Oehms Strings Playtest

mscream

mscream

Professional
I recently bought a selection of Oehms strings to find out if there is something worth considering. Also, very few people here play with those or post reviews so it's a good exercise to review strings without being biased by other people's opinion. Some of the descriptions actually sounded intriguing and worth testing, such as Alu Star, Black Pearl Rough and Volcano Heat. There are also some exotic strings, Crystaline in particular, which is a transparent poly without any additives, not even colour pigments. Some of those sound/look remarkably similar to other known strings.

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The strings are:
  • Black Pearl Rough 1,21 mm
  • Black Pearl Extreme 1,23 mm
  • Black Pearl Classic 1,23 mm
  • Black Pearl Penta 1,25 mm
  • Matador Strike 1,24 mm
  • Volcano Heat 1,24 mm
  • Alu Star 1,20 mm
  • Crystaline PP 1,18 mm
  • Sonic Speed 1,24 mm
One of the main reasons I got interested in Oehms strings was Alu Star - from the image below it should be obvious why!

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I will start with RS Lyon vs. Alu Star side by side in my DR98s, possibly in a blind test. Not sure if I could actually tell them apart in my racquets.

Racquets: (2) Yonex DR98 310 g (lime) with Wilson Premium Leather Grip, 3 g at 12.

I will respond to this post to add reviews.

Comparison

Power
RPM Blast Rough > Signum Pro Tornado <[elastic]> Solstice Power > Black Pearl Rough > Hyper-G, Alu Star > RS Lyon, Max Power Rough, WC B5E > Toalson Devil Spin, Ultra Cable

Control
RS Lyon > Max Power Rough, WC B5E, Ultra Cable > Solstice Power, Black Pearl Rough > Alu Star <[linear]> Signum Pro Tornado > RPM Blast Rough

Spin
WC Ultra Cable > Solstice Power, Black Pearl Rough > Max Power Rough, WC B5E, Hyper-G > RS Lyon, Alu Star

Feel/Touch (highly subjective)
RS Lyon > Solstice Power, Black Pearl Rough > WC B5E, Max Power Rough, Solinco Revolution > Hyper-G > Signum Pro Tornado, Alu Star > WC Ultra Cable > RPM Blast Rough

Playability Duration
Max Power Rough, WC B5E > Black Pearl Rough <[8h+]> RS Lyon, Solstice Power <[5-8h]> Signum Pro Tornado, Ultra Cable > RPM Blast >> RPM Blast Rough [2h]

Stiffness (related to comfort)
Luxilon 4G, Toalson Devil Spin <[Too stiff]> WC B5E, RPM Blast, Solinco Revolution > Solstice Power > Hyper G > Black Pearl Rough, Max Power Rough, Alu Star > RS Lyon > Signum Pro Tornado, RPM Blast Rough

Similar strings (that I have played with)
Solstice Power -> Black Pearl Rough
RS Lyon, WC Silverstring -> Alu Star

Oehms Ranking
Black Pearl Rough > Alu Star

Summary

Black Pearl Rough 1.21
Very positively surprised by this string. Plays fairly soft with a long dwell time yet maintains a crisp, precise feel without a sudden loss in tension. In that regard it has all the traits I like in a string. In my opinion it resembles Solstice Power in construction and playing characteristics but the edges are not as pronounced and do not wear out as quickly. It also last longer; I played 8.5h with Black Pearl Rough without breaking them and I think I could have gotten 2h more out of them. Out of 4 sets of Solstice Power 1.20 mm, one I broke around 5h another around 8h. This string is also very resistant to movement - at no point were the strings ever stuck out of position. Power level is slightly below Solstice Power but higher than RS Lyon, MP Rough etc. It's a very comfortable string, at no point did I have any issues with a sore arm etc., much more comfortable than B5E for example. It has similar crispness but because it's less stiff it has a noticeably higher deflection and longer dwell time, which for me leads to better pocketing. Spin is great, this string grabs the ball very well similar to Solstice Power, I would put the spin potential on a similar level, although I get good string out of almost any string. There is no denying that I played great with string (for my level) and I actually preferred it over MP Rough, which I had in my other racquet. I think if had gone with a higher tension at 55/52 I would have played even better. Overall great offering from Oehms, thumbs up! Given the price, I will almost certainly get a reel. Should be great for players who prefer a lively, crisp string that bites into the ball and still plays very comfortably. Could be a very good string for a junior as well.
 
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Yes, I wanted to find out if the strings are high-quality as well; I should have mentioned that all their reels are either 49 or 59 Euros.
 
I use their leather grip and it's the best I've tried. Very curious about the strings, since I've considered trying those a while ago.
 
I have bought a few reels of Oehms poly from the German flea b**. Identical to (and pretty sure produced by) Pros Pro.
 
Pros Pro is not a producer btw. Cant wait for review of this Alu Star - wondering if it is same as CyberFlash and RS lion
 
Interesting. I've never heard of them, until now. Will be curious to see what you think. I always like to find new and different strings.
 
For me the interesting aspect was that I didn't read or didn't see any other reviews here or elsewhere. Also, the strings are not in the TW database so I'm completely unbiased and have to assess all characteristics myself, which should be a good exercise.
 
Subscribed, really interested to see if I can get budget strings of some quality for myself and people at my club (gotta raise that profit margin as a stringer :P).
 
I'm currently testing a leather grip on one of my racquets - if it works well then I will roll it out to the others. I want to make sure that there are no other factors that could affect the string reviews.

My plan is to do pairwise comparisons at the beginning starting with
  • Oehms Alu Star vs. RS Lyon
  • Oehms Black Pearl Rough vs. Kirschbaum Max Power Rough
  • Oehms Black Pearl Penta vs. Weiss Cannon Black 5 Edge
The remaining ones I will test individually. My plan is to restring my racquets early next week and then start playing!
 
I had a look at the strings in more detail.

Oehms Black Pearl Rough is actually not like other rough strings with little grooves/dents (or how you would call it), the profile is actually similar to the Solstice Star Core shape but not quite as pronounced.That would actually be very interesting if it has a similar crisp feel. Shape and texture-wise completely different from Kirschbaum Max Power Rough.

Oehms Black Pearl Extreme is the same as above but twisted. The twist is similar to Signum Pro Tornado but the shape is different.

It's impossible to visually discriminate between RS Lyon and Oehms Alu Star, they look/feel exactly the same and do not have any print. I will need to tell my stringer to label the racquets accordingly so that I know which one is which.

Oehms Crystaline PP is the most unusual; completely transparent and feels very stiff. There is not even a hint of elasticity. This one I will keep for last, not sure if I will like it.

I will get them strung on Monday and hopefully get to play on Tuesday. I'm actually so intrigued by Black Pearl Rough that I will start with that one alongside Max Power Rough.
 
mscream said:
It's impossible to visually discriminate between RS Lyon and Oehms Alu Star, they look/feel exactly the same and do not have any print. I will need to tell my stringer to label the racquets accordingly so that I know which one is which.
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Have him label them A and B (or use a different colour of electrical tape to distinguish the racquets), and put the details in a sealed envelope. Proper blind test.
 
It actually stands for Pure Poly, not referring to any technical feature. I suspect this string material is actually the base of any poly before you add any additives to it. It's probably more of an educational string for me.
 
mscream said:
It actually stands for Pure Poly, not referring to any technical feature. I suspect this string material is actually the base of any poly before you add any additives to it. It's probably more of an educational string for me.
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Oh ok, so full PET, cool. Was confused about a PP string being on the market lol. Sorry.
 
ricki said:
PET? More like Poly Ester?
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"Polyester" is a generic name for polymers with ester functional groups. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the most popular kind, and the kind which happens to be the base material for most polyester tennis strings. It is also the thing most plastic bottles are made of, as well as many threads.
 
Racquets are getting strung, if it's no raining tomorrow I will get a chance to test Black Pearl Rough alongside Max Power Rough.
 
I actually changed the racquets slightly and moved 1 g from 3/9 to 12, will probably move to either 2 g or 3 g at 12 only. 2 g only was fantastic but I wanted to see where the ceiling is first. That extra g makes the racquet a bit too sluggish for my style and also mutes the string bed in my opinion. I play a very spin-heavy game and extra weight at 12 helps to swing faster through the ball with more plough. Have Wilson Leather on both racquets now, I grew rather fond of the direct response. Although not so great on off-center hits, it really gives you better feedback on where you hit the ball.
 
Started to play with Oehms Black Pearl Rough 1.21 mm yesterday at 53/50 but only for a few minutes because the guy I was playing with decided to quit. I played the first 20 min with Max Power Rough to establish a baseline. From that early experience I can already make the following observations:
  • It's more lively than Max Power Rough but not as powerful as Solstice Power, so ideally I could have gone a bit higher at 55/52
  • The feel is crisp and softer than I expected, actually surprisingly comfortable. I would put its stiffness between 180-195, somewhere between MPR and SP. The difference in stiffness compared to B5E is apparent.
  • The power level (at the same tension) felt slightly higher than strings such as Max Power Rough, B5E or RS Lyon (but not as high as SP), but with a very linear output.
  • Spin was very good, the strings grab the ball very well, which reminded me of Solstice Power. I had to adjust a bit to the higher launch angle compared to Max Power Rough but with an FW FH I actually like that.
  • Control and feel felt very good given the short time I was playing, even at a slightly looser tension. Never had any issues at all.
I will play a proper session today and will see if what I wrote will still hold true afterwards, once the string bed settles a bit more. So far it's rather promising.
 
I added a first summary using a simple ranking instead of a numerical scheme, using strings I have played with in the past.
 
I'm actually quite impressed by Black Pearl Rough so far, after playing around 2.5 h. The results don't lie and yesterday I played very well for my normal standards. Plays much more like Solstice Power and not similar to Kirschbaum Max Power Rough at all. I'm going to retest this at 55/52. We'll see how this holds up until 8h at least but for 50 EUR/reel it definitely looks like very, very good value so far.
 
That one will be next! Depending how long Black Pearl Rough last I should have it strung within the next 2 weeks, I usually play 5-6 h a week.
 
mscream said:
That one will be next! Depending how long Black Pearl Rough last I should have it strung within the next 2 weeks, I usually play 5-6 h a week.
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Gah I need to order new strings soon, I'm out of my reel :confused:

Have some sets of Lyon lying around and I really enjoyed playing with it today, so I'm considering switching to it... it'll be your fault if I end up paying more for damn Lyon for no reason ;):p
 
RS Lyon is one of my favourites as well but the price is premium indeed, especially on the RS website :eek:

You could order a set of Alu Star in Germany for 4.95 EUR, less than the cost of a drink nowadays or the shipping cost for a reel of RS Lyon :D
 
mscream said:
RS Lyon is one of my favourites as well but the price is premium indeed, especially on the RS website :eek:

You could order a set of Alu Star in Germany for 4.95 EUR, less than the cost of a drink nowadays or the shipping cost for a reel of RS Lyon :D
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I just ordered some other strings to try, may do that in the end though.
 
Topspin Cyber Flash Looks identical to Lyon, but plays differently. Softer/more pocketing, livelier, more launchy on fast strokes, less spin, less control... More of a introduction poly in my book. I think Alu Star may be the same.

The feel and sound of the strings was somewhat similar though, perhaps they have the same base with different additives.
 
I'm around 4.5h in with Black Pearl Rough and so far there is no significant tension loss, I was still able to control the balls without any problems even playing at a lower tension of 53/50. The shape of the string has started to wear out in places, similar to Solstice Power but not as pronounced yet. The sound on impact reminds me of Solinco Revolution but the closest other string I have ever played with is Solstice Power. Today I will hopefully be able to get another hour if weather permits, between 5-8h is usually the crucial period where strings with above average tension maintenance shine.
 
Hour 4.5h to 5.5 hitting with @Power Player in South Beach! Black Pearl Rough is still holding up well, tension felt stable to me and no sudden overhitting (at least not the string's fault). So far a candidate for buying a reel, I would prefer it over strings such as RPM Blast any day. Surprisingly arm-friendly as well, no issues with comfort at all. Certainly great value for 45 EUR incl. shipping. People that like Solstice Power could like this one as well.
 
mscream said:
Hour 4.5h to 5.5 hitting with @Power Player in South Beach! Black Pearl Rough is still holding up well, tension felt stable to me and no sudden overhitting (at least not the string's fault). So far a candidate for buying a reel, I would prefer it over strings such as RPM Blast any day. Surprisingly arm-friendly as well, no issues with comfort at all. Certainly great value for 45 EUR incl. shipping. People that like Solstice Power could like this one as well.
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So if you play with Power Player then you will criticize any "OEM" silver string and favor RS scam?
 
I think everyone can tell after reading my posts in this thread that I'm not biased against any OEM/cheaper string, otherwise I wouldn't have bought all those sets in the first place. So far I'm actually positively surprised by Black Pearl Rough. Alu Star will be the next string to test! ;)
 
There was a flaw in my initial plan, playing with two strings side-by-side didn't really work. Black Pearl Rough has a bit more power and a slightly higher launch angle, so switching between them wouldn't really let me get the best out of them. As a result I only played with Black Pearl Rough and now I'm not going to cut out an almost fresh set of MP Rough :D. I have played with RS Lyon for almost a year now so I should be able to compare Alu Star to it even without playing with it in parallel. Once I'm done with Black Pearl Rough I will put in Alu Star at same the tension as I normally use for RS Lyon (53/50).

Right now it looks like Harvey is going to ruin Tennis in South Florida during the next couple of days, not sure when I can get in the next session.
 
mscream said:
There was a flaw in my initial plan, playing with two strings side-by-side didn't really work. Black Pearl Rough has a bit more power and a slightly higher launch angle, so switching between them wouldn't really let me get the best out of them. As a result I only played with Black Pearl Rough and now I'm not going to cut out an almost fresh set of MP Rough :D. I have played with RS Lyon for almost a year now so I should be able to compare Alu Star to it even without playing with it in parallel. Once I'm done with Black Pearl Rough I will put in Alu Star at same the tension as I normally use for RS Lyon (53/50).

Right now it looks like Harvey is going to ruin Tennis in South Florida during the next couple of days, not sure when I can get in the next session.
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Friggin' Harvey!
 
Played 3 more hours over the weekend, going to restring with Alu Star tomorrow. I added a final review for Black Pearl Rough, it has been a great string for my game, very impressive given the price.
 
Really looking forward to your comparison with RS Lyon.

I have just strung up some Diadem Solstice Power in my Ultra Tour 97 to try out. Nice to know that if I like it that I can purchase black Pearl Rough and have a similarly performing string at a fraction of the price.
 
I played 2h today with Alu Star but didn't play well, my legs were too tired from deadlifts yesterday. Definitely need to play better before I can make any comments or comparisons. After playing 2 weeks straight with a shaped poly I think I need some time to get used to the lower launch angle again. So far I can already tell though that I can't rule it out that it's the same as RS Lyon.

Diadem Solstice Power is a very nice string @Murray_fan1. I hope you increased your tension a bit, Solstice Power is quite lively especially at the beginning but then it settles. I have to say though that I actually prefer Black Pearl Rough - it's softer, more comfortable and has more deflection - overall on par with Max Power Rough in those aspects - yet still crisp and precise. It also last longer than Solstice Power, the shape doesn't wear out as quickly and the crosses don't saw through the mains so quickly either.
 
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