RS Lyon String Review

Control - Score: 93 / Power - Score: 61

With its extremely predictable and accurate response on big swings, RS Lyon gave our team exceptional control over the ball's trajectory and depth. Chris was impressed, saying, "I found the level of power and control to be very familiar feeling with this string. Both aspects were close to how my go-to string, Volkl Cyclone 16, plays. While the feel was slightly different here, it didn't alter my confidence in taking a good rip at the ball. I was very impressed by the level of control offered by this string. I got lots of grab from it to add the spin needed to keep an aggressive shot inside the lines. I found I could also give the net plenty of clearance on powerful groundstrokes without fear of hitting long. The added height over the net helped me play aggressively, but with a solid consistency. I could still get enough power on my shots to put the ball away, but the highlight for me was the excellent level of control."

RS Lyon's exceptional control allowed Marco to swing for power. He said, "This string definitely felt more control oriented. I could access good power with long and fast strokes. If you have long strokes and like to accelerate through the ball you will have no trouble accessing power with this string."

Spin - Score: 82

Unlike Weiss Cannon Black 5 Edge or Kirschbaum Spiky Black Shark, RS Lyon does not have sharp edges, a common feature used to boost spin potential. This fact didn't bother our playtesters, who found more than enough spin with this round co-poly to bring the ball down on schedule. Marco said, "I didn't find the ball sailing on me with this string. Although this string didn't quite grip the ball like a shaped poly, I felt like I was in control of where my shots were landing and could put more than enough rotation on the ball to get it falling inside my target range."

"I liked the way this string grabbed the ball," said Chris, who also had no problem generating spin. "I felt like I was getting a tad more ball pocketing from it compared to my usual string, and that seemed to help the string grab the ball. While Cyclone feels crisp and grippy, RS Lyon felt like it grabbed the ball from just a fraction more dwell time. Both my topspin and slice shots had nice action on them. I was able to roll a nice angle, flick a lob with lots of topspin and get the spin needed to make aggressive drives land within the lines. On my slice shots I found I was very connected to how much rotation I could impart on the ball. Being so dialed into my slice gave me pinpoint control and heaps of confidence."

Comfort - Score: 72

Given their high stiffness levels, poly-based strings often force big hitters to give up comfort to get the durability and control required by their long, fast strokes. According to Chris, RS Lyon didn't require much of a tradeoff, especially when tensioned correctly. He said, "While this string sits pretty middle of the road compared to other poly-based strings on a stiffness scale, I found it offered better than expected comfort. The slightly dampened response had it feeling plenty comfortable, and I had absolutely no issues in this department. Thanks to the high level of control I was also able to go with a lower tension, which further enhanced the comfort."

Marco also found an impressive level of comfort, saying, "This string provided a surprisingly comfortable feel at contact, which made it really easy on my wrist and arm. It didn't have that blunt, brash feel poly feel that resonates up your arm and can cause injury concerns."

Feel - Score: 90

The majority of poly-based strings deliver comfortably firm feedback when contact is made inside the sweetspot, but the feedback becomes quite harsh as contact is made farther from the center. For Marco, RS Lyon avoided this problem. He said, "RS Lyon was decently forgiving on off center hits and gave off just the right amount of vibration, letting me know exactly where I was making contact on the stringbed. I would put the stiffness of this string right in the middle of the road, as it is firmer than the softest co-polys but more forgiving than many of the heavy duty strings with a similar level of control and durability."

Chris appreciated the muted feel and good pocketing. He said, "RS Lyon has a slightly more muted feel to it compared to other co-polys with a similar stiffness. I quickly grew to like the feel. It came with a sense of added comfort and good ball pocketing. Many poly-based strings that offer a similarly muted response also tend to be lively and lack this kind of control. For me, RS Lyon offered a great blend of comfort, control and a pleasingly muted response. I liked that I felt very connected to my shots while I also enjoyed some added comfort!"

Playability Duration - Score: 83

Another highpoint of this playtest was playability duration. For our team, RS Lyon stood the test of time, holding its playing characteristics longer than the average co-poly. Chris was impressed, saying, "The level of comfort and control lasted very well with this string. Those are the two variables that usually die off and have me cutting polys out after a couple of weeks in my racquet. However, this string held up very well. The tension hold seemed impressive, and the string continued to pocket the ball and kept its comfortably muted response for the duration of the three-week test. I was very impressed."

"Tension maintenance was good with this string," said Marco."The playability was there for the entire time it was in the frame. There was very little string movement, too, the strings had good snapback and would hold their form until I broke them."

Overall - Score: 91