Head Lynx Touch String Review

Control - Score: 89 / Power - Score: 65

Although it is built partly from soft and elastic polymers, Lynx Touch gave our team the kind of control that typically comes from stiffer polys. Not surprisingly, Chris, who gravitates toward control-oriented polys, was impressed. He said, "I liked the way Lynx Touch pocketed the ball and gave me a decently high launch angle for depth and net clearance without me ever worrying about hitting too long. Some softer co-polys are also lively, and my shots fly on me. I never had that issue with Lynx Touch, and I found it to live up to its name with lots of control on my touch shots. When it came to power, I was left to my own devices, which was just fine for me."

Michelle, who requires a lot of control from her strings, was right at home with the response of Lynx Touch. She explained, "I have been testing it for a while, so I was able to try it in a few different racquets at a bunch of different tensions. No matter what the setup, Lynx Touch gave me the control I needed, and I can say I never felt that it 'bagged out' or got too powerful. The stringbed felt predictable and consistent. It was plusher and pocketed well even at a lower tension, but still gave me enough control to swing all out."

Spin - Score: 60

Although it lacks the sharp bite of a shaped poly, Lynx Touch gave Chris more than enough spin potential to hit his targets. He said, "I was happy with the spin I found with Lynx Touch, even if I didn't fully understand why. I didn't get the sense the strings were biting the ball like the sharp edges of a string like Lynx Tour, but this string pocketed the ball well, and I felt like that helped make enough spin for me to get the job done. My topspin shots had some nice loop to them, and I think the dwell time I found with this string gave the ball a good trajectory, while I always seemed to find enough topspin to help my shots dip inside the lines. Perhaps the biggest factor enabling me to generate spin was that I felt confident enough to swing fast, and I could use that racquet speed to get the ball spinning quickly."

"In my opinion, this was not the strength of this string," said Michelle, who reported slightly below average spin potential with Lynx Touch. "I didn't notice a ton of spin and would say it was slightly below normal compared to some of the other polys I often string with. That's no reason for me not to stick with this string since that is not at the top of my list of needs, but it's worth noting that it didn't add any extra RPMs to my shots. The string does snap back very well and has a slick surface."

Comfort - Score: 84 / Feel - Score: 84

Head designed the inner core of Lynx Touch with soft and flexible polymers to help with comfort and touch. According to our team, the design works in spades, and it earned this string one of the top comfort scores in the polyester category. Michelle appreciated the soft feel, especially because it didn't compromise her control. She said, "Lynx Touch was very comfortable. The ball pocketed well at impact, and I didn't have to worry about shock or arm pain when hitting with this string, no matter what racquet it was paired with. It also never got 'springy' or erratic, which meant there were no trade-offs in the control department."

For Chris, this string's comfortable and predictable response paired nicely with a dense pattern. He described, "Lynx Touch had a very soft feel. No matter which racquet I hit this string in, it made the response plusher and more forgiving. If you are used to crisp, firm co-poly strings, you might find Lynx Touch a little muted in its feel. I really liked the string in racquets with a dense 18x20 string pattern because it softened up the feel nicely while still playing very predictably."

Playability Duration - Score: 82

The biggest downside of co-polyester monofilaments is that they tend to lose tension quickly. As a result, they often become erratic and uncontrollable long before they break. Although Lynx Touch lost its fair share of tension, the control remained excellent throughout the playtest. Needless to say, Chris was impressed by how well this co-poly held up over time. He said, "I was pleased with the amount of control I got out of this string over the duration of the test. Like all co-polys, it dropped tension, but I still had ample control over my shots once it leveled off. This string did get notched easier than something like Lynx Tour, but my shots were not flying on me, so I had no major complaints."

"I was surprised that Lynx Touch never became too springy or powerful," added Michelle. "For me, the tension loss wasn't very noticeable, and I never felt the need to cut the strings out. I was happy with how well Lynx Touch held up over a considerable number of hitting sessions. Plus,it didn't notch excessively, and it consistently snapped back no matter if it was on day one of the playtest or day 12. I am not a string breaker, but I really didn't feel like I was going to break these."

Overall - Score: 87