Tennis Warehouse Playtest: Yonex Rexis Activate 1.25

TW Staff

TW Staff

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Yonex Rexis Activate 1.25 playtest
The application period is closed. All selected playtesters have been notified.

DUE DATE FOR REVIEW: JUNE 1

Include the following in your review
  • Tennis experience/background:
  • Current string preference(s):
  • What racquet did you use for this playtest?

IMPORTANT: EACH PLAYTESTER MUST CHOOSE TO REVIEW EITHER A FULL SET OF ACTIVATE OR A HYBRID OF ACTIVATE & POLYTOUR DRIVE

FULL SET REVEIW - Rexis Activate
  • Please indicate if you are reviewing full set or hybrid.
  • Tension(s) used for playtest?
  • Power/Control?
  • Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?)
  • Spin?
  • Playability duration?
  • Tension. Would you tension it differently next time? Explain.
  • List any additional thoughts (optional)
HYBRID REVIEW - Rexis Activate 1.25/POLYTOUR DRIVE 1.25

You can choose which strings goes in mains and crosses.
  • Please indicate if you are reviewing full set or hybrid.
  • Set-up: List mains and crosses
  • Tension(s) used for playtest?
  • Power/Control of test string?
  • Feel (Stiff? Mushy? Muted? Crisp? Comfortable?)
  • Spin?
  • Playability duration? (Include any comments on frictional properties and the need for manual strainghtening)
  • Tension. Would you tension it differently next time? Explain.
  • List any additional thoughts (optional)
 
Last edited:
Applied! Thanks TW. Any chance you guys can share whether there will be a TT Playtest for Blade V10 line?
 
Applied hoping to get in on this one! Definitely want to try the hybrid.

Update: I'm in. Really looking forward to this one. Will do a hybrid for sure. Should be arriving today Wed. 4/22/26 so testing for me should begin this week as our weather is now clearing after 3 days of rain.

They have arrived!

https://imgur.com/a/FY8P6vh
 
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d-quik said:
STRING PLAYTEST

But seriously though, what is stopping you from settling on a string instead of trying new ones non-stop? Is it morbid curiosity or dissatisfaction?
Click to expand...
Free string and I think it's fun to contribute a review to the forum. I usually get good feedback so I think I'm decent at it too.
I have a top 5 of go-to strings that I use when I'm not testing something.
 
This would be my first playtest.
I have skipped poly playtests, as I am a multi user. (I used polys for quite some time)
As a stringer, always good to try strings for educational purposes.

Activate string is very low powered, so next set I am going to lower tension in my main frame, Prince Tour 98.
Normally 54 lbs, but going to try 50 or 52 next.

Probably also try it in a more powerful frame, like the vcore 100D. where my 54 lb multi was too powerful. and not a fan of cranking up the tension on any string.
 
Yonex Rexis multifilament strings are very comfortable and provide nice feeling during the play. I like using both Yonex Rexis Comfort and Feel strings as cross hybrids and would love to compare how the Rexis Activate plays.
 
For Clarity does the hybrid review have to be MULTI mains x POLY crosses? Or can it be POLY x MULTI as well?

BEST GUESS : "HYBRID REVIEW - ACTIVATE 1.25/POLYTOUR DRIVE 1.25" would indicate it has to be installed in the same order MAINS/CROSSES is convention.

d-quik said:
STRING PLAYTEST

But seriously though, what is stopping you from settling on a string instead of trying new ones non-stop? Is it morbid curiosity or dissatisfaction?
Click to expand...

String playtests increase chances of being selected in future Racket playtests. And here you do get 2 extra sets in addition to the minimum review set.
 
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d-quik said:
Oh no I was just asking in general, not just this string specifically. It seemed to me that you are always on top of the string deals no matter what type of string it is.
Click to expand...
I do like a good deal :D
Yeah I mess around with setups alot.
Using the same thing over and over can get boring.
Plus I was doing alot of comparisons for awhile just for fun
 
I got selected as well. I received UPS notice that my package will arrive on 4/27/2026 (Monday). I have two matching racquets available for the playtests and I am going to do a Rexis Activate full bed setup on one racquet and hybrid with Polytour Drive on the other one. I will provide both full set and hybrid reviews before the due date of 6/1/2026. Thank you @TW Staff and Yonex for providing the playtest opportunity.
 
IN

Will do PTD mains and Activate Crosses on an Ezone 98.

Why? Its a long time since I have played multifilaments and dont think my opinion with full multi will be very useful.
 
I feel a Yonex hybrid combo is in order. Not sure the specs on Yonex Rexis Activate ( Somehow I can't / won't abbreviate to RA - seems to painful! ) but pretty sure as a multi it will be softer.
So now the question is should I do a traditional hybrid - polys in the mains and multis in the crosses OR do I switch it up ala Federer and flip them.
I'd be more inclined to do so if the POLYTOUR Drive was round - but it is shaped.
 
StringStrungStrang said:
....OR do I switch it up ala Federer and flip them.
I'd be more inclined to do so if the POLYTOUR Drive was round - but it is shaped.
Click to expand...
a31a4f173260391.Y3JvcCwxMDgwLDg0NCwwLDI1MQ.png

FEDERER says - Just Do It!

I'm not a MULTI. MULTI X POLY or even GUT X POLY guy so I wont
 
Activate is a low powered string. Plays fairly "dead". I don't think you need to crank up the tension just because it is a multi. For me 54 lbs in a 98 felt tight enough. If it was a poly I would be closer to 45.
Goes in real smooth when stringing.
 
Here is what they look like !! Yonex Rexis Activate (the Final Prototype - sounds like the end of a trilogy) and Poly Tour Drive !

As expected the Activate is soft and supple with a very oily feel ... and that new string smell. The PolyTour Drive is much firmer (even for a soft poly) and the shaped edges are noticeable!
I think they will make a great hybrid and I have 2 new (to me ) racquets that are coming tomorrow!! My other identical racquets are strung with full poly so this will be a good comparison!

yonex-1.jpg


y2.jpg



y3.jpg
 
Considering I typically go 48 lbs for Confidential 16L full bed I am planning 51 or 52 lbs lbs for PTD 16L x Rexis Activate 16L.

I don't want to keep the tension to low as that is an easy recipe to give a string combo a poor review for control (since the control string is so good with Confidential)

Hopefully that is the right play.
 
Is this one of the first string playtests where they have 2+ sets of strings? Nice to have a second try if the first one fails due to a poor decision on tension/stringing.
 
Strings are in as of this evening, so I hope to get out tomorrow and start testing. Really glad I gave the Neos 1000 a good cleaning and calibration this afternoon! No issues with the multi slipping in the gripper as can be the case sometimes and the clean clamps were also dialed in. I did notice a bit of marking on the string from the gripper but nothing out of the ordinary, it's a very soft string so it's somewhat unavoidable. This multi has that slick feel and some degree of odor to it which may be due to some type of chemical they put into the string I don't know for sure but it's not uncommon with the multi filament strings. It was a breeze to string with this final prototype multi. So here's a photo and I think it looks pretty good in the Limited Edition (Black) version of the older CX 200. The Poly Tour Drive is obviously in the mains and the prototype multi is in the crosses; tension was 52 lbs for both mains and crosses.

I'm expecting this setup to give this control-oriented frame what it needs ... a little boost in power while not sacrificing control. Really looking forward to getting out tomorrow to hit with it. Hope you all have a great time testing and I look forward to hearing your reports in the following days. Keep 'em between the lines!

https://imgur.com/a/WsZ7ecK

Update: First hit today with friend and also with ball machine; initial impressions are all positive! Surprised me a bit with the quality of slice serves I was getting. Feel is really easy on the arm. Spin is effective enough. Tomorrow I'm playing a couple of sets with another friend so I will know more after that. But I'm really looking forward to playing some actual points with this setup.

Update 2/3: Got out and played some singles on Tuesday and some doubles the next day. The setup again is the hybrid with PTD mains and Rexis Activate Multi in the crosses both at 52 lbs. Overall control is really excellent with this string setup and it's very nice combo of power and control in the CX200 which is mainly a control frame and lacks a lot of power so the multi is really helping to bring some life to this frame. I think this setup is just about perfect this time of year (early to mid spring) where the temps are ranging from hight 50's to low 80's. I also think the Rexis Activate would be ideal in a full be for this frame during the winter months Dec-Feb here in Nor Cal. I'm going to keep this in mind for next year. So far in the hybird setup there is no notching and the PTD is snapping back. This frame has a pretty tight string pattern especially in the center of the frame where they intentionally decreased the spacing between the cross strings so its' pattern is even denser in the middle. This results in this frame having a much less spin potential, more control and also a lot less notching than you'd normally see in the SX or FX lines; this is the last gen version of the CX200. (I think they increased the spacing in the latest version though and I haven't hit with that one yet just going by what I've seen online and from TW description maybe). At any rate, this string pattern with the higher density in the middle of the string bed leads to some string longevity at least when it comes to notching. I am also please to see that the Poly Tour Drive has some nice snap back on top of the Rexis Activate crosses. It will be interesting to see how long this can go before PTD starts to lock up or notch in. Overall so far so good with this setup it's brought some life back into this frame for me which I had almost decide to sell since I have been hitting mostly with the SX and FX in the past few months.
 
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For someone used to Confidential 16L and Tour Bite 16L (not soft and not easy to string) - PTD had a soft and easy to string feel - not as soft and easy to string as PTP.

Rexis Activate looked and felt fine. The string had a distinct surface with an undulating texture to it. Dont have much recent experience with multis so not sure if that is common. I did not smell it. :-D

 
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I got the strings yesterday, and of course, strung it up yesterday itself. Went with hybrid with multi mains and polytourdrive crosses. Hit with it today and intial impressions are all postive.
yonexmulti.jpg

Good combination of touch power and spin. Detailed review to follow after a few more hours of play time.
 
ttgrinder said:
I got the strings yesterday, and of course, strung it up yesterday itself. Went with hybrid with multi mains and polytourdrive crosses. Hit with it today and intial impressions are all postive.
yonexmulti.jpg

Good combination of touch power and spin. Detailed review to follow after a few more hours of play time.
Click to expand...
Debating on doing multi mains or crosses for the hybrid.
Let us know if it looks like early durability issues. Hard to think there wouldn't be given that drive is shaped.
 
Mine are supposed to be here today, which is perfect because I felt that my current strings were lacking in life during my singles match this morning.

In response to @d-quik , I also seem to switch my strings up quite a bit. Perhaps its just a desire for punishment....but also an opportunity to try out different things with minimal cost and , most importantly, contribute to the forum.

I am now torn on whether I want to go full bed or hybird. Realistically, I will probably do both, but which one will I start with? I'm leaning heavily toward hybrid.
 
Chairman3 said:
Debating on doing multi mains or crosses for the hybrid.
Let us know if it looks like early durability issues. Hard to think there wouldn't be given that drive is shaped.
Click to expand...
As expected, seeing a good amount of notching with only 4 hrs of hitting, with multi mains, and poly crosses. PolyTourDrive also has shaped edges, and so it is expected to saw through the soft multi unless you hit flat. I think the more spinnier you hit the higher the notching would be. I usually don't like the feel of multi in crosses, plus usually the mains properties dominate my hitting experience (and l like the touch/feel of multi). So that is the reason for my choice, even though I knew it could be less durable for me. As long as I can get to 15hr mark before breaking I am happy.

If you are not sure what you may like and have two similar racquets, try both (thanks to TW, there is enough for two string jobs of hybrids). Generally if you like a more locked stringbed and want more durability, go for multi in crosses. If you want more touch/feel and wants more snapback early, go for multi mains, at the cost of durability, especially if you hit with a lot of topspin.

If you hit more powerful and flatter, and loves very soft stringbed, doing fullbed of multi is also not a bad option.
 
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I had a long debate over whether to go hybrid or full bed, but ultimately decided that full bed would be more beneficial for review purposes. Full bed strung today at 55lbs.

Initial impressions: has a smell that is similar to Head Velocity Power, which a friend described as smelling like formaldehyde. Weirdly, I kind of like the smell, and I liked the other string referenced during that playtest. So I'm expecting it to be similar to that based on.....smell...

The strings felt firm on the bounce test. The package indicates low power, and the bounce test somewhat confirms that. I think I'm going to like these!

Notes: I normally keep full bed multi in my Pure Strike and use that frame when I need to give my elbow a rest. I typically have a (relatively) fresh full bed poly in my Blade 100 v8. The Blade is my primary frame and works very well with poly. My elbow has been tender after my last few matches and the poly that was in the Blade was ready to come out vs a multi in the PS that still has some life. So, it made sense to put this in the Blade. I'm working on getting my next match scheduled, so I should start gathering data soon.
 
I strung my APD with Rexis Activate in the Mains (52) and Poly Tour Drive in the Crosses (49). All the others are full poly / poly hybrids so this will be the perfect chance to see how a nice Yonex multi can tame even the stiffest of racquets!!
Excited to start my first playtest with the APD. I had been using Pure Strikes for many years and have recently switched. So far the APDs seem less string sensitive as the frame seems to dominate the strings which was the opposite of the Pure Strikes.

Anyway great to have the option of a softer string like Yonex Rexis Activate in the lineup. PolyTour Drive is a softer poly too so excited to see how these perform.

bab-4.jpg
 
thebigz said:
Exactly. Doing full bed first though. Might try a multi main poly crosses hybrid after. I didn’t want to go the poly/multi hybrid route since I’ll be mostly reviewing the poly string at that point
Click to expand...
My theory with potentially doing poly main and multi cross is I'm testing how much comfort the multi adds to a stiffer shaped poly (drive).
As a main, I know the shaped poly cross will just saw through the multi.
 
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Whew...about 50 minutes...this string is not going to last. Picture to come, haven't taken it yet

But, this is a great feeling string. It hugs the ball with a warm, soft towel.
Sadly that seems to contraindicate the "control" labeling on the package as soft strings usually aren't known for control.
But it does remind me why I miss syngut or multis, you just can't get near this sensation from a poly.

After only 50 minutes, I do like it. Easily the best of the Rexis multis, I've tried two (Feel and I think Speed).
Definitely some power and not the worst spin. Control really isn't bad it's just a matter of what yardstick you're using to measure it.
 
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