Ardor OnFire String Review (Leave a Comment to enter to win one of 5 free sets)

Today, I am reviewing a great string from Ardor called OnFire. This string is co-polyester and comes in 3 different colors, Lime (Yellow), Orange and Blue. Orange has two different gauges 1.27mm and 1.22mm. I have used all three colors in the 16L gauge version of this string. I strung it up on a Wilson BLX Six One Pro Staff 100L at 58 lbs in the mains. I crossed this string with my baseline synthetic gut (Genesis Blizzard 16 gauge) also at 58 lbs. I string my racquets using a Top of the Line Wilson Baiardo constant pull machine. I pull my tie off knots at 15% above reference tension to help limit the amount of tension loss when tying knots. I use a parnell knot for tie offs and a starting knot for my first cross. The Dynamic Tension (DT) according to my Beers ERT 300 was 42. After four weeks of play, the DT was 38.

The only video I have of hitting with this string is a practice match I played against the head pro at Cape Henry Racquet Club. Of course, I lost badly, but you can still see some of the shots. I also have a string review video at the bottom of this review.

No specifications for this string are available at this time from the USRSA.

Now, let's talk about some of the pros and cons of this string:

Pro's:

• Power (Provides controlled power and a nice crisp response)
• Durability (Great Durability
• String movement is minimal
• Feel is excellent for a co-poly string.

Con's:

• Spin is good for a round poly but other poly's can provide more spin.

Ratings are on a scale of 1-100.

Power: (82)

Power is very good and you get a lively response from the string bed. Even though the string is lively, it is controlled. I am able to place the ball where I want it to go and even on mishits, the string performs. During my playtest, I noticed that I could really punish the ball on my groundstrokes and put balls away with ease. I was able to hit out on the ball without fear of over hitting and the ball flew true. Very rarely did I hit a ball that sailed on me. 

Spin: (77)

Overall the spin potential for this string is very good. It doesn't provide more spin then a shaped poly, but it does grab the ball better than some other round poly strings. 

Comfort: (86)

This string is a co-poly, so it is going to be stiffer than other string materials. With that being said, I have recently had shoulder surgery (May 2012) and I find that this string is very comfortable on the arm and doesn't bother me at all. I don't have any pain or soreness in my arm, elbow or shoulder after playing with this string. I also didn't notice any fatigue while using this string.

Control: (88)

I really felt in control with my groundstrokes on this string. When I hit the sweet spot, the ball really came off the stringbed nicely and I was able to hit the ball where I wanted. Even on mishits, I noticed a decent level of control. I could really trust this string when going for big shots. 

Serves: (85)

Since this string provides more control, I was really able to hit my spots with my flat serve and the good power allowed me to hit some aces, which I need for my style of play. 2nd serves spun in nicely and I was able to place them pretty well. Kick serves kicked and slice serves bit. All in all, this is a great string for serving.

Volleys: (75)
Volleying was decent, but this string does not pack as much punch as other strings, so I had to ensure my volley technique was solid. The crisp response and nice feel of the string allowed me to place volleys decently and touch volleys were not problem. Trying to stick a volley was a little more difficult due to the control nature of the string, but it could be done with good technique.

Durability and Tension Loss: (95)

I am not someone who breaks strings often, but I can tell you that these strings showed minimal wear after 4 weeks of play testing. I average 2 to 3 hours per session and hit about 4 to 5 sessions per week. The strings did not break or show any signs of breaking. I have also switched many of my customers who are chronic string breakers to this string and it lasts them longer than Luxilon Big Banger and ALU Power.

The starting DT was 42 and after 4 weeks, the DT was 38. This bodes well for tension loss. I really felt that the string performed well and didn't notice any decline in performance the more I played with it. That bodes well since you don't need a break in period for this string. Lowering the tension did provide extra power when strung for other clients without sacrificing control.

String Movement: (95)
These strings barely moved. I was really impressed with how little they moved. This is probably why they lasted a good amount of time and showed minimal wear after 4 weeks. They actually snap back into place extremely well. If you hate string movement, you should definitely give these strings a try.

Overall Score: (81.25)

Convenient Table:

Category	Rating
Power	82
Spin	77
Comfort	86
Control	88
Serves	85
Volleys	75
Durability and Tension Loss	95
String Movement	95
Overall Average	85.37

Summary:
I think Ardor OnFire string is an above average string and could benefit a large array of players. Because of the strings crisp response and controlled power, they would definitely favor a base-liner, grinder and coutner-puncher.  Since they provide good feel, an all court player could benefit from these strings as well.  I really enjoyed this string and I really liked the crisp feel. If you like a crisp feeling string, with great comfort and good feel, this is definitely worth a playtest.

If you are having problems finding the right string or you are curious about what string would best suit your game, I am committed to helping you solve this problem. Please leave a comment below or email me stringrx@gmail.com. I will personally work with you to help you find the best combination for you personally. Yes, just in case you were wondering, I will help you for FREE!!

Please leave a comment below on your thoughts of my review and if you have played with this string. Please include what racquet you strung it in, the tension and your assessment of this string.

I also plan on giving away several sets of this string to a few lucky people who leave comments. Even if you haven't tried this string, leave a comment to be entered into the giveaway. It can be as simple as "Please Enter Me in the Drawing". I will do a random drawing and post a video of the actual random drawing and the winners on YouTube on Aug 1, 2013. Deadline to enter is July 25, 2013.

Videos:

String Review:
                                          

Tecnifibre Razor Code String Review (Leave a Comment to enter to win one of 5 free sets)

My second string review is Tecnifibre's new string Razor Code. I used the 17 gauge version of this string. I strung it up on a Wilson BLX Six One Pro Staff 100L at 58 lbs in the mains. I crossed this string with my baseline synthetic gut (Genesis Blizzard 16 gauge) also at 58 lbs. I string my racquets using a Top of the Line Wilson Baiardo constant pull machine. I pull my tie off knots at 15% above reference tension to help limit the amount of tension loss when tying knots. I use a parnell knot for tie offs and a starting knot for my first cross. The Dynamic Tension (DT) according to my Beers ERT 300 was 42. After four weeks of play, the DT was 35.

In the videos below, I played a practice match and unfortunately, the rally's were pretty short. That's typically how a match goes for me when I play against a player with a similar game to mine. We both are power players and generally unforced errors decide who wins the match since we both can hit winners. In the 2nd video, we played some tug of war with one of us feeding a ball and then rallying. We have much longer points in the 2nd video.

Here's some of the specifications that this string has to offer. Below is a table showing the Stiffness and Tension loss of this string. String stiffness was measured by the United States Racquet Service Association (USRSA). Typically, the stiffer the string, the less power, but more control. Also, the stiffer the string, the less feel and typically the harsher it will feel on your arm, elbow and shoulder. If you have any arm, elbow or shoulder problems, playing with a stiff string can have a negative impact. Of course, you can hybrid stiffer strings with softer strings to lessen how stiff they feel.


Name                                           Material      Size in (mm)    Stiffness lb/in      Tension Loss
Tecnifibre Razor Code 16         Polyester        1.30                      278                     18.59
Tecnifibre Razor Code 17         Polyester        1.25                      252                     16.43
Tecnifibre Razor Code 18         Polyester        1.20                      239                     11.77

Now, let's talk about some of the pros and cons of this string:

Pro's:

• Power (Provides ample power and a nice crisp response)
• Durability (Seems to last fairly long with minimal signs of wear)
• String movement is minimal
• Provides controlled power. 

Con's:

• Feel (This string is a little stiff and touch shots can be harder to feel)

Ratings are on a scale of 1-100.

Power: (77)

It definitely provides some pop. Although, not as much as natural gut or some multifilament strings, this string is powerful for a poly. During my playtest, I noticed that I could really punish the ball on my groundstrokes and put balls away with ease. I was able to hit out on the ball without fear of over hitting and the ball flew true. I could overhit and hit the ball out if I wasn't completely careful because the spin generated is good, but it was not overwhelming.

Spin: (75)

I think this string has better than average spin potential, but does not necessarily provide added spin. If you already hit with spin, this string won't add much more. If you are a relatively flat hitter looking for a string to help you add spin to your strokes, then I would look elsewhere. I also noticed that my kick serves did not bite as much as a textured or shaped poly. Although spin was not a significant part of this strings appeal, there was ample spin produced to still make it outperform synthetic guts and multi- filaments. 

Comfort: (82)

This string is a poly, so it is going to be stiffer than other string materials. With that being said, I have recently had shoulder surgery (May 2012) and I find that this string is very comfortable on the arm for a poly. I don't have any pain or soreness in my arm, elbow or shoulder after playing with this string. I also didn't notice any fatigue while using this string.

Control: (86)

I really felt in control with my groundstrokes on this string. When I hit the sweet spot, the ball really came off the stringbed nicely and I was able to hit the ball where I wanted. On mishits though, I felt that the ball could really get away from me. Overall though, I really felt I could swing freely and the ball would stay in the court. 

Serves: (78)

Since this string provides more control, I was really able to hit my spots with my flat serve and the ample power provided allowed me to hit some aces, which I need for my style of play. I did struggle to get the ball in the box on second serves. I found that if I didn't quite hit the ball properly, it would sail on me and go long. Although this string does provide enough spin to keep the second serve in the box, I had a little less margin of error then I would have liked.

Volleys: (72)
Volleying was decent, but this string does not pack as much punch as other strings, so I had to ensure my volley technique was solid. Anything less really got me in trouble as the ball would sit up. I also noticed that the crisp feel of the string really muted any power I could generate on volleys. Although the string did not significantly impact volleys negatively, it didn't really help them either.

Durability and Tension Loss: (92)

I am not someone who breaks strings often, but I can tell you that these strings showed minimal wear after 4 weeks of play testing. I average 2 to 3 hours per session and hit about 4 to 5 sessions per week. The strings did not break or show any signs of breaking. The starting DT was 42 and after 4 weeks, the DT was 35. This bodes well for tension loss. I really felt that the string performed well and didn't notice a significant decline in performance as it lost tension. Ironically, the lower tension actually helped add some more power and punch to my volleys.

String Movement: (88)
These strings barely moved. I was really impressed with how little they moved. This is probably why they lasted a good amount of time and showed minimal wear after 4 weeks.

Overall Score: (81.25)

Convenient Table:

Category	Rating
Power	77
Spin	75
Comfort	82
Control	86
Serves	78
Volleys	72
Durability and Tension Loss	92
String Movement	88
Overall Average	81.25

Summary:
I think Tecnifibre RZR Code is a quality string that can be used by a variety of players. However, because of the strings crisp response and control oriented nature, I would recommend this string for baseliners, counterpunchers and all court players. I am not convinced that a serve and volleyer would get enough punch from their volleys with this string. I really enjoyed this string and I really liked the crisp feel. If you like a crisp feeling string, this is definitely worth a playtest.

If you are having problems finding the right string or you are curious about what string would best suit your game, I am committed to helping you solve this problem. Please leave a comment below or email me stringrx@gmail.com. I will personally work with you to help you find the best combination for you personally. Yes, just in case you were wondering, I will help you for FREE!!

Please leave a comment below on your thoughts of my review and if you have played with this string. Please include what racquet you strung it in, the tension and your thoughts.

I also plan on giving away several sets of this string to a few lucky people who leave comments. Even if you haven't tried this string, leave a comment to be entered into the giveaway. It can be as simple as "Please Enter Me in the Drawing". I will do a random drawing and post a video of the actual random drawing and the winners on YouTube on July 18th 2013. Deadline to enter is July 14th 2013.

Videos:

Part 1 The Warm Up
                                         

Part 2 Match Play
                                         

Part 3 Rallying
                                          
Part 4 Actual String Review
                                          

About Me

My name is Daniel Schank and I am a certified Master Racquet Technician (July 2012) with the United States Racquet Service Association (USRSA). I have been stringing racquets for several years and have learned the art of stringing and customization. There were several reasons I started to string my own racquets. The first and most important reason is because nobody could tell me what string would benefit my game. Sure they had recommendations, but they didn't take the time to get to know me or my game. The second reason was time. It would drive me crazy that I had to wait days to get my racquet restrung. Sometimes as long as a week, and I never got a call when it was done, nor was it always done when I was told it would be. The third reason was cost. I knew I could save some money by doing it myself.

Once I started stringing my own racquets, I decided to experiment with strings and see how they played. The more I started to experiment, the more I realized every string felt different but some played similarly. Some sounded the same while others sounded drastically different. Gauges made a difference in how a string played and ironically, strings played differently in different racquets. Since string is a subjective topic, the opinions and reviews of string are solely based on my thoughts and personal experience playtesting the string.

I hope my reviews will arm you with enough information to decide whether or not a particular brand  and model of string is worth a playtest. If you would like me to help you find the right string for your game, then simply leave me a comment below or email me at stringrx@gmail.com. Please tell me your playing style, what string you currently use, your likes and dislikes of your current string and what you are looking for in a string (more comfort, more power, more durability, less comfort, less power, etc) Once you send me that information, I have access to a string database that can tell me strings that would fit what you are looking for. Furthermore, if I can narrow it down to strings that I have personal experience with, I can give you my opinion on the string as well.

My intention will be to provide technical information about the string, links to other sources that may provide valuable information on this string and on some occasions, videos of this string in action.

My goal is to provide you with a one stop shop to find all the information I can about each string that I review. I hope you find this information valuable.

Warmest Regards,

Daniel Schank
President, String Rx LLC
USRSA MRT

Genesis Black Magic String Review (Leave a Comment to enter to win one of 5 free sets)

As promised, I am delivering my first of many string reviews. As the title indicates, this first string review will be for Genesis Black Magic. Some of you may be wondering why I chose this string as my first choice. Is this my favorite string? Is this the string that I use? The answer to both of those questions is no. The simple reason is because I have several videos on YouTube of me playing with that string, a YouTube video of my thoughts on this string, and I felt this string could use a formal write up on it to match the videos. Most of my reviews will not be a full bed. I am a full believer in using a hybrid setup to maximize performance of my racquet and strings. If you are not sure what that is, then check out Ian Westermann's (from Essential Tennis) gear description by clicking here. Videos below are of my play test (which are located on YouTube) and labeled for your convenience.

In the videos, I am using a Prince Rebel EXO3 Rebel 98 as my racquet of choice. I strung Genesis Black Magic 17 gauge in the mains at 56 lbs and crossed it with Genesis Blizzard synthetic gut 16 gauge at 54 lbs. The Dynamic Tension (DT) as recorded on my BEERS ERT 300 (http://www.ert300.com/ert300/en/start.html) was 34. I have also play tested this string in my latest racquet, Wilson BLX six one 100L. I strung it with Genesis Black Magic 17 gauge in the mains at 58 lbs and Genesis Blizzard Synthetic Gut in the crosses at 58 lbs. My DT was 42. As expected the string played totally different in each racquet. The numbers listed below will have a P next to them and a W next to them to represent the Prince racquet and the Wilson racquet. Although there were some differences, my perspective on the overall performance of the string is the same.

Let's start with some of the specifications that this string has to offer. Below is a table showing the Stiffness and Tension loss of this string. String stiffness was measured by the United States Racquet Service Association (USRSA). Typically, the stiffer the string, the less power, but more control. Also, the stiffer the string, the less feel and typically the harsher it will feel on your arm, elbow and shoulder. If you have any arm, elbow or shoulder problems, playing with a stiff string can have a negative impact. Of course, you can hybrid stiffer strings with softer strings to lessen how stiff they feel.


Name                              Material      Size in (mm)  Stiffness lb/in    Tension Loss

Genesis Black Magic 16	Polyester	1.28	261	21.35
Genesis Black Magic 17	Polyester	1.24	252	19.16

Now, let's talk about some of the pros and cons of this string:

Pro's:

• Power (Definitely provides a lively response for a poly)
• Durability (Seems to last fairly long with minimal signs of wear)

Con's:

• Spin (Although decent spin, definitely not as spin friendly as other strings on the market)
• Control (very powerful poly that may not give players seeking control what they want)

Ratings are on a scale of 1-100.

Power: (80P) (80W)

It definitely provides some pop. Although, not as much as natural gut or some multifilament strings, this string is very powerful for a poly. During my playtest, I noticed that I could really punish the ball on my groundstrokes and put balls away with ease. I did have to be careful though as the ball could really fly out if I over hit. 

Spin: (70P) (70W)

I think this string has better than average spin potential, but does not necessarily provide added spin. If you already hit with spin, this string won't add much more. If you are a relatively flat hitter looking for a string to help you add spin to your strokes, then I would look elsewhere. 

Comfort: (80P) (80W)

This string is a poly, so it is going to be stiffer than other string materials. With that being said, I have recently had shoulder surgery (May 2012) and I find that this string is very comfortable on the arm for a poly. I don't have any pain or soreness in my arm, elbow or shoulder after playing with this string.

Control: (75P) (80W)

When it comes to control, I had mixed feelings. On my groundstrokes, I felt like I didn't have to hit as hard to get the depth I wanted and could definitely unload and go for the winner. I did seem to over hit on plenty of shots and it took some time for me to dial in this string. Although it is stiffer, I feel that there are better strings on the market if you are looking for a control string. 

Serves: (80P) (85W)

Since the power of this string is high, my flat serves were penetrating and I could really feel the pop coming off of the stringbed. I did struggle to get the spin I needed on second serves and didn't have the confidence in being aggressive with my second serve. Overall placement of my serves was decent, but not having confidence in the spin being generated to get the ball in the court proved to be costly during my match.

Volleys: (80P) (85W)
No real surprise here. Volleys felt crisp and sharp. I could really get the ball to penetrate when needed and the strings surprised me with some touch as well. Volleying was a pleasure  with this string and I think it performed exceptionally well.

Durability and Tension Loss: (90P) (90W)

I am not someone who breaks strings often, but I can tell you that these strings showed minimal wear after 2 weeks of play testing. I hit for about 25 to 30 hours in the 2 weeks and they did not break. The DT recorded by my ERT 300 was 30 on the Prince racquet and 36 on the Wilson.  Even as the string lost tension, I did not notice a trampoline effect or a significant loss in performance.

String Movement: (78P)(75W)
The strings did move a little and they did not always snap back in place like a lot of other poly strings. It's not even close to as bad as multifilament strings, but you will be adjusting them a little between points. Overall, string movement isn't bad, but I prefer poly strings that snap back and I don't have to move them.

Overall Score: (79.1P) (80.6W)

Summary:
I think Genesis Black Magic is a quality string that can be used by a variety of players. Since it is a little softer, it may appeal to players with arm issues but still want the performance characteristics of a poly. Serve and Volley players may find that this string could compliment there game with it's strong ratings in serves and volleys. I also think doubles players my find this string a pleasure to play with as well. If you have technical efficient strokes and need a string that packs a punch to help you finish off points, then I highly recommend this string.

If you are having problems finding the right string or you are curious about what string would best suit your game, I am committed to helping you solve this problem. Please leave a comment below or email me stringrx@gmail.com. I will personally work with you to help you find the best combination for you personally. Yes, just in case you were wondering, I will help you for FREE!!

Please leave a comment below on your thoughts of my review and if you have played with this string. Please include what racquet you strung it in, the tension and your thoughts.

I also plan on giving away several sets of this string to a few lucky people who leave comments. Even if you haven't tried this string, leave a comment to be entered into the giveaway. It can be as simple as "Please Enter Me in the Drawing". I will do a random drawing and post a video of the actual random drawing and the winners on YouTube on July 11th 2013. Deadline to enter is July 7th 2013.

Playtest Part 1

Playtest Part 2

Playtest Part 3 and Vocal Review

You can also find other ratings of this string at:
http://www.stringforum.net/stringdb.php?show=2401&count=1

Tennis String Reviews Coming Soon

Hello Everyone,

It has been awhile since I have posted anything. From this point forward, I will be posting a new string review post on a weekly basis on Thursdays, so make sure you check back each and every week to see what string I am covering.

If you have a particular string you would like reviewed, please let me know and I will work it into the mix and get a comprehensive review on the string.

Thanks for reading and check back next week.

Dan