First off, thank you
@TW Staff and Yonex for offering yet another play test to the community!
Here are some photos of the string about to go into the G360+ Prestige Tour, a photo just after stringing, and a close-up of the the center-most intersections after the first 2-hour hit (I pulled one main to the side so you can see there's very minimal notching):
Gauge Received: 16L (1.25mm)
Tension(s) Used: 57 lbs mains / 63 lbs crosses (mistakenly strung crosses at knot-tying tension of mains)
Regular string set up: Full bed softer polys, 50-55 pounds; multi/poly or poly/mono-nylon hybrids, with poly around 53 pounds, multi/nylon 57-60 pounds
Racquet used for test: Head Graphene 360+ Prestige Tour (99", 18x19, 305g, 7pt HL, 323 SW)
STRING TEST RESULTS
Overall: 6.5/10 - All-in-all, a good quality string made to fairly exacting standards. I would classify Yonex Rexis Feel as a premium-grade multifilament, to be included in the same company as other Rexis multis, Tecnifibre X-One Biphase, Wilson NXT, etc. and represents a decent value among its peers.
Power: 6/10 - The power level from this multi was moderate, certainly nothing overly powerful, but not anemic either. The power output was fairly linear, albeit the string did seem to have a power "floor", by which if the user didn't input at least a minimum level of swinging motion, the ball would just die off the string bed. This was especially noticeable on touch volleys and/or drop shop pickups close to the net.
Control: 6/10 - I would categorize the control of Rexis Feel as "precision with a comfort margin", meaning that the string had a very linear and even response off the string bed, offering a predictable trajectory and directional control, but at the same time had a certain level of cushioned dwell and "pillow effect" that added a bit of ambiguity when it came to finer-grained control. As such, I did find myself having to go for a bit larger margins at certain points in rallies than I normally would have had to if using certain other strings where the pillow effect wasn't as pronounced.
Feel: 8/10 - The feel, as I had hoped its namesake would support, was mostly good to great, and certainly was the string's defining quality. Rexis Feel definitely had a gut-like tactility to it, primarily in the way that it pocketed and rebounded the ball. I thought it was also ever so slightly on the stiff side, as well as being more crisp than muted. All of those characteristics combined to create a multi that is best full-bed for crisping or livening up a muted frame, or as one half of a hybrid in conjunction with a muted, soft poly, to create a nicely blended middle-ground string bed.
Spin: 5/10 - While spin wasn't anemic, it wasn't exactly a strong suit. I found I had to be extra conscientious of applying more-than-average racquet head speed and angle of attack to my ground strokes, volleys, overheads and serves in order to even approach the level of spin that I can get with a more slick and/or shaped string, in poly form or otherwise. On the positive side, however, what spin I did manage to get was usually very repeatable, due to Rexis Feel's higher-than-average consistency of trajectory.
Durability: 6/10 - Durability has been slightly below par for most multi's. Keep in mind, I chose a medium-density 18x19 pattern specifically with better-than-average longevity in mind. In terms of string movement/displacement, the majority of the string bed locked up as of the first hitting session. The 6-8 centermost mains and crosses started notching at their intersections as early as 2 hours, and proceeded to increase at a rate of about 5% per hour of play. Mind you, the bulk of play was 3.5 doubles and singles, so there was certainly more than just novice-level impact being imparted, but the amount of wear was still more than I would have expected. By the 3-4 hour mark, the bed had notched and locked enough to where not only was there no snapback happening, but any mains or crosses displaced from harder hits were getting routinely stuck out of position. As of now, with about 8 hours on the string bed, most of the 6-8 centermost mains and crosses are notched through to about 30-40%. I wouldn't be surprised at a breakage somewhere in the 12-15 hour range. All-in-all, not bad, but not great.
Playability Duration: 8/10 - The overall characteristics of Rexis Feel seemed to last quite well. Over the course of 8+ hours, I didn't really experience any sudden playability drops, and that's with the centermost mains and crosses having been fraying for a few hours now, with 30-40% notching at several intersections. String bed tension started at 64 pounds off the stringer, was at 61.5 at 2 hours, 59.8 at 4 hours, 57.3 at 6 hours, 55.5 at 8 hours -- all measured with the Tennis Tension app on Android. Even despite moderate tension loss and a slight increase in power, both were pretty linear and gradual, and were never too startling to compensate for with proper micro adjustments in racket head speed and angle of attack, doable with good enough control in all but the most intense rallies with a hard-hitting opponent 3.5/4.0 singles opponent.
Tension Recommendations: As I mentioned in the initial setup description, I inadvertently strung up the crosses at 63 pounds (the knot-tying tension for my mains at 57 pounds), and was concerned that I had more or less blown the string job. Tennis Tension has the string bed pinging at 64.0 pounds right off the stringer, which I thought would be way too boardy, even after the initial tension drop from the first hit. I was very much mistaken -- much to my pleasure. The string bed played firm and crisp, but still forgiving and powerful enough to offer the typical kind of "give" that I associate with playing a full-bed multi setup. From there, tension dropped at an average rate, but somewhat linearly, with playability persisting throughout, so I can't say that I'd actually do much different for overall string bed tension next time, albeit I would certainly aim to not screw up my cross tension. I would probably aim for something like 59 or 60 pounds for both mains and crosses.
List any additional thoughts: Yonex has put out a nice product in Rexis Feel; I'm also keen to try Comfort and Speed when I get the chance. That said, Rexis Feel is a $20+/set multifilament, which performs in some regards like some of its peers in the same price tier, but in other regards falls a bit short (namely control and durability). I would probably be most inclined to use it to liven up a hybrid in scenarios where comfort and feel are valued more so than aggressive control or longevity. Much beyond that, though, I think there are likely better value multis to be had, that play every bit as good and last longer, one of which being Yonex's own Tour Super 850 (especially with its recent price drop to $11/set).
One additional note on stringing: be as careful as you can with squeeze pressure while stringing. From ghosting to whitening (from clamping or tensioning with too much grip force), the string definitely prefers as light a touch as possible, without letting it slip. It's often a delicate balance with multis of this nature, but be as mindful as you can with Rexis Feel.
In closing, I would again like to thank
@TW Staff for making this playtest possible, and I hope to be able to contribute to more playtests in the future!
probably will go up +/- 5lbs once I see how soft they are in hand.
