RDiS Mid 93 with Yonex Tour Brid Hybrid
Although I have settled on the RDiS Mid as my main stick, I continue to experiment with various strings and tensions. I leave lead and other customization well enough alone, as these have never been of particular benefit to me. YMMV, of course.
Today, I tried out three new variations, only one of which was actually novel (for myself). My racquet for the day was newly purchased (took a chance on the auction site and made out okay), sported a smaller grip than normal, and was strung with a new string setup at very low tension (for me). I played three sets of doubles this morning along with some rallying; probably 3-3.5 hours of total play.
For most of my life, I have used an L5 grip. I picked up a couple of RDiS Mids from a TW poster with L4 grips and have found I prefer this grip size, at least on the RDiS Mid. I have hit with a K90 and KPS satisfactorily with an L3 grip and decided to try that with the RDiS Mid. The new racquet is an L3. The smaller size, I think, facilitates changing grips during play and provides a little more action on serves and overheads. I didn't think there was any significant advantage over the L4 grip, and --- at least at this stage --- still prefer the L4 size overall.
The string was Yonex Tough Brid, a poly and multi hybrid from Yonex. A set came with the racquet. Since I wanted to experiment, I figured why waste a good set of ALU or PHT. Both strings are marked "Tough Brid". The poly is 16 gauge. IIRC, the multi is 16L. The poly is very stiff, much stiffer than anything from Gamma, Babolat, or Technifibre. The multi was much softer, of course, and felt as though it was textured.
I usually string at 55-60 lbs tension, with a strong bias for 60 lbs, even where poly is concerned. Lately, I have been interested in experiencing the playability of poly at lower tensions. For this setup, I put the poly in the mains at 48 lbs and the multi went in the crosses at 46 lbs.
Other than an overgrip (Yonex Supergrap), I normally use a Gamma I or II Shokbuster vibration dampener. In this case, it was the "double worm" Shokbuster II. This deepens the sound of the ball impact a bit, and is important to my ability to discern how a racquet feels. It is most helpful where I am using a racquet that offers a more muted response, such as the RDiS (as compared to my previous stick, the RDS001 Mid, which --- like the TW review --- I would call "crisp").
The lower tensions also seem to provoke a more muffled "thwack" at contact, which tends to throw off my auditory cues. I get the mistaken impression that the ball is travelling slower. With this setup, that is certainly not the case, as I was concerned about the added pace during warmup. The lower tension does provide additional power, although the feel is so different, that I still find it somewhat difficult to control.
There was not as good cupping of the ball on the strings with the Tough Brid; at least not as good as I have experienced with, say, Gamma Power in a K90 at 50. However, the ball did stay on the strings noticeably longer. A long, smooth, stroke pattern provided the best results. Too much emphasis on accelerating the racquet head could easily result in moving the intended path of the ball over several inches toward the sideline. Spin was good, but depth could be adversely affected by a more extreme motion on the groundstroke.
The lower tension did provide a comfortable hit with an otherwise harsh feeling poly in a very stiff frame. Of course, the racquet was freshly strung, but the poly was so stiff during stringing that I attribute the softness of the hit almost entirely to the relatively low tension. I had absolutely no discomfort from a solid morning of hitting.
I was not too impressed with the performance of the Yonex Tough Brid hybrid. It performed adequately, but did nothing especially well. There are several other polys (Redcode, PHT, Zo Sweet, ALU, to name a few) that I thought "felt" substantially better. Perhaps Tough Brid will excel at durability. Only time will tell.
So far, low tension appears to be a great way to experience the joys of poly in a stiff frame without sacrificing your arm. At least for me. Again, YMMV.
Cheers!