Tecnifibre HDX Tour String Review

Power: 82 / Control: 81

For a multifilament, HDX Tour gave our team very impressive control. Tiffani had particularly good command over the ball's flight. She said, "I was surprised initially by how this string played. The ball didn't fly off the strings like some other multifilament strings, but it still offered enough power. I guess I would call it controlled power. I felt in control of where I was directing the ball, and it felt like I was sending the ball off with good pace."

Chris, who typically plays with dead polys, felt right at home with this string's modest power level. He said, "This string offered a very controlled response for a multi. It played with a deadness to it, which I liked, because it enabled me to take a full cut at the ball from the baseline. The power level is not far off from a co-poly/multi hybrid -- although the feel is quite different. Along with Wilson NXT Control, this is one of the more control-oriented multis I've hit."

Spin: 69

Although HDX Tour gave our playtesters poly-like control, it lacked the bite and snapback of a poly. This helps explain why Chris had trouble generating enough spin. He said, "My biggest issue when testing this string was generating spin. It seemed to behave like spin-friendly string in the racquet, but unfortunately, it didn't perform like one. For instance, it was firm and control oriented, which encouraged a fast swing speed. It also seemed to snap back into position well, as I rarely had to straighten my strings, which I have to do with just about every other multi I've hit. However, the spin was just not there for me. I found I had to go for a safer target and take some speed off my shots. I hit safer and with less pace to prevent overhitting since my shots weren't getting the spin I needed to drop them inside the lines."

The low spin-potential didn't bother Tiffani, who tends to hit a flatter ball. She said, "I didn't feel like the ball was loading up with a ton of spin, but it really didn't affect my game. I hit a fairly flat ball off the ground, and I still felt like I played under control without having to alter my game at all. One thing I found mildly irritating was the sound the string made when I was trying to emphasize spin. It sounded like the string was scraping as it moved at impact."

Comfort: 84

Despite the fact that it is firmer than the average multi, HDX Tour still managed to earn a high score for comfort. Tiffani explained, "The feel was crisp, yet comfortable. I liked it at 56 lbs in my racquet, and I think I could easily go up a few pounds in tension without compromising comfort. The only downside to going up for me would be the fear of making the stringbed too dead."

Also finding plenty of comfort, Chris said, "Although the feel is firm and crisp from this string, I found the comfort level to be impressive. Shots outside of the sweetspot never felt overly jarring. Inside the sweetspot the string played with some nice plushness to it."

Feel: 82

In contrast to softer multifilaments, which can feel too mushy and make the ball feel lost in the stringbed, HDX Tour played wonderfully firm and delivered more productive feedback. As a result, Chris felt very connected to the ball. He said, "The feel was very firm and crisp for a multi. It provided me with a very good sense of where my shots were going, and I felt very connected to my strokes with it. I felt very dialed in at the net, and I could place the ball very well thanks to the feel."

Tiffani appreciated how this string managed to feel crisp without ever transmitting excessive shock. She said, "HDX Tour is one of the crisper multis out there. I liked how it felt comfortable without any jarring sensations, whether I was hitting inside the sweetspot or out of it. There was all that comfort without losing the crisper feel I like. Although I am a fan of multis in general, one of the issues I have with them is a mushy feel. This one thankfully didn't fall into the mushy category."

Playability Duration: 87

Our team gave HDX Tour a very high score for playability duration. Tiffani was impressed with how long this string felt fresh, saying, "I'm not a string breaker so I got a good few weeks out of this string. I didn't notice any drop in playability or fraying. A definite thumbs up for me in this category."

Despite some minor tension loss, Chris felt the overall playability remained very consistent over time. He said, "This string lasted very well. I hit it off and on for a month. I had no durability issues -- although I used a dense 18x20 patterned racquet, which is very forgiving on durability. I was also happy with how the playability felt during the entire month. After an initial tension drop I never found the feel or tension to drop that noticeably from one hitting session to the next. The gradual decline gave the string a very consistent feel for the duration of the test."

Overall: 85

Scores

(Scores are determined by averaging individual play test scores)

Playtester String Setups

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

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