Signed in with my tester alias: konkalf and filled-in the form like I used to do at Stringforum.net, but when choosing the last step to post my review, this message comes up.
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Oehms Sonic Speed 1.19 21kg x Pro Kennex Ki5 295
Low power. Mute. Can't hit long!
Baseline: most shots would land short between the servive line and baseline. Using a dampener was necessary after the first 2 sessions, because the stringbed got jarring after 3 hours.
Forehands: allows/demands big swings to get the ball deep. On the other hand, every mid-court short would land safely in and short angles could be found because of the low power delivery and above moderate access to top-spin.
Backhands: low-power delivery made it hard to defend with driving shots. Slicing was almost the only way to defend.
Netplay: very comfortable feel and no launchy response, but there's a lack of "touch" because of the muteness.
Conclusions: "Plasticky" and mute feedback. Low power. High comfort when using a dampener. Drop in playability noticed after only 3 hours of medium-to-higher intensity of hitting, so durability is not so good. The 1+1 reel deal, if still on is a bargain for someone that restrings once every two weeks and seeks for a low-powered, mute string for a powerful and stiff racket. It seems almost impossible to overhit! I think it's a very consumer-friendly option for a beginner transitioning from multifilaments to polyesters, but can generate his/her own power.
Comfort: 4 (with dampener)
Stiffness: 3
Power: 2
Ball pocketing: 4
Spin: 4
Feel: 3Kommentar
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Dyreex Super Tour 1.25 22kg x Diadem Elevate V2 FS98
tight 16*20 pattern, Dyreex dampener and Absorb overgrip
Short dwell-time. Responsive. Great Control and Durability!
Baseline: from day one, this string felt like a 4G clone with a tad more comfortable feel. Power/depth in my shots came easy, but at the same time control on flat shots was its best attribute. The ball got in n' out in a hurry.
Forehands: hitting my quite flat forehands behind the baseline the stringbed offered pinpoint accuracy in depth and direction changes. Other than the slight lack of top-spin assistance from the mid-court, it gave everything I'd wish on a tight stringbed. Very stable response on serve returns.
Backhands: good pop to help defending either driving or slicing the ball. Approach slices felt great. I didn't get much help when hitting backhand slices on the run. The ones I hit with early preparation and attacking mindset were better than fine.
Netplay: great "touch" at the net. Not so great underspin help.
Conclusions: so far, the Dyreex Super Tour 1.25 has the highest performance/price ratio, by miles! It is just a very good string, that apart from my only two "knocks": the unsual cream-yellow colour and the just moderate access to top-spin and underspin, I can't find anything that it let me down in any manner. It's got pop, control, touch at the net and has held playability at very high level. A must try for flat hitters!
Comfort: 5 (with dampener)
Stiffness: 4
Power: 5
Ball pocketing: 3
Spin: 3
Feel: 5Kommentar
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Kirschbaum Evolution 1.20 22kg x Diadem Elevate V3 FS98
Firm with great bite/spin/pocketing on the ball (?!).
Baseline: quite firm at first with no dampener. After I put it on, it was no way back! This string felt quite firm/stiff on this quite soft racket. I'm sure on other rackets it may feel even stiffer, so that's something to look out for, especially with the 1.25 gauge. 1.20 gauge strings on both the V2 and V3 Elevates have a high launch angle of my flat forehand with neutral racket face. These rackets play better with 1.25+. Anyway, I had to make some adjustments and hit every shot with a semi-closed racket face.
Forehands: depth and returning fast balls felt great as the string had much better bite and ball pocketing on the ball than I expected from a round-shaped, firm-labelled string. I was positively surprised by this! With the dampener on and hitting 1+ hours straight each time with no breaks in-between, I didn't feel any discomfort, as a result of the soft racket x low tension combo).
Backhands: both my driving one-handed backhands and backhand slices were hit excellently on both offense and defence. My attaching backhand slices towards the corners were among the best I've hit so far.
Netplay: immediate response feel to hit a volley to the open space. No volley dropped shorter than I wanted and didn't give extra time to my partners.
Conclusions: a firm string, with excellent capability to change direction of the ball from both sides. More than enough power, mainly because of the thin gauge, so depth was very easy to find. With a semi-closed racket face and more top-spin swingpath the feel of being in control is top-notch. Despite not being my preferred 1.25 gauge (will do that too), it dethrones the Xplosive Speed 1.23 out of my top-10, for now.
Comfort: 4 (with dampener)
Stiffness: 5
Power: 5
Ball pocketing: 4
Spin: 5
Feel: 5 (higher than wanted launch angle)Kommentar
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Dyreex Black Mist 1.30 22kg x Diadem Nova FS100
Super comfortable. Launchy response. Low levels of control in point-plays.
Baseline: Serious dwell-time. Pillow-like response and too much power when hitting intensity picked up behind the baseline.
Forehands: had to limit my power and swings down to 60-70% to keep the ball safely in-play on groundstrokes hitting with this rather powerful racket. Top-spin was very moderate and only there when I exagurated a heavy top-spin swingpath.
Backhands: on the 1-handed backhand, I couldn't hit consistenlty, because the swing speed and path themselves cannot be limited down as easily as the 2-handed backhand. On the 2-handed backhand, I got better results in depth and ball placement.
Netplay: very comfortable and powerful response with the least of effort, but lacked "touch".
Conclusions: full-bed I could only use it feeding balls and practicing with beginners at low pace. In point-play situations, Control was very hard to find: returning serves was puzzling, backhand slices were very deep but underspin was very low, 2-handed backhands were ok and flat-forehands were most of the time too powerful. Third time out, the mains started staying out of place, but not as much as with a full-bed of multifilament string.
Comfort: 6
Stiffness: 1
Power: 6
Ball pocketing: 6
Spin: 3
Feel: 3
In hybrid setup with Isospeed Cream 1.28 in the crosses, I got:
+ less power
+ much better ball placement
+ the Black Mist mains would not stay out of place (much better snapback effect)
+ better access to top-spin (due to better string movement)
+ much better response in point-plays
+ much better 1st and 2nd serves
- still limited access to underspin
I would highly recommend a try in hybrid with a generic round polyester in the crosses for beginners, people with arm issues, on 100 sq inch rackets and up to a medium intensity of hitting as an alternative to multifilaments.
The stringbed responsiveness with the Isospeed Cream in the crosses was day-n'-night better.Kommentar
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Kirschbaum Flash 1.20 22kg x Diadem Elevate V3 FS98
+ comparison to the Evolution 1.20
Comfortable string to play medium and high pace rallies. Good blend of Control and Power.
Baseline: No adjustments needed when started hitting with the Flash 1.20. The launch angle was moderate, not high. I could hit my usual flat strokes with neutral racket face, with no issues of unpredictable launch, depth and control.
Forehands: either hitting at a medium pace with beginner hitting partner or much more intense with advanced hitting partner, the Flash 1.20 offered me a comfortable feel, moderate stiffness, which led to some noticable dwell-time on flat shots with repeatable depth on groundstrokes on the forehand side. Extra help on top-spin shots was just above average, I felt I didn't have to apply lots of rpm to find my targets. Power delivery was just above moderate which allowed/demanded fast swings on fast incoming balls.
Backhands: on my flatter backhand side, the only downside would be the limited access to underspin, as I had to do all the work properly and use bodyweight transfer to get depth. My flat 1-handed backhands felt absolutely great.
Conclusions: 2 drawbacks were the access to underspin on the slice where I felt I had to have an overall more forward motion to get the same depth I got from a few other strings I liked and the assistance on topspin shots hit below my weist (late hitting!) from the mid-court. Other than these 2 drawbacks that are drawn in comparison to the Evolution 1.20, the Flash was a pleasant experience as it performed very well in a large range of pace situations.
Comfort: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐➖ (with dampener)
Stiffness: ⭐⭐⭐⭐➖➖
Power: ⭐⭐⭐⭐➖➖
Ball pocketing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐➖
Spin: ⭐⭐⭐⭐➖➖
Feel: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐➖ (great response on flat hitting)
* Compared to the Evolution 1.20, the Flash felt:
+ more comfortable (a tad softer)
+ more joy when hitting at medium pace
+ easier for the arm
+ lower launch angle and better for flat hitting
- less immediate/precise response
- less access to topspin and underspin
- durability of the Evolution felt more stable
The Flash 1.20 suits stiff rackets better and Evolution 1.20 softer ones and advanced hitters.Kommentar
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After watching some of your videos konstantinos, i wonder what qualifies you to do this string tests. Please invest the time to improve your tennis technique with a good coach. Your inflationary testing of tennis strings will not bring you and also the forum anything to increase knowledge.Kommentar
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That's interesting. The videos are there for anyone interested in comparing his/her level to mine and for myself, to keep track of my progress. So, unless your level is not comparable to mine, then yes, my reviews are useless for you.
On the other hand, many players are around my level (+/-), so some attributes I share may be useful to them: like stiffness, power, dwell-time / responsiveness. Spin in more about technique and much less the string, but some do offer more rpms with less effort.
Anyway, even bringing to the public's knowledge the existance of the market options out there is useful. These brands say they like what I do. Free information is still information, even for beginners and low intermediates. Advanced players may look somewhere else.Kommentar
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UPDATE:
Got 2 rackets for sale in excellent condition. Can't see where to post the ads here. I have no access to the Stringforum.net for quite some time.
1) Diadem Elevate V3 FS98 grip size 3 for 150€
2) Pro Kennex Ki5 295 2022 grip size 2 for 90€
Both can be sold together for 210€.
Both in excellent condition.
Prices include shipping cost within Europe.
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