.....specifically the Weiscannon Scorpion 17 gauge at 52lbs CP in a BLX 6.1 95 18x20 on an indoor carpeted court (fast, low bounce).
Very nice string.
Not what I expected at all. It's very controlled, comfortable, very smooth hitting, results in very measured consistent hitting, not overpowered nor underpowered - really quite a flattering string to hit with. 52lbs CP (maybe 53lbs CP next time) seems pretty spot on in this racquet.
If I had to describe it, I'd describe it as the Granville Swope of strings - smooth, measured and controlled.
It doesn't generate a tremendous amount of spin but its enough to be getting on with and it compensates with the amount of control it offers. I found myself playing a completely different type of game with this string - a more measured, control orientated game designed to move my opponent around the court. I didn't hit a single ball long in 2 hours with the string - everything was landing close or on the baseline - and apart from some experimental drop shots where I was trying to gauge the feel of the string, my unforced errors count during normal play (usually with BHBR17) must have dropped by about 50%.
It's a completely different playing string to say something like BHBR17. That string is the James Blake / Gael Monfils of strings. Wild, crazy, all action, all or nothing, army marching down a mountain pass. BHBR17 generates alot more pace, spin and alot more unpredictable action on the ball - Scorpion doesn't come close - but Scorpion 17 is alot more controlled, more consistent and smoother. It's more balanced in its characteristics. When I play with BHBR17, I find myself trying to blow opponents off the court (with the associated unforced error count that that style of hitting entails). BHBR17 is also slightly springier, and definitely more powerful, which isn't necessarily a good thing.
It's also a very different string to Weiscannon B5E 17. B5E feels more 'bitey', stiffer, and is lower powered than Scorpion. It's impossible to hit the ball out of the court with B5E. B5E is also harder on the arm (it doesn't feel that way when you play with it, but play with it enough and it can catch up on you). B5E is also noticeably more dead feeling than Scorpion.
I've got a team match coming up on Sunday and I'm going give Scorpion a debut to see how it plays in a competitive situation, along with wind, uneven surfaces etc. But based on a two friendly sets this evening and a couple of hours hitting, I like it.
Update #1 http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=6012565&postcount=26
Update #2 http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=6034245&postcount=39
For what its worth, I'll give it some scores (which are relative to other polys I've tried) and which I'll revise the more playing time I spend with this string:
Scorpion 17
- Power: 3/5 (this is good because it means its not extremely powerful 5/5, or underpowered 1/5)
- Control: 4.5/5 (during the first 3 hours), 4/5 after that.
- Spin/Action: 3.5/5
- Feel: 4/5
- Overall: 4/5. Based on initial impressions, its more than the sum of its parts, particularly during the first three hours.
And for comparison purposes (applying my type of weighting)
B5E 17
- Power: 2.5/5
- Control: 4.5/5 (though its different feeling of 'control' to Scorpion)
- Spin/action: 4/5 (mostly forward spin rather side to side action and unpredictable trajectories off the bounce like BHBR17)
- Feel: 2/5. Dead feeling, stiffish not particularly elastic string, and also bit harsh on the arm at 52lbs CP.
- Overall: 3/5. Bitey, controlled, low powered but surprisingly one dimensional, potentially hard on the arm, and less than the sum of its parts.
BHBR 17
- Power: 5/5
- Control: 3/5 (there is a playing window where the string provides good though not great control but this reduces as the string loses tension hence the 3/5 score. Directional accuracy could be better. Occasional hotspots in the stringbed.)
- Spin/action: 5/5 (terrific amount of spin and action on the ball)
- Feel: 4.5/5
- Overall: 4/5. The crazy wild child of strings. 16 gauge of BHBR offers better directional accuracy.
[BHBR 16 offers noticeably more control than BHBR 17 and is noticebly less wild than the 17. Go for BHBR 16 if you find BHBR 17 too much.]
Silverstring 1.20mm
- Power: 3/5 (this is good because it means its not extremely powerful 5/5, or underpowered 1/5)
- Control: 4/5 (though more in the sense that its low powered rather than in sense of pinpoint directional control) dropping to 3.5 after a couple of hours of play.
- Spin/Action: 2.5/5 (not really a spin orientated poly)
- Feel: 2/5 (this isn't a string for touch play)
- Overall: 3.5/5 if you're baseline basher. 3/5 for anyone else. It's an intriguing string and will appeal to baseliners or anyone who dislikes elasticky strings and prefers a lowish powered string that has a very 'linear' response off the stringbed (as opposed to an elasticky or trampolinish response off the stringbed) but performance drops off too quickly for my liking. Not much spin so probably more suited to 16x18 or 16x19 sticks.
Of the Weiscannon offerings I've tried thus far, I prefer Scorpion 17 for its blend of control, consistency and feel. Just a shame that it doesn't seem to last very long before going dead.
Very nice string.
Not what I expected at all. It's very controlled, comfortable, very smooth hitting, results in very measured consistent hitting, not overpowered nor underpowered - really quite a flattering string to hit with. 52lbs CP (maybe 53lbs CP next time) seems pretty spot on in this racquet.
If I had to describe it, I'd describe it as the Granville Swope of strings - smooth, measured and controlled.
It doesn't generate a tremendous amount of spin but its enough to be getting on with and it compensates with the amount of control it offers. I found myself playing a completely different type of game with this string - a more measured, control orientated game designed to move my opponent around the court. I didn't hit a single ball long in 2 hours with the string - everything was landing close or on the baseline - and apart from some experimental drop shots where I was trying to gauge the feel of the string, my unforced errors count during normal play (usually with BHBR17) must have dropped by about 50%.
It's a completely different playing string to say something like BHBR17. That string is the James Blake / Gael Monfils of strings. Wild, crazy, all action, all or nothing, army marching down a mountain pass. BHBR17 generates alot more pace, spin and alot more unpredictable action on the ball - Scorpion doesn't come close - but Scorpion 17 is alot more controlled, more consistent and smoother. It's more balanced in its characteristics. When I play with BHBR17, I find myself trying to blow opponents off the court (with the associated unforced error count that that style of hitting entails). BHBR17 is also slightly springier, and definitely more powerful, which isn't necessarily a good thing.
It's also a very different string to Weiscannon B5E 17. B5E feels more 'bitey', stiffer, and is lower powered than Scorpion. It's impossible to hit the ball out of the court with B5E. B5E is also harder on the arm (it doesn't feel that way when you play with it, but play with it enough and it can catch up on you). B5E is also noticeably more dead feeling than Scorpion.
I've got a team match coming up on Sunday and I'm going give Scorpion a debut to see how it plays in a competitive situation, along with wind, uneven surfaces etc. But based on a two friendly sets this evening and a couple of hours hitting, I like it.
Update #1 http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=6012565&postcount=26
Update #2 http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=6034245&postcount=39
For what its worth, I'll give it some scores (which are relative to other polys I've tried) and which I'll revise the more playing time I spend with this string:
Scorpion 17
- Power: 3/5 (this is good because it means its not extremely powerful 5/5, or underpowered 1/5)
- Control: 4.5/5 (during the first 3 hours), 4/5 after that.
- Spin/Action: 3.5/5
- Feel: 4/5
- Overall: 4/5. Based on initial impressions, its more than the sum of its parts, particularly during the first three hours.
And for comparison purposes (applying my type of weighting)
B5E 17
- Power: 2.5/5
- Control: 4.5/5 (though its different feeling of 'control' to Scorpion)
- Spin/action: 4/5 (mostly forward spin rather side to side action and unpredictable trajectories off the bounce like BHBR17)
- Feel: 2/5. Dead feeling, stiffish not particularly elastic string, and also bit harsh on the arm at 52lbs CP.
- Overall: 3/5. Bitey, controlled, low powered but surprisingly one dimensional, potentially hard on the arm, and less than the sum of its parts.
BHBR 17
- Power: 5/5
- Control: 3/5 (there is a playing window where the string provides good though not great control but this reduces as the string loses tension hence the 3/5 score. Directional accuracy could be better. Occasional hotspots in the stringbed.)
- Spin/action: 5/5 (terrific amount of spin and action on the ball)
- Feel: 4.5/5
- Overall: 4/5. The crazy wild child of strings. 16 gauge of BHBR offers better directional accuracy.
[BHBR 16 offers noticeably more control than BHBR 17 and is noticebly less wild than the 17. Go for BHBR 16 if you find BHBR 17 too much.]
Silverstring 1.20mm
- Power: 3/5 (this is good because it means its not extremely powerful 5/5, or underpowered 1/5)
- Control: 4/5 (though more in the sense that its low powered rather than in sense of pinpoint directional control) dropping to 3.5 after a couple of hours of play.
- Spin/Action: 2.5/5 (not really a spin orientated poly)
- Feel: 2/5 (this isn't a string for touch play)
- Overall: 3.5/5 if you're baseline basher. 3/5 for anyone else. It's an intriguing string and will appeal to baseliners or anyone who dislikes elasticky strings and prefers a lowish powered string that has a very 'linear' response off the stringbed (as opposed to an elasticky or trampolinish response off the stringbed) but performance drops off too quickly for my liking. Not much spin so probably more suited to 16x18 or 16x19 sticks.
Of the Weiscannon offerings I've tried thus far, I prefer Scorpion 17 for its blend of control, consistency and feel. Just a shame that it doesn't seem to last very long before going dead.
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