have you read the first sentence of my introduction ?
Of course the list got out of hand very fast and it's crazy big. But the goal is to find a string I like most and stick to it for at least a season I was trying to be very careful when adding string to the list and it had to have some positive reviews already. I think this thread will be great for guys who already know some of the strings on the list and want to learn other possibilities by references not just empty ratings. "I like this because i dont like that". "This gives more spin than that but....". etc etc. People can get a better picture of a string they are interested in I guess... Thank you for the input ! We are on the same page when it comes to gear philosophy ! I just havent made my ultimate decision yet ha !hmm interesting experience with the durability. You must have pretty explosive strokes to kill them so fast
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.
DISCLAIMER : I will most likely never rate any string 10/10 because i think it's a player's job to make a gear perform like 10/10. I am just looking for the best string for myself and my game and how i understand it. Ratings within the groups includes not only performance / potential / match situations but also pricing. The common threshold on this forum is Luxilon Alu Power where most ppl love it but not enough to buy it xDDD
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 (rating: 7.2 / 10)
Ultimate string of choice !
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. racquet reviews thread: http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/ultimate-racquet-of-choice-tournament-players-and-or-coaches.705277/ :X3: Game...tt.tennis-warehouse.com
4. Mayami Big Spin 1.30 (rating: 7.2 / 10)
Ultimate string of choice !
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. racquet reviews thread: http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/ultimate-racquet-of-choice-tournament-players-and-or-coaches.705277/ :X3: Game...
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 : stiffness 197 - energy return 84% - spin potential 6.2 (rating: 7.0 / 10)
2. Tourna Silver 7 Tour 1.30 stiffness 238 - energy return 90% - spin potential NA (rating: 7.3 / 10)
Ultimate string of choice !
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. racquet reviews thread: http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/ultimate-racquet-of-choice-tournament-players-and-or-coaches.705277/ :X3: Game...
3. MSV Hepta Twist 1.30 : stiffness 189 - energy return 84% - spin potential NA (rating: 6.0 / 10)
4. Babolat RPM Blast Rough 1.30 : Stiffness 210 - energy return 90% - spin potential 8.2 (rating 6.2 / 10)
5. Mayami Magic Twist 1.30 (rating 6.2 / 10)
6. Signum Pro Tornado 1.27 : Stiffness 215 - energy return 86% - spin potential 5.1 (rating 6.2 /10)
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 ?
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Recommendations that made it to my maybe list:
thank you guys
- Tier One Black Knight
- Dunlop Black Widow
- Luxilon 4g
- Mayami Tour Hex
cool ! thanks for the review. Having a reference and common ground gives much reliable info. I was thinking about the tour bite 1.30... I don't need more control than S7T. In fact I might prefer a bit softer response to open up the sweet spot a bit. I don't have durability issues as well. I am hitting more through the ball than with bigger upper cuts. That's why we probably notice different string movements. I guess you are also playing with a 100" 16x19 racquet ? This also gives extra movement, explosiveness and spin next to my smaller 95" racquet.
Thanks for thumbs up !
I appreciate it . Group C with 6-sided strings is a mystery at the moment but I kinda see it as a potential cross between a round and 3/4-sided strings. We will get there ! It's very good and affordable! I wanted to improve my tournament results so that's why i got into testing in a first place...... and I think cyclone could have slightly better feel/feedback for that tournament situations under pressure.
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
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
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
Thanks for the input. I am In a middle of a tournament now and its growing on me
tourna well deserved rating so far. I will try the thinner gauge. I strung it at 24/23 kg. Would you say i should keep the tension on 1.25 the same or make it 24/24 for that slightly lower launch angle ? Or up everything by 1 kg ? 25/24 . For 1.30 gauges and this test purpose i strung everything the same way but might change it for thinner versions of a string i already know and rated.
Or only on paper ? Solinco managed to get the audience through influencers rather than professionals. But the quality is of course there. It's just one of many ways how to hit the market It definitely has a "wow" factor in performance. This is a very balanced string with high ratings in every aspect. Especially spin and control but as the string gets older and all the "Food Additives" are already eaten you are left with a plasticky string and erratic response. Dead feeling - almost like hitting a dead, old ball but it comes from the string ! And it's not even a subtle change. It feels like somebody had swapped my racquet with totally different string - chinese counterfeit with green color. And this color.... ahh. I prefer to look classy on court. I don't know how often I would have to restring to keep the playability on similar level...and it's a bit pricy string... On a positive note - 1. the experience very depends on a racquet , 2. when fresh - it's one of the best on the market 3. if you are an aggresive baseliner, first-striker with heavy topspin oriented game - you will probably not need the feel anyway. just blast the winners and make sure to restring often. almost impossible...maybe impossible ? We will see... Tour Bite - good try anyway ! @dandan.tennisThanks for the input. I am In a middle of a tournament now and its growing on me
I am also excited about lynx tour but this thing has to wait as i am currently finishing the group B
Yeee ! I am also very excited about this string.... have you tried both versions of it ? round and 6-sided ?
Solinco Confidential as i want to finish froup B of strings and Dyreex Hexablast to start group C (6-sided) . Another tournament soon so might take one for the whole week....if it's good enough Already had one session with hexablast but vs not good enough player to rate it in reference to other strings here...
Arhhh! Bad luck my friend !
already have an idea what this string has to offer but playing under pressure gives me much more info about the string and my game ha! Review to come on Monday
quite happy with the results anyway and lot of experience with the strings. I strung Confi 24 kg / 23kg ... maybe I should have string it 24 / 24 or 23/ 23 to extend the tension maintenance ? Hard to say but worth a try! @dandan.tennis
will it later make it to top 4 ? Many rounds ahead for lynx tour lot of work for both of us i like the color...
I always look at the grommets after picking up the racquet from stringer. Sometimes they can pull the string too fast and make the grommet hot and then it becomes softer more prone to damage... It only happened once on my 18x20 tc95. I dont remember the string. Signum pro tornado or volkl cyclone at that time i guess... I was also using 3sided mayami big spin and it was all good. Maybe it all comes down to luck ? Or as you suggested - gauge. Some strings are shaped but not so sharp also. Solinco confidential felt almost like a round poly to me at least the way it performed. In tc95 18x20 i was using 1.25 and 1.30 so still thicker than your choice. Maybe you are right.
I think it's a strong 7.0 + rating contender. Rublev plays with it maybe ? Verdasco was testing it as well (not sure if he made a switch from Luxilon Original) ...
Yes , it would be. It will not exaggerate launch angle, has good control and good longevity. Coupled with a consistent predictable response, its a good fit. I am curious to try the 1.28 and see pros and cons of two gauges@topspn do you think Mayami Tour Hex 1.23 could be a good match in my tc95 16x19 ?
Hah yes I saw that. @Injured Again is a master with his investigations
I didnt mention any discomfort issues with confidential. In fact - when the tension dropped it became almost mushy! And tour bite when fresh felt actually quite soft to me haha. I think that i can get away with most of the stiff strings from my list in my tc95 63ra. Some strings make me sore over a longer period of time and then I add this to my observations. (even cyclone can kill me a bit after a tournament)I actually feel like HG is among the best in tension maintenance/playability duration. If anything, you could try kirschbaum max power or lux 4g (soft) cross to increase longevity but just know that you might be asking too much if you don’t believe solinco strings provide good playability duration.Hah yes I saw that. @Injured Again is a master with his investigations
Anyway from Solinco top 3 offerings my favourite string is Confidential... but the drastic change of performance after only 6h of play really lowered my rating... I actually think that Hyper g , tour bite and confidential have same issues with their tension maintenance / change in performance . They are quite similar to each other with slight changes here and there.... Its like they are share Solinco DNA if that makes sense...Some strings can drop the tension and just add a bit more power and forgiveness. Solinco changes to completely different string... it's so weird.... maybe they were designed that way so players have to restring more often ?
I can say that i feel like Hyper G had longest playability duration and only because it slowly turns dead instead of becoming a rocket launcher
Feel changes a lot. So for some it can still be playable but when it comes to response it changes IMO a lot. My friend felt like normal Hyper G when fresh felt ok, then turns into great and slowly loosing his groove. Hyper G soft has no breakin period for him but looses the grooves much faster. I must admit - I dont like the color I can say that i feel like Hyper G had longest playability duration and only because it slowly turns dead instead of becoming a rocket launcher
I will strongly disagree about the Confidential playability duration. Maybe something about this 1.30 set or maybe it is not supposed to be strung 24kg / 23 kg ;p
Silver 7 tour had much much much much longer playability duration. And this includes mostly feel and response.
There are some other better strings in this department but i haven't reviewed them yet here... (hint : it's a round string)
Even Head Lynx Tour is better for me when it comes to playability duration. So we already have 3 strings that lasted me longer. We are talking about the ultimate choice and competition is strong
Some strings when they open up they also get some extra pocketing and better spin potential. Dead strings have No pocketing - No feedback. Its like hitting in a dark for me but if somebody has an aggresive game based on attacking then i guess feedback isnt his main priority. He just need a string that can take his aggresive cuts and transform it into spin. Hyper g is great for that. One of the best out there. But when it comes to more oldschool approach to the game its Just mleeh. I have more linear swing. Longer stroke. When it comes to forehands my picks would be Del Potro, Tsitsipas Verdasco and Rublev. Would you guys give Hyper G to them ?
Btw i would love to put Federer there as well but i find it hard to copy his style Tsitsipas is kinda similar but more „stable” , „squarish” . Djoko is amazing but totally different stroke. Modern.I haven't played Cyclone in a full bed, but for whatever it's worth, I think Black Knight is pretty different. Different shape, better feel (imo), and much better tension maintenance. I think it's closer to Lynx Tour in performance, but not as stiff.
Wow thanks for your input! Cyclone is very nice for its price but its not the best tournament choice i would say. I mean. Performance is very good but Quality is kinda worse vs lets say lynx tour or mayami big spin.
all i can say for now i will think about black knight again then
Anyway it was a very cool test and I will keep this gauge in mind for sure as well... I will start to weight my racquets from NOW ON so let's see if Lynx Tour is heavier or I got tired and weak ? I am very sensitive to setup changes in general. I can feel the difference of 4 pts SW . I can feel the subtle difference by removing dampener. This added weight and slightly lower launch angle than expected made me feel a bit slugish. I could't finish my shot at times which is actually my one of the top things i focus on while playing. It's not just focusing on the finish of my stroke. It's also one of my things that I feel and I can reproduce. So If I feel the finish, I feel the output- i get more confidence and higher % . @dandan.tennisOk, time for Head Lynx Tour:
This string is superb ! It feels a bit like Luxilon Original in a 6-sided profile. In 1.30 gauge the launch angle was actually THE LOWEST from all strings I tested so far. It was so low that I started to hit the net more often which in my tc95 16x19 happens....almost never ^^ It felt like I changed my racquet to 18x20 pattern. This is crazy and totally surpised.
Power lvl is low. I can see how Rublev and Verdasco could like this string (i don't know if they switched to it or not) . Spin potential was there. What is most important in my testing lately is how I serve with the string as I find it most vulnerable to string change. Can I serve a big flat 1st serve and aggresive topspin 2nd serve ? I need those 2 options. With some strings I feel like I can choose only 1 style of serving (had that feeling with Tourna Silver 7 tour) . It's not that It was impossible to hit this or that style of serve. It's more about how easy it is to change the style from shot to shot in a row. With Lynx Tour the transitioning was easy !
Crazy slices ! Well makes sense when my racquet turned to 18x20 from 16x19 xd
Comfort is still there but at the edge of my preference. HOWEVER ! I strung it 24/23kg and because I still had plenty of control and low powered response and LOW launch angle I could probably drop the tension to 23/23 or 23/22 or 24/22 .... would have to try different setups to tweak it further to my gamestyle. It's crazy because for the first time I feel like I would like to slightly increase launch angle in my tc95 16x19... Flat bombs are there for sure !
I tried 1.25 gauge to compare. I thought...maybe I can play with thinner string now (less weight, more spin potential, comfort and forgiveness but still enough control ?) but unfortunately the launch angle was pretty much the same as other 1.25 strings (too high launch angle in my 16x19 racquet) - maybe I could up the tension here or make it 24/24kg but at that point I just didn't feel the vibes. Maybe I could find it. Im pretty sure there is that vibe hidden somewhere but this is ultimate string of choice. So you better DO or DIE !
Accuracy is great(obviously when my racquet turned to 18x20) , great on volleys (very stable and precise), my backhand side (better shot) got slightly worse as I feel like the string was a bit too stiff there (explaining: I have different preferences on my forehand and backhand - I prefer stiffer more control oriented feel on my forehand and more responsive feel on my backhand - it's probably because I have longer stroke on my forehand and more compact stroke on backhand +most likely I should focus more on extending through the shot on my backhand. Maybe I finish too early and stiffer strings kill the ball a bit then) - another reason to experiment with different tensions to find my sweet spot with this string...
Playability duration is outstanding : 10 hours of serious playing with it already and it feels pretty much the same as fresh. Got a league win as well so also tested it under pressure.
Ok but here is one thing (and it is serious) that I didn't like about Lynx Tour.... In 1.30 gauge it felt...heavy. Heavier than my other top strings I tested here so far... Maybe thats why the launch angle is so low ? I remember that some strings also had that heavier feeling but I don't want to name them as I feel like by now it would be more subjective. I REALLY REGRET that I didn't weight my racquet with all those strings as this would be very helpful for some nerds here
Again - maybe I got tired and weak after those tournaments so I need to weight my next strings.. (ah and yes - maybe I could just hit the gym lol)
strung racquet + overgrip + dampener = 354 grams
Overall I give it a 7.2 rating ! This might get into top 4 where I will try harder to adjust to the selected strings, experiment with some tensions or...hit a gym xDD... we will see...
Would be nice if someone could help me here haha
i personally dont get excited about Kirschbaum strings. I have heard positive things especially in control department but i dont like the name of the brand. The list is already huge but i Agree that kirschbaum is a strong brand here on tennis talk forum.
a bit late to the party but decided to add 2 more strings - Luxilon Adrenaline and Signum Pro Firestorm
why I decided to add them to my ultimate list ?
1. I am stupid and got addicted to testing lol
2. I LOVE the colors.
3. Rublev - Adrenaline (or maybe Lynx Tour now???) , Berrettini - Firestorm
4. Cheap
Those are 2 round strings so are joining group "A"
good luck to them !
