The Best Poly for Tension Maintenance

[onehandbh]

IMO, the stringmeter devices that you can buy are not
accurate for stringbeds on racquets that have been already
played with on a court due to the notching effect on the
strings and change in surface due to the ball strikes.
The notching can make the stringmeter type devices wildly
inaccurate. It is a good reference for racquets that just sit
and aren't played with though. Like you could measure the
racquet 10 days later. The poundage numbers may not
be totally accurate but would reflect relative change.

 

[drakulie]

That is the test method and I agree that that is all you can say that they tested. However, you can also use that data to indicate qualities of the string vs another string, because the test environment is held constant.

Yes, and again I have already pointed this out. Bottom line is, their test methods don't tell diddly other than to say one strand of "X" string holds better than "Y" string when struck with a hammer 5 times.

you seem to indicate that hitting a string with a hammer is different than hitting it with a tennis ball.

Couple of things.

1. Yes, hitting an object (string) with a hammer-like object is different than hitting it with a tennis ball. For starters, tennis balls are round, and deform somewhat on impact. They also for instance when played on clay, pick up moisture and dirt, which makes them heavier. Additionally, they lose pressure as one plays. All variables that are not used with a hammer.
2. Secondly, the USRSA is testing one strand of string, not an entire string bed. And again, the characteristics of a string will change when one strings up an entire string bed. For instance, some strings become thinner when tensioned, and this thinning process will have an absolute impact on the string bed when strung, vs simply pulling tension on one single strand of string.
3. More-over, coil memory becomes less and less as strings are weaved over and over, tensioned and placed in a frame. Once again, someting the USRSA test does not account for.
4. Some strings may hold their tension better when the length is shorter than others and vice versa. All variables, amongst many others that the USRSA test does not come close to.

A good example of this are the Lux strings. Looking at the USRSA data, the ALU string family are pretty well above average at holding tension.

And I absolutely disagree, and could care less how one strand of string holds tenions when being hit with a hammer, because it does not reflect my experience when stringing them up on a tennis racquet and hitting thousands of balls on a tennis court.

If the USRSA chart was really reflective of what actually happens to strings when strung and played with, their would be a total of zero people who would be in disagreement with their test methods and conclusions.


Lastly, your example of the crash test car................ they crash test the ENTIRE car, not just the steering wheel, and in many of their tests, crash the car against another car that is also moving (not just against a barricade).

 

[bad_call]

...
There are other variables that effect string bed stiffness that are not strictly related to string tension though. Resiliency of the string, tension after notching or fraying, and string to string friction.

A good example of this are the Lux strings. Looking at the USRSA data, the ALU string family are pretty well above average at holding tension. Anyone who has played with them though, will tell you that once they start to notch, they become unusable....

good points here. reflects my string experience.

 

[corners]

Clearly, the lab test results show that different strings lose tension differently. Also, the USRSA lab test results are not rankings -- they are measurements.

Greg, when looking at tension loss, as a consumer or professional stringer making a recommendation, do you put more stock in the USRSA test results or in the playtests?

For example, Gosen Polylon SP 17 is pretty average in tension loss according to the lab results, but got stellar marks from the playtest group. I've been curious about that string. How much weight should I put on the playtest marks? (In this case I realize that that playtest was pretty long ago so there may have been some grading drift).

Thanks.

 

[MuscleWeave]

That is the test method and I agree that that is all you can say that they tested. However, you can also use that data to indicate qualities of the string vs another string, because the test environment is held constant. You cannot do that if the test environment is not constant.

We are in agreement on most accounts, my only problem is that you seem to indicate that hitting a string with a hammer is different than hitting it with a tennis ball. If a string (or a set of strings) were found to react the same when hit with a hammer at 20mph as they did when hit with a tennis ball at 100mph, its completely valid to continue to use the hammer and equate it to the tennis ball. Would it be better to use the actual tennis ball? Sure, if it didn't introduce more variables than it held constant, which it doesn't. Vehicle crash tests are not less relevant in indicating safety in a vehicle to vehicle collision because they use a barricade instead of another car.

There are other variables that effect string bed stiffness that are not strictly related to string tension though. Resiliency of the string, tension after notching or fraying, and string to string friction.

A good example of this are the Lux strings. Looking at the USRSA data, the ALU string family are pretty well above average at holding tension. Anyone who has played with them though, will tell you that once they start to notch, they become unusable. I have no doubt that the tension of the individual strings are just as the USRSA indicates they would be relative to other strings. The problem is they've lost a ton of resiliency and most of the softness of the string bed that comes from their low friction is gone because of the notching.

I like reading up on both types of results, and if there are other types, I'd like to hear about them as well.

 

[MuscleWeave]

SPPP of the limited polys I have tried seems to be the best.

Ones that I have tried that were not good:
ALU in rough and non rough
BB Original
TiMO
Polyon Ice

Can you spot the theme? Played well (stiff though for original and TiMO) but not good on the tension loss. ALU was superb for about a day/two. Polyon was just rubbish in every category for me.

Ones that were pretty good:
- Cyberflash
- Cyberblue
- Unique Big Hitter (very similar to cyberflash)
- Pro Redcode

Hopefully someone who has tried a few more will step in.

I've had some experience with Pro Red Code. First of all, I use Multifeel at 59 in my AG200 and at 64 in my LM Radical OS.

In the Head, I strung the PRC at 58 and found it over-powered by one or two lb. The stringbed felt very crisp, firm, and responsive, with no noticeable dwell time. The spin was good, but I prefer the soft pocketing of Multifeel.

In the Dunlop, I did a hybrid with PRC at 56 (M)/Multifeel at 59 (X). I found this to be about two lb. too tight, but I liked the way the stringbed 'grabbed' the ball, as if it had claws. An interesting quality here is that with this setup, the racquet has more power on serve than on ground strokes. I'm definitely trying this again.

 

[dtran_plays_alot]

polylon sp 17

Have you tried Polylon SP 17? I like that string very much, I would like to know how it compares to the regular Polylon.

yes I have. It is more muted. Other than that its plays and feels like 95% the same.