Tennis Warehouse: Gamma Moto Soft Playtest

[TW Staff]

Attention Talk Tennis Members:

This thread is for the Gamma Moto Soft playtest.

The sign-up period has ended for this playtest. We have notified the selected playtesters by email.

In order to remain in good standing for all the upcoming playtests, please post your findings in this thread by Friday June 5.

Include the following in your review:

Tension(s) used for playtest
Regular string set-up
Racquet brand and model used for test
Power of test string
Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp?)
Spin
Comfort
Durability
Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time)
Control (predictable trajectory? Easy to control depth? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?)
Compare the specific performance characteristics (power, spin, comfort, control, tension maintenance) of your favorite string to this playtest sample.
Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?)
List any additional thoughts (optional)

 

[djNEiGht]

I'm currently playing with the 16g Moto. Would be nice to compare it while the experience is still fresh.

 

[TobyTopspin]

I got in on this play test. I'm much more of a fan of stiffer polys so it will be an interesting play test for me.

 

[MixedMaster]

Received my strings in the mail today! I'll try and get my racket strung up this weekend not that it will do me much good as it looks like it's supposed to be pretty wet for the next week. Hopefully I'll be able to get some court time though..

 

[TobyTopspin]

I received my set and have strung up a MG Radical MP at my normal tension. I've had a brief hit. It is certainly soft, but also has more pop than the ploys I usually use. I'm hoping it plays a little deader next time out.....

 

[eelhc]

Thanks TW and Gamma for the opportunity to playtest the New Moto Soft...

Look like my updates were lost during the forum shuffle so I'm updating this from my recollection of the hitting sessions going back a couple of weeks...
Updates in Blue

Tension(s) used for playtest: 45#

Regular string set up: Poly Tour Pro or Cyclone @ 45#

Racquet brand and model used for test: Prince Tour 98 ESP

Power of test string: Low/Medium Power, controllable at 45#.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp?): Off the stringer the bed felt stiff, but felt soft as any comfortable co-poly. Decent amount of ball pocketing on flat shots/serves, could feel the strings slide and snap back on spin shots/serves.

Spin: Good spin production. As good as any shaped poly. There was virtually no string movement.

Comfort: At 45#, comfortable but not mushy.

Durability: Only hit for an hour or so... will update. I'm not a string breaker so playability = durability for me. Check the Playability update below.

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time): No noticeable tension loss after an hr. After ~10 Hrs it's beginning to go dead.

Control Full strokes spins the ball down nicely. Good control on volley and slices.

Compare to the string you use most often: I would say after 1Hr, similar to Cyclone. After ~10Hrs, I would still categorize as Cyclone like.

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?): I've been stringing poly at low tensions. I would recommend stringing whatever tension one prefers to string soft poly/co-poly at.

List any additional thoughts (optional): ~10Hrs before going dead is a bit low for me even for poly. I hit with decent pace and moderate spin off both wings and usually get ~15 Hrs on softer co-polys.

Pros: Comfortable without feeling mushy, good feel, Spin.

Cons: Will depend on the price... If ~$11 like regular Gamma Moto... there are a lot of good shaped polys at that price/under. It'll all depend on tension maintenance/playability/durability. Purchased in really I would pay ~$5-7/string job for this string but no more.

 

[casaar]

Thanks TW and Gamma for selecting me to playtest

Tension(s) used for playtest: 55#

Regular string set up: Cyclone @ 55#

Racquet brand and model used for test: Babolat APD '13

Power of test string: Low/Med, average for a shaped mono-filament. Nothing stood out that much.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp?): Felt relatively stiff and crisp when fresh, but changed into a more muted feel after a couple days of play. Never felt jarring or uncomfortable, but I am used to stiffer poly and could tell a slight difference in ball feel and comfort.

Spin: I could feel the strings adapt more to the ball than my usual setup, which gave me the idea that I was hitting a heavier spiny ball but all of my hitting partners said I hit heavier with cyclone.

Comfort: Better than good but not great. It felt like a stiff poly usually does with less vibrations.

Durability: Felt amazing at first like all poly does off the stringer but dead after 3 days of hitting 3-4 hours a day.

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time): I hit hard and could notice some change in the first 3 hours, and especially on the second day.

Control Good bite and was relatively easy to control. However, I did not feel I got the "ball drops at the last second" feeling I get with cyclone or bhbr.

Compare to the string you use most often: similar to cyclone but more feel, tad less crisp, and with less spin

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?): For me all poly feels great at 55# but in a stiff racquet like the APD, but I would go 10# lower if you are not used to this tension.

List any additional thoughts (optional) It's a good string that does everything right, but it doesn't have the best spin potential, comfort, or price for a poly. Good middle ground but personally I would not purchase it over cyclone, bhbr or revolution which I feel perform better for my game.

Pros: Comfortable, better ball feel, looks nice, easy to string.

Cons: It doesn't have the wow factor that my favorite polys give me and although it is more comfortable than the polys I use most often, I really don't need a more comfortable string set up nor do I feel like it offers me any specific advantages.

 

[MixedMaster]

What happened to my Review???

 

[seekay]

What happened to my Review???

The forums were upgraded, then rolled back. Posts made on the new software (late last week) were lost:

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=532959

 

[SteveI]

The forums were upgraded, then rolled back. Posts made on the new software (late last week) were lost:

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=532959

I am not posting mine until this issue is solved..

 

[seekay]

I am not posting mine until this issue is solved..

I'm not in any way affiliated with T-W's IT staff, but I don't expect there's much danger right now. The core issue was that most software builds tools to allow for upgrades, but not downgrades. When the forum upgraded, everything moved into the new database schema, but there was no way to revert it cleanly and (I presume) the only option was to restore a backed up copy of the old data.

Since we're on the old version now, you don't have to worry about losing things the same way.

Of course, if I'm wrong, this post will be also lost and you'll never prove I misled you.

 

[seekay]

Playtest, not tech support.

Tension(s) used for playtest: 52lb

Regular string set-up: Natural Gut/Smooth Round Poly

Racquet brand and model used for test: Wilson Pro Staff 97

Power of test string: Low powered, but appropriately so. I can tell this string is balanced for big swings.

Feel: I'd characterize it as boardy or dead. I'm sometimes surprised that the ball flies where I want it do, given the feel of impact.

Spin: Excellent. This is clearly what the string is best at.

Comfort: Not bad, but not good. I initially judged the string pretty poorly on comfort, but that was more the feel on impact.

Durability: Right in line with any other poly.

Playability Duration: Pretty good -- I didn't have to make any adjustments to the stringbed's changes over time.

Control: Great control. Easy to control direction, and the string allows for sufficient spin generation to control depth on a wide variety of shots.

Compare the specific performance characteristics of your favorite string to this playtest sample.: Gut/poly has much better feel, which is the main area where I found Moto Soft lacking. I missed some of the power from my gut mains, but that enabled me to take bigger swings and use Moto Soft's spin to keep the ball in play, which reflects well on Moto.

Tension recommendations: The string performed well, and the ball did the things I wanted it to do, but I'd probably drop the tension a little to try and soften up the stringbed and address the feel of the string.

List any additional thoughts: It happened that this playtest arrived just as I was getting ready to cut out a set of Solinco Tour Bite Soft. Compared to Tour Bite Soft, Moto Soft is firmer with less power. Tour Bite Soft fits my preferences better and probably made me slightly biased against Moto Soft. That said, having played with both, I'd get Tour Bite (Soft) or ALU Power Spin instead of Moto Soft.

Thanks for the playtest opportunity!

 

[maxhunter]

Tension(s) used for playtest- 58 lbs

Regular string set-up- luxilon adrenaline rough @ 66 lbs

Racquet brand and model used for test- Wilson blade 16x19

Power of test string- low, much less power than adrenaline power

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp?)- it felt crisp and a bit dead, not too stiff.

Spin- spin was excellent with this string, slightly less than cyclone though

Comfort- comfortable for a poly, no arm pain

Durability- great, minimal notching after 10-12 hours

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time)- less spin than when fresh but not an extreme drop off. Loses a little bit of control, but still not bad. Tension maintence was pretty good.

Control (predictable trajectory? Easy to control depth? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?) - higher than average trajectory but predictably so, depth was easy to control and my volleys were put on a dime!

Compare - more control, spin, and better tension maintence than adrenaline rough. Crisper feel, reminded me of cyclone but definatley more comfortable.

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?)- 58 was really good, I would consider going up to 59 or 60 for even more control.

List any additional thoughts (optional)- all around great string, if this isn't too expensive I think I will make the switch. Fh, bh, serve, volley, slice, everything felt awesome.

 

[SteveI]

SteveI's Review : Gamma Moto Soft 16G

Tension(s) used for playtest: 52/50 lbs.

Regular string set-up: Tourna Big Hitter Silver 17G / Forten Sweet 16G 52/50 lbs.

Racquet brand and model used for test: Volkl Quantum Scorcher (Modified)

Power of test string: I found the power to be medium. While starting out a bit underpowered, after a few hours the true power level of the string become apparent. Really was very happy with the power output on this string. The balls did not fly off the frame. The power level was consistent with the effort supplied by the user. Very honest in that respect.

Feel: The string started out quite crisp but again after a feel hours and feel was much more to my liking as pocketing increased. Again, enjoy this aspect of the string playtest.

Spin: Spin was above average. I thought the spin was comparable to Tour Bite Soft 16L which I have used quite a bit.

Comfort: Enjoyed the comfort after a few hours of play and only a few vibrations coming of this set-up. Very happy with the comfort.

Durability: I have about 10-12 hours on this set-up and it is holding up well, Snap back is still there and I am seeing some notching. Overall all still playable.

Playability Duration: After the initial breaking in, the string has performed in a very linear way. I can see getting a good 15-20 hours out of this string since I string in the lower tension range and tend not to be a string breaker. I am no DI player to be sure. While I have a long and fast swing I do not rip thru strings like the young strong hitters.

Control: The ball seemed to be on a string when using this set-up. Easy to execute most of my shots and I did not miss the court very often.
Compared to my current set-up, the Moto Soft 16G was better in spin, control and comfort. My current set-up has an edge in power and plays more crisp. The connection to the string bed is a better with my current set-up but maybe only since I am very used to it.

Tension recommendations: Nailed it for my test, would not change it..

Thanks TW and Gamma. Great string.. if it comes in under $10.00 I can see some Talk Tennis Members (Hate Gamma Strings in General) using this.

 

[ten11]

Gamma Moto Soft Playtest

Tension(s) used for playtest: 50lbs on lockout

Regular string set-up: Tier one firewire @50lbs

Racquet brand and model used for test: prince original graphite (POG) OS

Power of test string: medium. Not too powerful, nor lack of power so I have to do anything extra. It is about the power level I like and able to hit with confidence and able to use the power from the leg and core to place the shot.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp?): muted. It is muted yet felt solid, felt good on volley and drop shot.

Spin: Average. This string can generate good spin when fresh. but lose the potential after 10 hours. I was really looking for some help in later play testing on spin production but felt the need for a new string job.

Comfort: Very happy with the soft muted feel of the string. In addition to the soft, arm friendly POG racket, this setup is great for player who have the TE.

Durability: I am not a string breaker and normally do not break poly. This one holds up well.

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time): The string holds its playability very well. The control, the feel, the power are very consistent deep into the play test. only the spin production see some decrease after 10 hours. I have played more than 20 hours on this setup and still happy to leave it on.

Control (predictable trajectory? Easy to control depth? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?): This is the part I enjoyed most for this string and play test. The control is by far the best I have played with. I have great control down the line or cross court. It is easy to change direction and the depth of the shot.
I also have good confidence with this setup on my slice back hand and serve. I can place the ball with confidence. On top spin shot both wings, the trajectory is predictable. I also had great results with the volley and drop shot.

Compare the specific performance characteristics (power, spin, comfort, control, tension maintenance) of your favorite string to this playtest sample. Compare to the firewire from T1 on my other pog os, the control is much better than T1. I felt easy and confident when I need to change direction or depth with this string. It is also softer and felt muted compare to T1. great for volley and drop.
For the power, it is about the same. Not in a way they provides the same power but very similar and I can adapt to it quickly and place the ball deep in ground stroke exchange. Same for the tension maintenance.
For spin, I enjoyed the T1 better than moto soft.
One last comment, moto soft has a softer string bed compare to T1 at same tension. especially after 10 hours of hitting, I liked the moto soft string bed much more for its muted and more live string bed. T1 felt very stiff and dead.

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?): I liked it at 50 lbs a lot on this OS setup. The power and comfort are all good. If someone use a smaller head, I will recommend to string at 50lbs or few lbs less.

List any additional thoughts (optional): This is a great poly string provides a lot of up side. The control is great. it is comfortable and has good power and tension maintenance. I think it is a good fit for double players and flat hitter.

Thanks TW for the play testing.

 

[Uncoil]

Tension(s) used for playtest - 48/46 lbs. Double pulled on a Lockout.

Regular string set-up - Volkl Cyclone Tour 17 at 48/46 lbs.

Racquet brand and model used for test - Yonex VCore Tour G 330

Power of test string - Low powered.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp?) - Slightly stiff and muted.

Spin - Very good spin.

Comfort - OK comfort for poly.

Durability - Very good. Mains still snapping back after 10 hours.

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time) – I’ve put a total of 12 hours of hitting and practice matches in and the strings performed quite well over the playtest duration. There was some tension loss but I felt it did not affect too much on its overall performance. Tension maintenance is decent for a poly.

Control (predictable trajectory? Easy to control depth? Performance on different strokes and swing speeds?) - Control was excellent. The spin generated from the strings and being low powered helped my shots land deep near the lines. Trajectory was easily predictable. My shots had good clearance over the net. Overall, the strings provided great control with an excellent amount of spin.

Compare the specific performance characteristics of the string you use most often to your playtests sample. - Gamma Moto Soft felt like a string I would rate somewhere in between a Volkl Cyclone and Cyclone Tour. The strings generated lots of spin which helped my groundstrokes stay in the lines. Moto Soft provided similar power as Cyclone but not nearly as much as Cyclone Tour. Control felt as good as Cyclone. Feel was slightly stiffer than Cyclone Tour but not as stiff as Cyclone.

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?) - High to mid 40's

List any additional thoughts (optional) – This is a very good poly string. I would purchase if the price is under $10 a set.

Thanks to TW for the opportunity to playtest this string.

 

[EastAngels2014]

Tension(s) used for playtest: 52lbs
Regular string set-up: Red Code 50lbs
Racquet brand and model used for test: Prestige Mp 25th Anniversary
Power of test string: Medium powered for a poly.
Feel: This string was very crisp on every shot, I could feel the ball contacting the string. Had a very consistent feel coming off the racquet.
Spin: I felt like the string was average. Nothing special but still good bite on the ball.
Comfort: I found this string very comfortable, especially in the Prestige.
Durability: The strings seems pretty durable. I have played about 10 hours on it and I havent noticed a big difference in play from fresh string. This is about when I break polys so i think it will break soon. Will post something when I do break it.
Playability Duration : The playability has lasted longer than most polys do, been about 10 hours hitting/playing and still a consistent feel off the racquet.
Control: The control with this string was great, I felt like I could put the ball anywhere I wanted but didn't really need to worry about depth of my shots.
Compare the specific performance characteristics of your favorite string to this playtest sample.: Compared to Red Code, Gamma Motto was much more comfortable and responsive. I felt the ball much more off the racquet with Gamma. I felt like red code gave me more spin and a little more power. They both hold their tension pretty well, Gamma may sustain its playability a little better.
Tension recommendations: I like most of my polys around 50-52 so I don't think I would change the tension.
List any additional thoughts: I really enjoyed playing with this string. Depending on the price I may look to switching. Thanks TT and TW for this opportunity!

 

[djNEiGht]

Moto Soft (versus Moto)

Tension(s) used for playtest - 50# Constant pull

Regular string set-up - in this racquet I like playing with Volkl Cyclone Tour 1.25

Racquet brand and model used for test - Prince Original Graphite Mid

Power of test string - low to med-low powered

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp?) - soft and muted

Spin - very good. Similar to other shaped/rough polys that I have enjoyed.

Comfort - very good. No discomfort. Off centered hits on this racquet is not very forgiving though. Might be different in a MP or OS

Durability - seemed very good for my game. I do not break poly strings and restring when snap back starts to decline

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time) - The string played as I wanted it to from the 1st hit. There did not seem to be any break in period. Probably about 5-6 hours of hitting mostly singles I noticed that there was a power drop. It could have been me due to a heavy stretch of round robin singles.

Control (predictable trajectory? Easy to control depth? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?) - This string being low powered called for big swings and higher trajectory. Slower swing speeds with out allowing for trajectory change landed at the service line

Compare the specific performance characteristics (power, spin, comfort, control, tension maintenance) of your favorite string to this playtest sample. - Versus Cyclone Tour (my choice of string in this racquet)
Power - Cyclone Tour
Spin - par
Comfort - slight edge to Moto Soft
Control - slight edge to Moto Soft
Tension Maintenance - Cyclone Tour

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?) - I would string possibly 2#s lower to help when power declines. The spin being very good seems like it would help keep the ball in the court with the extra pop of lower tension.

List any additional thoughts (optional) - This string reminded me of a firm synthetic gut or multifilament. Blasphemous? Maybe. It was nicely muted and you could still feel the ball pocket in the bed. I enjoyed this string especially the fact that it played very nice from the first hit for a decent amount of time. There was no break in period (maybe just a little bit). I also had a blast doing a Moto Soft versus Standard Moto hit. Compared to the two, Standard was noticeably more firm. I strung it at 48#. Spin was the same. I even had a chance to do a Moto Soft head to head hitting session with another Talk Tennis user, Topspinlob (Wilson Blade). He too felt like it reminded him of a synthetic.

Thank you Tennis Warehouse / Talk Tennis / Gamma

Gamma Moto Soft 1.30 with Gamma Moto 1.30 below

 

[Getting_Closer]

Tension(s) used for playtest:
• 48/46 lbs

Regular string set-up:
• Guts/ round poly, lately tough guts/poly star energy

Racquet brand and model used for test:
• Prince Ozone Tour modified to 12.4 oz

Power of test string:
• Although I strung at lower tension, I still felt that it is rather low powered poly string. I do miss the easy power with guts when hitting some passing shots. Nonetheless, as I really swing out, the ball lands deep with a lot of spin, which generates heavier balls.

Feel:
• Decent. I am kind of bias here as I am used to the gut feel. It’s got direct response which I like, especially from this shaped string. My wrist is sensitive, but I didn’t feel any discomfort after playing.

Spin:
• This might be one of the best traits of the string. The string snaps back easily and produces a lot of spin. I would say it is equivalent to tour bite soft. It is nice to see my kick serve bouncing above shoulder easily and consistently.

Comfort
• No discomfort whatsoever. You could actually feel the ball pocketing effect. The shots hit at sweet spot are felt good, but off centered shots felt rather “firm” (not jarring) at this low tension.

Durability:
• I am actually impressed by the durability. It is “soft poly”. Thus, I would expect it to lose tension fast. It maintains its playability above average poly. After 12 hours of playing, I can still have a good control of the balls, and string still snaps back quickly.

Playability Duration:
• Playability last longer than average poly. It does not get stiff or loose after 12 hours of playing, but I am thinking of cutting it out as that crisp feeling is gone.

Control:
• Great control. I can really swing out and the ball will land deep and dragged down by the heavy top spin. Direct response at volley. Another best trait of this string.



Compared to my current set-up:
• I don’t see myself switching to this string since I am used to the gut string now. The thing I miss the most is the passing shot and drop shot with guts. Nevertheless, I can see a solid baseliner would love this string as it’s got control and spin.

Tension recommendations:
• I would say the tension I had was good, and I would not change it. Even though it’s got “soft” in the name, I would consider its stiffness slightly softer than an average poly.

Once again, thank to TW and Gamma for providing this opportunity to me.

 

[topspinlob]

Gamma Moto Soft 16 (Dark Grey Color)

Tension(s) used for playtest: 50 lbs on Klippermate Drop Weight

Regular string set up: Pro’s Pro Ichiban Spin Gold 1.21 50 Lbs

Racquet brand and model used for test: Wilson 2013 Blade 16x19 customized ( leather grip w/ overgrip lead @ 3&9) to 11.8 oz

Power of test string: There’s not too much power in this string. I had to have good technique and hit through the ball to get some pace. There’s a good ball pocketing but it never felt it was trampolining ( is that a word?!)

Feel: The string is a little muted not like Pro’s Pro’s Red Devil which I had also used which is really muted. I did get a sense of where the ball was landing on the string bed. It felt good on touch shots ( drop volleys and drop shots. I usually play with 17g string. Because of the softness of the string it felt like I was using a 17g string instead of 16G.

Spin: The spin is aweseome if you have good technique. The spin felt like it was coming off a 17g string bed instead of a 16g string bed. I think the shape of the string helps with grab/bite. I really like the spin that was being produced.

Comfort: From the get-go, this string was comfortable. It didn’t really feel like a poly. I felt like a really good syn gut like Prince Original Synthetic Gut Gold. The softness and playability is top notch. Thanks to my friend and fellow TT member (DJ Neight) for having a hitting session as we were both playtesting this string at the same time. I think he felt the same way that this string felt like a firm syn gut or multi.

Durability: I’m not a real big string breaker. I’m guessing this is durable string for a poly.

Playability Duration: After been playing with the string for about 4-6 hours the playability and tension appears to be maintained.
Control: Control was great with this racket. There was also good ball pocketing without the ball wouldn’t fly off the strings. I could direct the ball where I wanted to go with the depth I required.

Compare to the string you use most often: So comparing this to Pro’s Pro Ichiban Spin Gold 1.21, if it weren’t for the price tag of this string, it could have possibly been my next go-to-string. It isn’t as crisp as I would have liked but the spin and comfort really impressed me. The spin is as good as my go-to-string but it has more comfort.

Tension recommendations: It really felt like the tension I strung it at was the sweetspot for Blade 16x19. I think if you wanted a more dead feel and upped the tension, that should be no worry about harshness.

List any additional thoughts: I’m curious if there will be other color options for this string. I prefer brighter colors like neon yellow and green!

Thanks TW and Gamma for the playtest!

 

[ChadW]

Gamma Moto Soft - I can dig it.

Tension(s) used for playtest: 40/40 lbs.

Regular string set-up: Tourna Big Hitter Black 17G @ 40/40 lbs.

Racquet brand and model used for test: Wilson BLX six.one 95

Power of test string: For a polyester strung at low tension, I felt that the power was manageable. Didn't have any trampoline effect, and stayed pretty consistent in power expectation throughout the playtest.

Feel: I was impressed by the softness of the set up initially and didn't feel any of the mushy response so often experienced with softer polyesters. I like my relatively loose polyester set up, but when testing multifilaments or synthetic gut, I always go to a couple pounds over the recommended high end of the racquet's tension. This was comfortable in the low tension and I felt a good amount of ball pocketing - a benefit of the looser tension.

Spin: I was impressed with the spin. My game relies on spin generation for a deep, heavy ground stroke, and biting drop shots. This offered the depth and touch that I needed to feel confident in the performance of the racquet during a match.

Comfort: I am not susceptible to arm or elbow discomfort, and this string didn't give me any pause in play.

Durability: After about 12 hours of play time, I'm noticing the notching, but not having to straighten strings, or pay much attention to them after long rallies. Good durability.

Playability Duration: I didn't notice much degradation in the life and feel of the string over the hours that I've used it. I imagine I still have a few hours of playability in the set up and am not tempted at all to cut it out yet.

Control: As with any good spinning polyester I use, I love the control that is offered when struck with a solid forehand. I could put balls in the corners, and even create strong cross-court angles when given the opportunity because of the bite of the string and the pocketing in the string bed. A solid offering in regards to control.

Tension recommendations: I like lower tensions, and unless I were dealing with a reel and a number of opportunities to experiment with tension, I'd probably keep it where it is - at 40 lbs.

Overall, a very satisfying playtest. I don't think I'd use this instead of my regular set up, but if I had a client who was looking for a durable, soft, and spin-friendly polyester, I'd surely recommend it. Thank you to Tennis Warehouse, and Gamma for the chance to review this string.

 

[mmk]

Tension used for playtest: 42 pounds
Regular string set-up: BHB7 17g either full bed @ 42 Lbs or crossed with Dunlop Ice
Racquet brand and model used for test: Dunlop 200G XL
Power of test string: About average for a poly
Feel: Somewhere between muted and crisp at 42 lbs, would likely be crisper at higher tensions than I use.
Spin: About average for a poly. Slice serves and topspin aren't as pronounced as fresh BHB7, but about the same as when the sharp edges of BHB7 wear down.
Comfort: Very comfortable at 42 lbs
Durability: No notching after 8 hours
Playability Duration: Still the same as fresh after 8 hours of play, will update as I play more matches.
Control: I didn't have to alter my serves or ground strokes at all, the trajectory, depth, power, control, etc., were all very similar to my regular setup.
Compare the specific performance characteristics (power, spin, comfort, control, tension maintenance) of your favorite string to this playtest sample: Comfort, control and tension maintenance seem very similar to BHB7, power about the same. Not as much spin as fresh BHB7, but about the same after BHB7's edges have worn down.
Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?): I'd keep it at 42 lbs, I had good control and no arm issues.
List any additional thoughts (optional): The package shows this having a pentagonal cross section, but it wasn't very noticeable. As a comparison, I can feel sharpness of the heptagonal cross section of BHB7 when I'm stringing it, the Moto Soft didn't feel too different from a smooth poly. A decent soft-ish poly, but I'll stick with my regular setup. Thanks TW for the chance to try this.

 

[SteveI]

Tension(s) used for playtest: 40/40 lbs.

Regular string set-up: Tourna Big Hitter Black 17G @ 40/40 lbs.

Racquet brand and model used for test: Wilson BLX six.one 95

Power of test string: For a polyester strung at low tension, I felt that the power was manageable. Didn't have any trampoline effect, and stayed pretty consistent in power expectation throughout the playtest.

Feel: I was impressed by the softness of the set up initially and didn't feel any of the mushy response so often experienced with softer polyesters. I like my relatively loose polyester set up, but when testing multifilaments or synthetic gut, I always go to a couple pounds over the recommended high end of the racquet's tension. This was comfortable in the low tension and I felt a good amount of ball pocketing - a benefit of the looser tension.

Spin: I was impressed with the spin for a round poly. My game relies on spin generation for a deep, heavy ground stroke, and biting drop shots. This offered the depth and touch that I needed to feel confident in the performance of the racquet during a match.

Comfort: I am not susceptible to arm or elbow discomfort, and this string didn't give me any pause in play.

Durability: After about 12 hours of play time, I'm noticing the notching, but not having to straighten strings, or pay much attention to them after long rallies. Good durability.

Playability Duration: I didn't notice much degradation in the life and feel of the string over the hours that I've used it. I imagine I still have a few hours of playability in the set up and am not tempted at all to cut it out yet.

Control: As with any good spinning polyester I use, I love the control that is offered when struck with a solid forehand. I could put balls in the corners, and even create strong cross-court angles when given the opportunity because of the bite of the string and the pocketing in the string bed. A solid offering in regards to control.

Tension recommendations: I like lower tensions, and unless I were dealing with a reel and a number of opportunities to experiment with tension, I'd probably keep it where it is - at 40 lbs.

Overall, a very satisfying playtest. I don't think I'd use this instead of my regular set up, but if I had a client who was looking for a durable, soft, and spin-friendly polyester, I'd surely recommend it. Thank you to Tennis Warehouse, and Gamma for the chance to review this string.

The string is NOT a round poly...

 

[ChadW]

The string is NOT a round poly...

Updated. Thanks. BTW...very close to round...not exactly the sharp edges I'm used to.

 

[SteveI]

Updated. Thanks. BTW...very close to round...not exactly the sharp edges I'm used to.

Not like BHB7

 

[boilerfan]

Tension: 52 lbs

Regular string set-up: Lots of experimenting, but my typical setup is a hybrid of something like Prince Synthetic Gut and Prince Tournament Poly, typically between 48 and 53 depending on the string.

Racquet brand and model used for test: Babolat AeroPro Drive

Power: Medium-Low. I really like how it had a lot of control, but still felt reasonably powered. I had no problem generating pace on groundstrokes or serves at 52 lbs.

Feel: Muted maybe. Excellent feel overall. My "feel" shots tend to be volleys and slice backhands and they were very nice with this string

Spin: I was very pleased with the spin for my game. I typically don't like the non-round poly because it tends to change my trajectory and become an all or nothing on the spins. I really only saw a small increase in spin on this string versus the my typical setup(hybrid with round poly and synthetic gut), which worked very well for me.

Comfort: Nice soft feel. I have had arm/shoulder issues in the past, so I was a bit reluctant to go full-poly. I played 9 times with it and felt no pain at all. This was probably my favorite aspect of the review.

Durability: Very durable so far. Had about 12 hours of singles on it so far and no breaking. I assume it will break soon, but had to get the review in this week.

Playability Duration: Had the typical noticeable tension drop after the first day of hitting. Then I seemed to have another noticeable drop after 4 or 5 outings. The great thing for me was that I never got the trampoline affect which I typically get when I feel a tension drop. Each drop was minimal and only required a small change in play.

Control: Control was excellent. Very soft feel, but also good access to power. Like I mentioned above, I was glad to not have a trajectory difference with a non-round poly. The very small boost in spin helped my serve and general groundstroke control. The amount of control over the course of 9 outings was a noticeable difference from my other string setups.

Compare the specific performance characteristics (power, spin, comfort, control, tension maintenance) of your favorite string to this playtest sample: The comfort, control and power were perfect me, so I really enjoyed this demo. I liked the comfort enough that I doubt I would even hybrid this string like I typically do. I also feel the tension maintenance(lack of trampolining) was great with this string compared to other poly's I have tried.

Tension recommendations: 52 was great for me. I do think being all-poly, I would not have wanted to go any higher as I think it would have affected the power too much and made it more harsh on the shoulder. I could possibly go lower if you want more pace, but I personally wouldn't want to sacrifice the really nice control of this string.

List any additional thoughts (optional) : I was very impressed with this string. When I find a string like this with good durability and tension maintenance, I think I could move to it versus my typical cheap setup and pay a bit more. I didn't get a ton of more spin, so if you are looking for the huge spin generating strings, this is more in line with the round poly's. This is probably my favorite string I have used in the past year, so I really appreciate the chance to try it out.

 

[bigserving]

Gamma Moto Soft 16 gauge (1.29 mm) - Full Bed

TENSION USED FOR PLAYTEST - 50 lbs in both the mains and crosses strung on a lockout machine.

REGULAR STRING SETUP - The regular setup of Dunlop Black Widow 17 gauge, 50 lbs x 50 lbs also strung on a lockout machine.

RACQUET BRAND AND MODEL USED FOR TEST - Dunlop Aerogel 4D 200 Tour 95.

POWER OF TEST STRING - The power level of this would fall into the upper-average range for a poly. For a poly player, there is plenty of power available. Of course, the power is very useable. There is enough power to have an aggressive, power style of play, but not so much that the ball is going to fly off the strings on every shot. They provide a nice useable amount of power.

FEEL OF TEST STRING - I found Moto Soft to be a great feel string. It has a comfortable, useable amount of touch on every type of shot. The string has a soft feel but was not dull or muted. Nor does the string bed have a stiff feel. Definitely on the soft side of a polyester.

SPIN - This is where these strings really rocked. The polyester composition in addition to the sharp bite of the seven sided surface allows for a great amount of spin potential. The spin combined with the useable power makes it a very nice string to play with and gives a player plenty of shotmaking options. There is plenty of useable topsin on groundstrokes. There was plenty of jumping action on kick serves. They even provided unpredictability on slices during rallies.

COMFORT - It felt and played like the name says soft…..for a poly. Not at all spongy soft, but still very comfortable. There was normally somewhere between very little, no noticeable shock, and not an uncomfortable level of shock or vibration coming from of the string bed.

DURABILITY - This test was for more than ten sets of singles over approximately eight hours of time. The strings did not break during that time.

PLAYABILITY DURATION (HOW PLAYABILITY CHANGED OVER TIME) - Moto Soft has very nice duration in playability. There was the normal polyester drop in tension during the first hour or so, then the drop slowed significantly in and continued to be quite playable during the test. Playability was excellent for a shaped poly.

CONTROL (PREDICTABLE TRAJECTORY) - These strings have the usual great control that polys and co-polys offer. For a spin hitter like me, the combination of all of the string attributes come together to produce a very high level of control without much of a sacrifice in power. The spin that these strings produce allow a player to have great control and shot choices from all positions on the court.

COMPARE PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF TEST STRING TO DUNLOP BLACK WIDOW - These strings are extremely similar in every aspect of performance. For any given comparison, one string may perform better than the other at one tension, they may then grade just the opposite at a different tension. In general, Black Widow has a bit more power and is a bit softer for comfort. Moto Soft seemed to have a little longer playability duration. They both have very similar levels of feel, control, and spin production.

TENSION RECOMMENDATION - The 50 lb. test tension seemed to be a pretty good starting point for the test in this low powered racquet. I might try a pound or two tighter to temper the power a bit and get even more control since they are still on the lower vibration side. The strings play well enough that I think that they would be playable down to forty or so pounds for players looking for even more power.

LIST ANY ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS - Polyester and co-polyester string technology is continuing to evolve. More and more it seems that there are more strings being made that have more balanced, well-rounded characteristics. Strings are being produced that incorporate more of each good spin, power, comfort, control, and feel, in the same string. They are incorporating playability attributes of polyester, nylon, and natural gut into the same string. Gamma Moto Soft is one of those strings. With such a diverse set of positive performance attributes, a string like Gamma Moto Soft will appeal to players of all levels and all styles of play.

 

[Thatshot]

Tension(s) used for playtest - 55lbs
Regular string set-up - Volkl Cyclone at 55lbs
Racquet brand and model used for test - Babolat Pure Drive

Power of test string - Power is high for co-poly, there were times my shots were sailing long and I have to lower my trajectory to make sure the ball stays in play.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp?) - The feel is firm but soft, there is no springiness in it like the Cyclone. The string is slightly muted but not mushy, I would say even a bit crisp when freshly strung.

Spin - I'm getting excellent spin with this setup, that's why I'm surprised even with this much spin some of my shots were still going long, let me test it out a bit further to see if this is a problem with my swing. Ok swing is fine, string is just powerful.

Comfort - Comfort felt fine at the start, the muted soft feel masked some of the firmness of the string. After a few hit sessions arm is feeling a bit sore, haven't had this happen with other test strings. A few more sessions it has become obvious that this string is causing elbow pain, to play it safe I am going to cut it out. After cutting it out and going with gut/poly for a few sessions, arm is feeling much better. Bottom line this string is stiff and is not suitable for a stiff racquet or players that don't like stiff strings.

Durability - Durability seems fine, nothing out of the usual. After the first few sessions, I am getting slight notching and its holding up really good. High marks here.

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time) - Tension seems to hold up nicely, didn't see a severe drop off after a few hours of hitting. I did not get a chance to see it to the end since I had to cut it out for safety reasons.

Control (predictable trajectory? Easy to control depth? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?) - Control was good and predictable, to me a firm string is easier to pinpoint your shots. Hitting out on this will take some effort to keep the ball in play but once I've adapted shots were really predictable.

Compare the specific performance characteristics (power, spin, comfort, control, tension maintenance) of your favorite string to this playtest sample. - Cyclone and Moto both are high powered to me, comfort goes to Cyclone no dispute here, control Moto had the edge since its a stiffer string bed, tension maintenance Moto by far has the ede here.

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?) - If I had to string it again, I would go down by 6 lbs, using my normal tension at 55lbs, this string started to cause elbow pain after the 3rd session, I adjust string tension by increments of 3lbs, with the Moto soft I would go down by 2 units.

List any additional thoughts (optional) - This is a stiff string, once you've figured out what tension you can put it on and not injure yourself it plays well. It did not work for me in a stiff racquet but I'm sure others will have better luck with it. Thanks TW for the opportunity to give this string a test drive!

 

[MisterP]

Tension(s) used for playtest: 58 mains, 55 crosses on an Alpha dropweight

Regular string set-up: Solinco Tour Bite 16 @ 58/55

Racquet brand and model used for test: Babolat Pure Drive Tour

Power of test string: Off the stringer it feels low-medium powered, however after about 5 hours it lost all liveliness and became a very low powered, dead poly.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp?): Crisp and moderately stiff at first, then after a few hours it settles in with a more muted, soft feel.

Spin: Excellent spin potential throughout the entire playtest. No issues generating spin at any point.

Comfort: Nice, soft response for a poly. Very arm friendly.

Durability: Similar to other polys.

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time): Strung at 58/55, dynamic tension via RacquetTune showed a 56.5 off the stringer. After the first hour of hitting I measured it again at 54.7. Playability was high even through the two week mark. Very, very good playability duration.

Control (predictable trajectory? Easy to control depth? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?): I had good results from this string when moving my opponent around the court laterally, but had some issues with the ball coming off at a higher launch angle at times, which made depth control a problem.

Compare the specific performance characteristics (power, spin, comfort, control, tension maintenance) of your favorite string to this playtest sample. I have been playing with Tour Bite 16 for a long time and this string felt very similar at first because of its crisp and somewhat lively response. But over time it became much more dead and muted feeling, but still provided excellent spin and good control for the most part. I’ve also done some playtesting with Yonex Poly Tour Pro recently, which is a very soft, muted string. Gamma Moto Soft felt similar to Poly Tour Pro after it settled in.

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?): I really like going high on tension with the Pure Drive Tour, so I would keep it where I have it. If I were putting it in any other racquet I would go low 50s.

List any additional thoughts (optional):

Thanks TW for allowing me to playtest!

 

[ejdtennis]

Tension(s) used for playtest: 47 main, 44 cross
Regular string set-up: Tour Bite Diamond Rough 17 47 main, 44 cross
Racquet brand and model used for test: Boris Becker Delta Core London Mid Plus

Power of test string: 3 of 5

Decent for a poly at first. At first I thought it felt more lively than my Diamond Rough, but as the hours went on, I either became used to it or the response became a bit more dead.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp?) - Muted
For a poly, I thought the feel was rather muted at first. Less feedback/"quieter" sound than my Diamond Rough. Not that any poly gives great feel from my perspective anyway.

Spin: 4 of 5
Was impressed by the level of spin this string could generate. I think it is one step below Tour Bite, but certainly enough for my game.

Comfort 3.5 of 5
I think this string lived up to the "soft" name. Even in the beginning, there was no harsh feel. Even now, after 12+ hours, this doesn't bother my arm. I am thinking of cutting it out though.

Durability 4 of 5
Compared to other polys I play with (granted the Tour Bite is 1.20 mm), this string seemed relatively slow to develop notches. I was up to maybe 8 hours before much notching occurred.

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time)
I thought this string had a fair amount of "pop" at the beginning for a poly, and only now is starting to play a bit "dead".

Control (predictable trajectory? Easy to control depth? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?)
After the first couple of hours, I became used to this string and I was able to control the depth. I think the response was very predictable and I enjoyed using it.

Compare the specific performance characteristics (power, spin, comfort, control, tension maintenance) of your favorite string to this playtest sample.
To me, the Tour Bite Diamond Rough has a it more spin potential (as a string named "bite" should) and only a slightly more harsh feel. Power potential was about the same, with maybe a slight edge going to the Diamond Rough over the life of the string.

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?) I would use the same tension as I felt it worked out well.

 

[DrumWizOHBD]

Tension(s) used for playtest - 54lb-mains x 49lb Cross Dropweight

Regular string set-up - Tour Bite Soft 17/Gosen Micro Hybrid 16 @ 54x56 (go-to for matches this USTA season) or ocassionally Full Cyclone 18 54x49

Racquet brand and model used for test - Yonex VCore 89 Tour

Power of test string - Medium-low powered for poly

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp?) - Muted and crisp in this racquet, almost no ping or vibrations. Good pocket sensation. Had a little adjustment the first 30 minutes trying to feel where the ball was contacting the stringbed due to the lack of vibrational feedback.

Spin - Great amount of spin on all swing speeds. Not as much as full bed of cyclone or stiff round poly on fast swings, slightly more than Tour Bite Soft hybrid. I served 150 balls rotating between Moto Soft, Cyclone, and TBS Hybrid. Ranking for spin production:1)Cyclone 2)Moto Soft 3)TBS Hybrid. If they make this in an 18gauge, I bet I would get close to as much spin as cyclone.

Comfort - Fantastic for full poly. I have historically strung Full poly and hybrids in the mid 40's to low 50's to reduce harshness of poly, but I was extremely surprised with the comfort level of Moto Soft at 54/49lb throughout the playtest.

Durability - Very nice. No complaints after 8 hours. Strings still slide easily with slight notching. I normally break the softer string in a hybrid at about 4-6 hours of match play. I rarely break poly, normally cutting it out after 6-8 hours.

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time) - String softened up after 20 minutes of initial hitting and held it's playability and feel constitently for duration of playtest. I noticed a very small drop in tension the day after a hard hitting tight singles match. But nothing like some 1st gen polys I've tried. Really impressed with the spin production late in the playtest.

Control (predictable trajectory? Easy to control depth? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?) - Excellent pinpoint control on all shots. Slightly better than Tour Bite Soft hybrid. I felt more control on flat shots compared to cyclone. Probably the best control on all swing speeds I've experience in a shaped poly. I was hitting dimes with this string. Very predictable trajectory for me, and I've had some trouble w/ trajectory while string testing my current Yonex Mid.

Compare the specific performance characteristics (power, spin, comfort, control, tension maintenance) of your favorite string to this playtest sample. - Versus Solinco Tour Bite Soft/Gosen Micro hybrid (TBS Hybrid-my choice of string in this racquet)
Power - TBS Hybrid
Spin - Moto Soft (slightly better than TBS Hybrid, less than full Cyclone)
Comfort - Moto Soft
Control - Moto Soft
Tension Maintenance - Moto Soft
Feel/touch - TBS Hybrid

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?) - I liked the tension where I had it. If I had Moto Soft in multiple racuqets, I might string one up a 2 lbs looser to pull out at the end of a long match to get a little extra power, because this string doesn't supply very much extra juice. Normally I playtest a poly w/o prestretch the first time out, then end up prestretching poly in the future. I don't think I would need to that with Moto Soft, it softened up really quickly off the stringer.

List any additional thoughts (optional) - WOW! This string really does everything a poly should really well and improves on tension maintenance and comfort. This string really has me rethinking my preference of hybrid stringing. My only knock on this string is that I almost find it TOO muted in my current racquet. The ball always went right where I wanted it, but I wasn't getting much feedback, meaning I couldn't tell if I hit it right in the sweetspot or high or low in the stringbed. I like to feel how the ball made contact, but I have to admit i really appreciated the comfort level and lack of shock. Kudos to Gamma for making such an overall winner of a string! I would strongly considered switching to Moto Soft if it's under $15. If it's under $10, consider me a convert! Thanks TW for letting me participate in this playtest

 

[TobyTopspin]

Thanks TW and Gamma for the opportunity to playtest the New Moto Soft...

Tension(s) used for playtest: 45#

Regular string set up: Cyclone @ 45#

Racquet brand and model used for test: Head Microgel Radical MP

Power of test string: Low/Med, average for a shaped mono-filament. Nothing stood out that much.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp?): I usually use stiff old school polys so this was certainly a new experience for me. Fresh, it felt cripsy but lost the crispness over the period of 2 sessions. It still didn't feel bad after the crispness ended. It was just different.

Spin: It was the same as regular Cyclone to me. It wasn't the crazy spin I get from fresh BHB7 or Tour Bite, but it was easy to get some solid revolutions going.

Comfort: It was certainly more comfortable than most polys. It's never going to be as good as a multi, but it wasn't bad.

Durability: It lasted me a little over a week of hitting before I started to want something fresher feeling. I hate dead string beds so I'm more picky about this than most players that I know. It developed notching as most textured polys do, but it didn't break for the week that I had it in the Radical.

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time): I thought I had under strung it after my initial hit. I had a few flyers when hitting with it right off the stringer. After about 30 minutes of drilling it suddenly became a little more predictable. The feel degraded over a week’s time, but it was still playable for most of the week without an issue. The one thing I didn't care for was that it seemed to feel different each time I used it. That's one of my pet peeves against more polys. I want a consistent feeling string bed.

Control: It was average for a poly. I didn't get the pin point control that I from 4G, but it wasn't lose like a multi or syn gut either.

Compare to the string you use most often: similar to cyclone but less stiff, same spin level, same durability. It did have a little more power than Cyclone.

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?): I would have liked to have strung it around 52 and see how it played. I think 45 was a tad too low for my game.

List any additional thoughts (optional) It's a good string, but average in most categories which isn't a bad thing at all. The price is nice so it makes worth the money, but it wouldn't be my first choice in this price point. I would choose BHB7 over it.

Pros: Good poly for a good price. It's easier on the arm than most polys so it would be a good entry level poly.

Cons: Nothing really. It's a good poly for a good price. My favorite poly is 4G because of it's consistency feel. This one is good, but not in the league of 4G for me.

 

[Nuke]

Tension(s) used for playtest
55 pounds all around.

Regular string set-up
Topspin Cyber Flash 17 mains with Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16 crosses, both at 55 pounds.

Racquet brand and model used for test
Prince Warrior OS.

Power of test string
About average power for a modern poly string (which is lower powered from other string types). It's not so powerful that you have to hold back on swinging out freely, so that's a good thing.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp?)
It's crisper than I would have thought for a string labeled "soft." I do like a somewhat crisp, firm feel, so this was pretty nice for my own preferences. It softened up a bit over time, but I liked it best right off the stringer.

Spin
There was plenty of good, controllable spin from this string. Nothing too crazy, but noticeably more spin than my usual setup. This is a strength for this string.

Comfort
It's pretty comfortable for a poly string, and it became a bit more comfortable after softening up with a few hours of play. No complaints here.

Durability
I have about 15 hours on the string and it's still playing OK, although not the same feel as when it was fresh. This is about the time when I cut out most polys, but I can see this string still has a bit of life left in it. Good durability.

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time)
After a couple of hours of play, the string lost a bit of crispness, but it's still very playable. It stayed at that level for quite a long time without any noticeable dropoff in tension or feel. I'm at 15 hours on this string now, and I don't feel like I have to cut it out just yet.

Control (predictable trajectory? Easy to control depth? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?)
Good side-to-side control, and the excellent spin potential made depth control very predictable. Volleys and touch shots were pretty good for a poly, although this string really rewards faster swings (but I suppose you can say that of all polys).

Compare the specific performance characteristics (power, spin, comfort, control, tension maintenance) of your favorite string to this playtest sample.
This string beats Cyber Flash a little bit in spin and comfort. Control, durability and playability duration are all about the same. Power is slightly higher in the Gamma Moto, but I think that is a personal preference, not necessarily an advantage. Feel was a bit more muted than Cyber Flash after the initial break-in, which is also a personal preference (I like crip-feeling strings).

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?)
I like most poly strings around 55 pounds, and this playtest didn't make me think I needed to change it.

List any additional thoughts (optional)
We generally don't discuss price in these playtests, but that's always something to consider when choosing a string. This is a really good string that lasts a bit longer than some other similar strings, and may be a good choice for me depending on how competitively priced it will be compared to my usual Cyber Flash.

As usual, thanks to Gamma and Tennis Warehouse for letting us try out this string.

 

[tkoziol]

Thanks TW and Gamma for the opportunity to playtest the New Moto Soft...

Tension(s) used for playtest: 50 lbs

Regular string set up: Cyclone 17g at 51lbs

Racquet brand and model used for test: Wilson Burn 100

Power of test string: Decent power, I felt that it had more pop than most luxilon strings, but there are more powerful polys out there.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp?): I would say that it felt fairly crisp. It was similar to cyclone in a lot of ways, but cyclone out performed it in every aspect.

Spin: I thought the spin generation was decent. I was a little surprised that it wasn't more for a shaped poly. I would say very similar spin to ALU Power spin

Comfort: I didn't find it to be that soft. I think there are many softer options out there. I would say it was only a bit softer than cyclone.

Durability: I popped the string in about a week and a half. Thats pretty standard for me.

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time): Right off the machine I played a little stiff. It definitely softened up over time. It never felt mushy to me though.

Control: Pretty good control. I love shaped polys because they get the best control out of all of the poly varieties.

Compare to the string you use most often: To me this string was kind of similar to cyclone. Cyclone has better feel, power, spin, touch, control, durability, etc.

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?): I would not string it as though it was a soft string. This played very similar to alu power spin just slightly softer. I wouldn't go over 55 lbs.

List any additional thoughts (optional) Its extremely similar to alu power spin. I could have been fooled that this was a playtest for alu power spin soft.

Pros: Shaped poly. Good spin. Relatively soft.

Cons: Not really as soft as they are marketing.

 

[sparkyS4]

Tension(s) used for playtest
55 pounds

Regular string set-up
Either Alu Power 16L grey or Genesis Typhoon 16L grey

Racquet brand and model used for test
Wilson Pro Staff RF97

Power of test string
This string was medium powered for me, my hitting partner did not notice much difference in ball speed as compared to my regular string

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp?)
Fairly good feel, crisp for the first couple of hours, then softened up noticeably, but didn't feel bad, just softer than the initial crispness

Spin
Spin was good, maybe not as much as typhoon, but a bit more then Alu Power, spin remained consistent through the test, I would say that this is the strength of the string

Comfort
Good comfort, easy on my arm, comfort improved as string softened during the test

Durability
I thought the durability was very good, I put about 12 hours on this string with most of it on Har-tru and besides some slight notching, the string is still playing well.

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time)
Besides the initial "softening" of the string, I thought that the playability was maintained during the 12+ hours I spent with the string, I would still probably cut it out after 2 weeks or so, but that's just what I do with poly strings

Control (predictable trajectory? Easy to control depth? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?)
Control was on par with typhoon, not quite as great as Alu Power, the only issue that I had was a little lack of height control, not a deal breaker by any means, but not as controlled as Alu Power

Compare the specific performance characteristics (power, spin, comfort, control, tension maintenance) of your favorite string to this playtest sample.
As compared to Alu Power, I found Moto Soft to have slightly more inherent spin, a softer feel after the break in and slightly less power. Moto Soft maintained its playing characteristics better throughout the playtest as well

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?)
Felt great at my normal tension of 55, I don't see any reason to change.

A big thanks to Gamma and TW for letting me test this string!!!!!!!
__________________

 

[therecanbeonlyone]

Tension(s) used for playtest:
52 pounds on a lockout machine

Regular string set-up:
Head RIP Control 17 at 59 lbs give or take depending on time of year and temperature.

Racquet brand and model used for test:
Prince Original Graphite Tour Mid (no dampener)

Power of test string:
I got good power from this string. i certainly didn't feel like i was lacking for power nor was i out of control. A good mid powered string.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp?):
They felt crisp in a good way. I like a crisp string. it softened a bit over time, but never totally lost that feel for me.

Spin:
Spin obviously is way better than my typical multi setup. What I really liked was the shape i got on my serve. I also had very nice depth control, especially at first with this string. My slices stayed nice and low and biting as well. My lasting impression will be the serve shape though. Very nice.

Comfort:
Coming from a guy with a messed up shoulder who is used to multis, i had no concerns or trouble playing Moto Soft. I even used this during a stretch of 6 doubles matches in 4 days and had no soreness to speak of.

Durability:
I didn't experience near the amount of notching that i am used to with this string. Also, the lower starting tension probably fooled my brain into not noticing much drop off on tension maintenance. I don't break strings super fast anyway and cannot imagine these would break before it is time to cut them out due to their poly makeup. High marks for durability.

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time):
I felt that these strings loosened up somewhat over a period of a couple of weeks, but not to the point where i lost confidence in them. They stayed straight on my racquet to an absurd degree (remember i am coming from playing mostly multis where i have to straighten strings after nearly every point). This tells me they are retaining their characteristics that make playability pretty nice with this string.

Control (predictable trajectory? Easy to control depth? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?):
I felt like control required no real adjustment from what I am used to. I remember depth control on ground strokes was very easy for me. I didn't require any launch angle adjustments either. I like a target, especially on passing shots, and this string did just fine in those situations. Volleys were actually pretty decent: ones I caught solidly and dead center went where they needed to in a hurry. I hate hitting drop shots, so can offer no help there.

Compare the specific performance characteristics (power, spin, comfort, control, tension maintenance) of your favorite string to this playtest sample.:
Comparing RIP Control at 60 lbs, the power level was about the same, actually. There were certain shots that felt and sounded bigger with the Moto Soft. Spin was a high mark for this string and that lends the string to having nice control too. I did feel like the tension loosened up close to the two week mark, but not to a point where small adjustments couldn't correct for it. Lastly, i have no comfort concerns with this string. I have two torn ligaments in my playing shoulder, so polys have never been something I am in a rush to try. However, now that I know i can do it, something like Moto Soft will get my attention and business.

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?):
I had to make an educated guess of 52 pounds. I don't think i would go higher, but would be tempted to drop down to 50 next time just to see if spin might increase.

List any additional thoughts (optional):
I can't really compare Moto Soft to other polys, but if you are tempted to jump into the poly world from multis i would say you may be pleasantly surprised. I was. Thanks TW and Gamma!

 

[inzone]

Tension(s) used for playtest: 60lbs/50lbs drop-weight

Regular string set-up: None. Experimenting with many different setups in the last year. Recently nylon/poly. I did compare it to what I consider an average smooth poly by putting v-pro in another 6.1 95 16x18 at the same tension to compare so I can remember what a full poly set-up feels like.

Racquet brand and model used for test: Wilson BLX 6.1 95 16x18

Power of test string: low-medium level, slightly more than an average poly.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp?): Feels soft for a poly, slightly muted, you can feel slightly more pocketing compared to an average poly.

Spin: Slightly above average for a poly. I was getting more spin compared to an average poly like v-pro.

Comfort: Good comfort for a poly. More pocketing and better feel compared to an average poly.

Durability: Was able to play only 6 hours, so I cannot truly tell how durable it is. However, the notching seemed to be less noticeable compared to an average poly with the same amount of play.

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time): I think it played like a normal poly. I did not have to make any adjustments for the duration of the play test and it retained the same characteristics for 6 hours.

Control (predictable trajectory? Easy to control depth? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?): The response was predictable on all shots and at different speeds.

Compare the specific performance characteristics (power, spin, comfort, control, tension maintenance) of your favorite string to this playtest sample:
Compared to an average smooth poly like v-pro, this string was more comfortable, had a little more power, and produced a little more spin. Average tension maintenance and string movement for a poly.

Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?): I would string this one 3-5% higher than a regular poly to get the same response as your normal full poly setup.

List any additional thoughts (optional): This is for someone looking for slightly more comfort, power, and spin than an average poly string.

 

[MixedMaster]

I want to thank Tennis Warehouse for the opportunity to test these strings!

Tension: 52/50

Regular String Set Up: KLIP Legend/Gamma in

Racket Used: Babolat Pure Strike 100

Power of Test String: I have been a Gamma string user for about the past 10 years. This string had good power. I had no trouble hitting winners once I got used to the string.

Feel: I felt like the string was softer than many polys, but still firm enough for good control from any part of the court.

Spin: There was great spin initially but after my 4th or 5th time hitting with it, you loose some of the spin and control.
Comfort: I felt no pain or discomfort.

Durability: The string lasted 10 or 12 hours before breaking down.

Playability Duration: I never felt a big difference until I got to about 10 hours on the string.

Control: It only took me about an hour or so to feel comfortable with this string. Hitting different height shots were easily controlled and no problem with flat or slice shots.

Compare: The feel, control, and spin, you get is like some of the more expensive polys. Not sure where the price point is going to be, but I would use it.

Tension Recommendations: I believe that I would string this in the mid to upper 50's.