WeissCANNON TurboTwist

We are currently conducting local playtests with WeissCANNON’s newest poly-based string, TurboTwist. This 1.18mm string features an innovative construction that has been patented. The manufacturer claims it will take poly-based strings to an entirely different level. We are excited to hit with it.

We are told this poly-based string offers the highest amount of controllable power found in any poly-based string product due in part to a high amount of elasticity. In fact, WeissCANNON suggests stringing it at the same tension as you would string a regular synthetic gut offering. By contrast they recommend an 8% tension drop when using Silverstring (one of the very best and most technologically advanced poly-based strings currently available.)

We will use this blog to review the string once playtest results become available. Until then, it is important to note that the string is expected to be available sometime in the next 4 – 8 weeks.

Our stringing experience was definitely not what we expected. The TurboTwist has more coil memory than most strings we have used. It reminded us of the Head Intellistring, from the coil memory standpoint. We are hoping that the packaged sets and especially the reels will have less coil memory to fight. It was one of the more difficult strings to work with from that perspective.

We also found it offering a more “wire-like” feel to the hand than we expected, given the elasticity ratings and projected comfort. (NOTE: These comments are based only on installation impressions, not actual play). We have found strings in the past that felt stiff to the hand, yet played soft, and vice versa. Heck, Kevlar feels nice and soft to the hand, but offers virtually no elasticity so it plays like a board. The TurboTwist, by contrast, is highly elastic (based on poly-based string standards). We also noted that the first two cross strings, when pulling through, made a distinctly unique sound. It sounded very much like elephants trumpeting. No doubt this was caused by the construction which for lack of a better term is “texture-like” due to the twisting done in the manufacturing of this string. Weaving the crosses was much easier than anticipated. I feared, given the wire-like feel and coil memory that the crosses would become nightmarish to install. This was not the case, though the coil memory did remain strong through 1/2 the crosses.

Will the TurboTwist offer the playability promised? Will it take poly-based strings to an entirely new level? We’ll have to eagerly wait and see, but we definitely would not bet against Siggi Weiss and the WeissCANNON team delivering another high quality product for tennis players throughout the world to enjoy. Stay tuned for more!

What do terms “poly” and “copoly” really mean?

For those who have been following us for years, you may have made use of our “Racquety-Yak” Message Board.  With the advent of the “Racquety-Yak” Blog, we have found discussion board participation declining, even though views have increased.  In a decision designed to better serve the needs of our users by consolidating information and also to reduce our costs we have decided to close the message board and use the blog and our Facebook Fan Page (opening soon) to respond to customer questions.

We will begin answering questions with one posed yesterday. 

Q: I’ve been looking around the web but haven’t found the answer to this: what exactly is a co-poly and how does it differ from a poly? I’ve been experimenting with polys (wilson enduro 16 and 17 and pro hurricane 15L) in my roddick+ and they’re bothering my arm a bit. I’m giving good consideration to switching to a hybrid, but I’m overseas and string selection isn’t great, though at times I can get people to bring me strings from US.

I’m trying to make it affordable and convenient. My first choice is finding a poly (or co-poly) I can use without arm problems, but I’m feeling like that’s unlikely. My second choice is a reel of poly/co-poly and a reel of something else for the crosses. Any recommendations on decent affordable options available in reels or non-pricey packages? Possible to keep the string costs below $10 per job?

A: Thank you for your excellent question!  There is a great deal of confusion with the terms “poly” and “co-poly.”  We will do our best to untangle some of this for you.

Many years ago string manufacturers found that POLYESTER was a material that offered a great deal of durability and control in tennis strings.  Early POLYESTER strings were extremely stiff, lost tension rapidly and did not really develop much of a following.  These strings were referred to as “POLY” strings.  In the 1990’s manufactures began reducing the amount of actual polyester used in the string and began blending them with different chemicals and elements.  The result was more comfortable playing strings that held playing properties longer.  When the percentage of actual polyester decreased many, myself included, began referring to these strings as “Co-Polys.”  The thought was to designate it as having more elements than just polyester so the customers would recognize that it was not the same as the old “Poly” strings.

While the thought made sense, it failed to take into account that synthetic gut string manufacturers sometimes used the term “co-poly” to describe the core and other parts of their strings.  When used in the context of synthetic gut strings the term “co-poly” does not refer to polyester, but rather polymers which are generally not the same and may not consist of polyester.  The use of the term “co-poly” in two entirely different contexts began to get confusing.  Afterall when a synthetic gut string with copoly core was being described, what would consumers think?  Would they believe the core was polyester based and thus stiffer and more durable, or would they know it was a term used to blanket the use of multiple polymers?  Add to this confusion of manufacturers actually adding polyester blends into the synthetic and welcome to “Camp Confusion!”

To put and end to this confusion we have changed our terminology.  We were the first to do so and are hoping our naming convention makes sense and catches on.  We have noticed some in the tennis world using our terminology and we are proud to have made this contribution to clearing up some of the confusion.

The term we now use for strings that are composed of polyester blended with other elements is “POLY-BASED.” This serves to let the consumer know that the string does have a polyester base.  We think it makes sense for these strings to have their own reference name, rather than sharing the term “co-poly” with polymers…that’s just too confusing.

Now, as far as your situation, the poly-based strings you are using in your Pure Drive Roddick are problematic.  The racquet itself is not very arm friendly, being so stiff and light.  Couple that with POLY-BASED strings with a high % of polyester and the arm pain is no surprise.  Some of the new poly-based strings use a lower percentage of polyester and are indeed much more comfortable.  There are a number of great options out there.  Our favorites are described on our web site.  The poly-based strings we carry are ALL softer and better playing than the ones you have been using.

You can try a softer poly-based string in a full set-up and see how your arm does.  While they are softer than what you have used, they may not be soft enough in the context of Pure Drive Roddick.  In that case we would strongly suggest a hybrid.  Use one of the newer and more technologically advanced strings in your mains at a low tension and cross it with a soft synthetic gut (something like Forten Sweet or WeissCANNON SuperString) and you will likely find a combination that offers much better playability and performance at a cost of well under $10.00 per stringing.

Good luck!

New MSV Multi

The newest MSV product, Soft-Control, has just hit the US shores and is available to you at an introductory price of $11.90 from Guts and Glory Tennis.

This particular string offers a unique construction, specifically designed to offer the comfort of traditional premium multis with the bonus of added control. Players who enjoy crisp playing multis, like Technifibre Bi-Phase and KLiP Excellerator are likely to enjoy the playability offered by this string.

Currently this 1330 thread multifilament string is offered in 1.25mm, 17 ga,  in the USA.

The diagram below provides a detailed look at the construction of this string product.

$25.00 well spent

Last fall I made a purchase on a whim. Turns out it was the most pleasurable $25.00 ever spent. I had strung for years on a thin mat covered by carpet. I thought all was well. Then one day I decided I wanted more cushioning. Sure I could wear crocs, but since I prefer to string in socks or bare feet, I decided to give a 5/8″ thick anti-fatigue mat a try. I purchased mine through U-Line supply where I paid a whopping $25.00. There is a U-Line distribution center near me so I just picked it up avoiding any shipping charges.

This purchase was made last fall. Each day I find myself thinking, “I absolutely can not believe how long I strung without this.” It makes a world of difference and I just can not believe I strung for years without it.

Since I am aware of a number of stringers who visit our blog, I thought I would start of series of entries related to my favorite tools and such. This is a great place to begin. I strongly recommend that if you are a serious stringer you consider purchasing the thickest anti-fatigue mat you can afford. Mine is 2′ x 3′, fits perfectly behind my machine, is 5/8″ of spongy goodness and set me back the approximate cost of one stringing.

The wonders of natural gut

Playing with natural gut is for many, the ultimate tennis experience. The power, feel, ball pocketing, liveliness are the properties that many synthetics (excepting poly-based strings) attempt to emulate. Natural gut is extremely resilient and there is probably nothing better at absorbing shock which makes it ideal for those with a tendency toward tennis elbow.

So, why then, don’t more people play with it? First off, gut tends to be expensive compared to synthetic string products. Secondly it can be temperamental. It does require some extra care. However, properly taken care of, it will outlast synthetics in terms of overall playability many times over. Thus the added cost may be justified, except for when it is finicky.

While friction durability is pretty solid, and the newer sealed coatings have reduced moisture issues, natural gut is still more prone to snapping while sitting in ones tennis bag. The main reason, as I perceive it, is because of temperature variations. Natural gut does not like and will not tolerate extreme heat or extreme changes in temperature. Thus during the summer months those using it must not leave it in the car, (even if just running to pick up a few groceries), or even leave it in your tennis bag that is sitting in the sun. These are no-no’s.

Amazing that I have already babbled as much as I have without even getting close to the original point of today’s blog entry. I started this entry to share a tip/observation. I have noted through the years that natural gut users tend to experience breaks at the knot. This pattern occurs much more frequently with natural gut than other strings. The main reason, I suspect, is because the knot is really nothing more than a controlled kink. Kinks are weak spots and natural gut is more prone to break at this weak spot than man-made string products. That said, I am wondering about another possibility. While I observe many breaks at the knot area, just had a racquet yesterday with this exact issue, I have noted that very few of my customers ever have a break at this point. Why is that? My knots are not much different than others…just a basic Parnell knot. BUT, I do take one extra step. Does it make a difference? I am not at all sure, but will describe and look for input.

After the string job is complete I always take a drop of “hard as nails” clear polish and dab it on each cut end of natural gut. I started this for cosmetic reasons. I did not like how the cut ends would expand, unwrap and fan out over time. This step prevented that from occurring. But the question is, has it made the knot less prone to breakage? I suppose without the polish there is no active sealant and moisture could attack the knot area further weakening it. As the moisture attacks and the fibers get looser, it is possible the knot area weakens and becomes more susceptible to breakage. While I do not have any research to support this theory, I have not that disputes it either. I wonder of this little cosmetic touch actually protects the knot area? And that, my friends, is the point of today’s entry. Please let me know what you think. Does the dab of “hard as nails” polish decrease chances of premature breakage at the knot area? I wonder???

String Stiffness and Tension Loss

In what could very well become our most blasphemous and controversial blog entry to date, we finally respond in a public way to one of the most common questions we receive. “Why doesn’t the USRSA include the MSV and WeissCANNON strings in their annual String Selector Map?” The short and direct response is because we do not believe the data is representative of actual string performance and we choose not to provide samples for testing. Let’s use the remainder of this entry to explain our position.

First of all, we believe the USRSA does a commendable job in offering data, resources and information for all levels of stringers. We are a proud member of this organization and regularly use the tools and information provided because it adds value to our services. At the same time we do not agree with everything the USRSA does. There are three areas where we have significant differences of opinion. The first lies in the certification process used for Certified Stringers (CS) and Master Racquet Technicians (MRT’s). The second is the process used for collecting and measuring data for the String Selector Map. The third is the annual string survey. We will set aside the first and third issues for another day and focus on issue #2 in this blog entry.

The process the USRSA uses to collect the data involves testing a single swatch of string, less than 1′ in length. This single strand is tensioned and then allowed to sit for 200 seconds. (That is approximately 3.5 minutes), It is then impacted 5 times with a test hammer to approximate the impact of a 120mph serve. Deflection is measured to determine the stiffness of the string. Tension loss is measured using a process that in not clear to us, but it is clear that the string is not likely tensioned for 5 minutes before the measurement is taken.

While the data these tests produces is indeed interesting, we do not believe it clearly represents the performance of the string in the context of a full stringbed. In fact, there are many examples where the data indicates strings are stiffer or softer than they actually perform. For example, it would be difficult to find any player who will tell you that Prince Synthetic Gut plays stiffer than Prince Synthetic Gut with Duraflex, yet this is precisely what the test data published by the USRSA indicates. (There are numerous examples such as this.) In terms of tension loss, the data collected from a full stringbed over a 24 hour or longer period (such as those measurements used in the blind string tests) is clearly more representative of how the string actually performs in a real-world context as opposed to how a 1′ piece of string performs in a laboratory setting.

Again, we believe the lab data is interesting, but NOT truly representative of how strings actually perform in the context of a full stringbed. The trouble is many dualistic thinkers view, digest and take this data to heart. They believe that because a perceived authority, the USRSA, has published this data it must be 100% accurate. The CONTEXT of data is not understood or considered. The results are perceived as ABSOLUTE even when the lab data may not truly reflect how the string will perform in actual playing situations.

Rather than have players draw inaccurate perceptions based on data that may or may not reflect actual performance, we prefer to encourage players to playtest the strings for themselves so they can take their own measurements and draw their own conclusions about stiffness and tension loss. We playtest each of the strings we carry. We measure their tension maintenance. We try to make this information readily available to our customers. We make every effort to objectively provide comparisons to other strings when approached by our customers. We do not believe that accurate conclusions about how a string will perform can be drawn by solely using the USRSA lab data, yet this is precisely what too many do. The number of inquiries we get that say “X string has a stiffness of 202 in the USRSA data, what is the stiffness of Y string?” is staggering. When probing those who submit such inquiries we learn they are trying to draw hard and fast conclusions about strings using this data. We do not believe this is an effective or accurate use of the USRSA data.

The bottom line is we strongly believe many strings will perform differently in the context of a full stringbed than they will as a single tensioned strand in a laboratory setting. Because of this belief, we choose not to include the strings we represent in the current testing. If the USRSA changes their methods and uses a process by which a full stringbed becomes the baseline for testing, we will be happy to consider having the strings we represent included.

So there you have it. Please feel free to comment. I’ll start by adding a closing comment to myself…

John, you have just blown to bits any chance, however small it may have been, of being named as a USRSA retailer or stringer of the year, WTG goofy!

Lessons learned from landscapers

Two days ago was the first time in 16 years of home ownership that I hired a landscaper to do anything in my lawn other than treat for weeds. Until that time I did my own mowing, edging, pruning, blowing etcetera. Because all of our customers have been so good to us and have been keeping us so busy, (we achieved record sales in February and March 2009), we hired a landscaping company to perform the spring cleanup work so that I could concentrate on serving the needs of our customers.

After the landscapers left, I took a gander at the lawn and beds and came to a shocking realization. They do SUPERIOR work. I am a vastly inferior amateur by comparison. The level of quality is shocking when amateur work is compared to that of a professional. It gets the job done, but just fails to measure up to the quality standards of professionals.

The same is true of racquet stringing services. Sure there are those out there who know how to put strings into a frame, but the quality results achieved by professional racquet technicians is noticeably superior. Stringing service provided by a professional will yield more consistent and better performance every time. We invite those who are not using a full-time stringing professional to locate one and give him or her a try. If you are local, we of course recommend our services. Because we are not busy trying to make our landscaping look like an exclusive country club, we can concentrate 100% of our efforts on fine tuning your racquet to give you the ultimate performance .

First again!

Guts and Glory Tennis is thrilled to unveil a new string product that will absolutely revolutionize the entire industry.

For the past 5 years, Dr. Lars Lufferington, a Swedish chemist and engineer, has dedicated his life and family fortune to the pursuit and development of what he proudly calls “the greatest tennis string in the history of the world.” After nearly 3 years of rigorous playtesting and product development, his new company, LUF (pronounced LOOF), is officially launching this revolutionary product through Guts and Glory Tennis who will be the exclusive worldwide distributor for this and all future LUF tennis products.

The string, named APRILIA, is made with a revolutionary process where the finest natural gut fibers are essentially freeze-dried into a powder-like substance. This substance is then incorporated into a highly sophisticated polymer and extruded into ultra fine twisted threads. Over 1080 threads are then bound with a PATENTED thermal conductive molandoscope and coated with a new anthromacite coating which locks in playability allowing ZERO tension loss.

The APRILIA offers the feel, touch and power of natural gut along with the control and awesome spin production of the poly-based strings. In short, Dr. Lufferington, has created a string that offers all the properties of a natural gut/poly-based hybrid in a single string product. Best of all the string does not lose any tension or playability throughout the life of the string.

But wait…there’s more!!! The durability is off-the-charts excellent. In fact it is unconditionally guaranteed to last at least 40 hours of court time for even the biggest hitters. If it fails to perform for at least 40 hours or loses any playability for the life of the string, you can request a 2x your money back as part of the 200% satisfaction guarantee.

The new LUF APRILIA comes in three gauges, 1.29mm, 1.22mm and 1.13mm and will be imaged and available exclusively from the Guts and Glory website in the next 24 hours. We do have a limited supply on hand that we will sell to the first customers who contact us via email today. The product will feature introductory pricing of just $4.10 per 40′ set. Mini – reels will eventually be available and are projected to have an introductory cost of $41.09. We will be taking pre-orders for the mini reels starting today.

Join us in welcoming LUF to tennis and the USA! Be watching this blog and our twitter page for more information.

GOTCHA!!! We had a lot of fun with this posting.  Note it appeared on APRILIA FOOLS day.  Unfortunately the product described is imaginary, but it would indeed be wonderful if such a string did exist.  We hope you had as much fun with this as we did.  Sorry if you truly believed.  We were not sure many would buy the “freeze-dried natural gut powder” bit, but apparently they did.  Too funny.