Laserfibre Native Tour String Review

Control - Score: 82 / Power - Score: 61

Given that it is made primarily from polyester, it's not surprising that Native Tour received an excellent score for control. However, according to Michelle, this is no dead co-poly. It also has a little power under the hood. She explained, "To start with, I normally don't like polys that feel super elastic (which happens when some polys bag out), mainly because I feel like I have no control or connection to the ball when that happens. That said, I was surprised that I felt connected to the ball and found good control with this string despite its more elastic feel. Normally, that 'springy' feel means I am launching balls erratically, but with Native Tour I could crush the ball and get a nice blend of power and control. Plus, the softer feel meant I could string it in the high 50s to get more control. At the end of the day, though, Native Tour was more powerful than most of the polys I typically use. I also want to say that Native Tour was pretty bagged out after 2-3 weeks. Because I personally don't love the elastic feel of bagged out strings, I would cut it out at that point and start fresh again. I don't think Native Tour would play as bad as some strings that I've left in my racquet after they've bagged out, but based on what I like, I would prefer fresh strings after some hours using Native Tour."

For Chris, Native Tour's high level of control led to confident shot making. He explained, "Native Tour felt softer than many control-oriented polys, but I found I had to bring my own power with this string. On the flip side, I had tons of control to help me find my targets. I felt confident taking big cuts at the ball because I knew I'd get the needed control with this string. I felt confident moving the ball around the court, picking my targets and staying aggressive. Native Tour has a slightly softer feel to it, but that didn't translate into the excessive power I've found from other softer playing strings."

Spin - Score: 87

According to our crew, Native Tour is more than just a solid control string. It also has impressive spin potential. Chris explained, "I liked the way Native Tour grabbed the ball and spat it out of the stringbed with good spin. I was able to get some nice hop on my topspin groundstrokes. I've been working on opening up the court more with topspin angles, and this string definitely aided in me getting the needed spin. I also found some good bite on my slice groundstrokes, which helped me when I was driving slices deep and when I was looking to caress a drop shot."

Even Michelle, our resident flat ball hitter, got great spin from this snappy co-poly. She said, "This string provided a good amount of spin even for my flatter game. It seemed to have great snap back as well. My flatter game doesn't always tap into the full spin potential a string offers, but when I needed it, ample spin was there."

Comfort - Score: 79

Although Native Tour is made from a firm polyester-based material, Laserfibre has added softening agents to make it feel more pliable and forgiving than a traditional poly. According to Michelle, these softening agents definitely did their job. She said, "Native Tour was definitely one of the more comfortable polys I've played with. The elastic feel really makes it soft and easy on the arm right off the stringer at a high tension. As usual, I had it strung in the high 50s, and since it's so soft I really didn't notice even the slightest twinge in my arm. Native Tour is a great gateway poly. I can't imagine it ever causing any arm pain for anyone, even if it's strung tight or used in a stiffer racquet."

Also finding plenty of comfort, Chris said, "Native Tour felt fairly soft and forgiving considering it is a monofilament co-poly. I tried it at tensions as low as 46 lbs and as high as 54 lbs, and I found the comfort to be solid throughout. When the string aged in my racquet it became too lively, but unlike some poly-based strings, it was never uncomfortable."

Feel - Score: 88

A common problem with softer co-polys is that they can feel too muted or mushy, leaving the player feeling disconnected from the ball. This can lead to control problems. According to Chris, Native Tour avoided this downside. He said, "The feel was soft without feeling overly muted. I felt decently connected to the ball and it felt like the string was pocketing the ball well. The softish feel also made the string feel pretty comfortable."

This co-poly felt soft and fairly elastic to Michelle, but it still gave her a predictable response and good command over the ball. She explained, "Soft, comfortable and a bit elastic, there is no doubt that this poly is on the softer side. As I mentioned before, even when it's freshly strung at 58 lbs, Native Tour is comfortable and has an elastic sort of feel. Off-center hits were comfortable, and despite any erratic impact locations, the results were still pretty controlled and predictable."

Playability Duration - Score: 55

The biggest downside of Native Tour was in the area of tension maintenance. Like virtually every soft co-poly we've tested, this string's control went south after a couple weeks of tension loss. Chris explained, "My only real gripe with this string was the duration of playability. When strung up fresh the string felt great. It was soft, it pocketed the ball with loads of control and had just enough feel. However, not long into the second week of play (one-hour hitting sessions for five days a week is my typical week of testing), and the string had lost some of its magic. At the end of week two I cut it out and had a fresh set installed. I did not try pre-stretching Native Tour, but would recommend you try this if you want the string to hold tension and playability longer. If you do go the pre-stretch route you should expect a firmer and lower powered response from the outset. "

Michelle also found that Native Tour aged like a typical soft co-poly. It eventually became too mushy, which compromised the control. She said, "It started off fairly soft, springy and elastic, and it stayed that way for about two weeks of hitting. After that it started to get mushy, and I had a harder time with control. I was definitely ready to cut the strings out."

Overall - Score: 83