Comments: I strung my Prince Tour Diablo Mid 93 square inch at a tension of 62 pounds as other Dunlop Black Widowers recommended. I feel this polyester monofilament string is too elastic to provide a sufficient margin of consistency for accuracy and control as expected of a polyester monofilament string. The effect is particularly apparent when the ball hits the strings at elevated velocities or the pressure of the ball has decreased significantly. The probabilities of losing a point increase with longer rallies. It does have more spin potential than rough textured etched string. Harnessing the spin potential and coupling it with reasonable control and accuracy is difficult. After the cross strings were well notched into the main strings, I was able to access adequate control to execute some unreachable topspin lobs kissing the baseline over the opponent, peppering the sidelines stretching out of the reach of the opponent, unplayable sliced drop shots landing just over the net spinning back towards the net and serves and overheads curling away in both lateral directions with balls of satisfactory pressure. However, as the string notching deepened, the strings became unplayable. An interesting string to try. It is inappropriate to recommend this string to a high calibre player to use immediately after restringing against a challenging opponent.
From: David, 12/19/19

Comments: This is one of my go-to strings. It plays well in a number of my different frames including Pure Strike, Tecnifibre 315 Ltd, Radical MP, all installed as full beds at 52 or 54 pounds. Great ball bite, good control, crisp feel without harsh stiffness, acceptable tension maintenance. It feels similar to one of my other all time favorites, Volkl Cyclone, but has more available pop. Be careful with stringing, as some notching can occur which will lock the stringbed over time and defeats the purpose of using polyester strings. Also, while some reviewers noted they have used this in a hybrid form, its sharp edges will cut or fray a synthetic gut cross, so beware. Really a great string and my favorite of all the available sharp-edged polys out there. Job well done Dunlop.
From:Geoff, 8/4/19

Comments: Strung my Blade 98 Braided Graphite + Basalt (18x20) at 49 lbs main and 47lbs cross. I'm used to hard polys like RPM Blast, Gamma Moto 17, and Volkl Cyclone 17. I usually string it 52lbs-50lbs. Only to find out that Black Widow was a soft poly as I didn't read reviews prior to using it. Hence, the power was indeed too much for me at 49-48 lbs. The ball was really jumping off the string bed which makes my usual ball returns way longer. Grip was beastly though. Ball pocketing and serves are better. String movement is also not much or not at all. It is very comfortable in the arms and shoulders. I'm not a string breaker but I could say that the edges of the shape in the sweet spot gets smoother sometime which minimizes the bite on the ball. I would say, I love it better than the RPM Blast, Gamma Moto, and Volkl Cyclone. Now, I'm going to try to string it higher to 54 lbs as main and Dunlop S-Gut 17 as cross at 52lbs and 52/50lbs on my spare. Hopefully, I'll get my desired feel this time. Can't wait to hit it up.
From:Wendell, 6/20/18

Comments: It's a great, comfortable string that offers lots of spin. Leaves black lines on the balls when the string is fresh. My only gripe about the strings is that they need to be changed very often as they notch up easily due to the softer/sharper profile of the string which causes strings to eat into each other. Overtime (2-3 weeks) it feels vague and numb which is a far cry of it's freshly strung properties. Good thing is they are one of the more affordable range of strings.
From:FJ, 10/31/17

Comments: I've been using the 17 gauge for over three years now. I play with a Wilson Pro Staff 100 and string my racquets at 66 pounds mains and crosses. The look on peoples faces is so funny when they find out how tight I string this racquet. This string stretches out a court like nobody's business. Want to get ahead? I've hit forehands that net players will duck out of the way of knowing that it's going to go a couple of feet out, and then turn around and look at the ball dropping 2 feet in. It's hilarious. Until somebody comes up with something better than this I'm a Black Widow player forever. I have found that when it stops marking the ball that it's time to change out the strings. there's no advantage to trying to stretch the life of the string out because you lose the bite and spin.
From:Phil, 7/10/17

Comments: Strung on Dunlop M5.0 racquet weighted to 12oz with an even balance. Softer and really lively when strung around 55 lbs, but is too much power for a 4.0 with a big forehand stroke. Once I played with it for 7 or 8 hours strung at 55 lbs the tension dropped and allowed for better pocketing -- it tones down the power and liveliness making it into a good low powered string. Stringing at 49/47 lbs (mains/crosses) helps to lower the power and increase ball pocketing much like playing it strung at 55 for 7-8 hours, but is still a bit too lively and needs to be broken in to become lower powered. If you string it at higher tensions 56 lbs+ it will become lower powered, but the stiffness becomes noticeable and it feels like you're hitting with a board. A good string if you have racquets with more flex, you have a really light racquet, or you need to create more power. I bought a couple reels half price so I've been using the string. I much prefer Solinco Tour Bite for its lower power and spin right after stringing and its better tension maintenance. I'm a 4.0 with deep loopy topspin groundies and a forehand weapon.
From:TC, 2/16

Comments: Everything stated in the description, video review, positive comments, etc is all true! This string is very arm friendly, has so much spin, and decent control. I put this in the mains (at 59 lbs) with Dunlop S-Gut 16 (at 56 lbs) in a 16x18 frame and I no longer have any elbow issues. Plus, the control is great, spin is awesome, and just the right amount of power. My only advice would be to let the fresh strings sit for a day after a new string job to let them settle in. After that, let it rip!
From:Chris, 4/15

Comments: I saw the Tennis Warehouse clip on Black Widow, it was on target. It's a softer poly. For me, it took me 2 hours to figure out how to hit with it. Once I got that out of the way, I did get a lot topspin with very little effort. I did find that I needed to go up in tension instead of down. It is a lot easier on the elbow than most poly strings. I started the tension with the crosses at 53 lbs and mains at 58 lbs. I like the fact that the strings have very little movement. The tension did loosen up after about a week. It has been a month and I'm still playing with them. I did lose some speed on my serves but gained better control and great spin at the same time on serves and groundstrokes. Over all, I like the strings for their price and performance. Before, I was using natural gut, that says a lot. Also, I seemed to have better results playing outdoors. I'm a 4.0 player.
From:Abel, 4/15

Comments: Im really an average player that mostly rely on my 1st big serve. I put this string on my Wilson Blade BLX 93. Awesome! Strung this on my racquets. The crisp sound is just great!
From:Farid, 4/14

Comments: This is the first string I have used that allows me to have more accurately placed shots with topspin and control. The 16 gauge was too stiff. The 17 was great. I am now testing the 18 gauge. At lower tensions it was difficult to keep in the court. It is perfect around 60 lbs. This is not a touchy, feely string. Just firm and accurate. All opponents now have difficulty returning my serve. When the edge wears down, it is time to restring.
From:John, 1/14

Comments: I did not have a good experience with this string. I bought a reel and stung it up in my Speed MP 16x19 and got maybe 5 or 6 hours of play out of each string job before they broke. Not buying again.
From:James, 8/13

Comments: An addendum to my own review. I strongly agree with Daniel on this. Everything I said about the ferocious spin is true, but know that the string is not very elastic at all. I'm still going to use it, but it really needs to be paired with something very soft and powerful in a hybrid.
From:Howard, 10/12

Comments: I'm a 40 year old 3.5 player who loves topspin forehands and slice serves. I just tried the Black Widow17, after usually using ALU Power Rough. The Black Widow is impressive. It really gives meaning to the term "bites the ball." With topspin forehands, and slice serves, the spin is ridiculous. I'm sticking with these.
From:Howard, 10/12

Comments: I hit a Dunlop 300 4D Tour racquet. Previously I hit Dunlop Comfort 16 string. I broke strings after about 12 hours of play with Comfort. My stringer suggested the Black Widow. Since I was making a change I went with 17g. After four months I can say this stuff should be banned. It's awesome. I have strung 58, 61, and 63 lbs my control is outstanding. It took some time to get my serve back up to speed with this stuff. Windy days can warrant end change/tension change with this stuff because you paint the corners so closely. Sometimes my opponents say things like "I didn't expect the ball to do that." I rarely break stings anymore.
From:Dan, 7/12

Comments: I strung the 1.25 (17) @ 55 lbs. in my Wilson nBlade 106. It was painful to string, as it felt like I was getting paper cuts every time I weaved the crosses. This string produceshuge spin, but you must swing out of your shoes to get the ball to go anywhere. This iscoming from a 6.0 former Div 1 college player, so I can bring the heat. If I didn't have timeto step into my shot and catch it right in my strike zone, I just hit sitting ducks with it. Oneof the lowest powered strings I have ever played with. It is a soft poly, but not very elastic. Ican tell the durability is going to be poor as it notched noticeably in less than 30 minutes ofhitting. If you want to experiment with this, I would hybrid it with a very slippery andpowerful cross string to add some power and allow the mains to move back into placewithout notching.
From:Daniel, 7/12

Comments: I use a Head Youtek IG Speed MP315 18x20 racquet with Gamma TNT2 on the crosses and Dunlop Black Widow 17 on the mains. Very good access to spin and control on 18x20 racquets. I would recommend this string to anyone who has a fast swing speed as this is a very low powered string.
From:Karthik, 6/12

Comments: This string feels great, but only in a 18x20 racquet. It feels very mushy in a 16x18. I found there to be no power at all unlike the feel I get in a 18x20.
From:Anon, 5/12

Comments: Coming from various strings that caused me arm problems, I'm now playing with Dunlop Black Widow (17). I'm amazed by the ball bite and the spin can be ridiculous. Downside is the durability: after 3 sessions I have to restring on a Wilson kBlade Tour.
From:Remy, 5/12

Comments: I like this string. I've had some elbow and shoulder issues and I'm getting back to playing. I like how poly's play so I've tried a few different soft polyesters and found that this string works well. I strung my Wilson KFactor at 51 pounds with the 17 gauge string. I was worried that it would be too loose and too bouncy. To the contrary, I played today and the string had good bite, control, and feel. And I didn't feel any tenderness in my shoulder. Of the soft poly's, this is my favorite.
From:Rick, 5/12

Comments: I started using this string in 2 older Pro Kennex Kinetic 5Gs. Strung at 62 lbs (did not read comments here suggesting mid-high 50 lbs). Felt it a bit more in my elbow but not bad as the Pro Kennex 5G offsets a lot of the shock. As the string loses tension, it should be OK. Hit properly, my serves have benefited the most from this string. Have jammed several opponents with my spin serve. Power seems to be less on flat serves and strokes, but that is incidental to the spin improvement which in my player group gives most people problems.
From:Rick, 5/12

Comments: I'm honestly a bit disappointed with this string. I strung both my HEADLiquidmetal Radical MP and my Wilson BLX Six.One Tour with it at 55 lbs. for the mains, 53lbs. for the crosses. On the Six.One Tour, it feels quite comfortable (for a poly) and it hasgreat ball bite and a nice pop, but I do find myself hitting longer shots than usual, so lesscontrol. On the Radical MP it still has the great ball bite but the tighter string pattern makesit feel rigid and unresponsive (somehow the opposite of how it feels on the Six.One). So Iguess what I'm sayin' is that besides the tension, it also depends very much on the racquetyour putting it on. But regardless of that, overall I wouldn't say it's better than theTechnifibre Black Code 17, which is kinda the same type of string in terms of ball bite (spinpotential), but it's more comfortable and also offers more control. Note: I'm a 2-3 times aweek player with a rating of 4+.
From:Sammy, 4/12

Comments: Great string for lots of spin and bite. I strung my Wilson Pro Staff Six.One 100 with this at 40 lbs and it and it still was a bit stiff for me. I should also note that I have a history of tennis elbow, but after breaking it in after a few days of hitting (the ball and my heels) they finally loosened up to my liking. Overall, after the break in, I really like this string, it chomps on the ball and adds spin like no other. If I get this again, I will be stringing it even lower like in the low 30's.
From:Alexander, 4/12

Comments: The pros of this string are that it is the softest poly with great feel. The consare that it breaks after 4 hours of usage. The result is me looking for something else.
From:Nathan, 4/12

Comments: Finally broke my hybrid strings (Babolat's Hybrid: Pro Hurricane and N.Vy strings) and replaced them with Dunlop's Black Widow. The Babolat Pro Hurricane was pretty rough on the arms but was very durable as it lasted about 6 months and I'm a hard-hitter. Once replaced with Dunlop's Black Widow, the difference was immediately obvious. The Black Widow is much, much, much more comfortable, gives a whole lot more spin, has a very nice "pop" on each stroke and it's not too expensive! I like the Black Widow so much I re-strung my 2nd racquet with it as well. I went with what I normally string my racquets which is 60 lbs! Enjoy your new spins, bites on the balls, pops etc.
From:Rai, 4/12

Comments: I love this string. No matter how hard you hit the ball, itwill always go in deep with heavy spin. Also, this poly happens to bevery soft. I never played with a poly this soft before.
From:Jeff, 3/12

Comments: When I reduced the tension to 55lb instead of 60lb, I received morecontrol. Also, the strings were lively, and the power and spin potentialwere great. Remember to string this about 10% lower than usual.
From:Luke, 3/12

Comments: The sweetest co-poly I've ever had the pleasure of hitting with! Being an RPM Blast fan for sometime now, I had to hit w/ this poly. Players & people at pro shops were all telling me that "if you like the RPM, you'll LOVE the Black Widow!" I put a set of this in a hybrid w/ Prince Lightning 16 (strung at 55lbs) on my Pure Storm GTs. Since I've been using Prince Lighting as my cross string for like the last 3 years, I can clearly feel when my main string (polyester) is boosting or hindering my game. It's been about 2 weeks now & so far the words of the tennis-wise have been right on the money! This string definitely generates some wicked spin when brushing or slicing the ball & it feels powerful when flattening shots out. Luxurious feel & accuracy on pretty much every shot for that matter, but I'm betting that me being a 20-year old big hitter helps too. The only negative I found about this string is that it does eat through crosses a bit due to its sharp shape, but that doesn't bother me at all. Overall, a 5-star spiny co-poly & my new favorite main string!!!
From:Shane, 2/12

Comments: Great balance of power, spin, ball bite (really enjoy seeing those black marks it leaves on the balls), and control, even with a vibration damper. Durability is great, and I really enjoy the softer feel on service returns and long rallies. And as most people have written here, it does lose tension very fast. But once it happens, it will settle at that lower tension andhardly change. To date, the only person complaining about these strings is a friend whorecently strung my racquets; apparently these strings gave him a really hard time. You maykeep that in mind if you do your own string job.
From:PFulvio, 2/12

Comments: For me this this string is awesome......Give more spin and power.
From:Harry, 1/12

Comments: Dunlop black widow is nice string; lots of spin potential and soft feeling. Thecomfort feeling from this string is very exceptional. However, you need to consider initialtension loss when you decide the tension. Typically, I strung my 98 sq in racquet with 53lbswith other polys. However, when I strung it with 53 lbs, it's like spongy and my balls flewaway here and there. I can't feel anything. Based on my search on USRSA string data base,black widow has lots of initial tension loss as soon as they are strung on the frame. It makesvery low actual tension. Thus, I re-strung it with 58lbs, waited 12 hrs (without any play) andit's perfect. After initial stabilization, it holds it's tension well. It's steel very comfortable but I can adjust my power on it. Two thumbs up.
From:Yoon, 1/12

Comments: Wow great string! I used it in a hybrid with Tecnifibre Multi-Feel, and power and spin you get off of it is addicting. I can't comment on durability too much but it has stuck at a reasonable tension for the first 8 hours. My quest for a perfect hybrid might be over. I strung it on a Head Prestige MP at 52/55 lbs.
From:Grant, 12/11

Comments: Great string! The spin, power and depth I am getting compared to the Zo 16 is pretty remarkable. I like them at 55 lbs on my Prince Rebel 95. I have new found confidence now when I want to grip it and rip it.
From:John, 12/11

Comments: I've really enjoyed this string so far. I am a 4.0 player, singles and doubles, and hit with heavy forehand topspin and moderate/light backhand topspin. I have the Dunlop Black Widow strung at 57 lbs on a Babolat Pure Drive. Coming from hitting with a hybrid setup before, the amount of extra topspin I got from these strings was very surprising. It allowed me to hit with a bit more power while still keeping the ball within the baseline. The feel took a little getting used to, but after about 4-5 hours of play I really started to appreciate these strings. The one thing that I did not like it the "Ping" sound from these strings. I had to steal a vibration dampener from a friend, but that alleviated most of the sound from the strings. Now I'm completely used to it. I would recommend these strings to people who already hit with topspin, because if you hit a flat ball without these strings, you will hit a flat ball with these strings. They only help you generate more topspin.
From:Travis, 12/11

Comments: I love this string. I have not used that many textured polys but this gave me great access to spin. I noticed on ground strokes and serves. Tension maintenance seemed good, did not get mushy after hours of hard hitting.
From:Rick, 10/11

Comments: The feel of this string is super soft for a polyester, which is probably my most favorite thing about this string. Strung at 59 lbs, the power is high without sacrificing control. Love the pop and the spin as well. The only con is probably the name of this string. I will definitely buy more, since this string is my new favorite, and will highly recommend this string to 3.5 players and up.
From:Alex, 9/11

Comments: I am on my second reel of this string. I started with 16 gauge, went to 17 gauge on the second go around and can't tell any difference in durability at all. Some people say that you have more feel on the 16 gauge, I don't know that I see that either. It is very soft very spin friendly. I used Luxilon Rough in the mains in the past but have abandoned and have gone to full Black Widow 17 gauge. With the Luxilon, I had some elbow problems, that have totally left. This is a great string with great control. As a 3.5 player, who plays a minimum of 4 times a week, I hit a heavy ball with significant topspin. I will play it from now on. It has great pop on the serve and crisp controllable volleys. I play with Fishcer Pro racquet 16/18 and string it at 56-58 lbs in the winter and 60-62 in the spring through the summer.
From:Greg, 8/11

Comments: Compared to the Pro Hurricane Tour, this is a much softer string and the power level also appears to be higher. If you are coming from the Pro Hurricane Tour, I would recommend going a few pounds higher to compensate for the power. For a poly, it is pretty arm friendly and generates a good amount of spin. Definitely will buy this string again, just string it at a higher tension.
From:Jaime, 8/11

Comments: Strung it on my KBlade 98 at 55lbs. Full of spin, control and power. It has less feel but maintains the pace and direction. Tension lost 10% after 1 month. Overall is a great string.
From:Shannon. 6/11

Comments: This string generates a ton of spin without losing power. I did string my racquet a couple pounds lighter, 56 lbs instead of 58 lbs, at the suggestion of the pro that strung it for me. Very impressed with how well they play.
From:Daniel. 6/11

Comments: Control, Power, Comfort, Durability, this string has it all.
From:Shep. 5/11

Comments: I agree 100% about the positive feedback read on this string. Very soft (compared to all the polyesters I used in the past), provide tons of power (16 aces thrown at him!). I would buy a spool of this string and would only use it as full job.
From:Gino, Long Beach, CA, USA. 5/11

Comments: I love these strings! It gets so much spin on my Biomimetic 300 Tour without sacrificing any control! The string is fairly durable and it bites the ball very well. It's much better than RPM Blast in terms of comfort and spin. It is a very soft poly and feels great on the arm.
From:Zac, OR, USA. 4/11

Comments: They were okay strings. I just put these in my Head Radical and they have a good bite but not enough for me. I'd like to see them play better than they do. I coach and play a lot and sometimes these strings don't cut it for me. I will give them another try and see but for me the Gamma Zo are so much better and the balls just fly off your racquet.
From:Craig, Farmington, CT, USA. 4/11

Comments: Reading at other's comments, I am not sure if I have the right string. :-( My impressions of the Dunlop Black Widow 17 are wiry with too much power. I strung the string at 58 lb on my APDGT. I have been testing many strings; so far Poly Star Energy is still my favorite. I typically use RPM or BBO.
From:Fred, Houston, TX, USA, 03/11

Comments: Wow. This string is incredible. I never tried a Dunlop string (didn't really even know they made string) before this. If I didn't know better, I'd mistake the feel for a mid-level multifilament (it's very soft), and the feel is incredible for a poly. The best part of this string, however, is the bite on the ball. I play with a Prestige MP that I've always had trouble getting the spin I wanted out of. Widow turned my 18x20 to a 16x19 (spin wise). The spin is tremendous and my opponent mentioned several times that balls he was sure were going 6 inches out were dropping in. Overall a very comfortable, powerful, durable, and VERY spin friendly poly. Two thumbs up!
From:Ron, Chattanooga, TN, USA, 03/11

Comments: Great string, compared to the RPM Blast, this string has better playability through the life of the string. I'd say a little bit softer than the RPM, but still provided great spin. Slight edge to the RPM, but the playability edge goes definitely to the Black widow. The only negative I have is, I did break the string in about two weeks. I'd say a good 30 hours of playing. Could be a freak thing, because I never would have thought I'd break a poly so soon or even at all. I would highly recommend this string.
From:Kevin, Honolulu, HI, USA, 02/11

Comments: This is a phenomenal string. The bite is like no other string I've played. The ball drops like a sack of potatoes. The more surprising quality, however, is the softness and feel. I did not know a poly could play so soft. It took about two hours of play for these strings to kick in, but then they just came alive. I've also tried this as a hybrid playing them in the mains with the Dunlop Silk 16 in the crosses and it's a great combination - even more feel with great pop and bite. Currently I'm using the hybrid for doubles and the all Black Widow for singles.
From:Peter, Denver, CO, USA, 02/11

Comments: Strung this to my Babolat Aero Pro Drive Cortex at 52lbs and what I can say is, this string is awesome! I love every bit of crisps and comfort the string give me when I hit the balls. I previously used Tecnifibre Black Code and Luxilon Adrenalin, these strings were okay, good for spinner, but I didn't get the feel that I wanted when I used those. I am a lefty, using western grip, and looking for string that provide comfort, power, and extra spin. This string is the one. I'm in love with it. You should give a try ;)
From:Ketto, Malaysia, 12/10