It's not often one gets to hit all of the performance strings from one brand side by side, but that's exactly what I did when I visited the Yonex headquarters in Japan. Here I put Yonex's co-polyester monofilament string line up to the test. On this deep dive into Yonex strings I got to hit each one strung up at 52 pounds in identical Yonex VCORE 100 racquets.

The Yonex team set up a TrackMan system on a court to help test the strings. The system will track the pace, spin and height of my shots with each string so we can compare the data.

For each string I started out doing some rallying and then transitioned into some fed ball hitting for the data capture. Read on for my hitting impressions and the data points for each string.

String Comparison Chart

TrackMan data from Chris' playtest. All were strung at 52 pounds in identical VCORE 100 racquets. Chris played with 16L / 1.25 mm strings.

Yonex POLYTOUR PRO

The first string we tested in the VCORE 100 is one Yonex's most recognizable strings, POLYTOUR PRO. There are plenty of reasons why this is such a popular string due to its excellent all-around playability. As I got used to the conditions I quickly found my groove with POLYTOUR Pro. I liked the way the ball pocketed in the stringbed. I had plenty of feel for the ball and could instantly sense the depth and pace I had on my shots. I liked the overall response of this string. It's a string I could trust thanks to its consistent response. My level of control was solid and I found myself swinging aggressively and not afraid of flirting with the corner of the court.

POLYTOUR REV

Next up was a string I'm familiar with, POLYTOUR REV. I reviewed this string with Michelle back at Tennis Warehouse, and it impressed us both. Immediately, I felt the firmer, crisper response of this string compared to POLYTOUR PRO. I had lots of control on my shots, and it's a string I enjoy hitting. I liked the shape I could put on my shots and had decent net clearance and plenty of spin to get the ball dropping to my targets. POLYTOUR REV is another string that encouraged me to take a healthy swing at the ball and trust its response. This was a good string for me, and I'd happily take it into a match. I also liked the way it complemented the spin-friendliness of the VCORE 100.

POLYTOUR AIR

Like POLYTOUR REV, POLYTOUR AIR really complemented the racquet. POLYTOUR AIR had a soft, plush feel at impact, and the Yonex engineers have also increased that very sensation in the construction of the VCORE racquets. The result of this setup was a sublimely soft and pleasing feel. I loved the plush response, yet I still felt very connected to my shots. My shots had a high arc over the net before dipping inside the lines. I was surprised by how much I'm enjoyed this string since I usually prefer firmer options. If you are looking for a very plush and comfortable feeling setup, this racquet and string combination is a great way to go. Not only that, but I liked the blue color with the VCORE cosmetics.

POLYTOUR SPIN

Another string that looks great in the VCORE 100 is POLYTOUR SPIN. The string lives up to its name, and like POLYTOUR REV I'm found lots of spin on my shots. However, with this string I was hitting lower over the net compared to both POLYTOUR REV and POLYTOUR Air. My shots left the racquet with a more direct response, and with all of the spin I'm found I was hitting a little shorter in the court. I think I could get more out of this string by dropping the tension by about three pounds. It would hopefully let me carry the ball through my swing a little longer so I could get more loop and depth. I definitely felt I had plenty of spin to help me control the ball at lower tensions.

POLYTOUR Strike

Coming into this test I already knew I was a big fan of POLYTOUR Strike. I liked that I instantly found good pace and depth on my shots. There was the comfort of hitting with a familiar string, which had me quickly finding my confidence. I found a decent amount of spin on my shots, and it was a consistent level of spin. I liked that I could hit with plenty of pace without sacrificing my precision. I was a fan before and remained a fan. POLYTOUR Strike doesn't disappoint.

POLYTOUR FIRE

From something familiar to something I was glad to have a refresher on — it had been awhile since I'd hit with POLYTOUR FIRE. But it was all good with good spin, good pace and good net clearance on my shots. That pretty much summed up POLYTOUR FIRE for me. The feel was slightly firmer than something like POLYTOUR REV. I'm a fan of crisper, firmer feeling co-poly strings and I really enjoyed the response of POLYTOUR FIRE. If you want to get that crisp and connected feel, this a great string to try.

POLYTOUR DRIVE

POLYTOUR DRIVE was my kind of string, and I felt at home with it immediately. My confidence with this string had me feeling eager to attack the ball and I started to swing with more racquet head speed. I got so aggressive hitting with POLYTOUR DRIVE I had to slow my swing down a bit so we could get some comparable data with the other strings we had tested. That was a good sign, though, and once we had some comparable data I took some more aggressive swings with the string and really went for the corners. Lots of fun.

And the Winner is ....

After spending a day hitting all of the strings I continued to hit POLYTOUR REV and POLYTOUR DRIVE during practices and point play. In the end I've settled on POLYTOUR DRIVE. I love the consistent and controlled response of the string. I feel confident staying aggressive even on big points and love that I can trust the string to help me find my targets. With POLYTOUR DRIVE, I get premium performance at a very good price.