Tuesday 16 December 2014

StringSavers with Used/Worn Poly Works!!!

A playing partner, CK, lamented on how fast his poly setup "dies". 

My understanding of poly death could be attributed to two areas - tension loss and no more snapback.


Since both issues were previously addressed satisfactorily (link), I whipped out the "String Glide" and inserted sixteen pieces.




Compared to before the string savers, CK felt the stringbed firmed up. He also heard the strings sliding and snapping back much better.


I hit a few shots with his racket as well. Even with more than 10 hours of play on that set of 1.10mm poly strings, I felt the stringbed tightness was restored good enough for me. I could trust the strings for directional control and swung freely. Spin was very good too. Much better than the 4-hours-old poly stringjob I was using in my racket that session.


In another session, I planted sixteen pieces into another playing partner, M's stringbed.


M was initially skeptical but allowed me to proceed anyway.




After some hits, and swapping back and forth with his other matched racket with exact strings setup, M commented:

- the stringbed felt a little more dampened with less vibrations which he enjoyed, and
- pocketing was deeper and it felt the ball stayed longer on the strings which gave him more time to shape or re-direct the ball at the last minute.

From my side, the result was very clear. M's shot dispersion and control was unmistakable between his three rackets. I could tell immediately when he picked up the one with stringsavers.


After the initial impressions, both CK and M popped the same question: 


"Where did you buy the stringsavers?"


The verdict is clear.


Since string savers are so much cheaper than a stringjob, I believe this could be a viable method to extend the playing life of the poly strings. 


As always, if you choose to do so, pay extra attention to how your wrist, arm, elbow and shoulder feels. Live to play another day!



18Dec2014 update:

After hearing positive feedback from CK and M, DL adopted the use of stringsavers in his open strings racket (link) as well.


After insertion, DL commented:
- the slight dampening reduced some stringbed vibrations without the need of a dampener,
- it played more comfortable with better pocketing, and
- added more spin and control.


Coincidentally, these stringsavers have all been tested with positive results in full poly (CK), poly/syn gut (M) and full syn gut (DL).





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