Head Velocity MLT String Review

Control - Score: 81 / Power - Score: 82

Although Velocity MLT is a multifilament string, Head didn't build it with the high power level of a traditional multifilament. The goal was to create a more balanced string, one that not only has sufficient power, but also good control — a feature that many multifilaments lack. According to Tiffani, Head hit the mark here. She explained, "Head's Velocity MLT was a nice surprise when it came to the balance of power and control. A lot of multifilament strings swing far to the side of power, and control can be a bit difficult for players who are used to hitting with polys. Although not as controlled as a co-poly, this string has a lower-powered response compared to other multis. I typically like multis in a hybrid setup, and I think Velocity MLT would be a great way to soften up the feel of a stringbed without sacrificing control."

"Compared to many other multis, I found Velocity MLT to offer more control," said Chris, who had no problem placing the ball effectively with this multifilament string. "With this string in my racquets, the amount of power, the arc on the ball and the depth of my shots felt easy to gauge. I didn't get quite the heavy dip on my shots I get from something spin-friendlier, like a co-poly, but I had ample control to take big cuts at the ball while still finding my targets. The amount of pace I could generate was great, and I had no issues getting the ball away quickly to finish off points."

Spin - Score: 77

Velocity doesn't have the sharp bite and vicious snapback of a polyester monofilament like Head's Lynx Tour. However, according to Chris, it has the ingredients for effective spin. He explained, "I was getting good spin on my shots with Velocity MLT. I wouldn't say the string was offering any added bite or kick, but it had enough control to allow me to confidently swing quickly and thus get the ball rotating quickly. I liked the feel when driving my slice backhands, which also gave me the confidence to be aggressive with that shot."

Tiffani tested both the natural and black colors of Velocity MLT. For her, the natural color proved more spin-friendly. She said, "I tested a couple of colors of Velocity MLT, and I had differing experiences with each when it came to spin. The natural color outperformed the black version in this category. The black dye or coating started to wear off very quickly, and my strings were getting stuck out of place within 30 minutes."

Comfort - Score: 85 / Feel - Score: 82

With the string's flexible construction, it's not surprising that our playtesters gave Velocity MLT a high score for comfort. Although she awarded this multi high marks, Tiffani detected subtle variations in feel between the different color options. She described, "I have no complaints in this department. The feel at impact was comfortable at 56 pounds in both the black and natural-color strings. I have had some arm issues as of late, and it felt comfortable on my tendons. I think I had some room to go higher with tension and not lose too much comfort. Like with spin, I felt the color of the string made a difference in feel — at least when fresh off the stringer. Right out of the gate, I preferred the black Velocity MLT for its crisper feel. The natural color had a softer, more muted feel to me. It's not as soft as Wilson NXT or Tecnifibre NRG2, but it wasn't what I would call crisp either. Unfortunately, the black Velocity MLT changed in feel and playability as the color wore away."

In addition to giving Velocity a high score for comfort, Chris was impressed with its feel in comparison to the more powerful multifilaments he has tried. He said, "I found Velocity MLT to be very comfortable in my racquets. This string didn't pocket the ball as much as some of the softer playing multis, but it still played very comfortably. Even when shanking the ball, I never felt any undue shock traveling up my arm. The feel was crisp enough to keep me connected to my shots and is more my particular cup of tea than something softer and more powerful like Tecnifibre NRG2."

Playability Duration - Score: 85

Like all strings, Velocity loses tension over time, after which the feel and performance changes. That said, Velocity outperformed many of its peers in our Tennis Warehouse University String Lab. It also held up quite well for Chris over the course of this playtest. He said, "Velocity MLT lasted well for me. This is a string I would happily play until it broke, whereas most poly-based strings lose too much tension and need to be cut out. Tension maintenance is often more important to me than durability; since I'm testing so many different strings and racquets all the time, the amount of on-court hours I can put on each is limited. I found the playability of Velocity MLT to remain impressively consistent even after it had been sitting in my racquets for several weeks."

According to Tiffani, when it comes to playability duration, color choice has consequence. She explained, "String color once again was a factor. Although I liked the black version initially, the playability changed rather quickly. I preferred the feel, but it started getting stuck out of position early on, and it just felt like it was wearing faster. The natural color lasted longer for me, and I didn't notice it starting to move around and getting stuck until about the third hour of hitting. The string was still playable at that point and tension was fine, but like most multis, Velocity started to move quite a bit."

Overall - Score: 83