Which Arm friendly string?

D

DEW

New User
i'm looking for a new string too.
My elbow starting acting up on me after I restrung with Hyper G soft @53#.
its wierd because that string didn't hurt it on the previous set.

Anyway I was looking for an arm friendly (elbow friendy) Hybrid or going to pure gut.
I am an upper 4.0 , 58 yo, hard hitter needing control and uses a Yonex VC Pro - HD

what would you recommend?
 
First off, I presume you've tried reducing tension and/or gauge of full-bed HGS, before looking to move on?

If full-bed poly is still first preference, I'd look at something like Tier One Black Knight 18G or Tour Status 18G, or YTEX Square-X if you don't mind a 16L gauge. Any of those will have very close playability and tension maintenance versus full bed HGS, all while being easier on your arm (usually).

If that doesn't cut it, I would look first at a softer poly/poly hybrid, namely one of the above mains crossed with either 1) Tier One Ghost Wire (soft, great tension maintenance), 2) IsoSpeed Cream (softer, decent tension maintenance) or 3) Yonex Poly Tour Air (softest, moderate tension maintenance). Sampled in that order, one of those may give you enough comfort that you might not need to go to gut/syngut/multi at all.

If that still isn't enough relief, then I would look at a softer, non-sharp poly main, crossed with gut, syn-gut, or a poly "fusion" string like Tecnifibre Triax, RPX or HDMX. With such a soft cross, you might even be able to get away with a more typical (stiff) poly main, perhaps even HGS or regular Hyper-G if it doesn't saw through the cross too quickly. On that note, if string bed longevity is important, I would avoid most softer multi's, as they'll shred fairly quickly. If you need to go even softer, still, then flip the hybrid (poly crosses, non-poly mains).

As a final point of guidance, you can find several real-world examples of setups that would probably work for you by searching out posts by @g4driver.

Hope that helped and best of luck.
 
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How long did you play on it before discomfort?

What were you using previous to the hgs?

Is it cold or got colder where you live?

Have you been hitting late or bad form?

What Trip said, but think about a few of these factors as well to get to the bottom of it.
 
DEW said:
i'm looking for a new string too.
My elbow starting acting up on me after I restrung with Hyper G soft @53#.
its wierd because that string didn't hurt it on the previous set.

Anyway I was looking for an arm friendly (elbow friendy) Hybrid or going to pure gut.
I am an upper 4.0 , 58 yo, hard hitter needing control and uses a Yonex VC Pro - HD

what would you recommend?
Click to expand...

Anytime a player gets an elbow injury or soreness that doesn't go away within a few days, there are things you can and should do.

1) Take a break from tennis for a few days to a week. Your elbow wants you to rest it.
2) While you are taking that break, cut out the poly from your frame. HGS is softer than HG, but the Yonex VC Pro HD is an 18x20 frame with an RDC of 59, so the frame isn't the issue.

@VacationTennis asked some great questions and those are a starting point for me as a stringer when I get a client with an elbow issue. @Trip was kind to mention me. I am by no means alone with advice. There are more well-respected stringers on this forum who deal with clients with TE, GE. Some players have torn tendons like the one I had in the Kobayashi Maru String Scenario Thread (an extreme example of a frequent string breaker with a torn tendon)

I would be extremely hesitant to put any poly (even as a cross with gut) in your frame until you don't have any elbow pain away from the court. Once your elbow doesn't hurt when of the court look for something that isn't going to cause elbow problems going forward. If you aren't a frequent string breaker, I would consider 1.30 VS Gut mains and 1.25 Yonex Poly Air Tour crosses. YPTA is softer than Ghostwire 1.27mm which is what I normally pair with NG mains for many clients, but YPTA will feel softer than Ghostwire. I have several 4.0A (appeal down from 4.5) using VS Gut / GW in 16x19 frames, but your frame is an 18x20 (denser pattern) which is another reason I recommend YPTA over Ghostwire crosses.

This thread is rather long, but my first post gives you the problem I faced and how I solved it for the player, Will Shelley. Will broke 1.30mm HG/ 1.25mm, Head Hawk, every 12 hours like clockwork for two years, then he tore his tendon. Most players who break strings that fast are playing Division One tennis for schools in the PAC 12, ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and the equivalent

Kobayashi Maru String Scenario

The player breaks the Hyper G Mains of a Hyper G 1.30mm/1.25mm Head Hawk set up in his Ai 98 in 12 hours, he now has a serious elbow injury and wants to keep playing but you can't use "poly" or Kelvar. Can you find him a solution with these restrictions: 1) the setup lasts at least 10 hours 2)...
tt.tennis-warehouse.com tt.tennis-warehouse.com

Triax 1.38mm / YPTA 1.25mm solved my riddle for the player in question. Will was bumped to 5.0 in Dec 2020 once again.
 
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@DEW ,
I string that racket for a 33 yr old friend who is as strong a fella and hits as hard as I care to face at my age. He likes 16L Tour Bite at 48lbs. Another friend who is about your age and 5.0 swings the TF 40-305 with 4GS at 48. I have been having fun with 19g Cyclone in a 98 18x20 thin beamed old Volkl Quantum Tour 10 and their small cousins the Tour 10 93" 18x20 including a V-Engine. I'm also hybriding 19g Cyclone with 18g OGSM in tight pattern rackets around 45lbs. And as odd as it sounds I really like 17g Prince Diablo at 57lbs in my Twistpower X97s.

But having had TE I think @g4driver is on the money. I have been TE free a few years and am 9 yrs older than you, but when I experiment too much and my elbow goes sideways I have my own regime to straighten it out including converting to using a pair of POG Tour 107s till everything rights itself. POG 107 4-stripe or PCGs work just as well. Rad OS's don't work for rehab like the POGs do.

Lastly, if you don't string your own rackets, now would be a good time to get a machine and start while you have some time off the courts.
 
DEW said:
i'm looking for a new string too.
My elbow starting acting up on me after I restrung with Hyper G soft @53#.
its wierd because that string didn't hurt it on the previous set.

Anyway I was looking for an arm friendly (elbow friendy) Hybrid or going to pure gut.
I am an upper 4.0 , 58 yo, hard hitter needing control and uses a Yonex VC Pro - HD

what would you recommend?
Click to expand...
I've seen natural gut bring borderline miraculous improvements for local players seeking more arm-friendly string beds through recent years, so I can't argue with the potential benefits of that string. Although it costs more for a set, it's apparently worth it for anybody who needs to keep their arm happy.

I get all the feel and performance I want with syn. gut and this string keeps my arm comfortable even when I'm on the courts every day in the warmer months. Poly plays too dead and clunky for me and a full bed of it (a reputedly "softer" poly tensioned in the low 40's) annihilated my arm a couple years ago after only a couple brief hitting sessions with it. Syn. gut or sometimes even 16 ga. tournament nylon gives me a terrific balance of comfort and performance.

Two syn. guts that play too firm and harsh for me are Prince SG w/Duraflex and Gosen OG Sheep Micro. Prince Original SG is still great - certainly more comfortable that the Duraflex version - and I also sometimes use Volkl Classic or Babolat. Forten Sweet is the softest SG in the family.

If you're go for the softest option available, natural gut is the no-brainer. But if you want something more affordable that's moderately soft and performs pretty well, you might get a decent balance with a syn. gut. I also like them compared with many premium multifibers because the multis can be expensive and not terribly durable - they can fray and/or turn soft rather quickly. I string at home and I love the bang for my buck that I get with syn. guts.
 
Thanks for the advice:
I'm not a big string breaker so I was considering full gut.
Volkyl Icon @ $36, Tonic @$36, or Klip at $30.
any of those any better than the other?

I also like G4's advice on the VS gut main and YPTA. How does that play? I like to get ball pocketing.
I hear good things about the Ghostwire crosses. Will that hurt an arm?

My TE started a few years ago when I changed racquets. I ended up switching back to my Volkyl, then to the Yonex. The Yonex was good on the arm for the last syear but something happened in November after I restrung it. I has hitting a lot of serves when I felt it coming. Then I laid off it for two months, then hit 2 weeks ago and then Saturday for an hour. I can still feel saturdays session.

There are just too many dang choices on strings.
 
DEW said:
Thanks for the advice:
I'm not a big string breaker so I was considering full gut.
Volkyl Icon @ $36, Tonic @$36, or Klip at $30.
any of those any better than the other?

I also like G4's advice on the VS gut main and YPTA. How does that play? I like to get ball pocketing.
I hear good things about the Ghostwire crosses. Will that hurt an arm?

My TE started a few years ago when I changed racquets. I ended up switching back to my Volkyl, then to the Yonex. The Yonex was good on the arm for the last syear but something happened in November after I restrung it. I has hitting a lot of serves when I felt it coming. Then I laid off it for two months, then hit 2 weeks ago and then Saturday for an hour. I can still feel saturdays session.

There are just too many dang choices on strings.
Click to expand...

My favourite NG (and I have yet to try GrappleSnake) is Babolat VS Team 17 (now called Touch I think).
 
DEW said:
Thanks for the advice:
I'm not a big string breaker so I was considering full gut.
Volkyl Icon @ $36, Tonic @$36, or Klip at $30.
any of those any better than the other?

I also like G4's advice on the VS gut main and YPTA. How does that play? I like to get ball-pocketing. I hear good things about the Ghostwire crosses. Will that hurt an arm?
Click to expand...

VS Touch has gotten a bit pricy at $52 a pack, so my .02 is to use Tonic or go with the Klip Uncoated 1.30 mm

Mains: Babolat Touch Tonic Natural Gut 16 /<1.35 String mains or Klip 1.30mm
Crosses: Yonex Poly Tour Air 1.25mm or Ghostwire 1.27mm crosses

If you decide to use 1.25mm Natural Gut mains, use Ghostwire 1.22mm crosses (try to keep the crosses within .05mm of each other if possible)

KLIP Legend Uncoated Natural Gut 16/1.30 String | Tennis Warehouse

www.tennis-warehouse.com www.tennis-warehouse.com

Babolat Touch Tonic Natural Gut 16/<1.35 String | Tennis Warehouse

www.tennis-warehouse.com www.tennis-warehouse.com

Yonex POLYTOUR AIR 16L/1.25 String | Tennis Warehouse

www.tennis-warehouse.com www.tennis-warehouse.com

YPTA only comes in 1.25mm

YPTA is a bit softer than Ghostwire, but NG / GW feels buttery soft in my stiff Pure Aero + frames.

Ghostwire is a very slick and still comfortable round copoly that holds tension very well. About $8 a set. I keep two frames strung with NG/GW during our winter months when we have to play league matches outdoors at night with temps in the 30-40s. (full poly fills like hitting bocce balls when temps are colder than 45 to me)
 
DEW said:
i'm looking for a new string too.
My elbow starting acting up on me after I restrung with Hyper G soft @53#.
its wierd because that string didn't hurt it on the previous set.

Anyway I was looking for an arm friendly (elbow friendy) Hybrid or going to pure gut.
I am an upper 4.0 , 58 yo, hard hitter needing control and uses a Yonex VC Pro - HD

what would you recommend?
Click to expand...
Instead of full gut go prince premier touch extremely soft, much more spin, likely better control, slightly less energy return but similar to gut. $13 instead of $50... Stiffer but still quite low stiffness. Nothing is as extremely low stiff as gut.

Or try polytour air or ghostwire full bed or hybrid...

Premier touch construction is designed to mimic gut btw
 
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DEW said:
i'm looking for a new string too.
My elbow starting acting up on me after I restrung with Hyper G soft @53#.
its wierd because that string didn't hurt it on the previous set.

Anyway I was looking for an arm friendly (elbow friendy) Hybrid or going to pure gut.
I am an upper 4.0 , 58 yo, hard hitter needing control and uses a Yonex VC Pro - HD

what would you recommend?
Click to expand...

GUT / POLY is as good as it gets for health, tension maintenance etc..

Just go 5-7 lbs higher on the GUT mains and something like Ghostwire on the crosses.

MAINS KLIP-16 $30/pack
CROSSES Ghostwire $10/pack

@ 58/55 lbs

2 rackets = $40... $20/racket

Life is 50-100% longer than pure poly for most players so effective cost is $10 - $15/frame when comparing with HGS which is $13/frame I beleive.

Adjustment will take a couple weeks to the feel and getting the confidence to go all out.
 
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Curious, what is the health of your arm worth? As you know, once the discomfort appears, the damage has already been done. The body does not forget.
Older than you, full bed gut here - in a 93 frame - free power, healthy joints, and no constant restringing needed. As many have said, natty G plays so well from the cradle to the grave.
 
Frankc said:
Curious, what is the health of your arm worth? As you know, once the discomfort appears, the damage has already been done. The body does not forget.
Older than you, full bed gut here - in a 93 frame - free power, healthy joints, and no constant restringing needed. As many have said, natty G plays so well from the cradle to the grave.
Click to expand...
It also depends how long before you break full bed NG?
Myself I get about 5 weeks of playing out of two racquets, 5-8h singles per week, on clay.
Other people break it in 1h or in 6 months.

I do have a very good stringer as well, that pre-stretches NG etc.
 
Try a full bed of prince synthetic gut. I'm a 5.0 player and once I feel some slight discomfort in my shoulder I switched completely back from poly to full synthetic gut. I string my own racquets and mainly play doubles so i'll usually get 8 hours of play with some singles mixed in
 
kevonian said:
Try a full bed of prince synthetic gut. I'm a 5.0 player and once I feel some slight discomfort in my shoulder I switched completely back from poly to full synthetic gut. I string my own racquets and mainly play doubles so i'll usually get 8 hours of play with some singles mixed in
Click to expand...
Personally I don't get much control out of full bed multi, is syn gut better?
For 10 years I've used i stead full bed NG for comfort and power.
 
Tecnifibre X-One Biphase or a bit cheaper Babolat Xcel are worth mentioning also.
Used in the past, switched to poly four years, and now switched back after a TE last year...
 
-i would start with putting on a leather grip under your OVERGRIP (to give the racquet a more HL balance than you have now)
-i would also go with any/most multis on the y.vcp.HD, provably about 50lbs

Fintft said:
Personally I don't get much control out of full bed multi, is syn gut better?
For 10 years I've used i stead full bed NG for comfort and power.
Click to expand...
Artanis said:
Tecnifibre X-One Biphase or a bit cheaper Babolat Xcel are worth mentioning also.
Used in the past, switched to poly four years, and now switched back after a TE last year...
Click to expand...
Lorenn said:
Look into Tyler Twists if you haven't already.

I would switch to Head Velocity or Techifibre Triax.
Click to expand...

-nat.gut, multis or syn.gut make sense on this 18/20 racquet
-its a 18/20 pattern racquet that needs "power help" from the string
- @Fintft , i also agree, but with a tight pattern racquet like this one, its all about comfort, not much spin, so a more direct/straight/oldschool shoot would be best
-i like @Lorenn suggestions best, since i really like either of the 2x strings mentioned
 
I get more positive feedback from clients when I use X1 Mains / Velocity Crosses and Triax mains with softer smooth poly crosses like YPTA, Cream, Ghostwire over full beds of X1, NRG2, HDMX, TRIAX. Tecnfibre makes the best family of multis on the planet, but my .02 is you can make them better with specific cross strings in hybrids setups.

reason: velocity Is the slickest multi you can buy due to the coating. poly crosses do the same for Triax. Slicker crosses help from locking stringbeds.

plenty of good choices from other posters. but avoid poly mains and only use softer smooth poly crosses if you use a NG/Poly hybrid.
 

Mayami strings

@faded_lines Good to hear...what tension? Just received VC95 2021 and have to decide which string to start from (firestorm -razor code-TS7T -big spin -tour hex 1.23-hit pro all in 1.25) amazing choice to choose from!
tt.tennis-warehouse.com tt.tennis-warehouse.com
 
Solingo Tour Bite / Vanquish is a great comfortable alternative also...
Gor for the 120 /130 over the 125 /130 if you want max comfort
 
I've got elbow issues and play Bab VS / GW in all my 18x20 frames. Love it.

I can get away with v low tension poly setups but playability doesn't last anywhere near as long as my hybrids. Also find low tension poly a bit unpredictable on volleys/touch shots and I play a lot of dubs.
 
FOUND MY HOLY GRAIL SETUP!
dunlop iconic all 1.30/ghostwire 1.22 @42.5/37lbs
absolutely no discomfort feeding balls all day and usually playing couple times a week. Iconic all is supposed to be dunlop’s updated version of NXT. Durability may not be the best but the pain of restringing beats shoulder/arm pain all day any day. I use dense 16x19 such as v7 blade 98, pure strike 98, 2019 vcp97 310 so the strings don’t break at the same rate as say a pure aero/drive or clash which is simply ridiculous. Poly is great but wrecked my arm.
 
DEW said:
i'm looking for a new string too.
My elbow starting acting up on me after I restrung with Hyper G soft @53#.
its wierd because that string didn't hurt it on the previous set.

Anyway I was looking for an arm friendly (elbow friendy) Hybrid or going to pure gut.
I am an upper 4.0 , 58 yo, hard hitter needing control and uses a Yonex VC Pro - HD

what would you recommend?
Click to expand...
I would recommend trying HG Soft at 40-42 lbs - soft poly don’t change much in performance when you go down to low-forties while they get way more comfortable. Also, cut out HyperG Soft after 15 hours of playing time as it starts going dead around that time - if you don’t break it before that. Most injuries from poly strings are caused by playing at tensions above 50 lbs and/or not cutting them out after 12-15 hours by which time most polys are dead.

Poly is not the string for you if you don’t restring before they break in case you don’t break poly within 15 hours.
 
socallefty said:
I would recommend trying HG Soft at 40-42 lbs - soft poly don’t change much in performance when you go down to low-forties while they get way more comfortable. Also, cut out HyperG Soft after 15 hours of playing time as it starts going dead around that time - if you don’t break it before that. Most injuries from poly strings are caused by playing at tensions above 50 lbs and/or not cutting them out after 12-15 hours by which time most polys are dead.

Poly is not the string for you if you don’t restring before they break in case you don’t break poly within 15 hours.
Click to expand...
HG Soft, softer than Mayami?
 
First off, thanks to everyone who contributes to this thread. Super helpful in my quest for an arm friendly set up.

I recently switched to the PK Black Ace Pro as my main stick and have it strung up with BK 1.23 at 48lbs right now. My golfers elbow hasn’t been bad so far with that set up, but I definitely still notice/feel it a little bit after the fact. I demoed a BAP will a full bed of multi at 58lbs and that was comfortable but I popped those strings in about 4 hours. So…

If I want more durability, will I find more with Triax, RDX, or MultiFeel mains crossed with YPTA? It looks like Triax comes in the thickest gauge (1.38) with RDX is a close second at 1.35 whereas MultiFeel tops out at 1.30.

I’ve got a second BAP on the way that I had TW put a full bed of MultiFeel black in at 55lbs but I’m guessing I’ll brake that pretty quickly. Hope I’m wrong but early signs are the open 16x19 pattern in the BAP eats strings.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts. I’m 4.5 that likes to hit hard and with a lot of spin.
 
BPlain said:
notice/feel it a little bit after the fact. I demoed a BAP will a full bed of multi at 58lbs and that was comfortable but I popped those strings in about 4 hours. So…

If I want more durability, will I find more with Triax, RDX, or MultiFeel mains crossed with YPTA? It looks like Triax comes in the thickest gauge (1.38) with RDX is a close second at 1.35 whereas MultiFeel tops out at 1.30.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts. I’m 4.5 that likes to hit hard and with a lot of spin.
Click to expand...

Triax and RDX are pretty close to each other, except for the price. Triax is great for the elbow while providing decent control and the spin.

This review is very objective and informative:

 
BPlain said:
If I want more durability, will I find more with Triax, RDX, or MultiFeel mains crossed with YPTA? It looks like Triax comes in the thickest gauge (1.38) with RDX is a close second at 1.35 whereas MultiFeel tops out at 1.30. I’m 4.5 that likes to hit hard and with a lot of spin.
Click to expand...

The guy I wrote about in the kobayashi maru thread was bumped to 5.0 after he torn a tendon from golfer's elbow and started using Triax 1.38mm/ YPTA 1.25mm

WIll broke Hyper G 1.30mm (16g) /Head Hawk 1.25mm in 12 hours for two years straight then tour his tendon. Now he has played with Triax 1.38mm/ YPTA for roughly one year and Triax 1.38mm last him as long as Hyper G 1.30mm

I string for a lot of 4.5 and 5.0 guys none of them break strings faster than Will. His name and records are easily found on USTA tennis link.

Kobayashi Maru String Scenario

The player breaks the Hyper G Mains of a Hyper G 1.30mm/1.25mm Head Hawk set up in his Ai 98 in 12 hours, he now has a serious elbow injury and wants to keep playing but you can't use "poly" or Kelvar. Can you find him a solution with these restrictions: 1) the setup lasts at least 10 hours 2)...
tt.tennis-warehouse.com tt.tennis-warehouse.com
 
g4driver said:
The guy I wrote about in the kobayashi maru thread was bumped to 5.0 after he torn a tendon from golfer's elbow and started using Triax 1.38mm/ YPTA 1.25mm

WIll broke Hyper G 1.30mm (16g) /Head Hawk 1.25mm in 12 hours for two years straight then tour his tendon. Now he has played with Triax 1.38mm/ YPTA for roughly one year and Triax 1.38mm last him as long as Hyper G 1.30mm

I string for a lot of 4.5 and 5.0 guys none of them break strings faster than Will. His name and records are easily found on USTA tennis link.

Kobayashi Maru String Scenario

The player breaks the Hyper G Mains of a Hyper G 1.30mm/1.25mm Head Hawk set up in his Ai 98 in 12 hours, he now has a serious elbow injury and wants to keep playing but you can't use "poly" or Kelvar. Can you find him a solution with these restrictions: 1) the setup lasts at least 10 hours 2)...
tt.tennis-warehouse.com tt.tennis-warehouse.com
Click to expand...

Thanks @g4driver. That might be where I ultimately land.
 
DEW said:
i'm looking for a new string too.
My elbow starting acting up on me after I restrung with Hyper G soft @53#.
its wierd because that string didn't hurt it on the previous set.

Anyway I was looking for an arm friendly (elbow friendy) Hybrid or going to pure gut.
I am an upper 4.0 , 58 yo, hard hitter needing control and uses a Yonex VC Pro - HD

what would you recommend?
Click to expand...


Cream or ghost wire
 
BPlain said:
First off, thanks to everyone who contributes to this thread. Super helpful in my quest for an arm friendly set up.

I recently switched to the PK Black Ace Pro as my main stick and have it strung up with BK 1.23 at 48lbs right now. My golfers elbow hasn’t been bad so far with that set up, but I definitely still notice/feel it a little bit after the fact. I demoed a BAP will a full bed of multi at 58lbs and that was comfortable but I popped those strings in about 4 hours. So…

If I want more durability, will I find more with Triax, RDX, or MultiFeel mains crossed with YPTA? It looks like Triax comes in the thickest gauge (1.38) with RDX is a close second at 1.35 whereas MultiFeel tops out at 1.30.

I’ve got a second BAP on the way that I had TW put a full bed of MultiFeel black in at 55lbs but I’m guessing I’ll brake that pretty quickly. Hope I’m wrong but early signs are the open 16x19 pattern in the BAP eats strings.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts. I’m 4.5 that likes to hit hard and with a lot of spin.
Click to expand...

I would consider a poly mains and synthetic gut cross strung pretty close to where you like full bed poly.
 
DEW said:
Thanks for the advice:
I'm not a big string breaker so I was considering full gut.
Volkyl Icon @ $36, Tonic @$36, or Klip at $30.
any of those any better than the other?

I also like G4's advice on the VS gut main and YPTA. How does that play? I like to get ball pocketing.
I hear good things about the Ghostwire crosses. Will that hurt an arm?

My TE started a few years ago when I changed racquets. I ended up switching back to my Volkyl, then to the Yonex. The Yonex was good on the arm for the last syear but something happened in November after I restrung it. I has hitting a lot of serves when I felt it coming. Then I laid off it for two months, then hit 2 weeks ago and then Saturday for an hour. I can still feel saturdays session.

There are just too many dang choices on strings.
Click to expand...

I've been using NG for 3 years since my rotator cuff surgery. NG has better long term playability. My mean is about 3 months. I had one outlier of one month. too many non NG choices.
 
DEW said:
i'm looking for a new string too.
My elbow starting acting up on me after I restrung with Hyper G soft @53#.
its wierd because that string didn't hurt it on the previous set.

Anyway I was looking for an arm friendly (elbow friendy) Hybrid or going to pure gut.
I am an upper 4.0 , 58 yo, hard hitter needing control and uses a Yonex VC Pro - HD

what would you recommend?
Click to expand...
YTex Quadro Twist hands down!
 
@BPlain & @DEW , you're both poly players experiencing arm pain. You know your best first option is to stop playing poly, even as a cross if your arms are hurting, during or after play. This is elementary.

Now ask yourselves, what string plays the most poly-like? It's syn gut. It's stiff and low powered like poly and its functional durability (elasticity and tension) lasts far longer unless you're a string breaker. Extruded, it slides like poly even if you have to finger it back into place. Comparing it to a premium soft copoly, the numbers tell all:

premium Soft CopolyStiffnessTensionSpinEnergyPrice
vs. average Syn Gut​
(lbs./in.)​
Loss %​
Potential​
Return %​
USD​
Solinco Hyper G Soft 16L172295.288$13
Babolat Synthetic Gut 16169175.893$5.50
Difference %​
(2%)(41%)12%6%(58%)

@BPlain, I've played with the Black Ace Pro and loved it strung up at 53# with Babo SG, which gave me all the spin I could ask for. And with that 330 swing-weighted plow thru, impacts felt like buttah.

@DEW, with that 18x20 you'd want a 17 gauge and I frankly don't know which performs best in 17, but I believe @fuzz nation has recommended OGSM 17 as having the best combo of durability and performance.

I'm aware that a full bed of syn gut isn't sexy. But what do you have to lose but pain?
 
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Brando said:
@BPlain & @DEW , you're both poly players experiencing arm pain. You know your best first option is to stop playing poly, even as a cross if your arms are hurting, during or after play. This is elementary.

Now ask yourselves, what string plays the most poly-like? It's syn gut. It's stiff and low powered like poly and its functional durability (elasticity and tension) lasts far longer unless you're a string breaker. Extruded, it slides like poly even if you have to finger it back into place. Comparing it to a premium soft copoly, the numbers tell all:

premium Soft CopolyStiffnessTensionSpinEnergyPrice
vs. average Syn Gut​
(lbs./in.)​
Loss %​
Potential​
Return %​
USD​
Solinco Hyper G Soft 16L172295.288$13
Babolat Synthetic Gut 16169175.893$5.50
Difference %​
(2%)(41%)12%6%(58%)

@BPlain, I've played with the Black Ace Pro and loved it strung up at 53# with Babo SG, which gave me all the spin I could ask for. And with that 330 swing-weighted plow thru, impacts felt like buttah.

@DEW, with that 18x20 you'd want a 17 gauge and I frankly don't know which performs best in 17, but I believe @fuzz nation has recommended OGSM 17 as having the best combo of durability and performance.

I'm aware that a full bed of syn gut isn't sexy. But what do you have to lose but pain?
Click to expand...

Thanks @Brando. I’ve since moved on from the BAP as I’ve found a lower swingweight suits my heavy spin, more whippy forehand best and that’s the stroke I optimize my racket choice for.

Unfortunately, I fall in that string breaker category but will continue to experiment with non-poly setups as well. T1 Black Knight 1.18 seems to play ok with my arm but I’m going to string up a hybrid of T1 Triumph with Cream crosses and see how it feels and how long it lasts.
 
Yeah, @BPlain, being a string breaker kinda' throws a :X3: wrench into the works. You did mention popping a multi strung at 58# in like 4 hours, so I should've known. May I ask your USTA rating? I ask because I've yet to meet a string breaker lower than a 4.5. But if my anecdotal observations are wrong, I'd rather know. Ya know?

(And if that seems too intrusive a question, simply reply "You're right" or "wrong.")
 
Last edited:
Brando said:
Yeah, @BPlain, being a string breaker kinda' throws a :X3: wrench into the works. You did mention popping a multi strung at 58# in like 4 hours, so I should've known. May I ask your USTA rating? I ask because I've yet to meet a string breaker lower than a 4.5. But if my anecdotal observations are wrong, I'd rather know. Ya know?
Click to expand...

I’m a 4.5 so your priors can remain intact :)
 
Copy that. Thanks for the confirm. Maybe your best option is to play the poly and get yourself a string machine? It's what most Thumpers here end up doing to affordably replace their strings in health. They say it's a satisfying craft, a mantra if you will, once you get the hang of it.
 
Brando said:
Copy that. Thanks for the confirm. Maybe your best option is to play the poly and get yourself a string machine? It's what most Thumpers here end up doing to affordably replace their strings in health. They say it's a satisfying craft, a mantra if you will, once you get the hang of it.
Click to expand...

I actually picked one up a few months back for that exact reason. Just put in an HDX 1.24 / Cream 1.23 hybrid to give a shot tomorrow morning. The quest continues…
 
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