Wilson PSC 6.1 + Kevlar/Poly @ 45/50 lbs (14x10)

Having laid off tennis for so long means I can no longer find tiny sweet spots with ease. So the previous kevlar / poly hybrid has to go... (link)

Up till now, I still cannot fully understand poly strings. But I'm going to try pushing my luck! With my racket mounted, I carefully removed the poly strings again for re-use!

The kevlar @ 45 lbs is left untouched. I re-installed the poly at 50 lbs, skipping alternate cross strings to try to keep the stringbed soft for this combination of stiff strings. Another objective is to allow the kevlar room to slide for more topspin!

Weaving the crosses is a breeze! With flying clamps, I had to rely on the starting pin to keep each cross string tensioned. Definitely unusual, but that's what this blog is all about.

Even though it is a mere 5 lbs higher tension than previously strung, the poly string CONTINUES to stretch! The amount of slack during stringing and how far the dropweight falls is STILL more than the amount @ 45 lbs. (I had cleaned the clamps and jaws before this job so string slippage is very unlikely.)

Due to the skipped crosses, I had to choose another location for tie-off. Again, this is a no-no in conventional stringing as it has been known to cause cracks in the racket! Why I still did that is because I am not pulling tension across both grommets, merely tying off a knot. Unorthodox!

Here's the very open 14 mains by 10 crosses stringing pattern! From what I've read online so far, this is still within the rules governing the hitting surface of the racket. So it's legal for competition play! (http://www.itftennis.com/technical/rules/equipment/appendixii.asp)

Playtest:
- stringbed feels extremely soft but not mushy
- very powerful, way beyond rocket launchers and entering into nuclear territory!
- spin is MORE than shaped poly mains!!! Jack's waist-high forehand topspin shots kicked up to my ear level!!!
- control is still very good despite open stringing
- tension holding feels good after about 30 minutes
- needs getting used to the very soft stringbed
- even J who has tennis elbow found this combination very soft and comfortable

(Special thanks to J and J's coach Jack for their feedback after testing this string combination as well)

Update:
A friend who saw the racket was sharp enough to notice another peculiarity. To even out the spacing between cross strings, the second cross from the bottom was actually strung through the grommets for the last mains string!