Tennis Warehouse Playtest: Solinco MACH-10

thenewbig3 said:
Based on the reception/sales of HGR which doesnt seem to be that great I think this is highly unlikely.
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I think it's alright full bed, but HGR is really meant to complement other Solinco strings in a hybrid- M10 is a great main string, but I'm not sure how it would add to or complement Hyper G/Confi/TB when M10 is in the cross. I don't think it would really add anything that consumers are looking for as a cross.
 
M10 Round would give folks who enjoy its composition the option to use full bed M10 with shaped mains and round crosses. And some, like myself, would perhaps even prefer full bed round. I prefer round poly to tame launch angle. That’s my $0.02
 
Chairman3 said:
Where have you seen that people don't like HGR?
Maybe not fullbed but I think alot of Solinco loyalists like it for use as a hybrid.

Personally, I liked it fullbed but it really shined with HG mains.
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HGR is a great string, in fact I like it over HG. But you and few other holics liking it doesn't matter as much - actual sales numbers in the real world do. Anyway its only anecdotal information so far, its early days and we will know over the next few years.
 
JK208 said:
I think it's alright full bed, but HGR is really meant to complement other Solinco strings in a hybrid- M10 is a great main string, but I'm not sure how it would add to or complement Hyper G/Confi/TB when M10 is in the cross. I don't think it would really add anything that consumers are looking for as a cross.
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Full bed of HGR is really awesome for me in my modded 2012 PD and BO. Winds the ball up in a different way that no one on the other side of the net seems to enjoy. Haven't gotten that kind of action from any other string.
 
thenewbig3 said:
HGR is a great string, in fact I like it over HG. But you and few other holics liking it doesn't matter as much - actual sales numbers in the real world do. Anyway its only anecdotal information so far, its early days and we will know over the next few years.
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I never said me liking it mattered.

I asked a direct question, where have you seen that people don't like HGR?
Do you have the sales figures for HGR compared to other Solinco strings?
I'm happy to indulge in data analysis. (Occupational hazard)
 
Chairman3 said:
I never said me liking it mattered.

I asked a direct question, where have you seen that people don't like HGR?
Do you have the sales figures for HGR compared to other Solinco strings?
I'm happy to indulge in data analysis. (Occupational hazard)
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Like I said my information from a couple of small sources is only anecdotal so cannot be quantified onto a large scale. Its unlikely anyone at the large retailers or Solinco will share sales numbers with us.
 
thenewbig3 said:
Like I said my information from a couple of small sources is only anecdotal so cannot be quantified onto a large scale. Its unlikely anyone at the large retailers or Solinco will share sales numbers with us.
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Fair enough, I thought maybe they were published or you had inside info.
I also thought maybe you just meant online reviewers had panned it like youfluencers or instahawkers.
I was on the playtest for it here but don't really read alot of reviews otherwise.
 
Above 6hrs now
Definitely loosened up and it may be a tad more springy/powerful.
Feel like I notice the extra power on serve maybe more than groundstrokes.
I don't yet think I am losing any control and spin potential remains excellent.
I think it feels a little less crisp but I think that's more a false impression and it really feels softer because it has loosened up both settling in and I'd say some tension loss.
Not any significant notching but that's no surprise for me.
When you run your hand across the stringbed it doesn't feel as sharp but, again, still very good spin.

Compared to my baseline, PT Strike 1.20, M10 doesn't feel as smooth and is missing a little consistency in the string bed.
But it definitely outspins Strike, no surprise there.
 
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gsinko1 said:
I have 2 Aux 2.0 Gravity Pros, 1 strung with Mach-10 1.25 @50, 1 strung with Lynx Tour champagne 1.25 @48. The Mach-10 is a more direct/crisp feel, but still more powerful than lynx tour, more spin, more free depth - even when strung tighter. The lynx tour is heavier and visibly thicker even though the gauge is the same and I feel like it plays more like a 16g string for me. I can see why big hitters and aggressive players would prefer lynx tour, but it’s not a contest between the 2 for me - Mach-10 in essentially every category, at least in a control frame like the GPro
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Any insights on how M10 would fare against Hyper G Soft in a GPro?

From what I gather, HGS would be
softer still
more powerful
more spin
less feel
less control
worse tension maintenance?

Many thanks.
 
omglawlz said:
Any insights on how M10 would fare against Hyper G Soft in a GPro?

From what I gather, HGS would be
softer still
more powerful
more spin
less feel
less control
worse tension maintenance?

Many thanks.
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I have never tried HGS unfortunately, but I can say that this mach-10 feels more connected and has better control than standard HG from what I remember of it. I imagine you'd be right on the power/feel assumptions, but I also think the GPro is such a flexy frame it wouldn't get along well with a softer poly, at least for my preferences. Mach-10 has been very solid on tension maintenance. I'm probably 6-7 hours in now and it's still not moving or displacing much, but the 18x20 could be helping with that as well. I'm going to try 1.20 and 1.15 in a GPro soon and I'm very curious how the 1.25 would play in my old pure drive tour - I think that one could be a near perfect string/racquet combo
 
omglawlz said:
Any insights on how M10 would fare against Hyper G Soft in a GPro?

From what I gather, HGS would be
softer still
more powerful
more spin
less feel
less control
worse tension maintenance?

Many thanks.
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I would agree with all of this, but I think they are about equal on spin, or M10 may be a little bit better for spin.
 
I received a Solinco Playtest package on schedule (2/19) and got them strung up full bed on my matching PT280s on the same day. I started my playtesting on Friday (2/21) and compared them side by side. I already logged about a total of 9 hours playtesting time on each string beds. So far, I like how the Solinco Mach-10 (CB-10JX, 16L/1.25) performs on full bed setup and the control/spin generation was better than Hyper-G Round for me. I am going to continuously playtest and will provide a full report by the end of this weekends.
 
JK208 said:
I don't think that M10 and PTP are comparable at all. IMO this is much more spin focused and less soft than PTP. They are both made for power, and M10 has far more power potential than PTP. I thought that PTP's power was only average, while this was above average. A lot of people are confusing this for a soft string, and PTP is a soft and plush string. M10 is by no means soft by any stretch of the imagination. It's just a softer version of one of the stiffest strings on the market. I can't ever comment on comfort, as I do not have existing arm issues, and I swing fast enough that I get tons to snapback on just about every shot, so nothing feels "harsh" to me (I'm pretty well known around my local club for playing barefoot in 5 pocket pants with a 67 RA racket strung with 4g at 58lbs after forgetting my bag). I much prefer M10 to PTP. Better spin, tension maintenance, power, and honestly, control as well. Feel was more connected with M10, but that's just personal preference. PTP isn't a bad string, and it's an alright all-arounder, I would probably recommend it for those who want a round, soft string.

I'd look at Hyper G Soft or Tour Bite Soft vs. PTP. PTP has a stiffness of 181.2, while M10 was at 222, but Tour Bite Soft was at 192.0 and Hyper G Soft was at 172ish iirc. Interestingly enough, Hyper G round may have a similar stiffness to PTP at thinner gauges... could be worth a try. This is all within solinco's lineup, but Grapplesnake Alpha is rumored to be based on PTP and is basically a "better" PTP, but I cannot comment as I have not tried it yet. It does get rave reviews on this forum thought.

Is there anything you like or dislike about PTP that you are looking for in a different string?
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Where did you get the Mach-10 data? Sorry if this was talked about in the thread, just reading it now..
 
Played 3 sets of dubs yesterday late afternoon. Hit with ball machine at lunchtime. So much to talk about with this string setup. Full bed in Dunlop 300 SX (previous version) @ 50lbs. You know it's ironic; right before this Mach-10 test came up; and I had no idea it's been in development of 5 years or so (according to Harry on Tennis Spin YT); I purchased a bunch (something like 8 sets various (all different brands) yellow-color strings for this frame because the yellow was so nice looking in it. Then before I continue to test all those, this string test came up; so I cut out the yellow Yonex PTD in it and went with Mach 10. Guess what? Now I don't even want to do the yellow colored string test. Mach 10 is that compelling. This may be "the one". The synergy between ball pocketing, control, spin, and power is so good in this frame; I think other testers are getting the same results in their racquets. Full report to come; longevity / playability is what I'm looking at now but if it stands up then this will be my choice going forward. Nice job Solinco. Yeah 5 years is a while but it's a great development cycle in the end.

Edit: additional info ... tension loss in this frame is down from 50lbs. on 3/1/25 now at 43.6 (according to Tennis Tension app) on 3/6/25. 4 hitting sessions. Seems about normal.
Addendum: did the string feel like 222 stiffness rating ? maybe at first but definitely not after the first session. It's quite comfortable and definitely not 222.
 
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I’ve played about 8 hours on MACH10 18g in my Prince Phantom 100x 305g strung at 50/49#. I’ve played 100s of hours with many solinco strings over the years, but used Confidential 17, Hyper G 18, hyper G soft 17 as my go to’s from 2020-2022 and then gave the newer hyper G/round hybrid a short run in late 2024 for about a month. Big fan of most solinco strings in general, but my elbow health has me experimenting with others brands as well.

First 30 minutes were a little rough with break in. Not harsh or even that stiff, but just didn’t have much pop or crispness. After break in I was impressed by my directional control on aggressive shots to corners. I found topspin to be sufficient, but wouldn’t label it a spin monster by any means. Flat shots were very rewording, but a little too close to baseline for comfort at times. After an hour I noticed the power level increased towards Hyper G levels. Touch shots felt great with MACH10 and I’d consider this its best trait so far.

The packaging recommended tensions 40-50#, which after hitting a few hours seems a bit low. Could be my frame, but I wouldn’t string this under 52# going forwards. Perhaps the 16 and 17 gauges play better in those ranges, but the 18 definitely feels a little too powerful for my tastes around 50#.

I had considerable notching around 3-4 hours in and strings stopped snapping back in certain places after just an hour or so. This didn’t seem to affect the performance, but sort of odd. Perhaps hybrids with round cross would increase snap back.

Overall I’m a little disappointed. After reading about this string for what feels like years, I was really excited to try it. The power level is too high for a string this stiff, as plenty of powerful strings already on the market and many are much easier on the arm and have better snapback. I’ll give the 17g a go, before completely writing it off, but not getting my hopes up.
 
pizzadontdie said:
The packaging recommended tensions 40-50#, which after hitting a few hours seems a bit low. Could be my frame, but I wouldn’t string this under 52# going forwards. Perhaps the 16 and 17 gauges play better in those ranges, but the 18 definitely feels a little too powerful for my tastes around 50#.
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For some reason, I like 16g better than 18g so far, even thought I only use 18g Hyper G/Hyper G round.
 
"Confidential Soft" seems to be as much an oxymoron as "Tour Bite Round" imo... the entire identity of Confidential is that it's a stiff, firm string that provides deadly control. Make it soft and it's not Confidential anymore. (Same with the fact that Tour Bite is known for gripping the ball with its shaped profile; making it round is taking away what makes it Tour Bite). I like the idea of offering more strings that are soft and/or round, trying to inject some comfort and consistency into poly strings, but it's the removal of the key property of a brand marker that makes me so confused. It would be like TruPro putting out "GhostWire Shaped" and having it be 5-sided, twisted, and harsh. Not that CS and TBR are bad strings, I'm sure they're great; it's the naming convention that bugs me.
 
TwinCinema said:
"Confidential Soft" seems to be as much an oxymoron as "Tour Bite Round" imo... the entire identity of Confidential is that it's a stiff, firm string that provides deadly control. Make it soft and it's not Confidential anymore. (Same with the fact that Tour Bite is known for gripping the ball with its shaped profile; making it round is taking away what makes it Tour Bite). I like the idea of offering more strings that are soft and/or round, trying to inject some comfort and consistency into poly strings, but it's the removal of the key property of a brand marker that makes me so confused. It would be like TruPro putting out "GhostWire Shaped" and having it be 5-sided, twisted, and harsh. Not that CS and TBR are bad strings, I'm sure they're great; it's the naming convention that bugs me.
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That makes sense for tour bite round, but if they can maintain the main properties of Confidential in a softer formulation I think it’s ok imo. But yeah it feels like a bit of marketing to sell something on Confidentials rep.
 
TwinCinema said:
Not that CS and TBR are bad strings, I'm sure they're great; it's the naming convention that bugs me.
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I feel you on this for sure. I was getting the impression that they are ready to experiment with all sorts of colors. They said they have their strictly performance oriented strings that they will recommend to pros but that they can still make a good quality string that the more recreational community will appreciate. Apparently people cannot stop asking for their strings to be in different colors but this made them revisit some of their strings in colors that dont greatly impact the feel/playability of the string.
 
So, the testers didn’t get Mach 10 in the packaging it comes in now, which includes the tension recommendation of 40-50 lbs. I strung mine in a hybrid at 54 lbs. and my play-test experience has been very different than most of what I’m seeing online and reading here. So, I’m stringing a different frame with the hybrid at 50 lbs.

I know from experience that polys typically have a tension where they go from comfortable and playable to stiff and dead in just a matter of a pound or two. I’ve decided to not comment more until I’ve tried Mach 10 in the recommended tension range.
 
Solinco Mach-10 review

  • Tennis experience/background
    • Played in college. Worked in tennis clubs full time for a few years, primarily coaching tournament playing/college-bound juniors. Now I coach 7-10 hours a week just to keep active and stay involved with the sport while I work a desk job.
  • Skill level & playing style.
    • 5.0 NTRP (I do my best to play 4.5 because it's more fun, at a better time, and I don't practice or train enough for the body to withstand 5.0...but they're not letting me anymore :cry: ). I coach and hit 1-2x per week for fun/exercise now.
  • Current string set-up(s) and preferred tension(s).
    • ALU Power 125 around 50 pounds has been my go-to for at least 5 years now. I also have plenty of time with Tour Bite, Confidential, and Lynx Tour in addition to testing nearly everything on the market except some of the newer string brands like Toroline.
  • What racquet did you use for this playtest?
    • Wilson Blade 98 v9 16x19
  • Set-up, e.g., full set or hybrid w/HG.Round. If hybrid, list mains & crosses.
    • Full Mach-10
  • Tension(s) used for playtest?
    • 50# - my usual reference tension for polyester - on a lockout machine.
  • Power/Control of test string?
    • Definitely felt like Mach10 added a bit to the ball without compromising on control like many strings that promise power do. I could get balls zipping through the court aggressively and neither felt like I needed to add pace of my own nor be extra careful to control it. Just relax and accelerate through the ball then watch it go. Really a nice balance here of some added pop and heaviness without being an erratic, launchy mess at any point in the playtest. I was on the HGR playtest, and I believe I said something like "when I start looking for easier tennis, this would be on or near the top of the list." Well, Mach10 has subverted HGR on that list. It provides extra without compromising on my most important category: Feel and feedback.
  • Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?)
    • I was pleased here as well. I would call this comfortably firm and moderately crisp. For something that felt like it was adding to my ball, I expected it to get soft, vague, or mushy once it settled in after the first 15 minutes of hitting or so. It opened up just enough to allow a little more feel from the stringbed, and then basically stayed there. It's softer and more powerful than Tour Bite and confidential without leaving me with many "how did THAT shot go THERE!?" reactions like Hyper G and many of the softer shaped polys do for me. There were a couple of those moments, but I have enough feedback that I would be able to adjust quickly. It's me not being used to the string, not me blaming the string and its feedback. No comfort issues for me, but I really don't get those too often, and never in my current racquet. There's enough response for touch and feel shots, and there's this fun - and sometimes elusive in control strings - sensation of the ball shooting out of the stringbed...do we call that snapback or sling or rejection? I suppose that's semantic and subjective. But I enjoy it as long as I can tell what the ball is doing as it leaves. No comfort issues for me either.
  • Spin?
    • Yeah, plenty of this available. Sure seems like a fairly elastic poly, and it maintains tension well enough that the stringbed stays firm for awhile. This provides excellent potential for spin, and I'm sure the shape helps too. I don't know if it ADDED spin compared to my usual suspects, but it's definitely on par with expectations for Solinco's shaped polys. I will say that I have a sense I can really FEEL the spin being applied. The ball seems to sling out loaded with rotation which I enjoy. Whether it's actually more? I doubt that. My hitting partners noted no measurable difference between this and confidential. I can hit the biggest/heaviest with ALU, but that's more about familiarity with the string than superior power/lift from the stringbed.
  • Playability duration?
    • Durability: This will break the next time I lay into a forehand or catch a 1st serve return clean. So far, I've got about 90 minutes of serious hitting and ~60 minutes feeding balls and light pace hitting with students, some of that with a green ball. For me, this is less durable than confidential and tour bite, and probably a little less than ALU too. However, I think this is due to the tension maintenance more than anything.
    • Moving more into whether the characteristics maintain throughout the string's life: It has stayed firm and linear for the full time it has been installed when ALU, Confidential, and TB are all markedly less firm after about an hour. Elasticity/spring off the stringbed is still present, though it’s not quite as lively as my first session. Increased string friction due to tension maintenance without losing elasticity means this stuff saws right through itself. I'd be interested in a thicker gauge for my needs. For players who prefer softer strings/stringbeds, this would be a solid candidate to check out for play at lower tensions in the 40s. Similar to confidential, when first strung, there's this nice bit of flex when you hit clean. You can feel the string give on contact. I like that sensation. It's present with ALU but with greater magnitude and effectively absent in the super stiff Tour Bite unless you venture toward the thinner gauges or string it low. Once the stringbed opened up a bit, that sensation wasn't as easy to pick up on, but the sweetspot felt considerably smoother and the bed was more forgiving. It's not quite so explosive now when it's almost snapped, but it's still serviceable which is typically a big positive for me.
  • Tension Recommendations. Would you string it differently next time? Explain why.
    • I've been considering moving toward slightly higher tensions (52-54 range on most poly strings) now that I'm full time on 16x19. After using 18x20 for a long time, I find myself wanting more of a true response off the strings after one session, but I did not feel the need to increase tension with Mach10, as it has not dropped off that much even near the end of its life. If I experiment with it more, I may try 2-3 pounds higher just to see if I can eliminate the 3-4 balls that came off a little wild, but I could probably look to my movement and intention on those balls also.
  • List any additional thoughts (optional)
    • I've hit with 5 or 6 versions of this string all the way back to late 2019/early 2020. Solinco always seem to dial in their desired performance in a stepwise fashion, and they really hit the nail on the head here after taking their time with it. There's good playability, feel, comfort, and power without compromising control and spin too much. I still prefer stiffer strings that play more true, especially with my move to 16x19; however, I think this is a very approachable offering for the intermediate recreational player who prefers poly, juniors who want control and playability duration without going too stiff, and anybody who prefers slightly softer strings that offer a little bit of help and enough response to call them "crisp." Really a great offering that will hit the right notes for a wide swath of poly players across all levels. Plus, the blue color is fun too!
 
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My 6 intense 90-minute sessions with this string in RF97, played in a full bed configuration, delivered a very enjoyable experience. However, by session five, the string's lively feel began to diminish, a bit of notching, mains sticking out of place, accompanied by a growing discomfort. Session six brought a stark reminder: post-session elbow pain, a clear sign the string was dead. The control this string provided was unparalleled, truly its standout feature.

It's time to write the full review.

PS: To those asking if this string is soft and a good transition from multifilament. A definite "not the case". This is a control oriented string with a great feeling. But don't forget to cut and replace in the first 5-6 hours.
 
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First hit today with full bed M10 1.20 in PA98 at 48Ibs. Previously used RPM blast 1.25 at 47Ibs.

After 3.5hrs of hitting. Initial impressions are it surprisingly feels a lot stiffer than RPM. Almost boardy. Limited dwell time compared to RPM. Ball almost explodes instantly off the string bed. Slightly lower launch. It felt like my PA98 transformed into a Blade - playing style wise.

Maybe I’ve gotten used to RPM but I feel more secure and confident with my shots. Shots feel more satisfying and heavy with RPM compared to M10.

Slices were a highlight but RPM felt good too. Serves felt average, maybe slightly more pop.

Spin was average, not more than RPM - shots were actually sitting nicely for my partner to tee off, which I was surprised by.

Comfort - RPM feels a lot more comfortable oddly

Overall, pretty average experience so far - maybe string gauge could be a factor? Will spend more time with M10, but thinking of sticking with RPM.

Fellow PA98 users who have tried M10, I'm interested to hear your thoughts.
 
Probably my last update until the final review, unless something unexpected happens...

Above 9hrs and I think ive enjoyed the string more the last 4 hours than I did the first four.
Part of this could be more favorable weather it was cooler when I began the playtest.

But primarily it's softened up and the power feels very predictable. It just felt a little too firm and too crisp when I started despite having a bit of power.
Now it's looser, a little less crisp, and I can really take advantage of the spin. Trusting the string alot more and hitting alot more confidently.
At 9 hrs, control is still decent, minimal notching with only occasional launchiness from the stringbed.
I personally think the string is more comfortable now than when I started.

Interested to see how long I can play it before strings start sticking out of place and control goes.
 
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I put in couple of more sets of doubles, getting more comfortable with the string and enjoying it more after the break in period, will keep it after the test for a while to see how it plays after picking up randomly from the bag.

75f598bdc9c7.jpg
 
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