RPM Blast 17 vs Pro Hurricane 18

[Ehien]

Please help me out guys...

I'm near the end of my string testing and want to try one more (and not two, thus the post) string before I come to a conclusion.

I'm debating between trying either Babolat RPM Blast 17 OR Pro Hurricane 18. If anyone has tried both, can he or she share the pros and cons of these strings?

I am a 4.5 player using Wilson K6.1 95 16x18. The main reason I'm interested in these two strings is for their spin potential. I know RPM Blast is famous for this. PH 18 is about the softest poly in TW's string database (a big plus I think) but there's no number for RPM Blast 17 (only for 16). So, hope to hear from experience...

Thanks in advance!
Ehien

 

[Davis937]

Please help me out guys...

I'm near the end of my string testing and want to try one more (and not two, thus the post) string before I come to a conclusion.

I'm debating between trying either Babolat RPM Blast 17 OR Pro Hurricane 18. If anyone has tried both, can he or she share the pros and cons of these strings?

I am a 4.5 player using Wilson K6.1 95 16x18. The main reason I'm interested in these two strings is for their spin potential. I know RPM Blast is famous for this. PH 18 is about the softest poly in TW's string database (a big plus I think) but there's no number for RPM Blast 17 (only for 16). So, hope to hear from experience...

Thanks in advance!
Ehien

Hey, Ehien ... I'm a big fan of the new Blast strings (currently using the 17g) ... I have not used the pro hurricane 18 strings ... I've been very pleased with the Blast strings ... they provide good power and excellent control on my groundies ... I especially noticed a difference in my serving with these new strings ... my serves now sounds like a "rifle shot" and I've added additional pace on my serves ... to be frank, I have not noticed any significant increase in spin ... however, I use almost a full western grip on my FH so I've always had good top spin (plus, my former string was the Luxilon fluoro which provided good spin) ... finally, and this was the biggest plus for me ... I've had a long history of wrist, arm, and shoulder problems ... the Blast is known as a "soft" poly that is very forgiving ... I've found this to be true, and I've had no soreness or pain ... one drawback: the strings have a very short "life" ... the strings will go dead after 8 - 10 hours of play ... I recommend you try the Blast!

 

[Ehien]

Hey, Ehien ... I'm a big fan of the new Blast strings (currently using the 17g) ... I have not used the pro hurricane 18 strings ... I've been very pleased with the Blast strings ... they provide good power and excellent control on my groundies ... I especially noticed a difference in my serving with these new strings ... my serves now sounds like a "rifle shot" and I've added additional pace on my serves ... to be frank, I have not noticed any significant increase in spin ... however, I use almost a full western grip on my FH so I've always had good top spin (plus, my former string was the Luxilon fluoro which provided good spin) ... finally, and this was the biggest plus for me ... I've had a long history of wrist, arm, and shoulder problems ... the Blast is known as a "soft" poly that is very forgiving ... I've found this to be true, and I've had no soreness or pain ... one drawback: the strings have a very short "life" ... the strings will go dead after 8 - 10 hours of play ... I recommend you try the Blast!

Thanks so much for sharing! Glad to hear a strong vote for RPM Blast 17.

But from TW's database shown below, PH 16 is tested softer than RPM 16 and PH 18 is almost as soft as one of my favorite string- NXT 16. Perhaps the values only tell part of the story?

Hope to hear about PH 18 but of course personal experience on both will be perfect.

 

[Arvid]

Well i have used both of these strings, and in my honest opinion after i had used RPM Blast i had to ask myself "what is the deal with this string?" It did absolutely not give as much spin as pht 18, and seemed like it lost tension even faster. I do play with a tight string pattern, dont know if that has something to do with that maybe i get more spin from a thinner string. Also considering the differense in price its ridicoulos, i would never again buy another set of Blast over Pht even if it only cost half as much as the Pht.....

 

[Ehien]

Well i have used both of these strings, and in my honest opinion after i had used RPM Blast i had to ask myself "what is the deal with this string?" It did absolutely not give as much spin as pht 18, and seemed like it lost tension even faster. I do play with a tight string pattern, dont know if that has something to do with that maybe i get more spin from a thinner string. Also considering the differense in price its ridicoulos, i would never again buy another set of Blast over Pht even if it only cost half as much as the Pht.....

Finally! Someone with experience on both. But you meant PH, not PHT, right? Last time I checked there's no PHT 18.

Yes it'll be very cool if PH 18 works well for me. Here it's $10 vs RPM's $16. And I'm hoping it's indeed softer than most other poly so there's no risk of TE (or the Golfer's Elbow I suffered a while back).

BTW what's your racquet?

The 16x18 pattern of my K6.1 should be spin friendly.

 

[Donny0627]

I am testing ph18 right now and it is considerably soft...

 

[Ehien]

I am testing ph18 right now and it is considerably soft...

Soft is good, especially if it still provides good spin.

We're using similar racquets. So I'll be looking forward to your updates.

 

[Fedace]

I tried both for good 8 hours.
RPM blast performs great at lower tensions and suck at high tensions. PHT 18 gauge has more power but less spin potential. PHT 18 is better for volleying i think.

 

[Donny0627]

Soft is good, especially if it still provides good spin.

We're using similar racquets. So I'll be looking forward to your updates.

Well, it does have a decent spin potential, although it is not ridiculous...

As Fedace said, it is great for volleys...

I think it has improved my serve, I have not lost any power from my previous setup but have gained more spin and control...

Groundies have improved with better control...

 

[Arvid]

Finally! Someone with experience on both. But you meant PH, not PHT, right? Last time I checked there's no PHT 18.

Yes it'll be very cool if PH 18 works well for me. Here it's $10 vs RPM's $16. And I'm hoping it's indeed softer than most other poly so there's no risk of TE (or the Golfer's Elbow I suffered a while back).

BTW what's your racquet?

The 16x18 pattern of my K6.1 should be spin friendly.

Actually i did mean pro hurricane tour 18, here in europe where i am they have it. The normal PH i cant really say anything about. I use a Twin Tube radical. Like i said before i did really like the PHT 18. However i heard so much good about Solinco tour bite, so i decided to get some of that. I dont mean to say that this is some miracle string or anything, but for me it was just about perfect. I hit with a lot of spin and with string i can really rip in to the ball and at the same time have lots of control. But to each man there own of course, if youre looking for spin and control i can really recomend you give the tourbite a shot. With my dense pattern i opted for the tourbite 17 which is 1,20, i also have some tourbite 18 that im gone try later, but absolutely satisfied with this string....

 

[Ehien]

I'm leaning toward trying PH 18 first.

Wonder what's the recommended tension to try for a guy coming from 58lbs with 10% pre-stretch (on constant pull electronic machine) on this string?

And to gain full benefit is it recommended to have different tension on cross?

Best regards,
Ehien

 

[Ehien]

Well, my plan took a big turn today...

After more reading on the web with reviews and comments, I found one string that seems to posses all the properties I'm looking for. It is Solinco Tour Bite. My local store only has 18 in stock so that's what I got. I plan to put it on once my current string breaks.

Looks like it should have more spin potential than PH 18. The only concern is whether it'll be too stiff as I'm coming from multi's like NXT, TNT2 Pro Plus, or TNT2 Tour. But seeing many positive feedback from players with multi's on similar racquets, I do have very high expectation on this string.

We shall see...

 

[lcstringer]

I'd say the spin is about the same because the 17 RPM will provide about the same spin as 18 PH. RPM is a hex string that's why it has more spin than 17 PH. However it comes down to a question of feel. The RPM is a stiffer string than PH so it will have less feel. Also RPM is done after 4-5 hours of play. It just goes flat. PH has more playability in it. Of course for Rafa it doesn't matter because he will string his frames every day and if he thinks that a match will be longer than usual he'll do one every half hour until he's ahead for sure.
Best way to do it try both and only you can decide.
Another string worth mentioning is the TF Pro mix, a multifilament poly string with lots of feel, good durability and a stiffer feel. One of the guys I string for he switched from NRG to Pro mix and loves it.

 

[Ehien]

I'd say the spin is about the same because the 17 RPM will provide about the same spin as 18 PH. RPM is a hex string that's why it has more spin than 17 PH. However it comes down to a question of feel. The RPM is a stiffer string than PH so it will have less feel. Also RPM is done after 4-5 hours of play. It just goes flat. PH has more playability in it. Of course for Rafa it doesn't matter because he will string his frames every day and if he thinks that a match will be longer than usual he'll do one every half hour until he's ahead for sure.
Best way to do it try both and only you can decide.
Another string worth mentioning is the TF Pro mix, a multifilament poly string with lots of feel, good durability and a stiffer feel. One of the guys I string for he switched from NRG to Pro mix and loves it.

I'm not willing to sacrifice *too much* feel for spin. So RPM sounds less and less like my ideal string.

Interesting... NRG is a very soft string. This means TF Pro mix should be on the soft side too.