Kirschbaum Strings

Fellow tennis nerd, Konstantinos Kalfountzos, has written about Kirschbaum strings. He has tested a bunch of them and shares his opinions below.

You can check out Kirschbaum strings from our friends at Tennis Warehouse Europe (10% off using TNERD10), Tennis Warehouse and Tennis Only.

You can check out Konstantintos on his YouTube channel.

Intro to Kirschbaum strings

Kirschbaum is a tennis string brand from Germany that has been around for many years. Most of us know their original Super Smash Honey, now called Super Smash Orange. Kirschbaum in my experience seems to concentrate on durable (pre-stretched), control-oriented strings. A quick look at their lineup and one may see several round-shaped strings and a few rough-shaped variations, plus the 5-sided/pentagonal XPlosive Speed.

Here’s a guide for the strings that I have tried. I’ve played all of these in the 1.20 gauge and I’m currently revisiting them in the 1.25 gauge.

Kirschbaum Flash 1.20 – 1.25

The easiest one to play with regardless of hitting pace and skill level. Its bright variations will play livelier, while the black one a bit more dead. 

+ the orange variation requires almost no break-in period, it is as arm-friendly as you can hope from a polyester and will do everything pretty well. 

– No specific feature stands-out, but that’s maybe the point with this string: being a safe introduction to the brand, pick it up and play right away and then consider raising the tension a bit or choosing another option.

(rackets used: Diadem Nova FS100, Diadem Elevate V2 FS98, Head YouTek Speed MP 16×19, tension: 22kg full-bed)

Kirschbaum XPlosive Speed 1.23

Explosive Speed is a soft string with an equally lively response as Flash but with some noticeable top-spin assistance.

+ Ideal for some extra lift on the ball and stiff rackets. Depth comes pretty easy and the extra bite on the ball will make sure your shots won’t sail long even with a completely neutral racket face. Top-spin baseliner hitters using 16×19 tweener frames may consider this one. 

– It will lose its playability stability faster than all the other Kirschbaum strings I’ve tested.

(racket used: Tecnifibre TF40 315 16×19, tension 21kg)

Kirschbaum Evolution 1.20 – 1.25

Evolution is the best option to go with if you’re a high-intermediate or advanced player. 

+ It offers great touch from the mid-court, medium power, so you can take full cuts on the ball without the fear of overhitting. Definitely, a control-oriented string. In contrast to some reviews, I’ve found more than enough ball-bite with the Diadem Elevate V3 FS98 (semi-open 16×20)

– It’s stiffer than the previous two, more demanding on defence and less forgiving on off-center hits

(rackets used: Diadem Elevate V3 FS98, Prince Synergy 98, tension 22kg full-bed)

Kirschbaum Max Power 1.20 – 1.25

Max Power is the most demanding and, at the same time, the most rewarding option if you’re a high-level player using a control-oriented frame. TN’s note: This string is used by Francisco Cerundolo on the ATP tour.

+ a true competitor’s choice, offers the best feel among these strings both from the baseline on dead-flat hitting (a la Dusan Lajovic) and on volleys. Max Power stands for maximum player’s effort to produce any kind of pace. Its playbalitily stability surpasses everything else I’ve tried, by miles!

– top-spin assistance is quite limited and net-clearance is quite low

(rackets used: Diadem Elevate V2 FS98, Head Prestige MP 18*19 2021, tension: 22kg)

Summary 

If you’re an intermediate player, I suggest you pick a set of bright variations of Flash and XPlosive Speed if you seek extra top-spin assistance you may not find with Flash on the first try. Overall, Evolution reflects my level of hitting from my stringbed in the best way: immediate response (short dwell-time) and great (re)directional control. Max Power is the most demanding option, and I only feel comfortable (suggesting) using it with heavyweight control-oriented frames, like the Prestige MP 18×19 and the Wilson BLX Six. One 95 18×20, as we speak.

TN’s note: Thanks, Konstantinos, for this excellent string review! I’m personally a fan of Max Power, but I can generally say that Kirschbaum makes some quality strings.