TRU PRO (formerly Tier One Sports) - Black Knight vs. Tour Status

[TennisManiac]

Is there anyone on here who has played with both? If so, I'd love to hear some comparisons between the two. I've been playing with Alu Power in 95 and 97 square inch heads with a 16x19 string bed for 16 years. I'm moving to a 100 square inch head with an 18x20 string pattern and have been considering switching to a shaped string with slightly less diameter for a bit more bite. I've tried a ton of shaped poly's over the years but never either of these two. Any opinions on these would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mpournaras]

I would try your usual string first, always. Then decide if you want more of something out of it. You may come to find you get all the bite you want

 

[lelopez]

I'm in the process of trying these two side by side. Hope to get some play time tonight and report back.

I had played some years ago with Tour Status and liked it but didn't love it. That was on a hybrid as mains with syn. gut crosses on a k90.
I had also played BK as a full bed about 10-12 months ago. Again, the string played well, but I'm not a full bed of poly guy so never followed up on it in a hybrid.

I've since in the process of switching to the Prestige mid and just strung two racquets, one with Tour Status mains/Velocity crosses at 43lbs. I strung a second, same racquet and tension but with BK mains. Both are 18g. Let you know how it plays.

 

[lelopez]

Well, didn't get to play with the Tour Status setup last night, but did play the Black Knight. Funny enough as I was stringing them, the BK has a touch of grey color w.r.t Tour Status which is definitely darker. The other noticeable thing to me was the string shape. Even though BK is 6-sided and TS is 8-sided, TS has the sharper feel on the sides as you roll the sting on your fingers. Both pretty similar while stringing, though I can tell TS is stiffer; i.e., it didn't stretch much while pulling tension while BK had just a little bit of give. I reached out to Tier One and they confirmed this. Specs are as follows:

String Gauge Diameter (mm) Tension Maintenance Stiffness
Black Status 18g 1.18 17.84 173
Tour Status 18g 1.20 15.86 206

Keep in mind I'm coming from a setup of Concept mains and Velocity crosses which is the most comfortable setup I've been able to find for my arm that still uses some sort of poly.

So, BK was ok. Kind of how I remembered it: good but not great for me. Maybe it was the tension I used (though I went with what I'm using now, 43lbs) or needs a little more time to settle in. But felt much more on the firmer side than I expected or like. Quite crisp I'd say but not much give. Spin and power were no problem, a tad more bite on the ball than the Concept/Velocity, although I'd say livelier than my baseline setup. I had to put a focused effort of driving more topspin on the ball to keep the ball inside the lines. The one thing I was not pleased with, and again may be that the strings need a little more settling, was ball pocketing. Didn't feel there was a lot which I've grown accustomed with my setup. I'll see if there's any change in the next few sessions with it.

After about an hour of playing with this setup I decided to grab a stick with the Concept/Velocity to finish out the night. This is where I noticed that I was overall more comfortable and more at home with this setup.

In any case, I'll use the Tour Status next time around, as well as give the BK a second go and report back again.

 

[ryushen21]

Is there anyone on here who has played with both? If so, I'd love to hear some comparisons between the two. I've been playing with Alu Power in 95 and 97 square inch heads with a 16x19 string bed for 16 years. I'm moving to a 100 square inch head with an 18x20 string pattern and have been considering switching to a shaped string with slightly less diameter for a bit more bite. I've tried a ton of shaped poly's over the years but never either of these two. Any opinions on these would be greatly appreciated.

Both are excellent strings and they have some remarkably similar characteristics in terms of tension maintenance and durability.

Black Knight is a solid poly that works well in most frames. I would consider it to be a good string for more frames that are more lively and responsive as BK can have a slightly dead/muted feel to it. You would not want to put this into a frame that has an already muted feel as it could lead to a general feeling of vagueness.

Tour Status is going to be a stiffer/crisper alternative to Black Knight. It will provide clearer and cleaner feedback compared to BK. While it is stiffer, it is a great option in a lot of frames that already have a more muted feel and need a string that will reintroduce some feel without sacrificing performance. I can say that you would likely want to steer away from the 16g TS and go for the 17g for the sake of comfort if you are going to be doing a full bed.

Where BK is a great string in a full bed, I would say that TS is perfect for setting up in a hybrid. I've strung my VCore 95 a with TS/Element and it has been an absolutely awesome setup as you get a crisp response with some softness and comfort mixed in.

 

[Starsailor84]

Maybe it was the tension I used (though I went with what I'm using now, 43lbs) or needs a little more time to settle in

Black Knight indeed needs some time to settle in, after that it improves greatly in my experience.

 

[TimePlease]

Black Knight indeed needs some time to settle in, after that it improves greatly in my experience.

Exactly. Black Knight genuinely does improve after a few hours, and continues to improve well beyond the point where most polys have already died. And I find it much better in a full bed than a hybrid. I'm waiting for some reels of Tour Status to arrive as I want to do the same comparison. I think Ryushen's advice about stiffness in different frames is the way to understand the difference between these very similar strings.

 

[beltsman]

I don't find TS stiff at all. Great feel.

 

[TennisManiac]

For as long as Tour Status and Black Knight has been out, there sure aren't many reviews out there anywhere. Does this mean that these strings are pretty much crap strings? I would imagine that if they were any good there would be lots of reviews on here and on YouTube. And on their website Tier One seems to be out of Black Knight. And they don't answer your emails. I think I'll just stay away from this brand. Bad vibes.

 

[TimePlease]

For as long as Tour Status and Black Knight has been out, there sure aren't many reviews out there anywhere. Does this mean that these strings are pretty much crap strings? I would imagine that if they were any good there would be lots of reviews on here and on YouTube. And on their website Tier One seems to be out of Black Knight. And they don't answer your emails. I think I'll just stay away from this brand. Bad vibes.

You'll be missing out if you don't keep an open mind about lesser known brands. I don't know why they haven't responded to your email as I find their communications excellent. As for lack of reviews, Tier One is not stocked by Tennis Warehouse so that may explain why they don't get much attention on here. Certainly they're a niche brand with a small cult following. Those who know are loyal customers. I wouldn't say that all their products are better than the rest, per se, but they tend to be significantly cheaper for the same quality. They're certainly not crap. Read the Diary of a Racketaholic thread and you'll see lots of the regulars swear by Tier One, and those guys are best placed to know.

 

[ryushen21]

For as long as Tour Status and Black Knight has been out, there sure aren't many reviews out there anywhere. Does this mean that these strings are pretty much crap strings? I would imagine that if they were any good there would be lots of reviews on here and on YouTube. And on their website Tier One seems to be out of Black Knight. And they don't answer your emails. I think I'll just stay away from this brand. Bad vibes.

You'll be missing out. Their strings are out of stock because they are selling them like crazy. Black Knight and Ghost Wire in particular are very popular. You should read more reviews here on the forum rather than looking at YouTube.

 

[lelopez]

Well, I was about done giving Black Knight a chance when it FINALLY settled in and everything opened up. Took about 3hrs for it to settle for me. I can't believe how different, in a good way, this string plays from the initial 0-3hr mark. It is a completely new string. The string bed is playing a lot softer now and that pocketing feel I mentioned was missing initially finally showed up. Bite on the ball is still great but now I feel way more connected to the ball on contact. Initial feel was pretty boardy but now is anything but. I can swing out without concern. Now I want to see how long this good playability lasts.

The downside is that it took 3 damn hours for it to get to the point where I liked them. Playing with it since Monday. Initial tension was 43lbs so wondering if I should go 40lbs next time. Though, I don't believe the settling is just due to tension loss because while a tad looser, it is very much still to my liking. It is almost like string springiness showed up all of the sudden.

So still no play with Tour Status since I was giving BK a lot of time over target to see if it responded like many on these boards said it would. Well, it did, just be prepared to wait a little.

I'm trying to set up some match play for Monday night. If it is a GO, will be a chance to try out the TS.

 

[TennisManiac]

Well, I was about done giving Black Knight a chance when it FINALLY settled in and everything opened up. Took about 3hrs for it to settle for me. I can't believe how different, in a good way, this string plays from the initial 0-3hr mark. It is a completely new string. The string bed is playing a lot softer now and that pocketing feel I mentioned was missing initially finally showed up. Bite on the ball is still great but now I feel way more connected to the ball on contact. Initial feel was pretty boardy but now is anything but. I can swing out without concern. Now I want to see how long this good playability lasts.

The downside is that it took 3 damn hours for it to get to the point where I liked them. Playing with it since Monday. Initial tension was 43lbs so wondering if I should go 40lbs next time. Though, I don't believe the settling is just due to tension loss because while a tad looser, it is very much still to my liking. It is almost like string springiness showed up all of the sudden.

So still no play with Tour Status since I was giving BK a lot of time over target to see if it responded like many on these boards said it would. Well, it did, just be prepared to wait a little.

I'm trying to set up some match play for Monday night. If it is a GO, will be a chance to try out the TS.

3 hours?

That's when I cut Alu Power out of my frame and restring!

 

[TRU PRO Official]

For as long as Tour Status and Black Knight has been out, there sure aren't many reviews out there anywhere. Does this mean that these strings are pretty much crap strings? I would imagine that if they were any good there would be lots of reviews on here and on YouTube. And on their website Tier One seems to be out of Black Knight. And they don't answer your emails. I think I'll just stay away from this brand. Bad vibes.

We are usually quick in responding to emails but this time of the year is very busy. Our apologies that you have not yet received a response.

Due to the high demand in 2021 we are completely sold out of Black knight. Good news is we should have all our products back in stock within the next 7-10 days.

 

[GoArmyTennis]

Anyone else have anecdotal experiences to share on these two strings?

 

[beltsman]

Anyone else have anecdotal experiences to share on these two strings?

I have limited feedback for you. I didn't enjoy BK. I thought it was stiff and didn't feel good. But to be honest I don't even remember the frame or tension I used. So that's probably not a fair assessment.

I really enjoy Tour Status. Nice crisp feel, lasts a long time, no performance drop off cliff, good medium launch angle. I find it to be a great middle of the road string - not too extreme in any direction. I bought a reel.

 

[ryushen21]

Anyone else have anecdotal experiences to share on these two strings?

Depends on what kind of frame you play with and kind of feel you are going for.

Status will have a crisper more lively feel. It's great in softer or more muted racquets to help enhance the feel if that's what you are going for. I also find Status to be more spin friendly compared the BK

If you like a more muted/dead feeling, then BK is definitely a better fit

Both have similar tension and performance maintenance in my experience. It's more a matter of which feel/response you want.

 

[TRU PRO Official]

Tour Status certainly plays more chrisp than Black Knight and it offers a bit more power as well. Black Knight offer exceptional directional and depth control which can be beneficial for competitive players with high racket speeds. Tour Status, on the other hand, is our most balanced string when it comes to power and control. Durability and access to spin are about the same. Please note that Black Knight holds tension very well when it comes off the stringer so you might want consider stringing it 1-2 lbs lower to your usual poly setup.

 

[Nostradamus]

Tour Status certainly plays more chrisp than Black Knight and it offers a bit more power as well. Black Knight offer exceptional directional and depth control which can be beneficial for competitive players with high racket speeds. Tour Status, on the other hand, is our most balanced string when it comes to power and control. Durability and access to spin are about the same. Please note that Black Knight holds tension very well when it comes off the stringer so you might want consider stringing it 1-2 lbs lower to your usual poly setup.

what about spin ? does tour status have as much spin as firewire ?

 

[TRU PRO Official]

what about spin ? does tour status have as much spin as firewire ?

Firewire and Firewire BOOST offer the most ball bite.

 

[Nostradamus]

Firewire and Firewire BOOST offer the most ball bite.

you should make a hybrid string with Natural gut and Firewire and call it the Firewire Crazy Boost

 

[ryushen21]

what about spin ? does tour status have as much spin as firewire ?

Status has more spin over the life of the string. Firewire's spin potential diminishes as the string rounds off with use. After about 6 hours with FW, most of the spin benefits were gone for me.

 

[GoArmyTennis]

Been playing a while with both 18G Tour Status and 18G Black Knight lately. Initial impressions are similar to most everything else on this forum discussing the two strings.

Tour Status is much more lively, so much so that I have trouble keeping the ball in the court. Then I start losing confidence in it and it gets even worse from there. Mostly my mental lapse but knowing I have a more powerful string in the bed weighs on my mind. Tour Status feels sharper to the touch, and it feels like I get more spin on the ball, which is nice and the one positive I like about Tour Status more than Black Knight. Cosmetically, it looks darker and more shiny than BK (which is more of a matte black). This string definitely lets me know when I hit the ball outside the sweet spot, which I am also not a fan of. I like it when strings mask my mis-hits, so it doesn’t get into my head.

Black Knight 18G plays much more muted and suits my play style a lot more. I think I need to go back to 17G (which I’ve already tested before) as 18G still had a little more juice to it than I want, without a noticeable amount of more spin. There’s already plenty of reviews on BK, but overall I was impressed with it in 18G as well. Maybe for a 3.5 or lower level 4.0 who needs a little more help from the strings would benefit from 18G vs a thicker gauge.

Tour Status 18G: 6/10
Black Knight 18G: 7.5/10
Black Knight 17G: 9.5/10

 

[Toydy]

My favourite set-up is 17g Black Knight mains @ 47 x Ghost Wire crosses @ 46.
Best control set-up for me, jusy my arm can't handle it

 

[ryushen21]

Been playing a while with both 18G Tour Status and 18G Black Knight lately. Initial impressions are similar to most everything else on this forum discussing the two strings.

Tour Status is much more lively, so much so that I have trouble keeping the ball in the court. Then I start losing confidence in it and it gets even worse from there. Mostly my mental lapse but knowing I have a more powerful string in the bed weighs on my mind. Tour Status feels sharper to the touch, and it feels like I get more spin on the ball, which is nice and the one positive I like about Tour Status more than Black Knight. Cosmetically, it looks darker and more shiny than BK (which is more of a matte black). This string definitely lets me know when I hit the ball outside the sweet spot, which I am also not a fan of. I like it when strings mask my mis-hits, so it doesn’t get into my head.

Black Knight 18G plays much more muted and suits my play style a lot more. I think I need to go back to 17G (which I’ve already tested before) as 18G still had a little more juice to it than I want, without a noticeable amount of more spin. There’s already plenty of reviews on BK, but overall I was impressed with it in 18G as well. Maybe for a 3.5 or lower level 4.0 who needs a little more help from the strings would benefit from 18G vs a thicker gauge.

Tour Status 18G: 6/10
Black Knight 18G: 7.5/10
Black Knight 17G: 9.5/10

Interesting, I had the exact opposite response. The liveliness and feedback that I get from Tour Status give me the confidence to hit big and really go for shots. As a result, I've been able to play aggressive while keeping the ball controlled and in the court.

 

[faded_lines]

I am currently playing Tour Status 17g in my Diadem Elevate FS. I'm about 6 hours in or so and it's still feeling fresh. It really brought the racquet to life with its crispness, as the racquet pretty muted to begin with. I am gaining more confidence the longer I'm playing with it, allowing me to really go for the ball. I had plans to try BK 17g but right now, I'm loving Tour Status so much I might just keep rolling with it.

 

[FrankyRelax]

So I want to buy a reel but need some guidance.

Tried 16g Black Knight and didn't take to it. Seemed muted but comfortable.

Also tried 17g Tour Status and liked the crispness but it wasn't as comfortable

Would 17g BK be comparable to 17g TS?

 

[TRU PRO Official]

So I want to buy a reel but need some guidance.

Tried 16g Black Knight and didn't take to it. Seemed muted but comfortable.

Also tried 17g Tour Status and liked the crispness but it wasn't as comfortable

Would 17g BK be comparable to 17g TS?

We would suggest to poly/poly hybrid: Tour Status in the mains and Ghost Wire in the crosses.

 

[FrankyRelax]

Oh man. I should have mentioned that. I always hybrid with GW. Best cross for hybrids out there.

So I guess would ask is 17g BK gonna get me more crispness than the 16g (compared to TS)?

 

[TRU PRO Official]

Oh man. I should have mentioned that. I always hybrid with GW. Best cross for hybrids out there.

So I guess would ask is 17g BK gonna get me more crispness than the 16g (compared to TS)?

No, BK won't change the response with a different gauge.

 

[FrankyRelax]

Appreciate the response!

 

[ryushen21]

So I want to buy a reel but need some guidance.

Tried 16g Black Knight and didn't take to it. Seemed muted but comfortable.

Also tried 17g Tour Status and liked the crispness but it wasn't as comfortable

Would 17g BK be comparable to 17g TS?

What tension were you using? You might need a tension adjustment. I've found that Tour Status plays very comfortably in a lower range (45-48lbs).

 

[FrankyRelax]

Yes i was at 51. Will drop tension a bit

 

[Wheelz]

How is Tour Status compared to Tourna Silver Tour ?

 

[ryushen21]

How is Tour Status compared to Tourna Silver Tour ?

A little crisper but much better durability and tension maintenance.

 

[yessir]

A little crisper but much better durability and tension maintenance.

Much better tension maintenance from Tourna silver 7 tour????? I mean Ts7 is one of the best!

 

[ryushen21]

Much better tension maintenance from Tourna silver 7 tour????? I mean Ts7 is one of the best!

I've played them both in the same racquets. Tour Status is better.

I've said many times across the forum that Tour Status (1.25 in particular) is probably the best string that has been released in quite some time.

 

[Wheelz]

I've played them both in the same racquets. Tour Status is better.

I've said many times across the forum that Tour Status (1.25 in particular) is probably the best string that has been released in quite some time.

I really enjoy Tourna’s Feel. I have one pack of Tour Status to try soon. It’s 1.20 so it might not last long in a 100 but it’ll give me an idea of it’s feel compared to Silver 7. For ezone 100 fyi. Thanks for feedback

 

[ryushen21]

I really enjoy Tourna’s Feel. I have one pack of Tour Status to try soon. It’s 1.20 so it might not last long in a 100 but it’ll give me an idea of it’s feel compared to Silver 7. For ezone 100 fyi. Thanks for feedback

It should be awesome in the EZ100. It definitely brings some feel that more muted racquet.

And of course, I should have said Tour Status is better for me. I also really Like S7T. Can't go wrong with either.

 

[FrankyRelax]

I have some Tour Status 1.20 coming my way. I tried the 1.25 and loved the feel and tension stability, but it was just a tad to harsh for me over time.

 

[ryushen21]

I have some Tour Status 1.20 coming my way. I tried the 1.25 and loved the feel and tension stability, but it was just a tad to harsh for me over time.

What frame and what tension?

 

[FrankyRelax]

Prince ATS Tour 98. Strung it up at 45/43 with ghostwire crosses

 

[Humbi_HTX]

Prince ATS Tour 98. Strung it up at 45/43 with ghostwire crosses

Wow, that sounds like a pretty soft setup, but going down to 1.20 should be a good move. You could also try a thinner gage of GW on your crosses.

 

[Nostradamus]

Is there anyone on here who has played with both? If so, I'd love to hear some comparisons between the two. I've been playing with Alu Power in 95 and 97 square inch heads with a 16x19 string bed for 16 years. I'm moving to a 100 square inch head with an 18x20 string pattern and have been considering switching to a shaped string with slightly less diameter for a bit more bite. I've tried a ton of shaped poly's over the years but never either of these two. Any opinions on these would be greatly appreciated.

what about firewire why can't they make this string to have better control ?

 

[ryushen21]

Prince ATS Tour 98. Strung it up at 45/43 with ghostwire crosses

Hmm, if you found harsh in that setup, it will likely feel that way at any tension. I use a full bed of 1.25 at 47/45 in my Gravaity Pro.

 

[BillKid]

My 2 cents:

Tier One Sports

I tried an experiment the other day of ghost wire 1.22 mains at 50 and some multi crosses at 47. I didn’t hate it at all, I thought I was going to have a rocket launcher in my hands as everyone says GW is powerful. Spin wasn’t as prominent as I like but everything else worked well. Comfort was...

tt.tennis-warehouse.com

 

[thecatch33]

Tour Status certainly plays more chrisp than Black Knight and it offers a bit more power as well. Black Knight offer exceptional directional and depth control which can be beneficial for competitive players with high racket speeds. Tour Status, on the other hand, is our most balanced string when it comes to power and control. Durability and access to spin are about the same. Please note that Black Knight holds tension very well when it comes off the stringer so you might want consider stringing it 1-2 lbs lower to your usual poly setup.

@TierOneSportsOfficial I’ve been using FW Boost for a while and really love the control and tension maintenance. It has a predictability to it than I have never felt from any other string and it really ages well over time. Unfortunately, these days if I play longer than an hour with this setup my wrist really starts to feel it with TFCC pain (damn you old age). Between BK and TS, which would you recommend as a replacement for the mains (to replace FW while keeping GW in the crosses) to soften it up while still maintaining the control and tension maintenance? My guess is BK because it has the lower stiffness rating, but wanted to see if there were other factors to consider. I string Boost at 45# for what it’s worth.

 

[TRU PRO Official]

@TierOneSportsOfficial I’ve been using FW Boost for a while and really love the control and tension maintenance. It has a predictability to it than I have never felt from any other string and it really ages well over time. Unfortunately, these days if I play longer than an hour with this setup my wrist really starts to feel it with TFCC pain (damn you old age). Between BK and TS, which would you recommend as a replacement for the mains (to replace FW while keeping GW in the crosses) to soften it up while still maintaining the control and tension maintenance? My guess is BK because it has the lower stiffness rating, but wanted to see if there were other factors to consider. I string Boost at 45# for what it’s worth.

To be honest, I am not sure if replacing BK with FW per se would make a big difference with regard to arm-friendliness (where you already experience arm pain). If you want to stay with full poly, I would first try to play the thinnest possible gauge (for example GW19g in the crosses and BK 18g in the mains, or a full set of GW 19g before moving to a multifilament string) and make sure not to play longer than 10-12 hours before replacing the string. Our belief is that many players play their poly strings too thick and consequently play it to the point where the string becomes "dead" material. Playing with ANY poly longer than 10-12 hours will increase arm harshness significantly!

Secondly, having worked in junior development for more than 20 years, sound biomechanics for every stroke is the most important factor to avoid arm pain long term!

Hope that helps!

 

[thecatch33]

To be honest, I am not sure if replacing BK with FW per se would make a big difference with regard to arm-friendliness (where you already experience arm pain). If you want to stay with full poly, I would first try to play the thinnest possible gauge (for example GW19g in the crosses and BK 18g in the mains, or a full set of GW 19g before moving to a multifilament string) and make sure not to play longer than 10-12 hours before replacing the string. Our belief is that many players play their poly strings too thick and consequently play it to the point where the string becomes "dead" material. Playing with ANY poly longer than 10-12 hours will increase arm harshness significantly!

Secondly, having worked in junior development for more than 20 years, sound biomechanics for every stroke is the most important factor to avoid arm pain long term!

Hope that helps!

Thanks, appreciate the thoughts. I guess I have more experimentation to do with thinner gauges…

 

[jdx2112]

Exactly. Black Knight genuinely does improve after a few hours, and continues to improve well beyond the point where most polys have already died. And I find it much better in a full bed than a hybrid. I'm waiting for some reels of Tour Status to arrive as I want to do the same comparison. I think Ryushen's advice about stiffness in different frames is the way to understand the difference between these very similar strings.

Just did about 8 hours full bed of BK in my Blade 98 v8 (16/19) and it's been great. A nice solid thud feel and good power. Definitely lasts longer than my usual Cyclone Tour.