Kirschbaum Xplosive Speed String Review

Control - Score: 77 / Power - Score: 62

As a co-poly monofilament, Xplosive Speed is inherently control oriented. Being seasoned co-poly users, our playtesters based their thoughts on power and control by looking at how this string stacked up to other co-polys on the market. Sean is a big fan of firm, low-powered co-polys. He said, "As a relatively soft co-poly, Xplosive Speed predictably landed on the powerful side of the spectrum. I had no problem with control when this string was fresh, but in the long run Xplosive Speed didn't quite hold up like the stiffer co-polys I usually take into battle. As with most soft co-polys, I noticed a drop in the tension after a few hours of play, and it began to feel too springy and powerful for my liking."

Erik found the blend of power and control to be right where he likes it. He explained, "This string felt quite soft, and I found that it possessed more power than most co-polys I have tried. When I strung it at my usual tension for co-polys I had a bit too much launch off the stringbed. By increasing the tension to 52 pounds, which is a few pounds tighter than usual for me, I was able to achieve plenty of control. The high level of spin potential and string snap back I got from Xplosive Speed added to my confidence level when taking big swings, especially with my western forehand grip."

"If I were to put every co-poly string that I have played with on a spectrum from most powerful to least, I would place Kirschbaum Xplosive Speed slightly more on the power side," added Troy, who ultimately appreciated the control this string provided. "Compared to other soft co-poly strings, I was impressed by Xplosive Speed's level of control. I often find softer co-poly strings less consistent and less predictable than the firmer co-polys I typically play with, such as Volkl Cyclone or Solinco Hyper-G. With Xplosive Speed, I didn't find much of a drop-off in control compared to my go-to strings. There was a bit of a livelier, more powerful feel to this string, but nothing that was a significant detriment to my game."

Spin - Score: 83

The pentagonal shape and slick surface of Xplosive Speed let our team ramp up the spin on their shots — at least when the strings were freshly strung. Known to load his ball with plenty of spin, Erik found a lot to like in this department. He described, "This string grips the ball really well with its five-sided design, and I could rip the ball with loads of spin. Whenever I accelerated on my shots I felt a deep ball pocket and snap back with Xplosive Speed, which helped me impart heavy topspin."

Though he thought Xplosive Speed felt great at first, Troy found that the spin potential diminished over time. He said, "The snap back was good at the beginning of the playtest. But as the surface of this string became less slick and shiny, the strings started to stick out of place. This is not a huge knock on Xplosive Speed, because it is common with most co-polys after significant use. The spin potential wasn't quite up there with Tecnifibre Black Code 4S or Babolat RPM Blast Rough, but it allowed me to generate all the spin I needed to be effective."

Like Troy, Sean found the spin potential to be high at the beginning of the playtest. He said, "The pentagonal shape of Xplosive Speed was great for spin production, and it paired well with my 14-main string pattern since I need the ball to drop coming off that high launch angle. However, the strings started to notch after about five hours of use, preventing the main strings from snapping back, which reduced the amount of topspin I could generate. With that being said, the overall control of this string allowed me to take big cuts at the ball, and that stroke speed translated into decent spin."

Comfort - Score: 66 / Feel - Score: 77

Co-poly monofilament strings get a bad rap for being stiff and harsh on the arm. When it came to Xplosive Speed, the comfort was top notch compared to other co-polys on the market. Erik said, "This string was extremely comfortable for me, and I loved the touch and feel it provided on finesse shots. Right off the stringer, Xplosive Speed feels relatively crisp, but it's still comfortable compared to other co-polys I've tried."

Troy was very impressed with the feel of this string, especially when compared to other soft co-polys. He explained, "The feel was soft, but not overly elastic or muted. I wouldn't necessarily call it crisp, but it felt less muted than most of the softer co-polys that I have tried. Compared to Prince Vortex and Genesis Black Magic, which I recently playtested, Xplosive Speed provided more feel and responsiveness. When I took a big cut at the ball I found an impressive amount of ball pocketing. This translated to a high level of ball feel for a co-poly, and I felt very connected to the ball when hitting touch shots."

"For players familiar with co-polys, this string will feel softer than the pool of popular firm polys, but it will have that familiar crisp response at impact," Sean noted. "I tend to like a crisper co-poly, and that is not a characteristic that often goes hand-in-hand with most softer strings. Xplosive Speed possessed a nice, crisp feel, and that was a big bonus in my book."

Playability Duration - Score: 73

Tension loss is unavoidable for tennis strings, especially those with a monofilament construction. Although Xplosive Speed was not immune to this issue, our team still pointed to some positives. As a fan of softer co-polys, Erik found Xplosive Speed's playability duration to be very good. He said, "I was impressed by how long Xplosive Speed maintained tension, and the playability was consistent right up until the string snapped. Although this string has soft characteristics to it, the durability was right up there with most of the co-polys I typically use."

Having used a wide array of co-polys, Troy shared his thoughts, saying, "The playability duration was pretty middle of the road among all the co-polys that I have tested over the years. With that being said, it was better than most soft co-polys that I have tried. As with most strings, Xplosive Speed had an initial drop in tension after about two sessions of hitting. I was impressed that the playability remained very constant throughout the remainder of the test period. The only knock was that there was some slight notching, and the slick surface wore off toward the end of the playtest."

Sean didn't quite find the tension maintenance he was looking for, but he was able to fix it with a little re-stringing. He described, "The playability was good for the first couple of sessions, and I found Xplosive Speed to provide a lot of control and better feel compared to most co-polys. After I played with this string for about three hours there was a noticeable drop in the tension, and the string started to feel very lively and somewhat hard for me to control, especially being paired with the open string pattern of my Prince Phantom Pro 93P (14x18). I had my racquet re-strung with a 10-percent pre-stretch, and that seemed to even out the playability for the remainder of the playtest."

Overall - Score: 76