Wilson Ultra Tour 2.0 string advice?

[RF_PRO_STAFF]

Hey guys,

I'm getting in a Wilson Ultra Tour 2.0 soon. I plan on adding a leather grip to it, Head XtremeSoft overgrip without overlap on top of leather grip and regular Wilson Pro overgrip on top of that. The no overlap, thin and soft Head overgrip to make the leather grip more bearable for my hand. I will add lead tape to the frame depending on the specs it comes with.

The strings I have in my collection at the moment are:
-Tecnifibre NRG2 1.32 black
-Yonex Rexis 1.25 black
-Solinco Confidential 1.25
-Solinco Confidential 1.20
-Solinco Confidential 1.15
-Solinco Hyper G Soft 1.20
-Solinco Tour Bite Soft 1.20
-Volkl Cyclone Tour 1.20 red

I would like to use a hybrid in this frame because it's low powered and has the 18x20 pattern, so less spin potential than I'm used to.
I was thinking either Solinco Tour Bite Soft 1.20 or Solinco Confidential 1.20 in the mains with Tecnifibre NRG2 1.32 black in the crosses.

Could this be a good idea or do you think this won't work well? (All the poly strings I have are textured/twisted so I'm not sure) I'm quite new to hybrids. What I'm looking to get out of the racket is to make it more lively and make it have some spin potential.
If you have any other ideas or advice on which strings to use with this racket, I'm very open to it. Let me know your thoughts.

 

[SCSI]

I have tried hybrid in both ways on this racket. I much preferred it with NRG2 or alike on the main (and Alu Power on the cross). It's a pretty comfortable and generally solid setup. However, this is not a particular powerful or spin friendly racket, so with this setup, I got considerably less spin and ball movement than my usual weapon of choice, iPrestige XL. I really enjoyed playing with the Ultra Tour 2.0 but I think my opponents enjoyed my balls which didn't seem to bother them much. I then strung it with Hyper-G 17 to get more spin. But, it seemed to be a bit too jarring, which surprised me, since I thought this was a fairly flexible racket. I think I read someone say something to this effect on this forum as well.

So... I would like to get others' thoughts on this, since I do really like the racket and I got three of them. I may string with some kind of poly at much lower tension and see if it works better for me.

 

[bogdan101]

If you use a hybrid, try poly in the mains; this is not a low powered racquet.

 

[gebruikershaes]

I have tried hybrid in both ways on this racket. I much preferred it with NRG2 or alike on the main (and Alu Power on the cross). It's a pretty comfortable and generally solid setup. However, this is not a particular powerful or spin friendly racket, so with this setup, I got considerably less spin and ball movement than my usual weapon of choice, iPrestige XL. I really enjoyed playing with the Ultra Tour 2.0 but I think my opponents enjoyed my balls which didn't seem to bother them much. I then strung it with Hyper-G 17 to get more spin. But, it seemed to be a bit too jarring, which surprised me, since I thought this was a fairly flexible racket. I think I read someone say something to this effect on this forum as well.

So... I would like to get others' thoughts on this, since I do really like the racket and I got three of them. I may string with some kind of poly at much lower tension and see if it works better for me.

I use an Ultra Tour v2 and have it strung with hyper G. I used to play with Alu Power but that hurt my arm even in this flexible frame. I don’t find the hyper G to be jarring at all. Except on off center hits it can feel pretty harsh. I use the 19 gauge at 24kg and it feels pretty plush and flexy but still with tons of control. I’m ordering some solinco confidential and tour bite to test and will settle on one of these 3 strings.
This racquet has a pretty tight 18x20 pattern. Much tighter than for example a 18x20 blade. So I would suggest you use a string that has good spin potential. With the 19 gauge hyper G you can really see the felt fly off the ball at impact. Which is amazing. I bought these frames strung with Volkl cyclone but I didn’t like it. Don’t know what the fuzz is about with this string but to me it just felt mediocre. No great feel no power and not a lot of spin either. Hyper G has no feel or power but at least it has spin.

If you use a hybrid, try poly in the mains; this is not a low powered racquet.

Despite what the name suggest this is a low powered racquet. Other frames in the ultra line are high powered but this one isn’t. I leaded mine up to about 350g strung so it has good plow through and with full fast swing I can get some decent pop but nothing like my 2013 blade for example. Which isn’t a powerful frame either.

 

[MAPE]

Try Tier One FireWire 1.25. Pretty lively and a lot of controlled spin. I tried it in a Wilson nBlade MP and it really transformed the racquet. The grip on the ball is amazing!!

 

[bogdan101]

Despite what the name suggest this is a low powered racquet. Other frames in the ultra line are high powered but this one isn’t. I leaded mine up to about 350g strung so it has good plow through and with full fast swing I can get some decent pop but nothing like my 2013 blade for example. Which isn’t a powerful frame either.

Oops, my mistake; I somehow thought this was about the Pro Tour 2.0. The Ultra Tour is indeed a low powered racquet.

 

[SCSI]

It is all relative and what you are used to. I haven't tried lowering the tension or other polys, which I will do next. Actually, funny MAPE suggests the Tier One Firewire. I just was looking at one on my other i.Prestige and I thought I should try that on my Ultra Tour v2.

To me this is a very good racket, but I need to find a good setup to make it more of a weapon. A small difference in power and spin can mean losing a match. This is a very good control racket and it is up there with i.Prestige XL but it does not quite have that extra kick from the extra length and flex from the XL. I have tinkered with lead a bit, but I need to find a way to make it more powerful and spin friendly.

I use 17 gauge Hyper-G. Not sure if I want to go any thinner on this frame. Of course, I may just need to get used to using this setup and find a way to swing harder and faster.

 

[gebruikershaes]

It is all relative and what you are used to. I haven't tried lowering the tension or other polys, which I will do next. Actually, funny MAPE suggests the Tier One Firewire. I just was looking at one on my other i.Prestige and I thought I should try that on my Ultra Tour v2.

To me this is a very good racket, but I need to find a good setup to make it more of a weapon. A small difference in power and spin can mean losing a match. This is a very good control racket and it is up there with i.Prestige XL but it does not quite have that extra kick from the extra length and flex from the XL. I have tinkered with lead a bit, but I need to find a way to make it more powerful and spin friendly.

I use 17 gauge Hyper-G. Not sure if I want to go any thinner on this frame. Of course, I may just need to get used to using this setup and find a way to swing harder and faster.

How much lead did you use? In stock form the Ultra Tour is just unusable in my opinion.

 

[travlerajm]

Hey guys,

I'm getting in a Wilson Ultra Tour 2.0 soon. I plan on adding a leather grip to it, Head XtremeSoft overgrip without overlap on top of leather grip and regular Wilson Pro overgrip on top of that. The no overlap, thin and soft Head overgrip to make the leather grip more bearable for my hand. I will add lead tape to the frame depending on the specs it comes with.

The strings I have in my collection at the moment are:
-Tecnifibre NRG2 1.32 black
-Yonex Rexis 1.25 black
-Solinco Confidential 1.25
-Solinco Confidential 1.20
-Solinco Confidential 1.15
-Solinco Hyper G Soft 1.20
-Solinco Tour Bite Soft 1.20
-Volkl Cyclone Tour 1.20 red

I would like to use a hybrid in this frame because it's low powered and has the 18x20 pattern, so less spin potential than I'm used to.
I was thinking either Solinco Tour Bite Soft 1.20 or Solinco Confidential 1.20 in the mains with Tecnifibre NRG2 1.32 black in the crosses.

Could this be a good idea or do you think this won't work well? (All the poly strings I have are textured/twisted so I'm not sure) I'm quite new to hybrids. What I'm looking to get out of the racket is to make it more lively and make it have some spin potential.
If you have any other ideas or advice on which strings to use with this racket, I'm very open to it. Let me know your thoughts.

You came to the right place. I’m a fan of dense pattern frames, and a big fan of the UT.

First off, let me say that the UT has a denser pattern than just about any other 18x20 out there. It is sneaky dense. The center 8 mains and bottom half of the crosses are slightly denser than a 6.1 95 18x20. And while at first glance the UT’s pattern looks identical to a Prestige MP pattern, it is denser because those intermediate mains between the center 8 and the outer 4 are denser.

Second, dense patterns get unfairly pegged as poor for spin. This is just because people don’t know how to string them properly. The keys to getting terrific spin potential with a dense pattern is string it looser, and to string it with a cross string that lets the mains slide easily over it. The result is a combination of excellent spin and precise launch angle control that is difficult to match with more open patterns.

My UT is leaded up to above 360 sw, about 12.8” balance, and about 13.1 oz. It is my primary frame for singles, and used it very successfully in league and tournament matches over the summer.

I have tried in my UT:
full syn gut (not enough spin after strings locked).
Poly/syn gut (still not enough spin)
Kevlar/poly (great spin and control, low power)
Kevlar/zx (great spin and control, more power and comfort compared to kevlar/poly)

Kevlar/zx would be my #1 rec, but that takes some extra steps in prestretching to get the most out of it.

You could probably get similar but shorter lasting results to kev/zx by stringing full poly at lower tension than you are used to take advantage of the UT’s really tight pattern.

 

[AceyMan]

I have three of these frames in the quiver.

currently
1) Klip 15L / YPTA
2) Ashaway Kevlar 17 / TOURNA Quasi-gut Armor 16
3) OGSM 16 Black / Isospeed Baseline 1.20

at tensions appropriate for the twine.

The Kevlar is my personal favorite but it's nice and broken in = familiar.

I just installed the gut mains before I got sat down with TE so I cannot really say much yet. But it shouldn't suck, because... natgut.

the Gosen / poly is pretty nice. I think I would do a deluxe version next time with Velocity mains & Silverstring/ST7/Lynx Tour/&c in the cross.

 

[A_Instead]

Ultra Tour is not meek if strung between 40 to 45..not shy in the the spin department either.... I use 18 gauge in mine..

 

[Power Player]

Hey guys,

I'm getting in a Wilson Ultra Tour 2.0 soon. I plan on adding a leather grip to it, Head XtremeSoft overgrip without overlap on top of leather grip and regular Wilson Pro overgrip on top of that. The no overlap, thin and soft Head overgrip to make the leather grip more bearable for my hand. I will add lead tape to the frame depending on the specs it comes with.

The strings I have in my collection at the moment are:
-Tecnifibre NRG2 1.32 black
-Yonex Rexis 1.25 black
-Solinco Confidential 1.25
-Solinco Confidential 1.20
-Solinco Confidential 1.15
-Solinco Hyper G Soft 1.20
-Solinco Tour Bite Soft 1.20
-Volkl Cyclone Tour 1.20 red

I would like to use a hybrid in this frame because it's low powered and has the 18x20 pattern, so less spin potential than I'm used to.
I was thinking either Solinco Tour Bite Soft 1.20 or Solinco Confidential 1.20 in the mains with Tecnifibre NRG2 1.32 black in the crosses.

Could this be a good idea or do you think this won't work well? (All the poly strings I have are textured/twisted so I'm not sure) I'm quite new to hybrids. What I'm looking to get out of the racket is to make it more lively and make it have some spin potential.
If you have any other ideas or advice on which strings to use with this racket, I'm very open to it. Let me know your thoughts.

Silver 7 Tour 1.25 at 48#s. Tried a few setups in my UT 2.0 and this wins for me.

 

[RF_PRO_STAFF]

Thanks for all your insights and suggestions. Some very interesting takes. The guy who I'm getting it from measured the swingweight for me and it's at a surprisingly low (not actually surprising -> Wilson QC) 278 unstrung. Which I don't mind since that gives me a lot of room for customization. I don't know the static weight and balance yet but I'm going to measure that myself of course.

I'm used to relatively lower tensions with poly (around 45-50 lbs) in a Yonex VCORE 95 (16x20) so I can go even lower in this Ultra Tour. I also love the feel of thin poly strings and love tinkering around with customization. Still learning a lot.
I hardly know anything about using kevlar in a hybrid yet so that will be something to look into for later. The things I've read about it sound really interesting.

As you can see from the list of strings that I currently have, I don't have any round poly strings. I am getting YPTP 1.20 yellow later this week but I originally wanted to use that for one of my Yonex rackets. Hence this question below:
My feeling right now is that I would like to try a shaped poly in the mains (Confidential or Tour Bite Soft 1.20) with YPTP 1.20 in the crosses first, both at low tensions and 1.20/1.20 gauge or 1.20/1.15 gauge.
The other idea is a full bed bed of Confidential 1.20/1.15 or Tour Bite Soft 1.20. Does this get close to the spin potential of the first suggestion?

The third idea that I have is either Solinco Tour Bite Soft 1.20 or Solinco Confidential 1.20 in the mains with Tecnifibre NRG2 1.32 black in the crosses. My concern with this one is the amount of power that NRG2 might give (maybe too much) and that the twisted/textured design of Confidential and Tour Bite Soft might cut into the multi too much?

Could someone give me an answer to these questions?

 

[taylor15]

Playing with Nxt 16 mains at 51 and Element 1.25 at 49 in the crosses with mine currently (Wilson Duo Feel). I have a leather grip and 2.5g of tungsten at 12. Weight fully dressed is ~340g for both racquets. I get enough spin for my flatter style and plenty of power to hit deep but also be able to get back poke/defensive shots when I need to.

 

[mark b.]

Happy to have come across this post. I'm taking delivery of a new Ultra Tour this week. I read ALL of the string suggestions and I think I have to dicount most of them as I play a flatter, continental grip style, OHBH, and don't depend on spin to win. Once I put on a leather grip and add copious amounts of lead at 12, 3 & 9, I think the string will be the next adventure. I Love natural gut and wouldn't hesitate to put some 16g Klip in a full bed BUT as a flat hitter I worry about launch angle with Gut.
So, I'd like a recommendation on tension for Kevlar ZX. Is 45lbs too low?
Would 50lbs be too low for full bed of natural gut?
Finally, if I went Poly, I'd likely go 18 gauge. Would 43 be too low?

 

[Pneumated1]

Happy to have come across this post. I'm taking delivery of a new Ultra Tour this week. I read ALL of the string suggestions and I think I have to dicount most of them as I play a flatter, continental grip style, OHBH, and don't depend on spin to win. Once I put on a leather grip and add copious amounts of lead at 12, 3 & 9, I think the string will be the next adventure. I Love natural gut and wouldn't hesitate to put some 16g Klip in a full bed BUT as a flat hitter I worry about launch angle with Gut.
So, I'd like a recommendation on tension for Kevlar ZX. Is 45lbs too low?
Would 50lbs be too low for full bed of natural gut?
Finally, if I went Poly, I'd likely go 18 gauge. Would 43 be too low?

I hit the Ultra Tour and a 1hbh but have a mild SW forehand grip. I string my UTs with Klip 18 NG and GW 18 at 48/45 with no issues control-wise driving the ball through the court. I've also tried BK/GW (both 18g) at 40/42, and I could have taken this a few pounds lower, so in my estimation, 43 would not be too low, but it would depend on the poly. BK is a great one but firm and holds tension very well. That said, I don't think I'd string full poly much above 43# regardless of which one.

 

[mark b.]

Awesome. Thank you. Great information. I just might string with 18 poly at 43 to see where I'm at. If I feel more power is needed, then I'll hybrid Klip 17NG/Poly18(50/45). More power would dictate I go full natural gut at 48#. Value power would be full bed of NXT like I did back in the 90's!
Thanks again Pneumated1

 

[aaron_h27]

You came to the right place. I’m a fan of dense pattern frames, and a big fan of the UT.

First off, let me say that the UT has a denser pattern than just about any other 18x20 out there. It is sneaky dense. The center 8 mains and bottom half of the crosses are slightly denser than a 6.1 95 18x20. And while at first glance the UT’s pattern looks identical to a Prestige MP pattern, it is denser because those intermediate mains between the center 8 and the outer 4 are denser.

Second, dense patterns get unfairly pegged as poor for spin. This is just because people don’t know how to string them properly. The keys to getting terrific spin potential with a dense pattern is string it looser, and to string it with a cross string that lets the mains slide easily over it. The result is a combination of excellent spin and precise launch angle control that is difficult to match with more open patterns.

My UT is leaded up to above 360 sw, about 12.8” balance, and about 13.1 oz. It is my primary frame for singles, and used it very successfully in league and tournament matches over the summer.

I have tried in my UT:
full syn gut (not enough spin after strings locked).
Poly/syn gut (still not enough spin)
Kevlar/poly (great spin and control, low power)
Kevlar/zx (great spin and control, more power and comfort compared to kevlar/poly)

Kevlar/zx would be my #1 rec, but that takes some extra steps in prestretching to get the most out of it.

You could probably get similar but shorter lasting results to kev/zx by stringing full poly at lower tension than you are used to take advantage of the UT’s really tight pattern.

what about gut/poly?

 

[Pmasterfunk]

If you use a hybrid, try poly in the mains; this is not a low powered racquet.

TBF I would always suggest poly in the mains, poly crosses chew through other string types very quickly (apart from kevlar obviously).

 

[travlerajm]

what about gut/poly?

It would work well in the UT, because the dense pattern would tame the higher launch angle inherent to gut/poly. The UT is a very similar to the racquet that Djokovic uses, and seems to work ok for him.

 

[aaron_h27]

It would work well in the UT, because the dense pattern would tame the higher launch angle inherent to gut/poly. The UT is a very similar to the racquet that Djokovic uses, and seems to work ok for him.

Hated gut/poly in 16x19 frames after the first hit, couldn't control it after that. Makes sense.

 

[gebruikershaes]

This is all very personal. What works for some doesn’t work for others. You just have to try and find out. I for one have an UT with a bunch of silicone and lead. About 350g strung. I tried hyper g 20 gauge at 46lbs and I found that it lacked control. Even for a low powered control poly like hyper g. Now I use 19 gauge at 53lbs which for me feels perfect.

 

[RF_PRO_STAFF]

My Ultra Tour 2.0 came in at 300 grams unstrung, 30,8 cm balance and 278 swingweight. Light on all specs thanks to Wilson quality control. I don't mind though since I was of course already going to customize it.

I added a TW Leather grip, which didn't want to stick to the handle. The double sided tape had an even harder time sticking to the handle. In the end I think I got it though, hopefully it won't start sliding in the future. I put a thin Head XtremeSoft overgrip on top of that, followed by a Wilson Pro overgrip so it still feels comfortable for me. I left a bit of leather grip visible on the top, like Wawrinka. Nice look. These modifications got the weight to 316 grams, 29,7 cm balance and probably the same swingweight (I can't measure it myself so I'm having to calculate everything as close as possible).

Before applying lead tape, I'm getting it strung first so I can calculate the swingweight more accurately. I just dropped off the racket at the stringer. I'm going for Solinco Confidential 1.20 in the mains at 21.5kg (about 47 lbs) and Tecnifibre NRG2 in the crosses at 23kg (about 50 lbs). 1.32mm thick and black coating.
I really wanted to get NRG2 in there because I won't be using it in any of my other frames. Don't know if this setup will work well, mains might start cutting into NRG2 too much. Also not sure about the amount of power NRG2 gives. We'll see.

I think I'll go for a mostly polarised setup with most of the lead at 12, probably a tiny bit at 3&9 too. And then get on court and see how things are, tinker after that again.

 

[ChrisG]

I use S7T @20kg, head finest calfskin, OG and dampener and it's quite good.
I still think something is missing, but I didn't like lead @12 because it offset the balance to much (Wilson horrible QC doesnt help as my UT is naturally less HL than advertised)
I've tried 3 and 9 and I might keep it.
But anyways, regarding strings, don't be afraid to go low in tension, a slighty shaped poly would give that extra bite without sacrificing the control nature of the frame

 

[RF_PRO_STAFF]

Today was the first time I hit with my new Ultra Tour. Before I went on court, I customized it with 2 grams lead at 3&9 and 5 grams at 12 which brought it to 338 grams, 31,3 cm balance and around 330-333 swingweight without dampener (I had to calculate using a formula and TW customizing program). As mentioned before, string setup was Confidential 1.20 in the mains at 21.5kg and NRG2 1.32 black in the crosses at 23kg. From the first ball, the feel and touch were amazing to me. It felt like a pillow to me and it felt very accurate when I wasn't going all out. I've never hit better backhand (and even forehand) slices in my life. My topspin backhand feels a bit easier than with my Yonex VCORE 95.

I'm getting less spin than I'm used to of course, which is not a direct problem for me but it is in combination with the amount of power the stringbed gives. It's quite a bit too much power, pretty sure it's mostly coming from the NRG2. I could string higher the next time but that would make spin potential worse because the Confidential mains feel and look quite locked into the NRG2, which bothers the spin potential. Also already see some notching I think. It probably won't last very long, which is fine in this case. NRG2 is just not for me, good to know. I produce my own power from technique.

I had some trouble on serve, can't get much spin on it, neither kick nor slice. This hurt my accuracy and margin for error. Next time I will get it strung with a shaped poly on the mains just like now, but with probably Yonex Poly Tour Pro 1.20 in the crosses. Both on low tensions. This will very probably still be very comfortable for me and it should increase spin potential because of snapback, thin gauge and low tensions.

The leather grip with one thin overgrip + regular overgrip felt beautiful. Tried a leather grip once but on a stiff racket which I didn't enjoy. On this frame it's great.
I will keep the specs the same (minus the spec difference the new cross string will give) and go from there.

 

[mark b.]

I ended up going with a full bed of Volkl V-Torque 18g @ 48lbs on the new Ultra Tour. The poly settled in to the grommets and ended up with a 43lb result a day later after ball machine workout. Next day, too much power for a predominantly flat hitter like me. Had to hold back a bit but effortless power.
I have two choices. I can lower the 340 swingweight or restring tighter. I prefer to restring. Weight balance seem perfect right now.
Should I consider 53lbs with V-Torque or should I try Kevlar/Multi hybrid now?

 

[LocNetMonster]

"I had some trouble on serve, can't get much spin on it, neither kick nor slice. This hurt my accuracy and margin for error. Next time I will get it strung with a shaped poly on the mains ..."

You need to try Mayami Strings Tour Hex in a full bed for a dense pattern like you are playing with. The spin you've been missing will be there in abundance.

 

[kipek]

Today was the first time I hit with my new Ultra Tour. Before I went on court, I customized it with 2 grams lead at 3&9 and 5 grams at 12 which brought it to 338 grams, 31,3 cm balance and around 330-333 swingweight without dampener (I had to calculate using a formula and TW customizing program). As mentioned before, string setup was Confidential 1.20 in the mains at 21.5kg and NRG2 1.32 black in the crosses at 23kg. From the first ball, the feel and touch were amazing to me. It felt like a pillow to me and it felt very accurate when I wasn't going all out. I've never hit better backhand (and even forehand) slices in my life. My topspin backhand feels a bit easier than with my Yonex VCORE 95.

I'm getting less spin than I'm used to of course, which is not a direct problem for me but it is in combination with the amount of power the stringbed gives. It's quite a bit too much power, pretty sure it's mostly coming from the NRG2. I could string higher the next time but that would make spin potential worse because the Confidential mains feel and look quite locked into the NRG2, which bothers the spin potential. Also already see some notching I think. It probably won't last very long, which is fine in this case. NRG2 is just not for me, good to know. I produce my own power from technique.

I had some trouble on serve, can't get much spin on it, neither kick nor slice. This hurt my accuracy and margin for error. Next time I will get it strung with a shaped poly on the mains just like now, but with probably Yonex Poly Tour Pro 1.20 in the crosses. Both on low tensions. This will very probably still be very comfortable for me and it should increase spin potential because of snapback, thin gauge and low tensions.

The leather grip with one thin overgrip + regular overgrip felt beautiful. Tried a leather grip once but on a stiff racket which I didn't enjoy. On this frame it's great.
I will keep the specs the same (minus the spec difference the new cross string will give) and go from there.

Very interesting that I have the same racquet options. Wilson UT2.0 and Yonex Vcore 95 (v2018)!!
UT2.0 Setup: Leather grip + overgrip, 4 grams at 3&9 and 2 grams at 12. I love a hybrid setup on it. Currently loving 4G Rough mains and Wilson NXT crosses. (44/48lbs respectively) Feel, power, comfort, all great. Good spin. Have played full poly on it also which was good. Nothing shaped yet.

On the VC95 - struggling to find the right setup. Currently leather grip + overgrip, 2grams lead at 10&2, YPTP at 48lbs is the best I have got it. Going up in weight reduces the amazing maneuverability, but adds some stability. Tried Head Lynx Tour, too stiff..

Overall, I like to play more attacking with the VC95 and really push through some deep heavy spin shot, but the UT2.0 has a great overall game for me. The feel is just sublime. If I can get the UT2.0 to help me get to a more attacking setup then I would be happy. My issue with the VC95 is it weakens my defense, and I also tend to make more errors with it. Would be good to hear more of your experience with string setup etc. @RF_PRO_STAFF

 

[RF_PRO_STAFF]

Very interesting that I have the same racquet options. Wilson UT2.0 and Yonex Vcore 95 (v2018)!!
UT2.0 Setup: Leather grip + overgrip, 4 grams at 3&9 and 2 grams at 12. I love a hybrid setup on it. Currently loving 4G Rough mains and Wilson NXT crosses. (44/48lbs respectively) Feel, power, comfort, all great. Good spin. Have played full poly on it also which was good. Nothing shaped yet.

On the VC95 - struggling to find the right setup. Currently leather grip + overgrip, 2grams lead at 10&2, YPTP at 48lbs is the best I have got it. Going up in weight reduces the amazing maneuverability, but adds some stability. Tried Head Lynx Tour, too stiff..

Overall, I like to play more attacking with the VC95 and really push through some deep heavy spin shot, but the UT2.0 has a great overall game for me. The feel is just sublime. If I can get the UT2.0 to help me get to a more attacking setup then I would be happy. My issue with the VC95 is it weakens my defense, and I also tend to make more errors with it. Would be good to hear more of your experience with string setup etc. @RF_PRO_STAFF

Hi kipek, I actually sold my UT last week. I hardly used it anymore because of all the racquets I was rotating: too many. It became too much in my head with all the different sticks and string setups so I sold a few. Not the UT's fault, I'm still convinced it's an amazing racquet and I know I'll eventually come back to it.

I agree a hybrid setup on the UT is fantastic. With that Confidential/NRG hybrid I had such a plush hitting experience. The Confidential sawing into the NRG straight away made the spin potential horrible though. It had too much power as well. Went to Tour Bite Soft 1.20 mains and Poly Tour Pro 1.20 crosses after that at 46/44 lbs. That was nice and solved the spin and power problem. Of course didn't feel as plush as with a multi cross. I'd suggest trying thinner poly gauges on the UT though to open up the stringbed. The 18x20 on that racquet is very tight.

VC95 is still my main racquet. Defending can indeed be difficult but for attacking play I haven't found anything better fitting to my game than this one. I was set on a customization setup for around 5 months and my string setup has been constant for long as well. I'm experimenting a bit again now but I'll always have something to come back to. I'm keeping the 2g at 3&9 on all 3 sticks but trying to see where my SW sweetspot is. I used lead at 12 all the way from the aero fins on one corner of the racquet to the aero fins on the other corner. It improved stability, spin, bit of power and slices. After three sessions with it, my conclusion is that it negatively impacts my serve a bit. So I'm now going to try about 2/3rds of that amount of lead. Haven't measured it yet but will do when I decide on the setup. I have three VC95's now so that gives me the opportunity to easily try some things out. All three have a Yonex AC128EX Synthetic Leather grip and a butt cap flare. Before this experiment, they were all matched in specs.

The other part of the experiment is the strings. I've been using Cyclone Tour 1.20 red at 49.5/46 lbs for a while now and I'm very, very satisfied with it. But I am contemplating whether I want to switch to a round poly for the benefits it gives. Keeping that fairly simple though with only Hawk Touch anthracite 1.20, PTP yellow 1.20 and very maybe PTS 1.25. The latter will probably be a bit too stiff for my liking.

I think what might help your shots on defense a bit more is 2 or 3 lbs less tension on the crosses. It should increase the launch angle a bit. It's a preference though, maybe you won't like it but you can try.

 

[kipek]

thanks for the info. A couple of questions.. how did you flare the butt cap on the VC95? Also, have you played with the current VCore Pro 97HD? Looks like similar specs to what we are both playing..

 

[RF_PRO_STAFF]

thanks for the info. A couple of questions.. how did you flare the butt cap on the VC95? Also, have you played with the current VCore Pro 97HD? Looks like similar specs to what we are both playing..

I take an overgrip, don't fold it in half but I fold 2/3 of it over. Then I put the thicker part closest to the end of the butt cap and wrap it around just once. Then lock it in place with a wrap of finishing tape around the overgrip flare. I tried just folding it in half too but then you have more of a noticable edge between the flare and the rest of the grip. Folding it 2/3 just makes it a smoother transition for me. This is what it looks like when finished (currently not using leather grip though):

https://imgur.com/a/NqQJAad

I got a VCP HD just two weeks ago. Got it strung with YPTP yellow 1.20. Like it a lot.

 

[gebruikershaes]

Looks nice and neat . I used to fold the first part of the overgrip in half which is similar. I also found the Yonex grip size to be a tad bigger than other brands, i.e. Yonex L3 is bigger than Wilson L3. Is that still the case?

 

[RF_PRO_STAFF]

Looks nice and neat . I used to fold the first part of the overgrip in half which is similar. I also found the Yonex grip size to be a tad bigger than other brands, i.e. Yonex L3 is bigger than Wilson L3. Is that still the case?

Yes, Yonex grip size is still a bit bigger than Wilson (or other brands).

 

[ariwibowo]

In comparison with cx 200 tour, this ultra tour is more powerful. WUT is pretty hefty.

 

[Sughaclef]

what about gut/poly?

At great expense, I strung up two gut poly. 1=VS/4G.2= VS/Head Hawk
Gut crosses. 53/49

Hated both. Felt so bad I debated selling the sticks. Which is odd because my friends who use gut (Blade pro 98, so similar sticks) use these combos and like them/made the suggestion.
I really found the vibration became harsh, and I had to increase the swing speed which then started to cause issue wroth timing and arm pain. Accuracy decreased too.
I did a switch to Solinco Hybrid (tourbite/vanquish as main/cross @50/48)and the joy of the UT2.0 is back... I can hit with spin, graze the net, and pick off corners with pace.
This was not the expected outcome for using VS hybrid and cost me USD 72 plus another 20 to change) but it was despairing enough thst I bough and used the PAVS for a month and found it had better feel (x-one/4g 50/48), go figure.
If anyone has an idea as to why gut /poly fails for me, pls do advise.
To date my favourite strings have been Dunlop Black Widow with 4S, what a deadly combination.. The other was Triax or NRG with Black Code... Both in low fifties. Triax with 4S was also a long-lasting set up that still had reasonable spin with ample power and control.

 

[raguhtheman]

Has anyone tried Kirshbaum Max Power full bed on their UT?

I read above that pre-stretched Kevlar works well on this stick. Max Power is already comes pre-stretched too. Just curious.

 

[Sughaclef]

Has anyone tried Kirshbaum Max Power full bed on their UT?

I read above that pre-stretched Kevlar works well on this stick. Max Power is already comes pre-stretched too. Just curious.

Does anyone else have experience with kevlar? Each shop I talk to says it will hurt my arm... Is that misconception?
Are there other pre stretched strings that suit the UT2.0.?

 

[aaron_h27]

At great expense, I strung up two gut poly. 1=VS/4G.2= VS/Head Hawk
Gut crosses. 53/49

Hated both. Felt so bad I debated selling the sticks. Which is odd because my friends who use gut (Blade pro 98, so similar sticks) use these combos and like them/made the suggestion.
I really found the vibration became harsh, and I had to increase the swing speed which then started to cause issue wroth timing and arm pain. Accuracy decreased too.
I did a switch to Solinco Hybrid (tourbite/vanquish as main/cross @50/48)and the joy of the UT2.0 is back... I can hit with spin, graze the net, and pick off corners with pace.
This was not the expected outcome for using VS hybrid and cost me USD 72 plus another 20 to change) but it was despairing enough thst I bough and used the PAVS for a month and found it had better feel (x-one/4g 50/48), go figure.
If anyone has an idea as to why gut /poly fails for me, pls do advise.
To date my favourite strings have been Dunlop Black Widow with 4S, what a deadly combination.. The other was Triax or NRG with Black Code... Both in low fifties. Triax with 4S was also a long-lasting set up that still had reasonable spin with ample power and control.

My suggestion would be to stop stringing poly crosses lower than gut mains but you probably just don't like it. It's not for everybody. I'm not sure why everyone strings poly crosses looser when poly already loses more tension than gut so it doesn't make sense to do that. Pros do it because they can change rackets every 1-2 hours

 

[Sughaclef]

My suggestion would be to stop stringing poly crosses lower than gut mains but you probably just don't like it. It's not for everybody. I'm not sure why everyone strings poly crosses looser when poly already loses more tension than gut so it doesn't make sense to do that. Pros do it because they can change rackets every 1-2 hours

Why do you think I won't like it? Is it much harsher or does it take away from the traits of poly? Thanks

 

[aaron_h27]

Why do you think I won't like it? Is it much harsher or does it take away from the traits of poly? Thanks

Gut/poly is more powerful than full poly some people don't like the extra power as it stops them from swinging out. Gut/poly and full poly have about the same spin but I would give the edge (no pun intended) to full poly because of the extra control and stiffness