It makes sense for stringmakers to make this kind of soft poly----many experienced players are naturally concerned about arm-health, and it is the same group most likely to buy an advanced string on a regular basis.
It's also great because a lot of rec and club players want to get more spin so they choose poly, but don't realize that it can be harmful towards the arm. It lets players get what they want without destroying their arms
Good info as usual Chris. Can you share why would it become softer as you go lighter in string color? Is it just an industry standard, or does it differ from brand to brand? Many thanks.
@Marvin Yeap, We find that to be pretty common among poly strings that are offered in multiple colors. The lighter colors tend to feel softer, and livelier, whereas the darker colors tend to feel more firm, and deader in response. Troy, TW
How would you compare Yonex Poly Tour Air to Head Lynx Touch, for a more comfortable poly experience. A video comparison of soft poly full bed vs poly/multi hybrid could be very informative. Thank you!
Hi tennis warehouse, between yonex poly tour pro and Gosen sidewinder, which is more arm friendly and which is better for spin? If I string 45lbs on gosen sidewinder, what tension should I try polytour pro? Thank you
The Gosen Sidewinder is softer, and is a bit more spin friendly. Poly Tour Pro is a bit more firm, so you could try it at the same tension, to see if you notice the difference between the two, or you could try dropping by a pound. Troy, TW
Hey Troy, I’m getting some elbow pain from a full bed of Cyclone Tour at 53lb in my pure strike 16x19. I know cyclone tour is a softer poly but its maybe too powerful for how I play. I like to take a big swing. I am considering either a full bed of isospeed cream at 51 or 52lbs, or a hybrid with poly main/multi cross for my next setup. What do you think?
@norrisg86, I would try the ISOSPEED Cream, and see if that works for you. From there I would go with a hybrid, with something like Head Velocity MLT, Tecnifibre Multifeel, or Yonex Rexis in the crosses. Troy, TW
norrisg86 cyclone with my Babolat pure Drive & Pure Aero does just fine provided I don’t exceed 50-51 lbs. Any tighter and for sure after the first outing I feel the sting in my elbow. Cyclone is an amazing value and I bet you will come back to it. At 48-49 lbs it is much more comfortable. It will take you about 30 min to get use to that tension, but you’ll love it once you get used to it...
Highest launch with Sidewinder, whereas Polylon Comfort and BHB7 are more similar. Sidewinder feels livelier and I get more control from the other two. All are decently comfortable, but consider a hybrid with a multi or natural gut main string if you really want to increase comfort. Cheers, Chris, TW
@Austin Stark, The current Pure Strike line was technically a 2017 release, so likely closer to 2020, as Babolat typically follows a 3-year cycle on their performance racquets. Troy, TW
@saigonbond thanks a lot for your detailed answer! Very interesting. I don't really know monofilaments since I just start the competition. I only play with multifilaments and now blended multis (with some monofilaments inside to have a bit more control and durability). I think I would switch to poly (or more precisely co-poly now that I know the difference thanks to you :D) in some years if I need more control, more spin and if I break my multis too quickly. Co-poly seems to be a bit more arm friendly compared to the old polys according to your answer even if I imagine it never will be as comfortable and arm friendly as multis or natural gut of course.
@saigonbond yes it's a bit expensive, depends on the multis but some multis are overpriced. I used to string with the Tecnifibre X-One Biphase which is nice but really expensive. I recently switched to the Duramix which I love. It's a blended string not a real multi. It gives me comfort, control and enough power. It's cheaper than my previous multis and sometimes I can keep it 20 hours (more 15 hours most of the time). I compared its price to other famous poly/co-poly such as Luxilon strings which some of my friends use and it's cheaper. One of my friend break his Luxilon in less than 20 hours and we have about the same level. I'm always afraid about polys cause I think I still don't have a good enough technic and my racquet isn't heavy (285 grams). Lots of people say it's dangerous to string a poly in a light racquet (less than 300 grams or 290/295g). Many different opinions about this topic so it's hard to really know...
@saigonbond thanks a lot! :D Hybrid setup seems to be the best future way to go. I never tried full bed of natural gut but I imagine it's very fragile (and quite expensive). I would try just to see. Hybrid setup co-poly/natural gut seems to be the best but the most expensive and Co-poly/synthetic gut an interesting alternative. Thanks for all your advice you seem to be an expert! As a professional stringer of course you are :-)
@Jonathan Chen, When I string up his sticks, he usually requests something right around 52 pounds (lock-out machine), or 48 pounds (constant pull machine), with strings like Cyclone, Yellow Jacket, or Hyper-G. Troy, TW
@@tenniswarehouse thanks Troy, I'm getting a lot more pop with cyclone than RPM blast, but when I hit the ball cleanly, it feels great. Should I raise my string tension on cyclone? Or just keep it as is? I strung both at 57/54
@Jonathan Chen, If you think it is necessary to increase the tension to maintain control, then it may work for you. I personally don't think that it needs to be strung that high, as I string quite a bit lower, and try not to put too much stress/shock on my arms. That said, tension has a lot to do with preference, as will change depending on the racquet. Troy, TW
I play with a full "bed" of ALU Power, at 60lbs mains and 59 crosses. Tried the "holy grail", the Volkl Cyclone, but it is too soft, too much power and not enough feed-back/precision.
@Jonathen Chen, No, we would consider RPM to be a stiffer, harsher poly. However, there is a ROUGH version of it which is softer and more comfortable. Michelle, TW
Hey TW, what is the best string(s) to use if you are looking for lots of spin but can't replace your strings every 2-3 weeks? Also, not really a string breaker myself. Thanks!
I would go with Tecnifibre Multifeel or Head Reflex MLT. Multifeel offers great snap back for a multi and is low powered which gives me the confidence to swing fast . . . which can help get the ball spinning fast. Reflex is also a lower powered multi that seemed to pocket the ball well for me and I got solid spin with it. Natural gut at a high tension will remain comfortable and also offer enough control to swing big and generate spin. Cheers, Chris, TW.
They are pretty similar overall, maybe a bit more control from the Poly Tour, and a bit more lively feel from the Polybreak. Spin potential is pretty close between the two. Troy, TW
@Paul Musarra, The Poly Tour Air is quite a bit softer, and more comfortable. The tension maintenance, and spin is a bit better with Poly Tour Fire. Troy, TW
The Polyfibre strings are very soft for co-polys, and the power level of the Hexablade is medium powered compared to other co-polys. I wouldn't say that Hexablade is completely dead feeling, bit won't offer the added power you can get from a multifilament. Troy, TW
I demo’ed the Dunlop SX 300 Tour which had the Dunlop Silk Pro 16 string strung at 57lbs. Best multifilament I’ve ever used, or maybe it was the racquet. Lol. Anyway, if I use the Cyclone Tour Red, would I try bumping up or dropping the tension to make it hit close to the Silk Pro, and what tension would you suggest trying? I would just go with the Silk Pro if it didn’t cost $18.00 plus. Thanks.
Weiss cannon ultra cable & red ghost, solinco hyper-g & tour bite or rpm blast. Which out of the 5 offers the most spin, longetivity & playability for a big hitter using Pure Drive Tour 2015?
My vote is tour bite in the 16 gauge. Should be a near perfect fit. Be sure to watch that elbow afterward though lol. Runner up is the ultra cable in the thickest gauge TW has it in. Give them both a try and see what you think!
I use Ultra Cable and Red Ghost, Ultra Cable @ 45 lbs and Red Ghost @ 53 lbs on a 2019 Babolat Pure Aero. The Ultra Cable gives me a little more spin and power, but I get more control out of the Red Ghost. After about 4-5 hours the Ultra Cable starts to lose control, and the Red Ghost seems to last 2-3 hrs longer.
Hi, TW, How’s the Yonex Poly Tour Air 16L compare with Isospeed Cream 17 in terms of comfort and control? Which one works better with gut on hybrid setting? Thanks
@David Li, They both have really good comfort. Maybe just bit more comfort, and control with Poly Tour Air. That said, spin and tension maintenance is better with ISOSPEED Cream. I would likely go with Cream as the cross string, for natural gut mains, as the tension will hold up better to support the gut. Troy, TW
The Volkl Cyclone Tour feels a bit more powerful, and is more spin friendly. Poly Tour Pro offers a bit more control, and a bit better tension maintenance. Troy, TW
Poly Tour Air is even softer, and maybe even a little more lively. But definitely softer, as Poly Tour Air has one of the lowest stiffness ratings for a poly. Troy, TW
From my experience its the opposite. Black strings are usually the softest: Isospeed control, genesis black magic, viper, etc. Stiffest strings neon green and yellow: 4g, hyper g poly tour, revolve spin, etc My experience from stiffest to softest (super generic list with obvious exceptions. pairs/pairs are around the same range): Green/Yellow, White/Red, Silver, blue, black.
I find the lighter colored poly strings to feel livelier. Black polys tend to play the deadest for me which I like as the ball doesn't fly as much. Cheers, Chris, TW
I am turning 13 very soon and a very competitive tournament player currently using the solinco hyper g 16 Lbut i dont think i get enough control from it. i'm thinking of trying the weiss cannon ultra cable 17 gauge at 48 in my blade 98 l. Do you think this is a good setup thanks
Most spin is Ultra Cable, followed by V-Square, and then Black Code 4S. All off lots of durability and control. Black Code 4S holds tension a bit better than the other two. Troy, TW
@Ts-Fluk, Those are all really good options for control, and for players with a one-hander. The VCORE 95 sounds like the best option, but it is hard to say for certain, unless you are able to demo. Troy, TW
Usually low powered polys don't work too well for tennis elbow. But if you are looking for a softer poly to hybrid with, then something like the ISOSPEED Cream, or Volkl V-Star are good choices. Troy, TW
@@tenniswarehouse ok I freaking love my microgel radical mp and don't wanna switch but looking for something that won't hurt my arm that is similar to the microgel. Any suggestions?
@@pinnaplestudiosuk7620, likely our most comfortable feeling racquets that we sell are pretty much anything in the Prince Phantom line and the ProKennex Black Ace racquets. If you are considering Head racquets, the Gravity's are pretty comfortable. From the Phantom line I would consider something like the 100G or 100X, 305 or 290 if you want something a bit more maneuverable. The Black Ace 300, and the Gravity MP or Tour are good choices as well. Troy, TW
Typically speaking, yes. The combination of the ball bite, snap-back, and control level, all work together for maximum spin potential. We have found, in the TW University lab, that a natural gut hybrid, specifically with the gut in the mains will also yield very high spin potential numbers, however, the control aspect plays a part. In that the gut hybrid will play with more energy return, so at times this can sort of take away from a players confidence to swing aggressively, when compared to that of a full poly. Hope that helps, Troy TW
@@tenniswarehouse Thank you. If i wanted a little more power with a little less spin, could I use poly in the mains and a multi or syn gut in the crosses?
@@tenniswarehouse Yes you're right, I have been playing with this string for a year now, and I like it very much. I string my Head Speed 360 @ 51lbs. I'm happy as it's arm friendly and long lasting.
@JorgeAndresCoppiano., He is referring to the way co-poly strings are typically made in the factories, being that most of them are monofilament strings. Troy, TW
The string is extruded through a nozzle. Think of it like when you squeeze toothpaste from the tube. You are creating a solid string of toothpaste like a monofilament poly string. A monofilament poly is extruded through a nozzle and the nozzle can be shaped to give the string a shape such as octagonal. Textured polys are often stamped after extrusion to indent the string to give the desired result. Hope that helps. Cheers, Chris, TW
It feels a bit more firm than TB Soft. Hyper-G Soft offers more control, similar to Tourna Black 7, and feels a bit softer than regular Hyper-G. Troy, TW
Wow polys don't last long in a racquet. Is there any non-poly strings that will last me more in the order of months rather than weeks, but which have some of the low-power, control/spin characteristics of poly?
Hey, my name is Zoe and I am part of the polyfibre team. We just saw your videos and would like to get in contact with you. Tell me if you’re interested.
@Daniel Gazi, At that rate of play, I would likely try and re-string around every 8 weeks or so, if possible. If you play with poly strings, it is best to re-string as frequently as possible. Troy, TW
cyclone is crap. everyone talks this 8dollor string up. its an 8 dollor string. thats what you get. if you want to cut your strings out regularly get it. Its not high quality like luxilon.
