Tecnifibre Multifeel String Review

Control - Score: 80 / Power - Score: 84

Some tennis strings offer easy power but lack sufficient control on full swings. Other strings offer great control but don't have enough pop to keep the ball consistently deep. According to our team, Multifeel's moderate power level lets it avoid these tradeoffs. Tiffani explained, "Although I typically hybrid my multifilament strings with a co-poly, I found that Multifeel offered a decent amount of control in a full setup. The control level was somewhere between a synthetic gut and a softer multifilament, like NRG2. After my first few hits with Multifeel I found a good range on my groundstrokes. There was nothing wild either way about the power and control levels, and this string felt like a good all-around, middle-of-the-road performer in the power and control departments, with a slight tip to the power side."

As a monofilament polyester user, Chris was pleasantly surprised by the control he got from this filament-packed comfort string. He said, "Going into this test I wondered how the power of this string would impact control. Since I use a powerful racquet, usually combined with a much stiffer, more control-oriented string, I had visions of uncontrollable power. My preconceptions were blown away on my first hit. Yes, I had more power than I get from my usual setup, but I was surprised by how well I was placing the ball. I didn't send the ball flying any more than usual, and I could still get my shots to drop inside the lines on aggressive swings. All in all, I would call Multifeel a medium powered multifilament string with a high level of control for a multifilament."

Spin - Score: 78

Unlike Tecnifibre's Black Code 4S, Multifeel isn't likely to make anyone's shortlist of spin strings. That said, our team still gave it a decent spin score. Chris was impressed, saying, "Again, Multifeel surprised me. Part of the reason I found so much control with this string was due to the amount of spin I could generate. I was amazed by the string's ability to snap back into position like a poly. I didn't have to adjust my strings even after an hour of play, which is unheard of for me with this type of string; usually a multifilament would be stuck way out of position. I felt like I was getting some nice grip on the ball, and I didn't have to make any adjustments to my game due to a lack of spin, which is unusual for a multifilament. My topspin shots were dropping nicely inside the lines. I didn't get the heavy rotation I find in some of the more spin-friendly co-polys, but Multifeel got me a lot closer than any other multifilament I've tried."

For Tiffani, Mutifeel wasn't perfect in the spin department, but it definitely got the job done. She explained, "I'm not a huge spin hitter, and Multifeel provided me with more than enough spin potential. It didn't feel as slippery or as consistently spin friendly as NRG2, another of Tecnifibre's multifilament strings, but then again, it's also quite a bit cheaper. Initially I was getting noticeable rotation on the ball, but as the strings wore and frayed the spin level seemed to drop off, which was less of a problem with NRG2. The level of spin from Multifeel was comparable to Babolat Xcel."

Comfort - Score: 86

Although Multifeel has a firm, albeit thin, monofilament core, the majority of its composition is comprised of flexible filaments and pliable polyurethane. This helps explain why comfort was the highest score for this playtest. Tiffani said, "This string is plenty comfortable. It didn't feel like the softest multifilament that I've hit, but it was more comfortable on my wrist than a synthetic gut or a soft co-poly. I had no complaints in this department."

Also finding plenty of comfort, Chris commented, "While it wasn't as forgiving as natural gut, I liked the way Multifeel cupped the ball and offered enough forgiveness on off-center shots. I thought the level of comfort was right up there with more expensive multifilaments even though this string offered a much more controlled response."

Feel - Score: 82

Multifeel definitely has some upsides in the feel department. With its flexible filaments, it is definitely friendlier and more responsive than a polyester string on off-center hits. However, its firm central core provided a more crisp and connected feel than a full-blooded multifilament, which can sometimes feel too mushy. Needless to say, Chris was impressed. "This string lived up to its name and offered lots of feel. I felt connected to my shots and could judge the depth of touch volleys and drop shots very well. I liked rallying from the baseline, too. I could roll the ball deep with topspin or control the depth of a floated slice to buy time to get back in the point from a defensive situation."

Like Chris, Tiffani had enough feel to control her shots. She said, "Although the string does feel a bit firmer than a full multifilament, I could increase the string tension from the 48 lbs that I used for this review. I typically string multifilaments in a full setup at 55 lbs or more, and I think the sweetspot for me with Multifeel would be around 52 to 53 lbs since it's a bit lower powered than a full multifilament string. I liked the feel overall, though, and found it to have a clean response that left me feeling in control of the direction of my shots."

Playability Duration - Score: 81

Compared to the majority of strings our playtesters have tried, Multifeel has above-average tension maintenance. As a result, we didn't discover big changes in the feel, trajectory response or power level over time. However, like virtually every string we've tested, Multifeel isn't perfect. Tiffani explained, "As with most multifilament strings, Multifeel did fall victim to the dreaded fray. I would typically get 15 hours or so on a set of multifilament before breaking it, and the fraying set in as expected with Multifeel. The black coating on the string did begin to wear early on, which seemed to reduce the spin potential. However, the playability of the string didn't seem to change after that."

"I can play 3 or 4 hours with a set of Multifeel before I break it," said Chris. "The string frays early (within the first hour of hitting), but the control, snap back and feel remained very good despite the fraying. I break many multifilament strings after a similar amount of hitting, so the durability was on par for this string type."

Overall - Score: 84