The Church of Polystringism-- Alidisperanza's PT Thread

alidisperanza

Hall of Fame
Just strung up the HulkSmash... err I mean, Hyper G at #48/50. Truly interesting string. It has a pearly/silky feeling to the touch and what I would characterize as springy and "soft" when coiled off the reel. I was totally unprepared for the stiffness when I intentionally kinked a clipping of it it out of curiosity. I was surprised at how hard the string actually is when clipping the ends and tying knots.

Stringing was a breeze. Stiff enough to poke through caps and to easily pull through on the last couple crosses. Crosses are just the right flexibility to weave but not bend, although at #50 not much is difficult.

THE COLOR! YES, I've been waiting for this for years! Almost makes me want to change frames to match.

Moderately... errr.. tepidly excited to play this stuff. Initial hit tonight.
 

alidisperanza

Hall of Fame
Uh oh. Something is horribly wrong. I have two frames that are near identical in specs. One has the HyperG In it, the other has the hybrid in it. The frame with the hyperG has a noticeably different balance. Drastic enough that I was framing gimme volleys and simply could not find a rhythm. Will weigh the rackets when I get home for more detail.

Verdict is still out on the string.
 

alidisperanza

Hall of Fame
More ut-oh. I’m losing it. The scale shows 3 gram difference between the frames. There is a 2 gram diff normally. This is negligible...

I’m going to chalk it up to making a questionable choice of opting for brown rice in my Sushi; yeah, that’s definitely it — more thoughts after tomorrow’s play
 

J011yroger

Talk Tennis Guru
Drastic enough that I was framing gimme volleys and simply could not find a rhythm.

Hard_To_Swallow_Pills_06032018090303.jpg


J
 

alidisperanza

Hall of Fame
Prestigasera, Prestigasera. What have I ever done to make you treat me so disrespectfully? If you'd come to me in friendship, then that shank that ruined your 40-0 game would be suffering this very day. And if by chance an honest racquet like yourself should make unforced errors, then they would become my unforced errors. And then they would fear your aces...

... It was when my boss walked into my office and found me talking to my racquet that I realized it was probably not the best idea to make amends for my slander and libel at work. Thank God he plays tennis and gets it!

Good news is we went to counseling and work things out. I’ve accepted that she’s a little bit different balance wise, and that’s ok. I also realized a couple of things about hyper G.

1. I HATE the break in period. Tonight the string bed played a lot more comfortably. This sucker had to settle.
2. It’s a string that demands a lot from your strokes especially in 95sq in 18x20. Think Sparta, “Give them nothing, but take from them everything!” Short swings won’t cut it. Take a full cut at the ball or don’t bother.
3. Turns out I can actually volley my way out of a wet paper sack. We’ll see if I can upgrade to the Plastic grocery bag.

Initial (part deux) thoughts are positive. Pretty solid control and bite coming from the string bed. Ball goes whap! when you give it some gas. Still on the stiffer side but not too bad.
 

alidisperanza

Hall of Fame
What are your specs, any mods, seem to volley better without added mass in the hoop, unless counterbalanced?

Stock frames. Yonex supergrap. Dampeners vary but I consistently use my Yonex triangle or my Jolly Roger skull and cross-bones.
I have 3, two are very very close. The third is an outlier. It plays bombs at the baseline but my hands are slow at net so I become a liability in doubles. That third stick has sat in my bag unused for a while.

Originally all strung with 2pc BHB7 when measured.
1. 334g-- 315SW--31.5 balance--- this one has the H-G in it and with grip/ no dampener it's currently 336.6g
2. 332g-- 313SW-- 31.5 balance-- this one has the hybrid in it and with grip/ no dampener it's currently 333.5
3. 342g-- 332SW-- 32 balance.
 

alidisperanza

Hall of Fame
Ok, round 2.5 initial thoughts. HyperG is actually not as bad as I feared, it just took me a longer than average break in period to appreciate it. My most recent racquet and string journey went from 2012 Pure Drive right after recovery to the Prestige Pro 16x19 to the 18x20 MP. All with Big Hitter Black 7 17 for the most part. It's been a while since I've hit a string that's on the stiffer side but I've now had the chance to play 1H of cooperative doubles drills, and a 1h of singles hitting.

Spin is definitely in the good+ category. I don't typically hit a high trajectory ball anymore but I found several higher fliers that I would typically expect to land a foot long bouncing in, which led me to experiment more. It's there if you ask for it, just keep up your RHS. My favorite aspect of the stringbed was the when I made a concentrated effort to hit much lower in the racquet hoop than normal. Giddyup! the ball launches off the string. Particularly useful on short take-back, tight OHBH where the ball is sitting lower to the ground. Take that sucker early off the bounce, gyrate them hips, and it zips back especially cross court. Slices are a lot of fun to watch after they leave the strings.

Not a huge fan of volleying with it. I've gotten used to the extra pocketing of my hybrid and of the BHB7. Anything off center with the HG and I was going ooooh... yeah, that's coming back with a vengeance, isn't it. May need to test this out in my other frame to see if it's the balance futzing with me. Well centered volleys lower in the hoop and there's some good action on the ball.

Serves. Yes. Me likey. There's some extra Popeye in these strings and he's chewing on some new-age spinach green. Some very nice pop and above average control. Nothing wild, mind you, I didn't see dive bombs or slices that curved but very solid and consistent... in this frame. I picked up a 98DR out of curiosity with some well-aged HG and snapped off 5 serves after playing the doubles set. Mama, There Goes That Man!, 16x20 string pattern!? Holy hell. 4/5 were bombs and the kid looked at me like what the hell, wot did you do to my frame? Even with the worn HG it felt reallll clean.

I'm guessing I'd like this stuff a lot more if I dropped the tension by 2lbs and/or played it in a 16x19 or 16x20. I'll be demoing the Yonex Vcore Pro 97 hopefully next week and string some HG as my second set to test it out.
 

alidisperanza

Hall of Fame
Donnay X-CoPoly Edge- initial thoughts

Very soft stringing. Almost obnoxiously soft as in it’s a pain to push through a blocked grommet or a shared one. If you’re going to get wiley and tie off somewhere other than the pre-enlarged holes, just don’t. I made an oops and cut my half set wrong and had panic and headaches with the nub of string left.

There was a very strange sensation when pulling strings in my lockout it was as if you’d feel stretch, stretch, stretch, and then it would hit a point and almost felt like it would sigh and give in and the resistance would almost fade. Uncanny.

Playing, it’s quite soft at #48 lbs. so much so I wouldn’t necessarily mind going up a lb or two back to #50. Nice pocketing on volleys. Diminishing returns on ground strokes. I played a total of 1.5h of “zone”— adult, 4-5.0 live-ball doubles, 20 minutes of hard hitting, and two 10-pt tie breakers. (7-10, 6-10) Warming up it felt great and I felt in definite control. I was able to keep the ball deep and direct it. Playing it was a pleasure at net and OK-extra-average off the baseline. Again, pocketing is a good feature but there’s no sense of bite or grip on the ball. Open the racquet face a tad to change the launch angle and there is zero sense of security. The ball preps for takeoff.

The biggest disappointment was when I started laying into forehands. The ball goes fast, yes, but from my point of view it wasn’t really doing anything extra. I didn’t notice the ball really drive through the court with a slide/skid, or kick hard. I tried harder... same thing. I bent my knees more, better arc and more clearance to the baseline. Same boring ball.

Serves were above average but still experimenting. Again, it does you no favors and I found myself missing a couple kick serves which is an absolute no no in tie breakers.

Initial summary— A decent softer poly that will appeal to many who aren’t looking for that extra bit of nasty and are just happy to play with black strings.
 

alidisperanza

Hall of Fame
An afterthought; if the string plays consistently like this throughout its life (it’s already solidly notched), you have an upgraded iso speed baseline that doesn’t feel plastic-y.

My suspicions are that it won’t...and if this is the way it plays freshly strung, it’s a no for me dawg. Time will tell.
 

haqq777

Legend
Donnay X-CoPoly Edge- initial thoughts

Very soft stringing. Almost obnoxiously soft as in it’s a pain to push through a blocked grommet or a shared one. If you’re going to get wiley and tie off somewhere other than the pre-enlarged holes, just don’t. I made an oops and cut my half set wrong and had panic and headaches with the nub of string left.

There was a very strange sensation when pulling strings in my lockout it was as if you’d feel stretch, stretch, stretch, and then it would hit a point and almost felt like it would sigh and give in and the resistance would almost fade. Uncanny.

Playing, it’s quite soft at #48 lbs. so much so I wouldn’t necessarily mind going up a lb or two back to #50. Nice pocketing on volleys. Diminishing returns on ground strokes. I played a total of 1.5h of “zone”— adult, 4-5.0 live-ball doubles, 20 minutes of hard hitting, and two 10-pt tie breakers. (7-10, 6-10) Warming up it felt great and I felt in definite control. I was able to keep the ball deep and direct it. Playing it was a pleasure at net and OK-extra-average off the baseline. Again, pocketing is a good feature but there’s no sense of bite or grip on the ball. Open the racquet face a tad to change the launch angle and there is zero sense of security. The ball preps for takeoff.

The biggest disappointment was when I started laying into forehands. The ball goes fast, yes, but from my point of view it wasn’t really doing anything extra. I didn’t notice the ball really drive through the court with a slide/skid, or kick hard. I tried harder... same thing. I bent my knees more, better arc and more clearance to the baseline. Same boring ball.

Serves were above average but still experimenting. Again, it does you no favors and I found myself missing a couple kick serves which is an absolute no no in tie breakers.

Initial summary— A decent softer poly that will appeal to many who aren’t looking for that extra bit of nasty and are just happy to play with black strings.
Great review. How much is this string anyway? Didn't know Donnay was making strings.
 

alidisperanza

Hall of Fame
Great review. How much is this string anyway? Didn't know Donnay was making strings.

The only reason I knew is because a friend of mine is the Donnay-hub in these parts. Idk what it costs per set since mine was a free-for-playtest although the website has it advertised as $15/set. That's a staunch nein at $15. If it's around 8-10 bucks per set, It wouldn't be a bad buy for the right player. If it were 5-7 bucks/set, I'd consider buying a reel of it for my own use.
 

haqq777

Legend
The only reason I knew is because a friend of mine is the Donnay-hub in these parts. Idk what it costs per set since mine was a free-for-playtest although the website has it advertised as $15/set. That's a staunch nein at $15. If it's around 8-10 bucks per set, It wouldn't be a bad buy for the right player. If it were 5-7 bucks/set, I'd consider buying a reel of it for my own use.
Never buying Donnay, have absolutely terrible experience over the course of last few years. Was just curious about price point. And $15 is def steep. Thanks!
 

alidisperanza

Hall of Fame
Never buying Donnay, have absolutely terrible experience over the course of last few years. Was just curious about price point. And $15 is def steep. Thanks!

Time ago I was ok with customizing things, adding lead here, silicone there, changing weights, grips, strings, you name it. Now that I have less time to play and more things to worry about all I look for is consistency and reliability. I play everything stock and avoid Wilson like the plague.

If a company can't give me those basic features, I have no use for their services. $15 is very steep for a string that doesn't blow me away. Hell, $12 was a lot for the HyperG. I play with BHB7 because it plays exceptionally and pretty consistently for an $80 reel (roughly $5/set), not because it's the best string I've ever tried.

I can't speak to Donnay's reputation since I've never really played with any of their line but from my tinkering around the shop it appears they're in the business of making clones. There's a shocking similarity in balance, weight, and feel of many of the blacked (chrome'd) out sticks I've picked up. To that end, I'm leaning once again towards Yonex based on the quality control and consistency I experienced with my 95Ds. I'm really quite excited for the VCore Pro 97 I have coming.
 

haqq777

Legend
Time ago I was ok with customizing things, adding lead here, silicone there, changing weights, grips, strings, you name it. Now that I have less time to play and more things to worry about all I look for is consistency and reliability. I play everything stock and avoid Wilson like the plague.

If a company can't give me those basic features, I have no use for their services. $15 is very steep for a string that doesn't blow me away. Hell, $12 was a lot for the HyperG. I play with BHB7 because it plays exceptionally and pretty consistently for an $80 reel (roughly $5/set), not because it's the best string I've ever tried.

I can't speak to Donnay's reputation since I've never really played with any of their line but from my tinkering around the shop it appears they're in the business of making clones. There's a shocking similarity in balance, weight, and feel of many of the blacked (chrome'd) out sticks I've picked up. To that end, I'm leaning once again towards Yonex based on the quality control and consistency I experienced with my 95Ds. I'm really quite excited for the VCore Pro 97 I have coming.
Well said. I echo the same thoughts.

On a side note, have you played with the Vcore Xi 98? I came across two very gently used that I had to get. Have them being strung right now. Got positive feedback on those but haven't hit yet.
 

alidisperanza

Hall of Fame
I
Well said. I echo the same thoughts.

On a side note, have you played with the Vcore Xi 98? I came across two very gently used that I had to get. Have them being strung right now. Got positive feedback on those but haven't hit yet.

I can't say I have. I ruptured my achilles shortly after I got my 95Ds and then took 3+ years off. By the time I started playing again, the 95D was too much to handle so I hit the 2012 PD for a tick.
 

haqq777

Legend
I


I can't say I have. I ruptured my achilles shortly after I got my 95Ds and then took 3+ years off. By the time I started playing again, the 95D was too much to handle so I hit the 2012 PD for a tick.
Yikes, injuries suck! I had a partial tear in my supraspinatus tendon (shoulder) in my senior year of college and got sidelined for almost a year. Hated not being able to play. Anyway, thanks for feedback.
 

alidisperanza

Hall of Fame
That Yonex looks DOPE! Just the PJ alone will make it a worthwhile buy, lol. Good stuff.

I know, right? I saw the paint job when it was released and went... oh no, another DuelG debacle but it's a drastic improvement in the color scheme and very different in person. It feels quick in the hands swinging it around my living room but I have a tiny suspicion that it may be a bit light and get pushed around. I'll have a better idea on Saturday and/or Monday.
 

JoshTheLMT

Rookie
THE COLOR! YES, I've been waiting for this for years! Almost makes me want to change frames to match.
.

It looks fabulous in my PTT100P, especially with my new favorite cross string, Prince Tour XC 16L! Great hybrid combo, for me, at 48/50. Played three times with it, after it sat for a week when I first strung it up. I’ve absolutely loved every drill and hit session I’ve played with it so far!

96a58ffa642c8b4752aa5e68ddd9f674.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

J011yroger

Talk Tennis Guru
It looks fabulous in my PTT100P, especially with my new favorite cross string, Prince Tour XC 16L! Great hybrid combo, for me, at 48/50. Played three times with it, after it sat for a week when I first strung it up. I’ve absolutely loved every drill and hit session I’ve played with it so far!

96a58ffa642c8b4752aa5e68ddd9f674.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It looks like the illegitimate child of Kermit and Big Bird.

J
 

alidisperanza

Hall of Fame
It looks fabulous in my PTT100P, especially with my new favorite cross string, Prince Tour XC 16L! Great hybrid combo, for me, at 48/50. Played three times with it, after it sat for a week when I first strung it up. I’ve absolutely loved every drill and hit session I’ve played with it so far!

96a58ffa642c8b4752aa5e68ddd9f674.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You speak my color-language.

Although, black/green would be the #1 for me on the strings to complete the motif. I love what some companies are doing with the paint jobs like these Prince frames and the simple black/color of the Wilsons. I keep hearing that prince has made up for the past 10 years of suck-age with their new frames too. I'll have to source one for a hit.
 

JoshTheLMT

Rookie
You speak my color-language.

Although, black/green would be the #1 for me on the strings to complete the motif. I love what some companies are doing with the paint jobs like these Prince frames and the simple black/color of the Wilsons. I keep hearing that prince has made up for the past 10 years of suck-age with their new frames too. I'll have to source one for a hit.

I have that too: Hyper G/Gosen OGSM hybrid. [emoji6][emoji106]
875bcaf5c3a87e20c906502c8ae4a5b0.jpg




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

alidisperanza

Hall of Fame
I have that too: Hyper G/Gosen OGSM hybrid. [emoji6][emoji106]
875bcaf5c3a87e20c906502c8ae4a5b0.jpg




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

...Starts shopping for lime green accented clothing and socks...

Raq-porn aside, I can see that combo working really well. HyperG/HeadSyn is my next string-test in the Prestiggy
 

alidisperanza

Hall of Fame
Some more first impressions and stringing thoughts.

I had the Yonex VCore Pro97 (310g) strung with Big Hitter Black 7 at #48lbs on a constant pull machine for my initial playtest. One rubber band, and one Yonex overgrip.

True to initial impressions, it’s svelte in the hands and swings the same way. It's the kind of stick you'll expect maneuverability and craftiness with, not ol' brown (red) Bessie slung break-barrel over your shoulder, heavy and reliable to trade slugs. Here, you're puttin' down the whiskey and picking up your gun-belt. A wicked smile comes across your face, as you tip your hat to the missus' and you hear the western-whistle-call rattling through the nets *BBwwwop---Waaap-Waaawwwww* It's a shiny six-shot that's quick on the draw for some fancy shootin'. But, you better meet your mark because you're not gonna get too many extra shots against Bessie. For now, and in stock form it's not the type of stick I'd want to settle in and trade protracted heavy forehands with another player of skilled level.

Don't get me wrong, it's capable of hitting a big ball, just not what this frame was designed to do in my hands. What I most enjoyed was the ease of stepping in, getting around the ball and cutting angles short. I found that I was able to put the ball out the side of the service box more comfortably than with the prestige and with less preparation. I am not known for hitting angles but felt comfortable enough to take advantage of this when I had the opportunity.

Having said that, the sweet spot is comfortable but not necessarily optimal for those of us that hit higher in the string bed. I can't confirm it without video but I'd say the biggest bang you'll get is around 6-7 crosses down from the top. When I tightened up my stroke, the ball zipped off the string bed and I received very favorable feedback. Spin access is positive and based off the unforced errors I was able to create, the x-axis drive through the court is there too if you lay into it. I had some uncertainty in the feel department and what I consider to be "marksmanship"; That sense of knowing where the ball will land and how it will bounce depending on your stroke. But, that's something that will probably develop with more time spent on court.

Volleys on center have nice punch and direction. However, the stick feels a bit too light to inspire comfort when someone's trying to take advantage of a short ball and you're standing at the net. Catch a volley off center and the ball will dribble at your feet. There are NO favors for off center hits.

BHB7 in this frame-- ehhhh, it played well but felt a bit "sloppy". I've never seen poly shift like this unless it's on the fritz. After about 1.5h of live-ball and 15 mins of pure, step on the gas rally balls to push the frame, the strings don't quite snap back the way [i think] they should. I'm not sure if it's the tension that needs to bump up a couple of lbs, or if its the much more open pattern but there needs to be some additional science involved.

TLDR
Likes:
- Maneuverability
- Good pop for a "low" powered frame
- Favorable access to spin.

Most prominent dislikes so far:
-The outer rim.
-Possibly a touch too light-- the 330g has me very curious.
-The flare of the butt-cap is NOT to my taste. I found the racquet falling fairly low in my hands when changing grip quickly to react to a ball. My ring finger felt like Luke in Cloud City hanging on the end of the sensor-array, pinky dangling in the breeze when faced with overwhelming Vader-like forehands rife with power coming at me.
-The. Strings shift. Ugh. It’s terrible and annoying coming from the prestige.

More to come.
 

alidisperanza

Hall of Fame
Soooooo I’m coming to the conclusion that the hyper-g train doesn’t stop at this station. I strung a full set in the yonex Vcore pro 97 310g at #50/48 and simply couldn’t find the magic. It’s not a bad string by any means but at no point did I feel comfortable with it. Also, off-hits are positively jarring.

My last real curiosity is what it’ll be like at a much lower tension, say #46-47 and what it would be like in a hybrid with syngut.


Pros:
It’s green!
Doesn’t make a horrific ping sound w/o damp.
 

haqq777

Legend
Soooooo I’m coming to the conclusion that the hyper-g train doesn’t stop at this station. I strung a full set in the yonex Vcore pro 97 310g at #50/48 and simply couldn’t find the magic. It’s not a bad string by any means but at no point did I feel comfortable with it. Also, off-hits are positively jarring.

My last real curiosity is what it’ll be like at a much lower tension, say #46-47 and what it would be like in a hybrid with syngut.


Pros:
It’s green!
Doesn’t make a horrific ping sound w/o damp.
Dang. Hyper-G got the boot from Church of Polystringism it seems. I always thought it was a better feeling version of Cyclone. Also tad more livelier on the poly spectrum. I used it at around 52 lbs a few times. I played with Cyclone a lot so I liked Hyper-G because it was predictable (well until the corners rubbed off atleast).

Hated it in gut/poly. Sawed the gut mains very fast for some reason, and also overly powerful setup if I kept tensions in my normal low fifties. I am not a fan of high tensions because it changes the stringbed feel for me.

I do have a couple of sets of Hyper-G lying around still. I was wanting to try at low tensions myself. Will try in low forties and give feedback here once I recover from my gnarly stubbed toe injury I got yesterday.
 

Hmgraphite1

Hall of Fame
I think I'm going to try it in mains with revolve crosses to compare to the proline 2 in mains. I have a set of 16 just need to get another racquet or two.
 

alidisperanza

Hall of Fame
Dang. Hyper-G got the boot from Church of Polystringism it seems. I always thought it was a better feeling version of Cyclone. Also tad more livelier on the poly spectrum. I used it at around 52 lbs a few times. I played with Cyclone a lot so I liked Hyper-G because it was predictable (well until the corners rubbed off atleast).

Hated it in gut/poly. Sawed the gut mains very fast for some reason, and also overly powerful setup if I kept tensions in my normal low fifties. I am not a fan of high tensions because it changes the stringbed feel for me.

I do have a couple of sets of Hyper-G lying around still. I was wanting to try at low tensions myself. Will try in low forties and give feedback here once I recover from my gnarly stubbed toe injury I got yesterday.

Look forward to hearing your thoughts. I’m not saying it’s a bad string, just maybe not to my taste. I’m going to hop up and down on my string bed a little bit to see if I can soften it up
 

alidisperanza

Hall of Fame
Using your go to string ? Good hitting , gotta find me a hittin partner

This was the donnay x-copoly. It’s not terrible, still need more hits for a full opinion. I grabbed prestige to hit with a friend who was trying out the new Touch MP. After playing a couple hours with the hyperg'd yonex it felt a bit dead, but definitely softer overall. Makes a real nice sound when you lay into it. Unfortunately, I was gassed and can't contribute anything of note from that hit other than, "it works"
 
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