I’m not really into bright/neon bright green tennis strings, but thought to myself: “let’s put this one on the Blade to match the cosmetics”. Also, I wanted to try a more plasticky string. Hydrogen Revo Hex feels exactly that when stringing and touching it: a plasticky, not very shiny/slippery string, with 6 pronounced edges that prepared me for some extra spin assistance, a low-powered response and maybe some lack in feel on flat strokes.
After playing 8 hours with it (groundstrokes/various drills/point-plays/practice matches), this is the feedback I can share:
Pros
The “plasticky feel” was there, yes, but it didn’t go all the way Solinco Hyper G – “mute/dead”. The dwell-time was very short, meaning the ball was getting in n’ out as fast as some of the stiffest (controlled marketed) round-shaped strings, while being noticeably more comfortable at medium-pace hitting.
The Power delivery was just average (nearly as low as with Kirschbaum Max Power and Mayami Tour Hex) and on those early flat forehands I like to take it was obvious that I couldn’t push my hitting partners back very effectively.
Imparting more top-spin on my shots made everything better:
+ More confidence staying in the rallies by keep playing cross-court defense with medium-to-high next clearance
+ Almost impossible to hit farther than the baseline
+ To redirect fast and heavy incoming balls, I’d better hit them early belly/chest high
+ Slicing was excellent when I was inputting some forwards bodyweight transfer
+ Comfort level was quite good, taking into consideration the medium-to-low power delivery that requires some extra muscle input into the shots and the short dwell-time
+ Noticeable spin assistance on all spin shots
Cons
– Returning and redirecting fast and heavy balls hit at a low hitting zone (below the belly) felt underpowered and the ball would bounce just behind the service line, making me a sitting duck
– In order to keep the backhand slice deep, proper forward bodyweight transfer was demanded. I couldn’t just chop the ball.
– On flat serves I could use a few extra km/h
– The edges went almost completely gone at the 8th hour mark (less spin assistance)
Summary
Having to get into a comparison to give a clear perspective about the Stringlab Hydrogen Revo 1.26: If you’re looking for a much cheaper Solinco Hyper GÂ 1.25 alternative, this may be the string for you! It will give you exactly what you can expect as the experience will be almost identical. Personally, it would be hard to pick them apart during a blind test. I would recommend strings of this nature for players who look like a (semi-)dead response that allows them to think they can hit the hell out of the ball minimizing the probability of overshooting.
* Racket used: Wilson Blade V5 16×19. Balls used: Tennis Point Classic (softer), Wilson US Open Extra Duty (a bit heavier) and Dunlop Fort Court (less dwell time, faster).
