HypnoticLasagna
Semi-Pro
I have done 1.20 hot con with 1.25 Tour bite round. Thought it played just fine, but I still prefer the 1.25.
Tennis Warehouse Playtest: Solinco Confidential Soft 1.25
- Thread starter TW Staff
- Start date
StringStrungStrang
Professional
@AlcarazIsland I have used Confidential Soft Pink (16L mains) with PP Red Devil (17 crosses) pink and red. It plays great and looks great!!
yoka37
Rookie
On my Gravity MP, I've tried:
*Confidential Soft and Hyper G Round used were 17g (1.20)
1) CS 54 / HGR 52 - Enjoyed this a lot. Good control, very comfortable. Took an hour or two to break in for me, felt pretty stiff initially.
2) CS 52 / HGR 50 - Felt great right at the start, but had trouble with some depth control on FH and serve as time went on. Cut it out sooner than I would've liked, maybe 8 hours.
3) CS Full Bed 52 - Compared to the hybrids with HGR, noticeably less comfortable. Not harsh, but arm was more sore. No pain or lasting issues though. Control was significantly better for me. Less spin, lower launch angle which suited my game better I think. Didn't feel as buttery or smooth as the hybrid, so I'm trying to find my sweet spot still.
Next up, plan to try 16L full bed at 50.
My first 2 hr hit with CS120+SYNC 120 hybrid on Head PT2.0 (46#/44#) - Very firm, not much free pop. Flat and slice are penetrating. Reponse is quite consistent over whole SB. Comfortable, no pain on joints. When I try to hit top spin drive forehand harder, it ends up sailing long as spin is not enough. Serve is nice, flat, slice and top spin are on par. Volley seems to lack some spin and not enough soft control drop shots to end the point. End up losing all double games last night. Hope the spin potential will get better next time when SB loosen up.
My second 2 hr session with CS120+SYNC 120 hybrid on Head PT2.0 - SB feels much softer this time, and my return of oppenent serve is much better. I can hear string movement. Better Spin on forehand, BH slice, volleys, and services. CONS has notched already and fortunately SYNC is still smooth, so the main can still slide well on the cross. Regain my touch drop shot this time and start winning games. Think treaking on the string tension is key to this setup. Will see if I like it more next time when tension goes lower. Let's see!
Third session CS120+SYNC 120 hybrid on Head PT2.0 (1 hr) - SB feels pretty much the same as last time, so tension maintenance is very good. SYNC is still smooth, while CONS edges seems to flatten out; I don't feel the sharpness running it thru my finger. M10 (120ga) maintain the sharpness far better than CONS. So my impression on CONS is that it is softer than M10. Having say so, the adv of CONS for me is that it does not "lift" the ball much so it is more predictable to me. I believe it will remain stable and consistent. CONS is my string of choice from Solinco.
Last edited:
I think I may have found my new go to string with confidential soft!! the 125 gauge plays amazingly well in my Gravity MP. I strung it low at 21/20 kg and it has plenty of control and pop. The launch angle is lower than Hyper G Soft and the string is also much more consistent. Really an amazing string, love the feel!
After playing for a while with all kind of crappy Toroline strings, it'g good to be back to a high quality Solinco with great tension maintenance...
After playing for a while with all kind of crappy Toroline strings, it'g good to be back to a high quality Solinco with great tension maintenance...
I use ConSoft 1.20 mains 24 kg with Luxilon 4G bronze 1.25 22kg in crosses
yoka37
Rookie
Played first two hrs with CS 16L / HGR 17 at 52/50 on gravity MP. Loving it so far. More controlled than 52 full bed CS and way more comfy on the arm. Could swing out pretty well in this setup. Definitely left some forehands short when I didn’t get a full swing so that’ll be a necessary adjustment. Preferred though in comparison to not being able to keep the ball in.
AlcarazIsland
New User
Definitely trying this exact setup in the TFight 305S next
AlcarazIsland
New User
After about double digit hours with these setups, my rankings:
1. Confidential Soft 17 full bed: feedback is a tad bit less crispier than the hybrid setup, but plenty to get the lift, punch and consistency on my groundstrokes. I found volleys to be the best with this set up as well. Serve is a little less powerful, the kickers weren't as crispy as the hybrid but the bounce remained the same - overall a feel thing here. I think going up a couple lbs in tension to get that crispiness is probably the next move, I was playing at 50/49. Overall, this was the most consistent game I've experienced of these three.
2. Confidential Soft 17 / HGR 17: plenty of crispiness and feel here - initially I preferred this as the blend of feel and results were great. However, I felt over the life of the setup, I had to do more to grab the ball and spin it over the net (I usually hit a more "through" swing). I had to make some active changes but this is also a great setup. Serves were better, volleys were alright - not as exceptional as the full bed.
3. Confidential Soft 16L / HGR 17: I hated this lmao. I wanted to like it but I think in the TFight 305S, this was too locked up. I will say, the OHBH was excellent, probably the only shot that worked for me - good driving force. There was plenty of control but I had to exert maybe 30% more energy to get the same result, it was not as comfortable as the other two options - might just be a combination of a dense string pattern and a thicker gauge. I can see this or CS16L/HGR16L working fine for the more open string patterns. However, the feel of the 17 is superior, in my opinion - the control felt similar to me, didn't fly long as I'm hearing from other reviewers, especially in the full bed.
Next hybrid up: trying Confidential Soft 17 mains / Confidential 17 crosses.
1. Confidential Soft 17 full bed: feedback is a tad bit less crispier than the hybrid setup, but plenty to get the lift, punch and consistency on my groundstrokes. I found volleys to be the best with this set up as well. Serve is a little less powerful, the kickers weren't as crispy as the hybrid but the bounce remained the same - overall a feel thing here. I think going up a couple lbs in tension to get that crispiness is probably the next move, I was playing at 50/49. Overall, this was the most consistent game I've experienced of these three.
2. Confidential Soft 17 / HGR 17: plenty of crispiness and feel here - initially I preferred this as the blend of feel and results were great. However, I felt over the life of the setup, I had to do more to grab the ball and spin it over the net (I usually hit a more "through" swing). I had to make some active changes but this is also a great setup. Serves were better, volleys were alright - not as exceptional as the full bed.
3. Confidential Soft 16L / HGR 17: I hated this lmao. I wanted to like it but I think in the TFight 305S, this was too locked up. I will say, the OHBH was excellent, probably the only shot that worked for me - good driving force. There was plenty of control but I had to exert maybe 30% more energy to get the same result, it was not as comfortable as the other two options - might just be a combination of a dense string pattern and a thicker gauge. I can see this or CS16L/HGR16L working fine for the more open string patterns. However, the feel of the 17 is superior, in my opinion - the control felt similar to me, didn't fly long as I'm hearing from other reviewers, especially in the full bed.
Next hybrid up: trying Confidential Soft 17 mains / Confidential 17 crosses.
This is my favorite hybrid set-up so far with ConSoft mains. ALU Power is also really nice as a cross, and I’m about to try Tour Bite Round crosses….. using ConSoft 1.20mm mains and 1.15mm crosses for all my hybrids.
Frank T.J. Mackey
New User
I've been meaning to go down from 1.25 Confidential to 1.20 Conf, but now I'm curious about Confidential Soft. Should I just make the string change but keep the same gauge or do both reg Conf 1.25 -> CS 1.20? I'm mostly looking for more comfort. Regular Conf has not been uncomfortable, but I can sometimes feel my wrist a little bit after hitting and I just want to minimize injury risk. I typically string at 21kg for context, if that matters.
Gao
Rookie
I would try the same gauge first to compare apples to apples
Injured Again
Hall of Fame
I’d agree to try the same gauge in Confidential Soft first. CS has enough control that you could probably transition fairly to it easily with the same tension as you are using with regular Confidential.
I haven’t played them back to back in 1.25 gauge but my general impression is that CS has a slightly lower launch angle than regular Confidential. If you string up CS tighter, you’ll lose even more launch angle. Try it at the same tension first and see if the extra power suits you, and if the slightly worse tension maintenance is an issue.
Frank T.J. Mackey
New User
Thanks all, will go with 1.25
EastAngels2014
Semi-Pro
Got a set of Confidential Soft and put in my FXT at 48lbs and wow! I have really been loving this string, I had tried regular Confidental and it just didn’t go it for me. Too stiff, not the feel I thought I would get but this one was been great, ball pocketing feels better, spin, power. All around really great string!
Hi all,
I've only tried the 1.20 con soft, since i've been hooked on 'confidence inspiring' shot making from confidential 1.20 for about 2 years. I could easily have played confidential onwards, but said what the heck, lets say Solinco knows what they're releasing and if they said they improved it, lets make it work with a new gen confidential.
I played variety of head speeds, settled on the 2026 speed mpl with a bit of lead here and there, play with spin on clay courts.
Anyways, i play confidential 1.20 23/22 kg, and with the confidential soft 1.20 24/23 kg.
My shots are just as well placed with con soft, just heavier. The most interesting part for me is why, since confidential and confidential soft subjectively look/feel different. But its all about what type of ball output you get. Anyone who played/plays confidential knows what its capable of. Well the soft version takes the positives and squares it. Its like conf on roids.
There is one catch though, you have to swing out, and the reward is even more confidence inspiring than with regular. Lets say you choose confidential because you were great with placing shots and you had some winners.. And you wished you had more if the ball would be just a bit heavier. You thought that you have to make concession of power to make those nice placements. Well...
To cut it short, if with regular confidential, sometimes i had to guide the ball to place it perfectly, now i can (or should i say must) slap the ball with confidential soft to place it perfectly.
Thanks solinco for a reel, im 99.99% sure my string journey is over.
All the best,
L
I've only tried the 1.20 con soft, since i've been hooked on 'confidence inspiring' shot making from confidential 1.20 for about 2 years. I could easily have played confidential onwards, but said what the heck, lets say Solinco knows what they're releasing and if they said they improved it, lets make it work with a new gen confidential.
I played variety of head speeds, settled on the 2026 speed mpl with a bit of lead here and there, play with spin on clay courts.
Anyways, i play confidential 1.20 23/22 kg, and with the confidential soft 1.20 24/23 kg.
My shots are just as well placed with con soft, just heavier. The most interesting part for me is why, since confidential and confidential soft subjectively look/feel different. But its all about what type of ball output you get. Anyone who played/plays confidential knows what its capable of. Well the soft version takes the positives and squares it. Its like conf on roids.
There is one catch though, you have to swing out, and the reward is even more confidence inspiring than with regular. Lets say you choose confidential because you were great with placing shots and you had some winners.. And you wished you had more if the ball would be just a bit heavier. You thought that you have to make concession of power to make those nice placements. Well...
To cut it short, if with regular confidential, sometimes i had to guide the ball to place it perfectly, now i can (or should i say must) slap the ball with confidential soft to place it perfectly.
Thanks solinco for a reel, im 99.99% sure my string journey is over.
All the best,
L
AlcarazIsland
New User
My updated rankings with all the Solinco combinations I've tried with the TFight 305S:
1 (tie): Confidential Regular 17 / HGR 17 (better for singles for me)
2: Confidential Soft 17 full bed (better for doubles for me, as the volleys are superior to Confidential's groundstroke accuracy here)
3: Hyper G 17 / HGR 17
3: Confidential Soft 17 / HGR 17
4: Hyper G 17 full bed
4: Confidential Regular 17 full bed
5: Confidential Soft 16L full bed
1 (tie): Confidential Regular 17 / HGR 17 (better for singles for me)
2: Confidential Soft 17 full bed (better for doubles for me, as the volleys are superior to Confidential's groundstroke accuracy here)
3: Hyper G 17 / HGR 17
3: Confidential Soft 17 / HGR 17
4: Hyper G 17 full bed
4: Confidential Regular 17 full bed
5: Confidential Soft 16L full bed
Last edited:
thenewbig3
Hall of Fame
Just curious... when trying so many setups is each setup just one and done?
AlcarazIsland
New User
Probably like 2 weeks worth / 12-14 hours worth each, I have three of these rackets so I just try various setups.
thebigz
Professional
Wait so what’s the difference between 2 and 5?
2 is ConSoft and 5 is regular Confidential.
yoka37
Rookie
Think #2 is 17 gauge, #5 is 16L.
I've personaly settled on: CS 16L mains / CS 17 crosses
Full bed 16L and 17 was a bit too harsh for me, got some tingly fingers after playing.
CS16L and CS17 hybrids with HGR17 in the crosses didn't give me the control I needed.
thebigz
Professional
Why is everyone else answering for the OP I quoted haha. These aren’t all same person’s accounts right?
Jokes aside thanks for sharing. Would you mind telling us what stick and tension you like the CS16L/17 set up for reference?
yoka37
Rookie
Gravity MP, CS16L mains, CS17 crosses @ 52/50 lbs
Previously tried:
CS 17 full bed @ 52 - too stiff for me with the matching crosses
CS 17 / HGR 17 @ 54/52 and 52/50 - good at first but got launchy for me, needed to swing with more topspin to keep the ball in
CS 16L / HGR 17 @ 52/50 - better than CS 17 mains, but still wanted a lower launch angle.
Last edited:
Im using Lynx Tour 1.25 in my 2026 Vcore 98. Sadly, it gives me some elbow pain in the days after playing. So I'm looking for something similar to Lynx Tour, but is a bit more arm-friendly. Is Confidential Soft a good alternative to Lynx Tour?
I also tried Lynx Tour with Ghostwire, but I still feel my elbow. Maybe a hybrid with Confidential Soft and Ghostwire could be an option as well.
Hope someone can help. Thanks!
I also tried Lynx Tour with Ghostwire, but I still feel my elbow. Maybe a hybrid with Confidential Soft and Ghostwire could be an option as well.
Hope someone can help. Thanks!
thebigz
Professional
Confidential Soft feels noticeably softer than Lynx Tour. You would need to up the tension a bit to get the same control. Stay at same tension if you don't mind a slightly more lively set up. But I am pretty confident even with tension increase it's more comfortable. I would suggest full bed Conf Soft instead of hybrid. You were going to get much more consistent playability for longer.
Again for elbow and arm issues, always best to invest in a flex bar and start doing the exercises. Relieving + strengthening actually helps you be able to handle more tennis long term. String choice can only help you not aggravate it as easily but does not make you more resilient.
Thanks for your response!!
I will first try a full bed at the same tension as Lynx Tour, to see how my elbow responds to it. Can always tweak a bit if I like how it plays. Would you suggest the same tension for mains and crosses, or lower on the crosses? Hybrid it with Ghostwire can be the backup plan.
What you said about a flex bar. I never heard of it, but seems interesting. The strange thing is that in the days after playing tennis, I don’t feel my elbow during almost any of my daily activities. However, when I dry off after a shower, I feel something in my elbow. I suspect that I’m probably making a very specific movement that puts lateral pressure on my elbow, which is what triggers the sensation.
thebigz
Professional
Whether to split your tension a personal choice. No right or wrong here. Main effect of going lower on crosses is to get marginally higher launch angle. That could be desirable or not depending on how you play and your racquet. Personally I string 0-1 lbs tension differential since I don’t want to make the launch angle higher with the spin racquets I like to use already. Higher crosses have slightly more consistency and lower trajectory. I only drop crosses more in low launch angle frames like Ezone 98 for example.
Here’s a video on the flexbar, plenty of knock offs on Amazon too:
https://youtu.be/D4yT2B9Qhfo? si=yihJaLj0Kwvvui6C
Also you can learn from the great Venus herself:
Tennis Elbow with Venus Williams
Best of luck
Interesting that a shaped string does well on volleys! Going to try it soon in a hybrid with gut crosses
Good to hear. I like Mach-10 but it's not comfortable for me.
Mach 10 1.3mm gauge is very soft in Racketpedia. Highly doubt the value 222 at TWU and it's for 1.3mm. TWU value 222 is stiffer than lynx tour 1.25mm, no way that is correct.
Lynx Tour plays softer than Mach 10 to me. Confidential soft also felt more comfortable than Mach 10.
I think Mach 10 having so much power gives people the perception it's more comfortable than what it is. It's a great string just not a pillow.
I don't think what you are saying is correct.
https://prostrung.com/is-solinco-mach-10-tennis-string-the-best-soft-poly-full-review-playtest/
"This means that while Mach-10 is more forgiving than some ultra-firm polys, it’s still not the softest option available."
It's pretty elastic so that's one giveaway.
Well don't really know how stiff Confidential soft 1.25mm is but Mach 10 1.3mm TWU 222 feels off to me.
Last edited:
smithie
Professional
I’m pretty sure that TW themselves have acknowledged that the Mach-10 data is off form their database
DropWideShot
Semi-Pro
Ive been noticing as well that some gauges are compared to each other eventhough they are literally different...some brands are calling their 1.23 16L when other are at 1.25
TwinCinema
Hall of Fame
I’d go +4 lbs from Confidential to CS if you’re comparing 1.25 to 1.25
Injured Again
Hall of Fame
I don't find that Confidential Soft is springy or launchy, so I've used the same tension as I have for a variety of other strings. I believe that over the life of a string job, Confidential Soft 1.20 loses about 15% of its tension according to RacquetTune, and I start out with tensions in the upper 40's in a 110 square inch racquet. Confidential Soft remains playable and controllable for me until the last hour or two before it wears through and breaks.
I was a user of regular Confidential for a couple of years, also in the 1.20 gauge and in a similar sized racquet. I swing pretty hard and use the same tensions with regular Confidential as I do now with Confidential Soft.
Gao
Rookie
I went 2 lbs higher than regular and found it still slightly more powerful
Dense pattern you'd be fine to go same tension if you're comparing same guage.
That's what I did when i playtested it.
DropWideShot
Semi-Pro
DO.IT....you can always go thicker if you feel you need more durability...but if 2-3 more string jobs a year is not an issue you'll see there are noteable gains with a thinner string...a little more pop and feel and a little less vibration working its way back to the arm so you can play harder
Injured Again
Hall of Fame
I tried it in a 110 square inch racquet where Confidential Soft 1.20 is my string of choice. I wrote this:
I’ve been trying the 1.15 as a cross. It’s pretty much as you would expect, a little softer, more spin, more pocketing, and a bit more power. Unfortunately, it produced a noticeably less consistent string bed than the 1.20. It’s much easier to hit flyers with the 1.15. I imagine it would work fine as a cross to soften up a stiff, low powered string.
