TRU PRO Ghostwire vs. Isospeed Cream

[GummiiBear]

Trying to keep this simple. Similar pricing, frequently seen recommended as good soft polys.

Be it as crosses with natural gut mains, or with stiffer/shaped poly mains, which would you choose?

Whichever parameters you prioritize. With regards to the poll, I mean. If you had to choose one.

Characteristics I'd be curious to hear details about - access to spin, comfort, tension stability.

 

[temnik]

.

 

[g4driver]

GW is the string I put in more crosses than any other string. NG / GW or shaped poly / GW.

Velocity is a close second for multi /
Multi hybrids

I have reels of GW and Velocity that I only use for crosses.. 660' / 16.5' = 40 sets of crosses per reel..
I have 16.5 piece of syn gut as a measurement guide and will just cut 4 pieces of GW or Velocity at a time and ziplock bag them.. they get used daily when home.

 

[tdhawks]

To ME, I prefer Cream as it feels softer on the arm. GW is crisper.

Now, I did just snap Cream which is my cross with Big Spin after roughly 8 hours. That never happened with GW.

I generate the same amount of spin with both strings so it came down to comfort to me.

 

[tim-ay]

To ME, I prefer Cream as it feels softer on the arm. GW is crisper.

Now, I did just snap Cream which is my cross with Big Spin after roughly 8 hours. That never happened with GW.

I generate the same amount of spin with both strings so it came down to comfort to me.

Agreed. Playability is almost identical as a cross but cream softens up the bed a little more. Both are good cross strings.

 

[g4driver]

I stock and sting YPTA (only comes in 1.25mm), Cream 1.28mm , and GW 1.22mm and 1.27mm

Use all four of those strings for clients when seeking softer smooth polys. YPTA and Cream are the only two I know that specificity list Elastomer
(Rubber) in their DNA. You can easily feel the rubber when you string YPTA and Cream.. GW feels like a traditional poly when you string it

 

[LOBALOT]

To ME, I prefer Cream as it feels softer on the arm. GW is crisper.

Now, I did just snap Cream which is my cross with Big Spin after roughly 8 hours. That never happened with GW.

I generate the same amount of spin with both strings so it came down to comfort to me.

I really can't pick one over the other for this reason as it really depends on my mood. I agree Cream is softer and GW is crisper and produces more spin. It really depends on how I am feeling on a given day. They are both fantastic strings especially for older players like me that play with gut mains and use them as a cross. I can tell you may bag never is missing a racquet with one or the other in the cross.

 

[Trip]

Man... tough call here @GummiiBear. I would say neither one is out-and-out superior for all use-cases; each has some strengths that the other lacks, at least to some degree.

Starting with Cream, it's noticeably softer per gauge. It's also slightly more slick than GW, so it usually offers better snapback of less slippery mains than GW does. It also has rubber in it, and as such seems to be more gentle on certain mains. On the other hand, GW offers better short-term and long-term tension maintenance (by about 5-10% or so), better overall durability and less give across the string bed, if that's what you're going for.

If I was forced to pick one, it would probably be Ghostwire, mainly because of the better tension maintenance, it can be had in more gauges (and reels in all gauges) and you can usually drop down a gauge and get a similar softness to Cream. Both are excellent strings, though, and if possible, I'd keep both on hand!

 

[beltsman]

I found Cream to be more springy, gummy-like, and frayed more. Kind of like a rubber string.

GW is my go-to cross. Soft but plays like a poly, not a rubber string.

 

[soulfree914]

I voted for Cream, but I use both. I do like the multi-like feel & pocketing with the extra slickness of the Cream that is a hard combination to find in poly strings, but since it does get a bit springy and notches easier than GW, I try to limit it to a low-powered racquet with a round poly in the mains (shaped poly notches Cream easily). GW is easier to pair up with any string in the mains as it is more resistent to notching, and is less springy.

Probably not in the softest poly category, but I've also had great results lately with Yonex Poly Tour Fire in the crosses. It has the slickness of the Cream with the control and resistence to notching of the GW. Pair it with a RPM blast in the mains and it becomes a spin machine that is softer than full-bed RPM and the slickness of the crosses last longer than full-bed as well.

 

[EggSalad]

GW is the string I put in more crosses than any other string. NG / GW or shaped poly / GW.

Velocity is a close second for multi /
Multi hybrids

I have reels of GW and Velocity that I only use for crosses.. 660' / 16.5' = 40 sets of crosses per reel..
I have 16.5 piece of syn gut as a measurement guide and will just cut 4 pieces of GW or Velocity at a time and ziplock bag them.. they get used daily when home.

Ive been following your thread/guidance of Triax mains as I’m getting over some golfers elbow. I’ve currently been playing with OGSM (17g & 16g) as the cross.

I’m considering using Velocity or Cream as my next cross. Do you or your clients have any feedback on Velocity vs Cream as a cross with Triax?

I’m leaning towards Velocity first to make sure I can get rid of the GE then try Cream onceI know it’s gone.

This is in a 18x20 gravity pro.

 

[BillKid]

Did some of you guys try these strings full bed?

 

[mikeler]

I've never tried cream and had thought about it but all the descriptions above are so precise I"ll stick with my FireWire Boost using Ghostwire in the crosses.

 

[tim-ay]

I've never tried cream and had thought about it but all the descriptions above are so precise I"ll stick with my FireWire Boost using Ghostwire in the crosses.

You should try it. I’ve used boost and FW with Cream- very similar playability but Cream does soften it up more. Unless you are using a super open racket then just ignore that. I might actually prefer FW with cream in tighter patterns … although I don’t main either of these right now.

 

[mikeler]

You should try it. I’ve used boost and FW with Cream- very similar playability but Cream does soften it up more. Unless you are using a super open racket then just ignore that. I might actually prefer FW with cream in tighter patterns … although I don’t main either of these right now.

Yeah I'm using a 16x16 pattern so everything you are saying makes sense.

 

[Trip]

@mikeler - Cream is definitely worth a try, especially if you ever play more delicate and/or lower string-to-string CoF mains, as it allows for better sliding and gentler treatment than same-thickness gauges of GW. I know you've been down the multi road quite a bit (thanks for your Mikeler's Multi's thread, by the way -- what a read!), so perhaps you might find it makes a better pairing for certain favorite multis. That said, I find it does best with tighter patterns and lower-power, less spin-biased frames, which yield much lower amounts of string action -- the two things that tend to be Cream's undoing -- it will often "pancake" under too much compression and/or peel like string cheese under too much sheering force.

One successful setup I did recently was Cream 1.23 crosses with Dunlop Silk Spin (formerly Hexy Fiber) 17G mains. The bed had nice give, great dwell time, yet wasn't overly launchy and had great spin, probably as good as all but the most aggressively shaped poly mains and/or very slick poly/poly hybrids. I put it in a 2019 VCore Pro 97HD and it's held up very well, now at about 7 hours with very little physical damage and 80+% of tension retained. Strings have stayed very square. I think the 18x20 pattern and forgiving flex have very much helped.

Given all of that, not sure you can utilize Cream in the types of frames you like to play, but when it's a fit, I haven't found much better, other than narrower gauges of GW, or Gosen G-Tour 3.

Hope that helps!

 

[g4driver]

I've never tried cream and had thought about it but all the descriptions above are so precise I"ll stick with my FireWire Boost using Ghostwire in the crosses.

At your level, and with your 16x18 frames, FW would shred Cream much more quickly than GW.

 

[jugheadfla]

At your level, and with your 16x18 frames, FW would shred Cream much more quickly than GW.

I've been playing with FW boost 18g in my GP for about 7 months now and I've experienced quite the opposite. The GW ends up notching the FW, not the other way around. Not sure if it is just the 18x20 tighter pattern, but its always the GW eating though the FW in my experience.

 

[AceyMan]

Probably not in the softest poly category, but I've also had great results lately with Yonex Poly Tour Fire in the crosses.

I took a leap of faith (since I like how Yonex polys play in general) and picked up a reel of YPT Fire in 1.25 mm.

Your feedback sounds like what I was expecting and that's a good thing.

/Acey

 

[Trip]

@jugheadfla - If you're burning through FW mains in the Boost hybrid that fast, then I'd try creating your own custom FW Boost with FW 17 in the mains and GW 18 in the crosses. That should increase FW durability and also give you more ball bite and spin (from the slightly elongated triangle sides compared to FW 18).

 

[LOBALOT]

I like Poly Tour Fire but be ready as it dies quickly.

 

[jugheadfla]

@jugheadfla - If you're burning through FW mains in the Boost hybrid that fast, then I'd try creating your own custom FW Boost with FW 17 in the mains and GW 18 in the crosses. That should increase FW durability and also give you more ball bite and spin (from the slightly elongated triangle sides compared to FW 18).

Not a bad idea, just hope it wouldn't affect the launch angle as that is why I use the 18g Boost (1.20 FW/1.17GW) I still get a good 10 -12 hours out of it before its notched too deep.

 

[mikeler]

I've been playing with FW boost 18g in my GP for about 7 months now and I've experienced quite the opposite. The GW ends up notching the FW, not the other way around. Not sure if it is just the 18x20 tighter pattern, but its always the GW eating though the FW in my experience.

This is with GW crosses correct? FW is very sharp and in a full bed just sawed through itself in a few sets. I loved it so much that when FW Boost came out I gave it another try.

 

[jugheadfla]

This is with GW crosses correct?

correct. The GW doesn't notch at all or very little from what I've seen.

 

[g4driver]

I've been playing with FW boost 18g in my GP for about 7 months now and I've experienced quite the opposite. The GW ends up notching the FW, not the other way around. Not sure if it is just the 18x20 tighter pattern, but its always the GW eating though the FW in my experience.

Put 1.23mm Cream in your crosses and see what you break first. Cream is much softer than GW and not as durable.. edged polys saw into Cream where GW will flatten out the edged polys.

I string a lot of YPTA, Cream and GW as crosses, and string quite a bit multi/cream hybrids.

GW 1.25mm will long outlast 1.28mm Cream as a
cross if the mains don't break first. When I get frames back from the vast majority of 4.0+ guys, the poly mains are almost always broken. I put Cream in a few frames before I found GW. I had a 4.5 guy break the 1.28mm Cream crosses in 16x18 pattern in less than 2 hours.. his initial were PC and his frame was a Prince Textreme 100..

What I learned from stringing a lot of Cream and GW, is GW works better for hard hitting 4.0+ players than Cream as a cross in 16x 18/19/20 frames.

I should have written FW will shred Cream, but GW
will flatten the edged/shaped polys like FW/HG/HGS.

 

[g4driver]

The best three things about GW:

1) tension maintenance
2) price
3) comes in 1.27mm, 1.22mm and two even thinner (which I don't stock)

1.22mm GW is the most versatile string I stock and 1.27mm GW is the best cross for Natural Gut I have found.

Cream comes in 1.23mm and 1.28mm and I stock only 1.28mm in packs and reels. I use the cream reels only for crosses on 107 square 16x19
frames and smaler, 660/16.5 = 40 sets of crosses per reel. Packs are mains or crosses on 110quare inch frames ..

YPTA only comes in 1.25mm
Each of those three strings have great feedback but they all have unique applications..

Cream and YPTA work well with smooth polys and multiyesters like Triax, HDMX, RPX.

But GW works best with edged/shaped/ rough polys than either Cream or YPTA, due to the rubber in Cream and YPTA

 

[birdwizard]

I've recently played with both GW and Cream in 17g hybrids strung in a 98 Clash. I matched both sets of strings based on similar tension loss percentages listed on TWU. Cream in the crosses with Diadem Elite XT, and GW in the crosses with Technifibre 4S, both at 50m/52c. Although it's not a direct comparison, I can say I got more spin and power from the Cream/XT, and more control and touch from the GW/4S. The Cream/XT lost tension slightly faster, but was also softer and more forgiving on my tennis elbow. Not to overblow the differences, as these setups played quite similarly overall and were both nice hybrids for this racquet.
I expected to get better spin from the 4S due to TWU results, but perhaps the slickness of the Cream provided better snapback for the XT.
I've also played a full bed of cream, which was pillowy and predictable, but didn't have enough spin for my game. Like a very soft version of Icecode.

 

[Trip]

@birdwizard - Nice observations. Cream does seem to have a noticeably lower string-to-string coefficient of friction than Ghostwire. As I said earlier, neither string is outright superior in all circumstances. I would love it if Cream has better tension maintenance, but considering how much rubber is used in the base mixture, IsoSpeed have probably pushed it to the limit of what you can reasonably expect from something so soft... The only other co-poly with similarly slick properties that's as soft per gauge is Gosen G-Tour 3, but tension maintenance isn't quite as good as Cream (probably 90%); everything is a trade off it seems, at least until the next generation of soft co-polys arrives.

 

[g4driver]

for anyone interested, simply put your favorite 1.25mm shaped / edged poly in the mains of two identical frames and put 1.23mm Cream in the crosses of one frame and 1.22 GW in the crosses of the other.

if you use 1.30mm polys, go with 1.28mm Cream and 1.27mm GW

You will quickly figure out which setup you prefer.

 

[koolio]

for anyone interested, simply put your favorite 1.25mm shaped / edged poly in the mains of two identical frames and put 1.23mm Cream in the crosses of one frame and 1.22 GW in the crosses of the other.

if you use 1.30mm polys, go with 1.28mm Cream and 1.27mm GW

You will quickly figure out which setup you prefer.

I’m going to do a similar test but using Diadem Evolution 16 in the cross instead of Cream (just bc I don’t have a set of Cream).

 

[DariaGT]

Put 1.23mm Cream in your crosses and see what you break first. Cream is much softer than GW and not as durable.. edged polys saw into Cream where GW will flatten out the edged polys.

I string a lot of YPTA, Cream and GW as crosses, and string quite a bit multi/cream hybrids.

GW 1.25mm will long outlast 1.28mm Cream as a
cross if the mains don't break first. When I get frames back from the vast majority of 4.0+ guys, the poly mains are almost always broken. I put Cream in a few frames before I found GW. I had a 4.5 guy break the 1.28mm Cream crosses in 16x18 pattern in less than 2 hours.. his initial were PC and his frame was a Prince Textreme 100..

What I learned from stringing a lot of Cream and GW, is GW works better for hard hitting 4.0+ players than Cream as a cross in 16x 18/19/20 frames.

I should have written FW will shred Cream, but GW
will flatten the edged/shaped polys like FW/HG/HGS.

have you tried GW 1.17mm and if so do you have an opinion durability and playability?

Im looking for a replacement for PPs Concept 1.20mm Crosses at 33lbs which served me for years
with white 1.23mm UC Mains at 40lbs but now looking try a replacement for UC as it dies quickly
snap back disappears too quickly and worse when going up to 45lbs and over.

Thinking of using a stiffer Main than UC but would like a softer cross to suit it.
Mains around 1.23-1.28mm with same spin as UC or close to it
Crosses 1.17-1.20mm with shiny slippery surface but softer than Concept (4g copy)

Any advice is welcome and appreciated

 

[g4driver]

@DariaGT

The thinnest GW gauge I have tried and strung for clients is 1.22mm. GW 1.22mm is with .02mm of PP Concept 1.20mm so if it were me, I would try 1.22GW over 1.17mm GW for the added benefit of tension maintenance and a longer-lasting string.

Thinner strings lose tension and break faster than the same string in a thicker gauge.

 

[what_army]

Im looking for a replacement for PPs Concept 1.22mm Crosses at 33lbs which served me for years

Fixed

 

[DariaGT]

I must have the older 1.20mm rolls they were on special 15usd for a 200M roll at that time.
UC seems thicker than the 1.23mm advertised closer to 1.3

I swear I saw the same yellow grass cutter string but 1.8mm at a local hardware store
same softness, shiny finish and rough edges just thicker

 

[Wolfessis]

Could anyone comment on how comfortable tier one ghost wire 1.27 is compared to other strings? Is it that much less comfortable than cream?

Also any recommendations on tension of ghost wire? I want to hybrid as a cross, with main head lynx tour 1.25 (natural or grey).

Goal is to make more comfortable vs FB, hopefully without sacrificing too much spin. Full bed lynx tour I like at 53/51.

I'd love to try both of these but unfortunately ordering cream to Australia, the shipping costs are not cheap.

I'll probably end up doing it at some point though.

 

[Mungo]

GW is the string I put in more crosses than any other string. NG / GW or shaped poly / GW.

Velocity is a close second for multi /
Multi hybrids

I have reels of GW and Velocity that I only use for crosses.. 660' / 16.5' = 40 sets of crosses per reel..
I have 16.5 piece of syn gut as a measurement guide and will just cut 4 pieces of GW or Velocity at a time and ziplock bag them.. they get used daily when home.

Most of this thread is about the relative merits of GW or Cream as crosses in a gut or poly hybrid. You mention though that Velocity is popular in MF hybrids, but without any further explanation. Is there something about it which makes it a good choice in a MF hybrid, compared to GW and Cream?

 

[LOBALOT]

Most of this thread is about the relative merits of GW or Cream as crosses in a gut or poly hybrid. You mention though that Velocity is popular in MF hybrids, but without any further explanation. Is there something about it which makes it a good choice in a MF hybrid, compared to GW and Cream?

I string a lot of Velocity/GW or Velocity/Cream Hybrids where it is the main to the poly cross. It is a great multi for this purpose due to its slick surface and ability to hold tension.

It really isn't meant to replace the GW or Cream but as a cheaper alternative to gut.

I have seen posts from people who use it as a cross to another multi but I do not do this.

 

[g4driver]

Most of this thread is about the relative merits of GW or Cream as crosses in a gut or poly hybrid. You mention though that Velocity is popular in MF hybrids, but without any further explanation. Is there something about it which makes it a good choice in a MF hybrid, compared to GW and Cream?

For velocity as a cross in MF hybrid, Velocity is the slickest multi i have found. The coating makes is insanely slippery for a multi.
The why: It is the slickest multi sold..

Welcome to the forum. And yes I miss a lot of questions asked. Like @EggSalad's question I just saw which I never answered.. my apology for missing your question.

I’m considering using Velocity or Cream as my next cross. Do you or your clients have any feedback on Velocity vs Cream as a cross with Triax?

@EggSalad

I don't have anyone with a Triax / Velocity setup, it would be softer then. Triax / Cream , or GW for sure. I would expect the coating to wear off of velocity before most players broke Triax in 1.33mm or 1.38mm.. for a guy like WS, velocity 1.30mm would break too quickly

 

[legcramp]

I hated ghostwire, gummy, overly powerful at mid-40s, and zero feel on the ball. Terrible string in my Head Speed Auxetics even without a dampener. MSV Swift much better string, amazing tension maintenance, softness, and feel/control, I immediately bought a reel after cutting out two sticks with ghostwire in a hybrid and testing two packs of MSV Swift I ordered. You can even find MSV Swift reels for around $80-85 which makes GW obsolete in my eyes.

Never used cream and I don't plan to, Swift looks better in white and is the perfect cross string for me that checks all the boxes.

 

[Trip]

@legcramp - Wow. Quite the ringing endorsement for Swift. Definitely going to give it another few tries myself in various combos.

As a side note, I'm also glad to see MSV remaining relevant -- great string company with a very high P-to-Q (price-to-quality) ratio.

 

[lsn10]

I’ve been crossing Triax 1.28 with both cream 1.23 and ghostwire 1.22. GW snaps mains MUCH faster than cream (I’m getting ~4 hours with GW and 10+ with Cream). I like the feel of both — maybe slightly partial to GW but I’m gonna stick with cream from now on.

 

[PKorda]

I’ve been crossing Triax 1.28 with both cream 1.23 and ghostwire 1.22. GW snaps mains MUCH faster than cream (I’m getting ~4 hours with GW and 10+ with Cream). I like the feel of both — maybe slightly partial to GW but I’m gonna stick with cream from now on.

I had complete opposite experience. GW is a round string and shouldn't have anything to do with snapping the mains (neither string should). Did this happen more than once?

 

[Kevo]

I had complete opposite experience. GW is a round string and shouldn't have anything to do with snapping the mains (neither string should). Did this happen more than once?

The mains rub against the crosses during play and cause notching. Different strings will have different levels of friction against each other. It would be completely expected for different crosses paired with the same main to have differing levels of durability. 4 vs 10 is pretty extreme, but GW and Cream are very different compositions so it would make sense for there to be a noticeable difference in longevity. I wouldn't have expected double, but I've never tried Triax so it could just be that string is not a good match for a poly cross.

 

[PKorda]

The mains rub against the crosses during play and cause notching. Different strings will have different levels of friction against each other. It would be completely expected for different crosses paired with the same main to have differing levels of durability. 4 vs 10 is pretty extreme, but GW and Cream are very different compositions so it would make sense for there to be a noticeable difference in longevity. I wouldn't have expected double, but I've never tried Triax so it could just be that string is not a good match for a poly cross.

maybe, you may know more about strings than I, but his story seems a bit dubious to me.

 

[PFG1]

"Different strings will have different levels of friction against each other. It would be completely expected for different crosses paired with the same main to have differing levels of durability"

^
^
^

This is absolutely true. I can attest to this, and its something that (as far as I can tell) you just have to figure out yourself. There is no known hybrid string composition comparison tool that will tell you if 2 strings are hybrid friendly (for durability)

 

[lsn10]

maybe, you may know more about strings than I, but his story seems a bit dubious to me.

I really don't have a reason to lie about this...

I got a set of cream & a set of GW to try for a bit softer setup and possibly longer string life (coming from Max Power as a cross). I strung the cream first and it lasted forever before main finally snapped (and played pretty well until the end). Tried GW next and main snapped at ~5 hours (which I could see coming based on the notching).

Thinking something must be off, I strung both on the same day / same stringer and switched back & forth between rackets instead of solely using 1 racket as my main and 2nd racket as my backup (which is what I usually do). Doubles I'd switch every 2nd changeover so it would get through full service cycle. Singles or drills I'd switch every set or every 30 minutes. This would account for the notion that an "hour" of rallying groundstrokes on clay is much different than an "hour" of mixed doubles.

GW just snapped my mains at ~4 hours (again, not surprising because the notching was deep prior to snap). My cream setup doesn't have significant notching at hour 5 -- I'd be surprised if it snaps anytime soon but maybe I'm wrong.

Just seeing if others have had the same issue and if so, possible reason(s):

• does the rubber in cream make it that much smoother throughout once the outer layer wears?
• does the 0.01 difference in diameter make the GW saw through mains quicker? this seems unlikely
• did I get a bad batch of GW? or a bad batch of Triax (assuming that set was strung with GW both times, which I'm not sure of)
• or is this a total fluke happening (possible but all my breaks have been in the sweet spot on clean hits)

 

[LOBALOT]

I really don't have a reason to lie about this...

I got a set of cream & a set of GW to try for a bit softer setup and possibly longer string life (coming from Max Power as a cross). I strung the cream first and it lasted forever before main finally snapped (and played pretty well until the end). Tried GW next and main snapped at ~5 hours (which I could see coming based on the notching).

Thinking something must be off, I strung both on the same day / same stringer and switched back & forth between rackets instead of solely using 1 racket as my main and 2nd racket as my backup (which is what I usually do). Doubles I'd switch every 2nd changeover so it would get through full service cycle. Singles or drills I'd switch every set or every 30 minutes. This would account for the notion that an "hour" of rallying groundstrokes on clay is much different than an "hour" of mixed doubles.

GW just snapped my mains at ~4 hours (again, not surprising because the notching was deep prior to snap). My cream setup doesn't have significant notching at hour 5 -- I'd be surprised if it snaps anytime soon but maybe I'm wrong.

Just seeing if others have had the same issue and if so, possible reason(s):

• does the rubber in cream make it that much smoother throughout once the outer layer wears?
• does the 0.01 difference in diameter make the GW saw through mains quicker? this seems unlikely
• did I get a bad batch of GW? or a bad batch of Triax (assuming that set was strung with GW both times, which I'm not sure of)
• or is this a total fluke happening (possible but all my breaks have been in the sweet spot on clean hits)

I agree. There is no right answer between the 2 strings and it all depends on one's style of play and preference.

There is a kid that I string for that is a pretty decent player that insists on velocity 16G/poly hybrids. He played with revolve 16 as a cross for quite some time but asked for something softer so I put GW 17 in his stick. He loved it but snapped the mains in about a week over-and-over. Things couldn't continue so we tried going up to 15L velocity which gave us slightly more time but still you know that poly was going to saw through the main and it did.

I then put 15L Velocity in the mains with 16L cream and he got a lot longer life. In my head I was wondering if it was because of the thicker cross or was it because the Cream is less slippery than the GW.

Sure enough he reached back out to me and he had actually snapped the Cream which tells me it is a less slippery string.

I find them slightly different but both great strings. GW is more slippery at first deader but when its tension drops it gets more lively. Cream is slightly less slippery a tad more lively and in my opinion holds tension better than GW.

 

[g4driver]

@PKorda and @lsn10

Here's my take on Cream and GW if either of you care.

The difference between Cream & Yonex Poly Tour Air (YPTA) and Ghostwire is the sheer amount of elastomer (rubber) in Cream and YPTA. I have no idea how much rubber is any of those strings, or if GW has any at all. What I do know is when you string Cream or YPTA and compare that to Ghostwire, Ghostwire doesn't feel anything like the other two. You can feel the rubber in Cream and YPTA when you string them. You can feel the difference in your hands between HGS and HG also.

I string quite a bit of all of those strings. 1.28 mm Cream and 1.25mm YPTA were a better fit for WS as a cross with Triax 1.38mm. I hoped 1.27mm GW would have worked for WS (the guy who created my problem and the reason behind the Kobayashi Maru String Scenario thread). GW is cheaper for me and him, but it sawed through his Triax mains quicker than Cream / YPTA. Why? I think the amount of rubber makes a massive difference when using those strings as a cross with softer multis or multiesters. Just my .02

Kobayashi Maru String Scenario

The player breaks the Hyper G Mains of a Hyper G 1.30mm/1.25mm Head Hawk set up in his Ai 98 in 12 hours, he now has a serious elbow injury and wants to keep playing but you can't use "poly" or Kelvar. Can you find him a solution with these restrictions: 1) the setup lasts at least 10 hours 2)...

tt.tennis-warehouse.com

@LOBALOT always respects your opinion, but I find GW 1.27mm and 1.22mm holds tension better in my frames than 1.23mm Cream. I have a reel of Cream for crosses only and packs of Cream, but GW just works better for me. Not that I'm a very strong player Others think Cream is more slippery. Who knows. I just tell people to find something they like and enjoy tennis.

Finally strung 3 of my own frames last night. HGS 1.25mm / GW 1.22mm x 2 and one Lux 1.30mm NG / Rexxer crosses to try @J011yroger NG/Rexxer suggestion.

 

[LOBALOT]

@PKorda and @lsn10

Here's my take on Cream and GW if either of you care.

The difference between Cream & Yonex Poly Tour Air (YPTA) and Ghostwire is the sheer amount of elastomer (rubber) in Cream and YPTA. I have no idea how much rubber is any of those strings, or if GW has any at all. What I do know is when you string Cream or YPTA and compare that to Ghostwire, Ghostwire doesn't feel anything like the other two. You can feel the rubber in Cream and YPTA when you string them. You can feel the difference in your hands between HGS and HG also.

I string quite a bit of all of those strings. 1.28 mm Cream and 1.25mm YPTA were a better fit for WS as a cross with Triax 1.38mm. I hoped 1.27mm GW would have worked for WS (the guy who created my problem and the reason behind the Kobayashi Maru String Scenario thread). GW is cheaper for me and him, but it sawed through his Triax mains quicker than Cream / YPTA. Why? I think the amount of rubber makes a massive difference when using those strings as a cross with softer multis or multiesters. Just my .02

Kobayashi Maru String Scenario

The player breaks the Hyper G Mains of a Hyper G 1.30mm/1.25mm Head Hawk set up in his Ai 98 in 12 hours, he now has a serious elbow injury and wants to keep playing but you can't use "poly" or Kelvar. Can you find him a solution with these restrictions: 1) the setup lasts at least 10 hours 2)...

tt.tennis-warehouse.com

@LOBALOT always respects your opinion, but I find GW 1.27mm and 1.22mm holds tension better in my frames than 1.23mm Cream. I have a reel of Cream for crosses only and packs of Cream, but GW just works better for me. Not that I'm a very strong player Others think Cream is more slippery. Who knows. I just tell people to find something they like and enjoy tennis.

Finally strung 3 of my own frames last night. HGS 1.25mm / GW 1.22mm x 2 and one Lux 1.30mm NG / Rexxer crosses to try @J011yroger NG/Rexxer suggestion.

Thank you. I value yours as well and you have been so helpful to me. I recall your help with my son and his journey with Hyper G.

I have a pack of YPTA downstairs but haven't tried it. Cream for sure has this "rubbery" nature to it. I didn't think about that potential as a cause for the kid in my case to snap it.

 

[pjv]

I like both cream and ghostwire as crosses for multi mains. I totally agree that you can really feel the rubber in cream - both on the machine and also in the stringbed on court. There’s something i like about that, but there’s also something i don’t like and on-balance GW feels like it works just enough better and longer for me that I prefer it. But I would still happily string up cream crosses in a pinch and not feel like I was at a disadvantage.

I am about a 4.0 allcourt aggressive / offensive style player. I might have a 4.5 serve. I have flattish, hard (too hard - bad habit) groundstrokes and I rarely break the multi mains I play with before I cut them out when they start to move too much and feel off at probably 12-14 hours.

All that as background to saying that the two times I strung up triax mains I snapped them in under 4 hours. They were 1.28 gauge but I often play with 1.25 multis in the mains and I rarely break them before cutting them out. I just checked my log and in both cases they were crossed with GW 1.17.

Maybe it’s a triax thing?