Round Poly Recommendations (Crisp, predictable, 1.2 gauge or less)

ender749

New User
Hi all,

I've been a silent stalker for a while but finally got the courage to post my first thread so here goes!

I'm looking for some thin Crisp Round Poly Recommendations for my Tecnifibre TF40 305 (with leather grip 313 g unstrung) 18x20 pattern.

I want the poly to be 1.2 gauge or lower (no issues with breaking strings on this dense pattern and think lower gauge opens it up more + want to keep racket as HL as possible without adding more weight to handle), have a crisper feel (less muted) than say Yonex Poly Tour Pro, good spin (for a round poly) & predictable consistent response (which is why I've chosen round over shaped) with decent tension maintenance (which I think rules out Luxilon big banger?)

I've tried Ice code 1.2 at 46/44, Razor code 1.2 (in both white and carbon) at 44/42 and prefer the Razor Code 1.2 a bit more as it is slightly crisper, less powerful and more control to me it seems (the carbon seems more control oriented than white and I prefer it but Daniil and Iga both use Razor code in white :love:).

I tried Yonex Poly Tour Pro 1.15 full bed but found it too soft / muted for my liking.

On my list I have Kirschbaum Evolution 1.2 blue, Head Hawk 1.2 grey (couldn't source the white but I will!), Diadem Flash 1.2 (not sure if crisp enough from some other threads)

Ideally I would like a white round poly otherwise blue or grey are OK too. I would rather not use like yellow, orange, black, red (though red may just work).

Any suggestions? What else should I put on the list?
- Head Hawk Touch 1.2/1.15?
- anything from Luxilon 1.2 or less with decent tension maintainance?
- Max Power?

Thanks in advance!
 
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ender749

New User
Thanks all for the responsese. More strings have been added to the list. :)

Getting one racket strung with Kirschbaum Evolution 1.2 blue tomorrow! Got high hopes for this one - supposed to be crisp with excellent control. Also, I suspect it may be ligther than Razor Code 1.2 which would be a nice bonus to make my TF40 a bit more HL and also reduce static weight (I don't care about SW dropping a bit).

My current round winner poly is Razor Code 1.2, carbon (it is just better for me than the white at lower tensions at least). Let's see if Kirschbaum Evolution 1.2 beats it!
 

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
ALU Power is still the best round poly I've played with and it comes in 1.2 and 1.15 gauges also. The only problem is that it goes dead within 6-7 hours and you have to restring that often. If you don't mind doing that, it is an awesome crisp poly.
 

ender749

New User
Pro Line II is an oldie but a goodie. I found it to be crisp and has good tension maintenance.
I used to use Pro Line II 1.15 in my Prince Phantom Pro 93p - great all round string. Had forgotten about it so thanks for the reminder! It comes in black and red (not my first choice) but will keept his one in mind.
 

ender749

New User
ALU Power is still the best round poly I've played with and it comes in 1.2 and 1.15 gauges also. The only problem is that it goes dead within 6-7 hours and you have to restring that often. If you don't mind doing that, it is an awesome crisp poly.
my coach says the same. I don't string myself so worried about stringing costs given the notorious tension maintenance. But lets just say I am very very tempted to try the 1.15 gauge at least once!
 

ender749

New User
Played my first set with Kirschbaum Evolution 1.2 (blue) at 44/42 today. Got to say this is a lovely predictable crispish (but not harsh) round poly which seems to do everything well - I had good spin and good feel. Think I could maybe even go lower with this one. It's only £5.50 a set and around £70 a reel so this one is definitely a contender.
 

HitMoreBHs

Professional
How would you describe MSV Co focus 1.18? I have a set lying at home.

MSV Co focus is a soft co-poly with a lively feel. It's very similar to HEAD Lynx, which is a touch softer. MSV strings are obviously very competitively priced and in general, have an excellent price-performance ratio.

Both are less muted than PTP, but neither could be described as "crisp". If you like Ice and Razor Code, and these are what you feel are "crisp", then I would not expect either MSV Co Focus or HEAD Lynx to be what you are looking for. They are, however, rather excellent strings if you are looking for a soft, round co-poly as a cross in a hybrid set up, especially if you feel that your preferred main string is a little on the stiff side.
 

ender749

New User
MSV Co focus is a soft co-poly with a lively feel. It's very similar to HEAD Lynx, which is a touch softer. MSV strings are obviously very competitively priced and in general, have an excellent price-performance ratio.

Both are less muted than PTP, but neither could be described as "crisp". If you like Ice and Razor Code, and these are what you feel are "crisp", then I would not expect either MSV Co Focus or HEAD Lynx to be what you are looking for. They are, however, rather excellent strings if you are looking for a soft, round co-poly as a cross in a hybrid set up, especially if you feel that your preferred main string is a little on the stiff side.
Thanks, very useful! If it is less muted than PTP - might be worth a go especially as you mention they are very competitively priced, come in 1.18 gauge and I have a set at home :)
 

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
my coach says the same. I don't string myself so worried about stringing costs given the notorious tension maintenance. But lets just say I am very very tempted to try the 1.15 gauge at least once!

It is not the tension maintenance that is an issue. Like most stiff polys, it goes dead fast and you will ’feel’ the difference in performance where it doesn’t feel lively anymore and in addition in my case, I start feeling discomfort in my wrist and elbow. If you try it, make sure you restring as soon as you feel any discomfort - don’t try to extend string life after it is dead as that’s how players get injured.
 

ender749

New User
It is not the tension maintenance that is an issue. Like most stiff polys, it goes dead fast and you will ’feel’ the difference in performance where it doesn’t feel lively anymore and in addition in my case, I start feeling discomfort in my wrist and elbow. If you try it, make sure you restring as soon as you feel any discomfort - don’t try to extend string life after it is dead as that’s how players get injured.
understood, and thanks for the tip - will definitely be mindful of that if I do try it.
 

ichaseballs

Hall of Fame
crisp i think of pro hurricane tour and pro line 2, perhaps even rpm blast
yonex poly tour fire is softish. yonex has much stiffer strings like the strike
 

blai212

Hall of Fame
my coach says the same. I don't string myself so worried about stringing costs given the notorious tension maintenance. But lets just say I am very very tempted to try the 1.15 gauge at least once!
you’re better off trying ALU 1.2 first…you can just expect 1.15 to have even shorter life
 

ender749

New User
crisp i think of pro hurricane tour and pro line 2, perhaps even rpm blast
yonex poly tour fire is softish. yonex has much stiffer strings like the strike
Used to use pro line II on my prince phantom 93p nice string. Evolution seems similar maybe with bit more pop. Agree re strike sadly only comes in 1.25.
 

Casper777

Professional
TopSpin Cyber Flash 120 could be worth a try... very low cost too and great reviews... Love the Cyber Blue but Cyber Flash may be crispier
 

ender749

New User
Thanks guys for the further recommendations - more strings to buy!

@Casper777 a friend did say that TopSpin Cyber Flast 1.20 is similar to Kirschbaum Evolution 1.20 which I like a lot so far.
@Angelface I've heard RS Lyon is quite muted - would that be correct?
 

BenC

Hall of Fame
I like Dunlop Explosive 18g a lot, enough to stockpile reels of it. Seems a bit stiffer than Head Hawk and Isospeed Baseline 1.20, have to go +1 and +2 lbs on those respectively to get similar playability.
 

ender749

New User
I like Dunlop Explosive 18g a lot, enough to stockpile reels of it. Seems a bit stiffer than Head Hawk and Isospeed Baseline 1.20, have to go +1 and +2 lbs on those respectively to get similar playability.
ooh I hadn't considered Dunlop Explosive 18 - it does sound very promising. I will buy a set. Head Hawk 1.2 has arrived so might go +1 lb on my reference tension.
 

MikhailT

Rookie
WeissCannon Scorpion 1.22 - IMHO better than MSV CoFocus in all departments, especially in feel.
Honestly, CoFocus is terrible especially in crosses: whichever poly mains I use, they begin to stay out of place after 5-6 hours of hitting and the snapback is gone at the same time.
With Scorpion everything is fine easily for 15-18 hours.
 

MikhailT

Rookie
and it comes in pearl white which is a huge bonus as goes nicely with my Tecnifibre TF40!

Have you used it in a full bed? What is the feel like? Crisp or muted?
It is definitely not muted. I would describe it as "springy", similar to Alu Power. You really feel the elasticity and the ball dwelling on the stringbed.
I actually played with full bed of Scorpion in a TF40 first and only moved on to shaped mains because my game heavily relies on topspin.
 

ender749

New User
It is definitely not muted. I would describe it as "springy", similar to Alu Power. You really feel the elasticity and the ball dwelling on the stringbed.
I actually played with full bed of Scorpion in a TF40 first and only moved on to shaped mains because my game heavily relies on topspin.
ah that's good to hear, really apprecaite the feedback. will order a pack of Scorpion!!
 

1HBHfanatic

Legend
One does not talk enough of red code
-yeah i know, it is an old poly/string now
-soo many good ones are out now
-some of the oldies but goodies get lost in the shuffle
-all i know is that John Isner is still using it!!
-and my own play test ,(with the strings) have kept it in my inventory through out the years
 

ender749

New User
-he has used that string since his time in college
-he tried to use black code at some point, but went back to red code
-if the price is right, then its one of the better old strings out there, IMO/IME
nice re Isner.

Have you used razor code? if so, how would you compare red code to razor code? I quite like razor code 1.2 (but preference for carbon vs the white which is a shame as white looks great in the tf40) - its crispish but not hard on arm, lots of control so can go low in tension. thanks!

my current top two are Kirschbaum Evolution 1.2 and Razor Code 1.2 (carbon).

I have sets of Head Hawk 1.2, Head Hawk Touch 1.15, Weiss Cannon Scorpion 1.22 at the moment to try.
 

1HBHfanatic

Legend
@ender749
-i remember buying a few packs of t.razor code when dennis kudla started to endorse it
-i do recall briefly that its crisp, provably similar to head hawk touch (which came out years later)
-i tend to like softer polys, so i never stuck with it
-you can provably still find the youtube video of dennis kudla talking about the string
 

Shangri La

Hall of Fame
Hit with Solinco Confidential 1.15 for an hour and was very impressed. Very good ball feel. Crisy and responsive. Power is a bit low but it's ok. It feels more crisp and connected to the ball than Max power and Tourna Big Hitter Silver 7 Tour. Ideally I would have another hit but just saw a promotion of a UK site running 20% off on Solinco strings. So grabbed a reel for 101 shipped lol.
 

ender749

New User
Hit with Solinco Confidential 1.15 for an hour and was very impressed. Very good ball feel. Crisy and responsive. Power is a bit low but it's ok. It feels more crisp and connected to the ball than Max power and Tourna Big Hitter Silver 7 Tour. Ideally I would have another hit but just saw a promotion of a UK site running 20% off on Solinco strings. So grabbed a reel for 101 shipped lol.
heard lots of good things about Solinco Confidential but want to stick to round polys for now. nice snap for that price though!
 

ender749

New User
tried Head Hawk 1.15 (anthracite) at 42/40 for one session. very interesting feel - totally different from anything else I've used. Like it felt dead/muted but at the same time not mushy - sort of crisp even. yeah dead but crisp feels right. great feel overall. directional control was excellent - I felt I could not miss with my forehand. serves felt good, as did my slice. played some nice dropshots off both wings as well.

in the mix this one but will keep testing this week.

got Head Hawk 1.2 (grey) also at 42/40 to compare. people seem to suggest this is cripser (and less soft) than HHT. Stiffness rating on TW is similar HH is 194 v 192 for HHT. HH has better spin potential numbers (6.3 vs 4.9).

Am playing a pusher tomorrow so that should be an interesting test for the two strings. Hope to use both for one set each.
 
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ender749

New User
pusher didn't really play that well so wasn't a challenging match but I like Head Hawk 1.2 (grey) a lot too. very similar to HHT - doesn't feel as soft (or dead) maybe a bit less ball pocketing but I do feel it has a bit more connectedness / crispness.

I know Head Hawk is considered a great cross to gut because it holds tension very well so all in all I'd say this is marginally ahead of HHT atm for me. This week I will continue to test out HH 1.2 and HHT 1.15 along with Kirscbaum Evolution 1.2. Also got a doubles match on Saturday so should be good to see how the strings play there.
 

ender749

New User
Used Head Hawk 1.2 for 21 hours. Amazing string overall - consistent, predictable, nice connected feel, and holds tension amazingly well. I may end up experimenting with some hybrids as well using Head Hawk (with gut in main but also one with gut in crosses similar to Barty and Zverev).

Decided to commit and buy a reel of Head Hawk 1.2 grey.

Thanks all for your comments.
 
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