Tennis Warehouse Playtest: NEW colors of Yonex POLYTOUR REV!!!

[jugheadfla]

Yonex Poly Tour Rev (Purple and White) Review

What color are you reviewing? - Purple and White

Tension(s) used for playtest – 52lbs

Regular string set up – I currently play with Solinco Tour Bite 17g in a Prestige Pro 360+

Racquets used for playtest – Purple: Vcore Pro 97 310 and White: Vcore 98

Control – In my opinion, control is by far the best attribute of this string. Although the string is not overly crisp, I had no issues with directional control whatsoever and especially in a control-oriented racquet it provided adequate depth and launch angle control as well. I never had any balls spray outside the lines and even when I didn’t find the middle of the string bed the ball tended to end up where I was aiming. Just based on this attribute alone I would be willing to use this string again in the future.

Power – I found the power level of this string to be in the middle layer for a poly. It was lively enough so I didn’t have to swing out of my shoes to get it passed the service line on ground strokes and it wasn’t so lively that I would sail my shots passed the baseline either. Would have liked to have a bit more pop on my serves, being that compared to TB which is my go to string, it lacked in this area. Volleys were very comfortable and had enough power to punch balls easily passed my opponent. Overall, the power provided by this string was adequate from the majority of the court.

Spin – Similar to my Rev orange review, the spin from both the purple and white version of the string is its worst attribute. Its not that it doesn’t provide any at all, but it doesn’t really give you any for free like most other shaped polys. It literally felt like I was hitting with a standard round string and in my opinion, it didn’t provide enough snap back to make up for the lack of shape. I know this string touts bite as its main attribute, but I just didn’t feel it. To get any spin from this string required extreme brush up on the ball.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?) – This is definitely not a crisp or stiff string, and in my experience, it felt rather muted and dead. It had decent pocketing, which during my playtest gave it a comfortable feel and I never had any arm, elbow, wrist, or shoulder pain. This string reminded by a lot of spin-G but with better control which would make sense being that they both use the SIF technology.

Playability Duration (did the string lose playability over time?) – I was able to play with the string for approximately 18 hours and the playability was very similar from first hit to last. It’s not a string where the playability falls of a cliff towards the end, but it did get a bit mushy for the last couple hours and lost a lot of feel.

Tension findings (would you use a different tension next time? Why?) After starting out at 52lbs, both strings ended up losing about 10 lbs through the duration of the play test and settled around 42lbs. To me 52lbs seems to be perfectly fine with this string and I wouldn’t go up or down if I played with this string again. It has plenty of control and enough pop to not have to do any adjustments.

Additional thoughts? One thing that surprised me with this string is the minimal notching at the conclusion of the play test, especially for a string that felt rather soft to me. That tells me that it is a rather durable string and for those that play a string till it breaks, this would be a good option. Between the 2 other strings that I compared it two (PTP and PT Spin G) I prefer Rev by far. It definitely has its flaws but the control it provides as well as the predictability are unmatched compared to those other strings. Also, as others have mention it may be the easiest string I have ever strung because of its slick texture.

Extra Credit (for players who hit with both)

Did you detect any differences in feel and/or playability between the colors? I played with not only Purple and white, but orange as well side by side during this playtest and I can honestly say that I felt no difference between any of them. They all had the same feel and power in my experience and none of them seemed livelier than the other. That is usually not the case with other strings with multiple colors that I have tested but, in this case, if there was a difference it was so minimal, I couldn’t feel it.

Just want to thank TW and Yonex for giving me the opportunity to playtest these strings and share my experience!

 

[JOSHL]

Yonex Poly Tour Rev (Purple and White) Review

https://imgur.com/a/CVrwmNb

Gauge received-
1.25

Tension(s) used for playtest
51lbs for purple, 52lbs for white.

Regular string set up
I don't really have a regular setup, but I have been using 1.20 Yonex Poly Tour Pro to get honest feedback from racquets I've been trying.

Racquet used for test
Head Extreme Tour- Purple, Head Extreme Tour Nite-white

Power/Control of test string
First hit off the stringing machine I felt like power was average to above average and had above average control, after about an hour or so the strings settled in and the power seemed to go up, maybe due to more pocketing/tension loss, but control was still there. 7/10 Power, 8/10 Control.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?)
For me the feel is one of the best attributes of this string(aside from the purple! color). It has a very nice plush comfortable feel and pockets the ball very well which in turn leads to higher than average power. Touch shots and flat serves shine with this string. I'd say it's a comfortable and slightly muted string and very tough to distinguish from regular Poly Tour Pro. 8.5/10

Spin
As some have mentioned spin was kind of a let down for me, especially when they advertise the bite of the string. I'd say the majority of the spin comes from the snap back not from any shape the string has because it's very rounded and very slick for being a shaped string. Again very hard to tell any discernible difference between this and regular Poly Tour Pro in my opinion. Giving a low score because of the advertised "bite" and "spin" 6/10

Durability
I am not a poly breaker usually so durability was not an issue for me. In fact because the string is so slippery it seems to not notch all that much, so durability is very good! 8.5/10

Playability Duration
This is the best attribute of this string for me. Much like others have said it loses about 8lbs of tension after a few hours but then stays there for what seems like forever. According to RacquetTune off the machine Purple was 50.6lbs, after 3 hours 44.5lbs then 6+ hours 43lbs. White was 51.8 right off the machine, after 3 hours 44.7lbs, 6+ 43lbs. These are pretty much the same readings I get with regular Poly Tour Pro as well, just so solid and predictable. After about 9-10 hours they do stop snapping back but playability drop off isn't too drastic for me. 9/10

Tension Recommendations (would you string it differently next time - why)
I could go either way on this one. I think the tension I used was perfectly fine but because it's such a comfortable string I could go higher and be totally fine, up to 54-55 which I have not done in a while with poly.

List any additional thoughts (optional)
I really love the purple color of this string and how slick it is. Like other Yonex Polys it is super easy to string which I also appreciate. I honestly struggled to find any differences between this and regular Poly Tour Pro, the shape of this string is pretty much nonexistent to me and playability is identical. So if you like the regular and have a bunch I'd say just stick with it, which is what I'm going to do. I wouldn't let the Yonex marketing "Spin" have you believe that this is some spin monster, there are way better shaped poly's for that- hyper g, tour bite, silver 7 tour, cyclone, to name a few.

Extra Credit (for players who hit with both)

Did you detect any differences in feel and/or playability between the colors?
I did find some differences between the white and purple. For me the White version felt softer and had more pocketing, which is strange because of a couple reasons, I strung it higher and the racquet I used has a lower swing weight. Other than that they played very similar.

Thanks TTW and Yonex for allowing me to take part, I really appreciate doing these play tests!!!

Cheers!

 

[5.0 in 3.0 Body Guy]

Yonex Poly Tour REV Review

• What color are you reviewing?
  • Both white and purple
• Tension(s) used for playtest
  • 48 lbs on Wise 2086 w/ a 10% prestretch
  • String was very slick, and if I hadn't known in advance, I'd have thought it a round poly.
• Regular string set up
  • Laserfibre Native Tour at 54lbs (w/ 10% prestretch)
• Overview
  • For the playtest, I strung both of my VCORE 98 +s at the same tension, one with the White, one with the Purple:

​

To be consistent, I used the same tension as I did for the Orange Poly Tour REV playtest back in December. Up until my final outing, I played one color on one side of the net, and then changed to the other color during my changeover (my final outing I played 1 full set w/ each color). Almost all of my play was on outdoor clay, although bad weather did push me indoors once, and I did some drilling on outdoor hard.​

• Control/Power/Spin
  • Control: For me, the control with this string is like any other poly: when I committed to the stroke and accelerated through the point of contact, I found the ball going not only where I wanted it, but how I wanted it. Most of my play was on clay, so I was using more angles than swinging for the fence, and I felt quite confident with the string from the start. I had Paul Annacone consistently in my head saying "heavy shots to big targets", and it worked... No discernible difference between the White and Purple in the control department.
  • Power: Like the Orange I playtested back in December, I found this to be on the medium-to-higher side of the power spectrum. I'd like to say the White version felt a bit more lively than the Purple, but it's very slight. I was hitting serves with good pace, and ripping some good returns. From the ground I'm not going to hit winners, but on the clay I was able to hit strong enough shots to split sets w/ my good friend who's a 5.0. He even commented after our match that he'd been winning all summer fairly easily, but against me I made him work, and didn't let him get away with "pushing" the ball. I must say that I felt confident on my "serve + 1" points, which really isn't my normal style of play.
  • Spin: Again, like with the Orange playtest, this string is not the spin-monster the name implies. It's very smooth and slick to the touch, and the snap-back is definitely there, but if you're looking for something to really enhance your normal spin, this probably won't do it. I'd put it at the medium spin-enhancement level.
• Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?)
  • To me, this is the best aspect of the string. Looking back at my Orange review, I called it "muted, crisp, but comfortable", and I see no reason to change that description. I really gel with the feel coming off the frame. Also, I was slightly concerned how this would play in a VDM-enhanced frame (I did the previous playtest w/ the 2018 VCORE 98, but this one w/ the new 2021 VCORE 98)...I was concerned it would feel too dampened. But it really blends well w/ the feel of the new VCORE, maybe even better. If I had to pick one, I'd say the White is slightly softer, with a smidge more ball pocketing, but again, it is miniscule.
  • I have only had tennis elbow once in my life (failed experiment w/ 4G Rough), but I think there's even less chance of getting it with this poly. Absolutely no twinges or pain/discomfort of any kind after playing with this for ~ a month.
• Playability Duration (did the string lose playability over time?)
  • I got about 8-10 hours off each color. At that point, the strings stopped snapping back, which is my indicator that it is time to cut them out. They still "felt" good, but I was beginning to see a few shots fly long that hadn't been flying long earlier in the playtest. It could be (and most probably was) me, and not the string, but I've found it best to just throw in the towel once they stop snapping back. I suspect indoors I could get an additional 2-3 hours off each frame as high humidity + heat + clay courts are normally not a good combo for tennis strings in general.
• Tension findings (would you use a different tension next time? Why?)
  • I think when I use these strings again (note that I said 'when' and not 'if'), I'll bump up to 50 just to see how it plays. I've been increasing my tensions lately with these newer polys as they're softer, and I feel I can get a bit more control (allowing me to swing more freely). Not surprisingly, the tension numbers were quite similar to the Orange:

White REV (a) Immediately off the machine, (b) after my first hit, and (c) after 10 hours:​

​

​

Purple REV (a) Immediately off the machine, (b) after my first hit, and (c) after 10 hours:​

​

​

• Additional thoughts?
  • Once again I'm left with nothing but good vibes from this string. The feel is great, and power and spin are on par with what I use now. While I like the color choices, I'll likely snag a reel of the "boring" white (which really looks like an off-white or smoke-white to me) once I go through my current reel.
  • Hopefully there will be a Christmas sale of some sort this December

Thanks again to TW and Yonex for the opportunity to playtest these strings. Now I can have Yonex strings in a Yonex frame w/ Yonex overwrap...and a Sampras dampener...

Would you mind sharing the string factor you are using in your Racquet Tune settings? I can’t seem to find Poly Tour Rev in the apps online string database. Also, which gauge did you test?

 

[boulderchips]

Yonex Polytour Rev

What color are you reviewing?
Purple. I also strung up white, but our romance was cut short all too soon.

Tension(s) used for playtest: 49 lb
Regular string set up: Tecnifibre Razor Code 125 at ~49 lb on a customized Yonex Ezone 98

Control:
Fairly good, if not exceptional. It's a firm poly, so I felt free to swing out. Directional control was solid, depth control was generally good. I got used to its behavior over time, but it didn't always feel predictable, especially in the spin department. I think it's possible that I'd like the 130 better.

Power:
Again, pretty average (for a firm poly). It's not powerful, but in this gauge it's not dead either. I thought the power level was adequate.

Spin:
As others have mentioned, spin doesn't live up to the marketing. It's there, but I wouldn't call Rev the "ultimate spin experience," and it definitely doesn't compare to spin monsters like Hyper-G (which is fine by me). The slickness provides some bite, but I thought Rev felt and performed more like a round string than a shaped string. I did find it a little less predictable than a good round string, and I had some trouble controlling the shape of shots. This is the biggest reason why I still prefer Razor Code.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?):
Muted and comfortable. For me, this is the aspect that most differentiates Rev from the rest of the market. It's firm, but the muted feel makes it comfy. I usually play with a dampener on the Ezone 98, but this string is muted enough that I was fine going without it. Depending on what you like, this feel can be good or bad. The Ezone 98 is already crisp and muted — I didn't love the feel of purple Rev in it, but that may be just me.

Playability Duration (did the string lose playability over time?)
Tension maintenance is a strong point for Rev. My frequency readings were similar to other testers, showing about a 10% drop over the first few sessions. Compared to most polys I've tried, especially in similar gauge, Rev holds tension well. I did find significant notching by the 4-5 hour mark, and I was really losing snapback at about 6 hours. It's still playable, but I started to look forward to cutting it out.

Tension findings (would you use a different tension next time? Why?)
I was pretty happy at 50 lb. I think Rev could easily be strung a few pounds tighter or looser depending on feel preference.

Additional thoughts?
In most ways, Rev feels like a very middle-of-the-road poly. I don't have much to complain about (except a bit of unpredictability in the spin department), but I also don't have much to rave about. I think the deciding factor for this string is feel — if you like muted, firm, and comfortable, you'll probably like Rev. Also, the slick coating makes it a joy to string with.

Extra Credit (for players who hit with both)
Did you detect any differences in feel and/or playability between the colors?
I really wish I could give a better answer to this question. I strung up both colors at the same tension and took both to the courts...but the white string broke in less than five minutes. I strung it on a brand new frame, so it's possible that the settling grommets were at fault somehow. In my very brief hit, I thought the white string felt a tad more lively and offered slightly more pocketing. The difference was subtle but noticeable. I actually preferred the feel of the white string, so I'm sad it broke I may snag another set to give it a proper test. I have a set of the orange version in 130 lying around, so I'll give that a go at some point for comparison's sake.

Big thanks to Yonex and TW for the test! Of Yonex's string lineup, I've now tried Rev, Pro, and Strike. Depending on the racquet pairing, I think all three are solid strings. I prefer PTP and PTS to PTR, but I like what Yonex is doing.

 

[nimm]

Review of Yonex POLYTOUR REV Purple

- What color are you reviewing? Purple
- Tension(s) used for playtest: 55lb
- Regular string set up : Technifibre X-one Biphase 16. 55lb.
- Control/Power/Spin: I usually hit very flat balls, but do use some spin at times for slices mainly. I find that these strings have really good spin potential. My slices were kept low and had good backspin. Power is lacking for me with this string, and I could not get enough depth on my shots from baseline. Also my arm was sore after the session. No issue with control, very reliable on change of direction shots.
- Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?): I felt very stiff when using these strings. My stringer told me that it is possibly because my regular strings are a lot different than these strings. So for anyone using softer strings on a regular basis, I won’t recommend using these strings in full. Possibly a hybrid may do better.
- Playability Duration (did the string lose playability over time?): I did not feel any tension loss after 3 weeks of hitting it. But due to the issues I had with depth generation and arm soreness, I did restrung it to my regular strings after around 3 weeks.
- Tension findings (would you use a different tension next time? Why?): I will definitely use lower tension with these strings next time if I string them. I still have not used the white string pack yet, since I wanted to get back to my regular strings after 3 weeks, and wanted to give my arm a bit of rest. In a couple of months I will give the white another try and possibly string it at a really lower tension and see what happens.
- Additional thoughts? Not a string for everyone. A friend of mine did hit with my racket for a few minutes and found these strings to be very comfortable. I am a 3.5 level player who hits flat (and some bad technique too), and my friend is a 4.5 level player with a lot better technique and topspin. So consider this when you take input from my review. But one thing is true that this is not a string for everyone.

 

[Pronate]

Yonex POLYTOUR REV White 1.25
TALK TENNIS STRING PLAYTEST ​

String Color: White

Tension(s): 48lbs for mains and crosses. It took about as long as when I string other polys.

Racquet used for playtest: Head Prestige Graphene MP (2013) (no modifications)

Regular string set up: I have been using Head Hawk @43lbs for the last 5 months. Before that I have been using strings like Solinco Hyper G @54lbs on the same racquet.

Power: The string had a decent amount of power. I found it comparable to Head Hawk. I felt comfortable swinging my groundstrokes normally. The power initially varied as the play test went on. On my first serve I felt the shot was slower. (7/10)

Spin: I enjoyed the spin from this string setup. At the net and for slices, I could see the sidespin and sharper angles. It felt like it had more spin than Solinco Hyper G and Yonex Poly Tour Rev. (8/10)

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp?): String felt crisp and stiff, but does not feel uncomfortable. It felt like I was able to direct the ball better at the net due to the responsiveness. (8/10)

Comfort: The string is pretty comfortable. In this area it’s better than RPM/RPM Dual, Wilson Spin Cycle, and ALU Power. Multifilaments I’ve tried are more comfortable though. My arms felt ok after hitting. (8/10)

Durability: Durability is great. Although time will make it a better determination, I have noticed this string setup has held up with no notching. (8.5/10)

Playability Duration (share thoughts on if/how the playability changed over time): The playability duration is good and long lasting (15+ hours). There is an initial decline in the spin and angles after the first hour. Shots were less high arched and slices were sharpness, but the string still played great. (8.5/10)

Control (predictable trajectory? Easy to control depth? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?): The control is great, and I would say that it is the best feature of this string. Depth was shorter after the first hour. This turned out great in situations where 4.0 opponents would try to overpower me via forehand approach shots. Strokes and swing speeds were fine (moderate). (9/10)


Compare to the string you used most often: I believe this string is more comfortable than Head Hawk. The launch angle is higher, stiffness is slightly less, and seems just as durable. For those interested in the string I would recommend it over Hyper G since this was a lot more responsive (in terms of feel during complete unit turn shots) while having comparable stiffness when doing some open stance rallying.


Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?): I strung the racquet just as I normally do. Maybe a little bit higher tension next time for the extra control (48lb+8lb extra = 56lb). That could possibly increase the longevity of the sharp angles I felt and for the control. The control aspect is still great, but in case it diminishes significantly in a couple of months. I noticed whenever trying a racquet strung very tightly (65+lbs), the strings still help create fairly sharp angles even when the racquet was strung months ago.

List any additional thoughts : Yonex makes great strings and I look forward to their future products. Thanks again to TW for this forum and the play test! Overall: (8/10)

 

[Injured Again]

Review of Yonex PolyTour Rev, Purple and White, 1.25 mm.

What color are you reviewing? Both purple and white

Tension(s) used for playtest: I strung up both the purple and white using identical tensions, into identical racquets. I used 48 pounds for the center eight mains and 44 pounds for the center five crosses, decreasing in tension towards the edge of the stringbed.

Regular string set up: Tourna Silver 7 Tour, 17 gauge, strung at 47 in the center eight mains and 43 pounds in the center five crosses, decreasing in tension towards the edge of the stringbed.

Control/Power/Spin: Control with PT Rev is quite good. The string responds very consistently and linearly to the racquet head speed and trajectory that I use. I came into this stringtest after a two week layoff of no tennis, and both racquets felt immediately friendly and comfortable to use. Directional and angle control off the stringbed is very good. Low incoming-spin sensitivity means I can better control the height of the ball off the stringbed, and this was very beneficial when trying to hit a lower pace ball into a small target. Though I didn't play doubles during my time with this string, it would be a very nice string for keeping the ball low on the return, or for making those touch angles.

The power of both strings is medium to medium low. Power levels didn't change much during the time of my testing, but the impact sound lost the high frequency harmonics as it aged. This gave the impression of a mushy stringbed, though control didn't suffer and the ball didn't launch unexpectedly.

I was a playtester for the orange 1.20 PT Rev and did not notice as much spin generation capability as with the 1.25 gauge of both the purple and white PT Rev. Possibly due to the denser string pattern of my 18x19 SW104, this thicker string gave me a pretty low launch angle. This created problems for me such as when I was run out wide to my forehand and tried to loop up a topspin ball. The strings didn't feel like it could bite the ball and that shot didn't have much net clearance, not much ball speed, and not that much spin. The low launch angle also caused problems with second serves and made it hard to get the aim that I normally have so I aimed more towards the middle of the service box.

I had the most comfort with the spin capability when playing against hard hitting players, where I'm trying to meet the ball cleanly with a flatter stroke and to use the inherent good control of the string to direct the ball back to fairly tight targets. Against players where I would normally play more offense, if I had the time to really set up and take a hard swing, I could generate decent spin but it was much better to use the control to hit it flatter and harder.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?): The impact feel of both colors is fairly muted. PT Rev has a cushioned feel and started out moderately crisp. As the string ages, loses elasticity and tension, the crispness went away and the feel got more mushy. The high frequency harmonics also went away, so the impact became "thuddier", which seemed to make the mushy feeling even greater despite the fact that control was still good.

Playability Duration (did the string lose playability over time?): Due to a self-inflicted stringing problem, I had to patch the white string on the second and third crosses from the bottom to complete the stringjob. That patch let loose when I swung hard and made contact low on the stringbed right on the two patched strings. I managed to get somewhere between three and four hours on the white string and playing characteristics did not change much during that time.

I played the purple string to breakage, which was at around seven hours and which broke on a center main while only notched around 50% of the way through. Normally, I experience breaking at between 60-65% notching. The impact feel did change as the string aged, and the low launch angle became a bit lower, but power levels and control were still there. I didn't have problems even near the end of life with hitting harder, flatter shots. I didn't experience shots that flew unexpectedly, and the ball response was linear until breakage.

Tension findings (would you use a different tension next time? Why?): I strung the purple and white 1.25 PT Rev at the same tensions as I strung the 1.20 orange PT Rev, but I played the orange string in very cold, outdoor winter conditions while the white and purple strings were played in warmer late summer conditions. From an impact feel perspective, I would have like a bit more crispness and could have probably used a couple more pounds of tension. From a launch angle perspective, I would have liked a higher launch angle and would have preferred a a couple of pounds less tension. Since the launch angle is a greater consideration than the impact feel, I would probably string with the crosses a few pounds lower and leave the mains at the same tension, hoping the greater differential would give me the higher launch angle without getting mushy.

I used RacquetTune throughout the playtest to measure tension loss.

Right off the stringer: White: 44.6 pounds. Purple: 44.7 pounds.
After 30 minutes of hitting: White: 42.2 pounds/5.4% loss. Purple: 42.1 pounds/5.8% loss.
After one hour of hitting: Purple: 41.3 pounds/7.6% loss.
After 90 minutes of hitting: White: 40.9 pounds/8.3% loss.
After 100 minutes of hitting: Purple: 40.3 pounds/9.8% loss.
After two hours: White: 39.7 pounds/10.5% loss. The patched crosses pulled through the grommet at about three hours.
After 3.5 hours: Purple: 39.2 pounds/12.3% loss.
After 5.5 hours: Purple: 37.8 pounds/15.4% loss. The purple string broke the next time out.

Tension loss between both colors was uniform throughout the test, but never seemed to level off. Tension continued to drop linearly throughout, and the purple string seemed to experience a larger tension loss with deeper notching and right before it broke.

Did you detect any differences in feel and/or playability between the colors? On several occasions, I hit both strings back to back. Throughout their life, I felt the purple string to be both more crisp and more forgiving when missing the sweetspot. The white string felt a bit more muted and more harsh when contact wasn't perfect. The purple string may have also had a very slightly higher launch angle. However, the differences are very slight and only noticeable in direct back-to-back hitting. If I were to just pick up one or the other, the differences wouldn't be noticeable.

I also thought that during stringing, the purple string was a bit more supple and seemed to have a bit more elongation when pulling tension.

Additional thoughts: Both strings are very slick and weaving crosses was easy. There's minimal coil memory. The PT Rev's shape is very slight and really not much different than a round string.

In conclusion: Yonex PolyTour Rev is a very linear, control-oriented string that should feel immediately comfortable to most users familiar with poly strings. It seems suited more to a flatter hitter or for doubles play as spin generation with this thicker gauge in a tight string pattern is difficult. It's relatively insensitive to incoming spin, and the high levels of control allow a flat stroke to be directed to a small target with lots of confidence.

Thanks to Yonex and Tennis Warehouse for allowing me to test PolyTour Rev.

 

[dtkim]

Yonex Polytour Rev (YPtR) White and Purple Strings Playtest:
Based on my previous experiences with bright fluorescent orange YPtR strings, I was very excited to playtest both white and purple YPtR strings. These strings provided very consistent and predictable responses throughout playtest periods without the premature string breakage. I would describe YPtR as a slick, close to round shaped and durable control string with lesser harshness to your playing arm. I was able to playtest over 18 cumulated hours for each colors and both strings played very similar to each other. First initial hour of playing, white felt slightly softer; however, on afterwards, both played very similar to each other and I could not distinguish the difference in playabilities between the two. I did detect one difference, and it is at the end of this report.

What color are you reviewing? Both YPtR full-bed white and full-bed purple (1.25mm/16Lg) strings.

Tension(s) used for playtest: Strung up two matching Head Microgel MP TKG 238.1’s (18 x 20) with the same 53/51 lbs (main/cross) tensions setup, and play tested by rotating two racquets every 15 minutes intervals to compare any differences in feel and playability between the two colors.

Regular string set up: My regular string setups are Head Lynx Tours with 16g main and 17g cross (53/51), and Tier One Black Knight 16g main and Head Lynx Tours with 17g cross (53/51) using Head Prestige Mids (18 x 20). I still use and hybrid between Head, Ashaway, Prince, Kirschbaum, Volkl, Weiss Cannon, and Tier One brand strings.

Control/Power/Spin: Both colors provided very similar playing characteristics, and I was not able to distinguish any noticeable differences between them.

YPtR provided me with more than adequate control and power compared with the most co-poly strings that I am familiar playing. Generating spin was not difficult and control shots at the net were above average. YPtR does not hinder your ability to produce shots that you can generate consistently.

Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?) YPtR provided muted and comfortable feel during the ball impacts at the net, baseline, and serves compared to most of the strings that I play regularly.

Playability Duration (did the string lose playability over time?) YPtR provided an excellent playability, and the durability was above average when compared with my other co-poly strings that I regularly used. Similar to YPtR orange playtest, even with multiple deep notches all over the main strings toward the end of the playtest, both YPtR white and purple performed consistently.

Tension findings (would you use a different tension next time? Why?) Playtest setup at 53 lbs main/51 lbs Cross were very comfortable for me. I seldom change my tension setup between Mid and Midplus racquets. However, I may vary the tension within +/- 2 lbs based on the racquet head sizes. For the Mid-size, between 53/51 and 51/49. For the Midplus-size, between 54/52 and 52/50. For the Oversize, between 55/53 and 53/51.

Additional thoughts? YPtR comes with many different color choices and a shaped string with rounder edges. The slippery coating provides ease of weaving the crosses during the stringing, and tying the ends knots are not difficult. Roughness on the surfaces of the freshly strung YPtR is less noticeable compared with other freshly strung shaped co-poly strings. For me, YPtR white, purple, and orange are play very similar to each other.

YPtR is less stiffer than most of the co-polys; however, the control, playability, and durability were above average, and I would like to recommend others to try.

Special thank you to @TW Staff and Yonex Company for the Yonex Polytour Rev string playtest opportunity and another enjoyable experiences.


Extra Credit (for players who hit with both)
Did you detect any differences in feel and/or playability between the colors?

With the same tension setup on two matching racquets, I could not detect any noticeable differences in feel and playability between the white and purple YPtRs. However, examining the cut-off main strings after logging over 18 hours of playtest for each strings, the white mains had visually deeper notches compared to the purple mains.

 

[djNEiGht]

 

[djNEiGht]

• What color are you reviewing?
  • Full bed white
  • Full bed purple
• Tension(s) used for playtest
  • 45# in 2021 vCore 95
• Regular string set up
  • Lately been using Oehms BPR, Grapplesnake Game Changer/Tier One Ghostwire hybrid
• Control/Power/Spin
  • Control seemed to be the leader in this category. I was able to hit my spots on ground strokes. I would rate this to be a top rate control string
  • Power also seemed to be a front runner for this string. I noticed it in my 1st flat serves mostly and occasionally on my ground strokes.
  • Spin was ample but it was not a stand out for my game. I think this string works well with a player with very high racquet head speed.
• Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?)
  • This string felt on the muted side
  • Comfort was one of the stand out features for this string
• Playability Duration (did the string lose playability over time?)
  • Another top ringer for this string was the playability. I was really happy with how these strings played during the play test. I strung the two racquets about a week a part and could tell the difference the first couple days but after the string on the 2nd racquet settled, both played very similar
• Tension findings (would you use a different tension next time? Why?)
  • I might go 2 lbs higher to see if I could tame the power (had some ground strokes going long on what I felt should have been good)…yet at the same time I would consider even going 2 lbs lower to see if I could get more spin
• Additional thoughts?
  • I think this is a great offering from Yonex. It can work for those that like round polys as it’s not too grabby but when you need the spin it can deliver. This string might also work well as a cross for a gut/poly set up.
  • This string could also be good for open pattern racquets as the durability seems pretty decent. Notching wasn’t as quick as other shaped strings

Extra Credit (for players who hit with both)

• Did you detect any differences in feel and/or playability between the colors?
  • The differences I felt was the white was a bit softer. No other differences in terms of performance
  • I rotated between racquets from time to time in match play and during drills
• Thank you Tennis Warehouse and Yonex for extending this play test to the forum

 

[fullwesternforehand]

• What color are you reviewing? White
• 
  
• Tension(s) used for playtest: 52 pounds
• 
  
• Regular string set up: Hyper G between 49-53 in my babolat pure drive 2015
• 
  
• Control/Power/Spin: I didn't get to hit with the purple version, but I was on the orange playtest and will use that as a point of reference. The orange version was nice and lively, but the white version is a bit more muted and control orientated. I wouldn't say it is a control string, but compared to the orange it is a bit more tame. Power level was average for a poly. Not much pop in the white version. and is for sure not a powerful poly by all means. Spin is below average. I feel the string's slickness dies out very quickly, and since it is not very shaped it is OK in spin for a poly.
• 
  
• Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?): Orange version was crisp and lively, whereas the white version is a much tamer/ control version of the orange string. I would not describe it as crisp at all, but more so a muted poly with a hint of mush towards the end of the playtest.
• 
  
• Playability Duration (did the string lose playability over time?): The string was fairly consistent throughout the playtest, and I feel that way because the string has not much to "lose", if that makes sense. It doesn't lose its comfort, since IMO it is a bit stiff. What I will say, however, is it does get mushy .
• 
  
• Tension findings (would you use a different tension next time? Why?): I would have liked to see this string at an ultra low tension, like in the sub-45 area to add some power and kill the harshness a bit
• 
  
• Additional thoughts? Overall, this string plays like any other white poly. All white polys that I have played with are a combination of stiff, low power, and a decent amount of pop before they die. Thanks TW and yonex for the playtest!!

 

[tdhawks]

Better late than never. My apologies as I just got home from a business trip.

4.0 Baseliner with occasional serve and volley. Weapon is my serve as I can flatten it out and hit it hard or generate a good amount of spin with a kick serve. I play with a lot of spin as apposed to hitting through the ball. I have a very low backhand slice that I can use as an offensive weapon. Shaped strings are what typically work the best for me.

• What color are you reviewing? - White
• Tension(s) used for playtest - 44lbs
• Regular string set up - Hybrid of Mayami Tour Hex and Ghostwire @44lbs in Vcore 98.
• Control/Power/Spin - I honestly didn't care for this string at all. In fact, I cut it out after 6 hours. I do have a sensitive elbow, hence why I use hybrids, but this string for whatever reason was making it bark. I read how soft it was so I was shocked it caused discomfort. There was really nothing about this string that suited my game. It was very slick so I figured I would get some good string movement but the spin was very subpar for me. Power felt the same as my current setup and control was meh. I know I sound like a downer but nothing worked well for me.
• Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?) - It felt stiff and dead to me from the beginning. I was hoping over time it would loosen up a bit and allow for string movement but it never did.
• Playability Duration (did the string lose playability over time?) - It felt the same the entire time. 6 hours total. I guess that's good if you like the string as most string start to go south around that time.
• Tension findings (would you use a different tension next time? Why?) - I would have to string around 40lbs or lower to make it comfortable and if I did that it would be a rocket launcher.
• Additional thoughts? - I do appreciate TW for allowing me to be on this playtest and hopefully next time around I will find something that suits my game a little better.