Poly to Multi transition

[babar]

Playing a Speed MP with Confidential 16g at 52 lbs and then 45 lbs.
Decided to try a multi again after 13 yrs.
Last time I played with a multi was Sensation 17g in a LM Instinct.

So, I put Volkl V-Feel at 57 lbs in my Speed MP and played a couple of sets.
For the most part, the string movement was not that bad.
Ball feel, depth, and power on my shots, all improved.
Spin felt a bit less, but didn't seem to hurt my stroke too much as I could just swing a bit harder and still generate good spin and slice.

Thinking of trying Head Velocity next based on the reviews here.
Any other suggestions for a multi that has good pocketing, ball feel, and power?

 

[SinneGOAT]

Playing a Speed MP with Confidential 16g at 52 lbs and then 45 lbs.
Decided to try a multi again after 13 yrs.
Last time I played with a multi was Sensation 17g in a LM Instinct.

So, I put Volkl V-Feel at 57 lbs in my Speed MP and played a couple of sets.
For the most part, the string movement was not that bad.
Ball feel, depth, and power on my shots, all improved.
Spin felt a bit less, but didn't seem to hurt my stroke too much as I could just swing a bit harder and still generate good spin and slice.

Thinking of trying Head Velocity next based on the reviews here.
Any other suggestions for a multi that has good pocketing, ball feel, and power?

I would add Tecnifibre NRG2 to that list, along with Gosen OG Sheep Micro. Gosen is a Syn gut but it is a favorite of mine. X-one biphase as well if you want something with even more pocketing and power than NRG. Triax is a multi that plays like a poly, but comfort of a multi. It’s crisp, but no arm pain, low powered and good spin and no movement with great durability, but it isn’t something like NRG or X-one.

 

[Rentege]

Multifeel is my personal favorite. Only downside for me is durability, but the multis that last longer (like Velocity)tend to start dropping in performance around the time Multifeel breaks anyway, so I kinda prefer that. While Velocity is more like a poly than most multis, I wouldn’t exactly say it fits in with your “pocketing, ball feel, power” description. I also use the Speed MP and for whatever reason, whenever I’ve tried Velocity in it, my slices have no bite. Hasn’t been the case with any other string I’ve tried.

 

[Arak]

Use only top grade multis. In my experience, only Wilson and Tecnifibre make good multis. Avoid the rest.

 

[blai212]

multi/poly hybrid is also worth a try. I have tried velocity, prince premier touch, dunlop silk, iconic all with smooth round cross and enjoyed them but durability was an issue. Maybe lasts 5 hrs or so of 4.5 hard hitting (16g mains)

 

[Casper777]

Volkl Power Fiber pro are Nice also!
Tecnifibre HDMX is one of my favorite but its reaaally expensive...

 

[babar]

Volkl Power Fiber pro are Nice also!
Tecnifibre HDMX is one of my favorite but its reaaally expensive...

I was looking at HDMX and Power Fiber also.
Might try those as well.

multi/poly hybrid is also worth a try. I have tried velocity, prince premier touch, dunlop silk, iconic all with smooth round cross and enjoyed them but durability was an issue. Maybe lasts 5 hrs or so of 4.5 hard hitting (16g mains)

I'm so confused by all the possible combinations for hybrids that I just don't know where to begin.
I've played with Head hybrids in Head demo frames, but not sure what the hybrid was. Played well, but never figured out what it was.

 

[babar]

Multifeel is my personal favorite. Only downside for me is durability, but the multis that last longer (like Velocity)tend to start dropping in performance around the time Multifeel breaks anyway, so I kinda prefer that. While Velocity is more like a poly than most multis, I wouldn’t exactly say it fits in with your “pocketing, ball feel, power” description. I also use the Speed MP and for whatever reason, whenever I’ve tried Velocity in it, my slices have no bite. Hasn’t been the case with any other string I’ve tried.

I've read reviews of Multifeel also and it looked interesting. I've never been a poly string breaker, but multis would last me about 8-10 matches before breaking back in the day.
I'm sure I don't hit with as much spin and power as I used to so maybe string breakage won't be an issue for me.

 

[babar]

Anyone here try the NXT in black?
Thoughts?

 

[romo152]

I moved from poly to multi 2 years back after TE issues. NRG2 was the first multi I tried and in spite of trying several others, I keep going back to it. NRG2 in black plays a little firmer than natural. The other multis that I have tried and felt good are Dunlop silk, Yonex tour super 850, Volkl power fiber pro and power fiber ii. I also like Tecnifibre triax a lot but it is a hybrid that plays more like a multi and is less powerful than nrg2. I felt triax has good spin potential and string movement is excellent. I go back and forth between nrg2 and triax depending on the racquet's power level.

 

[ChanterRacquet]

NRG2 and NXT are about as solid as they get (for multis). Xone in an underpowered frame is also good.

 

[Fintft]

Playing a Speed MP with Confidential 16g at 52 lbs and then 45 lbs.
Decided to try a multi again after 13 yrs.
Last time I played with a multi was Sensation 17g in a LM Instinct.

So, I put Volkl V-Feel at 57 lbs in my Speed MP and played a couple of sets.

Spin felt a bit less, but didn't seem to hurt my stroke too much as I could just swing a bit harder and still generate good spin and slice.

So you could afford to swing harder with multi at 57, vs poly at 52?

Not exactly experience with full bed multi vs poly.

Atm with a hybrid gut/poly at 55/50 I can swing harder than full bed multi or gut at 57/55.

 

[babar]

So you could afford to swing harder with multi at 57, vs poly at 52?

Not exactly experience with full bed multi vs poly.

Atm with a hybrid gut/poly at 55/50 I can swing harder than full bed multi or gut at 57/55.

Let me rephrase. I'm not swinging that much harder with a multi than I was with the full poly string job.
It's only a slight amount, but the result is that I am getting the spin I need/want to achieve the results on court.
Swinging any harder with the poly was causing me arm pain, but with the multi, my arm felt fine and no pain.
Biggest difference I noticed is in the stroke trajectory for my strokes. Instead of my shots needing more air to achieve depth, I was getting depth due to the increased power/speed/launch from the string.
The extra help is appreciated as I get older.

 

[blai212]

black colored strings play deader…i absolutely hate them but I could see how it might work well in a power racquet. Multifeel didn’t feel soft enough for me. Velocity is soft low powered string that goes well in mains with a powerful soft copoly cross. Prince Premier Touch is closest to gut in terms of softness IME. Have not tried X one biphase or NXT in hybrid w poly cross. Anybody can comment?

 

[Fintft]

Let me rephrase. I'm not swinging that much harder with a multi than I was with the full poly string job.
It's only a slight amount, but the result is that I am getting the spin I need/want to achieve the results on court.
Swinging any harder with the poly was causing me arm pain, but with the multi, my arm felt fine and no pain.
Biggest difference I noticed is in the stroke trajectory for my strokes. Instead of my shots needing more air to achieve depth, I was getting depth due to the increased power/speed/launch from the string.
The extra help is appreciated as I get older.

Maybe your poly was dead/old?
Or the racquet too light?
Arm not relaxed, etc?

And as I'm probably older than you: it felt soo good to be able to swing freely with RPM Blast 1.25 at 55 LBs for about 30h ( before it went dead and started to hurt my arm). True it had been strung by my young coach in Romania in July. Maybe he is a wizard? Besides a runner up junior national champion himself.

But if multi works for you, I'm happy for you!
I prefer natural gut over multi myself.

 

[Fintft]

black colored strings play deader…i absolutely hate them but I could see how it might work well in a power racquet. Multifeel didn’t feel soft enough for me. Velocity is soft low powered string that goes well in mains with a powerful soft copoly cross. Prince Premier Touch is closest to gut in terms of softness IME. Have not tried X one biphase or NXT in hybrid w poly mains. Anybody can comment?

My experience with poly/gut hybrids have been limited, as I've cut them, in the past.

But I do like X One Biphase and NXT, in full bed. Never tried Prince Premier Touch.

 

[Arak]

Anyone here try the NXT in black?
Thoughts?

I strung one racket with natural colour and one in black at 57 lbs, alternating between them, so I can tell exactly the difference. The natural is now very frayed while the black only shows a little notching. The black curiously is more powerful, but also feels stiffer. It’s still measuring one lb higher than the natural after a couple of months. The black is more slippery but has less grab on the ball, while the natural is the exact opposite. I didn’t expect the colour to make such a big difference. If I have to chose, I would go with natural.

 

[fuzz nation]

Playing a Speed MP with Confidential 16g at 52 lbs and then 45 lbs.
Decided to try a multi again after 13 yrs.
Last time I played with a multi was Sensation 17g in a LM Instinct.

So, I put Volkl V-Feel at 57 lbs in my Speed MP and played a couple of sets.
For the most part, the string movement was not that bad.
Ball feel, depth, and power on my shots, all improved.
Spin felt a bit less, but didn't seem to hurt my stroke too much as I could just swing a bit harder and still generate good spin and slice.

Thinking of trying Head Velocity next based on the reviews here.
Any other suggestions for a multi that has good pocketing, ball feel, and power?

I don't use multis in my own frames pretty much because they will typically degrade (steadily soften) as I use them and they can become unplayable for me before they break... if they don't break too quickly. Because the premium multis have a relatively high price tag and don't give me much bang for my buck, I stick with syn. gut. I drop tension by about 5 lbs. when I have to play outside in the cold - coaching a high school team in early spring - and restring at higher tension when it warms up out there.

The one multi I keep on hand for string jobs that call for that string type is Prince Premier Control. Not super pricey and the tiny triple core in this multi seems to help it hold its tension pretty well. I'm looking forward to sampling a set of Head Velocity or FXP with my next order just to see what one of those might do.

The other multi I've been impressed with in the past in terms of durability is Yonex 850. I inherited a full bed of that multi a few years ago in two different racquets that I picked up from two different sellers. In both cases, the string beds were comfortably soft and very resistant to fraying and breaking down. If I had to switch to a multi to use for myself full time, this would be on my very short list.

If the price tag of premium multis is an annoyance, I'd say try a set of Forten Sweet 16 (the 17 is fragile - I'd only use that in a frame with a dense string pattern). A couple syn. guts have too much backbone and firmness for my taste (Prince SG w/Duraflex, Gosen OGSM), but this one is the softest I've ever used.