Great review! Spot on when you said that tour bite was one of the most uncomfortable strings ever. Even been used to stiff strings, I could not stand the harshness of tour bite. For me, it's a no go, but definitely worth trying.
@@MarkSansait I've been using rpm blast 1.25 at 49 lbs on my slightly customized vcore 310g for a while. I just love the deader response it gives, allowing me to take huge cuts at the ball. Also, it may sound crazy for some people, but I find rpm blast to be pretty comfortable for its deadness. Of course, playability really drops after 3-4 hours, but the string stays predictable until it barely breaks, which for me is around the 15th hour mark (although I rarely let it breaks, because feels to me that cuting it before is better for the arm healthy long term). However, after inform myself better - thanks to your reviews and a couple of other channels too -, I got aware of the fact that there's better options on the market. So, trying to get, as you say, the "best value for the money spent", I started to try other strings, but always keep coming back to rpm. I tried: tour bite, didn't like the harshness, felt I would have to play with a higher tension for better control, serves, specially kicks, were huge though; head lynx, really, really confortable and cheap, but huge launch angle and poor tension maintenance; luxilon adrenaline rough, pretty decent, but the playability and comfort drops too, too much after 8 hours. Now, I'm going to try yonex poly tour pro, volkl cyclone, hyper g and then confidential. The frist two I could easily find where I live, Brazil, for around 12 dollars, while the last two usually sells for 18-20 dollars. Would you have for me another strings recommendations?
@joao, no problem on the comment. I would personally try IsoSpeed Baseline Control (I havent reviewed it yet). This string is literally $40 USD per REEL - which is pretty insane - this is the string I use for my indoor/non competitive season because it saves so much money. If you want to replace RPM Blast, I believe Yonex Poly Tour Pro is the best bet for you right now.
@@MarkSansait Thank you very much for the tips. I started to play with yellow 1.25 Yonex Poly Tour Pro at 55lbs this week. So far, I've been loving it. It really felt to me like the rpm blast killer, as you said in one of your reviews.
I threw Tour Bite into my Blade Pro 98 V8 16X19 in the mains 47lbs with Gosen Microsheep 17g in the crosses @ 47lbs , played just 3 sets with it so far, but I am blown away with this setup the spin, control & power I got from this string was amazing. swung full out on everything with confidence that the spin (top & Slice )and control would put the ball where I intended, which it did. Served bombs with this setup. as a hybrid at lower tension this string is great and super comfortable to me. I often play with gut and multi's and didn't feel any less comfortable with this setup (maybe due to the racquet) so maybe this string works best as a hybrid at lower tension to soften it up increase power without loss of control to get the most out of it.(spin was incredible and could feel the ball pocket and strings snap crisp & precise feel not mushy & erratic like Hyper G)
I love the tour bite and confidential. But the Tour bite is firm as hell indeed. You have to string it 2 kg less compared to other polys to have the same comfort. The added value is that the power will also increase and control is good as well. I currently play with confidential 1.15 in the main and tour bite 1.10 in de cross with 3 kg less thension than the main. Super combo!. I like the ball pocketing of the confidential! For more spin, I would put the tour bite on the main and the confidential on the cross. The thinner gage of the tour bite (1.10mm) makes it softer as well, even more bite and I don't have any tension or breaking issues differently to other strings with a thicker gage
@@MarkSansait you would think so. I have had different strings at thinner gages that snapped, but the solinco thin gages actually keep going pretty strong. I don't have any link to solinco, is just my experience. At my 4.0 level (maybe 4.5, dunno the conversion well enough between dutch and us system) i use a lot of spin. Not crazy spin like Nadal, but i barely hit flat strokes. Same with my serve and i also play with enough spin on my backhand. I get easily 10 hrs of play out of these strings. You really should try it out with just one pack.. i promise you, you will love it. If you calculate it.. 1.15/1.25 is 92%, so you only lose 8% thickness. That doesn't mean it will snap twice as fast.
@@MarkSansait i string the confidential 1.15 @ 23kg for the main in my ezone 98 2020 and the tour bite 1.10 @ 20kg on the cross. Or in stead of the tour bite, use the confidential 1.15 @20kg also on the cross.. Or do the whole thing with solinco tour bite. The thinner gages softens it up at 23kg. The 20 kg on the cross gives the mains more snap back and widens the sweet spot.
I've just strung Solinco Tour Bite 25/24kg (55/53lbs) onto my Yonex Vcore 95 '23 and my first impression - after 1,5h friendly match - is that I could try tighter tension (26/24 kg or 26/25kg)! Before I played with them my very first time I've seen some reviews about "how stiff they are" etc., but tbh I did not recognize anything close to that. Babolat RPM Blast was way stiffer to myself. So my first feelings is extremely positive. I would call them a bit close to how I felt after Tecnifibre Razor Code (my fav at all so far).
Nice review. I’ve had a funny experience with TB. Different to what you and others thought. Initially I thought it was quite lively - and after a break in period found it to play better and more predictable. I didn’t think the spin potential was as high as you thought. Also, comfort wasn’t that bad for me. To me Volkl Cyclone and RPM Team offer more spin and slightly more comfort. They are currently my strings of choice and just ordered a packet of Confidential to try it out. BTW I play with a Wilson Blade 98 CV. I had TB stung at 48lbs, because I was expecting a low power string. Would take it up to 50 if I used it again.
Thanks for your input - I love discussions like these even though you have different opinions! I am thinking you felt Solinco Tour Bite to be more comfortable because you strung it 7lbs lower than I did - totally ok! Can you do me a favor and let me know what you think about the Solinco Confidential?
I am using Solinco Tour Bite right now and I'm super comfortable with the strings, as I play with heavy topspin from the baseline. But I would like a bit more power to finish the rallies sooner and also a string to help me serve faster. I was thinking about giving Babolat RPM Blast a try (as I found a discount on my local store), do you think it's a good choice?
It’s interesting how different strings affect different people. Tourbite does Not bother my arm at ALL @49m/47c in Babolat Pure Aero VS 2020. Neither does Hyper G strung in low 50’s in same frame. However, Confidential @52/50# gave me arm issues immediately, so much so that I cut it out after one session.
I had exactly the same feel of these three strings. Using Head Speed Pro 2020, I found both Tourbite and HyperG comfortable to use at 50/52 (hybrid with Babolat Xcel as cross). The Confidential, however, is too firm and hard to use for some reasons. It is interesting to notice that even the same string may deliver totally different feeling under various settings.
What gauge tour bite did you use? The 16L is rediculously stiff, stiffer then the 16. I used the 17 gauge in the wilson blade and thought the spin was insane, and no comfort issues, but I’ve switched racquets and want to try it again
@@Abe-Lau idk, it’s the same thing with hyper G, I have only seen something like this with solinco. I also know other people who agree that 16l is the stiffest gauge, and u can look at the tennis warehouse string comparison website for their data on it, and the 16l is indeed stiffer
how stiff is confidential compared to tour bite? I use a pure drive which I don't mind the discomfort and have never felt any arm problems and im looking for a good poly that is good in control and wont hurt my arm. Would you reccoment solinco confidential for a pure drive?
Love your review!
Thank you very much
Great review! Spot on when you said that tour bite was one of the most uncomfortable strings ever. Even been used to stiff strings, I could not stand the harshness of tour bite. For me, it's a no go, but definitely worth trying.
Thanks Joao! I am glad you agree with my thoughts on the comfort of these. What strings do you currently use?
@@MarkSansait I've been using rpm blast 1.25 at 49 lbs on my slightly customized vcore 310g for a while. I just love the deader response it gives, allowing me to take huge cuts at the ball. Also, it may sound crazy for some people, but I find rpm blast to be pretty comfortable for its deadness. Of course, playability really drops after 3-4 hours, but the string stays predictable until it barely breaks, which for me is around the 15th hour mark (although I rarely let it breaks, because feels to me that cuting it before is better for the arm healthy long term).
However, after inform myself better - thanks to your reviews and a couple of other channels too -, I got aware of the fact that there's better options on the market.
So, trying to get, as you say, the "best value for the money spent", I started to try other strings, but always keep coming back to rpm. I tried: tour bite, didn't like the harshness, felt I would have to play with a higher tension for better control, serves, specially kicks, were huge though; head lynx, really, really confortable and cheap, but huge launch angle and poor tension maintenance; luxilon adrenaline rough, pretty decent, but the playability and comfort drops too, too much after 8 hours.
Now, I'm going to try yonex poly tour pro, volkl cyclone, hyper g and then confidential. The frist two I could easily find where I live, Brazil, for around 12 dollars, while the last two usually sells for 18-20 dollars.
Would you have for me another strings recommendations?
Omg, after sending the comment I realized how long it was. Sorry.
@joao, no problem on the comment. I would personally try IsoSpeed Baseline Control (I havent reviewed it yet). This string is literally $40 USD per REEL - which is pretty insane - this is the string I use for my indoor/non competitive season because it saves so much money. If you want to replace RPM Blast, I believe Yonex Poly Tour Pro is the best bet for you right now.
@@MarkSansait Thank you very much for the tips. I started to play with yellow 1.25 Yonex Poly Tour Pro at 55lbs this week. So far, I've been loving it. It really felt to me like the rpm blast killer, as you said in one of your reviews.
I threw Tour Bite into my Blade Pro 98 V8 16X19 in the mains 47lbs with Gosen Microsheep 17g in the crosses @ 47lbs , played just 3 sets with it so far, but I am blown away with this setup the spin, control & power I got from this string was amazing. swung full out on everything with confidence that the spin (top & Slice )and control would put the ball where I intended, which it did. Served bombs with this setup. as a hybrid at lower tension this string is great and super comfortable to me. I often play with gut and multi's and didn't feel any less comfortable with this setup (maybe due to the racquet) so maybe this string works best as a hybrid at lower tension to soften it up increase power without loss of control to get the most out of it.(spin was incredible and could feel the ball pocket and strings snap crisp & precise feel not mushy & erratic like Hyper G)
Love these strings. My go to strings. 17g both on my babolat pure drives and wilson blades. Great retention of tension as well.
I love the tour bite and confidential. But the Tour bite is firm as hell indeed. You have to string it 2 kg less compared to other polys to have the same comfort. The added value is that the power will also increase and control is good as well. I currently play with confidential 1.15 in the main and tour bite 1.10 in de cross with 3 kg less thension than the main. Super combo!.
I like the ball pocketing of the confidential! For more spin, I would put the tour bite on the main and the confidential on the cross.
The thinner gage of the tour bite (1.10mm) makes it softer as well, even more bite and I don't have any tension or breaking issues differently to other strings with a thicker gage
Isnt the 1.15 Confidential going to snap EXTREMELY quick?
@@MarkSansait you would think so. I have had different strings at thinner gages that snapped, but the solinco thin gages actually keep going pretty strong. I don't have any link to solinco, is just my experience.
At my 4.0 level (maybe 4.5, dunno the conversion well enough between dutch and us system) i use a lot of spin. Not crazy spin like Nadal, but i barely hit flat strokes. Same with my serve and i also play with enough spin on my backhand. I get easily 10 hrs of play out of these strings.
You really should try it out with just one pack.. i promise you, you will love it.
If you calculate it.. 1.15/1.25 is 92%, so you only lose 8% thickness. That doesn't mean it will snap twice as fast.
@@MarkSansait i string the confidential 1.15 @ 23kg for the main in my ezone 98 2020 and the tour bite 1.10 @ 20kg on the cross.
Or in stead of the tour bite, use the confidential 1.15 @20kg also on the cross..
Or do the whole thing with solinco tour bite. The thinner gages softens it up at 23kg. The 20 kg on the cross gives the mains more snap back and widens the sweet spot.
I've just strung Solinco Tour Bite 25/24kg (55/53lbs) onto my Yonex Vcore 95 '23 and my first impression - after 1,5h friendly match - is that I could try tighter tension (26/24 kg or 26/25kg)!
Before I played with them my very first time I've seen some reviews about "how stiff they are" etc., but tbh I did not recognize anything close to that. Babolat RPM Blast was way stiffer to myself.
So my first feelings is extremely positive. I would call them a bit close to how I felt after Tecnifibre Razor Code (my fav at all so far).
Nice review. I’ve had a funny experience with TB. Different to what you and others thought. Initially I thought it was quite lively - and after a break in period found it to play better and more predictable. I didn’t think the spin potential was as high as you thought. Also, comfort wasn’t that bad for me. To me Volkl Cyclone and RPM Team offer more spin and slightly more comfort. They are currently my strings of choice and just ordered a packet of Confidential to try it out. BTW I play with a Wilson Blade 98 CV. I had TB stung at 48lbs, because I was expecting a low power string. Would take it up to 50 if I used it again.
Thanks for your input - I love discussions like these even though you have different opinions!
I am thinking you felt Solinco Tour Bite to be more comfortable because you strung it 7lbs lower than I did - totally ok!
Can you do me a favor and let me know what you think about the Solinco Confidential?
I am using Solinco Tour Bite right now and I'm super comfortable with the strings, as I play with heavy topspin from the baseline. But I would like a bit more power to finish the rallies sooner and also a string to help me serve faster.
I was thinking about giving Babolat RPM Blast a try (as I found a discount on my local store), do you think it's a good choice?
Try an hybrid with natural gut or multifilament in the cross, it should do the job
Alu power is king
"Tested with Wilson Blade v7 18x10 strung @55lbs"... where can I get one lol
Just skip half the crosses and void the warranty LMFAO
It’s interesting how different strings affect different people. Tourbite does Not bother my arm at ALL @49m/47c in Babolat Pure Aero VS 2020. Neither does Hyper G strung in low 50’s in same frame. However, Confidential @52/50# gave me arm issues immediately, so much so that I cut it out after one session.
Thanks for your input! Yes it does effect everybody a little bit differently!
wow
I had exactly the same feel of these three strings. Using Head Speed Pro 2020, I found both Tourbite and HyperG comfortable to use at 50/52 (hybrid with Babolat Xcel as cross). The Confidential, however, is too firm and hard to use for some reasons. It is interesting to notice that even the same string may deliver totally different feeling under various settings.
What gauge tour bite did you use? The 16L is rediculously stiff, stiffer then the 16. I used the 17 gauge in the wilson blade and thought the spin was insane, and no comfort issues, but I’ve switched racquets and want to try it again
I always test in 16gauge if possible!
how is the thinner gauge stiffer than the thicker gauge?
@@Abe-Lau idk, it’s the same thing with hyper G, I have only seen something like this with solinco. I also know other people who agree that 16l is the stiffest gauge, and u can look at the tennis warehouse string comparison website for their data on it, and the 16l is indeed stiffer
@@Abe-Lau I’m wrong actually, it’s just with tour bite
how stiff is confidential compared to tour bite? I use a pure drive which I don't mind the discomfort and have never felt any arm problems and im looking for a good poly that is good in control and wont hurt my arm. Would you reccoment solinco confidential for a pure drive?
Hey Mark, can you review the Dunlop Black Widow? Thanks!
Yonex ambassadors sell racquets without having a shop ?
What string is better for spin and power, solinco hyper g or solinco tour bite?
Solinco Hyper G for more natural power.
Solinco Tour Bite for spin.