Tourna Big Hitter Black 7 17 String Review

Power - Score: 74

For our playtesters, Tourna Big Hitter Black 7 proved more powerful than most of the co-polys they typically hit with. Andy put that extra power to work. He said, "I really enjoyed the amount of pop and power I was getting with Big Hitter Black 7. From the ground, the ball exploded off the stringbed, and I found I really had to increase my racquet head speed to generate enough spin to bring the ball down. It was also a soft enough string that I could get a lot of pace on flatter shots or big flat serves without it being too jarring on my arm."

"I was surprised at how much pop I was getting from this string," said Chris, who had to make some minor tension adjustments to perfect the response. "I had to go up a couple of pounds to add some control, and I ended up finding 57 lbs to work best for me in the Volkl C10 Pro I was using. I had no issues getting plenty of zip on both groundstrokes and serves with this string."

Spin - Score: 93

With its sharp edges and robust snapback, Tourna Big Hitter Black 7 gave our team exceptional bite and explosive spin. For Andy, the easy access to spin was crucial for controlling the power. He said, "The seven-sided design of the string allowed for excellent ball pocketing and exceptional spin off the stringbed. Like I said previously, because the string had so much pop I really had to amp up my swing speed to keep the ball in. When I did, the string grabbed the ball and sent it away spinning like an Olympic gymnast. Topspin was exceptional, and I also got tons of bite on my slices. I was able to hit massive slice and kick serves, getting the ball to slide off the court or jump over my opponent's hitting zone. The superb spin potential from this string really helped me control its explosive power."

Chris clearly had all the bite he needed. He said, "I liked how this string grabbed the ball, and I found it very spin-friendly. I was getting some nice pocketing in the stringbed, and it really felt like the string was biting the ball. Both groundstrokes and serves were leaving the stringbed with good spin. I felt like I could hook my topspin shots inside the lines pretty well, when hitting everything from short angles to lobs. On my slice backhand I was getting enough bite to allow me to knife through the ball and create a low skidding bounce."

Comfort - Score: 83

Tourna invested some time and effort into making Big Hitter Black 7 a softer, more arm-friendly poly. Judging from the responses of our playtesters, those efforts paid off. Chris, who typically plays with firmer polys, discovered the comfort immediately. He said, "For a monofilament, I found this to be a comfortable string even at higher tensions. At 57 lbs this string still felt soft and lively, while I'd keep the tension around 52 lbs to get a similar response from a classic poly. I was very impressed by the level of comfort and would recommend this string to someone seeking a softer feeling poly."

"Due to the softness of this string I found it pretty comfortable on my arm," said Andy, who appreciated the feel. "I could really feel the sensation of the ball sinking into the stringbed, allowing me to feel like I had ultimate control over the ball, which I loved! Being able to feel the ball and manipulate it while it's on the stringbed is a big attribute for me with strings, and this string didn't disappoint. I did find that when the tension dropped the string got a little mushy and lost some of that crisp response. However, when the tension was high enough I got the crisp response I wanted coupled with the soft elasticity of the string."

Control - Score: 79

With its relatively lively feel, Tourna Big Hitter Black 7 does not have the control of a Solinco Tour Bite or Luxilon Big Banger Original. This fact didn't bother Andy, who was able to control the power to great effect. He said, "The excellent spin potential from the shaped design gave me enough control. It's not the stiffest, and thus not the most control-oriented string, but I find that I would rather trade a little softness and comfort for a little less control. I could always go up a little bit in tension if I felt I needed a little more control from my strings. But again, when I generated enough racquet head speed to get lots of spin, I corralled the power of this string with enough precision to put the ball where I wanted."

"At first I found the control to be lacking," said Chris, who helps us understand that string tension is an important element of control. "However, switching to a higher tension helped greatly. Even then, the string offered a relatively lively response. I never found the deadened response of some low-powered polys, but I was finding my targets and hitting with confidence once my racquet was strung up at 57 lbs."

Playability Duration - Score: 60

As with all strings, Tourna Big Hitter Black 7 loses tension and playability over time. Chris was able to get his standard two weeks out of this one, despite having to make some adjustments. He said, "This string lost tension over a two-week period, and I felt the ball start to fly a little. I noticed the launch angle became higher on topspin shots, which gave my shots more depth and a slightly loopier flight path off the racquet. However, it was nothing excessive, and I was able to adjust with the string and find my groove for the duration of the test."

Andy also noticed some changes in the response due to tension loss. He said, "The playability for this string lasted me about a week and a half. After that it lost tension, resulting in a loss of control and a mushy feel at contact. After the string lost playability I actually gained power (as opposed to it going dead). However, when this happened I lost my connection with the ball, as it didn't respond off the stringbed like I wanted it to."

Overall - Score: 82

Scores

(Scores are determined by averaging individual play test scores)

Playtester String Setups

Review date: October 2012. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

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