Prince Tour XR String Review

Power - Score: 48 / Control - Score: 89

Although Tour XR received a very high score for control, Andy found some power under the hood. Fortunately, this power did not come at the expense of control. He explained, "I thought Tour XR provided a great blend of power and control. It was lively enough that I felt like the ball was jumping off the strings nicely, but at the same time it was stiff enough to keep it from becoming erratic and unruly. It was easy to generate power while staying in total control of all my shots."

Even at lower tensions, Michelle had great control. She said, "I playtested the 15L gauge because I prefer a lower powered response from my string. I enjoyed what this string had to offer in terms of power and control. The low powered response allowed me to hit big and go for my shots without worrying about overhitting. I was able to playtest this string at two tensions, one in the high 50s and one in the low 50s. At the lower tension the strings felt more 'springy' and I was worried that it would launch my balls, but this wasn't the case. Although I don't prefer the feel of strings strung at lower tensions, I didn't have any control issues when I strung Tour XR at the lower tension."

Spin - Score: 78

Tour XR didn't have quite the bite of our favorite shaped polys, but Michelle still had no problems gripping and rotating the ball. She said, "I found a good amount of spin potential in this round poly. I could definitely get my shots loaded with spin when I needed to. I don't hit with a ton of spin, but I always appreciate any extra RPMs I can generate. While this string didn't grip the ball like shaped polys can, it definitely helped provide spin when I needed or wanted to change up the pace and height of my ball."

For Andy, the spin potential of this round string was par for the course. He explained, "This string was fairly middle of the road when it came to spin potential. The player certainly has to generate most of it since the string itself doesn't have a textured or shaped surface that helps it grab the ball. It did feel like it slid and snapped back on itself nicely, but to be honest, it felt like most other round polys in terms of spin potential."

Comfort - Score: 58

Made primarily from stiff polyester, Tour XR is not supposed to offer high comfort, especially compared to a multifilament or natural gut. However, compared to other co-polys, Andy found this string to be quite comfortable. He said, "I thought Tour XR offered above average comfort compared to other co-polys. I wouldn't put it in the same realm of soft polys like Y-Tex Quadro Twist or most Double AR strings, both of which make great 'first polys' for people venturing into the poly world for the first time. At the same time, though, it was by no means uncomfortable, and I never felt like I had to work extra hard to get pace."

Even though she played with the thickest (and stiffest) gauge of Tour XR, Michelle had no issues with the comfort level. She said, "Even when Tour XR was strung at higher tensions, I never noted any discomfort or soreness. This string had a softer feel, in my opinion."

Feel - Score: 83

Our playtesters gave Tour XR a high score for feel, with no complaints of excessive stiffness off the stringer or mushiness after tension loss. For Michelle, the feedback was firm but stopped shy of being harsh. She said, "Tour XR didn't feel super firm, but it also didn't feel mushy. I would call it a 'soft firm' feel. That may sound like an oxymoron, but it had a controlled feel without being harsh or stiff. I also felt like Tour XR settled in and pocketed well, so I could feel the ball sinking into the strings with an almost plush feel on contact. I didn't always feel super connected to the ball, but that isn't something I necessarily need in a string. I found the tension maintenance to be around average. I definitely felt the tension drop between hits, but as I mentioned earlier, that didn't affect the control I got from the string, so it wasn't detrimental."

"Tour XR had a crisp, lively feel that was just a little bit muted (but not much)," said Andy. "The ball pocketed well on the strings and then jumped off the stringbed nicely. The string surface didn't feel all that slippery, but it felt soft and forgiving at contact."

Playability Duration - Score: 78

Although Tour XR loses tension (like all strings), our playtesters didn't report any major problems with playability. For Andy, this co-poly actually held up quite well. He explained, "After two weeks of being in my racquet the strings have dropped very little in tension, and I've noticed virtually no change to its playability. That's pretty good for a co-poly, but I imagine in the next week or two I will notice a little difference in feel. Overall, though, the playability duration and tension maintenance is above average for a co-poly."

Michelle definitely noticed some tension loss, but it didn't diminish this string's exceptional control. She said, "While I would say the tension maintenance was average, I thought the playability duration was above average. Even when I noticed the tension dropping, Tour XR maintained its playing characteristics well. I enjoyed the same level of control from the first hit to the last hit of this playtest."

Overall - Score: 86