question about tension for crosses

[HelenCH]

Hi all,

I have been playing with full bed poly for some years now and normally would string crosses about 2 lbs (1 kilo actually) lower than mains. The tension for mains ranges from 45 to 50 lbs depending on a string. But if I want to hybrid a multi or synthetic gut string with poly mains, do I still have to string them lower even that syn gut and multi are softer and more powerful? I never played with multi strings, but used to play with synthetic gut in the past and strung it at about 25 kilos (55 lbs), so I am not sure if tension below 45 lbs or even 50 is a good idea for synthetic crosses, but don't want to string poly very high to get crosses to a more acceptable range... I want to try a little softer string bed and not looking for extra power, so I don't think I want either multi or synthetic gut as a main string.

 

[Rabbit]

I have strung both ways. Currently I string synthetic gut (Gosen OGSM 1.15) mains at 54 and polyester (Luxilon TiMO 1.10) crosses at 50. When I played with polyester in the mains I strung them at 48 (Luxilon Ace) in the mains and Volkl Powerfibre 17 in the crosses at 52.

So yes, I would bump the tension up on the crosses just a bit. Your crosses will now be more elastic than your mains and the added tension (3 - 5 pounds) will help compensate for that.

 

[Irvin]

There different ways and reason to vary the tension on the mains / cross. To even out the effect on DT, more spin, deformity of racket, etc … If you’re trying a different cross just to see how it feels keep the tension the same initially and then make adjustments. If the racket length does not deform from stringing then adjust tension on mains / crosses to get the feel you’re looking for. If you want more spin maybe lower the crosses 1 kg. If you find your racket is being deform use the Stringway Tension advisor.

 

[1HBHfanatic]

-I like to up the tension on the crosses when dealing with poly/syn.gut or poly/multi hybrids
-ive tried same tension on poly/syngut and/or poly/multi and found it too powerfull, too mushy
-here are a couple examples of how I would approach it (with a fictional 50lb poly mains)
-example= poly50/syn.gut52
-example= poly50/multi53
-the multi in my mind needs to be higher than the synthetic, just because of the softness of materials
-I let the starting tension on the poly string dictate the tension on the other string

 

[The Big Kahuna]

Hybrid Strings:
i) with polyester or monofilament strings, you should keep your Luxilon monofilament strings at the same tension in the mains, and install the crosses 5-10% higher. Most people prefer an increase of 5%.
ii) If you currently are playing with gut strings, multifilaments, or synthetic gut, you should keep you normal tension on the crosses with your multifilament string, and install the mains 5-10% lower with a Luxilon Monofilament. Most people prefer a 10% drop in tension.

Currently when using the same string and cross the tensions should remain the same. When blending strings, ie polys and syn gut or gut, the poly should be 4 lbs less than the syn gut or natural gut. This can vary according to gauge of strings being used, but in general there is a 4 pound difference.


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[fuzz nation]

I've seen a similar preference among "clients" in terms of how they like their poly hybrids; syn. gut or multi crosses tensioned 2-4 lbs. higher than the poly mains. One lady I know likes her hybrid of poly mains/syn. gut crosses all tensioned at 58 lbs. in her Graphene Radical Pros, but this example is a bit of an outlier. She was a highly ranked Div I killer in her college years and still has a huge game.

I've had lots of success with offering poly hybrids among stronger local players who want some of the upside (control) that's typical with polys. Although polys are generally notorious for "going dead" after maybe 10-12 hours of use, it seems to me that they often turn a much less drastic corner when combined with a syn. gut cross. I prefer Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16 for this job - better than average performance and durability among syn. guts.

If you want a somewhat softer layout without giving up poly, I'd say consider sampling some hybrids with lighter gauges of poly mains. Easily the most popular basic hybrid I've offered my circle through recent years has been a 1.20mm poly main (Isospeed Baseline) paired with the Gosen cross. I don't use poly in my own frames, but I sampled this setup once or twice and was pleasantly surprised. It only felt about as firm as a rather snug bed of 16 ga. syn. gut, but it also had an extra component of control. Much more acceptable for me in terms of its feel compared with a heavier poly main - 1.25mm or 1.30mm - that felt like a rock.

You may ultimately like having a hybrid with everything at the same tension. Be ready to do a little trial and error, but I'd bet that your hybrid will behave "better" with the synthetic crosses tensioned just a little higher than the mains.