Simon’s Search for String Sublimity
So begins my string odyssey.
At the behest of Beckett, I have started a quest to find my perfect string. This was prompted, for the most part, by poor results from our YouTube string reviews. It seems that most of our viewers just don’t care that much about strings, and Beckett wanted to punish me for it.
First off, I am not a racquet equipment nerd like Beckett. I started playing tennis when I was in my early 20’s as a way to play an outdoor sport when the squash courts were too hot. I only started seriously playing in 2020 after I was completely locked out of the squash courts.
Up until recently, strings were nothing but indistinguishable lines of differently coloured sameness. When I went into Courtside Sports, I would always just go with whatever string Ben had suggested to me. “Ben is a trustworthy man,” I thought, and there was no real need to venture outside of his opinion.
That’s all changed now that we’ve started TennCom. And, for better or worse, you will now get this intermediate player’s opinions on all things poly.
Matchup #1: Babolat RPM Blast 1.25mm vs. Volkl Cylcone 1.25mm
First Hit:
My journey started by pinning Babolat’s RPM Blast 1.25mm against the Volkl Cyclone 1.25mm, and right away Beckett had problems with my methodology.
On our first hit had come and gone, and Beckett asked me for my initial impressions of each string. The only issue was that I had only used the Volkl Cyclone for the entire hit.
“You moron,” Beckett tells me. “YoU hAvE tO HiT tHeM bAcK tO BaCk,” he exclaimed. Beckett is reviewing this article and is not pleased.
In retrospect, it makes sense. But in classic Beckett fashion, I was expected to know a test methodology I had never before participated in. Somehow through osmosis of our friendship, I should have absorbed years of tennis nerd-dom (Beckett here, yes obviously you should have) that I otherwise would have had no way of knowing. I once again took a deep breath and questioned the wisdom of working with this Tyrant of Tennis, but decided to push through.
In truth, the fact that I didn’t even consider changing to the Babolat string told me something in and of itself. I really liked the Volkl.
Something about the way this string felt when connecting with the ball instilled a sense of confidence in my swing that I wasn’t really used to. When I found the sweetspot on this string, it felt like the string was a translator, and I was having a conversation with the ball through my hand. I knew the ball, and the ball knew me, and then it would leave at rapid pace in the exact direction I had planned.
Beckett tells me the sensation I am feeling is related to the string’s ball biting abilities. I say I’ve cracked the barrier between man and ball. I am the String God. No, the Tennis God.
This string was amazing, I thought. I got power, spin, and feel all in one package. I couldn’t see any reason this opinion would ever change, and I’d probably never even end up trying the Babolat string.
Second Hit:
Ah, sweet, blissful unawareness.
My second hit started again with me picking up the Volkl string. Only this time, it felt a little different then I remembered.
That sweet conversationalism I had between the ball and my hand had been muted. Instead of talking directly to the ball, it felt more like we were playing a game of telephone.
Sometimes the ball got my message, more often it careened in a direction I didn’t even consider possible.
The usual thoughts raced through my mind. Had I once again completely forgotten how to swing? Am I just terrible at tennis? Was the previous hit was a fluke?
In an attempt to purge these negative thoughts from my mind, I picked up the Babolat RPM Blast, and went back to work.
The fresh string definitely re-invigorated my sense of connectedness with the ball, but I still didn’t quite get the sweet sweet pocketing of the Volkl when it was fresh off the press.
The Babolat RPM Blast is definitely a more subtle partner in crime. Texting back in one word sentences, it’s definitely not the most expressive string, but it still manages to get its point across.
It took a minute or two to get used to dealing with this new partner. Learning how to deal with its quirks reminded me of the first time I tried to date a girl that was out of my league. “OK,” was a regular response, but I just needed to learn how to interpret the message.
As I stepped up my pace I started to notice the RPM Blast liked to create spin. The more I swung through the ball, the more spin it would generate, and the more power I could put on it while still keeping safe margins. Beckett tells me this is because of the silicone coating that encourages snapback.
I changed back to the Volkl, and once again I was astounded by the difference in sensation it carried between its first and second hit. Compared to the RPM Blast now, this string was volatile, and unpredictable. After we had had such a strong connection on our first hit, I couldn’t help but think that the Volkl string was having major regrets about our relationship.
Final Thoughts:
I continued to use both of these strings for the next two weeks, or approximately 4 more hits with Beckett. The Volkl never regained the elasticity that it had when it was fresh off the press, and I found I had all but abandoned it by the 3rd hit.
The Babolat RPM Blast, on the other hand, proved to be a reliable partner lasting well into the 4th and 5th hits before I really noticed any major degradation.
Overall, the Volkl string felt like the one that got away. I found myself longing for the feel of that first hit that I had had, never to be found again. Such a sweet sensation is something I would definitely want to pursue if I had infinite time and money.
But in the real world, where I don’t make enough to string my racquets after every hit, Babolat’s RPM Blast proved to be an exceptionally reliable partner throughout the course of our two week relationship. And sometimes, its the one who sticks around that counts in the end.
Winner: Babolat’s RPM Blast
Babolat RPM Blast Breakdown
Volkl Cyclone Breakdown
Buy Babolat RPM Blast here: https://amzn.to/3onIgAh
Enjoy a 1-hit stand with Volkl Cyclone here: https://amzn.to/3aXavCH
