Have you tried ice code? Tension maintenance is supposed to be superb. I used the 1.25 and found excellent control.@TennisJrDad do you have access to labtests of 1.20 razor code vs 1.20 tour bite vs 1.20 confidential vs 1.23 tour hex and 1.20 poly tour rev ?
I like 1.23 tour hex and decided maybe it's worth to give it a fair shot for some other +/- 1.20 strings. This is my short list
@TennisJrDad do you have access to labtests of 1.20 razor code vs 1.20 tour bite vs 1.20 confidential vs 1.23 tour hex and 1.20 poly tour rev ?
I like 1.23 tour hex and decided maybe it's worth to give it a fair shot for some other +/- 1.20 strings. This is my short list
you are now our chat gpt of tennis strings xd thank you!@galapagos Here you go. I can only compare 4 at a time, so I grabbed the 4 you mentioned. If you want to see them compared to Tour Hex, I can do 2 graphs of Tour Hex with 2 others. Let me know if you want to see that.
I tried 1.30 ice code and compared to razor code 1.30 and red code 1.30, ice code is my least favourite.
I also found TF40 305 stiff, to the surprise of one poster here.
As I'm adding more top-spin on my forehand, I seem to enjoy the open 16*20 Diadem Elevate more and more and play more comfortable (thus better) compared to the Head Boom Pro and the TF40 315 now.
If you can find Fort clay balls...I've scourged both Canada and UK( none in US for 4 years now).
I've heard the spin potential with Carbon is better. String it low as the string despite being labeled "soft" is very control oriented and is definitely not "mushy"
@dandan.tennis
What string and tension in the tf40? It needs low tension!
Agree . 21kg max in my case
I had the TF40 315 16*19 strung myself at 23kg with the Easy Stringer. I always assume 1.5kg less tension. So, it definitely feels like 22kg full-bed.
Can't measure the actual tension, but in comparison to the stringjobs done for me last year at my local tennis club, my 23kg is most probably 21kg of his... That's the best I can do, so when I want actual 22kg, I make sure the Easy Stringer's gauge shows 24kg.
These are my first impressions about the Mayami Hit Pro 1.25 played with the Angell TC95 V3 (open) 16*19Time for the Mayami Hit Pro
This string can shake a bit the Luxilon dominance in round strings. I've been testing this string next to Luxilon Alu Power, Luxilon Original and Tourna Silver 7 Tour and I can say that it's up there fighting with the big guys
1. I like the color. Kinda milky yellow
2. this string is all about the feel. Mayami even advertises it that way. I played my best touch shots with it. I think only Luxilon Original offered me that connection so far.
3. Performance is somewhere in between Luxilon Alu Power and Original. It's definitely not as responsive as Alu Power (less "dynamic spin potential") and it's slightly more responsive than Luxilon Original which is kinda dead and even boardy when fresh. I think that if you are a die-hard fan of Alu Power characteristics then Hit Pro might not be for you. But if you want a bit more control and move a bit towards string region of Luxilon Original then it's a must try.
4. It's around 70 usd cheaper than the already discounted Luxilon Original. $$$$$
5. Spin potential - Alu Power offered me more and so far the biggest spin rates from all the round strings tested so far. That's why its the golden standard on tour. I wish Hit Pro could offer better spin potential. It's closer to Original. I might play with string tensions and see if it can be improved. I think thats the only thing I would like to see improved with Hit Pro (tensions used 24kg/23kg). It's not that the spin is bad but it's worse than with shaped strings while Alu Power somehow cheats the physics and the spin potential is same as I have with shaped strings. If we were discussing spin potential only within the group of round profiles then it's very good (more than Adrenaline, Poly Tour Pro or Ice Code for example). It depends how much spin you expect from a round string ??? I could still execute my kick serve which is my ultimate test
6. It's more comfortable than any Luxilon I tried. No elbow issues (my usual problem with Luxilon)
7. I love serving with this string. It's on par with Alu Power.
8. When the string's biggest trait is feel its obvious that volleys are top lvl.
9. It plays great when fresh and has very good playability duration. Alu power plays great when fresh and looses the magic rather fast. Original plays very bad when fresh but GAINS magic after few training sessions. Hit Pro is magic right away with playability duration longer than Alu Power and similar to Original (Hit Pro eventually becomes more powerful than Original)
Also interesting fact is that I had some top practices with ITF 35+ top 10 players and I was switching between Tourna Silver 7 Tour (think control and spin) and Hit Pro (think feel, forgiveness and touch) and finished training with Hit Pro as my choice. Why ? I find Tourna SIlver 7 Tour a bit less forgiving. It's a stiff string (still comfortable enough) and therefore the sweet spot is smaller and when the ball is flying really fast then it's harder to unlock the string while with Hit Pro I could still control the rally. Conclusion - Hit Pro better for counter-punchers ? Silver 7 Tour better if you are the one dictating the pace ? Maybe... I will probably have to try them more as clearly they are my top 4 contenders strings.
Side note - I prefer 1.30 gauge. 1.25 had too high launch angle in my open pattern 16x19 racquet. I am very sensitive to string gauges (launch angle) it seems ^^ Rest of the characteristics were very similar so I can see this gauge playing great in tighter patterns like Prestige, Blade, Radical... I am a 1.30 die-hard fan now
I give Hit Pro a.... 7.3 rating. Many things were suggesting to give a higher rating but spin potential of course it's a big part of the game. I am a flat hitter anyway so maybe at the end it will not matter much. For now if I really like the string my max rating will be 7.3 I guess and let's see how it goes after my top 4 or top 6 strings are picked for another round of testing. Tourna offers also a lot of value and Original is crazy good as well but more expensive.... interesting lineup !
rest of the strings(click)
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Tecnifibre Black Code 1.24 and 1.28 review
We have a new winner in group B !
Tried 1.24 gauge in new Tecnifibre TF40 16x19 (but tight pattern) 315g and 1.28 in Angell TC95 16x19 (but open pattern)
I have to say, TF40 16x19 is my new top contender for ultimate racquet of choice (click)
Black code is a 5-sided string with high stiffness rating but quite efficient energy return %. From my experience it's like trying to mix two different personalities. One that is cold and very calculative and second one hot-tempered and bitey
The dominant factor for power level is overall the stiffness while energy return % is like a "limiter" to your input.
How to understand it?
Let's take out the stiffness factor out for a while and focus just on energy return %. Let's say your swing acceleration has a force "input" from 1-10. Energy return % will take that number , adjust accordingly and launch the ball with some added info. The higher the energy return % the more info you are adding, increasing the final output.
Stiffness kinda adjusts the amount of your input and passes it on to energy return % lol
In short:
If you had a "tennis plugins/effects chain" it would look like this:
Your clean power just before the ball touches the strings (input 1) -> stiffness rating (increasing or decreasing input) -> energy return % ( how much of this input do you want to let through or maybe even add more signal?) -> final output
So if you look at for example Luxilon Original - It is relatively stiff (213 stiffness rating) with 85 % energy return which is making it a very very control oriented string. The amount of energy return combined with stiffness are encouraging me to speed up my swing because low energy return is keeping me safe from pushing the ball out. - it's more difficult to hit a too short ball than too long.
Now back to Black Code (let's start from 1.28 gauge) - stiffness is quite high at 250 with energy return at 87%. All I can say is that the performance is very interesting.
I noticed that there is a perfect sweet spot of my initial input (how hard I try to swing) where the ball is very heavy, controlled with rather linear response. The stiffness provides control but energy return is giving me the performance and actually I would say Black Code is a very comfortable string with a nice dwell time and pocketing sensation.
I can FEEL it. If I can feel something then I can adjust to it from shot to shot and replicate on demand
To me - that's actually a very good quality because it teaches you to play "in the zone" and "learn" your swing. Look at Djokovic or Medvedev - they are not the attackers, they just contantly hit their targets and make it look easy. So relaxed but manages to play very deep over and over again. Black Code to me is for a playstyle like this.
Launch control is perfect. I was not surprised by anything. String listened to me and my intentions
It felt much more comfortable than Luxilon Original and Tourna Silver 7 Tour.
I can see why there are many brands trying to copy this formula (without pointing fingers)
I think Millman in the interview once said he prefers Black Code over Luxilon Alu Power because he is getting the same top performance BUT in a more comfortable package.
I usually prefer control oriented strings so no surprise that I am enjoying Black Code. I would prefer Black Code to be a bit more "tempered" (not sure if that's a good world?) so I could go a little bit crazy from time to time or so it could let me slow down my swing (push the ball) when under much bigger pressure. On the other hand it pushes me to play good.
1.24 Black Code is like a thinner brother of 1.28 gauge lol. Everything pretty much the same just "more".
So a bit more power, a bit more spin potential. Which one is better? For me it's down to string-racquet combination. People were noticing quite a lot of spin from my TF40 with 1.24 Black Code.
Compared to Mayami Big Spin (which was so far the leader in group B) Black Code has much more linear response with a bit more connected feel and better volleys while Big Spin is an ultimate spin machine.
Similar strings from different brands:
Solinco Confidential (Black Code has better tension maintenance and longer playability duration with control, rest is very similar)
Head Lynx Tour (Black Code is more comfortable, Lynx Tour has less power, rest is similar)
Mayami Hepta Power (Black Code less power, Hepta Power more comfort, rest is similar)
Griekspoor is using it and managed to win 8 record-breaking challengers in one season with his endorsed TFight RS305 18x19
Compared to Tecnifibre Razor Code:
Razor Code offers even more feel,comfort and a bit more power with bigger "sweet spot" but a bit less spin.
I'm not sure which one I prefer Razor Code or Black Code - depends on the racquet.
RATING: 7.3
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go to strings list (click)
so solinco confidential has the most power ?@galapagos Here you go. I can only compare 4 at a time, so I grabbed the 4 you mentioned. If you want to see them compared to Tour Hex, I can do 2 graphs of Tour Hex with 2 others. Let me know if you want to see that.
In angells my overall favourites were tourna silver 7 tour, luxilon original, signum pro firestorm, volkl cyclone, solinco confidential, Alu powe ice blue - everything in 1.30
I can see it as a great string but so far the only square-shaped strings I "liked" and "remembered as something good/interesting" were from Solinco. Overall might not be my favourite shape to be honest. I've heard Solinco is indeed 5-sided which makes sense. Biggest challenge for a 4-sided string is launch angle, touch shots and volleys.
Just to add in my experience as I've played with Volkl V Square for a while and almost switched to it full time (albeit in a hybrid capacity).
I trust smithie on this - he is a great playtester
I've also heard from other friends that this string can be mushy.
i've playtested it like month ago. Now I noticed that I never updated my reviews...
So I guess tomorrow another review alert hmm??? xd
I strung it in my Tfight ISO 305 at 22/22kg and I would probably go 22/21 next time to find maybe a bit more of this pocketing sensation? @dandan.tennis
Have you managed to get a set?
Yes please, and I’d love your opinion on pro line evolution.
nope xd i am asking you, fellow testers xd
Tell please what strings your favourite now and what strings you using?
but when its fresh,, it has it all.. precision control with massive power and RPM spin.
solico confidential looks like the best string here in this group. what the heck is Stability category ??@galapagos Here you go. I can only compare 4 at a time, so I grabbed the 4 you mentioned. If you want to see them compared to Tour Hex, I can do 2 graphs of Tour Hex with 2 others. Let me know if you want to see that.
It's good but not in all categories
can you tell us the reasons why you prefer those over confidential ?? More power ? More spin ? what about head hawk power ?
Hawk Touch is a sleeper, one of best poly strings for feel/touch in my opinion
Confidential was very good in speed pro, reason why I tested it in my artengo
I've been searching for a string that plays as good for just 5 hours and can't find it.
try weiscannon mosquito bite in either red/blue, tier one black knight
have you tried hyper g?, how about the nnew string restring zero= everyone who uses it says it last very longest- the longest for any string.
I've tried Hyper G, Cyclone Tour, and V Square. But I haven't tried Restring Zero or Tour Sniper. I'm actually kind of interested in Tour Sniper. Might give it a try soon.
tier one black knight has NO power, and spin also isn't as good as alu power
I like hawk touch as well but the feel was a bit too weird.
That's why I like it
Tried red code @ 55lbs in Angel tc 100. Much preferable to Black Code for me. Super comfy and predictable. It's got a slick surface as well which is nice! Its a great string.Time for another string review- Tecnifibre Red Code 1.30 !
Wohoo , this string is cool ! What makes it special ? Comfy feel but at the same time ultimate control.
I admit that this is not my first experience with Red Code. I used it in many other racquets: Blade, Pro staff 95 S , Angell TC95 18x20, Head IG prestige mp, Yonex Ezone.... It's a great round profile string that is very honest with you but at the same time not brutal.
Interesting thing is that in my life I had few setups (specific racquet+ string) that offered me BIGGEST spin ever. One setup was Pro Staff 95 S with Red Code, another was IG prestige MP with Red Code, another was IG Speed MP (18x20) with Alu Power, and another was with Ezone Dr 98 + Alu Power Rough.
No other setups offered me more spin with still so much control. Maybe TC95 16x19 with Mayami Big Spin or Volkl Cyclone.
So, why this is not my ultimate string ? Well it's because as you may notice, this magic combination was used with low SW racquets and the magic kinda disappeared with my higher SW racquets and overall I prefer my current specs (spin is not always everything). It was still my main choice in my 18x20 TC95 SW 335 but now switched to 16x19 pattern.
It is a control oriented string (it made 16x15 pattern play like a tight 16x19) and offers great connection with the ball. The feel is really addictive and I think that if Tecnifibre offered this string in some other color options then it might be more popular than it is currently.
It is control oriented but definitely not dead/boardy. This is a magic combination for every round string. It usually means that the string is responsive without trampoline effect (more spin but still amazing control).
The response consistency is at the top lvl ! I think that the consistency is even better than Alu Power and definitely hold tension longer (better value). Alu Power (blue) on the other hand plays a bit better in my higher SW racquets. If we compare prices then Red Code is the winner
I give this string a 7.1 rating. The value is great, it performs amazingly in lighter racquet setups , in heavier sticks I think I would prefer something even more bite or less power. Its a great tournament string with amazing touch. One of the best round string on the market and very comfortable for the control it offers. I am not a big fan of red color. May suit racquets like Prestige MP, Dunlop CX200 tour, Radical MP, Yonex Vcore Pro, Wilson Pro Staff. SW between 310-323. Just my opinion
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