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tennis string reviews

MSV Focus-Hex Ultra String Review

by TN January 11, 2018

written by TN

I’ve been searching for the perfect string now that I’ve settled on a racquet (more racquet reviews to come shortly anyway) and it’s for sure an interesting journey with a lot of high quality polys out there. One of them is MSV Focus-Hex Ultra.

The MSV Focus-Hex Ultra is a white, co-poly hexagonal string which is supposed to give you a “comfortably firm feel, explosive power, reduced string movement and long lasting tension maintenance with maximum durability”. This is what it says on the box. And I’m happy to report that the box doesn’t line.

I usually prefer rather dead poly’s but the explosiveness of the MSV Focus-Hex Ultra can be quite intoxicating. You really feel the string grip the ball and catapult it towards your opponent with power and spin. The first hours with the string I was a bit hesitant because it felt more powerful than what I’m used to, but once I had settled with it and added some more spin to my swing it felt great.

It really does do what it says: it’s firm but comfortable and offers good power and spin. So if you have full strokes and are looking for those characteristics in a poly string, I really recommend to take it our for a swing. As an added bonus it’s quite inexpensive at around 75 EUR or 90 USD for a whole 200 meter reel!

It’s definitely a string I could see myself switch and I did enjoy it in a thinner gauge (1.20 mm) than what I usually gravitate towards (1.25 mm). The thinner profile will make the string slightly softer, but of course a little less durable.

I think for players that keep changing racquets, it can be a little easier to try to find the right string and tension for your stick. It’s cheaper, faster and does make a big difference on the playability of your racquet.

The MSV Focus-Hex Ultra was easy to string and lasts about the same time as a standard poly. Tension loss was pretty minimal, but if you want to be able to play a string until it breaks, I’d suggest natural gut. It costs more, but the tension loss is minimal and depending on your playing style it can last long enough to be a better option than a normally rather stiff poly string.

Good job, MSV. Another great poly string on the market making the choice even more difficult.

Below is the video review including footage from a recent tennis match using the string.

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January 11, 2018 6 comments

Strings

RS Paris Octagon String Review

by TN December 12, 2017

written by TN

I’ve been trying out the new eight-sided string from RS Tennis – the RS Paris and here are is my review for this new polyester string from Robin Soderling Tennis.

Fiirst of all I want to say that I’ve been enjoying RS Lyon as a cheaper but still solid alternative to Luxilon Alu Power over the years and that’s why it was exciting to be able to test this new string in the RS Tennis product line-up.

The string has a dark grey colour to it that looks nice in my orange-silver HEAD Liquidmetal Radical Tours. It is definitely similar to the touch to the Luxilon Alu Power Rough that is used as an hybrid string by Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray!

I played this string at first in my go-to-tension at 23 kg, but it’s close to being to too power and unless you pre-stretch the string you will experience the tension to drop rather quickly. If you on the other hand pre-stretch and string it a little higher, something like 24-25 kg, it plays much better.

This of course depends on what you’re looking for in a string. The RS Paris Octagon is a rather powerful poly that gives you good, but not crazy spin. I’m usually interested in a bit more control from my string setup, but it does take a little while to get used to the textured string grabbing the ball and I did think it was a bit unpredictable during my first few sessions, but now that I’ve gotten used to it I enjoy it much more and feel like I’m in better command of the ball than my initial thoughts.

RS Paris Octagon is like Luxilon Alu Power Rough a firm string for players will full swings. It offers good spin, solid control and a nice feel when the string grabs the ball. Durability was one of the weaknesses with RS Lyon, but I feel that the RS Paris Octagon is on par with most other textured strings when it comes to durability. If durability and tension maintenance is what you’re looking for, Solinco Hyper-G and Kirschbaum Max Power are better alternatives in my book.

Below are two short videos with some highlights from sessions with RS Paris Octagon. One is a short video review and the other one is from set play.

To summarize this brief review I want to say that I think RS Paris Octagon is a nice textured string with good bite, spin and power. It can feel a bit unpredictable so I would recommend it stringing it higher than you normally would if you’re used to control-focused strings. If you’re a control junkie, I would go with other strings, but if you like more powerful polys – RS Paris Octagon is a great option!

What do you think of RS tennis strings? Have you tried the new RS Paris Octagon? Please comment below!

***

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December 12, 2017 3 comments

Strings

First hit: Luxilon Alu Power Ice Blue

by TN December 5, 2017

written by TN

I’m starting a period of testing new strings and today I had my first hit with the Luxilon Alu Power Ice Blue and I wanted to give you my first impressions.

I’ve played plenty with the traditional Luxilon Alu Power and although I think it’s slightly overpriced, I can see why a lot of pros use it. It offers great performance and feel and plays especially great those first few hours. Similar to Babolat RPM Blast.

The Luxilon Alu Power Ice Blue instantly felt slightly softer and livelier than the original Alu Power. It had good ball pocketing, but I didn’t get the same spin I do with my go-to-string Solinco Hyper-G (read my review of Solinco Hyper-G here). I also feel I get slightly more spin with the traditional Alu Power and I did miss a little bit of that crisp feel. This is of course a personal taste.

I will play with it some more before I make any judgements either or. I can already say it’s a great poly string and definitely worth a try. Will be interesting to see how long it maintains its playability, which is factor that will make a difference for a lot of recreational players. Especially since this string is more expensive than a lot of other decent poly strings.

Here’s a video from my first hitting session with it.

What do you think of the Luxilon strings? Have you tried the Ice Blue? Please comment below.

***

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USA
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Racquet buying guides

Here is a great racquet buying guide to get you started.
What tennis racquet should I buy?
Top tennis racquets to buy right now
The Gear of the Year 2016
Tennis racquets for juniors
Tennis racquets for kids

December 5, 2017 8 comments