Solinco Hyper-G String Review

Control - Score: 96 / Power - Score: 51

Hyper-G was perfectly low-powered for our team; it enabled us to execute our most powerful strokes without having to worry about overhitting, but it never felt underpowered. Even more impressive for Michelle was the fact that it delivered such a high level of control without the harsh feedback that is often found with firm control strings. She commented, "I really enjoyed the control from this string. I had heard great things about Hyper-G before I had a chance to hit it, so I was hoping my experience would live up to the hype. Luckily, it exceeded my expectations. I liked that it was lower powered and firm, but not super stiff and uncomfortable. I love pairing powerful racquets with lower powered strings to gain some control, and Hyper-G was just what my game needed. Plus, my arm never suffered. I could hit out and was rewarded with a controlled response. There was just the right blend of power from my racquet and control from the strings, so I was getting enough mass and depth to dictate points and put balls away."

"Low on power, high on control -- this was my kind of string!" said Chris, who was more than a little impressed with this string's response. "I really enjoyed the response of Hyper-G. I could take a full cut at the ball without fear of overhitting. I absolutely hate missing, so any string that helps boost my consistency even more gets my attention. Hyper-G fit the bill and offered superb control with just enough power when I needed it. I found no need to adjust my tension and found the string worked well at my regular tension choice of 55 lbs in the Prince Original Graphite 107 and Babolat Pure Drive Plus, and at 48 lbs in the Prince Extreme Warrior 107. I really enjoyed the way this string played in each of those racquets."

Spin - Score: 92

With its four sharp edges, Hyper-G gave our team great bite and easy access to spin. Although it wasn't the best spin string he has ever hit, Chris was able to bring the ball down very effectively with this co-poly. He said, "I was able to get some solid spin on the ball with this string. Did it blow my mind with its grip? Not absolutely, but I was getting enough spin to get the ball to do what I wanted. Combined with the great control, the spin I was getting made it possible for me to be even more aggressive with my targeting. I was still finding a high level of consistency. When rallying from the baseline I was able to get some nice loop on my shots. My slice shots were also biting nicely. I didn't get quite the spin I get from a string like Y-Tex Quadro Twist, but I wasn't that far off."

Our resident flat ball hitter, Michelle, got plenty of bite and ball rotation from this shaped co-poly. She explained, "Spin is never a huge part of my game, but I appreciate spin potential in a string when I am hitting big, and the ball seemed to dip back into the court when I thought I had overhit. There are also a few shots in my repertoire that tap into more spin, and I definitely notice what a string has to offer then. I love hitting short backhand angles, especially in doubles, and I could really attack those balls with spin with this string. I really liked Hyper-G was when I needed the spin; it added extra RPMs to my rally ball, making those shots a bit heavier and harder for my opponents to deal with."

Comfort - Score: 73

With its rigid monofilament construction and firm composition, Hyper-G is built for control, not comfort. However, for our team, this string managed to be surprisingly forgiving. Michelle, who likes to test the upper limits of her racquet's tension range, was impressed. She said, "I had no comfort issues at all during this playtest. There are some firmer Solinco strings (and other brands) out there that cause me some arm discomfort when I get the tension up into the high 50s/low 60s, but that wasn't the case with this string. I tested it in several different racquets, including the Wilson Pro Staff RF 97 Autograph, Babolat Pure Aero Tour and Pure Drive Plus, none of which is known to be a 'soft' racquet. During several weeks of playtesting this string the comfort was never an issue for me."

Also having no issues with discomfort was Chris, who said, "I found Hyper-G to be one of the more forgiving Solinco poly strings I've hit. It felt softer than Tour Bite, and I had no comfort issues throughout the test. Off-center shots never felt overly jarring. The high level of control also meant I could string Hyper-G even lower for increased comfort if desired."

Feel - Score: 90

Our team had zero problems with the feel of Hyper-G. It was firm enough to deliver great control and predictability, but it never felt overly stiff or unforgiving. Chris said, "I felt like I was getting decent ball pocketing out of this string. I liked the way the ball sunk into the stringbed and I felt very connected to my shots. The string also offered enough comfort without feeling overly soft and mushy. The feel was definitely more modern co-poly for me. While older co-poly strings offer a crisper response, they don't feel as forgiving as Hyper-G."

"Honestly, this string didn't feel super soft to me, but it felt comfortable," said Michelle. "It never felt mushy, but it also didn't feel super plush like a Polyfibre TCS, which can get too soft over time. It did feel softer than Tour Bite, but it wasn't so soft that it was really powerful. I would say it was a medium firm string. I felt connected to the ball, and the string felt predictable even when I hit outside the sweetspot."

Playability Duration - Score: 73

Hyper-G posted very impressive scores for tension maintenance in our Tennis Warehouse University String Lab. This bodes well for big hitters who want a poly that doesn't "bag out" and lose its magic after a couple sessions. Chris was impressed, saying, "I could get a solid three weeks of play out of a set of Hyper-G. At that point I was ready to cut it out. I only tested the 16 gauge, but I'm going to hit the 18 gauge version to see if I can get some enhanced playability and enough durability for three weeks of hitting."

Although she ultimately had to cut Hyper-G out, Michelle gave Hyper-G an above average score for playability duration. She said, "This string held up very well for a co-poly, but as is typical for me, I felt it getting a little springy around the third week, and I was ready to restring."

Overall - Score: 90