Head Lynx String Review

Power - Score: 70 / Control - Score: 75

For our team, the yellow color of Lynx had an optimal blend of power and control. As for the black version, Troy had some issues with the tension maintenance, which affected the control. He said, "I found both colors of this string to be fairly lively for a co-poly. Out of the two colors I found the black to be harder to control, especially since it seemed to lose tension a bit faster. The blend of power and control was better with the yellow color. I found decent pop from the yellow Lynx, but it wasn't to the point where I felt control was sacrificed."

Michelle found enough control to execute her very powerful strokes, saying, "I liked the relative control this string provided me on my groundstrokes. I felt like I could hit out, and I was finding a predictable response. Lynx allowed me to play my long and fast strokes, and I could hit out while still finding the court, so I definitely enjoyed that aspect of control. Because Lynx was so comfortable I could increase the tension into the high 50s to get the extra control that I enjoy when I hit with a powerful racquet. I was able to test both colors in a few different racquets. I tried the yellow Lynx in a customized Babolat Pure Drive Roddick and Head Graphene Extreme Pro and then the black Lynx in the Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph and the Pure Drive Roddick. To me, the black actually played deader, which I usually like, but in the RF97 I preferred a livelier string."

Spin - Score: 88

With its slick surface and robust snapback, Lynx gave our team exceptional spin potential. Michelle was definitely impressed, saying, "It was no surprise to me that Lynx (yellow) tested fourth best in the lab for spin potential. I really noticed the extra spin and snapback, especially when my racquet was freshly strung. I will admit that after a few sessions with the string the spin potential dropped. However, with my flatter strokes that wasn't a deal breaker for me. "

Although Lynx wasn't the most spin-friendly string on his list, Troy still found plenty of spin. He said, "Spin potential was good with this string. Lynx helped me shape some heavy spin shots from the baseline. The surface on this string seemed to enhance the snap-back effect, creating enhanced spin potential. I don't think Lynx gripped the ball as much as Solinco Tour Bite or Tourna Poly Big Hitter Black 7, but there was exceptional spin for a round poly. The difference between the two colors wasn't significant, but the black seemed to have a little more spin potential."

Comfort - Score: 82

With the help of an innovative co-polymer mixture, Lynx was designed to be more elastic than a traditional polyester string. This helps explain why Troy found it so comfortable. He said, "The comfort of this string was definitely above average for a poly-based string. It provided a good amount of elasticity and pocketing, which helped provide a more comfortable stringbed. The black was more elastic than the yellow, and I found it slightly more comfortable. Compared to some of the stiffer polys that I typically play with, such as Luxilon 4G and Head Hawk, this string was a definite upgrade when it came to comfort."

Despite her preference for firm polys, Michelle appreciated the softer, more comfortable response of Lynx. She said, "Usually I gravitate toward the stiffer polys, but since I've been playing around with smaller headsizes and heavier racquets (RF97 Autograph), I've been enjoying some softer polys in my racquets. Lynx fit the bill! I enjoyed how comfortable this string felt in my racquet, and I liked how I could amp up the tension with no discomfort whatsoever from this string. It was soft without being mushy, which can be a deal breaker."

Feel - Score: 68

As previously mentioned, our team found Lynx to be quite soft for a poly-based string. In the extreme, this softer feel can result in an erratic trajectory, along with the sensation of being disconnected from the ball, two things that can lead to control problems as the stroke speed goes up. For Michelle, however, the softer feel didn't come with any of these downsides. She said, "The string felt really soft to me, not as soft as something like Polyfibre TCS, but definitely on the softer side of things. I felt like the yellow, in particular, remained soft with good pocketing but also kept me sufficiently connected to the ball. Since I typically require firmer polys for control, I was pleasantly surprised by the level of control I got from this string."

Experiencing slightly better results with the yellow version, Troy said, "I found the overall feel of this string to be softer than other co-poly strings. Between the two colors, the yellow had a slightly crisper and more precise feel, whereas the black was a bit softer. The black color seemed to lose its tension faster and started to feel mushy after a few hours of play."

Playability Duration - Score: 85

Like many of the softer co-polys we've playtested, Lynx did not have optimal tension maintenance, especially the black color. As a result, Troy had some control issues, saying, "Often times with softer poly strings, such as this Head Lynx, the tension maintenance is subpar. I found that the black color had poor tension maintenance compared to other co-poly strings. The yellow color was better than the black, but it was still below average. This string became very 'springy' after about 3-5 hours of play, especially the black color. Once it became 'springy' I had a hard time with predictability from the baseline."

Michelle, also found the yellow version of Lynx to age more gracefully than the black. She said, "The yellow seemed to have great tension maintenance. I could play with it for a couple weeks before cutting it out. The black didn't seem to have the same playability duration. It didn't seem to hold tension as well, or it could have just felt deader and I didn't enjoy it as much, leading me to want to cut the strings out sooner. I also felt like I wasn't seeing the same spin potential with the black string."

Overall - Score: 79

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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