Ultimate string of choice !

[galapagos]

Brief introduction:

I am a self-rated highly competitive 5.0 / 5.5 lvl guy who participates in many local tournaments. My main stick now is Angell TC95 16x19.

Game style/mindset: Grinder ? Counter-puncher ? I get best match results when I focus on CONSISTENCY and ACCURACY. Think Djokovic or Murray…. So I need a string with great depth/height control and very consistent response. Sometimes I unlock my inner Verdasco (love this guy!) and Rublev (skinny but oh boy his pure power on forehand)

total number of strings: 41

Group A (round profile):
1. Tecnifibre Ice Code 1.30 (click) (rating: 6.9 / 10)

2. Luxilon Original 1.30 (click) : stiffness 213 - energy return 85% - spin potential 4.8 (rating: 7.3 / 10)

3. Luxilon Alu Power Rough 1.30 (click) (rating 6.1 / 10)

4. Luxilon Alu Power 1.30 (and 1.25) (click)(rating 7.2 / 10)

5. Mayami Hit Pro 1.30 (and 1.25) (click) (rating 7.3 / 10)

6. Dyreex Super Tour 1.30 (click) (rating: 6.2 / 10)

7. Yonex Poly Tour Pro 1.25 (click) (rating: 5.9 / 10)

8. Tecnifibre Red Code 1.30 (click) (rating 7.1 / 10)

9. Luxilon Adrenaline 1.30 (click) (rating 6.2 / 10)

10. Signum Pro Firestorm 1.30 (click) (rating 7.3 / 10)

11. Tecnifibre Razor Code 1.30 (and 1.25) (ranking TBD)

Group B (3,4 and 5-sided profile):

1. Solinco Confidential 1.30 (click) : stiffness 222 - energy return 89% - spin potential 6.4 (rating: 7.1 / 10)

2. Solinco Tour Bite 1.25 (click) : stiffness: 238 - energy return: 88% - spin potential: 5.9 (rating: 7.0 / 10)

3. Solinco Tour Bite Soft 1.30 (click) (rating: 6.5 / 10)

4. Dyreex Cube Max 1.25 (click) (rating: 7.1 / 10)

5. Mayami Big Spin 1.30 (and 1.25) (click) (rating: 7.2 / 10) - winner

6. Solinco Hyper G 1.30 (and 1.25 and 1.20) (click) : stiffness: 219 - energy return: 89% - spin potential: 7.0 (rating: 6.3 / 10)

7. Weiss Cannon Ultra Cable 1.23 (click) : stiffness: 175 - energy return: 83% - spin potential: 11.9 (rating: 5.8 / 10)

8. Yonex Poly Tour Spin 1.25 (soon!)

Group C (6-sided profile):

1. Head Lynx Tour 1.30 (and 1.25) (click) : stiffness 229 - energy return 88% - spin potential 6.1 (rating: 7.2 / 10) - co-winner

2. MSV Focus Hex 1.27 (click) : stiffness 186 - energy return 85% - spin potential 8.6 (rating 6.2 / 10)

3. Dyreex Super Tour Edge 1.30 (click) (rating 6.2 /10)

4. Dyreex Hexablast 1.30 (click) (rating 6.9 / 10)

5. Mayami Tour Hex 1.23 (and 1.28-still have to try it) (click) (rating: 7.2 / 10) - co-winner

Group D (7+ sided profile):

1. Volkl Cyclone 1.30 (click) : stiffness 197 - energy return 84% - spin potential 6.2 (rating: 7.0 / 10)

2. Tourna Silver 7 Tour 1.30 (click) stiffness 238 - energy return 90% - spin potential NA (rating: 7.3 / 10) - winner

3. MSV Hepta Twist 1.30 (and 1.25) (click) : stiffness 189 - energy return 84% - spin potential NA (rating: 6.0 / 10)

4. Babolat RPM Blast Rough 1.30 (click) : Stiffness 210 - energy return 90% - spin potential 8.2 (rating 6.2 / 10)

5. Mayami Magic Twist 1.30 (and 1.25) (click) (rating 6.2 / 10)

6. Signum Pro Tornado 1.27 (and 1.23) (click) : Stiffness 215 - energy return 86% - spin potential 5.1 (rating 6.2 /10)



FINAL 6 - ULTIMATE STRING OF CHOICE :
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.



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made it to my maybe list:

- Yonex Poly Tour Strike - not many reviews on TT forum but yonex players seems to like it and some even changed to it from PTP
- Tier One Black Knight ( not sure if it can offer me something more than cyclone as i kinda see it as a cyclone opponent)
- Dunlop Black Widow (not enough reviews from other ppl to encourage me)
- Luxilon 4g (probably not good enough to justify the price)
- Head Hawk ( a bit pricey and not so many positive reviews around but when the recommendation comes from @dr325i i just have to reconsider this, HEY! KARATSEV is using it so must be great hmm?)
- Head Hawk Touch (a bit pricey and not sure if this can offer me something more than the strings i already have on my list but hey! Sinner ?! Zverev ?! Barty ?! )
- Head Hawk Rough (not so many reviews)
- Luxilon Original Rough (not available in my country)
- Luxilon Adrenaline Rough (not available in my country)
- Babolat RPM Power (Thiem !!!)
- RS Lyon

 

[CosmosMpower]

Add Solinco revolution 1.25 and diadem solstice power 1.25

 

[crash]

I’m going through a similar (albeit smaller scaled) string test period right now so really looking forward to your thoughts.

I’d suggest adding Tier One Black Knight to your list, haven’t tried it myself yet but I heard a lot of good things about it.

 

[FlamingCheeto]

Add Dunlop Black Widow 16L to the list and string it about 3 LBS higher than usual, my 5.0+ friends love that stuff.

 

[marquette100]

Add Weiss Cannon Red Ghost. Great feel and pop. It will surprise you.

 

[TierOneSportsOfficial]

Game style/mindset: Grinder ? Counter-puncher ? I get best match results when I focus on CONSISTENCY and ACCURACY. Think Djokovic or Murray…. So I need a string with great depth/height control and very consistent response.

Black Knight. Excellent depth and directional control, high tension stability...

 

[One Handed Dynasty]

Black Knight. Excellent depth and directional control, high tension stability...

What would you guys recommend for a softer poly with more pop? I’m usually a gut/poly guy but want to try a full bed of poly.

 

[TierOneSportsOfficial]

What would you guys recommend for a softer poly with more pop? I’m usually a gut/poly guy but want to try a full bed of poly.

Black Knight/Ghost Wire hybrid

 

[esgee48]

Round poly should maybe include Pro Line X or Lux 4G Soft. These 2 are factory pre stretched and playability does not fall off a cliff over string life. For that matter, neither does Pro Line II or regular 4G.

 

[galapagos]

Add Solinco revolution 1.25 and diadem solstice power 1.25

thanks for your input. I am already familiar with solinco tour bite and hyper g. Will try confidential. Might consider adding it to the list depending on how much I like the confidential and how high it will make it in the final ranking. Diadem is hard to get in my country so a bit too much hassle. But I definitely heard of them and even saw one pro player in my country with their stencil.

 

[galapagos]

Add Weiss Cannon Red Ghost. Great feel and pop. It will surprise you.

I'm afraid 1.18 gauge string in open pattern racquet might be too launchy. I don't care about the pop. I need to generate it on my own. However responsiveness is much welcome. Dead, stiff strings tend to take away some of forgiveness. So...always something for something. I like the feeling of capping the ball but i hate when the ball launches like from trampoline (loosing height control). Ye so responsive is ok , launchy not There are some exceptions of that rule but only if the string provides the spin to push the ball down. But again... will it be consistent enough ?

 

[galapagos]

I’m going through a similar (albeit smaller scaled) string test period right now so really looking forward to your thoughts.

I’d suggest adding Tier One Black Knight to your list, haven’t tried it myself yet but I heard a lot of good things about it.

Yap, I've heard many positives reviews as well I would recommend everybody to try about 10 strings in their racquet and then just stick to one for at least one season. It just makes more sense. My list got slightly out of hand to be honest. It's not my intention to keep testing strings every week I want to find out the string that I will be using in 2021. Buy the reel and maybe after a couple tournaments come back to my data. (yes - I try to write down my observations after a training or matches/tournaments. Actually tournaments give much much much more important feedback to me)

 

[galapagos]

Round poly should maybe include Pro Line X or Lux 4G Soft. These 2 are factory pre stretched and playability does not fall off a cliff over string life. For that matter, neither does Pro Line II or regular 4G.

Luxilon 4g is very tempting and inspiring Not sure about the comfort level or value. Added the string to my maybe list I am interested how others would rank 4g in the "A" group of round profiles. I think we need more references because dropping the name of a string simply won't make it convincing enough. Reference is everything and I will try to review each string that way

 

[socallefty]

Try HyperG soft also. My favorite string after trying many polys.

Curious if you played any college tennis or Futures/Challenger level pro tennis? I don’t know any 5.0+ players with a valid computer rating that didn’t play at least on the club team in college. How did you arrive at such a high self-rating?

 

[galapagos]

Try HyperG soft also. My favorite string after trying many polys.

Curious if you played any college tennis or Futures/Challenger level pro tennis? I don’t know any 5.0+ players with a valid computer rating that didn’t play at least on the club team in college. How did you arrive at such a high self-rating?

Thank you for the input ! I am familar with hyper g already . It's been my main string in blade 18x20 (it was 1.20 gauge) . It's great in blade but didn't like it much in angell. It was kinda too springy. I know its a control, spin oriented string but somehow in some frames the control is a bit lacking. I also tried it in Dunlop CX 200 tour 18x20 (control oriented frame) , 1.25 gauge and the response was much less predictable when compared to Luxilon Alu Power. However i haven't tested 1.30 gauge yet!

Regarding your question - I intentionally wrote self-rated because i know it's a very sensitive thing here on forum )) and I dont want to sound like i am bragging or something. I tried to put myself somewhere by reading the descriptions of each lvl. I was a top 100 junior player in my country. Never really practiced often enough to think about pro lvl. I occasionally practice with top 10 ITF player and college-sponsored players so this give me some reference as they are to my eyes more like 5.5-6.5 just by practicing on a high lvl pretty much everyday. I have positive ratio in local tournaments and for me it's most important aspect. Being able to beat different players with different game-styles on both clay and hard courts. Maybe I am wrong

 

[socallefty]

Thank you for the input ! I am familar with hyper g already.

I mentioned HyperG Soft in my post and not HyperG. I prefer how it plays and switched to it after playing with HyperG as my main string for many months. HG Soft also lasts longer for me as it is more comfortable for my elbow. I can play with HyperG Soft till it breaks in 18-20 hours while I had to cut out HyperG after 12-15 hours as it started feeling too harsh.

 

[galapagos]

I mentioned HyperG Soft in my post and not HyperG. I prefer how it plays and switched to it after playing with HyperG as my main string for many months. HG Soft also lasts longer for me as it is more comfortable for my elbow. I can play with HyperG Soft till it breaks in 18-20 hours while I had to cut out HyperG after 12-15 hours as it started feeling too harsh.

Do you also have experience with tour bite soft ? What would be the differences ? I know some players use it for that pocketing sensation.

 

[socallefty]

Do you also have experience with tour bite soft ? What would be the differences ? I know some players use it for that pocketing sensation.

Tour Bite Soft had much less spin and way more power (less control) than both HG and HGS at the same tension. I used it only in drills as I didn’t feel comfortable to play matches with it.

 

[Happi]

Brief introduction:

I am a self-rated 5.0 / 5.5 lvl guy. I would like to push my tennis further or at least stabilize it at its peak. I’ve came to conclusion that in order to do this I need to settle my gear of choice, clear my head and just focus on my game.

I did similar path with my racquet of choice. My previous main gears were Yonex Dr 98, Head Speed Pro, Wilson Blade 18x20, Angell TC95 18x20 .
My main stick now is Angell TC95 16x19 ( 2 years already !) I do test some racquets from time to time but nothing was worth the risk of switching. I flipped around 30 different racquets over those years hah. Sticking to the same setup really helped my game.

Game style/mindset: Grinder ? Counter-puncher ? I get best match results when I focus on CONSISTENCY and ACCURACY. Think Djokovic or Murray…. So I need a string with great depth/height control and very consistent response.

Starting point – Volkl Cyclone 1.30

Strings I will be testing / tested already:

Group A (round profile):
1. Tecnifibre Ice Code 1.30 (ranking TBD)
2. Luxilon Original 1.30 (ranking TBD)
3. Luxilon Alu Power Rough 1.30 (ranking TBD)
4. Luxilon Alu Power 1.30 (ranking TBD)
5. Mayami Hit Pro 1.30 (ranking TBD)
6. Dyreex Super Tour 1.30 (ranking TBD)
7. Yonex Poly Tour pro 1.25 (ranking TBD)
8. Tecnifibre Red Code 1.30 (ranking TBD)

Group B (3 and 4-sided profile):
1. Solinco Confidential 1.30 (ranking TBD)
2. Solinco Tour Bite 1.25 (ranking TBD)
3. Dyreex Cube Max 1.25 (ranking TBD)
4. Mayami Big Spin 1.30 (ranking TBD)
5. Solinco Hyper G 1.30 (ranking TBD)
6. Weiss Cannon Ultra Cable 1.23 (ranking TBD)

Group C (6-sided profile):
1. Head Lynx Tour 1.30 (ranking TBD)
2. MSV Focus Hex 1.27 (ranking TBD)
3. Dyreex Super Tour Edge 1.30 (ranking TBD)
4. Dyreex Hexablast 1.30 (ranking TBD)

Group D (7+ sided profile):
1. Volkl Cyclone 1.30 (ranking TBD)
2. Tourna Silver 7 Tour 1.30 (ranking TBD)
3. MSV Hepta Twist 1.30 (ranking TBD)
4. Babolat RPM Blast Rough 1.30 (ranking TBD)
5. Mayami Magic Twist 1.30 (ranking TBD)
6. Hybrid natural gut / Mayami Magic Twist 1.30 (ranking TBD)
7. Signum Pro Tornado 1.27 (ranking TBD)

Let’s see If I gravitate towards some specific group of strings. I am also interested in your reviews ! Let's help each other !

I will first rank the strings inside their group and later pick my top 5.

Any predictions ? Or is there any string that should be added to the list ? What would be your ranking and why ?



------------------------------------------------------
Recommendations that made it to my maybe list:
thank you guys

- Solinco Revolution: @CosmosMpower ,
- Tier One Black Knight: @crash , @TierOneSportsOfficial ,
- Dunlop Black Widow: @FlamingCheeto ,
- Luxilon 4g: @esgee48 ,

I am kind of on the same quest as you, and play similar setup.

I came all the way from POG 107 down to Angell TC95 16x19 and now my new love is TC95 18x20 - I have matched racquets and in both RA63 and 70, I still play the TC95 16x19 and love that one too all V3 copper versions.

The way I test strings is to string up 2 or 3 racquets with different strings but same tension and the play them back to back at the same session for a few hours - keep the one I like and restring 2 more strings and so on and on.

I am very much looking forward to your findings, my my quest is for a soft poly with great playing characteristics and hopefully not too expensive. I am not at your level, and for sure older too so an arm friendly string is top priority for me, but I can understand your selection to try.

I am about to try.

- Luxilon Element
- Hyber G Soft
- Black Knight (I am a fan of their soft string Ghost Wire so I might do a hybrid)
- Lynx Tour
- MSV Hex + 38
- PP Red Devil
- RS Lyon

I go for the thinnest version 17, 18 or 19g for TC 18x20 and 16g for TC 16x19

So far my go to string that I am testing up against, is good old Cyber Flash - it is soft for the arm, test crisp and predictable responce, cheap and hold tension quite well. Not sure it would work for you, but it is cheap so you could give it a go.

Enjoy your testing period.

Cheers, H

 

[Sharkall]

Second Black Knight. In 16g was one of the few strings that had enough control for the power of the TC 95 16x19, for me. And above average durability, strings go fast in this racket for me.

 

[blai212]

BK is good at maintaining it’s shape...have only played with it in hybrid (GW cross) which started to feel mushy but then I restrung crosses w prince tour XP and it felt great again! Black polys tend to be on the deader side fyi. Good soft shaped poly mains would be dunlop black widow 16g and volkl cyclone tour 16g (much sturdier feeling than 17g counterparts which can feel a bit flimsy) On another note, lux element was an interesting string to try...supposedly utilizes multi-mono technology to create luxilon’s softest poly...I have mixed feelings about it and with it being pricey have decided to forgo. HyperG soft felt a bit too muted for me...no feel. It is indeed soft but maybe too soft ‍ Signum pro poly plasma and/or hextreme may be worth a look...great tension maintenance/playability duration

 

[galapagos]

I already playtested most of the strings from the list. So this is my review of the starting point and why I decided to look further.

Group D (7+sided profile) - Volkl Cyclone - stiffness 197 - energy return 84% - spin potential 6.2

This was my first string in Angell TC95 16x19 that I bought 2 years ago and I think that in general this is the best string to demo the racquets. It's great "starting point" The string is great in all areas. No really major flaws. It's great for baseliners , value is superb. I was really scared of trying tc95 16x19 after hearing HOOW MUCH OPEN PATTERN it has and HOW BIG it hits and HOW it can be too powerful. Keep in mind, at that point I was transitioning from Blade 18x20 to Angell TC95 18x20 and then - angell tc95 16x19 so in theory it should be a huge change in feel and precision right ? NO ! In fact I had even more control on my forehand because of the added spin. I also tried cyclone in angell tc95 18x20 and it wasn't as great. Maybe Cyclone prefers a bit more open pattern racquets ? You keep your body low and stable and you can hit with everything you got and cyclone should do the rest

It is a 10-sided profile string and my understanding is that the more edges the string has, the closer it starts to behave like a round string. And the feeling would kinda suit my theory. It doesn't "overgrab" the ball , it is comfortable and quite predictable. I was a bit worried that my first string of choice would be my last and all the testing of 25 strings would put be back to the same spot where I started. I think my testing period started like 10 months ago ? It is crazy long. Too long ! But well. 25 strings is quite a number and I try to learn the string how it behaves over time , in practice and in match situations. Of course - over this time my tennis had ups and downs so I try to work with that particular string and find my form again. If I don't , I come back to my last preferred string to see if that helps. If not, it's clearly my fault and all is happening in my head BTW - returning to cyclone always helped

So to be honest I decided to try other strings out of curiosity , not necessity. I recommend this string if you want to add some control to your open string pattern racquets. It's not a spin monster string, it has great spin potential but kinda more linear WHICH I LIKE !

The only thing that could be improved is feel. I think I would like to get a bit more feedback from the string. It's like , if your tennis is in good place, you will play amazing with the string but if you loose it, you will have a bit hard time finding it again. Its mind game at this point of course but some strings kinda give you more information with each hit and you can work with that feedback. Does it make sense ?

When it comes to match results- I won many local tournaments with cyclone already but noticed that as the lvl of play increased, the lack of feel (still great but not as great as some other strings i tested) started to be a liability.

predictibality / consistency : Overall this is a very honest string with great spin potential and I didn't notice any particular shot that would feel uncontrollable. It's just that I think some strings have it on even better lvl.

It doesn't have a break-in period and plays great from the start. It opens up over time but I would say in such manner that you will adapt faster.


Conclusion:

Great value, great control and spin potential , should suit most players. Feedback/feel could be more pronounced to increase the confidence (main confidence comes from its control and spin) . The launch is neutral, response is not springy but also not "dead" .

all things considered....

I rate it at 7.0 / 10
go to strings list (click)

 

[geubes]

I would suggest dropping the guage of poly to 1.20 or 1.25 for Ice code.

Ice code 1.20 really is a great string. Very neutral feel. You might find 1.30 too dead.

 

[dr325i]

Head Hawk and Hawk Rough

 

[galapagos]

Head Hawk and Hawk Rough

do you mean head hawk touch ? It appeared on my radars several times.

 

[galapagos]

I would suggest dropping the guage of poly to 1.20 or 1.25 for Ice code.

Ice code 1.20 really is a great string. Very neutral feel. You might find 1.30 too dead.

hm maybe but launch angle might be too unpredictable. I might try 1.25 if 1.30 is too dead. Still untested !

 

[geubes]

hm maybe but launch angle might be too unpredictable. I might try 1.25 if 1.30 is too dead. Still untested !

True, Ice code naturally has a lower than average launch angle. The string I find is slippery against the ball, maybe that's where the Ice in the name comes from?
I use it in a gravity pro - fairly open 18x20

 

[galapagos]

True, Ice code naturally has a lower than average launch angle. The string I find is slippery against the ball, maybe that's where the Ice in the name comes from?
I use it in a gravity pro - fairly open 18x20

I am familiar with gravity pro, very nice stick ! I also tested ice code in yonex hd 18x20 and speed pro and really liked it but never had a chance to test it in my open pattern 16x19 racquet. But soon !

 

[galapagos]

True, Ice code naturally has a lower than average launch angle. The string I find is slippery against the ball, maybe that's where the Ice in the name comes from?
I use it in a gravity pro - fairly open 18x20

just curious , have you also tried blade v7 , prestige mp 360 and vcore 95 2021 ? they seem like a direct competitors to gravity I tried all of them except vcore. All great sticks. Market improved a lot ! So many great options out there

 

[galapagos]

Group D (7+sided profile) - MSV HEPTA TWIST 1.30 - stiffness 189 - energy return 84% - spin potential NA

Ok so this string is pretty much aimed towards Volkl Cyclone users. There were some small yet important differences. The string felt softer (makes sense because TW rated the stiffness lower than cyclone) and offered EVEN MORE SPIN than cyclone. However the feel and predictability were worse. Touch shots were more difficult. With that string I actually lost my game and had to go back to something I know. You can hit big with this string and its really decent on most shots but on higher lvl tennis I just wasn't consistent enough. The value is amazing so if you are on a tight budget it is worth a shot. If you are playing with an open pattern racquet and looking for additional control then I think it's not the best choice. I think this string will be a good choice in 18x20 racquets where the touch is already on much better lvl. The additional spin and comfort from this string should create a nice combination. If Cyclone has spin potential of 6.2 I would say MSV Hepta Twist has it on 7

predictibality / consistency : It's nice if you are a first-striker player. It rewards more than Cyclone but the control and feel is worse. Sometimes I was hitting with huge spin and sometimes the string just didn't bite the way i was expecting. was adjusting to it too often which left me in a place where i no longer knew what would be the output of my shots.

It doesn't have a break-in period and plays great from the start BUT It opens up much faster than Cyclone and becomes inconsistent.

Conclusion:

"cheaper Cyclone" with even more spin and comfort but less control. Should be good in 18x20 racquets.

all things considered....

I rate it at 6.0 / 10

go to strings list (click)

 

[geubes]

just curious , have you also tried blade v7 , prestige mp 360 and vcore 95 2021 ? they seem like a direct competitors to gravity I tried all of them except vcore. All great sticks. Market improved a lot ! So many great options out there

No, I had to draw a line somewhere after testing a few and the gravity is a good balance for my game. Previously had a prostaff97, yonex dr98, 6.1 95. The vcore is tempting, I used to use the vcore 89t, which is still fun to use now, thing is like a Lazer. but I'm happy with the head and the extra headsize margins.

 

[1HBHfanatic]

Head Hawk and Hawk Rough

-what about :
--babolat.rpm.rough
--luxilon.alu.rough
--luxilon.element.rough
--tourna.BHB.rough
--solinco.diamond

-so many strings, its hard to choose 1! these days, IMO

 

[TomTennis495]

Luxilon Element 130. great soft poly that gives you nice feedback.

 

[crash]

It would be nice if you could comment on durability and tension maintenance. In my experience there are too many polys where the tension drops off a cliff and they feel completely different from session 1 to session 2 or hour 1 to hour 2.

 

[galapagos]

It would be nice if you could comment on durability and tension maintenance. In my experience there are too many polys where the tension drops off a cliff and they feel completely different from session 1 to session 2 or hour 1 to hour 2.

ok ! Although most of the strings are 1.30 gauge so durability is pretty much as good as it can be on every string. I will add tension maintenance to my reviews !

 

[dr325i]

-what about :
--babolat.rpm.rough
--luxilon.alu.rough
--luxilon.element.rough
--tourna.BHB.rough
--solinco.diamond

-so many strings, its hard to choose 1! these days, IMO

The Hawk Rough is very close to Lux ALU rough. Hawk has a better feedback, maintains tension better.
ALU is easier to string if you're a stringer

 

[galapagos]

The Hawk Rough is very close to Lux ALU rough. Hawk has a better feedback, maintains tension better.
ALU is easier to string if you're a stringer

How would you compare head hawk to head hawk touch?

 

[dr325i]

How would you compare head hawk to head hawk touch?

I wasn’t a big fan of the Hawk touch. On the other hand, really liked Hawk and Hawk Rough. Great feel, crisp, good spin and power. Good tension maintenance

 

[galapagos]

Ok so now is the time for a triple review

Babolat RPM Blast Rough 1.30 - Stiffness 210 - energy return 90% - spin potential 8.2
Signum Pro Tornado 1.27 - Stiffness 215 - energy return 86% - spin potential 5.1
Mayami Magic Twist 1.30 - stiffness NA - energy return NA - spin potential NA

They all felt quite similar. RPM Blast Rough felt boardy and didn't produce the spin i was expecting. It offered nothing special to be honest. The control was great but it came from it's extremely low power. I strung it at 25kg. Definitely too high. With the response I experienced I would adjust the tension and next time string it at 23kg. However I really didn't see anything special to convince me to keep trying this string... Also I am not a big fan of Babolat brand in general Their DNA just doesn't suit me.

Signum Pro Tornado 1.27 had definitely better response. Had more to offer. It's still quite dead / boardy and drops tension very fast. However I truly believe that for tournament I would prefer RPM Blast Rough but strung at much lower tension. Many players I know changed from Signum Pro Tornado to MSV Hepta twist but Hepta twist is softer and offers more spin and power. Tornado has a bit more control in my opinion.

Mayami Magic Twist 1.30 - before 1.30 gauge I also demoed the 1.25 version. 1.25 gauge felt like a bit more spin oriented Yonex Poly Tour Pro. 1.30 gauge felt much more familar to me and definitely had more control. The feel was also quite boardy and stiff and I highly recommend stringing it at lower tensions just like RPM Blast Rough. I think that in general Magic Twist 1.30 is pretty much interchangeable with Babolat RPM Blast Rough. Overall the string didn't show me it's potential in my game so I won't try to adjust the tension (just like RPM Blast Rough hah!)

If I had to pick one of those strings I would choose Babolat RPM Blast Rough.

predictibality / consistency : RPM Blast Rough = Mayami Magic Twist > Signum Pro Tornado
power : RPM Blast Rough < Mayami Magic Twist < Signum Pro Tornado
spin : Signum Pro Tornado > Mayami Magic Twist = RPM Blast Rough
tension maintenance: Mayami Magic Twist = RPM Blast Rough > Signum Pro Tornado

Conclusion: they feel quite boardy and stiff but the control is very good. RPM Rough and Mayami Magic Twist would suit 98" + racquets better as I think they need more space and more "trampoline" like racquet. For example Babolats or Speed MP , Extreme line...

all things considered....

I rate them all on 6.2 . They all felt like a better choice for a tournament play than MSV Hepta Twist but still worse than Volkl Cyclone (which felt a bit like something in between Hepta Twist and Magic Twist). Signum Pro Tornado has maybe a bit less control (still more than MSV Hepta Twist) but it's quite cheap and it's always a positive thing

go to strings list (click)

 

[1HBHfanatic]

I wasn’t a big fan of the Hawk touch. On the other hand, really liked Hawk and Hawk Rough. Great feel, crisp, good spin and power. Good tension maintenance

-im trying to recall this string, its been a while
-was h.hawk like a "DRY feel" string ?
-h.hawk.touch more slick/slipery??
-i remember trying them, when they first got released, along with the "spiderman" radicals

 

[galapagos]

Time for another trio of strings that I think are quite similar to each other.
Dyreex Cube Max 1.25
Mayami Big Spin 1.30
Tourna Silver 7 tour 1.30


Cube max is a square string with rounded corners. Big Spin is twisted 3 sided string, Tourna Silver 7 tour is 7-sided. So what do they have in common ? They are baseliners dream !

Cube Max has a very interesting capping effect on a contact (perhaps due to rounded corners?) the feeling lasted for few training sessions and then slowly faded out. The spin potential is amazing, control is very good. It gave me pretty much same control as 1.30 strings. The trajectory sometimes tends to be up and down rather than linear but you can easily adjust to it. It is quite stiff but not uncomfortable (similar to tourna silver 7 tour I would say) . The response is very predictible in a sense that it doesn't launch the ball with a small power boost. Cube Max is honest with great spin potential. I string almost all of my demo strings at 24/23 kg. Maybe i could lower the tension to open the sweet spot a bit. I sometimes loose too much power on my backhand side with stiff strings. I think that all string from Group B have highest spin potential.Cube Max has great price which gives us some bonus points. What I didn't like about it ? I think the response on volleys could be better, the string just bites too much and I would prefer more feel and even response over there. It is a great string when you are comfortable with opponent's shots and can be a bit too spinny when facing faster balls. I tried to counter attack and needed more linear response there. I think I might prefer less spin but lienar and honest response rather than ultimate spin. I think this string would be amazing in a 18x20 100" racquets like speed pro or gravity pro. Testing continues so maybe this string might actually make it to my top choices.

I give it a 7.1 rating Great value, spin, control . Quite unique feel for a square shape string. Maybe would prefer more power with bigger sweet spot and linear response instead of spin machine.

Mayami Big Spin is also a baseliners dream but opposed to Cube Max , it offers much softer response with bigger sweet spot with still amazing control which make it a very unique string. It's not "boardy" but definitely not launchy either ( i hate when the ball springs too fast). Bigger sweet spot combined with great spin potential made it a great choice for those who try to hit the ball on the rise or redirect the shots. I played my best tennis when I tried to play with like 70% of power. Just focus on a relaxed swing and leading the ball. When I tried to speed up the response became a bit too inconsistent. At first the string felt quite lively in general but after 2 training sessions became more control oriented. In fact when I took it to clay courts I was struggling to hit a winner BUT never did any unforced error, everything was going in deep with great spin but not so much penetration as I would like to... On groundstrokes its a gem. The thing that bothers me most is that on volleys I had even less control than with cube max or Tourna silver 7 tour. I struggled to hit a strong first serve with it. Maybe it's in my head but I don't really trust triangle strings when it comes to grommets or height control. However I must ensure you that Big Spin is acting more like a 6+sided string and my grommets are all fine Because it has great height control, spin potential and sweet spot, the returns are much easier with this setup ! It makes me think that maybe I should just adapt to the string on volleys and serve as those were pretty much only things I would have to improve... I am sure it's just about getting used to the response up net. I really felt comfortable taking the balls early with this string. With stiff, boardy strings the ball can die on a racquet too often. This string is really really addictive on baseline exchanges and i keep thinking about it

Edit: I tried 1.25 gauge as well but in a more closed 16x19 pattern racquet (Radical MP) and oh boy. This is excelent string and if you play with sticks like Radical MP, Blade or Yonex ezone then I would say its your golden setup

I give it a 7.2 rating. Great value, spin, control and comfortable response with larger sweet spot. Great if you want to play relaxed yet with high efficienty . Just keep your head cool. Not so great at net. Would prefer more power on first serve. Very addictive !


Tourna silver 7 tour - out of this 3 this one has the most consistent response when it comes to launch angle, height control and volleys. It is quite stiff and at first I had issues with 1st serve. Sometimes the ball get's slight boost/kick which can be suprising sometimes but it all happens in pretty neutral way that doesn't bother me much. So this one is best all around. It is more on a stiff side of course but I didn't experience any pain...That stiffness crushes the force of the incoming ball and if you hit outside the sweet spot you might produce a floater. But it's always a matter of choices. Do I want a stiffer string with more control but smaller sweet spot and less comfort or softer strings with bigger sweet spot and more comfort ? I prefer the sweet spot and comfort of Big Spin (that really is addicting) but the overall performance all around the court of Silver 7 Tour...When the string dropped in tension my first serve got better but lost a bit of bite on 2nd serve.. Anyway the value is also great and the control is just superb. I play better lobs with some other feel oriented strings.... Tension maintenance is great. After 2 weeks of playing with this string I could still enter a tournament and play my tennis. Crazy ! Could be more forgiving but is it even possible without ruining the performance stats ? For me - top of the top if you are looking for value, control and spin. - string for advanced players

I give it a 7.3 rating. So far this one felt the best all around but definitely the war isn't yet over as I will revisit all the top strings later on !

go to strings list (click)

 

[galapagos]

I am kind of on the same quest as you, and play similar setup.

I came all the way from POG 107 down to Angell TC95 16x19 and now my new love is TC95 18x20 - I have matched racquets and in both RA63 and 70, I still play the TC95 16x19 and love that one too all V3 copper versions.

The way I test strings is to string up 2 or 3 racquets with different strings but same tension and the play them back to back at the same session for a few hours - keep the one I like and restring 2 more strings and so on and on.

I am very much looking forward to your findings, my my quest is for a soft poly with great playing characteristics and hopefully not too expensive. I am not at your level, and for sure older too so an arm friendly string is top priority for me, but I can understand your selection to try.

I am about to try.

- Luxilon Element
- Hyber G Soft
- Black Knight (I am a fan of their soft string Ghost Wire so I might do a hybrid)
- Lynx Tour
- MSV Hex + 38
- PP Red Devil
- RS Lyon

I go for the thinnest version 17, 18 or 19g for TC 18x20 and 16g for TC 16x19

So far my go to string that I am testing up against, is good old Cyber Flash - it is soft for the arm, test crisp and predictable responce, cheap and hold tension quite well. Not sure it would work for you, but it is cheap so you could give it a go.

Enjoy your testing period.

Cheers, H

I think you should try Mayami Big Spin 1.30 It is one of the softest from my list of ultimate strings. Check my review I am also familar with PP hexaspin which was very good but not on the same lvl as MSV hepta twist from cheap choices. RS Lyon is more expensive and not sure if competitive. I was thinking about adding it to the ultimate list but i kinda see it as a cheaper alu power so why should i add a cheaper alternative ? only if alu power makes it to top 3 but decide to not buy it coz of how expensive it is.

 

[LocNetMonster]

About Mayami Big Spin .... a few notes . . .

Would prefer more power on first serve.

Yep, you are not going to hit overpowering flat serves with a full bed of triangle shaped strings. What you missed, it seems, is the opportunity to hit ridiculous bending slice and high-bouncing kick serves. Maybe they aren't weapons you use, but triangles are superb for those with those two serves in their tool box. It is so much fun hitting a slice serve that returner looks like s/he is in position to crush the ball and watch them whiff as the curves away from them, or brushing the wide-out slice one for an ace. Currently playing with multi mains and poly cross setups. I can not reproduce the dramatic ball breaks with it or any other than with triangle shaped mains.

The thing that bothers me most is that on volleys I had even less control than with cube max or Tourna silver 7 tour... It makes me think that maybe I should just adapt to the string on volleys and serve as those were pretty much only things I would have to improve... I am sure it's just about getting used to the response up net. I really felt comfortable taking the balls early with this string... This string is really really addictive on baseline exchanges and i keep thinking about it

Yeah, I had the same exact same experience at the net back when I was playing TierOne FireWire in a full bed. Worse with guys who hit with heavy backhand slices. Even when I set up early, relaxed, the string bite forced the ball down into the net. The solution to get your net game back is to play Big Spin/FireWire/Triangle strings in a hybrid. IME, no loss of spin potential, better control - especially on volleys, and depending on the cross string more power or comfort.

You don't have TierOne strings on your list. You should consider trying Black Knight and Strike Force RIP.

I give it a 7.2 rating as well . Great value, spin, control and comfortable response with larger sweet spot. Great if you want to play relaxed yet with high efficienty . Just keep your head cool. Not so great at net.

One of my fav setups is the The Big Twist. Big Spin mains with Magic Twist crosses. I string my crosses 6# less than the mains. If you try this out, you find that you don't have throttle back to 70% and can open up with confidence.

Reading your reviews, which are a great read, I think the Mayami string for your game -- you sound like an all-court kind of guy -- is Tour Hex strung probably about 4-6# under your favorite poly setup. You'll get a bit more durability, less spin, and more control than with Big Twist-ish setups and depending on the stick more/less power and comfort. Black Knight is another string you should run the gauntlet with as well.

 

[crash]

Tourna silver 7 tour - out of this 3 this one has the most consistent response when it comes to launch angle, height control and volleys. It is quite stiff and at first I had issues with 1st serve. Sometimes the ball get's slight boost/kick which can be suprising sometimes but it all happens in pretty neutral way that doesn't bother me much. So this one is best all around. After a few sessions becomes dead and slightly inconsistent and boardy ( I prefer when strings just keep becoming more powerful). I prefer the sweet spot and comfort of Big Spin (that really is addicting). The value is also great and the control is just superb.

I give it a 7.3 rating. So far this one felt the best all around but definitely the war isn't yet over as I will revisit all the top strings later on !

Did you find S7T to be moving a bit more than most other polys? When I tried it I felt it was straightening the strings after almost every point. Also it broke after only half the time I get out of Cyclone or Tour Bite (all 1.30).

 

[galapagos]

Did you find S7T to be moving a bit more than most other polys? When I tried it I felt it was straightening the strings after almost every point. Also it broke after only half the time I get out of Cyclone or Tour Bite (all 1.30).

I think shaped strings don't move a lot and i havent noticed anything weird with that one. How low have you strung the racquet ? and gauge ? I think in 1.30 gauge the tourna will faster go dead rather than break. At least that is my personal experience. I am not a string breaker and 1.30 makes strings pretty much immortal xd Cyclone opens up and gets more power after a while. For me Tourna silver 7 tour plays pretty much the same it's whole life until it goes dead and inconsistent. Still playable but the performance is just...mleh... I found exactly the same dead feeling with solinco hyper g. Hyper g has that even more exaggerated. If you want to know how it feels to have a dead poly i recommend trying hyper g. At first it plays very good and at some point bah ! Plastic feeling. No response, no feedback, erratic. It can really gets into your head

 

[crash]

I think shaped strings don't move a lot and i havent noticed anything weird with that one. How low have you strung the racquet ? and gauge ? I think in 1.30 gauge the tourna will faster go dead rather than break. At least that is my personal experience. I am not a string breaker and 1.30 makes strings pretty much immortal xd Cyclone opens up and gets more power after a while. For me Tourna silver 7 tour plays pretty much the same it's whole life until it goes dead and inconsistent. Still playable but the performance is just...mleh... I found exactly the same dead feeling with solinco hyper g. Hyper g has that even more exaggerated. If you want to know how it feels to have a dead poly i recommend trying hyper g. At first it plays very good and at some point bah ! Plastic feeling. No response, no feedback, erratic. It can really gets into your head

I strung S7T at 52 lbs and used 16 gauge (1.30 mm). It broke in less than 1.5h while Cyclone lasts around 2.5h.

I did find Solinco Hyper G to be very muted (as opposed to "crisp" like S7T or Tour Bite, for example). It makes it feel comfortable but I prefer more feedback, as you also seem to.

 

[galapagos]

About Mayami Big Spin .... a few notes . . .



Yep, you are not going to hit overpowering flat serves with a full bed of triangle shaped strings. What you missed, it seems, is the opportunity to hit ridiculous bending slice and high-bouncing kick serves. Maybe they aren't weapons you use, but triangles are superb for those with those two serves in their tool box. It is so much fun hitting a slice serve that returner looks like s/he is in position to crush the ball and watch them whiff as the curves away from them, or brushing the wide-out slice one for an ace. Currently playing with multi mains and poly cross setups. I can not reproduce the dramatic ball breaks with it or any other than with triangle shaped mains.




Yeah, I had the same exact same experience at the net back when I was playing TierOne FireWire in a full bed. Worse with guys who hit with heavy backhand slices. Even when I set up early, relaxed, the string bite forced the ball down into the net. The solution to get your net game back is to play Big Spin/FireWire/Triangle strings in a hybrid. IME, no loss of spin potential, better control - especially on volleys, and depending on the cross string more power or comfort.

You don't have TierOne strings on your list. You should consider trying Black Knight and Strike Force RIP.




One of my fav setups is the The Big Twist. Big Spin mains with Magic Twist crosses. I string my crosses 6# less than the mains. If you try this out, you find that you don't have throttle back to 70% and can open up with confidence.



Reading your reviews, which are a great read, I think the Mayami string for your game -- you sound like an all-court kind of guy -- is Tour Hex strung probably about 4-6# under your favorite poly setup. You'll get a bit more durability, less spin, and more control than with Big Twist-ish setups and depending on the stick more/less power and comfort. Black Knight is another string you should run the gauntlet with as well.

Thank you for the thumbs up ! Reviewing really takes some time. I thought that if I am noting my observations anyway I can as well share it with others and contribute to the TT family

Interesting that we had same response. That's why I created this thread. Many things in tennis can be subjective. Taking it to a larger group testers make it more reliable. I think what's pretty unique in Big Spin is that despite the triangle shape the launch angle is pretty low. So you can shape the ball anyway you want. Also to every one reading this post. I intentionaly grouped the strings because in general 3 and 4 sided strings will have similar pros and cons. This group will/should have amazing spin potential and have a tendency to play a bit inconsistent up net. It's now a matter of finding that balance you want and adjust to the string. Also within every group there is a ratio of control / power / comfort . Round strings have a tendency to play very consistent but you might find the spin potential lacking.

Cube Max is a 4 sided string with rounded corners in order to (i guess) kinda mask the typical issues of this "string group" and borrow some positive aspects from the round strings category. Now I'm not 100% sure if I like the ratio of power / control / comfort but it's good enough to beat others on the list and make it to my final top strings.


Black knight sounds interesting and many already recommended it might give it a go at some point but no pressure.
Big Twist sounds interesting as I already know two of those strings. Big Spin can give me the spin potential and Magic Twist should make it more stable, Less explosive and perhaps better up net (less bity) . Maybe maybe.... I think Magic Twist would play best in kinda tweener racquets (100" like Speed MP , Babolat Pure Aero etc) because its VERY control oriented and IMO needs a racquet with already big sweet spot and launchy nature. My feeling at least I might try it ! I also have tc100 16x19 maybe thats the opportunity

Tour Hex - I am slightly afraid that this will not provide enough control in 1.23 gauge. Maybe 1.28... However many posters here around claim that 1.23 is very control oriented... I will put this in my maybe list and let's see what future brings Blue color string would go well with my Tourna overgrips xD

Cheers!

 

[Injured Again]

@galapagos I'd suggest giving the 17 gauge Silver 7 Tour a try. I've gone through several reels of it, and have once tried the 16 gauge and found it to be entirely a different feeling and performing string. The 16 gauge doesn't have the same stiffness profile, so even though I strung it 5-7% looser than I use for the 17 gauge, it doesn't have that liveliness in response. It feels like the stiffness profile is quite different over at least my range of swing speeds. The 17 gauge pockets better, and also feels like it grabs the ball more strongly. The 16 gauge feels better to me playing point-and-shoot tennis, like flatter groundstrokes or on volleys, but the 17 gauge lets me shape the shots more and as it ages seems to offset loss of elasticity with loss of tension more equitably.

 

[galapagos]

I strung S7T at 52 lbs and used 16 gauge (1.30 mm). It broke in less than 1.5h while Cyclone lasts around 2.5h.

I did find Solinco Hyper G to be very muted (as opposed to "crisp" like S7T or Tour Bite, for example). It makes it feel comfortable but I prefer more feedback, as you also seem to.

hmm interesting experience with the durability. You must have pretty explosive strokes to kill them so fast Are you Nadal ? Ye feedback is very important. Btw how would you compare tourna silver 7 tour to tour bite 1.30 ? I only played with 1.25 tour bite (review soon)

 

[galapagos]

@galapagos I'd suggest giving the 17 gauge Silver 7 Tour a try. I've gone through several reels of it, and have once tried the 16 gauge and found it to be entirely a different feeling and performing string. The 16 gauge doesn't have the same stiffness profile, so even though I strung it 5-7% looser than I use for the 17 gauge, it doesn't have that liveliness in response. It feels like the stiffness profile is quite different over at least my range of swing speeds. The 17 gauge pockets better, and also feels like it grabs the ball more strongly. The 16 gauge feels better to me playing point-and-shoot tennis, like flatter groundstrokes or on volleys, but the 17 gauge lets me shape the shots more and as it ages seems to offset loss of elasticity with loss of tension more equitably.

I think I would prefer point-and-shoot. Pocketing experience sounds nice with 1.25 version, especially that it would most likely enlarge the sweet spot as well but based on my experience with tour bite 1.25 I will hold off for a while and demo rest of the strings first. Tour bite was great when fresh (and suprisingly soft in my angell, maybe even responsive i can say) but when tension dropped it started to behave erratic and my wrist hurt a little. It was weird. It's like the stiffness was there all the time but I couldn't feel it until the pain hit me ;p

Tour bite and tourna silver 7 tour are a siblings right ? haha ! That's why i just assume to get similar results coming from 1.30 to 1.25.