Tourna Big Hitter Silver 7 Tour

[Injured Again]

Yep totally agree. Only reason this string is not as huge is probably because its too firm for some frames. That said, i think Tour Sniper is a great fit for frames like the pure aero.

Maybe I should try Tour Sniper again. When I tested it for Grapplesnake, it was still known as their "prototype" string and I found it to be too low powered though otherwise a decent string. I never tried Alpha, and still have a couple of sets of Cube sitting in my stash.

 

[topspn]

So no one feels that S7T has some over response especially on volleys? I tried one pack on a blade some time back and liked almost everything about it except it seems to over respond on volleys

 

[Power Player]

So no one feels that S7T has some over response especially on volleys? I tried one pack on a blade some time back and liked almost everything about it except it seems to over respond on volleys

Im not sure what that means.

 

[Power Player]

Maybe I should try Tour Sniper again. When I tested it for Grapplesnake, it was still known as their "prototype" string and I found it to be too low powered though otherwise a decent string. I never tried Alpha, and still have a couple of sets of Cube sitting in my stash.

I personally love it. Tons of control. I can use it in my blade too. I just prefer S7 in the new blade. The older stiffer models i think tour sniper is a great fit.

 

[topspn]

Im not sure what that means.

response had excessive springiness to it

 

[Power Player]

response had excessive springiness to it

When I think springy, I think Cyclone. S7 thankfully doesn't give me that problem. I love volleying with It, no issues.

 

[chic]

So no one feels that S7T has some over response especially on volleys? I tried one pack on a blade some time back and liked almost everything about it except it seems to over respond on volleys

The tw reviews call it 'on the lively side of a control string' or something like that. I'd agree with that.

I tend to go for deep pressure volleys rather than touch volleys (at least on the first volley) and I find the liveliness of the response is good for helping me keep that volley deep.

I feel like it being too much is probably only an issue if you're used to very muted control strings.

 

[topspn]

The tw reviews call it 'on the lively side of a control string' or something like that. I'd agree with that.

I tend to go for deep pressure volleys rather than touch volleys (at least on the first volley) and I find the liveliness of the response is good for helping me keep that volley deep.

I feel like it being too much is probably only an issue if you're used to very muted control strings.

I’m pretty used to confidential and TB which have super precise response and I can pretty much touch or aggressively volley. Confidential especially has a really nice connected feel so not muted at all. It was a bit surprising to me with crispness of S7T that I got that springiness that made it feel imprecise on volleys. At least comparatively speaking but I volley a lot so it’s an important part of my game

 

[Injured Again]

So no one feels that S7T has some over response especially on volleys? I tried one pack on a blade some time back and liked almost everything about it except it seems to over respond on volleys

I was a playtester for the Tennis Warehouse test and that was my initial criticism of S7T in my SW104. There's a bit of springiness and liveliness which made volleying hard hit balls below the net feel very hard to control, and made it feel a bit non-linear with what happens when the swing speeds get faster. I loved the string otherwise and kept using it, and later working with a teaching pro, changed my technique because I took too long of a swing on my volley strokes when the ball was down low. By keeping my racquet further out in front and cutting the swing length down by about a third, those volleys started clicking and I stopped noticing the non-linearity.

I've only had one other person report the same sensation, and that player used a v6 Blade 98S. I've wondered since if it's a combination of either longer mains (13 inches long on my SW104 compared to about 12.5 inches in most 98/100 frames) or wider string spacing, but haven't done any testing to try narrow it down. The 98S user went back to their previously preferred string, and I've gotten to the point where the response feels entirely natural. I haven't tried the 17 gauge in any larger frame than my 104. Also, since that time, I've put the 17 gauge S7T into both v7 Blade 98 16x19 and 18x20's, as well as a non-US v7 Blade 100 16x19. No one who has used those frames has said anything about that non-linearity and the times I've hit with those racquets, I haven't noticed it either.

 

[topspn]

I was a playtester for the Tennis Warehouse test and that was my initial criticism of S7T in my SW104. There's a bit of springiness and liveliness which made volleying hard hit balls below the net feel very hard to control, and made it feel a bit non-linear with what happens when the swing speeds get faster. I loved the string otherwise and kept using it, and later working with a teaching pro, changed my technique because I took too long of a swing on my volley strokes when the ball was down low. By keeping my racquet further out in front and cutting the swing length down by about a third, those volleys started clicking and I stopped noticing the non-linearity.

I've only had one other person report the same sensation, and that player used a v6 Blade 98S. I've wondered since if it's a combination of either longer mains (13 inches long on my SW104 compared to about 12.5 inches in most 98/100 frames) or wider string spacing, but haven't done any testing to try narrow it down. The 98S user went back to their previously preferred string, and I've gotten to the point where the response feels entirely natural. I haven't tried the 17 gauge in any larger frame than my 104. Also, since that time, I've put the 17 gauge S7T into both v7 Blade 98 16x19 and 18x20's, as well as a non-US v7 Blade 100 16x19. No one who has used those frames has said anything about that non-linearity and the times I've hit with those racquets, I haven't noticed it either.

I did notice it in a blade V7 16x19 compared to TB at the same tension. It is not a huge sensation but the surprise was given the crispiness of S7T so didn’t expect it. I didn’t put a lot of time into it in all honesty. I still have a pack or two lying around and should probably try it in my regular stick

 

[Injured Again]

I did notice it in a blade V7 16x19 compared to TB at the same tension. It is not a huge sensation but the surprise was given the crispiness of S7T so didn’t expect it. I didn’t put a lot of time into it in all honesty. I still have a pack or two lying around and should probably try it in my regular stick

Yeah, I can imagine that compared to Tour Bite, which probably shows up in the dictionary next to the word "crisp". My son uses 1.25 Cyclone and I've tried that in my frames, and there's a springiness to it throughout the range of swing speeds that I find a bit disconcerting. It works for my son in his Pure Drive Tour Pluses that are 360+ grams as that adds back a bit of softness, but the SW104's already have a bit of flex, and flex + springiness is a bad combo for me.

 

[topspn]

You guys are encouraging me to try again

 

[Power Player]

You guys are encouraging me to try again

If you put it in your V7 blade i think its a great fit. You get an explosive crisp feel that is similar to lux. It works in about any soft frame. Felt great in the prestige mid as well but that RA of 65 was pushing it with this string. Plays well in the Clash too.

Crisp, Firm poly - soft or muted frame is a great combo for me. Really gives me some crisp feel back.

I have a 2015 blade that is crisper and for that i prefer something softer and more plush like Tour Sniper (another great string).

 

[topspn]

If you put it in your V7 blade i think its a great fit. You get an explosive crisp feel that is similar to lux. It works in about any soft frame. Felt great in the prestige mid as well but that RA of 65 was pushing it with this string. Plays well in the Clash too.

Crisp, Firm poly - soft or muted frame is a great combo for me. Really gives me some crisp feel back.

I have a 2015 blade that is crisper and for that i prefer something softer and more plush like Tour Sniper (another great string).

I don’t have the blade anymore, just tried it out for a short time but I am playing my sticks with crisp poly of TB and confidential so it is not a leap

 

[jugheadfla]

Its a bit to stiff for my 3rd Gen pure drive 16x19, even with lowering the tension, started out at 57 went down to 52. The durability is unmatched for sure and I have a friend that swears by it but it wasn't a match for me. I prefer a medium-stiff string like Cyclone or Hyper-G.

 

[Injured Again]

Its a bit to stiff for my 3rd Gen pure drive 16x19, even with lowering the tension, started out at 57 went down to 52. The durability is unmatched for sure and I have a friend that swears by it but it wasn't a match for me. I prefer a medium-still string like Cyclone or Hyper-G.

My son uses a Pure Drive Tour Plus weighted to 360+ grams and he didn't like the S7T in it either. I think it's just that S7T isn't a good match for a stiff racquet, and that something more muted and even slightly softer is a better fit. Either that or you can try a significantly lower tension. My son normally strings at 52 in his Pure Drive with 1.25 black Cyclone and I put in S7T at 48 or 49 pounds and he still found that to be too stiff for his liking. Not only is the string stiffer but it loses so much less tension that after the initial tension loss, it's still quite a bit stiffer.

 

[jugheadfla]

I just recently tried cyclone black 17 at 52 lbs in my pure strike and it has been a game changer for me. Seems to have improved my game immensely. Has amazing pocketing and feel for a medium stiff/softer poly.

 

[chic]

Its a bit to stiff for my 3rd Gen pure drive 16x19, even with lowering the tension, started out at 57 went down to 52. The durability is unmatched for sure and I have a friend that swears by it but it wasn't a match for me. I prefer a medium-stiff string like Cyclone or Hyper-G.

Fwiw the playtest tension for tw was like 45lbs, so if you have any left you might wanna go down a bit more

 

[JOSHL]

Strung up the S7T 16g main, BHSR 17g cross in my Pro Staff 95S at 50lbs. Wow. What a great combo. Hit with it for about an hour today and loved it. Crisp but not too stiff, spin and control were amazing. Might be my fav setup so far. Before this I had Cyclone Tour 16g/Tourna Black Zone 17g and it was too mushy/springy and strings were moving after 40 min. Next I will try 17g/17g to see how it compares.

 

[FIRETennis]

This string is an amazing fit in a soft racquet. I also tried it in a Blade v7 16x19 at ~42lbs and it's amazing.

 

[JOSHL]

Update on the S7T/BHSR hybrid in my 95S- I have about 4 hours on this setup and the mains are still not moving out of place. This may be a record for this frame. Tension maintenance is unreal.

 

[SteveI]

Its a bit to stiff for my 3rd Gen pure drive 16x19, even with lowering the tension, started out at 57 went down to 52. The durability is unmatched for sure and I have a friend that swears by it but it wasn't a match for me. I prefer a medium-stiff string like Cyclone or Hyper-G.

I think it would be..this string shines in softer frame. Seems too firm for a frame like a Pure Drive....we will see!

 

[SteveI]

Update on the S7T/BHSR hybrid in my 95S- I have about 4 hours on this setup and the mains are still not moving out of place. This may be a record for this frame. Tension maintenance is unreal.

Tension holding is super duper!!!!!

 

[Injured Again]

Well, I may be walking back my previous comment a bit about how S7T seems to not pair up well with a stiffer racquet. I had a chance to hit back to back with my 20 month old v6 and brand new v7 SW104 racquets, both with a full bet of S7T strung at the same tension. The v7 feels totally different, like that it is stiffer throughout. It has a crisper, more powerful response and the S7T has never felt better. I get a sensation of the stringbed working harder due to less deflection from the frame, and so it generates a higher launch angle, and more spin and ball speed, from the same swing trajectory.

BUT, S7T didn't work as well in the Pure Aero VS, which has about the same stiffness rating, both in the upper 60's. There, it feels overly stiff and combined with the stiffness of the PAVS creates a sensation of very short dwell time and minimal pocketing. Maybe due to the light weight, I needed to go substantially lower in tension, somewhere in the 30's, and I might try it again at 38 pounds or so to see if it is better. And the same with my son's Pure Drive. Maybe somewhere in the neighborhood of 42-44 pounds would be better, a full 20% less than he uses with 1.25 Cyclone.

 

[SteveI]

Well, I may be walking back my previous comment a bit about how S7T seems to not pair up well with a stiffer racquet. I had a chance to hit back to back with my 20 month old v6 and brand new v7 SW104 racquets, both with a full bet of S7T strung at the same tension. The v7 feels totally different, like that it is stiffer throughout. It has a crisper, more powerful response and the S7T has never felt better. I get a sensation of the stringbed working harder due to less deflection from the frame, and so it generates a higher launch angle, and more spin and ball speed, from the same swing trajectory.

BUT, S7T didn't work as well in the Pure Aero VS, which has about the same stiffness rating, both in the upper 60's. There, it feels overly stiff and combined with the stiffness of the PAVS creates a sensation of very short dwell time and minimal pocketing. Maybe due to the light weight, I needed to go substantially lower in tension, somewhere in the 30's, and I might try it again at 38 pounds or so to see if it is better. And the same with my son's Pure Drive. Maybe somewhere in the neighborhood of 42-44 pounds would be better, a full 20% less than he uses with 1.25 Cyclone.

I have a Pure Drive 2012 and am going to try the tour 7 about 44 lbs.... I might try also to add a softer poly cross and no go full bed! I was thinking using it's brother BHS 17g ..round in the crosses.

 

[Martves613]

I have a deal to buy reel of S7T for 60 €. I might just pull the trigger on that deal. My only concern is if my PA 2019 is not too powerful for this string. Any ideas?

 

[chic]

I have a deal to buy reel of S7T for 60 €. I might just pull the trigger on that deal. My only concern is if my PA 2019 is not too powerful for this string. Any ideas?

It is still more a "control" string and like all poly is low powered. I personally think it would go fine in a PA.

It does have a decently high launch angle compared to more rounded strings (although nothing obcene). Since the PA is also know for a high launch angle this could make it a bit much to handle depending on what you're used to and how you like to hit.

 

[Martves613]

Semi-western grip with high RPMs but yeah, launch angle might be too much even for me. I didn´t consider this aspect of this string...

 

[chic]

Semi-western grip with high RPMs but yeah, launch angle might be too much even for me. I didn´t consider this aspect of this string...

If you have a good swing rate I think it would be fine.

Just depends what your used to, it was a lower launch angle than I got with cyclone (strung at 35#) or Yonex pts (at 45#) in the same racquet.


But compared to a round poly it's pretty steep.

And my racquet had a pretty normal inherent launch angle

 

[Martves613]

I tried cyclone recently. Launch angle was higher, but manageable. Strung at 55#/52#.

 

[Injured Again]

I had my second ever shear break today. I was playing a former college player and we were having a bash-fest. I hit a backhand down the line into his forehand that he barely reached with a swipe at it. The ball came back with some crazy sidespin and I tried to hit a warp velocity forehand putaway, but the ball bounced away from me slightly and I caught it high on the stringbed.

So I noticed a dark discoloration right at the point of the break. You can even see it in the picture above. I tried to get some close ups of it.

There appear to be at least one and possible two light colored fibers embedded in the string. Here's a different angle:

Interesting that there is obviously some non-uniformity in the material - maybe it was an additive that didn't melt or get mixed in properly, or maybe it was something that just didn't belong at all. More coincidental was that this section of string ended up right at the grommet and not in the middle of the stringbed somewhere.

I've pulled out the other strings and none of them have any sign of the same dark deposit at the level of the grommet.

Any materials experts have any opinions on both the deposits on the string as well as whatever that light colored thing is in the string material itself?

 

[FIRETennis]

@Injured Again .. super annoying.
I broke one during stringing by pulling 27kg on the last cross.
My hitting partner just broke one on a mishit.
All around the grommets.
Never seen or heard anything like this (except Tennis Spin's Youtube complaints about NXT).
It's one reason why I've stopped using this string and went back to the $ ALU power.

 

[Injured Again]

@Injured Again .. super annoying.
I broke one during stringing by pulling 27kg on the last cross.
My hitting partner just broke one on a mishit.
All around the grommets.
Never seen or heard anything like this (except Tennis Spin's Youtube complaints about NXT).
It's one reason why I've stopped using this string and went back to the $ ALU power.

You are right - this is getting annoying. Since the gym in our club has reopened, I've been able to work out again and it feels like my strokes are coming together. I'm hitting the ball harder and with more spin than before, and so again I had **another** string job of S7T break on me. Only this time, it was at a grommet on the **bottom** which has never happened to me before, and it was a sweetspot hit off a really fast incoming groundstroke where I also put a hard swing at it.

Closeups with my phone camera of the break:

And both ends of the break. There's no obvious twist in the string so I think I got it around that bottom grommet properly. The mains were strung at 49 pounds.

Not exactly sure what to do at this point. I still have a significant amount of S7T left, about a reel and a half, but I'm also too lazy to restring every couple of outings if it's going to continue to break. If anything, I'm going to be increasing my racquet head speed by about another 10% over the next couple of months. And I think the last two breaks have come from different reels.

 

[SteveI]

It might be a good idea to email Tourna or give them a call and report this issue. If you purchased the string at TW... might report the issue there also. I know the point is not just getting a refund... they might be aware of the issue and have corrected the problem in later runs of the product... or you might be supplying them with needed info to make an adjustment in their process.

 

[JOSHL]

You are right - this is getting annoying. Since the gym in our club has reopened, I've been able to work out again and it feels like my strokes are coming together. I'm hitting the ball harder and with more spin than before, and so again I had **another** string job of S7T break on me. Only this time, it was at a grommet on the **bottom** which has never happened to me before, and it was a sweetspot hit off a really fast incoming groundstroke where I also put a hard swing at it.

Closeups with my phone camera of the break:

And both ends of the break. There's no obvious twist in the string so I think I got it around that bottom grommet properly. The mains were strung at 49 pounds.

Not exactly sure what to do at this point. I still have a significant amount of S7T left, about a reel and a half, but I'm also too lazy to restring every couple of outings if it's going to continue to break. If anything, I'm going to be increasing my racquet head speed by about another 10% over the next couple of months. And I think the last two breaks have come from different reels.

This is the only reason I haven’t bought a reel yet.

 

[Injured Again]

It might be a good idea to email Tourna or give them a call and report this issue. If you purchased the string at TW... might report the issue there also. I know the point is not just getting a refund... they might be aware of the issue and have corrected the problem in later runs of the product... or you might be supplying them with needed info to make an adjustment in their process.

That is good advice, and I'll email them to see if they have any suggestions.

 

[USPTARF97]

You are right - this is getting annoying. Since the gym in our club has reopened, I've been able to work out again and it feels like my strokes are coming together. I'm hitting the ball harder and with more spin than before, and so again I had **another** string job of S7T break on me. Only this time, it was at a grommet on the **bottom** which has never happened to me before, and it was a sweetspot hit off a really fast incoming groundstroke where I also put a hard swing at it.

Closeups with my phone camera of the break:

And both ends of the break. There's no obvious twist in the string so I think I got it around that bottom grommet properly. The mains were strung at 49 pounds.

Not exactly sure what to do at this point. I still have a significant amount of S7T left, about a reel and a half, but I'm also too lazy to restring every couple of outings if it's going to continue to break. If anything, I'm going to be increasing my racquet head speed by about another 10% over the next couple of months. And I think the last two breaks have come from different reels.

That must be a bad batch. Have been through a reel of BHS7T in a 18x20 and haven’t broken a string yet. Been cutting them out at 6-8hrs.

 

[chic]

You are right - this is getting annoying. Since the gym in our club has reopened, I've been able to work out again and it feels like my strokes are coming together. I'm hitting the ball harder and with more spin than before, and so again I had **another** string job of S7T break on me. Only this time, it was at a grommet on the **bottom** which has never happened to me before, and it was a sweetspot hit off a really fast incoming groundstroke where I also put a hard swing at it.

Closeups with my phone camera of the break:

And both ends of the break. There's no obvious twist in the string so I think I got it around that bottom grommet properly. The mains were strung at 49 pounds.

Not exactly sure what to do at this point. I still have a significant amount of S7T left, about a reel and a half, but I'm also too lazy to restring every couple of outings if it's going to continue to break. If anything, I'm going to be increasing my racquet head speed by about another 10% over the next couple of months. And I think the last two breaks have come from different reels.

I would take it off your hands at a discounted rate if that's of interest to you.

Has to be cheaper than the tw-e prices though so it's up to you if that's worth it.

Im pretty committed to this string at least till I'm buying new frames post COVID.

 

[chic]

That must be a bad batch. Have been through a reel of BHS7T in a 18x20 and haven’t broken a string yet. Been cutting them out at 6-8hrs.

Hours hasn't been the issue for most of us. It's just that it's very fragile on harder miss-hits.

I didn't have an issue my first half a reel, changed up my serve broke a couple sets as the timing re-adjusted usually in under 2 hours near a grommet, and am now back to not having broken any more in about a reels worth.

 

[SteveI]

That must be a bad batch. Have been through a reel of BHS7T in a 18x20 and haven’t broken a string yet. Been cutting them out at 6-8hrs.

If it is a bad batch...TW or Tourna will help you out. I had a bad reel of the 17 g... Not sure who replaced it..but someone did. Just also...good info for TW and Tourna to have to relay to r and d and factory. They can't address a possible issue if they don't know about it. Maybe send them some of those great PC's of the breaks!

 

[FIRETennis]

We should all report this to Tourna so they escalate it ... I have sent them an email.

 

[SteveI]

Go to TW then....

 

[Injured Again]

I sent an email to Tourna over the weekend and got a response back this morning. I included a link to this thread. The information has been passed up to their string department and I'll report back after they respond.

By the way, just for clarification, I have two reels of S7T and I alternate pulling a section of string from them. These two breaks were from two separate reels.

 

[Power Player]

I now have 5 Blades for reasons such as this. Lol. I am using S7 in my v7s and Max Power Rough in my 2015s. Going to try S7 in a 2015 this week as well.

 

[stefmeister]

I snapped mine in two days!? Broke around the grommet area. Is this normal or just an anomaly? thx in advance

 

[stefmeister]

Wait just read the thread above. Pretty weird huh. Also, my string had some red specs on it after hitting under the sun for 3 hours. It looked almost like a stencil. Has anyone encountered this? I was so confused.

 

[chic]

Wait just read the thread above. Pretty weird huh. Also, my string had some red specs on it after hitting under the sun for 3 hours. It looked almost like a stencil. Has anyone encountered this? I was so confused.

I'd be curious to see pics of the specs I played in the SC heat with these strings and don't remember that. What color courts were you on? Possible surface transfer or paint from a too fresh stencil on your opponent's part?

But yeah, near grommet breakage is unfortunately common. Which is ironic because otherwise it's one of the longest lasting strings on the market.

 

[FIRETennis]

Wait just read the thread above. Pretty weird huh. Also, my string had some red specs on it after hitting under the sun for 3 hours. It looked almost like a stencil. Has anyone encountered this? I was so confused.

Lots of people experiencing these breaks around the grommets.
I used to use the string and broke at least 15 string jobs around the grommet when I just had to give up on it in frustration.
The black or red could be from the balls. Are you using Wilson balls? This string rips the felt (and color off) off the balls.

 

[stefmeister]

Yeah I'll definitely take pictures if I see it happen again. We were playing on a normal blue hardcourt with penn balls and my opponent had no stencil on his racket. I really liked this string in my customized prostaff 97. I used to enjoy a "buttery feeling" on contact with my gut/poly hybrid in my other prostaff but I fell in love with the crispness of st7 at 50 pounds. It was pretty close to alu power for me, probably the closest I will ever get.

 

[Injured Again]

I'm having an email discussion with a person from the string division at Tourna, and have provided them a link to this thread. I'll update as relevant things come up.