Weiss CANNON Silverstring 17g in 2020

AKB

Rookie
Looking for some thoughts on Silverstring 17g compared to options available today. My understanding is that we are in the 4th generation of polyester strings with Luxilon 4G, BHS7T, Confidential etc. Silverstring in that regard is a bit older but still considered to be WC's flagship offering.

Any newer soft polys available with a comparable level of stiffness to SS 17g that holds tension better? Would Tour Bite Soft/Hyper G in a thin gauge compare in any way?
 

RGT

Rookie
Just tried it past few weeks, still a great string! Especially for the money!

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anarosevoli

Semi-Pro
Just strung a racquet with it, a soft string that almost doesn't stretch at all, I believe it still is top choice for tension stability.
 

AKB

Rookie
Agreed on both counts. Have you guys or anyone else tried both Tour Bite Soft in 18g and Silverstring in 17g give me a comparison?

I'll report back later next week once I've given it a shot.
 

boris_graf

New User
I am also wondering if there is a better alternative out there although I am not still satisfied with the string.

In the german string forum the oldest review of the silverstring is from 2007!!! So it is at least 13 years old. Can it really be that nobody, not even much bigger companies were able to develop a better string in such a long time ?
 

AKB

Rookie
I am also wondering if there is a better alternative out there although I am not still satisfied with the string.

In the german string forum the oldest review of the silverstring is from 2007!!! So it is at least 13 years old. Can it really be that nobody, not even much bigger companies were able to develop a better string in such a long time ?

Exactly what came to mind before I started the thread. I think Tour Bite Soft in 17/18g might be a decent alternative based on TW database numbers. Silverstring pocketing is second to none, that feeling is probably hard to replicate whilst bettering tension loss. Stiffness and Tension Loss are inversely proportional to Dwell Time.

Unless...breakthroughs were made with different polymers with the 4th generation. Silverstring has been their flagship since 2007 as you mentioned.
 

AKB

Rookie
What generation is silverstring in your opinion?

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No true way to know since there are no benchmarks but 3rd is my guess. BBO was launched in 1991 if one had to put a number on the beginning of it all.
 

boris_graf

New User
it seems that there is nobody who knows a new string that is better....can it be that this is because not many people in this forum know this string at all? I am from Germany, is the string very popular in North America?
 

AKB

Rookie
I don’t think it’s very popular in North America, I talk to people often about the strings they use and not one locally has mentioned it to me.
 

AKB

Rookie

Looking at those numbers, Tour Bite Soft 18g would be an ideal replacement. Play testing both side by side next week on 2020 Ezone 98s. My complaint with WCSS has always been tension loss and the numbers show a high amount of loss. If Tour Bite Soft 18g plays similar but lasts 1-2 more sessions, that’s worth the 40 USD premium on a reel.
 

boris_graf

New User
interesting numbers. i am surprised by the high tension loss. never considered this as a big problem of the string. and in the german stringforum, the string really performs well in playability duration with a total of 98 reviews. how long do you play with one set?
 

AKB

Rookie
interesting numbers. i am surprised by the high tension loss. never considered this as a big problem of the string. and in the german stringforum, the string really performs well in playability duration with a total of 98 reviews. how long do you play with one set?

Four outings of doubles, about 12 sets. Also get notching in the top third of the sweet spot pretty quickly, maybe by end of day 1 of 4, but I think that’s just a soft poly characteristic.
 

elee3

Rookie
I'm in the same boat, I like Silverstring and mainly looking for something similar but when longer playability. I used 1.20mm Silverstring for several years to the point I don't even remember what I used before it. Back then yeah it maintained playability well compared to whatever was out there. I've moved onto Kirschbaum Pro Evolution for the past year, strung at about 5% less tension than Silverstring gets roughly similar control and power, but still feels a little stiffer than Silverstring at 5% less tension. Silverstring I get about 10-12 hours of good playability and breaks in about 15 hours of play. Pro Evolution I get about 12-16 hours of good playability and breaks in about 24 hours.

Another string I've been eye balling to try out in the future is the Gosen G-Tour 1 1.25mm. I used the Gosen G-Tour 3 1.23mm which is a softer and more powerful version of the G-Tour 1. G-Tour 3 was way more powerful and muted compared to Silverstring, need to string about 8% more tension to compensate for that. G-Tour 3 I get about maybe 1 or 2 extra hours of good playability over Pro Evolution with about same durability, but it didn't have the control I get with either Silverstring or Pro Evolution so I only use G-Tour 3 during winter when it goes under 60F. Still got 2 reels of Pro Evolution before I try out G-Tour 1.
 
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AKB

Rookie
Tried TB Soft 18 at 44 lbs, it’s much stiffer than expected. Stiffer than WCSS 17 at 45 lbs. Not comparable in my opinion, will be giving it one more day of play. I see myself ordering a reel of WCSS 17 and forgetting about it for a while.
 

RGT

Rookie
Maybe RS Lyon is worth a try? I seem to remember that it was low powered/control oriented with great pocketing and feel. Might try it myself sometime soon. Just strung my racket up with kirschbaum max power 1.25. Also a similar string to silverstring but noticeably stiffer/less dwell time. Tension maintenance is great so far though.

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AKB

Rookie
Maybe RS Lyon is worth a try? I seem to remember that it was low powered/control oriented with great pocketing and feel. Might try it myself sometime soon. Just strung my racket up with kirschbaum max power 1.25. Also a similar string to silverstring but noticeably stiffer/less dwell time. Tension maintenance is great so far though.

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Thanks for the recommendation, ordered a reel of WCSS 17g this morning and called it a day. Realizing there’s nothing like it 13 years later.
 
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mpournaras

Hall of Fame

Looking at those numbers, Tour Bite Soft 18g would be an ideal replacement. Play testing both side by side next week on 2020 Ezone 98s. My complaint with WCSS has always been tension loss and the numbers show a high amount of loss. If Tour Bite Soft 18g plays similar but lasts 1-2 more sessions, that’s worth the 40 USD premium on a reel.
Speaking from experience... Tour Bite Soft 18 holds tension for less than 6 hours. It is marvelous in that time however. But when it goes... it goes bad.
 

LOBALOT

Hall of Fame
I string it all the time as crosses in multi/poly or gut/poly hybrids. It is great string for that purpose.
 

Shangri La

Hall of Fame
I used SS for a few years as my go-to string and liked it a lot. Switched to RS Lyon for more enhanced feel though sometimes I miss the crispness of SS. Another string I recently tried and liked a lot is Max Power.
 

jugheadfla

Semi-Pro
Is SS a shaped string? I just strung up a set and clip off a piece of it and looking at it closely, magnified with my camera, it seems like it has some edged. The problem is that it is hard to tell because of the almost white color. None of the tech specs seem to hint at whether it is round or shaped.
 

AKB

Rookie
Reel finished, enjoyed it and ordering again soon. Anyone tried Isospeed Cream and can compare to WCSS 17?
 

LOBALOT

Hall of Fame
I have tried both in crosses to gut. I think Cream is not as slick. It also starts out softer but dies deader/more stiff and gets even less slick.

Meanwhile when WCSS 17 dies it gets more lively but maintains its comfort and slippery surface.

I use Ghostwire but most of the more advanced players I string for prefer WCSS 17.
 
Interested in hearing about similar string as well.


Looking at those numbers, Tour Bite Soft 18g would be an ideal replacement. Play testing both side by side next week on 2020 Ezone 98s. My complaint with WCSS has always been tension loss and the numbers show a high amount of loss. If Tour Bite Soft 18g plays similar but lasts 1-2 more sessions, that’s worth the 40 USD premium on a reel.

Tour Bite Soft is not "it". I tried it recently and it is a much stiffer string. Maybe I will try the Gosen G-tour 1 next.

I am surprised at the apparent loss of tension though. Never had that problem, and I am quite sensitive to that (I string my racquets at 21 kgs).

:cool:
 
I've used both Cream 17 and WCSS 17 in my crosses with gut as well. IMHO I find Cream to be more slick and softer than WCSS, and it's easier to string as well since it's more flexible. Cream pockets the ball better and is a bit more livelier/powerful than WCSS when initially strung at same tensions. I loved using WCSS, but in my stiff 18x20 racquet, it started to give me slight elbow pain, so I switched to Cream which seems much more arm friendly. Both have very good tension maintenance, but I think WCSS is a bit better in that regard, and it stays a bit more consistent over the life of the string. WCSS is slightly more expensive than Cream. Both are great strings.
 

JOSHL

Hall of Fame
From your original post I would suggest Ghost Wire. Soft, better tension maintenance. It won’t have that crisp feel that silver strings have though. I use it as a cross for shaped poly mains, silver 7 tour or FireWire.
 

LOBALOT

Hall of Fame
I've used both Cream 17 and WCSS 17 in my crosses with gut as well. IMHO I find Cream to be more slick and softer than WCSS, and it's easier to string as well since it's more flexible. Cream pockets the ball better and is a bit more livelier/powerful than WCSS when initially strung at same tensions. I loved using WCSS, but in my stiff 18x20 racquet, it started to give me slight elbow pain, so I switched to Cream which seems much more arm friendly. Both have very good tension maintenance, but I think WCSS is a bit better in that regard, and it stays a bit more consistent over the life of the string. WCSS is slightly more expensive than Cream. Both are great strings.

It is interesting that our experiences were almost the exact opposite. I wonder if the density fo the string pattern is factor. I play with a 16x19.

I agree both strings are great options for crosses and should be considered for crosses to gut.
 

Happi

Hall of Fame
I have always prefered Cyber Flash 1.20 over Silverstring 1.20 - but that’s an old string too. GW is another good option.
 

SamBruin7

Rookie
Silverstring is okay, does a lot of things like control, spin, feel but nothing really great. I like Weisscanon's Scorpion better. It's similar but has more power and way better feel. Both maintain tension and playability very well.
 

LOBALOT

Hall of Fame
Silverstring is okay, does a lot of things like control, spin, feel but nothing really great. I like Weisscanon's Scorpion better. It's similar but has more power and way better feel. Both maintain tension and playability very well.

I try to string with a variety of cross strings depending on what my pals prefer. Softer options like Isospeed Cream and WCSS work well. For a medium stiffness string I prefer Tourna Big Hitter Silver as a cross. It plays a tad softer than scorpion but is more slick and is 1/2 the price so you may want to give that a try.
 

Elijah202

New User
Just tried it past few weeks, still a great string! Especially for the money!

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Does this string have specific brand marker/brand name fine print on the string? I bought a reel it felt like those cheap polys without any labels on the string. I just wanted to verify if I received the right kind before I talk to Amazon.
 
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