Volkl V-Square String Review

Control - Score: 89 / Power - Score: 59

Given V-Square's low-powered construction and spin-friendly precision, it's not surprising that our team gave this shaped poly such an excellent score for control. For Brittany, V-Square delivered the precision and predictability she needed to stay aggressive. She explained, "With my racquet of choice being a pretty even balance of control and power (maybe leaning slightly more on the power side), I rely on my strings to dictate if I need a little more of one or the other in my game. Some days I need a little extra power, but most of the time I'm looking for more control. Volkl V-Square fits that bill. The string offered the control I needed to take full strokes and be aggressive on my shots. I had the confidence to aim at targets closer to the alley for riskier shots and greater rewards."

Chris also found it easy to attack the ball with V-Square. He commented, "I didn't need to make any adjustment to get used to this string, as the power level wasn't worlds apart from my go-to Volkl Cyclone. If anything, the launch angle is a tad higher out of the stringbed with V-Square, giving the ball the potential to travel a bit farther, but the amount of pace I could generate remained similar. I found it easy to control the power of my racquets when they were strung with V-Square. I could attack the ball and be confident that my shots would stay within the lines."

Spin - Score: 97

With its shaped profile and grippy edges, V-Square isn't simply a good spin string, it's one of the most spin-friendly strings our team has ever playtested. At the time of this printing, it holds the top score for bite (i.e., string-on-ball friction) in our Tennis Warehouse University String Lab. Needless to say, this string puts an exceptionally tight grip on the ball. Chris was more than a little impressed. He noted, "Spin was the name of the game with this string. I loved how much bite I got on the ball with V-Square. The amount of spin I could generate definitely upped the control level of the string. I was able to take a good rip on my angle shots since I knew I was going to get enough spin for them to drop inside the lines. Likewise, when hitting a lob I could be a bit more aggressive and add more pace without fear of overhitting."

Brittany also got big spin from V-Square. She described, "I expected spin, and boy did V-Square deliver! This was easily the highlight of the playtest. The four-sided shape allowed for ultimate spin potential, and I had no issues using it to my advantage. I was able to hit short, angled groundstrokes, dipping passing shots and wide serves on the deuce side to pull my opponent out of position. However, I have a pretty flat game style, and sometimes I was relying too much on the string to add spin to my shots instead of my mechanics. This was causing me to miss deep a little more than normal, and I had to make some small adjustments to my game."

Comfort - Score: 68 / Feel - Score: 84

According to our team, V-Square is on the soft side of the poly stiffness spectrum. To its credit, V-Square never felt mushy or made the playtesters feel disconnected from how the ball was interacting with the strings. On the contrary, Brittany loved the feedback and felt very in-tune with the ball. She said, "I think Volkl did a great job of making V-Square softer while keeping it from feeling mushy. I still felt very connected to the ball when it was coming off the stringbed. In the Volkl line, V-Square sits in between Cyclone and Cyclone Tour in terms of feel. Out of the three, I still prefer standard Cyclone, but V-Square is a great option for players looking for a slightly softer feel. I didn't have any comfort issues when strung at 55 pounds."

"I thought V-Square pocketed the ball better than many co-poly strings," added Chris, who clearly liked the feel of this string. "V-Square is firm, but not overly stiff, and it felt like it slid well against itself, which allowed the strings to move around and offer good feel. I got the sense the ball was sitting on the strings and that I could manipulate my shots well. I had fun cutting aggressively under the ball on drop shots. I had enough feel to control depth and enough spin to get the ball to die quickly."

Playability Duration - Score: 75

As with every co-poly our team has tested, V-Square is not immune to the ravages of time. It loses tension over time, but the overall feel and playability fared pretty well for Chris. He explained, "V-Square held up decently well for me. I wouldn't say it lasts me as long as Cyclone, but it's not far off. I was able to get a full two weeks from the string and still be happy with the level of performance I was getting from it."

"I playtested this string twice in my EZONE 100 300g," said Brittany. "I was able to get the standard two to three weeks of playing time (10 to 15 hours) both times. V-Square had a consistent performance throughout the playtest, and I enjoyed how they snapped back into position after each shot. I was impressed with the playability for a co-poly."

Overall - Score: 86