PLAYTEST - Yonex POLYTOUR STRIKE (blue)

[n8dawg6]

• Tension(s) used for playtest

I strung Poly Tour Strike at 52 lbs.

• Regular string set up & tension

Hyper G soft at 52 lbs has been my go-to. Also have used Lynx Edge lately, but I believe it is discontinued. I’ve used poly strings that run the gamut from stiff to soft, low to “highish” powered.

• Racquet used for test

2022 Auxetic Speed MP

• Power/Control

This is a very low-powered string, I would say 2/10 out of the strings I’ve used. Control is about as good as it gets, provided you have the RHS to create spin.

• Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?)

Feel is very firm. At the same time, I have had no issues with comfort. The strings have never felt mushy, but I wouldn’t describe the feel as crisp, either. Comfortably firm.

• Spin 8/10

Spin is the best I have experienced with a round poly. I think there is almost a misconception sometimes about what makes a string spinny. This string can create top-level spin because it is so low-powered that you can really take big cuts at the ball to create the topspin needed to keep the ball in the lines.

• Playability Duration (include any relevant comments on durability) 8/10

I have about 12 hrs (mostly doubles) on the string right now and it is still playable. It is very resistant to notching compared to soft polys I have used. Tension maintenance has been excellent, again much better than soft polys I have used.

• Tension Recommendations (would you string it differently next time? Explain answer)

I would string at 48-50 lbs if I was starting over. At 52 lbs it is fairly dead on off-center hits. I would lower the tension to open up the sweet spot. That said, if you are an advanced player with very high RHS, you would probably want to string this right where I have it.

• List any additional thoughts (optional)

This string is designed for an advanced player. I was able to generate high levels of spin with the string because I could swing out without fear of the ball going long. It is very “grabby” for a round poly.

That said, you have to be able to keep your RHS up for the course of a match to use this string effectively. I struggled with 75% rally balls, which would sometimes drop short if my ball-striking wasn’t exceptionally clean.

Long story short, I would not recommend this string to an intermediate player. It is really designed for advanced players who hit consistently with a lot of spin and who have issues with string durability.

I’m interested to read the other reviews on this thread to see how they compare to mine. Thanks again to T-dub for letting me participate in the playtest.

 

[lidoazndiabloboi]

Tension(s) used for playtest: 50 lbs
Regular string set up & tension: Head Lynx Tour 49-52lbs
Racquet used for test: Wilson RF97

Power/Control: I felt the power level was med to low. It didn’t feel like the string lacked power, but I also didn’t feel like it gave extra power. The stiffness of the string did help with the control of my shots. It helped me not to over hit, and I would drop my shots slight shorter than with a lively string.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?) Straight off the bat, the first thing I noticed was the stiffness of the stringbed. It felt like it would be difficult to pocket the ball. As a result I didn’t have a good outing on the first session. I felt any ball outside of the center stringbed would barely get back with any power. Now even though the stringbed was stiff, it did not result in any arm pain. I had to swing slightly early to make sure I was getting in front of the ball. When making contact in the center of the stringbed, it had a slight crisp feeling. The more I played with the strings, I started the feel the overall string soften slightly. One thing I did notice when loosen my wrist more to generate spin, I was not getting good contact on the ball do to the lack of ball pocketing, so overall, I get my arm slightly more firm than I normally would.

Spin: I was surprised with the amount of spin I was getting considering the stiffness of the string bed. The spin was equivalent to my normal expectations of spin, when I hit my shots. I was able to pull the ball up over the net, and get the ball to drop how I would want it to. After multiple sessions, I did not see much drop in spin capability.

Playability Duration (include any relevant comments on durability): Overall, the tension seems to hold up well and durability is high. Even after multiple sessions, there has not been much string movement, and it doesn’t look like the strings will be breaking anytime soon. The string notching was very minimal, and the cross string wear was less than expected.

Tension Recommendations (would you string it differently next time? Explain answer): Recently I have been playing around with different tensions in my spare time, full 52, full 49, 52/49, 49/46, and have been getting different results for each setup. To open up the sweetspot on the stiff stringbed, I would definitely try to string the cross 3 lbs less, and overall drop the mains to 49. Hopefully it will result in a softer string bed right off the bat.

List any additional thoughts (optional): I was on the Yonex Poly Tour Strike black playtest back in 2018. It was interesting to go back and read my thoughts on that version of the string back then. I had a much different opinion of the Black (soft string, good ball pocketing, lacked spin). It would be interesting to try both colors of string side by side to see if that opinion is still valid, and would mean even though they are the same string, the different colors make a lot of difference on the performance of the string. Or it could mean my thoughts and preference on strings has also changed over the last 4 years.

 

[lidoazndiabloboi]

This is a follow up to my playtest. I put in another 2.5 hours hitting over the last two days. Surprisingly, nothing seems to have changed. The only thing to note is sound coming from the string. Below is are pictures of the strings after my 3rd session. Also included are pictures of my playtest for the Tecnifibre TF40 305 16x19 after 2 sessions for comparison.

I may not have noticed this before but the sound generated from ball strike is plasticy and hollow.

(Link)

(Link)
(Link)
(Link)

I think you posted in the wrong thread

 

[1HBHfanatic]

.................

-sickkk color combo!
-a couple more blue options for you that might be of interest to you
-tourna.premium.poly in blue, very similar to ypt.strike
-head.lynx in blue!!, strung a bit tighter!?, would provably play very nice on that racket

 

[J D]

Tension used for playtest - 52 Lbs.

Regular string set up & tension - Tour Bite 17 or 18 at 54 lbs.

Racquet used for test - Pure Drive 2018 (the blue string made for a nice Smurf on Smurf effect)

Power/Control - I would give YPTS a 3.5 for power and a 9.0 for control. The power is definitely on the low side, even a bit lower than TB. The power level was still fine for me. It's not a string that sucks power like 4G or BHS7T. It has a slight amount of springiness which works well for touch shots and volleys. However, that springiness disappears on blocked shots, which take a bit of a punch to get any sting.

The racquet face was very predictable, which is a big positive for me. Depth control was well above average, like with most stiffer polys. I felt like there was a regulator on the strings at higher RH speeds which meant that, no matter how hard I swung, the ball was only going to go so fast. This would be a good string for hard, flat hitters that tend to overhit.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?) - I give YPTS a 7.5 for feel. YPTS is a bit different than most stiffer polys I have tried. The feel is solid, softer on easier swings and firmer without being harsh on harder shots, and is pretty muted overall. It has a bit of springiness when just bouncing the ball on the strings or hitting the racquet face with the hand. This translates to a very nice feel on volleys and a very satisfying "swock" sound when crushing the ball. However, it did not seem to help a whole lot with pocketing. YPTS did bother my elbow just a bit, which surprised me because TB doesn't. It may be partially due to playing on some pretty windy days and not always catching the ball in the center of the racquet face.

Spin - I found the spin in line with most other smooth polys, perhaps a bit better than some, so a 7.0 for me. Since I have used only textured strings for the last 3 years, at least in the mains, this was a major adjustment. I didn't realize how much I depend on textured strings for control when teaching or doing mini-tennis. There is no grab in YPTS for brushing up on the ball with a slower RHS.

At full speed, slices were heavy, easier to control, and predictable, but generally didn't stay as low as with TB. Topspin drives didn't have the same hop and so I got less mishits from opponents. However, since less spin = more ball speed, I did get opponents hitting late a lot more. It was a trade off. Still, I found myself flattening out my strokes a lot since ball speed was the best advantage of these strings. Surprisingly, I got just about as much side spin as I do with TB on slices.

Playability Duration (include any relevant comments on durability) - I would say 8.5 for durability. Notching was definitely less than most strings, probably largely because of the slick coating. I used YPTS for about 15 hours and it was very consistent for almost the whole time. I did start to feel the strings getting a bit softer and springier in the last couple of hours, but it did not affect playability at all. It just gave a mushier feel.

Tension Recommendations (would you string it differently next time? Explain answer) - I strung YPTS at 52 lbs., 2 lbs. lower than my normal tension, because it was a thicker gauge. I would probably drop it another 2 lbs. lower now that I know how low powered it is. The sweet spot was pretty small the first time out and shots outside it definitely lacked power. However, the sweet spot opened up nicely by the second hit.

List any additional thoughts (optional) - I wanted to try a smooth poly again because there are times when I want less spin to get the ball through the court faster. YPTS partially accomplished that but the lack of power kept it from doing as much as I had hoped for. Volleys with this string were great. It had the perfect amount of touch for droppers and put away power for punched volleys for me. Flat serves were easy to crush. Second serves definitely suffered some due to lack of bite.

While this string doesn't do anything exceptionally well (except volleys), it has a nice balance of playability, durability, and relatively "softish" feel for a low powered poly. The other smooth, stiff polys I have tried that played better have each had other major issues like lack of durability or comfort.

I would recommend YPTS for hard, flat hitters looking for above average durability and control without the harsh feel. These should work very nicely in a hybrid as a cross for someone looking to tame down live mains without getting too harsh.

Shout out to TW for the opportunity to participate in this playtest.

 

[Crimsonchen]

Huge thanks to TW/Yonex for allowing me to review the Yonex Polytour Strike 1.25 (Blue).

Tension(s) used for playtest: 54 lbs

Regular string set up & tension: Yonex Poly Tour Pro (mains at 56) and a multifilament (crosses at 58)

Racquet used for test: Speed Pro Black

Power/Control: In terms of power, I'd say this was a low powered poly. Initially, a lot of my shots were flying off of the string bed, but after a short break in period, my shots were getting decent depth. I ended up enjoying the control aspect of this string as my shots were dropping in towards the baseline with some nice spin. I think the performance is definitely there, but I actually preferred the control from the Tourna Premium Poly playtest from a month ago. I didn't feel like this string played as consistent as I wanted to it to play, but it still had decent control.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?): As a 4.5 player with occasional wrist pain when using polys, this string did not feel great on my wrist. I played the Poly Tour Rev playtest as well as the Tourna Premium Poly playtest and I didn't have any wrist issues with those polys. So I think that goes to show that this is a pretty stiff poly. I would avoid it if you do experience tennis elbow/arm injuries, or at the very least, use it in a hybrid. I had it strung at 54 lbs so I could have strung that lower to mitigate the wrist pain, but in comparison, I tested the Tourna Premium Poly at 56 lbs with no pain.

Spin: The spin on this string wasn't too bad at all. I wasn't expecting much coming from a round poly but it reminded me a bit of Poly Tour Rev in terms of spin. My balls had a higher launch angle with this string and they were dropping significantly towards the baseline. I think players looking for a round poly in a hybrid that are wanting extra spin might want to give this a try

Playability Duration (include any relevant comments on durability): One of the strong points for this string was the tension maintenance. I didn't really notice a large drop off in playability and the liveliness kept up pretty well. I don't have any complaints here. As I said above, I did have a break in period. Shots were flying off my stringbed when initially hitting but eventually were beginning to drop in with a lower launch angle. In terms of actual string durability: It's a Poly and it will last months if you're not a string breaker. I pretty much had the same notching that I'd expect out of a round poly.

Tension Recommendations (would you string it differently next time? Explain answer): This is a tough one for me. To reduce wrist pain, I'd lower the tension. But at the same time, I didn't like the high launch angle and would rather increase the tension to get a bit more control out of the string. I've always been a control-over-power kind of player and would prefer a lower launch angle for my flat shots.

List any additional thoughts (optional): Ultimately, I don’t think this string is for me. I think it's great for those players looking for a round poly that has great tension maintenance and decent spin. If you have arm issues, I would probably avoid this string or put it in a hybrid to mitigate any further injuries. In terms of a performance-price ratio, I think there are better options. This string is pretty pricey, and if you read my playtest review on the Tourna Premium Poly, I loved that string to death and it was a third of the price. In comparison to other strings in that price point, I would rather use Poly Tour Pro or Alu Power. For stringers, it was a joy to string this one up. The smooth glossy texture was easy to weave.

 

[StringStrungStrang]

I noticed several of you strung this in the mid-low 50s, (too high for me) while I play-tested it in the mid / upper-40s. Has anyone tried this lower low 40s or beyond? Curious how that felt.

 

[jwocky]

Thank you @TW Staff and Yonex for the play test set of Yonex PolyTour Strike (YPTS) in 17g (PTGST125) in blue.

Tension(s) used for playtest
23.5M/23.5X in kg
I selected a slightly lower tension for the play test based on the ”Firm” notation on the packaging.

Regular string
1.30mm Yonex Poly Tour Rev Orange in my Dunlop Aerogel 4D 200 Tour (16x18, 372g, 310mm) at 24.5kg M/X (~54 lbs)

Racquet used for set up
Dunlop Aerogel 4D 200 Tour (16x18) weighted to 372gm, balance 310mm (~10 HL).
The string looks great in this racquet! (EDIT: added picture)

Overall Rating of test string (added by reviewer)
8
The YPTS blue 17g is a middle of the road poly that seems to be medium firm and relatively comfortable (I felt a little twinge in my below after any singles session of 90 minutes or doubles session 180 minutes). I liked it most on volleys and overheads, and when I was taking controlled aggressive swings from the baseline. It felt great on returning hard services. I was happy with the serving for the first half (~8 hrs) of the playtest, but started going long on flat, hard T-services after that.

Stringing (added by reviewer)
9
The string is medium firm and there were no issues while stringing.

Control/Power
8
The temperature conditions were all over the place from 45F to 75F during the playtest. The YPTS has a nice blend of control and power. There was reward controlled aggression throughout the playtest of 15 hours (nearly 5 singles, 12 doubles).

Volleying felt crisp, controlled and had some power.

Hard driving slices turned into a big weapon.

Aggressive down the line returns of both wings were rewarded through out. I have been working on a THBH in recent weeks and I had no hesitation resorting to it instead of a OHBH slice or topspin shot or service returns and with effectiveness.

Similar to my Head Lynx Touch experience, all types of service delivery were accurate with directional control and pace for the first half (~8 hours) of the test play. Hard T-services started going long after that and I will chalk this up to a combination of stringing lower than my normal tension plus my inability to adjust. This is not an allusion to some drastic loss of tension because the stringbed still feels great except while I am serving. Well, may be it is not the string.

Feel
8
These strings were semi-comfortable, but the string bed provided a uniform and consistent feel with little to no harshness on off-center shots. The string bed felt great on volleys, slices, overheads and on return of serves.

Spin
8
I generally prefer the consistency of round strings to profiled strings even though I love Yonex PolyTour Rev for spin and feel. I was able to hit a variety of spin shots from various positions on court and with different height clearances over the net. While I still prefer YPTR over this playtest string I found no issues generating spin during baseline rallies, and cross court (service box) dipping shots when an opponent approached the net.

Playability Duration
8
The playability during the first 8 hours was excellent. By hour 16, the string bed was still playable and had life in it, but it was getting more powerful especially on serves as the weather warmed up. I feel a slightly higher starting tension would yield longevity.

Durability
9
There is still life in this stringbed after 16hrs for casual hitting. I will play a couple more “fun challenge” matches to mitigate in this week’s warm weather to mitigate variability in my own play.

Tension Findings
I intend to get another set of the YPTS in blue at 1.30mm for because I have become a fan of Yonex strings. I will be going up in tension to 24.0 or 24.5 for the warmer temperatures.

Additional thoughts
I will be staying on the Yonex string bandwagon for the foreseeable le future even though there are better price/performance options on the market.

Thank you again for the play test opportunity!

 

[mpournaras]

Tension used for playtest - 52lbs

Regular string set up & tension - recently a Tourna Blue 17g at 52lbs. A great blue to blue comparison

Racquet used for test - Angell TC100 v3 (10.9oz 9pts HL unstrung)

Power/Control - 4/10 for power, 10/10 for control. I am stunned. This string is not particularly stiff, but it has all the control a round poly user may want. It pockets SO much more than Tourna Blue and I would say more than Yonex own PTP. I feel like it has top notch control but I have felt that with a lot of poly strings, just not ones that are this soft. It excels in spin as you can just swing and swing and it goes in. I have a flat spin game... I do not kick it high but I want my flatter balls to come down and they were doing that. Just no real complaints here. If you want a ton more power I just don't think poly as a whole is the answer. The Angell is a flat serve machine and it was no different here. For an open 16 main racket this thing was CRACKING flat accurate serves. This string also sounds amazing on said shots. I will echo this in just about every section but I find this string to be better than PTP across the board (price not a factor).

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?) - Comfortably crisp. 10/10 for what I look for in a poly. Mind you, the Angell is relatively soft, open, and foam filled... so arm issues have not been a thing recently. Not boardy and certainly not muted. I feel like the industry as a whole is moving away from feel all together with dampening in strings and rackets. Don't hate the feel, people! When it was struck well it pocketed for days and felt great. There was some ping but its a poly. Good racket head speed turned that ping into a thwack. I cannot stand muted strings and this flies above that so I am happy

Spin - 8/10. Coming from Tourna Blue... it was way more spin potential. Maybe it is a string friction thing or simply a power level thing. Either way, its beyond adequate! The most recent thing I used that overtly had more spin potential was a full bed of Solinco Confidential and that should come as no surprise. I think the thing that balances this out is the spin potential in combination with a consistent launch angle. Its just a good predictable combo that wont rocket a shot over an opponent but also wont leave you guessing how the hell your ball "did that"?

Playability Duration (include any relevant comments on durability) - 8/10. I have only unfortunately had about 10 hours on it as I played some league matches with the Tourna Blue before installing this. That being said I notched a singles match, 2 90 minute practices, and 3 4.0 doubles matches. It has remained consistent in playability but the feel was best after that first hour. I really don't break poly these days as I cut it out after 3 weeks or so to protect my arm... just not trying to aggravate that anymore. I could see this being above average in durability and maybe just average in tension maintenance.

I have learned without fail:
1 - Soft polys lose tension quicker regardless of "technology", its just physics. #3 here can help
2 - Round polys last longer than shaped
3 - Do a little prestretch if the factory does not do it

This Strike doesn't feel like it would be any different. And I am okay with that

Tension Recommendations (would you string it differently next time? Explain answer) - I would NOT. I find tensions to have minimal effect on my game overall. I found a racket I like and a gauge a like. I very rarely stray below 48 or above 52. 48 was in my old 18/20 Radicals. I find the more I fiddle the less I understand about a playtest and a string and its best to "not break it" in most cases. I will say if I put this in the crosses with gut I would crank that gut up 5lbs for a 57/52 tension. Your results may vary.

Some people are exploring those low 40's and I think this has the control to play in that range... I am just not that customer.

List any additional thoughts (optional) -

- This is my favorite Yonex poly and I could realistically buy it if some sale brought it under $15 a set. I am not pleased with the increase in Yonex string prices considering their cost to manufacture really has not gone up substantially... I believe profit margins on strings are huge (from the manufacturer) based on my shop experience and talking to folks. I am surprised more pros don't use this.

- This was ridiculously easy to string with.

- This is a wonderful blue. It is... "richer" than the PTP and I bet would look great in other rackets. I think I like it more than they grey but last I played that was in a VCore 98 a couple years ago and who knows what the demo tension was.

- IF I can get 90% of the string for half as much I would probably go that route. It is just tough with good round polys being a dime a dozen these days if you're willing to branch out. Tourna Blue was fine but it was also like... $8. If I am cutting it out then that sits better with me. I am probably not the market for a premium string offering but I can see it having a place.

- I would (and likely will) make this a tournament string job and play something more affordable 355 days a year otherwise

Thank you TW for another chance at a review. There are a billion strings out there so I think these tests are a great chance to get hands on them when I otherwise would not likely blindly buy a set to try. I hope that my information helps people and if youre a round poly control player this is a must try. I would say ALU and Razorcode players need apply here.

edit: Pic from the tournament. I love nice clay

 

[!<-_->!]

Tension used for playtest
48lbs done on a lock out crank machine. This is the usual tension I use when going full poly.

Regular string
Don't currently have a go-to setup. Has been consistently a co-poly main (1.25) and a multi cross (1.30)

Racquet used for set up
2021 Yonex VCore Pro 310

Control/Power
This string leans more towards the control spectrum as opposed to the power spectrum in my opinion. While the string did provide ample power for my usage, I would definitely say it's less when compared to a Hyper-G, a RPM Blast or Poly Tour Pro. I feel like the power level actually reminded me of Poly Tour Rev, though I tried that string on a powerful racket at the time so it may not be a good comparison.

Feel
Definitely on the firmer side, but not stiff to the point where I'd have arm issues. However, while this string played firm, I found I still had relatively good success executing touch shots. Because of the lower power, I felt confident about sticking volleys without worrying the ball would shoot out of the racket uncontrollably.

Spin
Since this is a round poly, it didn't have anywhere close to the level of spin of a shaped poly - Hyper G, Solstice Power, etc. That said, I'd rate this string as mediocre in the spin department. I was able to keep the ball in, but I would say that's due to the lower power and not due to any extra spin causing the ball to dip into the court. Visually, I didn't see the ball jumping up as high as compared to the aforementioned strings.

Playability Duration
The first 3-4 hours of this string was amazing. I felt very confident in my play and the ball would go where I was aiming. However, after the 4 hour mark, I did notice a precipice decline in playability. The energy return felt diminished from how it started and the feel also felt deader compared to when the string was in that first 4 hour period. I noticed shots spraying a bit more and missing as a result. As a result, I'd say the large change in playing characteristics would label this string as not having good playability durability.

Durability
I'm at about the 14 hour mark and the strings are maybe 1/2 way notched. I'd durability is on par for a poly string. However, because playability dropped off so much, the string durability doesn't matter to me since I'd want to restring at the 10 hour mark max.

Tension Findings
It felt fine at my usual tension so I'd recommend others to keep their usual tension.

Additional thoughts
For how much this string cost, I was rather let down by how quickly the playing characteristics changed. If it were a $10 or less string, I'd be ok with it. But since this is $15+, I expect a lot more. The color of the string is nice. Think it'd look really good in the EZone. Looks ok in my VCore Pro. Overall, given it's price / performance ratio, I would not be able to recommend this string as it did not do anything well enough to warrant spending so much on this string.

Thank you for the opportunity to playtest this string.

 

[mromato64]

Thank you TTW and Yonex for allowing me to participate in this playtest:

• Tension(s) used for playtest: 48 lbs.
• Regular string set up & tension: Used to be Big Hitter Silver 7 Tour 17g/Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16g @ 53/48 lbs. respectively, but am considering Tourna Premium Poly
• Racquet used for test: Yonex VCore Pro 97HD
• Power/Control: I was a bit surprised at the amount of power I got from PTS Blue. I got a decent amount of pop, which helped me get a bit more oomph on my shots. I mainly hit flat, so I did notice that the ball would skid and push my opponents back. Control was also good, but not as good as the Tourna Premium Poly that I tried out recently. I didn't feel as confident going for bigger cuts at the ball with PTS Blue compared to Tourna Premium Poly, but I had a good amount of success making those shots when I did. I had some trouble directing the shots where I wanted to go, but I had good consistent depth on my shots when I could prepare on time. Compared to Yonex Poly Tour Rev Orange, another string that I playtested, I feel like PTS Blue offers a bit more power and a bit less control. I was playing with a dirty overgrip, and I would say 70% of my shots landed in, so that's a good barometer.
  • Power: 5/10; Control: 8/10
• Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?): I played with the string in polarizing temperatures. The first session I hit with this string, I believe the temperature was in the low to mid 50s. It felt fairly stiff and slightly muted. The second session, where the temperature was in the high 60s, I felt like the strings broke in and I was able to get a bit more ball pocketing. It didn't feel as firm the second time around, but it won't getting any high marks for comfortability. I did like how the strings give when receiving the ball, as I felt a bit of springiness on impact.
  • Feel: 5/10
• Spin: Spin was about average on PTS Blue. I wouldn't get the type of shots where the ball would dip last minute, but I had adequate spin where the ball cleared the net and gave me sufficient depth. I liked the spin sensitivity on PTS Blue, where it helped me out hitting against low slices and high topspinning shots. Slice was also fairly solid, but I missed the extra bite where the slice would skid low. For my needs, PTS Blue did the job well enough, and it has better spin potential than Poly Tour Rev.
  • Spin: 5/10
• Playability Duration (include any relevant comments on durability): Unfortunately, I really only had about 4 hours playing with this string, so I feel that I cannot do this string justice on commenting about it's playability duration. All I can say is that the string felt more comfortable to play with the second time around, so give it about 2-3 hours for the stringbed to open up.
• Tension Recommendations (would you string it differently next time? Explain answer): I would keep the same tension that I strung it at. I liked the depth that I got with this string tension.
• List any additional thoughts (optional): I usually don't choose blue as my color for strings, but I think it paired up decently with the VCore Pro's subdued colors. PTS Blue was also fairly easy to string. I had no trouble with weaving. Since I've tried out Tourna Premium Poly beforehand, I think that string does everything that I need a bit better than PTS Blue, and it costs almost a third of the price. For that reason, I probably wouldn't purchase this string myself. But for anyone who has the budget, I would give this string a try.

I want to thank TTW and Yonex again for giving me another opportunity to be a part of this experience.

 

[Trip]

Time for my review. I really didn't think I'd have to wait this long, but I had to take a break for the last half of March to heal some tennis elbow (still in-process on that...). I managed to get several hours in up to this point, and I plan to keep playing this setup and then add an update to this post later in the spring. So, onto my initial review:

• Tension(s) used for playtest: 48/45 lbs
• Regular string set up & tension: Tier One Fire Wire Boost Red (FW 1.22 / GW 1.17)
• Racquet used for test: 2021 Yonex VCore 95
• Power:
  6/10 - Not incredibly powerful, but not meager either; a balanced middle ground with a slight tilt towards that more-power-than-average feel you get from polys with slightly higher elasticity. Also, the power curve was pretty linear; I tended to get out of it exactly what I put into it, on a gradient scale, with no abrupt minimum or top-end plateau. Very nice from a consistency perspective.
• Control:
  9/10 - Here's where the string really shined for me. It was well-controlled across all shots and racquet head speeds. For all but the most aggressive three-quarter overhead type strokes, the trajectory, placement and depth of shots always felt consistent -- a direct extension of how the ball felt on impact and leaving the string bed.
• Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?):
  7/10 ‐ PTS felt firmly comfortable -- definitely the stiffest Polytour variant, but still nowhere near the likes of Lux 4G, etc. In terms of feel related to strings in the Polytour series, Yonex must be using a similar base polymer across the model series, as I can sense the same core feel in Strike that I felt in Pro, Fire and Spin. However, Strike brings more impact stability and peak resilience, aka a high tendency to "bend but not break" when force is imparted. Feedback-wise, Strike was perhaps a 60/40 split between muted and crisp. Overall, a solid feeling string.
• Spin:
  6/10 - As with most Polytour strings, Strike benefits from a silicone coating that, when fresh, definitely yields above-average spin for a round poly. After about about 5 hours of 3.5/4.0 singles, I did notice the string was not snapping back quite as intensely as it was from the 0-2 hour mark, but I play-tested on clay, so I attribute at least some of that to surface debris buildup as much as wear of the silicone coating.
• Playability Duration (include any relevant comments on durability):
  ?/10 - I was able to put about 5 hours on the string bed as of the time of this review, and experienced only minimal tension loss and barely noticeable notching in that time. Besides some slight wear on the coating that decreased the level of spin, I'd rate overall durability "good" at this point. I suspect this will continue for at least a few more hours, and, just as I've noticed other Polytour models degrade in a more slow/linear fashion, it wouldn't surprise me to see Strike do the same (rather than falling of a cliff, as many polys seem to do).
• Tension Recommendations (would you string it differently next time? Explain answer)
  As I've been learning the '21 VCore 95, I've been noting it seems to play best when medium-firm or firm polys are strung under 50 pounds. Add in the fact that I've been dealing with some TE, and I was extra careful to not over-tension the string job. Considering how it felt, I might even consider going lower next time, say, 46/43. That said, it has still played great at 48/45.
• List any additional thoughts (optional):
  I'm going to reserve any more expansive thoughts for my follow-up, which will hopefully also include some testing on outdoor hard courts, as the weather steadily gets nicer here in the northeast US.
  I would, of course, like to thank @TW Staff for making this playtest possible, and for giving us testers the chance to voice our thoughts in such a free-form, uncensored manner. Cheers to that!

I hope I helped lend some original thought! If anyone has questions about my particular setup, feel free, and I'll do my best to answer.

 

[ShahofTennis]

Yonex Poly Tour Strike (Blue) Review​

I’d like to take a moment to thank Tennis Warehouse yet again for the many playtesting opportunities they provide the Talk Tennis Community. A special thanks goes out to Yonex as well because I particularly love their strings.

Tension Used for Playtest: For this playtest I strung Yonex Poly Tour Strike at 51 pounds using a Wilson Baiardo stringing machine. I used the 10% pre-stretch feature.

Regular String Setup and Tension: My regular string setup is either a gut/poly hybrid or a shaped poly/smooth poly hybrid. I’ll usually use a slick poly cross in my gut hybrid and often I use a shaped poly main from Yonex with another poly for the crosses.

Racquet Used for Test: I put Poly Tour Strike into a Yonex VCore 89 for this playtest. I wanted to keep the review in the Yonex family, but because my other Yonex’s need some TLC (grommets) that I haven’t gotten around to replacing, I opted to use the 89. Overall, the string worked very well with the racquet. I tend to play with frames with an RA somewhere in the low to mid 60’s and pair them with firm to medium-firm poly if I’m opting for full poly.

Power/Control: I found PTS-B (Poly Tour Strike – Blue) to be a very crisp string, sort of like Poly Tour Spin, another blue string offered by Yonex. The launch off the string bed was predictable, and the ball traveled though the court reliably as I adjusted my swing. The control was also very good in that regard. PTS-B was really helping the ball to land in the court and proved reliable for hitting smaller targets near the baseline. On serve, I found my second serves had less bite compared to shaped polys and gut, but on 1st serve the stiffness in the stringbed helped along with the racquet to give me the pace that I wanted. My 1st serve and backhand are where this string shined. I wish this string had not gone dead, because I could be aggressive on the backhand side without fear of unforced errors.

Feel: I really enjoyed the feel of PTS-B. I typically enjoy firm polys, and Yonex does well to make firm strings with a good crisp feel. PTS-B was not at all harsh on my arm, rather I felt it had a very firm bouncy feeling with good pocketing sensation. Like many Yonex strings, PTS-B allowed me to feel how and where the ball was struck on the stringbed.

Spin: I found PTS-B to offer average spin potential for a round co-poly. It didn’t leave much to be desired where smooth round co-poly is concerned, but I can say that the firmness certainly helped with providing more enhanced string movement. I find that I prefer smooth poly when it comes to slice backhands since I prefer to drive it through the court more. PTS-B helped me deliver a penetrating slice backhand so I can’t knock the string at all in the spin department.

Playability Duration: PTS-B lasted a good while before I felt that the playability dropped off. However, uncharacteristic of other strings I play with, I did find that PTS-B’s playability dropped off in stages. The first thing I lost was the great feel of the stringbed. Somewhere around the 5 hour mark the firm springiness of the bed was gone, and it had started to feel more akin to a firm pillow. This wasn’t an issue because the string still pocketed decently well and continued to impart spin on the ball well into the 4th week. By now I haven’t got much feel left, and the string feels dead. But I find I can still play with a somewhat firm response from this string even though it is a bit of a rocket launcher at this point. Today (April 8th) I had another outing, this time with one of my junior players. This string still plays very well though the feedback and pocketing have noticeably dropped off.

Tension Recommendations: I would string this at 51 pounds again. I feel that the feedback was so nice, that I would principally buy this string to play with it at that tension. I would probably go higher in my IG Prestige MP on a full bed, but I don’t usually play with a full bed of round poly. Honestly, this string may not work in my shaped poly/smooth poly hybrid setups since this string is not all that slippery. I would put this into a gut poly hybrid though, I think the feel would greatly enhance a gut poly setup.

Additional Thoughts: I really enjoyed these strings, and what I found most enjoyable was the window where this string provided fantastic feel. I will probably purchase this string in the future, but I’ve got reels upon reels of Yonex Poly I’ve yet to cut a set from. It will be a bittersweet moment when I cut this string out because I’ve not felt such a crisp poly in a good while. Thanks again to Tennis Warehouse and Yonex for the opportunity to playtest these fantastic strings.

 

[Pronate]

Yonex POLYTOUR STRIKE 1.25 (blue)
Playtest Review
​

• Tension(s) used for playtest: 50lb both mains and crosses
• Regular string set up & tension: Currently varies. Sometimes Yonex PolyPro at around 45lb.
• Racquet used for test: Wilson Pro Staff Six One 95 16x19. I have been using full bed of polys in 18x20 frames and even though I think I’m hitting fairly heavy, strings don’t seem to break! Curious what would happen using this frame.
• Power/Control (8/10): Power was moderate and the control was good. It’s about the same as most polys.
• Feel (7.5/10): When comparing by the first few hours, comfort is better than strings like RPM Blast, RPM Dual or ALU Power. I would say its closer to Yonex Polytour Rev. You can especially tell its still a poly when having miss hits for shots outside your normal strike zone and on kick or spin serves. Overall it felt moderately stiff, but will see if it gets significantly uncomfortable.
• Spin (8/10): Spin is good. Seems to be around the same level as Poly Tour rev when rallying. Ball height is ok. Didn’t play too many intense matches and so I will need to observe how the strings react to big hitters.
• Playability Duration (8/10): So far no notching and no kinks. Will give an update if it goes abruptly dead. With some Yonex strings, the playability (liveliness) goes down a lot faster than the condition of the string material.
• Tension Recommendations (would you string it differently next time? Explain answer): I prefer lower tensions in my Prestige. I would continue to use this at 40lbs
• List any additional thoughts (optional): Overall a 7.875 (rounded to 8 )

I plan to continue spending more time playing with these strings and give updates. Thank you Tennis Warehouse and Yonex for the great opportunity!!

 

[kreative]

Thank you TW and Yonex for the opportunity to playtest the Yonex Polytour Strike 1.25 (Blue).

Tension(s) used for playtest: 44 lbs
Regular string set up & tension: Head Lynx Tour or Yonex Polytour Pro 44-48 lbs
Racquet used for test: Wilson Blade 2015 16x19

Power/Control: I definitely felt this was a control oriented string. Knowing it was a stiffer string, I strung it on the lower end of my normal tension range. Even still, the string felt relatively low powered, I would say maybe a 3/10. However control was 9/10, I felt confident swinging out knowing the ball would land in. That said, in long rallies or when I would start getting tired, my shots had a tendency to land short.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?) 7/10, the string felt firm and played crisp. I didn’t get as much ball pocketing as with my normal strings, but instead had a point-and-shoot solid response off the stringbed. Also, despite stringing at a relatively low tension, I felt some tenderness in my elbow at the end of my hitting sessions.

Spin: 5/10, I felt the string had average spin, but didn’t really stand out. Not as much spin potential as my regular strings.


Playability Duration (include any relevant comments on durability): Durability looks good so far, and it seems to have maintained tension well. There was minimal notching after about 12 hours of play.

Tension Recommendations (would you string it differently next time? Explain answer): If I was going to continue with this string, I may drop it 10% (~40 lbs) to see if I could get more power and comfort out of the string while maintaining the high level of control.

List any additional thoughts (optional): I really enjoyed the control I got with this string, but think I have to be on top of my game hitting out to make it effective. The crisp solid point-and-shoot feel is addictive, but I do worry a bit about elbow issues.

Thanks again TW for the opportunity to be a part of this playtest!

 

[StringStrungStrang]

Tension used for playtest - 52lbs

Regular string set up & tension - recently a Tourna Blue 17g at 52lbs. A great blue to blue comparison

Racquet used for test - Angell TC100 v3 (10.9oz 9pts HL unstrung)

Power/Control - 4/10 for power, 10/10 for control. I am stunned. This string is not particularly stiff, but it has all the control a round poly user may want. It pockets SO much more than Tourna Blue and I would say more than Yonex own PTP. I feel like it has top notch control but I have felt that with a lot of poly strings, just not ones that are this soft. It excels in spin as you can just swing and swing and it goes in. I have a flat spin game... I do not kick it high but I want my flatter balls to come down and they were doing that. Just no real complaints here. If you want a ton more power I just don't think poly as a whole is the answer. The Angell is a flat serve machine and it was no different here. For an open 16 main racket this thing was CRACKING flat accurate serves. This string also sounds amazing on said shots. I will echo this in just about every section but I find this string to be better than PTP across the board (price not a factor).

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?) - Comfortably crisp. 10/10 for what I look for in a poly. Mind you, the Angell is relatively soft, open, and foam filled... so arm issues have not been a thing recently. Not boardy and certainly not muted. I feel like the industry as a whole is moving away from feel all together with dampening in strings and rackets. Don't hate the feel, people! When it was struck well it pocketed for days and felt great. There was some ping but its a poly. Good racket head speed turned that ping into a thwack. I cannot stand muted strings and this flies above that so I am happy

Spin - 8/10. Coming from Tourna Blue... it was way more spin potential. Maybe it is a string friction thing or simply a power level thing. Either way, its beyond adequate! The most recent thing I used that overtly had more spin potential was a full bed of Solinco Confidential and that should come as no surprise. I think the thing that balances this out is the spin potential in combination with a consistent launch angle. Its just a good predictable combo that wont rocket a shot over an opponent but also wont leave you guessing how the hell your ball "did that"?

Playability Duration (include any relevant comments on durability) - 8/10. I have only unfortunately had about 10 hours on it as I played some league matches with the Tourna Blue before installing this. That being said I notched a singles match, 2 90 minute practices, and 3 4.0 doubles matches. It has remained consistent in playability but the feel was best after that first hour. I really don't break poly these days as I cut it out after 3 weeks or so to protect my arm... just not trying to aggravate that anymore. I could see this being above average in durability and maybe just average in tension maintenance.

I have learned without fail:
1 - Soft polys lose tension quicker regardless of "technology", its just physics. #3 here can help
2 - Round polys last longer than shaped
3 - Do a little prestretch if the factory does not do it

This Strike doesn't feel like it would be any different. And I am okay with that

Tension Recommendations (would you string it differently next time? Explain answer) - I would NOT. I find tensions to have minimal effect on my game overall. I found a racket I like and a gauge a like. I very rarely stray below 48 or above 52. 48 was in my old 18/20 Radicals. I find the more I fiddle the less I understand about a playtest and a string and its best to "not break it" in most cases. I will say if I put this in the crosses with gut I would crank that gut up 5lbs for a 57/52 tension. Your results may vary.

Some people are exploring those low 40's and I think this has the control to play in that range... I am just not that customer.

List any additional thoughts (optional) -

- This is my favorite Yonex poly and I could realistically buy it if some sale brought it under $15 a set. I am not pleased with the increase in Yonex string prices considering their cost to manufacture really has not gone up substantially... I believe profit margins on strings are huge (from the manufacturer) based on my shop experience and talking to folks. I am surprised more pros don't use this.

- This was ridiculously easy to string with.

- This is a wonderful blue. It is... "richer" than the PTP and I bet would look great in other rackets. I think I like it more than they grey but last I played that was in a VCore 98 a couple years ago and who knows what the demo tension was.

- IF I can get 90% of the string for half as much I would probably go that route. It is just tough with good round polys being a dime a dozen these days if you're willing to branch out. Tourna Blue was fine but it was also like... $8. If I am cutting it out then that sits better with me. I am probably not the market for a premium string offering but I can see it having a place.

- I would (and likely will) make this a tournament string job and play something more affordable 355 days a year otherwise

Thank you TW for another chance at a review. There are a billion strings out there so I think these tests are a great chance to get hands on them when I otherwise would not likely blindly buy a set to try. I hope that my information helps people and if youre a round poly control player this is a must try. I would say ALU and Razorcode players need apply here.

edit: Pic from the tournament. I love nice clay

Great looking set up and nice review. I like the control I got from this too, especially making my way to the net. It gave me more confidence than I should have!

 

[ngoster]

Resurrecting this thread, is anyone still playing on the same set of strings? I am. Since my last update on 3/26, I've put roughly 15 more hours on them. If it's completely dead, I am completely oblivious to it. It seems to play fine. I'm not experiencing any lack of control or spike or drop in power or arm issues. I may have jinxed it but the need to cut them hasn't crossed my mind. From an appearance standpoint, there has been no visible (to me) movement and very little notching. These are, by far, the most durable strings that I've played with.

 

[StringStrungStrang]

Resurrecting this thread, is anyone still playing on the same set of strings? I am. Since my last update on 3/26, I've put roughly 15 more hours on them. If it's completely dead, I am completely oblivious to it. It seems to play fine. I'm not experiencing any lack of control or spike or drop in power or arm issues. I may have jinxed it but the need to cut them hasn't crossed my mind. From an appearance standpoint, there has been no visible (to me) movement and very little notching. These are, by far, the most durable strings that I've played with.
[/QUOTE

Mine are still in one of my Babolat PS 16x19s and they still look perfect too. Mine are dead and a bit harsher now but still playable if needed and the blue is as nice as ever.