ball, I don't get the impression that the material itself is very hard.

If you're talking about overall stringbed firmness, the V-Square makes for a pretty cushioned response but there's still a good pocketing sensation. Not crisp but not mush either - about in between.

Thanks.

 

[CosmosMpower]

I used the 18 gauge/1.20 mm and it broke in about four hours after notching through. Just due to the very high elasticity and that so much string material transfers to the ball, I don't get the impression that the material itself is very hard.

If you're talking about overall stringbed firmness, the V-Square makes for a pretty cushioned response but there's still a good pocketing sensation. Not crisp but not mush either - about in between.

Sounds perfect to me, I cut strings at 6 hours anyway.

 

[Nostradamus]

I'm totally fine with getting advice on stroke mechanics. @jmacdaununder2 provided some very useful feedback and it is a known problem to me that I just haven't been able to solve yet. But I'm also well aware that putting a video out there also attracts a lot of internet heroes. It's okay - I think it's pretty obvious after a short period of time which forum users are those that can be counted on for experienced, informative, and relevant posts.

Besides, as I've said before, I've gotten a lot of very useful information from this forum, and TW has chosen me to test strings and a racquet for them so I feel it's only fair to try to help the community as much as possible and I think a video does that better than any number of words.

I really really like the softness of the string. NO pain in my wrist at all but at my usual tension, 53 lbs, it is too low powered. Do you think if you go lower in tension like 48 lbs to gain more power, it will be uncontrollable ?? I am afraid ball might fly all over the place if I go low tension

 

[Roland G]

How does this compare to V Torque Tour?

 

[Injured Again]

I really really like the softness of the string. NO pain in my wrist at all but at my usual tension, 53 lbs, it is too low powered. Do you think if you go lower in tension like 48 lbs to gain more power, it will be uncontrollable ?? I am afraid ball might fly all over the place if I go low tension

I think it depends a lot on whether a springy feel like you get from regular Cyclone is something that you don't mind. At 53 pounds andd freshly strung, it felt more firm and had a better pocketing feel. As the string notched and lost tension, it began to feel more springy also more powerful. But I agree with you that it always retained a pretty cushioned all the way to breaking. It's very comfy.

 

[Injured Again]

How does this compare to V Torque Tour?

I have a set of V-Torque Tour that will be strung up once I'm done with the Tourna string test. I did try regular V-Torque but strung it too low and it became an uncontrollable rocket launcher after 90 minutes. It was so bad I cut it out soon after. I'm going to string the V-Torque Tour at the same tension I used for V-Square when I try it.

 

[Shangri La]

Review!

 

[marquette100]

How does it compare to Firewire or ultra cable?

 

[NastyWinners]

Curious how it is to string, some shaped strings have definitely left my hands hurting.

 

[Injured Again]

Curious how it is to string, some shaped strings have definitely left my hands hurting.

Not difficult to string and didn't hurt any worse than any other highly shaped string, but then I wasn't trying to keep twists out or anything like that.

 

[Karma Tennis]

Curious how it is to string, some shaped strings have definitely left my hands hurting.

IMO, the most difficult part of stringing is weaving and pulling the Cross strings. Round cross strings are easiest especially if they are slick.

However, the type of string makes no difference to me because I use a Cross Stringing tool to thread Cross strings. Makes stringing very easy, and my hands feel the same at the end of stringing session as they did at the start.

 

[NastyWinners]

Not difficult to string and didn't hurt any worse than any other highly shaped string, but then I wasn't trying to keep twists out or anything like that.

IMO, the most difficult part of stringing is weaving and pulling the Cross strings. Round cross strings are easiest especially if they are slick.

However, the type of string makes no difference to me because I use a Cross Stringing tool to thread Cross strings. Makes stringing very easy, and my hands feel the same at the end of stringing session as they did at the start.

Thank you!

 

[VaMoose98]

Vsquare was not worth it to me. I strung it up (18g) at 45lbs in a pure strike and it lasted three days before it snapped. There was a lot of string movement and though I really wanted to like this string, I did not feel like it gave me more spin than HyperG or TB. It also was very stretchy and powerful, to the point where I was scared of over hitting. Not a fan.

 

[Nostradamus]

how are you guys liking this so far ????? Does lack of power bother anyone ? how do I compensate ? by stringing lower tension ? if so do you lose too much control ?

 

[Karma Tennis]

how are you guys liking this so far ????? Does lack of power bother anyone ? how do I compensate ? by stringing lower tension ? if so do you lose too much control ?

Rubbish compared to Hyper-G, especially in Babolat frames, imo of course.

Probably good enough for players at your level or Doubles fiends.

Hyper-G and Tour Bite are much better strings overall. As is Black Code 4S. However those string are all a bit more expensive.

 

[Nostradamus]

Rubbish compared to Hyper-G, especially in Babolat frames, imo of course.

Probably good enough for players at your level or Doubles fiends.

Hyper-G and Tour Bite are much better strings overall. As is Black Code 4S. However those string are all a bit more expensive.

what do you mean by my level ??

 

[jmacdaununder2]

OP is presumably suggesting that a player of your virtually untouchable standard can kick *** with anything.

 

[blai212]

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.

why do you choose to string the center mains/crosses differently than outside mains/crosses? i thought, if anything, outer mains/crosses should be strung tighter because they are worse at retaining tension especially when u tie off at the knots...


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[Karma Tennis]

what do you mean by my level ??

Sorry, I meant to say "low" level.

I think guys like you are wasting their time with the string in their racquet.

 

[Nostradamus]

Sorry, I meant to say "low" level.

I think guys like you are wasting their time with the string in their racquet.

That;s an insult. I am 4.5 USTA. that's not low level. I admit that it isn't exactly college tennis level but still I amateur, it isn't that bad

 

[Injured Again]

why do you choose to string the center mains/crosses differently than outside mains/crosses? i thought, if anything, outer mains/crosses should be strung tighter because they are worse at retaining tension especially when u tie off at the knots...

I've always strung the crosses more loosely near the edges, especially the top edge. As I've gotten older and my eyes just can't track a fast ball as well and I just can't move as fast to cover a wide ball, I mis-hit more and balls that I catch near the tip seem to have a much better chance of getting back over the net if the strings are softer there and give me a bit more trampoline effect.

When I switched to my current racquet that has a tighter string pattern, I found that shots that I mis-hit to the sides often didn't clear the net or have as much depth as with my previous racquet that had a larger headsize, and that again these problems occurred when I was hard on the move. I tend to mis-hit on the forehand low on the stringbed hitting a stretched out topspin and mis-hit on the backhand high on the stringbed hitting a stretched out slice. I thought that lowering the tensions on the outer mains would give me that extra few percent of dwell time, and let the racquet twist into a more favorable position during the mis-hit, helping to get the ball a bit deeper. It seems to have worked. That extra dwell time plus the little bit of extra ball speed from the softer string tension has helped keep me in more points.

In a lot of ways, though, the tension changes really just mimic what is accomplished by other frames that space out the strings more widely nearer the frame. My current racquet, the SW104, has pretty even string spacing all across the stringbed. I believe this tensioning method just gets me back the benefits I got from my previous 16X19 frame with the wider spaced outer strings.

I'm tempted to try the Sergetti stringing method but my simple way of doing it seems to get me what I need.

 

[blai212]

I've always strung the crosses more loosely near the edges, especially the top edge. As I've gotten older and my eyes just can't track a fast ball as well and I just can't move as fast to cover a wide ball, I mis-hit more and balls that I catch near the tip seem to have a much better chance of getting back over the net if the strings are softer there and give me a bit more trampoline effect.

When I switched to my current racquet that has a tighter string pattern, I found that shots that I mis-hit to the sides often didn't clear the net or have as much depth as with my previous racquet that had a larger headsize, and that again these problems occurred when I was hard on the move. I tend to mis-hit on the forehand low on the stringbed hitting a stretched out topspin and mis-hit on the backhand high on the stringbed hitting a stretched out slice. I thought that lowering the tensions on the outer mains would give me that extra few percent of dwell time, and let the racquet twist into a more favorable position during the mis-hit, helping to get the ball a bit deeper. It seems to have worked. That extra dwell time plus the little bit of extra ball speed from the softer string tension has helped keep me in more points.

In a lot of ways, though, the tension changes really just mimic what is accomplished by other frames that space out the strings more widely nearer the frame. My current racquet, the SW104, has pretty even string spacing all across the stringbed. I believe this tensioning method just gets me back the benefits I got from my previous 16X19 frame with the wider spaced outer strings.

I'm tempted to try the Sergetti stringing method but my simple way of doing it seems to get me what I need.

that sounds super intuitive...i will have to try it out


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[Injured Again]

that sounds super intuitive...i will have to try it out

I'd be curious to see what you think of it. Try it the first time using a string you're familiar with so you can judge how this changes the response. You'll have to increase the tension of the center mains and crosses to compensate for the softer support the outer strings provide the center strings, and this changes the way the pocket feels. It seems to accentuate the feel of a string, so a string that feels like it has good pocketing feels like it pockets even better. A string that feels springy feels springier. But you can string tighter or looser in the center mains and crosses to compensate somewhat, but the feel will always be a bit different. It might be something you either like or don't like.

On my 18X19, I string the enter eight mains at whatever tension, then go down four pounds each two mains. So if I were shooting for 48 pounds in the center mains, I'd be 36 for the outermost main, 40 pounds for the next two, 44 pounds for the two after that, and then the eight center mains, and then going down the same way on the other side.

For the crosses, I start the bottom cross at 33 pounds, then increase by two pounds until I get to 45 pounds, then increase to 46 pounds for the next five center crosses. I'll then go 45, 43, 41, 38, 35, and 32 for the top cross. This seems to give me the same equivalent stringbed stiffness as about 44 pounds overall.

Report back if you try it.

 

[Karma Tennis]

That;s an insult. I am 4.5 USTA. that's not low level. I admit that it isn't exactly college tennis level but still I amateur, it isn't that bad

Excuse me? I wasn't implying you were at a low level. Why would you think that?

 

[Moveforwardalways]

Not sure what the stiffness index is, but this string felt a little stiffer than I expected. It’s not like a 4G or anything, but did not feel like the softest of polys either. Just my anecdotal experience.

 

[blai212]

how would V square compare to diadem solstice power in terms of power/comfort/spin/tension maintenance? I feel like solstice is the ultimate string in terms of spin generation with its star shaped design that doesnt wear out...


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[SC in MA]

Thanks for everyone's feedback on the V-Square.

How does the V-Square compare to Cyclone Tour in terms of power/comfort/spin/tension maintenance?

 

[Injured Again]

how would V square compare to diadem solstice power in terms of power/comfort/spin/tension maintenance? I feel like solstice is the ultimate string in terms of spin generation with its star shaped design that doesnt wear out...

When I used Solstice Power 1.35 in an oversized 16x19 frame, it did wear smooth after a few hours but without really affecting spin except on the most skimming of shots, where it just didn't have the same bite on the ball. In my opinion, V-square is more powerful, more comfortable, has greater spin capability, and poorer tension maintenance. Most notably, it notches through itself very quickly and breaks soon after.

 

[Injured Again]

Thanks for everyone's feedback on the V-Square.

How does the V-Square compare to Cyclone Tour in terms of power/comfort/spin/tension maintenance?

I haven't tried Cyclone Tour yet but if it is like V-Torque, then V-Square feels and behaves like it is very close to, if not exactly, the same material.

 

[Sardines]

Thanks for everyone's feedback on the V-Square.

How does the V-Square compare to Cyclone Tour in terms of power/comfort/spin/tension maintenance?

My experience with VS18g not as soft as VCT18g. It plays and feels thicker as well. It does 'feel' like it grips the ball better, and tension maintenance is about the same.

 

[JOSHL]

Strung this up in my Pro Staff 97CV, it’s very soft. 18g. Crossed it with Firestorm. People searching for an arm friendly string should try this. It does have an issue of the edges shearing off, which V Torque has the same issue. So far after a couple hours of play I’m not much of a fan and I prefer Solstice power.

 

[Injured Again]

@JOSHL what gauge(s) and tension have you used in the Solstice Power?

 

[JOSHL]

@Injured Again 17g solstice power. Feels thicker than that though, I thought VSquare would feel thicker as most square strings do but it still feels pretty thin. I also like the new silver 7 from Tourna better than VSquare. Your review on it was great by the way.

 

[Injured Again]

@JOSHL Thanks. Solstice Power was my go-to string in my previous racquet where I used the 1.35 gauge. When I switched racquets to a smaller head size with a denser pattern, I tried it with the 1.20/17 gauge and it just didn't feel like the same string, being harsh and without that good bite on the ball. Maybe I just got a bad set or something. I really enjoyed the way Solstice Power played and thought it would be a slam dunk winner but I ended up cutting it out. I might have to try it again.

I looked back on my notes from my trial with V-Square and thought that the string was thinner than should be for the gauge, and then it stretched a lot during tensioning and got even thinner. I was so mesmerized by the spin that I considered using it as my go to string, even though it had a lot of other downsides including a very short lifespan. The reality is that against an equal or better player in a competitive match, I only really used the extreme spin capabilities infrequently, so why not choose a string that helps me more of the time? I'm glad I ended up choosing Silver 7 Tour - I'm playing some of my best tennis with it and it complements my laziness by lasting a long while.

Thanks for all the info you share. It's been very valuable to me.