String Playtest - June 2010

TomballJV said:
Hey I see that youre using the MG radical pro also. Do you know any good hybrid combos? Or are you just using the RPMs?
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I used Hurricane (not tour) 17g and Gosen Sheep Micro 17G for a while, and I really loved the comfort it gave. I was having arm problems at the time, so I experimented with that because a friend recommended the Gosen to save my arm a bit, and I liked it. I had the RPM because I was selected for the playtest in March and then broke the string while stringing, so I had to see what it was like. Hurricane and the Gosen was a pretty good hybrid though, good spin, good control, and it didn't hurt my arm which was my biggest concern at the time.
 
playing conditions (temperature, indoor/outdoor, court surface)
70 degrees, outdoor hard court

tension it is strung (please do not hybrid)
57lbs

String pattern of your racquet
16x19 - Head Microgel Radical Pro

Power

Not too powerful. The ball does not fly off the racket by any means

Feel
If you count shanked slice shots that turned into a bad drop shot as feel, then this is awesome! Too often I would attempt deep slices that would drop inside the service line, which is unlike my slice shots that normally go long if anything (obviously this could be my fault, but the strings did feel awkward when attempting deep slice). Volleys weren't any better. An easy put away volley would often float allowing the opponent to get to it, or it would just keep going. Feel was not the strong suit for this string.

Tension Maintenance
I only hit for two hours?, but it did not lose tension. String movement was very little. This may be the only brightspot for this string unfortunately (for me anyway).

Overall comments and feedback
This is certainly not my type of string. I got heavy heavy spin if I attempted to hit with heavy spin, but my put away shots were often short and no longer put aways. Serves were a big problem for me with this string. Flat serves were hard to control, and I overcompensated often with my kick serves. Feel and volleys were not there for me. Shanks on the bright side seemed to always land inside the court due to the heavy spin. All this being said, someone who generates most of their power by themselves may like these strings due to the access to spin and it's initial tension maintenance. For me, these strings will not be staying for much longer.
 
austinjbrunner said:
I used Hurricane (not tour) 17g and Gosen Sheep Micro 17G for a while, and I really loved the comfort it gave. I was having arm problems at the time, so I experimented with that because a friend recommended the Gosen to save my arm a bit, and I liked it. I had the RPM because I was selected for the playtest in March and then broke the string while stringing, so I had to see what it was like. Hurricane and the Gosen was a pretty good hybrid though, good spin, good control, and it didn't hurt my arm which was my biggest concern at the time.
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Thanks. I'm gonna guess hurricane for mains right? And whattension did you use?
 
playing conditions (temperature, indoor/outdoor, court surface)

outdoors - hard surface - approx 80 deg.

tension it is strung
56 lbs

String pattern of your racquet
18 x 20 Dunlop 4D 300 Tour

power (or lack there of)
power seemed a lot lower to me compared to what I normally use.
not "springy" at all, so if you bring a lot of your own power, this might be a good thing.

feel
didn't care for the feel at all. although it wasn't overly harsh like some poly's, it felt kind of "dead" to me. Tough to get consistent with it on touch shots.

tension maintenance (how long it holds its tension)
seems the same as it was when I began......used it for 2 sessions about 2 hrs ea.

Overall comments and feedback
I'm afraid I have to agree with others here. Got lots of spin when you tried to use it that way, but that's not my game. I play a semi flat ball. Unfortunately, I was looking forward to finnishing the test so I could take these strings out. Very "un-lively" stringbed and I strung it pretty low. I haven't tried too many poly's yet, but compared to Black Code, BAM or Sonic Pro, this string felt VERY boardy to me. I like a little spring in my strings and some feedback when you hit it dead center and these gave very little in that respect. Wouldn't recommend these to anyone. Too many better options out there.
 
TomballJV said:
Thanks. I'm gonna guess hurricane for mains right? And whattension did you use?
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Yes, Hurricane mains. I believe I strung it at 58 Hurricane Mains and 56 Gosen Crosses. Now that I think of it, that's the only hybrid I have attempted on my own since I got my stringer, so technically it was the best hybrid I've used. Let me know if you find something better though, I'm always experimenting.
 
austinjbrunner said:
Yes, Hurricane mains. I believe I strung it at 58 Hurricane Mains and 56 Gosen Crosses. Now that I think of it, that's the only hybrid I have attempted on my own since I got my stringer, so technically it was the best hybrid I've used. Let me know if you find something better though, I'm always experimenting.
Click to expand...

Okay will do
 
playing conditions (temperature, indoor/outdoor, court surface)

outdoors - hard surface - approx 85 deg.

tension it is strung
57 lbs mains and 58 lbs crosses

String pattern of your racquet
16 x 19 Prestige TGK238.2

power (or lack there of)
Over all I would say that this is pretty average power for a poly or copoly in a full bed. You have to bring your own power and racquet head speed but if you do you are awarded.

feel
Not surprisingly the feel on this was what I would consider average for a full poly set up. definately not soft but it was pretty decent overall.

tension maintenance (how long it holds its tension)
Holding tension quite well so far after about 3 hours of hitting. I will update with more here after about 4 hours of hitting today and see how it goes.

Overall comments and feedback
Overall spin on this string for groundies was really very good. If you get the racquet head speed the ball really has some good just to it. I found that on serves this performed really well also with good pop on flat balls as well as excellentspin for slice and kickers. The one thing I can say is that it is really is difficult to string up, especially on the crosses the twist of the string tends to keep it twisting up on itself as you pull it through thus causing more twist to the string than what it normally has. I will be very curious to know what it is and the cost as I would strongly consider using it again. It's not quite as good as RPM blast for me but it is close.
 
austinjbrunner said:
playing conditions (temperature, indoor/outdoor, court surface)
70 degrees, outdoor hard court

tension it is strung (please do not hybrid)
57lbs

String pattern of your racquet
16x19 - Head Microgel Radical Pro

Power

Not too powerful. The ball does not fly off the racket by any means

Feel
If you count shanked slice shots that turned into a bad drop shot as feel, then this is awesome! Too often I would attempt deep slices that would drop inside the service line, which is unlike my slice shots that normally go long if anything (obviously this could be my fault, but the strings did feel awkward when attempting deep slice). Volleys weren't any better. An easy put away volley would often float allowing the opponent to get to it, or it would just keep going. Feel was not the strong suit for this string.

Tension Maintenance
I only hit for two hours?, but it did not lose tension. String movement was very little. This may be the only brightspot for this string unfortunately (for me anyway).

Overall comments and feedback
This is certainly not my type of string. I got heavy heavy spin if I attempted to hit with heavy spin, but my put away shots were often short and no longer put aways. Serves were a big problem for me with this string. Flat serves were hard to control, and I overcompensated often with my kick serves. Feel and volleys were not there for me. Shanks on the bright side seemed to always land inside the court due to the heavy spin. All this being said, someone who generates most of their power by themselves may like these strings due to the access to spin and it's initial tension maintenance. For me, these strings will not be staying for much longer.
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I have to agree with you. Especially on feel and volleys and groundstrokes.
 
* playing conditions (temperature, indoor/outdoor, court surface)

Hot and dry (85 deg night time, 95-100 deg day time). Hardcourts only. Singles and doubles.

* tension it is strung (please do not hybrid)

55 ibs. Normally I string poly main/ syngut or multicrosses at 57 lbs, but I decided to drop it a bit since it was full poly.

* String pattern of your racquet

16 x 18

* power (or lack there of)

low powered compared to other polys


* feel

Polys in general lack feel of course. Relative to other polys I would have to say it is below average.

* tension maintenance (how long it holds its tension)

About 10 hours for me. This I consider average for most polys I have tried.

* Overall comments and feedback

General appearance: thin gauge, copoly with texture. The spin potential seemed increased although it maybe a biased perspective since I knew it was a textured poly.

Stringing: very easy to string.

Stiffness: on the softer side for a poly, but surprisingly this did not translate to more feel actually less. Volleys and touch shots were not good with this string.

My current string is topspin cyberflash 17g and I don't think this string would replace it even in a hybrid set up. I could probably adjust for the lower power, but the lack of feel not so much. I think the player who would like this string the most is a baseline basher, looking for a little extra spin.
 
David123 said:
I have to agree with you. Especially on feel and volleys and groundstrokes.
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Same problem with these strings then? I mean, I was hitting drop shot winners on slice shots I was trying to drive deep in the court. That's nice hitting a winner on a drop shot and all, but when I am attempting to slice it deep and it just dies over the net, my confidence with the shot is done, therefore limiting me on my slice backhand.
 
* playing conditions (80-95 degrees,outdoor, Hard court)

* tension It is strung @ 52 pounds.

* String pattern 16x20 Aero Storm Tour

* power I felt this string was quite low powered, really had to put more on it; but more in a good way.

* feel As far as poly goes its about average, wasn't as dead feeling as Pro Hurricane; But not at good as Big ace 17. So I'd say its right in the middle which was fine.

* tension maintenance I'm at around 10 hours feels like only a slight drop to me. Will update later when I notice a major drop.

* Overall comments and feedback I felt that this was a good string overall I would buy this (price permitting). The bite and spin action on this string Just put a smile on my face. I think it being as low powered made it seem as there was more spin. very enjoyable string didn't find it harsh. Missed some drop shots and volleys but, I won't really blame that on the string. Grounds strokes were a joy as were serves, really got some good action there as well.

*Stringing Felt this was a little harder on the fingers for obvious reasons. Had no really issues while stringing Seemed like lit stretched a little more than some other polys would explain the nice pop you would get on the serves.
Overall I'm very impressed with what ever it is and would gladly replace my Usual set up with it!

Thanks TW!!
 
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As an update to my previous post I have to say again that this is one of the most difficult strings I have ever strung up for sure. However the result has really been quite good. I do really like the way this string plays pretty much all the way around. Bites the ball nicely and control is certainly there. I don't find this to be better in really any way than Black Code or RPM.
Tension maintenance is average I would say. I have about 6 hours on the string and I'd say it's pretty much done. I would not continue to use this and will be cutting it out at this point. I will be curious to see what the string is and what sort of price point it will carry. Thanks TW for the opportunity.
 
Blade0324 said:
As an update to my previous post I have to say again that this is one of the most difficult strings I have ever strung up for sure. However the result has really been quite good. I do really like the way this string plays pretty much all the way around. Bites the ball nicely and control is certainly there. I don't find this to be better in really any way than Black Code or RPM.
Tension maintenance is average I would say. I have about 6 hours on the string and I'd say it's pretty much done. I would not continue to use this and will be cutting it out at this point. I will be curious to see what the string is and what sort of price point it will carry. Thanks TW for the opportunity.
Click to expand...

^^ i have to agree it was a pain to string lol. Thanks TW fort he opportunity.
 
David123 said:
are we going to get to know what the string is TW?
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Based on what people are saying I would bet money it's the new Solinco string. Seems to have the exact same properties as tour bite, etc.
 
playing conditions: Outdoor courts, my High School courts, hardcourt, 80+ degrees
tension it is strung (please do not hybrid): 52/50
String pattern of your racquet 16 by 18
power (or lack there of) : very low powered. However, on serve, it has some very nice pop, and I truly feel that I've hit my hardest serves ever with the string.
feel: Typical poly feel. Very little pocketing. Even though I strung this about 4 pounds lower than I would normally, still very boardy feeling.
tension maintenance (how long it holds its tension) It's at around 10 hours now, and it's still playing well (didn't lose much tension at least)
likes/dislikes and why
String manufacturers have been able to get poly to last longer and longer and longer. I am impressed by the tension maintenance properties of this string. The spin capabilities were likewise very impressive, although, perhaps even a little too impressive. Although I know that strings won't change the ball I hit very much, I truly feel that I was able to get far more spin with this string than with any other string I've used. However, this spin capability came at the cost of power. It's severely underpowered, and to get power out of the string, I'd string a good 8 pounds lower than normal (which is what I will try next time). However, interestingly enough, I actually found some very nice pop on serve. Kick serves were, as expected, kicking. I also felt that feel was quite lacking, even for a poly. This string is a baseliner's string for sure.

On a side note, this string, despite being relatively stiff and twisted, is no harder to string than any other poly. Coil memory was very little.
 
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conditions: hard courts, 90+ degrees, humid

tension: 50/52 (lbs mains/crosses)

racquet: MG Prestige Pro (16 x 19)

power: very low. dropped tension 2 lbs in anticipation but next stringing would drop an additional 2 lbs.

comfort: acceptable. initially felt slightly stiff but no arm or shoulder soreness issues.

feel: little. there is just enough for this player. (regular setup consists of BAM and SpinX which provide significant feel).

dwell time/(ball pocketing): small but enough to absorb heat from big serves or change up the pace (when one wants to do so).

tension maintenance: still holding with ~8 hours practice hitting and match play.

spin: well the string shines here...a big thumbs up.

control: excellent. tho one must supply their own power and follow through on shots.

final comments: if one is looking for a reasonably comfortable, spinny, control oriented string then give it a try. the string makes the cut for this player.

TW - thanks for sending this particular string my way. any string tester discounts? :)
 
Playing Conditions: Indoor courts, hardcourts, cool weather (Seattle, WA)

Tension: 55 lbs (no tension drop)

String pattern: 16x19 (and relatively open in the center, too). Dunlop AG100

Power: Medium High, IMO. I felt that without the above average spin production that the balls I struck could have easily sailed out. That being said, this poly isn't a "soft," but powerful one. It is firm, bordering on TOO stiff for me. I definitely felt a twinge in my elbow when hitting with it, and I don't generally feel any pains in my elbow(s). My wrist is generally much more testy, and I was feeling it very quickly during this playtest.

Feel: I personally didn't like the feel of this string at all. The comfort level (as a result) was also pretty poor for me. The response of this string is firm, but without a lot of feedback. Generally for me, I like a crisper (harsher) string, largely because of the feedback that I get. This string had the stiffness, but lacked the "raw" feedback. This combo wasn't a good one for me. With that said, I'd like to reiterate that I DID like the results of the string! Touch and feel was well, well below average for me, though.

Tension maintenance: Pretty poor, even for a poly. The ONE benefit was that the string PLAYED very consistently throughout the playtest, even though the tension itself dropped significantly. Near the end of the playtest (before I cut them out), the string was very loose, even just by hand (pinch test). While the tension maintenance was poor, I wouldn't rate this string poorly in this category, simply because the playability remained very steady for me.

Control: Above average for me. Directional control was above average, even for a largely textured string. Normally with "gimmicky" strings, I have much less control, depth and directional control was good, and spin control was well above average as well. I did notice that my stroke was slightly different as a result of the spin production of the string, but I also think that this was due to the stiffness of the string, as well. I was hitting higher arching shots, and my ball peaked further away from me, more on the opposite side of the court.

Spin: As above, spin was excellent, but I never felt a deep "pocketing" of the ball. It was odd, as i didn't get a lot of feedback when spinning the ball, but I just had to trust the strings to do what they seemed to want to do as far as spin. Once I got over this mentally, I relaxed and just played my game.

Comments and feedback:
Good string, I'd be curious to see how it performs in a hybrid. The texture seemed (looked) to wear off pretty darn quickly, but the spin production was above average. Comfort and feel were poor for me, but if I didn't have arm problems, i'd consider playing with this string for a baseline bash session, although that's not really my type of game.
 
I'm just wanting to ask again since TW doesn't seem to be ready to tell us what this is yet. But I'll try.

TW when are you going to clue us in on what this string is?
 
Thank you to everyone who participated in the playtest.

The mysterious string that's been playtested is the new Solinco Barbwire.

Jason, TW
 
TW Staff said:
The mysterious string that's been playtested is the new Solinco Barbwire.

Jason, TW
Click to expand...

At first thought that is a terrible name for a string from a marketing standpoint. It would be like naming a racquet "frying pan."

But after thinking about it, the string does play similar to barb wire- no feel and low power:)
 
Playing conditions: (85 degrees F, outdoor, hard court)

Tension it is strung: 50# mains & 53# crosses

String pattern of your racquet: 16x19

Power (or lack there of): I played a total of 3-4 hours on this string and the power is there especially when hitting flat shots and flat serves.

Feel: I found not that much feel for this string on volleys especially. But I was expecting this from a textured and twisted poly like this one. Also I was ripping balls apart with this string, every shot I hit with topspin I was showered with ball fuzz.

Tension maintenance (how long it holds its tension): Playing 3-4 hours I didn't notice much tension loss.

Overall comments and feedback: I think this sting had the most bite that I've ever tried. Topspin shots were bouncing off the courts like mad, my topspin serves were bouncing over the head of my opponent. Had more slice serves that were aces. Volley needed to get used to. I think this string is really nice for baseline bashing.
 
Thanks TW for the update and for the opportunity to try out this new string. I can say that I will be getting some for myself and suggest to stringing clients that they give it a try as well.
 
conditions: 90 degrees, outdoor, hard court.
tension: 50 lbs. (drop of 5 lbs., usually using babolat rpm blast)
power: very powerful, felt great at a low tension
string pattern: 16X19 (pd+cortex)
feel: little feel, very stiff
tension maintenance: fantastic! played for 10+ hours, with nearly no sign of wear.
i'd definitely play with this again.
 
I would love to know as well TW. When do you expect to get these in stock? I think many many people are eagerly awaiting its debut
 
i'm FINALLY stringing this stuff up...i hope to play with it tonight (better late than never haha) -- i've been playing with rpm blast a lot lately, so we'll see how it compares...
 
Playing Conditions: 80+ degrees, muggy, hot hardcourts

Tension: 54 lbs.

String Pattern: 18 x 20 (BLX 95)

Initial Impression: Just looking at the string, it kind of reminded of my Signum Pro Tornado -- kind of that tightly wound poly. It behaved a little bit more on the stiff side (compared to RPM Blast) when strining -- and "Barbwire" is definitely an appropriate name for the string. When pulling the string through a shared grommet, you can hear a click, click, click as you pull it through. So yeah, lots of texture. It looks like it's square (like Tour Bite) and twisted.

Power (or lack there of): I found the string to not be overly low powered (like some polys), but not over powered either. I would probably describe the power level as "good" -- which I know is probably a weak description, but honestly I just found it to be an adequately power string. It actually felt kind of crisp -- especially compared to RPM Blast at the same tension. RPM Blast feels a little mushy at 54 lbs., but this string felt great / perfect at the same tension. Power level, B+

Feel: I normally string my polys in the mid to upper 50s -- but after reading a few reviews about the "stiffness" of the string, I decided to go down to 54 lbs. I thought the feel was decent -- pretty typical of most polys. I didn't find it to be overly stiff at all -- like I said before, it has this crisp feeling and DEFINITELY performs better than RPM Blast (not even really close). I'll admit it now -- I bought into the hype of RPM Blast...haha -- that's a decent string, but this one is better...less mushy, more spin, crisper feeling....

Tension Maintenance: I've only hit with it for about 3ish hours now, but it's still feels good. Definitely a little too early to comment on this.

Likes: This is a spin machine - it kind of rips the fuzz off the ball and definitely gives extra kick on serves. I REALLY like how it grabs the ball -- coming from kevlars back in the day, I really like a string that can grab the ball and add ridiculous topspin. This string would most likely benefit players who like to swing out with spin -- definitely benefits the modern player.

Dislikes: Honestly, I really had fun with this string -- it out performed RPM Blast -- just not even close. My only "dislike" was that it might be ever so slightly annoying to string -- but that shouldn't discourage you from the string. Oh, and that you can't get it now :)

Bottom line: Give this string a try when it comes out -- imagine ALU Rough, except easier on your arm.
 
i know i'm like to 600 person to say i'd like to playtest but i'd would like a chance to become a part of the string playtesters lol :)
email is samwood920@knights.ucf.edu
(possibly next time)
play alot of tennis (5.0-5.5 player)and would be able to write alot of reviews and inform people how the string performs.

Thank you
 
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