The beginning of the year is the perfect time for tennis players to find new gear. There are so many new shoes and racquets that come out and are perfectly timed for the Spring tennis season.
A category that can get overshadowed by the flashy colors and latest innovations is tennis string! No matter what racquet you take to the court the string is what actually touches the ball and should not be overlooked. One thing most tennis players are consistently looking for is…MORE SPIN! Some of the latest strings from Luxilon, HEAD, Yonex, and Solinco can help you add RPMs to your game. We also included different prices on this list, to help you get the best string for the best value. This list will focus on the shaped/textured category, so be on the lookout for a list of smooth and round polyesters as well.
Luxilon ECO POWER
Price: $14.95
Feel: Medium Firm
Shape: Hexagon
Tension Maintenance: Above average
Luxilon’s most well-known string on tour is the ALU Power. A huge percentage of the top 100 professionals use it, but the brand has not ventured too far into the shaped polyester category. That is, until now. Luxilon’s new string, the ECO Power, features a heavy-duty construction with a hexagonal profile to create durability and spin. What makes ECO Power so special is that the string is made with 100% recycled PET bottles and packaging displays. The string has a striking teal color, and it is a reminder that nearly 80% of the brand’s main energy supply is powered by 1600 solar panels on the roof of their factory, which drastically reduces the demand for fossil fuels.
It offers better-than-average tension maintenance and tons of control for high-level players. Another strong selling point of ECO Power is that the string is $5 less than ALU Power. Luxilon is an impressive brand with very high-performance products, but it is nice to see a premium string with a little more affordable price point.
Yonex POLY TOUR DRIVE
Price: $8.99
Feel: Medium Firm
Shape: Octagonal
Tension Maintenance: Average
Yonex POLY TOUR DRIVE features an octagonal profile and a medium-firm feel, offering a nice balance of spin and power. This string comes in black and silver in 1.25 mm. Yonex is known for its quality control, so the fact that POLY TOUR DRIVE is only about $9 should be a huge incentive for those who string their own racquets. With this string, you don’t have to have world-class racquet head speed to get a subtle boost in spin, and it plays more comfortably than a lot of the shaped strings on the market.
HEAD Lynx Tour
Price: $13
Feel: Medium
Shape: Hexagon
Tension Maintenance: Above average
Lynx Tour is another solid entry in the shaped string category. Its subtlely six-sided construction offers good access to spin without premature notching, and Lynx Tour gets high marks in the control department as well. This string works well in hybrid setups as well. Pro player Lorenzo Musetti uses Lynx Tour (crosses) and Hawk Touch (mains) to great effect. Lynx Tour comes with a few color options; fluorescent orange, champagne, and black. For a polyester string, Lynx Tour holds tension quite well and it is available in both 16 and 17-gauge (18-gauge coming soon in grey).
Solinco Hyper-G
Price: $13
Feel: Soft-Medium
Shape: 5 sided
Tension Maintenance: Average
Solinco Hyper-G is maybe the most popular shaped string on the market. The 5 sided string comes in a very noticeable green color. The high-performance co-polyester string offers playability and control while generating extreme power with spin and bite. Solinco offers an entire assortment of gauges (as thin as 20G and as thick as 15L). Hyper-G was designed to play softer and with more forgiveness than the brand’s other popular co-polyester string, Tour Bite. You can expect a comfortable response from Hyper-G. While tension maintenance is good but not great, the value is quite strong at around $13 per set.
Volkl V-Square
Price: $13
Feel: Softer
Shape: Square
Tension Maintenance: Average
V-Square, as the name suggests, relies on a four-sided shape to produce a spin-friendly response. V-Square is one of the sharper-shaped strings around. The exclusive material used in the manufacturing process gives V-Square better tension maintenance, comfort, and bite. V-Square has strong snap-back to give big-hitting players a boost in topspin, and a surprising amount of power. The slick surface of the string promotes reactive movement for players looking for every ounce of spin. Expect V-Square to play softer than Cyclone and a little firmer than Cyclone Tour. V-Square also comes in a vast array of gauges so the ideal fit is easy to find. Because of its sharp edges, V-Square will not be as durable as strings whose shape is a bit more subtle.
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