Triax vs Ghostwire (both full bed)

[Deleted member 775108]

Hi All

Triax 16 vs Ghostwire 18

I Tried 2 Phantom 100s Head to Head
1. Triax 16 at 55 lbs Full Bed.
2. Triax 16 + Ghostwire 18 Hybrid at 55/51 lbs

The HYBRID was softer than the full bed Triax. But it notched quickly and spin stopped and balls started flying after a couple of sessions.

Since Hybrid was softer I decided to test Triax 18 at 55 vs Ghostwire 18 at 51, both fullbed.

Ghostwire was considerably softer. Ghostwire was spinner.
Ghostwire had more control even though tension and gauge lower.

So if a POLY like Ghostwire is softer, spinner, lasts about the same and is half to price why should someone even bother with TRIAX? And if something feels softer isn't it almost always better for arm health that one that feels harder?

I know this applies only to Ghostwire (and thinner gauge than Triax) since it is super soft and Triax since it is crispier than most multis....... What is your opinion on this matter?

 

[Happi]

Ghostwire is a really great string, I use 19g FB in a 18x20 racquet. I have not tried the Triax yet.

 

[Dartagnan64]

Not sure what you mean by "softer". Less firm at impact?
The issue with poly is that it loses resilience fast and so impacts come to a hard stop once that happens. Multis on the other have will continue to have give so some energy absorption will continue until they break. That is why people play multis.

Kevlar is very firm on impact but it's able to give enough that its not that hard on the elbow. Poly can be firm or soft on impact but eventually it will become jarring as it gets stretched out and loses it's resilience. If you swap out your poly frequently, then you are normally fine. But old poly, no matter it's softness, can be an issue.

 

[eah123]

It’s all about personal preference. I have no experience with Triax, just other multifilament strings. To my arm, Ghostwire plays very similar to multifilament off the stringer. Ghostwire feels dead after 8 weeks whereas multifilament is still elastic. However, multifilament starts to fray almost right away and the string bed locks up after 4 weeks, significantly reducing spin potential. So I prefer Ghostwire.

 

[Deleted member 775108]

It’s all about personal preference. I have no experience with Triax, just other multifilament strings. To my arm, Ghostwire plays very similar to multifilament off the stringer. Ghostwire feels dead after 8 weeks whereas multifilament is still elastic. However, multifilament starts to fray almost right away and the string bed locks up after 4 weeks, significantly reducing spin potential. So I prefer Ghostwire.

These were my guestimated thoughts exactly.... Triax starts moving heavily and spins reduces tremendously at the 4 week mark for me as well. Thank you for the confirmation.

 

[Deleted member 775108]

Not sure what you mean by "softer". Less firm at impact?
The issue with poly is that it loses resilience fast and so impacts come to a hard stop once that happens. Multis on the other have will continue to have give so some energy absorption will continue until they break. That is why people play multis.

Kevlar is very firm on impact but it's able to give enough that its not that hard on the elbow. Poly can be firm or soft on impact but eventually it will become jarring as it gets stretched out and loses it's resilience. If you swap out your poly frequently, then you are normally fine. But old poly, no matter it's softness, can be an issue.

15% tension loss (hand held meter tested right after stringer and before every session) or 6 weeks which ever comes earlier.... To cut out and restring...

Is that a good rule of thumb for poly string changes?

 

[puppybutts]

Hi All

Since Hybrid was softer I decided to test Triax 18 at 55 vs Ghostwire 18 at 51, both fullbed.

Ghostwire was considerably softer. Ghostwire was spinner.
Ghostwire had more control even though tension and gauge lower.

So if a POLY like Ghostwire is softer, spinner, lasts about the same and is half to price why should someone even bother with TRIAX? And if something feels softer isn't it almost always better for arm health that one that feels harder?

I know this applies only to Ghostwire (and thinner gauge than Triax) since it is super soft and Triax since it is crispier than most multis....... What is your opinion on this matter?

by "more control" do you mean less power?
not sure what you mean by "gauge lower" when you picked the same gauge - are triax 18 and ghostwire 18 the same mm? if the ghostwire 18 is a thinner mm, that might be contributing to its higher comfort in addition to the lower tension.

IME lowering tension can sometimes do more for comfort than the string type, esp. if you're comparing soft poly to a firmer multi. triax will probably have much better tension maintenance, since soft polys tend to be the worst in terms of tension maintenance. if you don't mind notching, triax will also retain its fresh string feeling until it snaps, while a poly may start to feel dead or mushy, depending on how long you play.

i have a hard time seeing any poly lasting 6 weeks without losing at least 15% tension....my poly strings lose at least 5-10% just sitting in my bag overnight. really that's the main benefit...i haven't tried ghostwire but some polys lose tension fast enough I feel like I have to change my stroke to adapt to the string every time I play, until it finally settles into a tension a bit longer, after which it goes dead. with a multi like triax, which i have tried, the play experience is more consistent so I can practice my stroke confidently instead of changing it all the time because of my string.

i play with an 18x20 though so i don't notch my strings as quickly as others do.

 

[geubes]

Tbh I have been very impressed with triax. I am now 17 court hours (mixture of doubles and singles) and it's still holding on at 54lbs in 18x20. It still snaps back, the tension hold is great, it plays the same as it did 2 weeks ago and the feel is still good.

By now my full bed of poly would be baggy, control and feel would be much less.

Triax is seemingly very consistent throughout its life.I agree it doesn't last any longer than a poly, but it does last longer than most multis.

One big advantage it has over most multis (which is why it appeals to the poly crowd) is at fast racket speeds it stiffens up to provide control and the ball doesn't spray off in an overpowered way. Then at lower racket head speeds it is softer to provide touch.

It's above average in all aspects of a string, which is unusual for a multi.

Anyway, I'm going to put another set it after, this time dropping the cross by 1lbs and up the mains by 1lb to increase the launch angle, hopefully it doesn't negatively affect durability.

Ghostwire added to my to-try list

 

[Deleted member 775108]

Tbh I have been very impressed with triax. I am now 17 court hours (mixture of doubles and singles) and it's still holding on at 54lbs in 18x20. It still snaps back, the tension hold is great, it plays the same as it did 2 weeks ago and the feel is still good.

Very weird you get that much out of Triax. My Triax 16 strings don't break, they stop snapping back and start rocket lauching with very little spin in 4 weeks (2 sessions per week). Strings tension loss is not huge... Its just like they just give up... I have to cut them out...

Maybe it's the O3 ports in the Phantom 100 that speed up the demise

Ghostwire is available on Amazon Prime $10 and comes the next day.... Give it a shot.

 

[Dartagnan64]

15% tension loss (hand held meter tested right after stringer and before every session) or 6 weeks which ever comes earlier.... To cut out and restring...

Is that a good rule of thumb for poly string changes?

Problem is that all strings lose tension but not all strings lose resilience. I'd look at the string and the hours of play. 5 hours for poly, 10 hours for co-poly. Anything longer and you are risking that hard stop, unless you are just bunting balls around or playing mostly doubles.