Volkl V torque tour play experiments

[Wolfessis]

I'm trying volkl v torque tour in some different setups and thought I'd post about it here along with how they play.

I'm setting it up in 2 frames to begin with.

Main traits I am looking/hoping for:

-High spin potential
-Good amount of stringbed pocketing
-Controlled and predictable stringbed but with access to decent power when it's needed
-Good feel and relative power ratio for touch shots

Bonus: decent longevity of string life

Frame #1
Head Radical Pro 2021

Main: Volkl V-torque tour 1.30/16 @ 55lb
Cross: Volkl V-torque tour 1.20/18 @ 55lb

I'm expecting the crosses to loosen up more than the mains which will be ideal.

Frame #2
Yonex Vcore 95 2018
Main: Volkl V-torque tour 1.30/16 @ 56lb
Cross: Yonex Poly Tour Fire 1.25/17 @ 52.5lb

Next restring will switch the cross for v torque tour 1.25/17.

From TW string data I'm expecting the crosses to settle approx 2 pounds looser than the mains. Hoping the mains don't end up loosening more than the crosses over time. Also hoping the cross stays slick and the main glides well over it for a decent length of time, and don't get stuck once the outer coating has shaved off.

More details to come

 

[Injured Again]

I didn't have a good experience with V-Torque Tour. It felt mushy and had poor durability. I wrote about it here:

V-Torque Tour

My order of Tourna Big Hitter Silver 7 Tour is backordered a few days, and with probably 15 hours on the string already and still not having tested V-Torque Tour, I decided to restring tonight. I purchased a set of the 1.20 thickness V-Torque Tour some time ago. It has minimal coil memory and...

tt.tennis-warehouse.com

 

[Wolfessis]

Frame #1
Head Radical Pro 2021

Main: Volkl V-torque tour 1.30/16 @ 55lb
Cross: Volkl V-torque tour 1.20/18 @ 55lb

Played pretty well, quite powerful but a bit too much so with the launch angle. I think cause the cross strings lost more tension. Mains felt fine though. Next attempt I will string the cross an additional 1-1.5lb tighter to see what that is like.

Have strung up my 2nd radical with 1.30 in the main and 1.25 in the cross of the v torque tour both at 55lb. I suspect the tension maintenance for the 1.25 will settle better with the 1.30 in the main. Also I think the slightly lower launch angle from this will suit my stroke mechanics better.

Frame #2
Yonex Vcore 95 2018
Main: Volkl V-torque tour 1.30/16 @ 56lb
Cross: Yonex Poly Tour Fire 1.25/17 @ 52.5lb

This was a good combo just a little stiff on harder balls, undoubtedly due to the cross string.

 

[Wolfessis]

I didn't have a good experience with V-Torque Tour. It felt mushy and had poor durability. I wrote about it here:

V-Torque Tour

My order of Tourna Big Hitter Silver 7 Tour is backordered a few days, and with probably 15 hours on the string already and still not having tested V-Torque Tour, I decided to restring tonight. I purchased a set of the 1.20 thickness V-Torque Tour some time ago. It has minimal coil memory and...

tt.tennis-warehouse.com

The 1.20 doesn't have very good tension maintenance in comparison to the 1.25 and especially Vs the 1.30. Seems to be a common consensus among ppl that like this string on the boards here, and matches my experience. Tension maintenance on the 1.30 and the 1.25 is actually pretty good I've found in the past, especially the 1.30. With the 1.20 though which you reviewed, the tension maintenance is indeed not good.

That being said the 1.30 and 1.25 still lose more tension initially than a lot of other strings do before they settle, after which the tension maintenance and string reactivity I've found to actually be really good. Definitely needs to be strung 3-5lb higher than many other popular strings (depending on what you're comparing it to) when choosing your tensions though, to account for this initial drop off.

Have you tried the 1.25 or 1.30? Worth trying with these tension adjustment in mind, but the lower launch angle may not suit your strokes in the reverse way that 1.20 gauge doesn't suit mine.

 

[Chairman3]

Do you intend to comapre it to regular V-Torque?
I have played with that one and thought it was pretty good. Good spin, decent tension maintenance, not bad feel, not too stiff
I think Volkl goes overboard with their "Tour" versions and ruins the regular string.
Cyclone v. Cyclone Tour is my evidence, i think most prefer Cyclone. I didn't care for cyclone tour

 

[Injured Again]

Have you tried the 1.25 or 1.30? Worth trying with these tension adjustment in mind, but the lower launch angle may not suit your strokes in the reverse way that 1.20 gauge doesn't suit mine.

I haven't tried either of those gauges. I tried the V-Torque Tour early on after adopting the SW104 and I needed the thinner gauge to compensate for the much denser stringbed pattern. I have come to find that a denser stringbed offsets tension loss somewhat but not enough for how much tension the V-Torque Tour lost in that gauge.

Sounds like you're having good luck with it. If so, you could probably also move to other Volkl strings like V-Square or Cyclone Tour without much problem. They all have that softer, cushioned response that is pretty much the same as V-Torque Tour.

 

[Wolfessis]

I haven't tried v-square but I have tried both cyclone in a variety of gauges and cyclone tour in 1.30. Wasn't a fan of cyclone tour, in comparison to V-torque tour the cyclone tour *was* too mushy, too powerful and lost tension too quickly for me. It has great spin to begin with though. Slightly more than the V-torque tour...but at the expense of literally everything else.

V torque tour I preferred over cyclone though because it had just as much or more spin, was much more comfortable, still has good feel, good power but not too much like cyclone tour..but most importantly in comparison to cyclone, it has what feels like a stable gradient of force to power ratio, whereas with cyclone I found touch shots to be suuuuuper weird and not at all a relatively stable gradient. That was on a different frame though so that could make a difference. And I used multis when I was younger with a low power frame so a responsive stringbed for touch shots was familiar. But beyond that it balances great comfort with good feel and pocketing.

I actually find the new radical pro to play quite similar to 18x19 racquets, it has a super dense stringbed and doesn't play like any other 16x19 I've used before. It feels like a half way point between a 16x19 and 18x20 including with the launch angle.

If you end up trying v torque tour I wouldn't be surprised if you would find the 1.30 mains and 1.25 crosses to actually work pretty well regardless of the denser pattern (a full bed of 1.30 would most likely be too much)...unless you don't like low launch angles, then you're screwed lol.

Just remember to up the tension of them both by about 3.5-5lb from what you're used to lol otherwise they will stabilise too loose and feel ****

 

[Wolfessis]

Review of head radical with 1.30 in the main and 1.25 in the cross of the v torque tour both at 55lb.

This was good to start but it got too loose after about a week, especially for slice blocking heavy balls like on serve or hard shots (especially on damp synthetic grass).

I'm beginning to think V-torque tour needs to be strung with tension ranges like it's a synthetic gut.

I've also come across some information that the head radical pro needs to be strung with a bigger differential between main and crosses due to the shape of the frame (long mains but shorter cross strings).

Next attempt with V-torque tour 1.25 (I've run out of 1.30) I'm trying M61/C57. I'm hoping this curbes the power of the strings once they loosen, while the 4p differential ensures the sweet spot doesn't get small and that there retains decent string pocketing.

Will post again after its strung and been played with a few times.

 

[Trip]

@Wolfessis - Did you ever arrive at a final assessment of V-Torque Tour? I'm mulling over getting into more Volkl poly other than Cyclone, and just curious to get people's opinions who have tried it in various setups. Thanks in advance!

 

[Chairman3]

@Wolfessis - Did you ever arrive at a final assessment of V-Torque Tour? I'm mulling over getting into more Volkl poly other than Cyclone, and just curious to get people's opinions who have tried it in various setups. Thanks in advance!

I like regular v-torque, good feel for a shaped string and seemed to last above average for a poly.
Also like v-pro, and I think it's been on sale for like $8 for awhile. Basic round poly but good all-rounder.

 

[Wolfessis]

@Wolfessis - Did you ever arrive at a final assessment of V-Torque Tour? I'm mulling over getting into more Volkl poly other than Cyclone, and just curious to get people's opinions who have tried it in various setups. Thanks in advance!

I haven't yet but I'm actually planning to string this up again in two of my 16x19 V8 blades tomorrow, the 1.25mm cause I have a reel of it just sitting there.

The problem with this string is that it has an extremely large initial tension drop off, especially in gauges less than 1.30. Even in the 1.30mm its still a lot. What I'm not certain of yet is just how bad the tension maintenance is after this initial drop off, so whether you can counterbalance by stringing significantly higher. I havent strung it high enough to properly know this tbh.

Stringing it 55lb for me unfortunately was just too low, it felt good in its first break in period but then not long after it just became too responsive and difficult to control against hard hitters & servers even when getting plenty of slice; this defensive gameplay is a strength of mine.

I've always thought this poly played kind of like a hybrid in feel of a multi power, with poly spin. Its just so springy and responsive. But again...that drop off period...even stringing it in a 18x20 V8 blade at 55lb it just sharply declined early.

So I plan this time to string it @ 62lb to try and counteract that initial drop and see how it goes... & to make sure I let it sit for at least 24 hours after its strung b4 playing, to let the tension on the strings settle.

I still think this string could have a lot of potential. It plays with the amazing consistency of a round string but with more spin, it just really needs its power curbed so hopefully this will work without the first 1-2 hours of play sucking from being strung so high lol.

 

[Wolfessis]

I've strung this up in 1 of my blades and ended up stringing at 61lb.

No need to make a differential between main and cross like I did previously with 2021 head radical pro; that was necessary due to that frame being super weirdly tight in the cross strings which forced me to drop cross tension in every setup on it otherwise it'd be weirdly stiff and underpowered.

 

[Wolfessis]

Sooooo even strung at 61lb dammmmm this string. It just still has too much pop for me. And launch angle too high. It worked well in the tecnifibre 305 RS cause that frame seemed to significantly reduce string power despite having good plow through. And it was an 18x19 so inherent lower launch angle. But it is just so hard to control in a 16x19 blade. Sure I can control it fine if I intentionally hold off on my power and hit slow strokes, but then less acceleration and less spin so...Makes it impossible to use with speed and power.

Play test was a fail. I think the 1.25mm version just kinda sucks tbh unless in very specific frames; with tight patterns and very very low power.

I know the 1.30mm is a different story and whilst still powerful its not excessively so, plus has a lower launch angle.

I actually found a half set of 1.30mm VTT I completely forgot I had and I'm currently in two minds as to how to use it.

Option #1: VTT 1.30mm in main and Poly Tour Fire 1.25mm in cross
Option #2: Head Lynx Tour 1.30mm in main and VTT 1.30mm in cross; VTT is actually very slippery, soft, and its edges aren't at all aggressive.

I'm thinking option 2 is honestly probably the better way to go because Fire likely holds its tension better than VTT thus will likely eventually become kinda weird.
Any thoughts @Trip ? If you ever decide to try the VTT I recommend only using the 1.30mm; similar to cyclone tour the 1.25mm just has a lot of issues.

 

[Trip]

Thanks for the update. Yeah, I've migrated away from any poly that doesn't hold tension, resist notching and play super predictably for at least 10-12 hours, minimum. I haven't tried VTT 1.30, so can't comment, but I'll keep my expectations in check if/when I do.

 

[Wolfessis]

Thanks for the update. Yeah, I've migrated away from any poly that doesn't hold tension, resist notching and play super predictably for at least 10-12 hours, minimum. I haven't tried VTT 1.30, so can't comment, but I'll keep my expectations in check if/when I do.

Would you be willing to share which polys meet these requirements? <3

 

[Trip]

Would you be willing to share which polys meet these requirements? <3

Sure thing.

The most notch-resistant:
Gamma Ocho
Grapplesnake Tour M8
Head Hawk
Pro's Pro Concept

Not quite as notch-resistant, but excellent otherwise:
Grapplesnake Tour Sniper
IsoSpeed Grey Fire, Cream
Kirschbaum Max Power
Mayami Tour Hex
MSV Focus Hex, Co-Focus
Signum Pro Poly Plasma, Plasma Hexstreme
Solinco *anything*
Tier One *anything*
YTEX Square-X, Penta Power

 

[Wolfessis]

Cool thanks, I'm definitely going to try the plasma hexstreme cause it's on the site I'm ordering from.
And am keen to order some Mayami strings too.

Any opinion on which is more comfortable between solinco confidential and revolution?

Also have you tried head sonic pro edge 1.25mm? I would say it meets the requirements you are looking for. It's quite different to sonic pro. I was quite impressed with it's durability. Plays similar to a round string with more spin, the edges arent overly pronounced. It's also very comfortable. I like to start it out without a dampener then once it has its initial tension loss after a couple of hours play, wack one on to tighten up the stringbed a bit.

I think it gave me about a solid 10 hours of quality playtime but honestly I need to give it a few more test runs. I strung at 55/54.5.

This was before I beefed up my frame somewhat though so not sure how it will perform with the significantly increased SW. It's possible will be too powerful but considering how comfortable it was, I could just increase tension by 1.5lb.

 

[alexsoin]

I'm using Volkl Torque Tour 1.30mm ATW full bed @53 lbs (no pre-stretch, constant electronic pull) in my Yonex Vcore 95 (2021). Really like this setup, it provides a nice blend of pop, control, spin, comfort, durability, tens maintenance and matches the racket perfectly imo.