Contents:

- Main Document (Jan 1997)
- First Addendum (May1997)
- Second Addendum (Feb 1998)
- Third Addendum (Jan 1999)
- Fourth Addendum (Nov 1999)
- Fifth Addendum (Nov 2000)

I've been playing tennis at a tennis club since 1991. I've destroyed many a string in that period, sometimes fast, sometimes not so fast. From the time I got my stringing machine (1994) I'm searching for the perfect string.

What makes a string "perfect"?

- high durability
- high elasticity (flexibility)
- low tension loss
- low price

Soon I found out that those four points aren't consistent: the more elasticity, the less durability, and the higher the tension loss. Or in another way: the more durability, the more thickness, and the less elasticity.

Once a manufacturer claimed to have all good features combined in one string you couldn't afford it. Even testing such a string was out of the question. If I had a string with superb feel and high durability the 200 meters would be enough for 3 years. I don't think strings should lie around for more than a season. And buying 11 meter sets is too expensive.

So the point was to find a middle course between the above criteria. A durable string with less elasticity - compared to a less durable string with little more elasticity - has in most cases the higher price. The cost should be the primary guideline for most people. Strings with the lowest price mostly lose tension very fast and snap after few hours. Strings for about 120 DM per 200m are okay.

There is one thing I want to make clear: the relation between tension, power and control.
There's a general rule: tension and power are inversely related. So are power and control. You can say "the more tension, the less power, the more control" or the other way round.
But I have to admit that less tension increases feel, especially at the volley. Feel and control are not the same. It is control when you hit hard and are still able to place the ball where you want to. It is feel when you hit very softly and are able to place the ball where you want to. It is power when you hit normally and the ball reaches a high speed.

To increase power playing the same string you have to string softer. At the same time control decreases. A string with higher elasticity naturally has more power. Either you string it with the same tension to get more power, or rather string it slightly harder (e.g. 1/2 kg) to get more control at the same power (at least that has been my impression). Because of that advantage most of the strings with high elasticity cost a lot of money (just consider natural gut - couldn't be more elastic - nor more expensive).

So much about theory.
Well, I picked all strings that I could afford (200m up to 200 DM, 11m up to 20 DM) and ordered test packages where possible. In this price category it is mostly Nylon strings with one or more coatings, or Polyester strings. So-called Multifilament-strings which have high elasticity are too expensive.

Carefully I wrote down every single hour I played with each string. Just saying "this string lasted 3 weeks" is a poor way of describing the durability of a string if you're not playing the same amount of hours every week. Sorting out the strings with unacceptable playability I was able to compare the durability of the remaining strings.

Every player has different demands on his/her string depending on the playing style. Please note that my test results only reflect my personal view. My favorite string is not likely to be the favorite string of many other players. But take this as a general advice for your own search for the "perfect string" (I am currently playing a Pro Kennex Pilic Mold and string this racket - depending on the string - with 27/26 kg or 27.5/26.5 kg).

From my point of view Polyester strings are the best. In fact they are stiff and difficult to string, but their superb durability exceeds the durability of other strings in the same price category. I string Polyester strings with 1/2 kg less than "normal" strings to compensate the lacking elasticity. There aren't large differences between the various Polyester brands. Important is the gauge (1.20mm - 1.35mm): the thicker, the less elasticity, the more durability. I suggest a 1.25mm gauge. It has good playability and can be strung better, too.
Polystar has the best playability, but is relatively expensive. So I decided to play Babolat's Polymono 1.25mm (about 150 DM). It has higher durability than cheap Polyester strings.

I think Polyester strings are not suitable for every player. I would only recommend them for hard-hitting topspin players. Those players have a high string consumption. With Polymono, I play about 18 hours on an average.
Soft-hitting players like seniors or women should play a string with more elasticity.

I am warning topspin players against buying special topspin strings with structured surface. Those strings don't last very long. And I didn't notice an improvement in spin or control. I highly recommend the usage of elastocross. It gives me more control, and I think it adds durability to your strings. I never compared durability with and without elastocross because I'm not able to play without it - I feel really helpless.

I don't think much of Prince strings. I have tried some of the cheaper Duraflex strings and they all snapped after few hours.
I'm also disappointed of the playability of Pacific Futura TS.

Right now I'm testing Gamma strings, and I must say that I'm really impressed by them.
I have strung Marathon and Infinity in autumn 1996, and didn't make it to destroy them up to now. Especially Infinity makes me wonder how many years it could last until it snaps.
Infinity is a hybrid string (Aramid). The elasticity of the down strings is near zero. Thus you have to string them one kg softer than usually. But then it has really good playability, for my surprise! Of course I will tell you as soon as it snaps.

Summary:

If you are an aggressive player and haven't yet played with Polyester strings: try it!

If you need a really durable string I suggest a hybrid string (blend), for example Kevlar and Nylon.

Soft hitters should try a 1.30mm string with good elasticity and normal durability.

And for all the people where money doesn't matter... hey! Why are you reading this?

After playing the Gamma strings few hours this year they snapped. Okay, for the part of Gamma Infinity I have to admit that it wasn't the mains that tore, but a cross string. I think this is normal for hybrid strings. But all in all it wasn't worth the price. I've had Polyester strings that lasted as long as Gamma Infinity and were slightly better playable.
Well, my testing still goes on. This year I'm extensively testing Polystar 1.20mm. The price went down near the price of Babolat Polymono, so I decided to take Polystar this time. I still have one more Gamma string, Gut 2, and Babolat Powertwist to test.

There's not much positive to be told about Gamma Gut 2 HD and Babolat ZF Powertwist, they both tore after a few hours. They had average playability. The Powertwist, which is designed for topspin players, had no remarkable spin advantage; the slight roughness of the Gut 2's surface, however, had a positive effect on my play. I had a little more control compared to a "smooth" string. But after a few hours of play, the roughness and thus the effect had vanished.
I wasn't able to test the Polystar 1.20mm a lot; it surprised me a little with its enormous durability - despite its small diameter. Never did it tear below 20 hours of play. Because of the slightly increased elasticity compared to the Babolat Polymono 1.25mm I had a better feel. I tend to string the Polystar 1.20 half a kilo harder than the 1.25mm Polymono to get more control.
Looks like I can only recommend Polyester strings once again... but beware! Do not use Polyester strings with a diameter below 1.30mm on Widebody or Oversize racquets; otherwise you won't have the durability I am talking about.
Last season something happened which has not much to do with strings, but I'll tell you anyway: near the end of the season - I must have forgotten to change the overgrip for a long time - my racquet slipped out of my hand while I was serving. It went directly into the ground, maximum speed. Crrrc! There were two opposite cracks in the frame. Broken. Never had I malevolently thrown a racquet on the ground, then something like that! Now my advice: do not only change your overgrip regularly, but change it when it starts to get slippery. You can save a lot of money by doing that.
Of course I will test new strings next season, so please stop by for a minute!

It's been a pretty long time since my last report, exactly one year has passed. In the meantime I've been trying to test as many strings as possible. In the end I had 6 strings I would like to briefly comment on now.
First I devoted my attention to strings of a hardly known brand, High Power. Why that? Well, such "no name" strings are cheap and are mostly produced in the same factories as the strings of the famous brands (Prince, Pacific, Head, etc.). So I wanted to know if the quality of the cheaper strings could compare to the quality of the big brands. I tested the HP SynNatur, HP Big Aura, and HP Durasystem. These strings lasted about half the time as a Polystar or Polymono, for example, but that didn't surprise me. In turn, they all played pretty nice. After having played Polyester for a longer time before, and then switching over to the Big Aura, I had the impression that I could feel that the ball had longer contact with the strings (because of the higher elasticity). I will test the Big Aura a few more times because I'm even considering to switch over to it.
I also tried another Polyester string, the Pacific Power Star 2. There's not much to tell about - there are better Polyester strings.
Next there's the Babolat Fine Play. The name suggests a good playability, but I couldn't find anything special about that string. Rating: average.
Close to the end of the season I ordered myself some sets of the Kirschbaum Super Smash Spiky (1.25mm). That's the first textured Polyester string. "Duh", I thought at first, for I could imagine that the durability was fairly decreased. During stringing one has to be very careful not to burn notches into the string. The textured surface gave me more control in the first 2 hours, but then the surface got smoother and smoother (which is normal for topspin strings). But also the remaining "normal" Polyester string I had fun playing with (the Super Smash is a quite soft Polyester string). And as far as the durability is concerned: no difference from the Polystar or Polymono (note that I'm using Elastocross). In my string forum the positive ratings for the Super Smash are adding up. I guess the Super Smash is a string one must have played once.
Till the next update! :)

This season I managed to test 6 new strings again. Especially in the polyester area there were a lot of innovations. I would like to present two of these now.
Before that please note that I "got away" from using Elastocross this season, because I found out that it does indeed reduce the feel of your strings. For gaining more feel I can accept the lower durability. So I tested most of the strings without string savers this season, and when I did I will tell you.
First, Polyfibre came up with a polyester string called "Polyhightec", which is also distributed under different names in Germany. I tested the 1.20mm and the 1.10mm gauge (the first polyester string with such a small diameter). The 1.20mm were nice, about as soft as the Super Smash, maybe a little bit softer. The durability was within the normal polyester range. The 1.10mm had a nylon-like elasticity, and the thin gauge provided a lot of "bite". But the durability was extremely bad. Recommendable only for players who previously missed the liveliness in polyester strings.
The second novelty belongs to the category "textured polyester strings". Last time I wrote about the Super Smash Spiky. The new polyester strings with a flower-like cross-section provide an even better grip. Those strings are also distributed by various German mail order shops under different names. I tested the KTS Poly Power Spin with a 1.28mm diameter. Just like with the Super Smash Spiky, I enjoyed improved spin and control for the first two hours, then the surface got smooth. The Poly Power Spin lasted relatively long, but I thought it was quite inelastic. That's why I would prefer the Super Smash Spiky, which still left a good impression after my second test.
To also get an impression of "the" standard string, Prince Tournament Nylon, I gave it a chance this season. The string is indeed "extremely average" in any aspect. But it's also one of the cheapest strings, so I would recommend it to people who don't have a high demand on their string. The Tournament Nylon is a frequently copied string, so you could save additional money if you don't buy it from Prince.
A string of a totally different quality is the Pacific Power Line 1, what is of course reflected in its price. Playing it, I enjoyed its high elasticity. The durability wasn't high, but tolerable. It's something for players with a high demand who don't use much spin.
A highlight of the season was the first time I played natural gut, the Babolat VS Power (thanks Ole!). Natural gut is extremely sensitive, already during stringing you have to be very careful. I strung at one pound higher than usual, which turned out to be a mistake afterwards. A resilient string isn't necessarily elastic. Additionally, I used string savers. That's why my strings seemed quite hard, but on the other hand I had more control. I was surprised about the durability, the VS Power lasted about as long as a standard nylon string. One just has to make sure the strings don't get wet, because that's fatal for natural gut. All in all I have to say that the little advantage in playability over multifilament strings doesn't really justify the extremely high price you have to pay for natural gut. Nevertheless, whoever can afford natural gut is of course free to enjoy its superb liveliness.
Last but not least I want to get to my currently favorite string. It's the Babolat Syntronic 900 Zylon, which was released this year. It's a very thin (1.15mm) multifiber string made of kevlar-like material. The string hardly stretches when you string it. Use one pound less tension than usual. For its thin gauge (more spin), the string has a remarkable durability. The low elasticity provides more control. The soft coating wears soon, and the string starts to fray. By inserting Elastocross platelets into the critical intersections one can increase the durability even more. My recommendation for all hard-hitters. The Syntronic is not suitable for players who have a sensitive arm. Every polyester fan should at least try this string.
I hope my hints were of some help again this time. My string box is crowded with test strings, so I will definitely have a lot to say in my next report.

I managed to test 7 strings in 2000, more than one would expect looking back at that unbelievably rainy summer - yuck! Additionally, I had to deal with my study exams this fall, forcing me to cut down my time on the court. Hence, to be able to test many strings, I had to switch to different strings a lot of times, so that I could hardly play one string more than once.
But now to my impressions. I didn't focus on Polyester strings this season. But I did want to find out whether cheaper Polyester strings differ from the famous brands (e.g. Kirschbaum). They don't. You can also buy minor brands which are significantly cheaper than the major brands. I did not find any difference regarding playability or durability.
I played two new Babolat strings: The ATP Tour Prospeed and the ATP Tour Extreme. These strings have been designed to serve totally different purposes: the ATP Tour Prospeed should provide good playability and the ATP Tour Extreme durability. The ATP Tour Prospeed left an average impression, with no special features. Compared to the Prince Tournament Nylon it provides a little better feel. However, I found the durability of the ATP Tour Extreme extremely remarkable. I haven't played a more durable string yet. Consisting of the same material as the Syntronic 900, only a little thicker, it plays a little "duller", respectively. I recommend this string to hard hitters who can deal well with missing touch - compared to the Syntronic 900 you get the ATP Tour Extreme for half the money.
Another Prince string had to face my test: the Prince Response. A closeout string, relatively expensive, with no special features.
The Alpha Gut 2000, quite popular in the US, played very nice, with a lot of touch and power. It had average durability. Nevertheless I would prefer the Toalson Bio-Logic Soft. The Bio-Logic Soft is - as the name says - a relatively soft string that provides great feel which I would spontaneously describe as "crispy". The durability is also normal. Another TOA string I've played this season is the Toalson Titanium. An elastic string that lasted about as long as each of the two strings previously described.
Besides the strings I've tested there was another event worth mentioning: After a long search I finally found a new racquet and switched over. Now I am using the Babolat VS Control Woofer. Especially, I enjoy the great amount of control it provides without losing power. Despite its relatively heavy weight it has great handling. I'm playing much more successful since I switched to this racquet. :)
Alright, so far about the past season. I'll be back next year with another report about my experiences.

Until then! Joe

E-Mail me: jb@stringforum.net