Tennis Warehouse Playtest - Gamma Sapphire 1.23 & 1.28

[Chairman3]

A few of you use Hyper G 17G or 18G and wondering how Sapphire comes to it? Is it worth switching over from Hyper-G 17/18 gauge?

They're not really similar.
Sapphire is nearer to the newly released HyperG round, but I don't think you are referring to that one.

 

[StringStrungStrang]

@parasailing I'd have to agree with @Chairman3 on this, Sapphire is an entirely different string than Hyper-G (either gauge). Both have their strengths, but Gamma Sapphire is lively, Hyper-G is firm and much lower powered. Sapphire is round and Hyper-G is strong shaped ( 4-sided) so it generate more spin, while Sapphire generates more power. I do think they could make a great hybrid though. I like them both, but they each bring something different to the game.

 

[parasailing]

They're not really similar.
Sapphire is nearer to the newly released HyperG round, but I don't think you are referring to that one.

Do Sapphire play better than HyperG round in terms of spin, power, and tension maintenance?

 

[Chairman3]

Do Sapphire play better than HyperG round in terms of spin, power, and tension maintenance?

Power was better, spin was slightly worse, and tension maintenance was about the same, slightly better with hyperg round.

 

[parasailing]

Power was better, spin was slightly worse, and tension maintenance was about the same, slightly better with hyperg round.

Did you have a chance to try Wilson revolve and can compare?

 

[Chairman3]

Did you have a chance to try Wilson revolve and can compare?

I have not

 

[Cowboy]

Not on playtest, but I'm about to playtest it

I got two sets when it was on Happy Hour deal. I'm finally getting around to installing a set in my Blade v8 100. So....let's see how this goes!

 

[StringStrungStrang]

@Cowboy if you like a little livelier poly you may really like this one! I am not a fan of dead polys so I really enjoyed it.
I have used it as a cross too with Hyper-G and liked it then too.
It is a good string with nice pop, good control and good feel.

 

[Cowboy]

Not to turn this into a thread about Gamma strings in general, but I recently bought a bunch of other Gamma string to have on hand due to the sales price. I figured things like Live Wire and TNT Fat Core would be decent all-around strings to have for people who don't care what string is in their racquet. I also picked up a reel of Verve Soft and several packets of Jet in various colors and sizes. It seems that Gamma is getting out of the string business....or at least continuing to downsize their offerings. They also don't seem to get much love here (or anywhere else that I'm aware) from players.

Because of the (seeming) lack of support here for Gamma strings in general, I had low expectations of the other strings that I bought. However, I've been pleasantly surprised by all of them. I haven't personally played a match with Live Wire, but it is decently requested by people. My wife, who hits flat and plays a very basic game, likes the TNT Fat Core more than the previous syn-gut that was I previously used in her racquet. I did a hybrid of grey ocho main / red jet cross in someone's matching VCore 98 frames. He let me hit with one after, and I quite liked it.

To bring this post back on track in regards to the string at hand, I have moderate expectations of Sapphire. If they are met or exceeded, I will probably stock up. I like that it is not only recycled, but biodegradable. I hope that they do not abandon this, or any of their other offerings, without bringing something else to market.

 

[Trip]

@Cowboy - Encouraging, but please do realize that as of '23-'24, Gamma basically halved their entire tennis string portfolio, killing all synthetics other than TNT², Live Wire, Live Wire XP, Professional, Syn Gut and Syn Gut w/ WearGuard (so no more Ocho TNT series, Fat Core, Marathon DPC, Glide, Gamma Gut, etc), and all poly's other than Moto, Ocho and Sapphire (so no more Moto Soft, Zo series, Jet, etc.) – as they have divested out of tennis and into pickleball (just typing that makes me want to hurl, but it is what it is and you can't really blame them; they just weren't moving enough product and the margin on strings is minimal at best). So as novel as many of the ones you bought might be, if it were me personally, I wouldn't go getting attached to anything other than is what is still being produced, and honestly I would still be cautious with anything Gamma (other than their stringing machines, which they still seem to be putting effort into, at least for now...).

All of that said, I still have my two sets of Sapphire from the Happy Hour special as well, and am planning to test very soon (before it biodegrades anyways, lol!).

 

[Fighting phoenix]

@Cowboy - Encouraging, but please do realize that as of '23-'24, Gamma basically halved their entire tennis string portfolio, killing all synthetics other than TNT², Live Wire, Live Wire XP, Professional, Syn Gut and Syn Gut w/ WearGuard (so no more Ocho TNT series, Fat Core, Marathon DPC, Glide, Gamma Gut, etc), and all poly's other than Moto, Ocho and Sapphire (so no more Moto Soft, Zo series, Jet, etc.) – as they have divested out of tennis and into pickleball (just typing that makes me want to hurl, but it is what it is and you can't really blame them; they just weren't moving enough product and the margins one string are minimal at best). So as novel as many of the ones you bought might be, if it were me personally, I wouldn't go getting attached to anything other than is what is still being produced, and honestly I would still be cautious with anything Gamma (other than their stringing machines, which are still top notch).

All of that said, I still have my two sets of Sapphire from the Happy Hour special as well, and am planning to test very soon (before it biodegrades anyways, lol!).

Wow that's really interesting - didn't know that! Back in the olden days I was 100% a TNT string user, and when I came back to tennis 5 years ago and discovered Poly I was kinda sad to move away from the crisp / powerful feel I got from that string. Makes sense though given the competitive nature of the string market these days. I do think the Moto yellow/lime is a great string for the Extreme Pro / PA 98 however.

 

[Cowboy]

@Cowboy - Encouraging, but please do realize that as of '23-'24, Gamma basically halved their entire tennis string portfolio, killing all synthetics other than TNT², Live Wire, Live Wire XP, Professional, Syn Gut and Syn Gut w/ WearGuard (so no more Ocho TNT series, Fat Core, Marathon DPC, Glide, Gamma Gut, etc), and all poly's other than Moto, Ocho and Sapphire (so no more Moto Soft, Zo series, Jet, etc.) – as they have divested out of tennis and into pickleball (just typing that makes me want to hurl, but it is what it is and you can't really blame them; they just weren't moving enough product and the margins one string are minimal at best). So as novel as many of the ones you bought might be, if it were me personally, I wouldn't go getting attached to anything other than is what is still being produced, and honestly I would still be cautious with anything Gamma (other than their stringing machines, which are still top notch).

All of that said, I still have my two sets of Sapphire from the Happy Hour special as well, and am planning to test very soon (before it biodegrades anyways, lol!).

I've definitely picked up on that. I'm really only interested in picking up strings at a bargain....frugal as that may be. I view it as an opportunity to purchase a quality string at a value price.

Those Yonex racquets that I mentioned stringing with the Ocho / Jet hybrid...the jet crosses were clicking as they moved across the ocho mains. It was a very fun hybrid to play with. My only regret is that I only bough two sets of ocho instead of a reel when it was on sale.

I imagine that the string business would be more profitable for them if they did more marketing and things to generate hype around the tennis community. This playtest, for example, and the happy hour deal on this string is what brought it to my attention. Otherwise, I don't think I'd have considered it.

 

[hadoken]

I bought a ton of the Gamma stuff when it was really getting blown out (they actually raised prices vs rock bottom) and at current prices only the Sapphire reel looks interesting (I bought one haven't tried it but can always string friend's frames with it). I thought Verve and Jet were not that great for a soft shaped poly (I think Yonex Poly Tour Drive Soft is a better value). React Pro, Fat Core are decent but not sure worth the extra over normal syn gut.

 

[Cowboy]

Alright. First hit with the Gamma Sapphire in a familiar frame. Absolutely loved it.

Good pop, good spin, great balance of power and control. I'll do a more formal review in the TW playtest format, but this is definitely a winner. I just ordered two reels at the current sales price.

 

[Cowboy]

Well I think I've hit the wall..at about 6hrs

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?) - Comfortable string. Started off plush, then went muted after 4 hours, then got mushy after 8 hours. Started off having trouble finding connection to the ball but got used to the string after about 30 min of hitting.

Playability Duration: So this was most disappointing. I played the string 6-7hrs and then cut it as, by then, performance had diminished pretty significantly. The peak was 3-4hrs, starting to decline by 5hrs. After 5hrs it was losing control and spin. I consider like 5-7hrs average, maybe 6-8, so this was below average. Sadly, the string is not an overachiever so the low playability duration does hurt its appeal.

Playability Duration: There was no break-in period, but there was a fall-off period. Right off the stringer, it felt great, I loved the feel (as mentioned above), but after around 8-10 hours, there was definitely a drop in spin or tension drop? Felt as if balls were flying long by a few inches more often than not. Sometimes I'd hit a shot that I felt really good on, and it would sail a tad further than I had aimed for (even when trying to aim much shorter).

Playability Duration (did you notice changes in feel and performance over time?): Straight off the stringer the string was good to play. I do not like strings that require any break in time, and this one did not disappoint. Like I've mentioned above there was a sharp dropoff in playability for me at about hour 5. Snapback decreased over time and notching was close to breaking at about hour 5. This locked up the stringbed for me and in addition to the power increase, had me sailing groundstrokes and serves long even with a lower launch angle.

Playability Duration (did you notice changes in feel and performance over time?) I seem to think that the playability of this string was slightly less that normal, I started noticing a drop in performance about the 8-9 hour mark or mostly singles and hitting sessions.

I'm at about 8.5 hours and have felt the same as all of the above playtesters. At about hour 7.5 I noticed that I was spraying balls long...IDK if this was due to tension loss, or what, but I suddenly struggled mightily. Now, there are several playtesters that I didn't quote who stated that characteristics remained constant through 15 hours....so I'm wondering if it was me, my opponent, the weather, or some other outside factor.

I think I'm going to string up at my normal tension again just to get back to the "I love this" phase, and monitor again to see if it drops off at the same point.

 

[Chairman3]

I think I'm going to string up at my normal tension again just to get back to the "I love this" phase, and monitor again to see if it drops off at the same point

Yeah it is definitely a softer, more powerful string so is more likely to lose tension more quickly.
But, as with most things, there are tons of variables. How hard you hit, how hard your opponents hit, racquet, string pattern, weather, where you keep your racquets, etc.

Some people with spinnier technique and more open patterns may not notice as significant a change in launch angle because their shots are coming off with more launch anyway.

My technique is reasonably consistent wherein if I start consistently missing ling by half a foot to a foot, it is probably the string.