Tennis Warehouse Playtest: Signum Pro Yellow Jacket 1.30mm
Ladies and gentlemen, here is my review of Signum Pro Yellow Jacket 1.30 string. Thank you to
@TW Staff for this opportunity as always. It is much appreciated.
Tension(s) used for playtest: 48 lbs on a Gamma ELS 5800 stringer. Was strung by USRS certified stringer.
Regular string set up: I am always trying new strings and equipment when not playing matches. These days my usual go-to string is Volkl Cyclone 1.30 strung anywhere from 48-52 lbs depending on racquet and mood.
Racquet used for playtest: I opted for my Dunlop NT Revolution Tour for this playtest. I enjoy Volkl Cyclone in mid-high 40s tensions in this frame and figured Yellow Jacket will be a good fit.
Power of test string: Power was on the low side. As an avid user of Cyclone 16 (black), I found Signum Pro Yellow Jacket 16 to perform with exactly the same power as the Cyclone. If you take full swings at the ball, you get generous spin and decent pop on groundstrokes and volleys as well. Just don't expect Yonex Poly Tour Strike or other higher powered string sort of feedback. You can always string lower and get more power out of the stringbed. With this string being already softer than most polys however, I would not recommend it if you are not used to playing with low tensions.
Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp?): The string is on the softer side. Very comfortable. Softer than Volkl Cyclone, to give a better idea. That said, let me reiterate that the while string is soft, the stringbed played crisp on ball contact, very similar to Volkl Cyclone. One thing that stood out for me was some very good pocketing of the ball. I felt really connected on court. Another thing of note here is that it took about 10-15 mins for the strings to settle in and I had a weird buzzing feeling initially, but that went away. I am at the 8 hour mark after my hitting session today and about to cut strings out. Have not had that feeling again.
Spin: I loved the spin this string provided. This is something I expected from Yellow Jacket because of it's shape and how it felt in hand. I can see slight wear on the edges of the string in racquet. Even with the wear, there was very little little drop-off in spin potential. Very happy with spin aspect of this string. Most stand-out feature for me.
Comfort: I found this string to be very comfortable in a full bed. I don't have a history of arm issues but if someone asks me for a softer feeling, shaped poly, I will recommend Yellow Jacket. The feel on off-center hits is not jarring, and other than that buzzing sensation I mentioned earlier for the first 10-15 mins, the comfort was very consistent throughout.
Durability: This is a very durable string. I am not a chronic string breaker compared to some of the guys I hit with but I can tell you that it is going to be more durable than Cyclone in same gauge. I don't see a lot of notching and except for edges wearing slightly, I don't see the string falling apart any time soon. I wonder how thinner gauges will be in this department though given that string has characteristics of a softer poly.
Playability Duration: Very decent. I got the same 8-9 hours I get with most polys hitting with high level players. The playability was constant which was good. I did not feel that there was a drop off all of a sudden. That said, I have noticed that the string now needs to be cut out. I am launching balls, feeling has died and feedback getting jarring and harsh. Will be cutting them out tonight.
Control: The string provides both excellent spin-oriented control and point and shoot sort of control. You can always whip the ball and expect it to dip and land inside the line. Ball pocketing helps that as well. I also had zero issues flattening the ball without spin as well. Great directional control there for both spin hitting and flat hitting. Overall I was very pleased with the control as stringbed response was consistent and very reliable. I could swing out big knowing ball will land in. Big swings with confidence are rewarded.
Tension findings (did you like your 1st tension? Did you restring? What happened on 2nd try?): Since I used this in a dense 18x20 racquet for my playtest, I feel 48 lbs was ideal. I only received one set of the string so I cant say what happened on 2nd try. I do know if I had another set, I would string same tension (in this same racquet). I will definitely recommend going tighter a couple of pounds in more open patterns - as high up as 52 lb or 53 lbs - which is most I have ever recommended for a poly to rec players - because of the softness of the string. Tension maintenance was better than Cyclone and there was no drop off anywhere.
Compare to string used most often: This was the very interesting part for me. Signum Pro Yellow Jacket felt very similar to Volkl Cyclone and my hitting partner shared the same thoughts when I let him borrow my racquet as well. Power was on par, and it was a tad softer than Cyclone. Spin was marginally better overall. It played as consistent as Volkl Cylone for me and I have no problems getting adjusted to both. I think durability was better for Yellow Jacket given the edges did not wear out as much and I did not see a lot of notching.
List any additional thoughts (optional): I really enjoyed this playtest, and with this price point, I will seriously think about keeping a few sets of Yellow Jacket string handy. Since I am so used to Volkl Cyclone, I really don't think I had issues in adjusting to Yellow Jacket. My only knock would be that it is a dollar more than my trusty Cyclone.
That said, Yellow Jacket is a very slight improvement for me as it doesn't have some of that "plasticky" feedback some might complain from Cyclone at higher tension and tension maintenance seemed to be better.
Finally, thank you
@TW Staff once again for this opportunity for all of us tennis gear nerds out there. Great little fun playtest for me.
