After a couple years of extensive testing with the best players around the globe, Solinco has brought Confidential to the market. The makers of the popular Tour Bite and Hyper-G tennis strings maintain the pentagonal shape of the latter for spin generation. Tour Bite has many fans out there, and it is definitely a firmer feeling control-oriented polyester. It is probably too firm for a lot of players, which is why Solinco released Hyper-G. Most would agree Hyper-G is on the more comfortable side of polyesters. So where does Solinco Confidential fit in? That is the ultimate question.
Feel / Comfort
My first few swings with Confidential were incredibly firm and had a dead feeling, similar to Tour Bite. This was pretty shocking to me as my racquet was strung at 47 pounds. I was just about to write off Confidential as another version of Tour Bite, when after about an hour of hitting, the strings seemingly “unlocked” their potential. The feel softened enough to be more comfortable, but still maintained the control that Solinco is known for. Note: Solinco suggests the best tension range to be 45-50 pounds, and if possible, after stringing give the strings a day to settle for a more consistent response.
Power / Spin
Lately, I have gravitated towards lower tensions with polyester strings. I used to be in the low to mid 50 pound range, but now I am more comfortable just under 50 pounds. The main drawback when playing lower tensions is fast tension loss. In my opinion, Confidential separates itself from the multitude of polyester strings because it maintains tension well even on the lower end. Solinco Confidential played more powerful than Tour Bite, and slightly less powerful than Hyper-G. I am happy to report the string’s slightly pentagonal shape produces a solid amount of topspin on groundstrokes, and it was explosive enough that I enjoyed hitting through the court on put-away shots.
Durability
Confidential slides against itself well, and despite its fairly-sharp profile, it doesn’t notch prematurely. For my playtest, I sampled the 18g version in a dense 18 x 20 pattern, and even after several hours the performance was striking. After a short break-in period, the play-ability of Confidential lasts longer than the average polyester by a long shot.
Overall
I think I found the Solinco string for me! Confidential offers a controlled, and more comfortable response than the famous Tour Bite. Those who thought Hyper-G was too mushy, would really enjoy the middle ground Confidential provides. I had great success with a lower tension, but don’t write off stringing at a higher tension. One of our playtesters, Max Ziegler, strung much tighter and had good results as well.
Max says “It felt really good! The strings felt much softer, pretty comfortable, and not as stiff as Alu Power. Definitely got more depth to my shots with less effort so overall I’d say a bit more powerful than Alu Power. If I would have to compare it I’d probably say it was somewhere in the middle between LXN Smart and Alu Power. I strung it at 55 lbs (2 lbs less than I usually do) in my Wilson Blade 98 CV 18 x 20.”
Chris Virk-Brown echoed positive vibes about Confidential as well.
Chris states “I have played with Solinco Hyper-G and Tour Bite before, so I was very excited to try out Confidential especially given its unique characteristics. Right out the gate I found it to be on the crisp side with very little give, not much free power or spin. However, it didn’t take long for the string bed to settle in and quickly adapt to my game. Over time, the spin and power levels increased allowing me to hit the ball deep into the court, but I found it to start loosing the crisp feel that I enjoyed. Also I loved the sound the ball made when it hit off the string bed. It gives you a nice “pop” sound that makes you feel like you’re a pro. Overall, it was a great co-poly string that I could certainly see myself playing with for years to come. I strung Confidential at 48 lbs in my Wilson Ultra 100 CV Reverse.”
About the Author/Playtester Sam Jones:
Sam currently works at Tennis Express on the Content Marketing team. He previously played at Southwestern University, taught tennis for 10+ years and earned his Master Racquet Technician Certification in 2011. He is an active USTA League and Tournament player at the 5.0+ level. He secretly wants Djokovic to become the GOAT in tennis.
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