Tecnifibre Black Code 4S String Review

Control - Score: 90 / Power - Score: 40

Although Black Code 4S is made with additives to boost elasticity and power, our playtesters found it to skew heavily on the side of control. In other words, it was perfect for Chris, who said, "I really enjoyed the control I had with this string. It felt like I was getting better ball pocketing from this string than the original Black Code. I was a big fan of Black Code, and to get some added grab on the ball is a welcome addition. I felt even more connected to where my shots were going, and I could judge my depth especially well. I love co-poly strings for the control they offer, and this string was spot on for me."

For Marco, this string's excellent control was the key to unlocking his big, powerful strokes. He said, "This string landed more on the control side for me. I was able to generate power because the high level of control allowed me to take big, fast strokes. Unless you're able to really hit aggressive strokes, don't expect too much power from this string."

Andy also had great control with Black Code 4S. He said, "I found this string to be very low powered, but it offered exceptional control. Even at a fairly low tension this string maintained lots of precision and had me feeling confident going for my targets during play. If you're looking for a livelier poly you may want to look elsewhere, but if you like dead-feeling polys that let you generate all your own power then this string will be right up your alley."

Spin - Score: 87

Given its square shape and sharp edges, Black Code 4S is clearly designed to put a tight grip on a tennis ball. According to Andy the design works, and it produces loads of spin. He said, "This string had very good spin potential, especially compared to round strings. I thought this string slid on itself very well. It grabbed the ball and sent it over the net with enough rotation to get it diving down at the court. The low-powered feel also allowed me to take big cuts at the ball, increasing the spin potential even more."

Marco also appreciated how well this string grabbed the ball. He said, "I could feel the string gripping the ball, which offered me plenty of access to spin. The ball didn't sail on me, and I could get it on target with a relatively aggressive swing."

"I got a solid level of spin out of this string," said Chris, who joined the chorus of accolades over this string's sharp bite. "As mentioned in my control comments, it grabbed the ball very well. I was able to get enough spin for my aggressive swings to find their targets. I was getting plenty of grab on both slice and topspin shots, which helped my consistency. I really liked how I could knife my slice shots with this string. My serves were also getting some great action on them. The level of spin helped me control and maximize the serving power of the Volkl Super G10 Mid 330 racquet I was testing the Black Code 4S in."

Comfort - Score: 56

Like the majority of poly-based strings, Black Code 4S is firm. Players with poor mechanics, tender tendons or light (and stiff) racquets are not likely to find it very comfortable. However, for an advanced player like Marco, the higher stiffness level was no problem. He said, "I did drop the tension a couple of pounds with this string, making it play more comfortably in my Blade 98 16x19. The string pocketed the ball nicely, and I felt like it was comfortable for being a fairly stiff poly."

For Andy, the comfort level of this firm co-poly held up quite well against the competition. He said, "Black Code 4S is a pretty stiff and dead feeling poly, but it has a softer, muted feel that makes it fairly tolerable on the arm. I feel like most low powered strings that are this stiff are more jarring and uncomfortable than Black Code 4S."

Also reporting zero problems with discomfort was Chris, who said, "This was a firm string, but it played softer than Black Code. I think some of the added comfort came from the sense of better ball pocketing and/or the fact that this string seemed to slide out of position easier before snapping back. When hitting with spin I got the sense the string was sliding against itself well, and that enhanced the pocketing feel. On flatter shots the string felt a tad firmer. Obviously I'm splitting hairs here, but I got a slightly softer response when hitting with more spin."

Feel - Score: 84

Despite a few minor complaints, our team appreciated the firm feel of Black Code 4S. For Chris, the direct feedback helped with control. He said, "The response of this string was firm and very direct. I liked how it pocketed the ball more than Black Code, yet never lost any of the great control and direct feel. I felt very connected to my shots with this string. My angles, drop shots and volleys all felt easy to gauge."

"It's low-powered with a soft, muted and somewhat dampened feel at contact," said Andy. "While most strings that feel dampened leave you somewhat disconnected from the ball, I found surprisingly good responsiveness and touch from Black Code 4S."

Marco fine-tuned the feel by lowering the tension. He said, "At the higher tension this string felt too dead for me; it wasn't producing a lively feel at all. Once I dropped the tension 3-4 lbs the sweetspot opened up and I felt the ball a lot more. This string also played a bit softer at this lower tension, providing a more forgiving feel at impact, which I favored."

Playability Duration - Score: 82

Black Code 4S posted above average results for tension maintenance in our Tennis Warehouse University String Lab. This likely explains why Marco was so impressed by the playability duration. He said, "I got a lot of playability out of this string, and it held up very well over multiple hits and days. This string didn't move much toward the end of its life, and tension maintenance was great for a poly."

Andy squeezed three weeks out of this string before the response started to change. He said, "I found the tension maintenance and playability duration to be pretty standard for a polyester string. After about three weeks the string started to lose noticeable amounts of tension, and the response off the stringbed got a bit erratic."

For Chris, this co-poly definitely went the distance. He said, "I was very impressed with how the playability of this string lasted. It easily passed my two-week test and was still feeling very playable well into the third week of testing. Black Code 4S seemed to stabilize nicely in the racquet and offer a consistent response throughout."

Overall - Score: 81