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| samalo0 |
 registered |
18 ratings |
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 1978-05-12 |
male recreational player
medium strokes with moderate spin, allround game |
 Head Prestige (MP, 16/19) |
| I'm a USTA rated 3.0 at the top of my level (I do fine at 3.5 level but haven't been bumped yet). I prefer to play with a bit of variety, using a one-handed backhand, a lot of slice and varying spins. The best aspects of my game are my forehand, serve, and backhand slice. |
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| Test Pipeline |
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samalo0 has not yet filled his test pipeline.
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| Date |
2011-07-11 |
| String |
Babolat RPM Blast 1.25 |
| Test Conditions |
Tension |
Racquet |
| 49/49 lbs |
Völkl Power Bridge 10 Mid (MS, 16/19) |
| Absolute Rating |
Durability |
Power |
Control |
Feel |
Comfort |
Spin |
Tension Stability |
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| A good poly if you change your strings often. The price is pretty expensive for the amount of time that it plays well in my opinion. I think I prefer Luxilon Ace. |
| Satisfied? |
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| Compared to:Luxilon Big Banger Ace 18 |
Durability |
Power |
Control |
Feel |
Comfort |
Spin |
Tension Stability |
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This sting is unique. When new, it has an amazing feel and generates a ton of spin. Not so much different from Luxilon strings, but perhaps a bit softer. I noticed that the knots were hard to tie, and that when I sharpened a string to get it through a hole, it would blunt when I pushed it through grommets.
Unfortunately, the good properties of the string don't last that long. I think after a good week of play (maybe ten hours or less), the spin went away and the string started feeling harsh. I think that the coating or chemicals on the string wore off. |
| Similar string(s): |
Luxilon Big Banger Alu Power |
| StringAdjectives |
soft, elastic, stretchy, innovative |
Comments:
No comments found.
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| Date |
2011-07-07 |
| String |
Völkl Gripper 17 |
| Test Conditions |
Tension |
Racquet |
| 55/55 lbs |
Völkl Power Bridge 10 Mid (MS, 16/19) |
| Absolute Rating |
Durability |
Power |
Control |
Feel |
Comfort |
Spin |
Tension Stability |
 (4 hrs.) |
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| Played on hard court, about 80°F. |
| Satisfied? |
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| Compared to:Babolat RPM Blast |
Durability |
Power |
Control |
Feel |
Comfort |
Spin |
Tension Stability |
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n.a. |
| String is a decent multifilament. It loses tension very fast, and is not particularly durable. It started moving almost right away. I did notice typical synthetic gut properties - decent control, nice pocketing, and power. It was not capable of the spin that polys can produce (obviously). I would compare it with Prince Synthetic Gut. |
| Similar string(s): |
Prince Synthetic Gut |
| StringAdjectives |
soft, comfortable, elastic, stretchy, spongy |
Comments:
No comments found.
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| Date |
2011-01-21 |
| String |
Mantis Power Synthetic 17 |
| Test Conditions |
Tension |
Racquet |
| 57/57 lbs |
Head YouTek Prestige MP (MP, 18/20) |
| Absolute Rating |
Durability |
Power |
Control |
Feel |
Comfort |
Spin |
Tension Stability |
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Very easy to string; it's very flexible, soft, and stretchy. Reminds me a bit of Forten Sweet, also has that strange smell that I've noticed on Forten Kevlar strings, perhaps it is the silicon coating. After I finished stringing it I test hit a few balls (in the house up in the air) and it was quiet and seemed fairly powerful.
Played with the string on two occasions. It reminds me of a nice synthetic gut. I can't really say that there is too much amazing about it; I still prefer my gut/Isospeed Professional Classic combo that I use now predominantly. It just isn't as powerful and not as comfortable, but it is not a bad choice for a multi or synthetic gut. I'm going to continue playing with it a bit and I'll update this review.
Update: Played with it again today; and now I loved it! After losing some tension it was much more lively and felt much more spinny. I simply must have strung it too tight. It really reminds me of gut - it doesn't have the explosive power - but it is close. I think I might buy it again to try at a lower tension, especially since the price is good and the tension loss has been minimal. It just feels good! |
| Satisfied? |
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| Compared to:Prince Synthetic Gut DF etc. |
Durability |
Power |
Control |
Feel |
Comfort |
Spin |
Tension Stability |
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| Similar string(s): |
n/a |
| StringAdjectives |
soft, flexible, elastic, lively, stretchy, springy |
Comments:
No comments found.
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| Date |
2010-12-28 |
| String |
Blindtest String13A 1.25  |
| Test Conditions |
Tension |
Racquet |
| 54/54 lbs |
Head YouTek Prestige MP (MP, 18/20) |
| Absolute Rating |
Durability |
Power |
Control |
Feel |
Comfort |
Spin |
Tension Stability |
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| Satisfied? |
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| Compared to:Luxilon Big Banger Alu Power 16L |
Durability |
Power |
Control |
Feel |
Comfort |
Spin |
Tension Stability |
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| This string seems very similar to other polyester strings of this gauge; powerful, spinny, durable, but lacking on control and feel. |
| Similar string(s): |
Tecnifibre Black Code |
| StringAdjectives |
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Comments:
No comments found.
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| Date |
2010-12-28 |
| String |
Blindtest String13B 1.25 |
| Test Conditions |
Tension |
Racquet |
| 54/54 lbs |
Head YouTek Prestige MP (MP, 18/20) |
| Absolute Rating |
Durability |
Power |
Control |
Feel |
Comfort |
Spin |
Tension Stability |
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| Satisfied? |
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| Compared to:Luxilon Big Banger Alu Power 16L |
Durability |
Power |
Control |
Feel |
Comfort |
Spin |
Tension Stability |
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| Very similar to other polyester strings I've tried in the past; I did find control and feel very difficult with this string. It did have some great bite and spin; just not my cup of tea. |
| Similar string(s): |
Topspin Cyber Twirl |
| StringAdjectives |
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Comments:
No comments found.
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| Date |
2010-11-22 |
| String |
Babolat XCel 17 |
| Test Conditions |
Tension |
Racquet |
| 57/57 lbs |
Head YouTek Prestige MP (MP, 18/20) |
| Absolute Rating |
Durability |
Power |
Control |
Feel |
Comfort |
Spin |
Tension Stability |
| n.a. |
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| I've really been noticing lately the differences between a full bed of polyester string or a multifilament; it seems to me that the multi feels much more controlled and predictable, but not as explosive and certainly much less spinny. With this string I could hardly get a kick or slice serve in; picked up my other racquet with a poly and had no trouble. But I definitely felt very consistent on rallies. |
| Satisfied? |
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| Compared to:Luxilon Big Banger Ace 18 |
Durability |
Power |
Control |
Feel |
Comfort |
Spin |
Tension Stability |
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| Similar string(s): |
n/a |
| StringAdjectives |
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Comments:
No comments found.
Please log in to be able to post a comment. |
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| Date |
2010-11-19 |
| String |
Pacific Classic Gut 17 |
| Test Conditions |
Tension |
Racquet |
| 55/57 lbs |
Head YouTek Prestige MP (MP, 18/20) |
| Absolute Rating |
Durability |
Power |
Control |
Feel |
Comfort |
Spin |
Tension Stability |
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| Tried the string out playing indoors; the power and spin were very surprising. I hadn't played with a nice gut in a while (this costs $26 a set as opposed to cheaper guts I've used, $14 a set) and it is well worth the price. It plays a lot like VS Gut - powerful, spinny, comfortable, a lot of feel. I was involved in a bunch of volley drills last night and felt like I did much better than usual since I was not using poly (my choice is Big Banger Ace typically). |
| Satisfied? |
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| Compared to:Prince Synthetic Gut DF etc. |
Durability |
Power |
Control |
Feel |
Comfort |
Spin |
Tension Stability |
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| I think this gut is a good match of feel, playability, spin, and durability for the price. It was fairly easy to string, but as with all gut you need to be a bit careful not to crimp the string. |
| Similar string(s): |
Babolat VS Gut |
| StringAdjectives |
soft, comfortable, elastic, lively |
Comments:
No comments found.
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| Date |
2010-06-15 |
| String |
Luxilon Big Banger Ace 18 |
| Test Conditions |
Tension |
Racquet |
| 50/50 lbs |
Babolat Pure Storm GT (MP, 16/20) |
| Absolute Rating |
Durability |
Power |
Control |
Feel |
Comfort |
Spin |
Tension Stability |
| n.a. |
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| I installed a full bed of Luxilon Ace in my racquet about two weeks ago. I've enjoyed it but I feel it is a bit too powerful; next time I will string it about 53 lbs instead of 50 lbs. It has a lot of spin and feels great serving and hitting groundstrokes. I found it to be a bit difficult to use at the net and had some trouble with vollieys. Perhaps a hybrid would fix this problem, but I do find most polyester strings to not give enough feedback for me to volley well with them. |
| Satisfied? |
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| Compared to:Prince Synthetic Gut DF etc. |
Durability |
Power |
Control |
Feel |
Comfort |
Spin |
Tension Stability |
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| Similar string(s): |
n/a |
| StringAdjectives |
soft, lively, solid |
Comments:
No comments found.
Please log in to be able to post a comment. |
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| Date |
2010-03-10 |
| String |
Topspin Cyber Black 1.23 |
| Test Conditions |
Tension |
Racquet |
| 55/59 lbs |
Babolat Pure Storm GT (MP, 16/20) |
| Absolute Rating |
Durability |
Power |
Control |
Feel |
Comfort |
Spin |
Tension Stability |
| n.a. |
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| I tested Topspin Cyber Black as a main string with Gosen OG-Sheep Micro 17 in the crosses. The string was easier to string than the hex and hex/twisted versions as expected due to the geometry. Took it out to practice (I strung it a bit higher than I did with Cyber Twirl - 55lbs instead of 52 lbs) and I really enjoyed how it hit. A lot of control and much less power, which let me feel like I could hit the ball harder and not worry about spraying it everywhere. Honestly, the string seems a lot like any other poly that I have tried aside from Luxilon - Tecnifibre Black Code, Kirschbaum Pro Line No. II, etc. They all seem about the same, low power, good control, some variance of softness, but essentially very similar. Then again, I am a low 3.5 NTRP level player, so I am not sure if I have the skills to tell the difference between similar strings very well. I can tell the difference between these kind of polys and Luxilon or gut; standard poly is just a low power, somewhat uncomfortable, but spin producing string. |
| Satisfied? |
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| Compared to:Tecnifibre Black Code 1.24 |
Durability |
Power |
Control |
Feel |
Comfort |
Spin |
Tension Stability |
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| Similar string(s): |
Tecnifibre Black Code |
| StringAdjectives |
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Comments:
No comments found.
Please log in to be able to post a comment. |
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| Date |
2010-02-15 |
| String |
Topspin Cyber Twirl Black 1.27 |
| Test Conditions |
Tension |
Racquet |
| 52/52 lbs |
Babolat Pure Storm GT (MP, 16/20) |
| Absolute Rating |
Durability |
Power |
Control |
Feel |
Comfort |
Spin |
Tension Stability |
| n.a. (>8 hrs.) |
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| Don't get me started on what a pain it was to string. Frictional strings like this are such a pain to weave. I didn't have any more trouble stringing it than normal polyester strings, but I feel as though I need to complain somewhere. Maybe a hybrid would be easier to string and still have similar properties, I will try that next and report. |
| Satisfied? |
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| Compared to:Prince Synthetic Gut DF etc. |
Durability |
Power |
Control |
Feel |
Comfort |
Spin |
Tension Stability |
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| Tried out the string in two separate USTA matches. I noticed immediately that spin was increased from my standard string, and it being lower power, it was easier to hit out on the ball and keep the ball in. Some shots that felt long having been used to synthetic gut spun in; I felt kind of lucky playing with the string. I have played other polyester strings, and many seem kind of similar; this one, due to the pentagonal profile and twisting, does seem to be much more frictional and bite the ball better. Reminds me of MSV Focus-Hex with a bit more stiffness. I don't think it is as comfortable as Luxilon/Tecnifibre. |
| Similar string(s): |
MSV Focus-Hex |
| StringAdjectives |
lively, spongy, stiff, rough |
Comments:
No comments found.
Please log in to be able to post a comment. |
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