I'm a 60-year-old 3.5 level player. I'm not a big hitter. I have mostly a flat ball with an occasional top spin and drop shot. For years I have used Luxilon Big Banger poly 16 @55. No real issues, but I've been looking for a little more pace on those passing shots. I recently switched to multifilament Technifibre NRG2. I loved them at first, but they seemed to lose their effectiveness and started fraying within a few months. Based on my game, should I try a soft poly which may give me the extra pace for those passing shots or should I try a different multifilament? If so, any string recommendation you have would be appreciated. Not interested in hybrid, just a durable string that would give the typical recreational player some extra pop.
Soft Poly with some extra liveliness
- Thread starter RussJ
- Start date
thenewbig3
Semi-Pro
Have you tried 45 or 50 lbs with the BB?
Few months, that might be 100 or more hours?? WTF. Is that not a satisfactory time period? I get 2 weeks on Tour Bite 17 (12+ hours) and I know people who get 1 session! (1 hour) Personally I would use NRG2 or some other multi and just change strings more often (2 months maybe?)
Most multis are are going to be like that... My son gets 50+ on his Blade V6 16x19 with Sensation 16 BUT by that time his crosses are so thin and there is really no power or elasticity left in the string... It was shocking how poorly it played. I actually switched him to Multifeel so it would break faster and not have to play when the strings are so bad an usable in the end.
Regarding the poly:
Big Banger is 30+ years old now... You can try almost anything currently made for more pop. An example could be something like Kirshbaum Pro Line Evolution. What is you racket? Just curiosity more than anything else
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TennisManiac
Hall of Fame
Holy crap! You're complaining about a multi fraying after 2 months? 
I'm surprised you can get more than a few weeks to be honest.
I'm surprised you can get more than a few weeks to be honest.Volkl Vfeel9. As a recreational player, not interested in changing strings every 2 months. Good suggestion about lowering the tension on the big banger. I was thinking about trying tour bite soft based on reviews that they have some liveliness for a poly.
1HBHfanatic
Legend
-OP
-you could try luxilon element/soft
-also head.lynx
-an oldie now, weiscannon scorpion
-isospeed cream
-lots of new options out now for the SOFT poly category
-these above are the ones ive tried
-you could try luxilon element/soft
-also head.lynx
-an oldie now, weiscannon scorpion
-isospeed cream
-lots of new options out now for the SOFT poly category
-these above are the ones ive tried
LOBALOT
Legend
My gosh. OP if you haven't tried gut/poly at "our age" what are you thinking????
Not interested in hybrid? gut/poly would be my first choice but ok. How about Volkl Cyclone Tour 16G. It is an awesome string but be ready to string it pretty frequently.
If it were me gut/poly is a no brainer.
Not interested in hybrid? gut/poly would be my first choice but ok. How about Volkl Cyclone Tour 16G. It is an awesome string but be ready to string it pretty frequently.
If it were me gut/poly is a no brainer.
socallefty
G.O.A.T.
If you are complaining about a soft string fraying in two months, I assume you are playing with Big Banger for longer than that. So you don’t notice the loss in control when the poly is ‘dead’ and has lost its resilience - it also doesn’t cause you any discomfort. I’m afraid that I have no idea what to recommend for a player who can play with Big Banger for more than 2 months without noticing any performance drop or experience any discomfort and thinks 2 months playing with a multifilament is not long enough.
VanDerVaart23
Semi-Pro
This post doesn't make sense
Keep any multi until the fraying bothers you. Don't go to poly if you're not going to restring after solid 10 hours on court maximum
Keep any multi until the fraying bothers you. Don't go to poly if you're not going to restring after solid 10 hours on court maximum
Rabbit
G.O.A.T.
Given your parameters, 60 years old, flat hitter, 3.5, poly is the last string I’d recommend as a stringer. If you want a softer string with more pop, I would recommend Yonex Rexis Speed. It is a multi infused with poly. It’s very comfortable. I’m 66, 4.0, and have been to regionals in 55s getting to the finals the last 3 years (I’m competitive) and play with a lot of spin and get very good durability.
@RussJ - So commentary on other things aside, just know that even the highest-powered poly's won't be all that much more powerful than BBO – you might get a few percentage points more explosiveness. Whether that's enough for you, only you will know. One example might be something like Toroline O-Toro, which will be noticeably more supple and gut-like in its rebound response than BBO, and although it might not be quite as durable as BBO, if you're pretty much not breaking poly at all, and it takes you 2+ months to break a multi, then I doubt you'll have any issues with O-Toro's durability for the better part of a year.
That said, I think you might want to explore different string materials. Since I presume your distaste for hybrids comes from wanting to keep things simple (I get that), then I would highly recommend looking at a synthetic/poly fusion string, which blends both materials into a "hybrid", all in one string, to give you a good amount of poly-like control, with the higher power and "play it until it breaks" benefit of synthetics. Good examples would be: Tecnifibre Triax, Tecnifibre HDMX, Yonex Rexis Speed and Prince Lightning Pro, all of which have varying levels of poly in them. From lowest-powered and most poly-like to highest-powered and most synthetic-like, the progression would go Triax -> HDMX -> Rexis Speed -> Lightning Pro.
Beyond that, I have some other ideas, that mainly involve hybriding, but will hold off per your stated preference for the time being.
Hope some of that helps.
That said, I think you might want to explore different string materials. Since I presume your distaste for hybrids comes from wanting to keep things simple (I get that), then I would highly recommend looking at a synthetic/poly fusion string, which blends both materials into a "hybrid", all in one string, to give you a good amount of poly-like control, with the higher power and "play it until it breaks" benefit of synthetics. Good examples would be: Tecnifibre Triax, Tecnifibre HDMX, Yonex Rexis Speed and Prince Lightning Pro, all of which have varying levels of poly in them. From lowest-powered and most poly-like to highest-powered and most synthetic-like, the progression would go Triax -> HDMX -> Rexis Speed -> Lightning Pro.
Beyond that, I have some other ideas, that mainly involve hybriding, but will hold off per your stated preference for the time being.
Hope some of that helps.
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Your thoughts on WC Scorpion as cross? Have u tried it
TennisViking
Semi-Pro
Another option could be Tecnifibre X-One in the thickest gauge 1.34. It lasts pretty long and plays great all the way until it snaps. It has great pop. For even more power, drop a few pounds in tension.
Multifilaments do start to fray but in general it does not affect how they play. (At least for intermediate players)
Two months is a pretty long time. I think one ought to be happy with two months. I have two identical racquets and when the strings snaps, I just switch racquets and get new strings in the other one. At the least that way my play will never be interrupted.
Multifilaments do start to fray but in general it does not affect how they play. (At least for intermediate players)
Two months is a pretty long time. I think one ought to be happy with two months. I have two identical racquets and when the strings snaps, I just switch racquets and get new strings in the other one. At the least that way my play will never be interrupted.
Irvin
Talk Tennis Guru
I know you said you were not interested in any hybrids but Head Velocity MLT / ALU Rough is a good one if you want to try it. Multi crosses tend to wear out quick. For a soft poly you could try ALU Power Soft full bed.
ChanterRacquet
Professional
Volkl Cyclone Tour 16. Big tension drop at first, will be quite powerful but still have snapback for a long while. Then restring once strings start sticking/rainbowing out of place.
I’m fond of the red color version. Seems softer to me.
Or, gut in the mains and smooth poly in the crosses like Element. But will be two-three times the price.
I’m fond of the red color version. Seems softer to me.
Or, gut in the mains and smooth poly in the crosses like Element. But will be two-three times the price.
fuzz nation
G.O.A.T.
My general issue with many (but not all) multifiber strings is that they degrade rather quickly. By degrade, I mean that they fray and/or lose tension as they're played. Many "premium" multi's are pretty expensive, but their service life is relatively brief. Not too much bang for our buck there.
I've been stringing at home for almost twenty years and the one multi I keep on hand for when I need that string type is Prince Premier Control (PPC). This string has a construction that's a bit similar to Wilson NXT (it has a tiny core that helps it with holding tension over its service life), but the PPC is a good bit less pricey than the Wilson. I've even had great luck with heavier 15L gauge PPC for a few stronger high school kids who have needed to switch to a softer string in the middle of a busy season.
If you want to try something that's closer to the "poly" family of strings, you could try Isospeed Cream. This string is a polymer (rubber, not polyester) that can play softer than some poly/co-poly options. Opinions vary.
If you came to me asking for a new setup, the first thing I'd have you try is a bed of good ol' synthetic gut. This string isn't terribly exotic, but it's still an ideal option for many of us "mere mortals", especially flat hitters. Babolat and Prince Original syn. gut are two options that bring a great balance of moderate softness and very good performance. While you might not get two or three times as much service life from a bed of syn. gut compared with a multi, I would expect a syn. gut to last at least as long for you as just about any multifiber of the same gauge.
One big upside of syn. gut is that it's pretty much the most affordable string type around. No need to fork over big chunks of dough to get a string bed that should work really well for you.
Also - syn. guts are definitely not all the same. The softest syn. gut I know of is Forten Sweet 16 (16 gauge) - it's nearly as soft as a lot of multis, but again, much less pricey.
One of the more durable syn. guts I sometimes use is Gosen OG Sheep Micro. I generally use this string either as a cross in some poly hybrids or in a full bed when somebody wants a durable string bed that isn't poly. Although I put syn. gut in my own frames pretty much all the time, this Gosen string along with Prince SG with Duraflex (not Prince Original SG) are both too firm for my taste.
EggSalad
Hall of Fame
I think you might really like Tecnifibre Triax.
AmericanTwist
Professional
Only string that will give extra pop is natural gut. Solid core syn gut gets close to multicore syn gut (multi). String a little looser, lift more weights, or work on your technique. You can try a poly on the crosses with a solid core syn gut main or the reverse for more longevity. Both may give you more spin but less pop.
Why no hybrids? Be open minded. No offense, but as a 3.5 player you should take the advice of all of us,. some of whom may have more experience/play at a much higher level. Good luck!
Why no hybrids? Be open minded. No offense, but as a 3.5 player you should take the advice of all of us,. some of whom may have more experience/play at a much higher level. Good luck!
Rosstour
G.O.A.T.
I would really recommend 17gauge over 16 as thinner strings tend to be easier on the arm
Don't really agree with the first part
Strings are on a spectrum for all characteristics and power is just one of them. Other strings besides natgut will give you pop, just not as much. And if you string it too tightly like almost everyone does, you won't get much power at all
Rosstour
G.O.A.T.
I have Lynx Tour/Hawk Touch in two of my Clashes, and my usual Cyclone Tour 17g in two others.
I have had better results with the Cyclone but the Head hybrid feels a lot nicer. More plush, more powerful, more "oomph"
StringStrungStrang
Professional
I can second the Weiss Cannon Scorpion (1.22) - soft and adds pop, but I would use it as a cross in a hybrid.
If you like the control of BB then hybriding it to get more pop really does make sense. Gives you the opportunity to get closer to what you want. Personally, it is rare when a full-bed is just what I want so I do poly/poly hybrid.
Any, lot's of good advice here to, but none are honestly going to give you the extended duration you are looking for.
Polys will look better for longer, but multis and syn gut will generally play at a more consistent level longer IME.
SinneGOAT
Legend
Cyclone tour is pretty nice, I didn’t like lynx touch cause it literally felt like a poly that had lost its tension even though it was freshly strung, so much power and mushiness. If someone wants that high comfort it’s great, but wow it had like no feel lol.
If you like the NRG2, then you'll probably really like the X-ONE BI-PHASE by Technifibre. I am a former NRG2 user. I use this string for my Wilson Tour 95. It has good pop and controlled power.
I love it, It has been very durable. I would not be concerned about fraying, It's not gonna hurt your game any.
I love it, It has been very durable. I would not be concerned about fraying, It's not gonna hurt your game any.
Rosstour
G.O.A.T.
Lynx Tour or Lynx Touch?
Rosstour
G.O.A.T.
I have X1 in my 6.1 Classic and it's awesome
SinneGOAT
Legend
Touch, that weird see through poly. It came out in 2022, I was fortunate to be on the playtest and it was marketed heavily as a pure comfort poly.
LOBALOT
Legend
You will be stringing TB soft a lot more frequently than that. If you are concerned about string performance but not concerned about restringing and how a string degrades/performs over time just go with a Synthetic gut and play it until it snaps.
I am a former NRG2 user. It's a good string. If you haven't tried the X1-Bi-Phase give it a whirl. There is a reason it has received a ton of buzz. Very durable for me, also a 3-5 player.
Very predictable, it has a GREAT feel and controllable power. I predict you will like it a lot.
