diredesire
Moderator
A long while ago, TW was kind enough to send me a set of Tecnifibre Multi-Feel for evaluation. I have made comments about my experience with this string around the forum, but I think a full review is in order!
http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/descpageACTFUSA-MF16.html
Price: 9.00/set
Here's the product information from TW's description page:
Multifeel offers multifilament comfort and playability with enhanced durability thanks to its construction of a monofilament core, multifilament wraps and anti abrasion coating. Our playtesters have found this string to offer a high level of comfort, excellent ball pocketing and a soft and dampened feel. Multifeel is ideal for players looking for a soft and arm friendly string as well as those seeking to soften up a stiff frame.
Composition: The string plays slightly firmer due to it's one "central" monofilament. It is muted, and fairly comfortable due to it's outer wraps. The Anti-Abrasion coating did not have any noticeable affect on spin production, but it DID increase durability much to my surprise. Most coatings do little for me as far as durability.
My nutshell review: The description is pretty spot on. It's a comfortable string, the feel is indeed dampened (muted, slightly). The Multi-feel is surprisingly durable for it's gauge and composition, I was very surprised to see how little wear the string had shown. I eventually had to cut it out due to tension and feel loss.
Before I get to the meat/details of the review, I should give a little info on my play style, etc. I'm a 4.0-4.5ish player, I don't play any leagues, etc, so my rating is more or less up in the air. I'm 5'5", 120 lbs (small guy, i know). My play style is a bit of all-court, often come to the net. I mix my play up, and don't tend to stick to baseline bashing for more than a few points in a row.
Strokes: I have a full western forehand, and as a result, I hit a ton of topspin, but I can also hit through the ball and put it away when necessary. Don't let the full western bit fool you, though. My base grip may be a full western, but I mix it up, and slice (yes, my forehand) often.
Backhand: I have a two handed backhand for driving the ball, I often slice, and approach by chipping.
Serve: Primarily spinny serves, don't go for the flat bomb too much.
OK! Onto the string review (my thoughts on specific aspects):
Durability: Simply put, this string impressed me in the durability department. I was simply floored by how little wear there was on the string as I played more and more with it. I cut it out after about 16-18 hours on the court. It had lost playability by that time. When i DID cut it out, there was little notching, and the string held up surprisingly well for having a multifilament component to it. I normally shred multifilaments pretty quickly, but the Multi-Feel held up extremely well. I am going to go out on a limb and assume this is due to it's anti-abrasion coating. String movement was minimal at first, but they started to move around quite a bit near the end of my play test.
Power: Not too impressive in this category, although in my book, that's a GOOD thing. I hate having to switch between polys and multifilaments, although I need durability, I have arm problems, and often times, multifilaments don't do it for me in terms of power, they have TOO much. However, the Multi-feel fell right in between power and control. It was a fairly low powered string, I think the resilience and rebound was dampened a bit by the mono-core construction, it prevented the string as a whole (I'm just wildly guessing here) from flexing as much as it'd like, and helped tame the power a little bit.
Control: Excellent. There are various types of control, including directional, depth, ball speed, and spin. I found this string to be above average in general. The hit was predictable, I could swing freely and find the ball landing in. I thought I was going to have spin control issues upon stringing the set up, just from past experiences and a good feel for string construction. I was surprised, though, I wouldn't say my shots were pin point (I've had this experience with very limited strings, TiMO to be the most notable), but the control all around was very good.
Feel: Muted/dampened, just like the product description rates it. I think this is rather characteristic of many multifilaments, but I think that the monocore/multifilament construction is a rather weird one. I think that the affinity of a multifilament to deform/stretch is rather large, but the monocore seems to limit this sort of deformation. This leads to a firmer feel, but still comfortable. I personally don't like muted strings very much, but the Multi-feel was predictable, which I liked. I am a bit of a touch player, i'll often mix up a drop shot, and like to volley. I'd give it around a 7/10 in this category. Predictable, but dampened. (You might like that!)
Comfort: Good. I have wrist and shoulder problems, and when hitting with this string, I didn't notice any excess discomfort. I did prefer the frame with this string in it over others (matched) at the time, since it gave me a lower powered, but comfortable hit. I wouldn't recommend this string for the sole purpose of comfort, but it does give a nice, smooth ride. I'd say it's a benefit of this string, not a selling point.
Spin: Decent to good. I thought the anti-abrasive coating on this string would take away from the potential spin production, but I was surprised to find that spin was easy to find, and predictable. I do swing with a western grip, but I wouldn't say I place a huge importance on spin production.
Tension Stability: On par with other synthetic strings. Normally I break (synthetic gut/nylon) strings within 10 hours, so I rarely get to comment on tension stability. Compared to a Poly, it performs admirably. Compared to a syn gut, it's on par, if not slightly worse. I noticed a drop off in playability/resilience at around the 10 hour mark. It remained comfortable, but did not give me as good of a feedback as fresh. I'd give it a 6.5/10 again in tension stability. It wasn't a horrible drop off, but it was noticeable.
Overall impression: I was impressed by this string! It was a good all around performer. I prefer a crisper, more raw feeling string in general, but I wasn't disappointed by the feedback i did get from this string. It's a solid all-around performer. It compares well to the Tecnifibre Pro-Mix (except it does everything better, IMO, especialyl feel). It also is similar to Wilson Reaction, except the reaction is crisper. The feel is similar, though.
For the Price, $9, I think there are other strings that should be considered. If it was around $7, it would be a go-to string in my stock, most likely. For a dollar more, you are able to pick up TRC, which should perform better, and for 2 dollars more, you can pick up extra comfort and softness (feel) from the 515 SPL.
For a basic Multifil ride, you can check out Tecnifibre E-matrix, it's a good introductory string.
I think the string does everything fairly well, but doesn't stand out in my eyes in any specific category (besides durability). Tension maintenence was a little under-par for the amount of durability you get, so I have a hard time finding a balance there.
It's a string I'd recommend to players that break strings often, but are concerned with comfort, but for those players out there looking for the ultimate soft/comfortable feel, there is better for a similar price. For those of you looking for utmost durability, there are also other strings for the price that will do better. For a nice blend of both, I think this is a great choice.
Cheers!
http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/descpageACTFUSA-MF16.html
Price: 9.00/set
Here's the product information from TW's description page:
Multifeel offers multifilament comfort and playability with enhanced durability thanks to its construction of a monofilament core, multifilament wraps and anti abrasion coating. Our playtesters have found this string to offer a high level of comfort, excellent ball pocketing and a soft and dampened feel. Multifeel is ideal for players looking for a soft and arm friendly string as well as those seeking to soften up a stiff frame.
[*]Length: 40 feet / 12.2m
[*]Gauge: 16 / 1.30mm
[*]Construction: 985 Composite multifilaments (60% of the total volume of the string) surround one Central Monofilament (20%) and string is immersed in Polyurethane (20%). Features a Anti-Abrasion Coating of Silicone Pyrogene Lubritec.
[*]Color: Natural
Composition: The string plays slightly firmer due to it's one "central" monofilament. It is muted, and fairly comfortable due to it's outer wraps. The Anti-Abrasion coating did not have any noticeable affect on spin production, but it DID increase durability much to my surprise. Most coatings do little for me as far as durability.
My nutshell review: The description is pretty spot on. It's a comfortable string, the feel is indeed dampened (muted, slightly). The Multi-feel is surprisingly durable for it's gauge and composition, I was very surprised to see how little wear the string had shown. I eventually had to cut it out due to tension and feel loss.
Before I get to the meat/details of the review, I should give a little info on my play style, etc. I'm a 4.0-4.5ish player, I don't play any leagues, etc, so my rating is more or less up in the air. I'm 5'5", 120 lbs (small guy, i know). My play style is a bit of all-court, often come to the net. I mix my play up, and don't tend to stick to baseline bashing for more than a few points in a row.
Strokes: I have a full western forehand, and as a result, I hit a ton of topspin, but I can also hit through the ball and put it away when necessary. Don't let the full western bit fool you, though. My base grip may be a full western, but I mix it up, and slice (yes, my forehand) often.
Backhand: I have a two handed backhand for driving the ball, I often slice, and approach by chipping.
Serve: Primarily spinny serves, don't go for the flat bomb too much.
OK! Onto the string review (my thoughts on specific aspects):
Durability: Simply put, this string impressed me in the durability department. I was simply floored by how little wear there was on the string as I played more and more with it. I cut it out after about 16-18 hours on the court. It had lost playability by that time. When i DID cut it out, there was little notching, and the string held up surprisingly well for having a multifilament component to it. I normally shred multifilaments pretty quickly, but the Multi-Feel held up extremely well. I am going to go out on a limb and assume this is due to it's anti-abrasion coating. String movement was minimal at first, but they started to move around quite a bit near the end of my play test.
Power: Not too impressive in this category, although in my book, that's a GOOD thing. I hate having to switch between polys and multifilaments, although I need durability, I have arm problems, and often times, multifilaments don't do it for me in terms of power, they have TOO much. However, the Multi-feel fell right in between power and control. It was a fairly low powered string, I think the resilience and rebound was dampened a bit by the mono-core construction, it prevented the string as a whole (I'm just wildly guessing here) from flexing as much as it'd like, and helped tame the power a little bit.
Control: Excellent. There are various types of control, including directional, depth, ball speed, and spin. I found this string to be above average in general. The hit was predictable, I could swing freely and find the ball landing in. I thought I was going to have spin control issues upon stringing the set up, just from past experiences and a good feel for string construction. I was surprised, though, I wouldn't say my shots were pin point (I've had this experience with very limited strings, TiMO to be the most notable), but the control all around was very good.
Feel: Muted/dampened, just like the product description rates it. I think this is rather characteristic of many multifilaments, but I think that the monocore/multifilament construction is a rather weird one. I think that the affinity of a multifilament to deform/stretch is rather large, but the monocore seems to limit this sort of deformation. This leads to a firmer feel, but still comfortable. I personally don't like muted strings very much, but the Multi-feel was predictable, which I liked. I am a bit of a touch player, i'll often mix up a drop shot, and like to volley. I'd give it around a 7/10 in this category. Predictable, but dampened. (You might like that!)
Comfort: Good. I have wrist and shoulder problems, and when hitting with this string, I didn't notice any excess discomfort. I did prefer the frame with this string in it over others (matched) at the time, since it gave me a lower powered, but comfortable hit. I wouldn't recommend this string for the sole purpose of comfort, but it does give a nice, smooth ride. I'd say it's a benefit of this string, not a selling point.
Spin: Decent to good. I thought the anti-abrasive coating on this string would take away from the potential spin production, but I was surprised to find that spin was easy to find, and predictable. I do swing with a western grip, but I wouldn't say I place a huge importance on spin production.
Tension Stability: On par with other synthetic strings. Normally I break (synthetic gut/nylon) strings within 10 hours, so I rarely get to comment on tension stability. Compared to a Poly, it performs admirably. Compared to a syn gut, it's on par, if not slightly worse. I noticed a drop off in playability/resilience at around the 10 hour mark. It remained comfortable, but did not give me as good of a feedback as fresh. I'd give it a 6.5/10 again in tension stability. It wasn't a horrible drop off, but it was noticeable.
Overall impression: I was impressed by this string! It was a good all around performer. I prefer a crisper, more raw feeling string in general, but I wasn't disappointed by the feedback i did get from this string. It's a solid all-around performer. It compares well to the Tecnifibre Pro-Mix (except it does everything better, IMO, especialyl feel). It also is similar to Wilson Reaction, except the reaction is crisper. The feel is similar, though.
For the Price, $9, I think there are other strings that should be considered. If it was around $7, it would be a go-to string in my stock, most likely. For a dollar more, you are able to pick up TRC, which should perform better, and for 2 dollars more, you can pick up extra comfort and softness (feel) from the 515 SPL.
For a basic Multifil ride, you can check out Tecnifibre E-matrix, it's a good introductory string.
I think the string does everything fairly well, but doesn't stand out in my eyes in any specific category (besides durability). Tension maintenence was a little under-par for the amount of durability you get, so I have a hard time finding a balance there.
It's a string I'd recommend to players that break strings often, but are concerned with comfort, but for those players out there looking for the ultimate soft/comfortable feel, there is better for a similar price. For those of you looking for utmost durability, there are also other strings for the price that will do better. For a nice blend of both, I think this is a great choice.
Cheers!
