Double AR Diablo String Review

Power - Score: 71 / Control - Score: 71

As with many of the softer co-polys, Diablo proved quite lively for a control string. Thankfully for Chris, this string's power did not come at the expense of control. He said, "Right off the stringer this string feels pretty soft. It definitely has more power than my go-to co-poly, Volkl Cyclone, but I didn't find the power level to be excessive. For the first few hits I simply had to learn to trust the softer feel, and I found the resulting playability to be controllably powerful. There was ample power for a poly in this string, yet I found I could still hit with control. I think the soft feel lent itself to lots of ball pocketing, and the result was a higher launch angle. I was clearing the net more than usual with it but I was getting enough spin and feel to keep my shots on target, so my control didn't really suffer."

Troy had some control issues after the typical tension loss. He said, "This string offered a medium to high-powered feel compared to other co-polys on the market. When using this string fresh off the machine I found a medium power level and decent control. After a couple hours of play this string began to loosen up and became much livelier. Once it dropped tension and the power increased I lost confidence in the control of this string; it began to be somewhat erratic with the trajectory of my shots."

Spin - Score: 88

With its sharp edges and lively snapback, it's no surprise that our team gave Diablo a great score for spin. According to Troy, Diablo ranks up there with some of our favorite spin co-polys. He said, "Spin potential was better than average. The spin potential of Diablo was right up there with other profiled co-polys such as Solinco Tour Bite Soft, Tourna Big Hitter Black 7 and Volkl Cyclone. I felt the hexagonal shape helped grip the felt of the ball, and its somewhat low-abrasion surface provided ample string movement. I wouldn't rank Diablo in the elite class of Babolat RPM Blast, Solinco Tour Bite original and Kirschbaum Spiky Shark, but it is easily in the top half when it comes to spin. "

After adjusting to this string's unique feel and higher launch angle, Chris found enough spin to bring the ball down. He said, "I liked the amount of spin I was getting from this string. I was hitting a loopier shot with Diablo and had to adjust to the feel of it. However, I soon found out I was getting the spin required to get the ball to drop in. Once adjusted I opened up my shoulders and started attacking the ball more aggressively. My topspin shots had some nice jump to them, and I was also hitting a pretty biting slice."

Comfort - Score: 77

Owing to their high stiffness, polyester strings typically play quite firm right off the stringer. Not so with Diablo, which was comfortable from the very first hit. Chris explained, "Right off the stringer this string feels, plays and sounds like it is strung close to 10 lbs lower than Volkl Cyclone. We strung a set of each on the same machine with the same stringer, and the Diablo was noticeably softer. I could feel that comfort on court. This string played like it was strung at a lower tension but with slightly less power than I'd expect from dropping 8-10 lbs."

"Within the co-poly class of strings, this is one the most comfortable strings I have tried," said Troy, who clearly appreciated this string's low impact. "It felt very plush and dampened, with good ball-pocketing when I made contact with the ball. These are some great attributes to have in a string, especially for players who are just entering the world of poly strings."

Feel - Score: 76

Our playtesters reacted differently to the softer feel of Diablo. For Troy, who plays with a very stiff poly, Diablo was a little too soft and springy. He said, "I found this string to feel borderline mushy. Unfortunately for me, I have used polys for many years now and have found that I prefer stiffer or crisper feeling poly strings. With this string being much softer than my typical Luxilon 4G, I found it to feel a little too springy, especially once the tension loosened up."

In contrast to Troy, Chris found that Diablo's softer feel didn't hinder control. He said, "While this string has a very soft feel, I wouldn't say it was mushy at all. Some softer strings can leave me feeling lost, but with this one I still felt pretty connected to the ball. Again, I noticed the feel of a deep ball pocket, and perhaps it was that minute increase in dwell time that had me feeling my targets before the ball even got there."

Playability Duration - Score: 58

Like all strings (and especially soft co-polys), Diablo eventually loses too much tension and playability. Of course, this is by no means a deal breaker, especially when you consider that many professional players change racquets several times over the course of a single match. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Diablo eventually got too loose for Troy. He said, "I found the tension maintenance of this string was pretty average compared to other soft co-poly strings I have tried. Initially the tension dropped and felt looser than I would have preferred, but after this initial phase the tension seemed to be fairly consistent throughout the playtest. Like many other soft co-poly strings, the playability duration is quite a bit lower than Luxilon 4G or Solinco Tour Bite."

Although he also noticed some initial tension loss, Chris found Diablo's playability held up a little longer. He said, "I have to say this string lasted better than expected. There was an initial drop off in stringbed stiffness right off the stringer, and I was worried the tension would continue to drop and I'd be done with it in less than two weeks. However, this string held up pretty well after its initial drop. That being said, this string continued to play softer than my go-to string. At the middle of the second week it was getting a tad too soft and was losing some feel. As it started to drop off in playability I wanted a fresh set because it was playing too soft and starting to get mushy. If you don't want a really soft response I highly recommend bumping up your tension with this string."

Overall - Score: 74

Scores

(Scores are determined by averaging individual play test scores)

Playtester String Setups

Review date: December 2014. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

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