After 20 years of playing squash, you’d think I might know a bit about squash string. Not true though.
Recently the factory strings broke on my Biomimetic GTX 130, and I decided to take this opportunity to learn a bit more about strings.
I asked Dean from my pro shop for help. My one request was “slippery strings”. That’s a technical term. Over the years I’ve noticed some strings are rough and have lots of grip. Others are smooth, “slippery” in my made-up terminology, and have less grip. I think I like smooth strings better because I think they help me keep my rails tighter. Notice how equivocal that statement is — I’ve never really done a proper comparison. But I went with my gut, haha, and started my string explorations by asking for slippery string.
The next question was the tension. I believe most squash rackets are strung at 25-30 pounds. I kind of knew that, but I double checked on this helpful write-up on squashskills.com. In the past I’ve usually asked for my rackets to be strung at average tension, so I assume I’ve been having them strung at 27 or so pounds. This time I asked for the racket to be strung at 26. I’m more of a control player — I don’t generate tons of power from my swing — so I thought I’d try stringing it a bit light and see how that felt. A lower tension is supposed to give you more power (and less control). I’ve also been working on shortening my backswing, to give myself more attacking options. I thought a lower tension would help me generate adequate power even with a shorter backswing.
The final question was the string gauge. I asked for the thinnest gauge, which is usually 1.1. This is supposed to give you extra feel and I wanted to see what it felt like. I’m a bit concerned about the durability, but I figure I can always move up to a higher gauge if these strings break.
In the end, Dean and I settled on the Tecnifibre 305 1.1 squash strings:
Buy (US): amazon.com
I’ve been using this setup for about two weeks and my feeling is “so far so good”. I am able to make a shorter backswing and still hit with power. I also get good feel when taking the ball in short, which I attribute to the thinner string gauge.
I will try some different setups in the future and see what I can learn, and of course I will share any insights with with you all.
Filed under: Squash String > Tecnifibre 305
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Felix
M
archijs
Dee
haider
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I use these strings on my Prince AirStick 130, Ramy’s racquet of choice. The strings have been good performers. I’ve been happy with the performance. The feel and sound are just right, I get a decent amount of cut on drops and shots hit with a lot of cut, and good power when hitting straight drives.
That said, the string has been quite fragile. Just when they get a little cut where they cross at the sweet spot and settle in, they break. It’s also a brittle string, so if you hit with a hard swing on the edge of the racquet, that can sometimes cause the strings to break. I can get between 5-20 games (depending on luck, I think) on a set of string, which isn’t that much. I had used TF1.18, which was much more durable. I’m keeping my pro busy with stringing, but I’ll probably stick with it for a while.
For comparison, I had compared the TF 1.1, the TF 1.18 and a couple Ashaway (Red, Black) over this past summer and the TF 1.1 was my favorite string of those I tried. Hope that helps.
Hi Brock thanks for the feedback! I have already got that little cut around the sweet spot. We’ll see how long they last. I might also try some of those other strings you mentioned.
Pierre,
I have used the Technifibre 305 1.1 for the past 6 years at least. Best string I have ever used. In my experience with this string it needs to be pre-stretched to work optimally. I usually use them at 27-28 lbs tension.
Good luck on your string experiments and look forward to hearing more about your string trials.
Thanks for the feedback Ron! I had never even heard of pre-stretching string. I found this video explanation, which is pretty interesting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=praasXlb0Ls
He says the benefits are:
Removing the “coil memory”
Maximizing tension life
Pretensioning is a feature that can be found on best stringing machines. You can adjust the pretensioning level. Basically it tightens the the string 10-30% more then looses the string and tightens it to desired level. Without pretensioning you can loose 10% in the first 24 hours.
305 is one of the best squash strings I’ve ever tried. Also the wilson NXT pro was great, even better, but for some reason they stopped manufacturing it and presented the new hollow core (not that good). The playing feel with 305 vs. NXT was quite similar. Did you know that wilson NXT was manufactured in same factory (technifibre, france)!
Now has anyone tried the new black 305+ string? It’s the thinnest from TF so far (1.05). Mo El Shorabagy and many others use it
Thanks Lauri, that’s great info!
@ Brock: I cannot agree on the short string live of the tecnifibre 305 1.1mm. I’ve been using it for several years now and playing squash 7 hours a week on average the strings generally more than 2 months. Once they start to cut in at the crosses they still last a long time!
By the way: strings breaking at the grommet is due to a misshit and generally is a sing of lacking skills -> if the ball is not tight to the wall there is no reason to hit it off-center. If the ball is glued to the wall the only way to play it safely (I’m talking of not making a poor shot and possibly loosing the rally) is to lift it up in order to get it to the back of the court with little power and maximum control.
On the other hand strings tend to break less easily at the grommet if the racket is strung at higher tension.
I’ve recently tried the black string (tecnifibre 305+, 1.1mm) and I wasn’t happy at all. I know the x-one biphase (red) and from advertisement I took that the 305+ should be like the 305 but with more power, somewhat like the x-one biphase.
I was very disappointed of its performance. It felt very tight and hard and generally didn’t provide a comfortable feeling on the shots. I know several players who say they have no issues with it. Maybe it’s just not suitable for my Racket (Tecnifibre Supreme NG130)?
I’ve been stringing my rackets myself for years and I’ve tried probably more than 20 different strings and found that the 305 (green) is the best in my opinion.
Thanks for the feedback Felix! Right now I am trying out the Tecnifibre red x-one biphase 1.18. It feels nice and solid but I don’t experience the sane “pop” on the ball that I did with the green string. I haven’t tried the black, thanks for your insight there!
-Pierre
Pierre, in case you try the black I’d be very curious to read of your experience with it.
It surely is a matter of personal preference and I’d like to learn what aspects of a string players appreciate. Thanks!
Pierre, have you seen some of the discussions on strings over at squashgame.info?
It dates back several years but is a good source of opinion about different strings.
Personally, I find TF strings expensive, and when I tried the 1.1, they snapped rather quickly. After trying TF 305 1.1 and 1.2, as well as TF X-One (nice, but even more expensive!), I’ve settled on Ashaway Ultranick 18g, the blue ones, which I really enjoy. Same amount of power as the Powernicks, but increased feel and much softer. Granted, they are textured, but worth a try!
D
http://www.squashgame.info/squashforum/1958
Thanks D I will have a look through that thread! And thanks for the feedback! I might try those Ashaways as well.