Rpm rough vs rpm team for college player

[Tennisman11]

I’m a d1 mens player and am looking to switch from rpm blast. I use the pure aero 98 and am an aggressive player who goes to the net a good amount and I have heavy groundstrokes but when I get a chance I flatten the ball out slightly.

I was wondering if anyone had any insight into which between rpm rough and rpm team would fit my game better all things considered. I like both equally but I just wanted another opinion if possible thanks.

 

[Trip]

@Tennisman11 - Just curious, why are you looking to switch away from RPM Blast? For performance reasons, or otherwise? Any additional info there might help us make a better recommendation for you.

Beyond that, perhaps you need to have a more extended playoff, to see which you prefer in more situations. With enough court time, I would presume one of the two would start to show an advantage over the other.

 

[Tennisman11]

@Tennisman11 - Just curious, why are you looking to switch away from RPM Blast? For performance reasons, or otherwise? Any additional info there might help us make a better recommendation for you.

Beyond that, perhaps you need to have a more extended playoff, to see which you prefer in more situations. With enough court time, I would presume one of the two would start to show an advantage over the other.

Rpm blast gave me elbow and wrist pain and lost tension way too fast. I just want a string that gives me solid all around playability.

 

[talynen]

Do you have any sponsorship? Does the string need to be Babolat?

 

[esgee48]

RPM Team holds tension a lot better than RPM Blast. It is much stiffer when strung at the same tension as Blast, so you may want to string it a little lower, 2-6#.

 

[Tennisman11]

Solinco is the sponsor of the school but I also get my babolat strings for very very cheap so there is not much of a difference and I really dislike the feel of the 4 sided strings that Solinco has.

Do you have any sponsorship? Does the string need to be Babolat?

 

[talynen]

Ok; I can't offer any suggestions from personal experience as I haven't used Solinco or Babolat strings. Good luck!

 

[Trip]

Rpm blast gave me elbow and wrist pain and lost tension way too fast. I just want a string that gives me solid all around playability.

Solinco is the sponsor of the school but I also get my babolat strings for very very cheap so there is not much of a difference and I really dislike the feel of the 4 sided strings that Solinco has.

Thanks for the extra info. Now we're getting somewhere.

So, Team will hold tension and playability noticeably longer than Blast, but most who've played both say it's more firm than Blast, so if we go by that alone, then comfort might be worse. But, that doesn't always tell the whole story. Vibration frequencies will also be different, and depending on how they interact with your Aero's layup, your wrist and forearm tissue might be OK, provided you drop tension a few pounds or more, and/or add a bit of extra mass in the handle to boost recoil weight, will increase comfort all on its own as well.

If that fails, then I would look at Solinco Outlast or Hyper-G Round. (Apparently, Tour Bite Round is also coming out at some point, but I've heard conflicting info as to when) And I know you said you haven't enjoyed the feel of the 4-sided Solinco strings (which, by the way, are all actually 5-sided; plenty of proof of this elsewhere on the forums, you need only search), but you might want to try Solinco's new string, Mach-10 (which is like a slightly softer and slightly more powerful version of Confidential) and possibly hybrid it with Hyper-G Round in the crosses – apparently that's quite a nice combo.

Beyond that, list any other brands that you can access for similar cost, and we'll see what other recommendations we can come up with.

Hope that helps!

 

[ChaseS.]

Thanks for the extra info. Now we're getting somewhere.

So, Team will hold tension and playability noticeably longer than Blast, but most who've played both say it's more firm than Blast, so if we go by that alone, then comfort might be worse. But, that doesn't always tell the whole story. Vibration frequencies will also be different, and depending on how they interact with your Aero's layup, your wrist and forearm tissue might be OK, provided you drop tension a few pounds or more, and/or add a bit of extra mass in the handle to boost recoil weight, will increase comfort all on its own as well.

If that fails, then I would look at Solinco Outlast or Hyper-G Round. (Apparently, Tour Bite Round is also coming out at some point, but I've heard conflicting info as to when) And I know you said you haven't enjoyed the feel of the 4-sided Solinco strings (which, by the way, are all actually 5-sided; plenty of proof of this elsewhere on the forums, you need only search), but you might want to try Solinco's new string, Mach-10 (which is like a slightly softer and slightly more powerful version of Confidential) and possibly hybrid it with Hyper-G Round in the crosses – apparently that's quite a nice combo.

Beyond that, list any other brands that you can access for similar cost, and we'll see what other recommendations we can come up with.

Hope that helps!

I will second the Outlast recommendation. One of the most underrated and impressive round polys on the market

 

[Tennisman11]

Thanks for the extra info. Now we're getting somewhere.

So, Team will hold tension and playability noticeably longer than Blast, but most who've played both say it's more firm than Blast, so if we go by that alone, then comfort might be worse. But, that doesn't always tell the whole story. Vibration frequencies will also be different, and depending on how they interact with your Aero's layup, your wrist and forearm tissue might be OK, provided you drop tension a few pounds or more, and/or add a bit of extra mass in the handle to boost recoil weight, will increase comfort all on its own as well.

If that fails, then I would look at Solinco Outlast or Hyper-G Round. (Apparently, Tour Bite Round is also coming out at some point, but I've heard conflicting info as to when) And I know you said you haven't enjoyed the feel of the 4-sided Solinco strings (which, by the way, are all actually 5-sided; plenty of proof of this elsewhere on the forums, you need only search), but you might want to try Solinco's new string, Mach-10 (which is like a slightly softer and slightly more powerful version of Confidential) and possibly hybrid it with Hyper-G Round in the crosses – apparently that's quite a nice combo.

Beyond that, list any other brands that you can access for similar cost, and we'll see what other recommendations we can come up with.

Hope that helps!

Thanks for this. I actually can string rpm team at the same tension or higher than blast and have no arm issues at all. I see that you did not mention rpm rough though do you have an idea on which will offer more consistency and overall playability while maintaining the good spin?

 

[ChaseS.]

Thanks for this. I actually can string rpm team at the same tension or higher than blast and have no arm issues at all. I see that you did not mention rpm rough though do you have an idea on which will offer more consistency and overall playability while maintaining the good spin?

Rpm rough was a very average string when I used it. Feel was ok, spin was pretty good, did not last all that long.

 

[Trip]

I think RPM Blast Rough is best as a cross, as it enables significantly more snapback of whatever mains, usually more so than a full bed of those mains. Team's playability is still going to be longer, though, at least under most circumstances.

 

[VanDerVaart23]

most who've played both say it's more firm than Blast, so if we go by that alone, then comfort might be worse

Didn't Carlitos change to Team last year cause it was softer when playing it? (Not by the numbers, he came back to Normal Blast though)

 

[Tennisman11]

I think RPM Blast Rough is best as a cross, as it enables significantly more snapback of whatever mains, usually more so than a full bed of those mains. Team's playability is still going to be longer, though, at least under most circumstances.

I decided on rpm team thanks for the help. I have another question though. I seem to “break” or damage the grip of every racket I have. I can feel the bottom of the grip creaking or cracking on most forehands and Im wondering if you could have some insight on this. I’m 6’2” and use grip size 4 3/8th. Do you think that going up to 4 1/2 would fix this since I would presumably not have to hold the grip so tight?

 

[Trip]

I’m 6’2” and use grip size 4 3/8th. Do you think that going up to 4 1/2 would fix this since I would presumably not have to hold the grip so tight?

Well height isn't usually always a precursor of hand size, but yeah, it would probably be worth a try. I'm also 6'2" and I'm always at least a 4 1/2 (Grip 4), sometimes even pushing a 4 5/8 (Grip 5) if I want to try for a thinner grip and extra bevel feel. So yeah, I would give it a shot. Another thing you can try and "buffering" against your own crushing force with a bit of extra over grip or other material wrap around the butt cap.

 

[Billy Baller]

I think RPM Blast Rough is best as a cross, as it enables significantly more snapback of whatever mains, usually more so than a full bed of those mains. Team's playability is still going to be longer, though, at least under most circumstances.

I'm thinking about going Team 17 in the mains at 55 and Rough 17 in the crosses at 52. What do you think the benefits/drawbacks of that setup would be? I play the Aero 100 (currently static weighted 328 strung with full bed of Rough 17 at the above tensions and original balance)

 

[Trip]

I'm thinking about going Team 17 in the mains at 55 and Rough 17 in the crosses at 52. What do you think the benefits/drawbacks of that setup would be? I play the Aero 100 (currently static weighted 328 strung with full bed of Rough 17 at the above tensions and original balance)

Potentially a best-of-both-worlds combo, from longer playability of Team in the mains, with enhanced snap and pop from Rough crosses. My main point of wonderment would be: how long would the snapback last, given RPM's tendency to shed its silicone layer in fairly short order. If you do try the combo, please let us know how it performs, and how long that performance lasts!

 

[VanDerVaart23]

I'm thinking about going Team 17 in the mains at 55 and Rough 17 in the crosses at 52. What do you think the benefits/drawbacks of that setup would be? I play the Aero 100 (currently static weighted 328 strung with full bed of Rough 17 at the above tensions and original balance)

Sounds like a sick combo.
The only drawback I see with team is that it tends to launch the ball more than you'd want to

 

[Billy Baller]

Potentially a best-of-both-worlds combo, from longer playability of Team in the mains, with enhanced snap and pop from Rough crosses. My main point of wonderment would be: how long would the snapback last, given RPM's tendency to shed its silicone layer in fairly short order. If you do try the combo, please let us know how it performs, and how long that performance lasts!

Ok wow. Had this in the racket for about 6 sets and it is still snapping back great. Went 57team/54rough. Easy power, easy spin, easy control. My natural ball flight is high clearance topspin but flattening out by driving or slicing feels smooth with this combo. Let you know when I have to cut it out and restring but it feels great so far.

 

[Billy Baller]

Ok wow. Had this in the racket for about 6 sets and it is still snapping back great. Went 57team/54rough. Easy power, easy spin, easy control. My natural ball flight is high clearance topspin but flattening out by driving or slicing feels smooth with this combo. Let you know when I have to cut it out and restring but it feels great so far.

Have yet to cut this out of three rackets. To me it feels like the perfect combo of everything. Weighted the sticks up a bit to 330g (mostly throat but 4g at 9 & 3). The great thing: the Team (mains) is the string that's notching so it slides and snaps back in place whereas the Rough is not moving which I kind of like for hammering serves. Loving hitting this setup.

 

[Trip]

@Billy Baller - Thanks for coming back with the updates. Glad to hear it's working out for you!

 

[ichaseballs]

dude change to rpm team and add 5g to the throat