The Chairman3's review of V-Square plus bonus comparison to Ultra Cable.
Tennis background/skill level/playing style: Slightly above average 4.0, I like to play all-court/attacking tennis. Use every shot when needed and have a well-rounded game.
Current string set-up(s) and preferred tension(s): If you're interested I have a top 5 list; PT Strike 1.20 is #1 but I test/try alot of strings at 50lbs
What racquet did you use for this playtest?: Wilson Blade 18x19
What color(s) did you test?: Yellow
Tension(s) used for playtest?: 50lbs
Power/Control of test string?:
I was a little surprised with the liveliness of V-Square, it was firm off the stringer but opened up nicely and pretty quickly. I wouldn't say it was a full "power" poly but it had some pop to it. I generally expect shaped strings to be a little on the firm side to allow for control and the other Volkl strings I've used were more on the crisp/firm side as well but not V-square. For me, it leaned slightly to the power side. I felt like I more reliably got a boost in power than I did sublime control. I never felt as confident going down the lines with this string as I do some others but with the spin you do have confidence the ball will stay in play no matter where you aim. The launch angle was also moderate for me at 50lbs but the plus side of such a sharp string is I could mostly dial it up or down depending on the ball I wanted to hit. One of my hitting partners noted early on I was able to drive the ball deeper and it did feel like I noticed some heavier shots pushing back opponents, so a nice little bonus there.
Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?):
It was a little firm straight off the stringer but opened up early on and very nicely. I would borderline say this string is comfortable and it truly shocked me. I just expect shaped strings to be stiff and, from my experience, Volkl strings are on that stiffer/crisper side, so that was my expectation. It was an extremely pleasant surprise when this wasn't as I tend to prefer softer strings. The feel got a little more springy at 8+ hours but up to that it was just a direct almost neutral feel; not really soft but not firm. The other surprising revelation was the amount of feel and pocketing you got from it. I expect shaped string to be lacking a bit in feel, so another huge plus here. I felt like I could really play my all-court game with this string without sacrificing the feel needed for touch shots and volleys. I did note the string feels pretty thin for a 1.25, so I think that contributed. This is probably in the top 5 best feeling shaped strings because of its consistent playability.
Spin?:
Can I just put YES in all caps? Haha I kid, but as expected the square string has extremely good spin. I do think you still have to put in decent effort, some strings have "lazy spin' where even if you kind of push the ball you still get good RPMs, this one does not as much. I found the ball floating some if I didn't take a decent swing, I think from the little extra pop, but boy does it reward good swings. The string also doesn't have as much of that tactile "bite" sensation but the spin is still there regardless. As I noted earlier, seemed like I was pushing opponents back more and I think the 1-2 punch of a little extra power and alot of extra spin really caused that. Definitely a fun string to use because of the spin and angles you can generate not to mention the kick serves. Despite very early string movement or strings stay out of place, spin pretty much remained the same all the way up to the 14hrs I'm at now. There did seem to be some loss of elasticity around 8-10hrs where it didn't seem like the strings snapped back as hard, so then you have to swing a little more to get the same level of spin. But overall, the shape and edges seem to have held up well for the duration.
Durability & playability duration?:
I'd say durability was good and playability duration was slightly above average and definitely above average for a shaped string. I'm right at 14hrs of playtime, strings are probably 75% notched, so not about to break, and the strings are still decent. Power has increased due to tension loss and the feel is a bit springy, which started around 8-9 hrs but overall performance isn't bad. Tension loss has been linear which means the stringbed response has remained mostly predictable. I consider the performance above average for a shaped string because my experience with shaped strings is usually such that the edges wear down and the feel changes and the string is not as playable. V-square has mostly maintained its playing characteristics up to 14hrs. I'd say optimal time is 8-11hrs, which is pretty good for poly.
Tension Recommendations. Would you string it differently next time? Explain why:
I used 50lbs and it felt pretty good for my racquet. The string started out slightly firm and settled in very nicely. I may go down 2lbs just to experiment but I'd say much lower will just increase the launch angle and even possibly make it feel too springy. The string already has nice pocketing and feel so, for me, I don't see a compelling reason to go lower.
List any additional thoughts (optional):
So I was really impressed with this string. I expected typical shaped string performance and it definitely outperformed my expectations by a wide margin. This is a string I could actually use day-to-day because it has enough feel and forgiveness to let me play my all-court style. It didn't hurt that a few people told me I was hitting better. Haha
Compared to Ultra Cable:
As some may have seen, I did a head to head with Ultra Cable, the other square, highly rated for spin string, so here are some brief conclusions. These strings are for two different players. Ultra Cable is for someone who wants to grind with spin from the baseline. Rally ball, rally ball, topspin lob/moonball, push, push, rally ball, opponent makes UE. That's the archetype for Ultra Cable. This is because UC has some decent pop and, obviously, excellent spin but just not enough forgiveness or feel from the stringbed. It started out a little powerful and actually kind of firmed up as time went on. It was definitely bordering stiff when it got cut but despite feeling stiff, it would still slingshot the ball. It just wasn't as predictable as V-square. Meanwhile, V-square is really for the all-court or doubles player where you need some nice pocketing and feel to be able to place volleys or throw in a dropshot. Plus you get a more predictable response when playing those shots compared to Ultra Cable. For spin, they are essentially the same, with a slight edge to Ultra Cable but really very slight. Ultra Cable has more of that biting sensation but it doesn't directly correlate with more spin, just a different feeling. Ultra Cable looks and feels thicker so I think it makes the edges more pronounced to where you get a little of that "lazy spin." But the tradeoff is less feel and predictability, a tradeoff that I'm not willing to make. For a comprehensive comparison, go over to the string comparison database I started where I have a short-form comparison review.
Huge thank you to
@TW Staff for allowing me to participate. I look forward to doing some hybrids with the black set and reporting back on that, if anyone has suggestions let me know. My initial thoughts are maybe PT Strike for more control but also maybe HyperG Round.
