The Riddle: Getting String/Racket/Elbow combo right

[tobi9008]

Hi, I've been following this great forum for quite some time and learned a whole lot.
Now I'm really excited to get some expert help on my big riddle as the league year is approaching for my club in germany.

I'm a counterpunch defense player with emphasis on spin and slice shots, used to play with Blade 98S v5 and Gamma Moto 1.24mm for some years, developed tennis elbow during the last 6 months.
Tried the Blade 100 v8 but for now decided to go with the new Clash 100 with some lead to stabilize and now I'm trying to find a string to do the following:
- Tame the power of the clash, provide sufficient control
- At the same time providing good spin potential without being to harsh on my arm
- Play stable for at least 10 hours as I do not string myself (hurts the wallet)

My current ideas after reading a lot of forum threads:
- MSV Focus Hex 1.25mm (red) or Focus Hex Ultra (softer)
- Volkl Cyclone (black) 1.25 mm
- Tier One Firewire (red) 1.25 mm
- Gamma Moto/Gamma iO Soft Hybrid (good reviews in germany)

I'm a bit hesitant with mutli or syn hybrid as I dont want a too springy feel of the stringbed for the clash, think it needs something crisp most likely.
Any recommendations to solve my riddle are highly appreciated !

 

[stapletonj]

one suggestion is to get a cheap drop weight stringer and just string for yourself.
that way you can experiment with different tensions and strings without too much expense.

 

[Hansen]

its a bad racquet choice if you want comfort but need a poly that tames the power of the raquet. maybe that is a riddle that can‘t be solved. if you want comfort you habe to reverse engineer it. which means that you have to choose a soft string combination like multi/poly or very soft poly and then choose the raquet which works with this strings.

 

[tobi9008]

That's a valid point about the racket choice, I guess one could start from either side (string or racket). I so far really enjoy the ease of the game with the new clash. Maybe taming the power is the wrong wording here and I should have said "need to prevent it from becoming too launchy"

 

[TennisManiac]

A riddle indeed. One that most of us never figure out.

 

[Hansen]

ok, first i would try isospeed cream 1.28 full bed (if this works,perfect, full poly doesn‘t get much more armfriendly while still being controllable).
if too soft i would then try a poly hybrid.
maybe something like völkl cyclone tour 1.30 or hyper g soft ( something twisted or grippy in the mains) and something a little bit firmer in the crosses, like kirschbaum pro line 2 1.20 or yonex ptp 1.20

 

[Rabbit]

In the olden days, control was tamed by tension. So if your frame was uncontrollable, you increased tension. If you really like the Clash, but are new to it, it may just be a case of more time with the frame. If you don't want to go with a multi because it's too mushy, you could use a thicker gauge synthetic gut with one of the durability additives (think Prince Synthetic with Duraflex). If you have/had arm trouble, I'd tend to steer clear of poly in the mains.

I would also recommend a thicker gauge synthetic gut in the mains for a couple of reasons. First, it isn't expensive and its characteristics will be improved with a poly cross. With PSG/Duraflex you get a slightly stiffer string. Second, leaving poly in a frame too long is a sure recipe for arm pain. Synthetic gut will break and break when it's supposed -- before you arm huts. Synthetic gut takes a good deal of the shock so your arm doesn't as well. If you find it lasts too long, just go down in gauge. If it doesn't last long enough, go up...

 

[graycrait]

I know you said you want 10 hrs due to wallet issues and you don't string yourself but if you need to use poly go lower. I bet you could get 10 hrs out of some 1.15mm poly.

With an RA of 55 the Clash 100 is going to take a full swing and if your technique is off take those fast full cuts could create some issues. I tried a lot of soft frames and even at 67 I can't play with a mushy frame. RA 65ish suits me fine using thin polys, syn gut or thin poly/thin syn gut hybrids.

I've found a new infatuation with thin poly and the cheaper the better but I string my own. A reel of 18g Gosen Polylon from TW (2 reels arriving today) is only 50 bucks. That is right there with OG Sheep Micro 18 at 55 bucks a reel. Hybrid those two is pretty inexpensive. Can you provide your stringer with string and just pay labor costs? If I find I can live with thin Polylon in full or hybrid to OGSM 18 I will be in cheap player thin poly heaven. Otherwise Prince Diablo 17 works for me as a fullbed poly from 45-58lbs depending on stick and pattern. That can be had on sale quite often through TW for 69/reel. Current favorite sticks are Twistpower X97 Tours x 3 and Volkl Quantum Tour 10s x 5, but I have some others

 

[Rabbit]

@graycrait - let me know how you like the Gosen Polyon, i.e. is it close to anything...etc.

 

[graycrait]

is it close to anything...etc.

The only thin polys I have on hand to compare 18g Polylon are: 19g Cyclone, 19g Tour Bite, 20g Tour Bite, 20g Hyper G and 3 reels of Diablo 17.

 

[Rabbit]

I have all those you list. Let me know what you think of it, please @graycrait

 

[lelopez]

What @Rabbit said, go for the most comfy string and up your tension for control.

I developed TE using poly and tried all the "soft poly" and low tension options out there without success. Then decided to go back to synthetic at higher tension (I played this way for years) and just like that my TE is cured. My arm and longevity are worth more than the few extra rpm's I could get with poly.

 

[tobi9008]

Really appreciate all the great input!

I can bring my own strings to my stringer luckily.

I have a pack of head syn gut pps 1.30 lying around for quite some time, will try it first with a poly in crosses as rabbit suggested, gamma iO soft is what I have left as well. Prince synthetic gut duraplex has a pretty similar stiffness rating as head syn gut pps on TWU, seems to be a great choice as well thanks !

Would you recommend to stay away from shaped poly in the crosses? Could add some bite which I like, but maybe wear out the mains quickly.

For a very soft poly fullbed alternative: how does isospeed cream compare to völkl cyclone tour?

 

[Trip]

@tobi9008 - Playability comments aside, the Clash 100 v2 is just about as good a starting point for arm-friendliness as you can get, so I'd commit to it for the time being. You should be able to do enough with strings to get a playable-enough setup.

I'd start with that set of Head Syn Gut PPS as your baseline test, full bed at 60 lbs. You might as well max out the tension listed on the frame, and see if it will offer enough playability. If yes, you've hit the jackpot on the first try. If not, more tension alone probably won't address all that you're looking to solve. Before moving on, you might try looking at an even lower power syn gut in 16 (1.30) or 15L (1.35), like like Prince OSG with Duraflex.

Beyond that, I would hybrid a lower-power multi or poly/multi fusion string in the mains, such as Prince Premier Control, Head Velocity or Tecnifibre Triax/RPX, with a very soft, slick, low-powered monofilament cross, either a nylon like Diadem Evolution, a rubber-infused poly like Cream, or a narrower gauge of Tier One Ghost Wire (like 1.17, maybe 1.22). I'd string the mains in the upper 50's, crosses low-mid 50's. A combo like this will give you more spin and control, with decent tension maintenance (depending mostly on the cross you use).

The next level of control and spin would be flipping the hybrid with a poly in the mains, but you need to be careful here to stay under, say, 180 lb/s stiffness, so Cream or Yonex Poly Tour Air for round, Cyclone Tour 16 or Gosen Sidewinder 16 for shaped. For the crosses, you'll want a multi with the best blend of slickness and durability possible, such as Velocity, or, perhaps even better, a nylon mono like Diadem Evolution. For tension, I'd try the poly mains in the low 50's and non-poly crosses at or slightly above that tension.

Last option would be full-bed poly, but even if using Cream, VCT or Sidewinder, I'd be extremely careful, and stop playing the frame in favor of a spare with non-poly in it at the first sign of issues.

Hope that helps!

 

[Rabbit]

@tobi9008 - I forgot to mention Nate Ferguson's rule of stringing. He owns P1 and says that you should string "as loosely as you can control". I reckon he knows a thing or two about tennis equipment.

 

[Hansen]

cream is softer than völkl cyclone tour imo.
cream also has very good comfort - tension stability ratio, and you can get cream in a thinner gauge than 1.28. would go for cream in full poly.
but my go to setup for a relatively low powered arm friendly setup would be
head velocity mlt 1.30 or thicker and cream 1.28

 

[UseTheFrame]

I have a Clash 98 (slightly heaver than 100) and was also suddenly having some arm issues after using a full bed of poly for years.

I string for myself (as well as others), so I was able to easily try many different kinds of string setups to see what would work for me. My goals were:
a) No arm pains
b) Control as well as able to impart good spin, try to re-create the crispness that I had with poly.
c) Make the stringbed last as long as possible - ie, strings not breaking, stringbed remaining consistent, strings not sticking out of place after each point.

I did try several combos using Isospeed Cream in the crosses, but it was still causing me arm issues (I think my arm was at that time really sensitive to any harshness/poly) and the mains would be sticking out of place after each point after only a few hours of play.

What I found that was the best so far is a hybrid of Technifibre NRG2 17g @57lbs in the mains and Ashway Monogut ZX 17g @ 51lbs in the crosses.

This combo can be pricey, but I buy reels when either is on sale, so it now costs me ~$12 in materials for each string job, which I am OK with since I consider that cheap as it allows me to play as much as I want and still have a happy arm. I get about 15 hrs of play out of each string job before one of the mains break. The mains do get sawn through by their sliding on the crosses (the crosses never show any wear), but incredibly even as the mains are sawn through, I don't detect much change in the feel of the string bed (maybe slightly less pop as the stringbed ages, but often it feels even slightly better as time passes). I had tried a full bed of NRG2, but that was to 'launchy', and the NRG2 seems to shred and get very ugly pretty quickly when the mains/crosses rubbed on each other, as well as the strings sticking out of place after an hour or so of hitting. The NRG/Monogut combo does not have the NRG shredding or sticking out of place. The NRG does get a groove cut in it as it wears against the Monogut, but no shredding, ie, bits of the NRG fiber sticking out all over the place.

All of the above being said with the caveat that finding the string combo that works for you is highly subjective. What works for one is certainly not guaranteed to work for others. Good luck!

 

[happyandbob]

I have a Clash 98 (slightly heaver than 100) and was also suddenly having some arm issues after using a full bed of poly for years.

I string for myself (as well as others), so I was able to easily try many different kinds of string setups to see what would work for me. My goals were:
a) No arm pains
b) Control as well as able to impart good spin, try to re-create the crispness that I had with poly.
c) Make the stringbed last as long as possible - ie, strings not breaking, stringbed remaining consistent, strings not sticking out of place after each point.

What I found that was the best so far is a hybrid of Technifibre NRG2 17g @57lbs in the mains and Ashway Monogut ZX 17g @ 51lbs in the crosses.

This combo can be pricey, but I buy reels when either is on sale, so it now costs me ~$12 in materials for each string job, which I am OK with since I consider that cheap as it allows me to play as much as I want and still have a happy arm. I get about 15 hrs of play out of each string job before one of the mains break. The mains do get sawn through by their sliding on the crosses (the crosses never show any wear), but incredibly even as the mains are sawn through, I don't detect much change in the feel of the string bed (maybe slightly less pop as the stringbed ages, but often it feels even slightly better as time passes). I had tried a full bed of NRG2, but that was to 'launchy', and the NRG2 seems to shred and get very ugly pretty quickly when the mains/crosses rubbed on each other, as well as the strings sticking out of place after an hour or so of hitting. The NRG/Monogut combo does not have the NRG shredding or sticking out of place. The NRG does get a groove cut in it as it wears against the Monogut, but no shredding, ie, bits of the NRG fiber sticking out all over the place.

All of the above being said with the caveat that finding the string combo that works for you is highly subjective. What works for one is certainly not guaranteed to work for others. Good luck!

What kind of life are you getting with that setup? I'd expect that the ZX saws through the NRG pretty quickly.

 

[graycrait]

hybrid of Technifibre NRG2 17g @57lbs in the mains and Ashway Monogut ZX 17g @ 51lbs in the crosses.

That is one I have never tried with ZX 17g. I have tried nat gut/ZX but not any of the expensive multis.

The conundrum with ZX hybrids is finding the tension/racket/pattern/skill level combo - which rarely seems to lending itself to doing only a couple of string jobs for testing.

These days I only use ZX 17g as a cross if stringing the mains with Ashaway Kevlar on those who ask for it and for the rackets I have that I like but only play with occasionally because even if I don't play that racket for a year it will play the same as the day I hung it up if strung with Ash Kev x ZX.

 

[UseTheFrame]

What kind of life are you getting with that setup? I'd expect that the ZX saws through the NRG pretty quickly.

I get about 15 hours of play out of each string job. I had thought I might have to go to a thicker gauge of either the NRG2 or Monogut (or maybe both), but 15 hours works well enough for me. But now that you mention it, I might continue with my experimenting with some thicker gauges and see how that affects the life/feel. I will note I hit a pretty heavy topspin ball, so there if definitely a lot of sliding/friction going on. I string my girlfriend's racket with the same combo, she hits with less topspin and gets more than 25 hours life from it.

EDITED NOTE: I find with this combo it is important after the first couple of sets to make sure the crosses are still straight (my serving can sometimes drive the crosses into arcs...). The crosses WILL cut into the mains, and you want to make sure the grooves are in a place that maintains a straight cross. If the crosses are out out position and you keep playing with the racket, the grooves in the mains will enforce the crooked crosses and they will forever look like cr*p.

I will add that I have tried different colors (both strings are available in black and 'natural') and the black color of each string definitely works better (seem more slippery, slide better over the lifetime of the string bed)!!

 

[UseTheFrame]

The conundrum with ZX hybrids is finding the tension/racket/pattern/skill level combo - which rarely seems to lending itself to doing only a couple of string jobs for testing.

Absolutely. I don't think I would have found this combo if I was paying a stringer to setup my rackets, I did go though a lot of iterations before I was happy with this. I think the 57lbs/51lbs is critical to my liking this string setup. The high differential helps keep the mains from sticking out of place, and the high tension on the NRG helps control the power of the NRG. I tried lower tensions such as 54/52 and 53/48, and was not happy with the results.

But as I said earlier, string jobs are highly subjective and I'm pretty sure there is no one perfect solution that works for everyone.

 

[lelopez]

@tobi9008
The next level of control and spin would be flipping the hybrid with a poly in the mains, but you need to be careful here to stay under, say, 180 lb/s stiffness, so Cream or Yonex Poly Tour Air for round, Cyclone Tour 16 or Gosen Sidewinder 16 for shaped.

Keep in mind, at least in my experience, a string stiffness of 180 lb/s on a poly vs a 180 lb/s on a syn gut feel quite different, so cannot take string stiffness numbers as the end-all be-all. You have to listen to your body. I tried several thin gauge, soft polys, with comparable stiffness #'s to syn. gut at no avail to fixing my TE.

 

[Trip]

@lelopez - A very good point. Dynamic stiffness on its own is just a good hint of general comfort, but not the end-all, be-all. Most polys won't absorb shock as well as synthetics, to say nothing of natural gut itself, which is why I only recommended the rubber-based/infused ones, apart from VCT and Sidewinder. I do get your main point, though, that you had to go away from poly completely in order to heal. That may certainly be necessary here as well. You have to listen to your body, first and foremost.

 

[Yamin]

Try hybrid or soft poly around 50 lbs. Clash is harsh with stiff poly at higher tensions.

You need to do exercises to fix your elbow though.

 

[graycrait]

@UseTheFrame , Have you ever tried X-One Biphase or NXT with ZX Pro? Just wondering what other combos you have tried wtih ZX crosses. I tried ZX fullbed several times but gave up on that.

The thing with using Ash Kev in the mains and ZX crosses there is never a groove and always snap back even as the Ash Kev saws itself through sliding along the ZX. I may once again try 18g Ash Kev x ZX 17g just as an experiment. I had gotten away from using any Ash Kev except for 16g because it just worked, for a long time. Maybe with my newfound affection for 18/19g poly I will like some 18g Ash Kev.

In fact I used to string a D1 player's rackets leaving in the ZX crosses and restringing the Ash Kev mains. She went through 16g Ash Kev mains faster than anyone I had seen, but she was tickled to get 10-14 days out of a stringbed rather than an hour to an hour and half with Tourbite 16L. Same reason this 5.0 28 yr old recreational player stops by every couple of months to get the same Ash Kev x ZX stringbed in his Pure Drives. He says he gets nearly the same spin that he did with poly and doesn't have to get his rackets strung nearly as much.

 

[UseTheFrame]

@graycrait - Most of my experimentation when looking for a more arm friendly string for my Clash involved Isospeed Cream as a cross with various other strings. (I really liked the feel of Head Velocity/Isospeed Cream). However I was not able to find a string to pair with the Isospeed Cream as a main that was arm-friendly AND didn't start sticking out of place/ not sliding well within a few hours of playing (Isospeed Cream seems to be much less slippery than the Ashway Monogut)

I did try Technifibre Triax with the Ashway Monogut, and that seemed to perform and feel very similar to the NRG, but since even more expensive than NRG, I saw no point in following that up.

In the future I may try a main of Head Velocity with a Ashway Monogut cross, but I try not to let my sampling of strings go overboard and interfere with my enjoyment of simply playing and enjoying tennis. : )

Yes, the Ashway Monogut seems to last forever without wear (I don't know if it loses some elasticity or not). I think that is one reason why the NRG/Monogut stringbed seems to remain very constant over its lifetime. I have considered somehow re-using the crosses, but at $6 for 20', it's not really worth the hassle for me (and if I did, I would never mention such sacrilege on the TT forums !!)

 

[tobi9008]

OK guys so I will try head syn gut pps 16g mains with gamma iO soft 17g crosses to start with. Will order some isospeed cream though as potential better cross string for later. And order a flex bar for exercising...

Any tension suggestions for this hybrid? Thought about mains 26kg/crosses 24kg which is 57/53 lbs.
Is head velocity maybe the better choice for future main string?

 

[tobi9008]

OK guys so I will try head syn gut pps 16g mains with gamma iO soft 17g crosses to start with. Will order some isospeed cream though as potential better cross string for later. And order a flex bar for exercising...

Any tension suggestions for this hybrid? Thought about mains 26kg/crosses 24kg which is 57/53 lbs.
Is head velocity maybe the better choice for future main string?

That playtest went pretty bad, I had the feeling I only hit short and long balls and had no confidence at all in hitting through.maybe Cross string (gamma iO soft) was too stiff?

Always played poly in the last 15 years so it seems very hard to transition
Do you think that a thinner gauge poly like isospeed cream or even volkl cyclone Tour in 1.18 or 1.20mm at low tension like 21/22kg could be an alternative to save my arm? Maybe the poly just suits my more upwards strokes better :/ hard to imagine the right compromise to still save my arm but play with confidence.
Is head velocity full bed a control multi with decent spin I could try instead in a like 1.25mm gauge?

 

[Hansen]

the problem is that most soft polys have a bad tension maintanance, so a already powerful poly setup gets even more powerful in a very short time. isospeed cream on the other hand has a good tension stability. vct only has some kind of tension stability in the thickest gauge, even in 1.24 it is not good. maybe you could use somewhat stiffer polys in a thinner gauge.
i would nevertheless try isospeed cream in 1.28 as a baseline for further experiments.

 

[lelopez]

That playtest went pretty bad, I had the feeling I only hit short and long balls and had no confidence at all in hitting through.maybe Cross string (gamma iO soft) was too stiff?

Always played poly in the last 15 years so it seems very hard to transition
Do you think that a thinner gauge poly like isospeed cream or even volkl cyclone Tour in 1.18 or 1.20mm at low tension like 21/22kg could be an alternative to save my arm? Maybe the poly just suits my more upwards strokes better :/ hard to imagine the right compromise to still save my arm but play with confidence.
Is head velocity full bed a control multi with decent spin I could try instead in a like 1.25mm gauge?

You'll definitely need an adjustment period, switching from poly to a syn. gut or multi, but shouldn't take too long. Perhaps you have to experiment with different tensions.

But, like what @Hansen said, if you're dead set on sticking to poly, stick to the softer ones (Cream, Ghostwire, etc.) or the better tension holding ones in thin gauge (ST7, T1BK, YPTA, PP Black Force or Red Devil) as the thin ones tend to be softer. The Pro's Pro ones are quite soft although maybe not the greatest tension mantenance. IIRC, Tier One sent me some data on 18g BK and I think the stiffness was high 170's-low 180's and it has great tension maintenance in my opinion. Will have to dig the data out. If you didn't like the syn. gut/poly hybrid, try the soft poly in the mains instead to see if that provides closer feel that you're used to.

I went through all this experimentation b/c I really wanted to stick with poly, but in the end didn't work out for me. All I use now is Gamma syn. gut and Head Velocity.

Edit: Dug out the data @TierOneSportsOfficial had sent me. First # is the tension maintenance,2nd is the stiffness.

T1-Black Knight 118

18 / co-polyester

17.84

173

Tour Status 120

18 / co-polyester

15.86

206

 

[Trip]

@tobi9008 - As I thought, the full-bed syn gut test might be a little rough. Give yourself perhaps another hitting session or two to see if you can acclimate; otherwise, I'd look at a multi or syngut combined with soft poly, and/or a fusion string like Tecnifibre RPX. In addition to Cream and Ghost Wire, also look at Gosen G-Tour 3; stiffness rated between Cream and GW, as slick or more so then either (silicone oil coating), and tension maintenance almost as good as Cream. Kind of like a softer, round version of RPM Blast, that hold tension longer.

 

[fuzz nation]

That playtest went pretty bad, I had the feeling I only hit short and long balls and had no confidence at all in hitting through.maybe Cross string (gamma iO soft) was too stiff?

Always played poly in the last 15 years so it seems very hard to transition
Do you think that a thinner gauge poly like isospeed cream or even volkl cyclone Tour in 1.18 or 1.20mm at low tension like 21/22kg could be an alternative to save my arm? Maybe the poly just suits my more upwards strokes better :/ hard to imagine the right compromise to still save my arm but play with confidence.
Is head velocity full bed a control multi with decent spin I could try instead in a like 1.25mm gauge?

If I were to set you up with something, I'd go with the one poly hybrid that's been trouble free for literally everybody in my circle of "clients" who have used it (I string at home). I use the lightest gauge of Isospeed Baseline (1.20mm) mains with a 16 ga. syn. gut cross - usually Gosen OG Sheep Micro or Babolat - as my go-to option for a anybody wanting to try some poly.

The skinny Baseline brings some of that poly performance to the setup, but the lighter gauge seems to be significantly less harsh than thicker alternatives. I also get the impression that this hybrid has an advantage over a full bed of a light gauge of poly in terms of the poly "going dead". The syn. gut crosses retain more of their resilience, so the string bed doesn't crap out as drastically as it can compared with a bed of full poly.

My arm can't tolerate poly, but I have sampled this hybrid in my own frames and I can say that it felt like I was hitting with a rather snug bed of full syn. gut and not a heavier gauge of clunky feeling poly.

Synthetic gut is hardly exotic string, but I think it offers a lot of upside. Moderate softness without steadily degrading the same way that multifiber often does. Moderate firmness and control (at the right tension) without playing as firm as poly. It's also very affordable. I agree with the recommendation to try some different 16 ga. syn. guts to see whether you can live with one of them.

Tournament nylon is an older generation of synthetic gut that I like to sometimes use in my Volkl C10's to get a little better control with those frames compared with some softer syn. guts. Forten Nylon 16 gives me enough softness to be able to use it all the time and it seems to play just slightly more dead - in a good way - compared with some softer syn. guts. If you need a string that's a little softer than poly and also isn't expensive to replace on a rather regular basis, this could be worth a try.

 

[tobi9008]

It has been quite some time now and my elbow got better with velocity natural 16g full bed.
Thats great but I feel I can not stick with that configuration (especially in a mushy frame like clash ^^) because the spin potential to keep the balls in with my swing is quickly lost when strings start to not slide so well anymore. Just losing confidence in my strokes too quickly and lacking depth control.

I tried ghostwire full bed in 17g, but I strung it at 54lbs (too high?) and felt my elbow again. Played much better tennis though.

Do you guys have recommendations for next steps? I may buy a reel of isospeed baseline 1.20 as recommended above and try velocity as a cross string. Or just use ghostwire as a main?
I have half a reel of velocity 16 natural and some packs of ghostwire 16g left.
Is velocity a cross string that supports snap back well or do I rather go OGSM 16?
@fuzz nation : does the syn gut not wear down very quickly with the 1.20mm poly mains?

I also liked the suggestion of trying prince syn gut Duraflex full bed, but not sure it will last more 3-4h in 16x19. My hope was it may play closer to a poly...
Thank you for any further inputs

 

[Irvin]

It has been quite some time now and my elbow got better with velocity natural 16g full bed.
Thats great but I feel I can not stick with that configuration (especially in a mushy frame like clash ^^) because the spin potential to keep the balls in with my swing is quickly lost when strings start to not slide so well anymore. Just losing confidence in my strokes too quickly and lacking depth control.

I tried ghostwire full bed in 17g, but I strung it at 54lbs (too high?) and felt my elbow again. Played much better tennis though.

Do you guys have recommendations for next steps? I may buy a reel of isospeed baseline 1.20 as recommended above and try velocity as a cross string. Or just use ghostwire as a main?
I have half a reel of velocity 16 natural and some packs of ghostwire 16g left.
Is velocity a cross string that supports snap back well or do I rather go OGSM 16?
@fuzz nation : does the syn gut not wear down very quickly with the 1.20mm poly mains?

I also liked the suggestion of trying prince syn gut Duraflex full bed, but not sure it will last more 3-4h in 16x19. My hope was it may play closer to a poly...
Thank you for any further inputs

Next step Ytex Quadro Twist string. Soft poly, great control, and spin.

Tennis Warehouse - Ytex Quadro Twist String Review

www.tennis-warehouse.com

Playtest: Ytex Quadro Twist - Tennis Industry

 

[Yamin]

Try Hyper G soft 16l or Cyclone Tour 16 at 48-50 lbs. Multi at mid 50's isn't more comfortable for me than poly sub 50.

 

[tobi9008]

Thanks for that hint @Yamin, did you face any issues with fast tension loss on these 2?i read about that being their main weakness

 

[Yamin]

Thanks for that hint @Yamin, did you face any issues with fast tension loss on these 2?i read about that being their main weakness

HGS 16L has a linear tension loss. VCT has a large tension loss up front but settles. If you restring often HGS is solid but VCT is much better if you want to play until breakage. Just string it a few lbs higher.

 

[phanamous]

You are correct about a soft frame needing a crisp stiff main string to play and feel best. You can use a soft main too but tension would need to be quite high for it to feel right.

Volkl Cyclone 16 / T1 Ghostwire 16 will be decent in comfort. The GW 16 cross here actually feels softer than GW 17 I find and with much better tension maintenance. The GW 16 here will allow you to go with a stiffer main to give you control and comfort you're looking for. Head Hawk Touch 17 works well also though with more power and poorer durability.

Nat gut 1.35 / T1 Ghostwire 16 (63/51lbs) will provide ultimate comfort and durability. The gut mains need super high tension though otherwise the frame would just feel mushy. Cheaper combo in the end for me as it lasts 3-4 times longer in playability than a poly setup.

Hi, I've been following this great forum for quite some time and learned a whole lot.
Now I'm really excited to get some expert help on my big riddle as the league year is approaching for my club in germany.

I'm a counterpunch defense player with emphasis on spin and slice shots, used to play with Blade 98S v5 and Gamma Moto 1.24mm for some years, developed tennis elbow during the last 6 months.
Tried the Blade 100 v8 but for now decided to go with the new Clash 100 with some lead to stabilize and now I'm trying to find a string to do the following:
- Tame the power of the clash, provide sufficient control
- At the same time providing good spin potential without being to harsh on my arm
- Play stable for at least 10 hours as I do not string myself (hurts the wallet)

My current ideas after reading a lot of forum threads:
- MSV Focus Hex 1.25mm (red) or Focus Hex Ultra (softer)
- Volkl Cyclone (black) 1.25 mm
- Tier One Firewire (red) 1.25 mm
- Gamma Moto/Gamma iO Soft Hybrid (good reviews in germany)

I'm a bit hesitant with mutli or syn hybrid as I dont want a too springy feel of the stringbed for the clash, think it needs something crisp most likely.
Any recommendations to solve my riddle are highly appreciated !

 

[tobi9008]

Next step Ytex Quadro Twist string. Soft poly, great control, and spin.

Tennis Warehouse - Ytex Quadro Twist String Review

www.tennis-warehouse.com

Playtest: Ytex Quadro Twist - Tennis Industry

I can not get this string in Germany it seems

 

[Jamieson27]

I would start by not using Poly period if there is any arm pain - Prince Premier control could be a good starting point with control characteristics. String in teh top 25% of your recommneded tension. If you ahve two rackets - string one in the middle (ie 55lbs , and the other a tad higher ie 58lbs).

A smooth co-poly cross could be introduced if you don't experience arm pain ie something like ghostwire or Yonex poly tour air or isospeed cream as others have mentioned.

Velocity as a cross is fantastic - use 16g to mute power - 17g if you want to add higher spin characteristics - i used a nat gut 16g/velocity 17g combo for a while at mid-high tensions in my Pure Strikes and it was fantastic.
Easily got a few months out of it for playability and both ahve great tension maintenance. You could sub any Nylon/Multi for the Nat gut- i found fb velocity to be lacking.

 

[Irvin]

I can not get this string in Germany it seems

I’ll send a text message to the CEO do you have an email address? You cam PM it to me If you would rather Not post it to everyone.

 

[Irvin]

I can not get this string in Germany it seems

Contact Oliver Duennfruend +49 1623720458

 

[Irvin]

If any other international players want to try any Ytex string this may help:

YTEX International Distributors

YTEX Strings' International Distributors Directory. We are looking for distributors. Want to become one? Contact us!

www.ytexstrings.com

 

[Irvin]

I can not get this string in Germany it seems

I thought of another option. Send me 2 round trip airline tickets and I will personally bring you a reel of Black and White Quadro Twist. LOL

 

[Irvin]

I can not get this string in Germany it seems

If Oliver doesn’t have Quadro Twist in stock and you still want to try it let me know and I give you another option.

 

[tobi9008]

Thank you, I'm getting a set of the ytex it seems!!

Could anyone give advice if ghostwire main / velocity Cross both 16g would work and not break or wear down in spin potential quickly like most poly/multi hybrids?
Thinking of Tension maybe 48/51.

Is isospeed cream more spin friendly than ghostwire? Those 2 seem to be the only polys I should use maybe right now.

 

[tobi9008]

If Oliver doesn’t have Quadro Twist in stock and you still want to try it let me know and I give you another option.

Hey @Irvin , do you know if quadro twist is significantly stiffer than ghostwire? My arm tolerates ghostwire full bed, but not sure I want to try any stiffer at the moment. I have the string here but want to be cautious.

Thank you!

 

[Irvin]

Hey @Irvin , do you know if quadro twist is significantly stiffer than ghostwire? My arm tolerates ghostwire full bed, but not sure I want to try any stiffer at the moment. I have the string here but want to be cautious.

Thank you!

Quadro is one of the softest poly strings rated at 178. If it is too stiff lower tension or use a hybrid.

 

[GregN]

I am currently using 104 Blades all strung with Signum Pro Tornado 1.18 mains - one has Genesis Black magic crosses 1.23[BM plays a lot softer than TW indicates] and the other with Volkl V star 1.10 crosses and another with isospeed baseline spin 1.20 crosses. They all play really great and I have yet to decide which one is the best.