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Steve Crandall's Racquetball Stringing Tips

US Open Trends In Stringing, Part II

By Steve Crandall
Vice President, Sales & Marketing
Ashaway Racket Strings


MulitKill 17 and SuperKill XL
With many multifilament nylon strings, like Ashaway's popular SuperKill® XL line, the core and sleeve or wear layer elements remain separate, and retain some ability to move relative to one another. The polyurethane resin in Ashaway's new MultiKill® 17 string binds the multifilament sheath and surface into a single unitized matrix. This gives the string added strength, especially on off-center hits near the edge of the frame, while the natural adhesive properties of the polyurethane surface adds grip. At the same time the string retains its soft feel and comfortable playability.
As we noted in our last column, data from our stringing booth at the 2017 US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis, MN, showed some interesting trends. To recap, we strung over 200 racquets during the five days of play. Of these, some 50% were strung with Zyex®-based multifilament strings, while the majority of the other 50% were strung with two types of nylon string. Of this latter segment, some 35% were multifilament nylon and the other 15% were multi-stranded monofilament nylon.

This means that some 85% of the strings used were of multifilament construction. We talked last time about the growth in the Zyex segment of this multifilament market. This time, I'd like to focus on the other 35%, the multifilament nylon segment.

As noted last time, while the popularity of Zyex-based strings continues to grow, there is still a strong base of multifilament nylon string adherents, even among the world's top players. This tells us that despite nylon's chief liability - tension loss - it still has properties that make for an excellent racquetball string. Players like the way it feels and wears. More importantly, there are also some material innovations involving multifilament nylon that promise to make it an even better racquetball string.

These material innovations involve the use of polyurethane (PU), a polymer resin relatively new to the racquet string world. Most people are probably familiar with the term polyurethane from wood finishes, or "varnish" like Minwax® Polyurethane. But polyurethanes have been around for a long time (it was first formulated in 1937) and are so versatile they have been used in a very wide range of applications. Just a few of these include: rigid foam insulation panels; foam seals and gaskets; wheels and tires for roller coasters, shopping carts, and skateboards; automotive suspension bushings; high performance adhesives; surface coatings and sealants; synthetic fibers; hard-plastic parts; and hoses.

When used with other materials to make racquet string, polyurethane brings toughness and its natural adhesive properties. But utilizing these benefits requires a new type of string design and construction.

More traditional nylon multifilament strings, like Ashaway's SuperKill® XL pictured at the right, include a core of multifilament fibers bound together by a sleeve or wear layer, which adds texture and abrasion resistance to the string. In SuperKill XL, this wear layer is composed of high tenacity nylon multifilament and is tightly braided around the core. In other strings, wear layers contain different materials and can be wound or braided in different manners. But in all of these constructions, the core and wear layers remain separate and can actually move relative to one another, which adds a degree of suppleness to the string.

Polyurethane strings are different animals altogether. The polyurethane resin penetrates through the entire multifilament bundle or sheath, fusing the fibers into a single matrix. Thus, there is no distinct "core" and no separate wear layer wound onto the string, but the whole matrix acts as a single unit. This adds a great deal of durability to the string, while at the same time allowing it to retain nylon's soft feel and comfortable playability.

Plus, the polyurethane itself becomes a smooth, ultra tough surface, one that resists abrasion and notching, especially on off-center hits near the edge of the frame. And while not at all "sticky" or "tacky," this surface has natural adhesive properties that help grip and spin the ball.

The result is multifilament nylon string with superior feel that is designed to add toughness, durability and grip for players who like to really cut and spin the ball.

Ashaway's new MultiKill® 17 is our first foray into this new polyurethane resin string technology and we are delighted to be able to compete in this market segment and offer players yet another innovation. No single string can suit all tastes and styles of play. At the same time, technology continues to advance and you never know when a new string will suit you better than an older one. As manufacturers, our job is to stay on top of new technologies and bring you the very best strings we can. As players, your job - in addition to having fun - is to use equipment that helps you be the best you can be.

ZYEX® is a registered trademark of Victrex Ltd.


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