switching..... looking for strings

[Nicholas Noker]

Hey guys,
I made the switch from a very weighted up clash tour to yonex vcore pro 330. The yonex really helps my all court-ness. If that makes sense and I don't need to mess with adding weight to the frame.

I played with gut mains and red code poly cross on the clash in the mid 50's. I recently relocated to a much more humid location (where clay courts are more popular than hard, which is another change) which is ripping up the gut at a rate I am not comfortable with putting out that kind of cash to pay for gut this frequently.

I am a 4.0 who hits pretty big with a lot of spin but am not a string breaker. In this humidity, the gut seems to fray a lot faster. I have had shoulder/ arm issues about 2 years ago but I think that was due to too much weight added to a racquet. I was experimenting and took it too far!

I am looking to up the spin to help with the clay court play and get away from gut to a poly hybrid. I am thinking something like volkl v square or ultra cable in the mains (open to other ideas as well) at a low tension in something like 18 gauge.
What soft (for a poly) that gives good snap back and power string would you guys suggest I look at for a cross?

Thanks for the input!

 

[Big4]

This may not be exactly what you are looking for, but I have been using this racquet for about a year and a half and have been stringing with big banger original at 52 lbs. I used to have arm problems in high school (currently playing in college) but have been free of those for a few years now. I have always felt like original was on the softer side of luxilon strings which is why I thought of sharing, but I know many feel differently so this may not be super helpful. Additionally, I have felt like the racquet is much more predictable and I have hit with better consistency since switching to original about a year ago (was using ALU before).

 

[mctennis]

I like YTex Quadro Twist strings when I play outdoors on clay. Especially in the heat it does, for me, really well.

 

[Paragon]

Try Solinco strings, I prefer tour bite in my pro staffs, but if that is too stiff for you try tour bite soft or Hyper G which is also a very good string and is softer on the arm compared to tour bite. TBS is a little more mushy but a lot softer compared to TB

 

[SirFuzzington]

Hey guys,
I made the switch from a very weighted up clash tour to yonex vcore pro 330. The yonex really helps my all court-ness. If that makes sense and I don't need to mess with adding weight to the frame.

I played with gut mains and red code poly cross on the clash in the mid 50's. I recently relocated to a much more humid location (where clay courts are more popular than hard, which is another change) which is ripping up the gut at a rate I am not comfortable with putting out that kind of cash to pay for gut this frequently.

I am a 4.0 who hits pretty big with a lot of spin but am not a string breaker. In this humidity, the gut seems to fray a lot faster. I have had shoulder/ arm issues about 2 years ago but I think that was due to too much weight added to a racquet. I was experimenting and took it too far!

I am looking to up the spin to help with the clay court play and get away from gut to a poly hybrid. I am thinking something like volkl v square or ultra cable in the mains (open to other ideas as well) at a low tension in something like 18 gauge.
What soft (for a poly) that gives good snap back and power string would you guys suggest I look at for a cross?

Thanks for the input!

Listen to Paragon! Great strings, almost everyone I come across likes them, just keep that tension in the mid to upper 40s.

 

[Paragon]

Thanks man, yes exactly, mid to high 40s is perfect for these polys I myself use TB at 48 or 46 lbs depending on surface. 48 on hard and 46 on clay.

 

[SavvyStringer]

Keep in mind rough strings will play softer than their non-rough counterparts as well. The dimpling makes the string marginally thinner which makes them play softer. I would suggest keeping some sort of hybrid with whatever syngut you prefer to provide you durability. I wouldn't go from Gut mains to full poly just to add durability. That's a big leap based on past injury history. I like tourbite rough mains with dunlop syngut crosses.

 

[fuzz nation]

Hey guys,
I made the switch from a very weighted up clash tour to yonex vcore pro 330. The yonex really helps my all court-ness. If that makes sense and I don't need to mess with adding weight to the frame.

I played with gut mains and red code poly cross on the clash in the mid 50's. I recently relocated to a much more humid location (where clay courts are more popular than hard, which is another change) which is ripping up the gut at a rate I am not comfortable with putting out that kind of cash to pay for gut this frequently.

I am a 4.0 who hits pretty big with a lot of spin but am not a string breaker. In this humidity, the gut seems to fray a lot faster. I have had shoulder/ arm issues about 2 years ago but I think that was due to too much weight added to a racquet. I was experimenting and took it too far!

I am looking to up the spin to help with the clay court play and get away from gut to a poly hybrid. I am thinking something like volkl v square or ultra cable in the mains (open to other ideas as well) at a low tension in something like 18 gauge.
What soft (for a poly) that gives good snap back and power string would you guys suggest I look at for a cross?

Thanks for the input!

I like the idea of a hybrid including a light gauge poly main and a softer cross. I've had lots of success with that layout for many locals, both kids and adults. Gosen OGSM 16 has been my go to option as a cross - seems to be somewhat durable and rather slippery, at least when it's fresh. OGSM isn't as soft as many multis or even a few other syn. guts, but I think it functions well in this role if it's not tensioned too high.

 

[Steve Huff]

Something you might want to try, which might even sound outlandish, is a stiff string (like Tour Bite) at a very low tension--30#. I tried Tour Revolution 17 in a Fisher M Speed 105 at 30#. It ups the spin, and I didn't lose the control I thought I would. The only drawback I could find was that there was very little sound on ball contact. It just didn't make any noise. It would only be a matter of time to get used to it though.

 

[Nicholas Noker]

I am also considering a cross like ashaway monogut zx pro in 17. Thoughts?

 

[Muppet]

I am also considering a cross like ashaway monogut zx pro in 17. Thoughts?

The only string that will stand up in the mains to ZX crosses is ZX in the mains as well.

 

[blai212]

im honestly surprised nobody has mentioned this yet but tourna big hitter silver 7 tour is amazing string for comfort power spin tension maintenance. If you want more pop, go with the big hitter black 7. I use those in mains with signum pro poly plasma crosses and it is fantastic. I use VCP 100 300g but weighted with 2g lead at 10 and 2 and 8-10g on handle along with a heavy wilson shock shield replacement grip for comfort and headlight balance. As for tension, I started around 52/48 with 17g but i live in the northeast and it has started to get colder so ive gone down to 42/40 and it feels great! Everybody I string for also loves this hybrid setup...the string usually snaps before it craps out and it maintains its shaped profile quite well. I get about 10-12 hours from 17g and around 15-16 hours from 16g but I usually cut it out near the end of its lifetime.


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[VacationTennis]

Going from gut mains to Ultra Cable main is a 180 flip! Ultra Cable is very stiff, chunky, will eat through anything with its sharp edges, and is more for a max potential spin setup - and boy it has crazy spin. I just completed a full review of ultra cable 17 @ 43 lbs on youtube and it's a serious string. I use TB Soft 17 and 18 for my daily match rackets and find good comfort there at low tension. Yonex poly tour pro 17 would be my recommendation for a softer poly main at low tension if you're willing to restring often. I'd consider Hyper-G as an alternative to the ultra cable if you're still looking for some comfort, maybe even ptp as the cross on that.

 

[Injured Again]

im honestly surprised nobody has mentioned this yet but tourna big hitter silver 7 tour is amazing string for comfort power spin tension maintenance. If you want more pop, go with the big hitter black 7. I use those in mains with signum pro poly plasma crosses and it is fantastic. I use VCP 100 300g but weighted with 2g lead at 10 and 2 and 8-10g on handle along with a heavy wilson shock shield replacement grip for comfort and headlight balance. As for tension, I started around 52/48 with 17g but i live in the northeast and it has started to get colder so ive gone down to 42/40 and it feels great! Everybody I string for also loves this hybrid setup...the string usually snaps before it craps out and it maintains its shaped profile quite well. I get about 10-12 hours from 17g and around 15-16 hours from 16g but I usually cut it out near the end of its lifetime.

After re-reading the original post, S7T would seem to be an ideal candidate as a string to try. But since the OP plays on clay, it might be good to try a full bed of S7T because it seems pretty resistant to notching against itself, and with the grit of the clay grinding at the string intersections, a full bed may last longer.

I do still need to try this as a hybrid. I have a partial reel of SPPPP 1.23 to use as a cross and you've had such good results hybriding it.

 

[Jouke]

After re-reading the original post, S7T would seem to be an ideal candidate as a string to try. But since the OP plays on clay, it might be good to try a full bed of S7T because it seems pretty resistant to notching against itself, and with the grit of the clay grinding at the string intersections, a full bed may last longer.

I do still need to try this as a hybrid. I have a partial reel of SPPPP 1.23 to use as a cross and you've had such good results hybriding it.

My Friend who has a history with TE couldnt hit with silver Tour for 5 minutes without it flaring up again. Strung low at 20 kg. Besides silver 7 tour doesnt come in 18g.
I like lynx and poly tour pro for the softer polys. But may not come thin enough.

 

[blai212]

My Friend who has a history with TE couldnt hit with silver Tour for 5 minutes without it flaring up again. Strung low at 20 kg. Besides silver 7 tour doesnt come in 18g.
I like lynx and poly tour pro for the softer polys. But may not come thin enough.

im pretty sure silver 7 tour is jus about the softest poly out there...on par with volkl cyclone tour. The only poly I can think of that is softer is volkl V square but that is much too soft and breaks too fast IME. Maybe @Injured Again or @USPTARF97 could weigh in on that but it just seems that your friend‘s arm is in bad shape and it aint from the string. S7T is softer than lynx or PTP imo


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[Jouke]

im pretty sure silver 7 tour is jus about the softest poly out there...on par with volkl cyclone tour. The only poly I can think of that is softer is volkl V square but that is much too soft and breaks too fast IME. Maybe @Injured Again or @USPTARF97 could weigh in on that but it just seems that your friend‘s arm is in bad shape and it aint from the string. S7T is softer than lynx or PTP imo
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Well the TW string compare tool says otherwise, stiffness for silver7 tour isnt low. I know the 1.25 isnt listed there yet, but still.
for me it wasnt the best string. My buddy with TE can play Poly Tour Pro in full bed, but S7T was a no go. I was very disappointed with the S7T.

strung S7T up for my coach and he loved it though! Kept commenting on the great spin and bite he got with it.

nothing as personal as strings I guess

 

[gazz1]

Softest poly I’ve used is Isospeed Cream

I’m a TE sufferer and can Highly recommend:
Signum pro Xperience 17G - a shaped, comfortable,powerful string...plays much softer than TW stiffness rating indicates
Kirschbaum Xplosive Speed 17G - shaped, soft, powerful
Kirschbaum proline Evolution - very powerful, comfortable with excellent spin for a round poly

 

[Daniel Waters]

Hey guys,
I made the switch from a very weighted up clash tour to yonex vcore pro 330. The yonex really helps my all court-ness. If that makes sense and I don't need to mess with adding weight to the frame.

I played with gut mains and red code poly cross on the clash in the mid 50's. I recently relocated to a much more humid location (where clay courts are more popular than hard, which is another change) which is ripping up the gut at a rate I am not comfortable with putting out that kind of cash to pay for gut this frequently.

I am a 4.0 who hits pretty big with a lot of spin but am not a string breaker. In this humidity, the gut seems to fray a lot faster. I have had shoulder/ arm issues about 2 years ago but I think that was due to too much weight added to a racquet. I was experimenting and took it too far!

I am looking to up the spin to help with the clay court play and get away from gut to a poly hybrid. I am thinking something like volkl v square or ultra cable in the mains (open to other ideas as well) at a low tension in something like 18 gauge.
What soft (for a poly) that gives good snap back and power string would you guys suggest I look at for a cross?

Thanks for the input!

If you want spin and comfort, then I'd go with a poly main and a synthetic gut cross. The synthetic gut cross will add some additional comfort back in and a bit more pop to the ball like you were used to with your gut / poly blend. You could probably pick about any poly you want for your main. Even stiffer polys strung at lower tensions can feel pretty good, especially when hybriding wiht a synthetic gut cross. If you need more comfort and since you said you aren't a string breaker, then you could even try a multi for your cross string (but I would not use a multi-cross if you go with a shaped poly main). My favorite poly is ALU Power Soft 16L and I like Isospeed Creme as a soft co-poly at a reasonable price.

 

[blai212]

Softest poly I’ve used is Isospeed Cream

I’m a TE sufferer and can Highly recommend:
Signum pro Xperience 17G - a shaped, comfortable,powerful string...plays much softer than TW stiffness rating indicates
Kirschbaum Xplosive Speed 17G - shaped, soft, powerful
Kirschbaum proline Evolution - very powerful, comfortable with excellent spin for a round poly

tourna silver 7 tour is softer than xperience IME...17g is also much softer than 16g


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[Injured Again]

im pretty sure silver 7 tour is jus about the softest poly out there...on par with volkl cyclone tour. The only poly I can think of that is softer is volkl V square but that is much too soft and breaks too fast IME. Maybe @Injured Again or @USPTARF97 could weigh in on that but it just seems that your friend‘s arm is in bad shape and it aint from the string. S7T is softer than lynx or PTP imo

I tried Cyclone Tour when I was still testing thicker (1.30) gauges of string and I never got around to trying a thinner gauge because I found it to be too springy and with worse than average tension maintenance. So I'm not really confident I can directly compare the two. I would guess that Cyclone Tour would be stiffer than V-Square in roughly the same gauge but totally agree with you that V-Square in a full bed does not last long, and also does not have good tension maintenance. S7T is definitely better than average in comfort for me, and I could probably string it a couple of pounds looser with no loss of control.

Any of the Volkl V-Square, V-Torque Tour, and Cyclone Tour are really very comfy but springy feeling strings though. If someone had arm/elbow issues and could not use a poly/multi, poly/sg, poly/gut, or any non-poly string, they would be the poly strings I'd point them to first, in a thin gauge.

 

[gazz1]

Cyclone Tour & VTorque Tour are softer that VSquare...VSq is not as soft as you might think.
Trouble with all volkl strings I’ve used is that they loose tension too quickly

 

[Injured Again]

Cyclone Tour & VTorque Tour are softer that VSquare...VSq is not as soft as you might think.
Trouble with all volkl strings I’ve used is that they loose tension too quickly

My trial with Cyclone Tour was longer ago and with a thicker gauge than I used when testing V-Torque Tour or V-Square, but I clearly remember how elastic those latter two strings were when pulling tension. They stretched like a multi and necked down so much they were way thinner than their gauge indicated. I do remember being so enamored with the spin capability that I almost considered using V-Square as a go-to string, but I notched through it in 3-4 hours and the thought of restringing every 2-3 days was not appealing. Still, it was a string at the very soft end of the poly spectrum.

 

[landcookie]

RS Lyon @1.20 could be worth trying. It's plenty comfortable and 1.20 should give you more than enough power and spin if you swing fast