The best string EVER! Like, totally...
Written: Aug 05 '07 (Updated Aug 05 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: control, price, durability, and even feel isn't bad!
Cons: few tension ishes
The Bottom Line: It's not lacking in control. And that's all a guy really needs...
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| underdawg's Full Review: Signum Pro Poly Plasma String |
I don't know if there's been a time in my tennis career that I've played just with one string for an entire year. Simply put, Signum Pro Poly Plasma is the best string I've ever used and while I'm tempted to try some new strings, I'm almost completely satisfied with SPPP.
SPPP is a polyester string, which are best for the "modern" game which include lots of topspin, pace, and baseline bashing. The gold standard in polyester string is Luxilon ALU-Power 16L which are used by people from rec tennis players all the way to current world #1, and possibly greatest of all time. Roger Federer. Polyester's greatest strengths are its durability, control, and spin, which makes it perfect for big hitters.
I first got SPPP 17 strung on my Head Flexpoint Radical Tour at 54 pounds as it's a good idea to string polyesters low. The first time I hit with it, I was amazed. I had got the racquet only a short time ago, and had used Klip Kicker, Luxilon ALU-Power 16L and Luxilon Supersense, but SPPP blew them all out of the water! The control was amazing and spin was very good. Power was also quite good, although I didn't feel that it has as much oomph as the ALU-Power. The feel was excellent for a poly, which are notoriously stiff most of the time. SPPP certainly wouldn't be confused with a synthetic gut in feel, but it certainly has a nice, firm feel...maybe even crisp.
SPPP noticeably loses tension after the first hit or so, and then it settles down nicely, losing tension very slightly until about a month or so, which is all you can really ask of strings if you play very often. One thing that's nice about SPPP and polys in general is that they don't move during play until they lose significant tension, when they start moving all over the place. So you can just wait for the strings to start moving to get your racquet restrung, without too much guesswork or buying a Stringmeter.
Unfortunately, this initial tension loss can be a pain in the neck. I loved it at 54 pounds, but that was when I first played with it right after it was strung. So I tried getting it strung at 56 so it might settle down to 54 after a day, but this time the racquet played really boardy for a while. Then I tried 55 and that was stiff for a day or two but then it played nice. The last time, I got it strung at 56 and it played good as soon as I got it, but I picked it up from the pro shop a few days after I brought it in since I was broke for a while. It's actually playing amazing right now. But I don't know what that tension is, exactly. This problem will be solved once I get a Stringmeter and see what that initial tension loss is like. I'll keep you posted if you like.
Durability on the 17 is quite good. I've popped it quite a few times, but only when the string had lost a lot of tension. The 17L plays pretty much the same as the 17, but the durability is a lot worse, and I've broken them at times while the tension was still there. If you're a stringbreaker, definitely go for the 17 gauge.
SPPP is far from perfect, but it's the closest to perfect I've hit with. It's like ALU-Power with better feel, and for only $9, or Babolat Hurricane 18 with better durability. Still, there's room for personal preference, so I'd recommend any of those strings really for topspin baseline players, but SPPP 17 is the cream of the crop.
Plus it's orange too! How cool is that? It also comes in white...
Related Reviews
Luxilon ALU-Power 16L
Babolat Pro Hurricane 18
My Current Setup:
Head Flexpoint Radical Tour
SPPP 17
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 9
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Epinions.com ID:
underdawg
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Member: brian
Location: nyc
Reviews written: 228
Trusted by: 109 members
About Me:
law school
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