Wilson Revolve String Review

Control - Score: 88 / Power - Score: 58

Revolve delivered phenomenal control on full swings. The result for Chris was heightened confidence when attacking the ball. He said, "This string was high on control and low on power, which is my kind of poly. I liked that I could take big cuts at the ball without fear of the ball flying long. I found a very similar amount of control with this string as I do with my go-to string, Volkl Cyclone 16. Both strings give me a lot of confidence when going for aggressive targets. Knowing I can trust the response of the string is a huge confidence builder, and I had that with Revolve."

Revolve's ultra predictable and controlled response proved perfect for taming Michelle's considerable power. She said, "This playtest was really fun for me because I was able to playtest Revolve side by side with my favorite string, Luxilon Savage, in my Pure Drive Roddicks. The racquets were strung at the same tension on the same day, so I controlled as much as I could to compare the two strings. I noticed Revolve felt slightly softer than Savage, but their power levels were similarly low, which I love! When I was swinging big I had enough control from the strings to keep the ball in play, and I never felt like I was missing long because of the strings. I was also able to test both the white and orange colors, and I found that the white felt slightly more muted, which translated into more control for my game. The slightly livelier orange string paired really well in the Pro Staff RF97, though, because with a smaller head size I could get away with a livelier response and still be effective."

Spin - Score: 87

Wilson designed Revolve so the main strings could snap back more effectively, thus multiplying the player's efforts into heavier spin. According to our team, Wilson has definitely succeeded in creating a very spin-friendly string. Michelle said, "With my flatter game style I wasn't always tapping into the full spin potential of Revolve. However, I did really appreciate the access to spin when I was being defensive. My PlaySight data showed that I was hitting a heavier ball with Revolve compared to Savage. I was still able to flatten out balls, attack and keep my RPMs low with Revolve, but when I needed to play defensively I found I hit with 3,300-plus RPMs while using Revolve compared to 3,000 RPMs with Savage. It was really effective for getting myself back into the point and being able to transition back to my offensive game. The massive amounts of spin were also noticeable when I was working on my kick or slice second serves. I could really get the ball sliding off the court or kicking up and out of the strike zone of my opponents."

Although not the most spin-friendly string he has hit, Chris still got great spin from this co-poly. He said, "I got a decent level of spin from Revolve. I wasn't able to tap into some of the insane spin I find from a string like YTex Quadro Twist, but I was getting some nice rotation on the ball. The spin I was getting combined with the controlled feel to allow me to hit with even more aggression and confidence than many other polys. My slice had some good bite to it. I think what helped me the most was that the controlled response allowed me to swing fast -- I could then turn my fast swing into more spin."

Comfort - Score: 77

Despite the fact that Revolve is constructed primarily with stiff polyester, our team gave it a fairly high comfort score, with no reports of excessive impact shock. For Chris, the initial tension loss contributed to the overall comfort. He said, "This was a firm string, but the initial tension drop opened up the response a bit. I did not have any comfort issues with it and actually found it to pocket the ball surprisingly well for a deader playing poly. I would say out of the two, the orange color offered a slightly livelier feel, and its springier response made it a tad more comfortable."

"This string was very comfortable for me," said Michelle. "It always had a soft response, and I never had any comfort issues with it strung at 56 lbs. I could really feel the ball in the stringbed and appreciated that softer response. Comfort isn't usually a deal breaker for me with strings, and I don't mind stiffer strings, but if I were to categorize this one, I'd say it's on the softer side for a poly."

Feel - Score: 83

Compared to traditional polyester strings, which can feel quite stiff and 'boardy,' Revolve is designed with additives to boost elasticity. This helps explain why Michelle found it to be on the soft end of the spectrum. She explained, "This string felt soft, but not mushy. I found it to be a bit softer than Savage, and it pocketed slightly better, in my opinion. The tension maintenance was pretty awesome as well, so I never really felt like the string bagged out. Strung at 56 lbs in both the Pure Drive Roddick and the RF97, it never felt uncomfortable. After two weeks the feel remained consistent as well. I like when I don't have to cut out my strings and start fresh, and that they maintain a consistent feel. I also appreciate that Revolve didn't drop dead either, so my arm was never suffering."

Finding a softer feel with good pocketing, Chris commented, "This string pockets the ball a little more than Cyclone, but the end result is pretty much the same. Both offer a lower powered feel, but Cyclone has a crisper response while Revolve felt softer. Right off the stringer Revolve had a lower stringbed deflection reading on our RDC, and it maintained that softer feel throughout the test."

Playability Duration - Score: 83

Despite the fact poly-based strings tend to lose tension faster than other string materials, our team was impressed with how long Revolve lasted. After the initial break-in period Revolve stabilized and held up quite well for Chris. He said, "Revolve dropped more tension off the stringer than my go-to string, but after that initial drop it felt pretty solid. I was able to get three weeks of hitting on one set before I felt the playability drop off to the extent I wanted to cut it out. I like to get two weeks on a set of poly, so this string passed that test with flying colors."

Finding exceptional tension maintenance and playability duration, Michelle said, "I was really happy with the playability of this string. After a week of hitting with Revolve in the Pure Drive Roddick the tension dropped from 56 lbs to 50 lbs. Whereas Savage was strung at 56 lbs, settled to 55 lbs before I ever hit with it and then was down to 45 lbs at the end of the week. So the tension maintenance was top notch! I really appreciated that it maintained its characteristics throughout the playtest. I even had it in my RF97 for more than two weeks, and the tension still held tight -- it was strung at 56 lbs and settled to 51 lbs."

Overall - Score: 88

Scores

(Scores are determined by averaging individual play test scores)

Playtester String Setups

Review date: March 2015. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

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