polys with best feel
- Thread starter Mirko
- Start date
2nd Serve Ace
Hall of Fame
Was introduced to msv focus hex soft. Very nice. Basically cyclone with improved feel and tension maintenance.
gebruikershaes
Rookie
It’s true. Feel apparently means different things to different people because I think Hyper g has the least feel out of dozen or so strings that I’ve tried. I use it in my Ultra Tour and it gives me no feedback at all. Especially when fresh off the stringer. It’s like hitting tiny little flies instead of tennis balls. Hardly any ball pocketing. Great control and spin string just no feedback. If you want feel try Alu power.
topspn
Legend
Very familiar with Alu, it dies in under 2 hours.
Tennisist
Professional
Yes, Hyper-G and Confidential are what I would *least recommend* when somebody asked for "feel".
There is a category for them -- they are "control" strings (~ kind of the opposite of "feel").
Unless, of course, you consider the "dead" feel == good.
socallefty
G.O.A.T.
I’ve never fully understood what “feel” means in the context of racquets and strings. Everyone seems to use it to describe different things they like or dislike about their racquets and strings.
i know what power, control, spin, comfort, durability, bite etc. mean in the context of strings. But, what does ‘feel’ mean exactly? Is it just vibrations that correlates to comfort or lack thereof or something else? Can a stiff string have good ‘feel’?
i know what power, control, spin, comfort, durability, bite etc. mean in the context of strings. But, what does ‘feel’ mean exactly? Is it just vibrations that correlates to comfort or lack thereof or something else? Can a stiff string have good ‘feel’?
topspn
Legend
For me, it is the ability to get a reliable consistent response that gives you a connection to the ball.
SirFuzzington
New User
Hyper-g soft 18 gauge, it feels fantastic.
socallefty
G.O.A.T.
That doesn’t help me understand this much further. I feel comfort with some strings, more of a harsh feeling when I hit with others. I know when I hit the sweet spot and when I don’t hit the sweet spot with all strings and that feeling doesn’t change much with different strings. I hear a noise (which I damp with a Vibration Dampener) and I feel vibrations/impact when I hit with all strings. What is this ‘connection with the ball’ you are talking about and how is it different with different strings? Can you try to describe it in more detail?
Some racquets and strings help me with hitting touch/finesse shots like drop shots, short slice, drop volleys etc., but I don’t think that’s what you are talking about. I’m truly puzzled - it’s almost like I’m missing that sixth sense that other seem to have to perceive ‘feel’.
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socallefty
G.O.A.T.
HyperG in a VS hybrid is my string of choice and feels great to me. ALU Power in a VS hybrid feels great to me, but dies faster than HyperG. I love the Pure Strike Tour which is my racquet of choice. Yet, I see people describe HyperG and the Pure Strike Gen 3 as feeling muted and ALU as a dead-feeling string. No idea what they mean by that.
fuzz nation
G.O.A.T.
I'm not a poly player, but I string for a lot of different local players. I agree that feel means different things for different folks, but polys seem to be more well-received when their gauges are thinner. I'm a sucker for good ol' syn. gut, but I usually want 17 ga. over 16 ga. as long as it isn't especially fragile string. The feel is superior for me.
I also think that if you dabble with lighter gauges of different popular polys, consider trying them in a hybrid. Skinny poly will go dead relatively fast in a full bed, but if it's combined with a cross of maybe a syn. gut (I often use Gosen OGSM 16 in that role), you may get a slower decline in the performance of your layout as long as it doesn't snap on you too quickly.
I also think that if you dabble with lighter gauges of different popular polys, consider trying them in a hybrid. Skinny poly will go dead relatively fast in a full bed, but if it's combined with a cross of maybe a syn. gut (I often use Gosen OGSM 16 in that role), you may get a slower decline in the performance of your layout as long as it doesn't snap on you too quickly.
topspn
Legend
No sixth sense, you are over analyzing. Like a good set of tires on a car, that gives you a sense of how planted you are on the road, takes out some harshness and you can feel its limits. A well connected string also being in direct touch with the ball gives you that extra confidence of the reaction you will get.
Is the feel of gut/alu comparable to full gut?
Ronaldo
Bionic Poster
2nd Serve Ace
Hall of Fame
I think so, just the alu gives some "backbone" to the string bed and eliminates the mushiness of the gut.
Plenty of silver polys offer a similar effect.
tlm
G.O.A.T.
Not to me, nothing feels like a full natural Gut string job. If you add poly it feels a lot if not completely different than a full gut job.
StefanosWillSaveTheWorld
Rookie
Purely "feel", I'll vote for Hawk Touch.
gebruikershaes
Rookie
For me feel means the feeling that comes closest to hitting the ball with my hand instead of the racquet if you know what I mean. The closest I can match that feeling the more connected I feel to the ball. So basically I think it comes down to vibrations transmitting from the impact down the racquet into my hand. The greater the transmission of vibrations the greater the feel I would say.
Starsailor84
Rookie
RS Lyon is sensational to me.
Hefty Lefty
New User
Like many of us, I tried quite a number of strings from different "breeds" and I only understood what "feel" is when I used nylon (syn gut) for the first time. Of the many polys I tried, I found ALU power (16L) pretty close and the 20g and 19g Hyper-G but not the 17G. I would say that "feel" is something that enables you to reconstruct more easily what went wrong with a shot and you can correct. For this reason, I can always serve better with these kinds of strings. IME most strings have a good (enough) "feel" for the first few hours. The question is which one can keep this ability to be connected to the ball longer. Unless you want to re-sting every week, of course. I will soon have to make a decision to buy a reel of syn gut or ALU power, possibly a thinner gauge Hyper-G. I wish there was just one string on the market
Notorious_Junkballer
Hall of Fame
Yes, and different strings feel different in different racquets, even in the same hands.
what_army
Semi-Pro
You have probably been told this many times but please accept my take on that hybrid you’re susing:
- assuming the VS goes on the mains then the shaped hyper G cross cuts the VS
- the point of stringing gut mains on a hybrid is allowing for it to snapback thus increasing spin. You need a round slick poly for that, not a shaped poly.
- you are probably getting <5h out of each stringjob, that’s way too low for what it costs
socallefty
G.O.A.T.
I actually get about 12-15 hours which is fine for me. What are you…my accountant or tax attorney to tell me what my strings should cost? I play 250-300 times a year and my only concern is winning a lot of matches and staying uninjured. The VS/HyperG does it well for me and better than any other combo I’ve tried so far. Also, I’m not a revolutionary with trying this hybrid - it’s what the Bryan brothers use. Also, Volkl sells a hybrid combo with their gut and Cyclone and many players use gut and Cyclone Tour - so, it’s not so unusual to use a gut hybrid with a shaped poly. Let’s just say that my opponents don’t like me using this string job which is all I care about.
If you can suggest a round poly that gives me as much power/bite as HyperG and does not go dead in 7-8 hours, I‘ll be happy to try it. I love ALU Power for about 4-5 hours and if I were willing to spend even more on stringing, I would string with it. It also needs to be a string that my stringer stocks as I don’t do my own stringing - I’ve received suggestions from Tier One [GhostWire) and Kirschbaum (ProLine II), but my stringer doesn’t carry them. He does have Yonex Poly Tour Fire which I plan to try next.
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YPTF will give you also nice control and spin with VS. It will be a bit powerful then the combo with Hyper G. If you want to reduce the power of VS you can also try the Poly Tour Strike, if your stringer carry it.
socallefty
G.O.A.T.
Thanks for the note that YPTF will have more power - maybe I need to up the tension by a couple of pounds in that case. I string VS/HG at 48/45 on a Pure Strike Tour and might start with 50/48. If I like PTF, I might be able to convince him to stock PTS as he does carry Yonex. What are the main differences between PTF and PTS?
Also, the most important question is how long before they go dead? It seems like many polys go dead on me before I even break the gut as I have a somewhat sensitive elbow and cut out strings as soon as I sense the feel getting harsh.
PTS has less power, more control then PTF and also different feel. But how wee see feel is very personal thing. I think PTS and PTF should last like your VS- hyper g setup. You have to try it out and see what works better for you and your game.
socallefty
G.O.A.T.
Thank you for your useful information and help.
do they have it 19/20g?
ron schaap
Hall of Fame
Why blindly copy of what double specialists do on the Atp tour?
ice code is not well liked on these forums, but i agree with you and prefer it to any other poly i've tried to date.
what_army
Semi-Pro
Especially when he must know they are being paid precisely to endorse it.
what_army
Semi-Pro
The only bite you are getting from that hyper g cross is the bite against the mains lol
geubes
Rookie
There are a few of us, we keep it quiet because it is a great poly. Agree feel is good with this string. It is why it is in my racket
SirFuzzington
New User
It doesnt look like they're making it in those gauges, at least for soft
Tell me more
JustTennis76
Hall of Fame
It’s hard to put into words what feel means. Could mean different things to different people. It’s the kind of sensation you get when the ball makes contact with the string bed? One person’s brain maybe wired to say the feel of a poly is good whereas it could be the opposite for someone.
which gauge and colour doyou play with?
I played this days with 1.25 red one. It was very similar to VCT but with less power. Really liked it.
I try also 1.30 black one it played not so similar to VCT the feel was different but also great pocketing, control.
socallefty
G.O.A.T.
I tried the VS/VCT hybrid and it is the softest feeling gut/poly hybrid I‘ve played with so far. It has more control than the HyperG hybrid and I can hit bigger with it, but it seems to provide less spin for both my ground strokes and spin serves. I loved hitting flat serves and flatter shots with it. But, I’m still sticking with the HyperG hybrid primarily because I serve better with it.
Happi
Hall of Fame
Have you tried the even softer +25 and +38 versions of MSV Fokus Hex Soft ?
What more can you tell me, compared to Cream, arm friendly ?
