solinco tour bite recommended tension

Solinco String Comparison

I’ve been asked to do string comparisons so here’s a Solinco string comparison between Hyper-G Soft, Tour Bite Soft and Confidential.

I’m keen to hear what string comparisons you would like to see next, let me know in the comments below. As you know, I enjoy Solinco strings and have been using especially Hyper-G Soft on a regular basis. I can also expand on this Solinco string comparison because this is not every string they have. There are some interesting strings I haven’t tried like Jenson Brookby ‘s choice Solinco Outlast for example.

Like always, I think most people prefer to watch the video, but I have also written down some thoughts below to summarize.

Solinco String Comparison Video

For players looking for a livelier and softer feel, I recommend Solinco Hyper-G Soft. It’s a string I use regularly, but in more open patterns like 100 sq inch racquets with 16×19 patterns, it can be a little lively and doesn’t last quite as long. You can always go up in gauge then, which is a general recommendation. For more open patterns, go for a thicker gauge and/or deader string like Confidential in this case.

Solinco Tour Bite Soft is also a good option for players who don’t want to go for a stiff poly. It’s a bit more controlled and dead than Hyper-G Soft, but still pretty soft on the arm.

Confidential is another story. It’s not a harsh string, but definitely more focused on tension maintenance (softer strings drop tension quicker) and control. If you have a racquet with a lively string bed, I tend to opt for Confidential, which is a bit more comfortable than strings like regular Tour Bite.

Like I said above, you can dial in control using tension and the choice of gauge. Higher tension and/or thicker gauge for more control and lower tension/thinner gauge for a softer feel and better comfort/power. It’s all depending on your preferences, playing style, and what you want to achieve.

What strings of these three would you pick?

Jonas Eriksson

Jonas has been known as "tennis nerd" mainly for his obsessing about racquets and gear. Plays this beautiful sport almost every day.

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Have you tried revolution

Sadly not, but I will do soon…

How would you compare Hyper G vs Volkl Cyclone in terms of spin, comfort, power, etc?

I recently went with the Solinco hybrid (Vanquish 16 in the crosses and Tour Bite 17 in the mains) and I’m really liking it. Controlled, some pop and still decent access to spin.

Perfect review! Just received my 2 New 2019 Head Prestige MP racquets that I was lucky enough to buy for $119@ at Tennis-Point. Solinco Tour Bite regular or soft in a 17? What would be the best Solinco hybrid setup? You and I have similar game styles, I want comfortable control to hit deep flat balls, especially when I’m cranking my one-handed backhand for winners. If there’s a setup that let’s me improve my American Twist without messing with my flat first serve, I’m all ears. YOU ARE THE MAN LOL!

Thanks. Try a multifilament or natural gut 1.30 in the mains at 55 lbs and Tour Bite Soft in the crosses at 51 lbs.

I just switched to a radical mp 2021, and I tried the tour bite soft (first foray into poly) – I loved being able to hit out with more power and spin, but miss the crisp soft feel of multi filament of synthetic gut sometimes. Ramping my game to be at a 4.5 level, and thinking I’ll stick with poly – what would you recommend for this racquet? Was gonna try the Lynx tour orange 17, and confidential 17 next.

Lynx Tour Orange is a great choice.

I have reels of solinco Tour bite hyper G and confidential for only 129 shipped

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Solinco Tour Bite Review

A subtle grey string that promises real spin on the ball. does it play like heaven or hell.

Solinco was a brand I had only recently heard of, and it was refreshing to try something different apart from the mainstream options of Head, Yonex and Wilson I had become so accustomed to.

Voted “poly of the year” and “number 1 spin” product on StringForum, Solinco’s Tour Bite appears to have good credentials when it comes to spin and power.

It is also used by several ATP Pro’s, including Prajnesh Gunneswaran, a top 150 ATP singles player. Does the string live up to expectations?

Solinco Tour Bite Specification

Utilises an innovative high-powered co-polyester monofilament fibre designed and shaped to generate maximum power while amplifying the spin and intensity of the ball. Solinco’s Tour Bite Sales Pitch

String specs:

• Co-poly monofilament
• Square cross-section
• Gauges – 1.05 mm, 1.10 mm, 1.15 mm, 1.20 mm, 1.25 mm, 1.30 mm, 1.35 mm
• Colour – Light grey

Racquet Setup for Testing

I play with a Head Prestige S from 2018. Prestige racquets are Head’s series for precision and control and typically come with a smaller head size as a result. Mine has a 95 square-inch head with a 295 g unstrung weight.

It also has a 16×19 string pattern and is 0.66 points head-light. Tour Bite was strung at 55 lb with a 1.25 mm gauge, on which I also placed Head’s medium-level dampener – Pro Damp.

Solinco Tour Bite Playtest

So how did Tour Bite Rev play? Let’s take a look with a full playtest and review.

Initial Thoughts and How It Felt

I stepped onto the court with a friend to warm up in the service boxes. Even at close range, the ball had a great shape and arc over the net. My wrist relaxed, and my mind steadied as I enjoyed the easy access to topspin, hypnotically watching the gentle rise and fall.

Coincidentally the sports shop in town had run out of the white Head grip I usually bought, only having the grey version to hand, which matched nicely with the string colour.

It didn’t seem as slick as the other strings I had tested and was considerably more matt and grainy in appearance and touch.

However, stepping back onto the baseline, I noticed a lack of power.

At first, I thought it was the balls my opponent had brought. But after testing with my fresher ones, I realised the string was missing speed in a normal rally situation.

As much as I tried to swing faster or hit flatter, the impact on power was limited. The string also felt slightly stiff, and I found it more difficult to pull off delicate strokes like a soft drop-shot or pickups around the net.

It wasn’t uncomfortable, but I noticed a distinct lack in responsiveness, and at times it had the sensation of hitting with a plastic board.

Resultantly with the minimal feedback, I didn’t feel a strong connection between body and racket. The accuracy in my groundstrokes diminished as I couldn’t sense too well which part of the racket the ball had struck.

The topspin remained, though, and I was able to hit with good net clearance behind the baseline, with a satisfyingly high bounce afterwards.

Another thing I was impressed by was the amount of backspin the string generated. The ball dug into the ground and stayed low.

It made for a piercing shot, using the backhand slice to go deep into my opponent’s side of the court, whereas before the stroke would have been used more in a defensive scenario.

How It Played

On the forehand side, the extra topspin was useful in defensive and neutral scenarios. It bided me time if I was fatigued to send a higher shot over the net and gather myself for the next shot.

The taller bounce also made it difficult for my opponent to rally and build momentum. The weaker responses from the high topspin enabled me to come forward and volley the ball away or step inside the baseline and take the ball on the rise for an aggressive play.

I rarely found myself making an error by hitting the ball beyond the baseline, as the spin kept my shots in nicely.

However, if I wanted to hit a flat ball or create a sharper angle with less topspin, the lack of power meant that my opponent could instead come forward and attack.

The extra effort I put in trying to add more speed to the ball sometimes tired me out and made me make unforced errors out-wide, with power overcoming accuracy.

Essentially, I only had one rally speed to play at. It was not impossible to hit a hard, flat shot, but it was nowhere near as fast with other strings and occasionally did not end the point; my opponent had time to make a get and extend the rally.

On the backhand side, it was a similar story, where a topspin shot bounced high and kept me in the rally, but a flatter shot sucked the power out and put me at a disadvantage.

One pleasant surprise was the impact of the extra backhand spin on tactical variation. Whereas before, I had only used the slice for mostly defence, the spin on the backhand side was so aggressive I felt more confident to really go for the shot, landing the ball deep in my opponent’s side and keeping low, making for an attacking play.

This gave me additional opportunities to win the point outright or make further trips to the net and end with a volley.

With volleying itself, I found no significant advantage or disadvantage that noticeably impacted the game. Slice volleys were perhaps slightly more effective than their punch counterparts, again due to the low bounce.

Though there was a problem with accuracy from the baseline, it did not arise at the net because the targets were closer and more open to hit at.

Despite the boost in spin, the lack of feel made drop-shots and softer volleys a risky play – either landing on my side of the net or overshooting and sitting up for my opponent to attack.

A flat serve was decent, though if there were a slight error in technique, it would result in a short, soft ball that immediately put me on the defensive.

When it came to serving, a slice or a kick out-wide were rewarded again with the extra spin and are probably your best bet when playing with this string.

Durability and Price

The string’s snapback was slightly below average – the absence of slickness meant I had to move the strings back into position at times but not frequently so despite a small diminishment in snapback, the square cross-section appears to have maintained and boosted topspin.

I noticed no loss of tension, and it was consistent in its play over the two days. The cost of the string is $11.99 (£8.95) for a 12 m set which is great value to an advanced player looking for more spin and reasonably affordable for an intermediate or beginner player seeking a hybrid setup.

Beginners or intermediates with a non-hybrid setup may find the string is not worth purchasing unless bought out of curiosity.

Who Is This String For?

The easy access to spin, diminishment in power and loss of accuracy all point to the same conclusion – this string is really meant for professional or advanced players.

While the technology of the string provides extra bite, the deficiencies are made up by the features of an advanced player’s game. Strength and conditioning, heavier racquets and looser tensions supply the speed, while practice, training and raw talent provide the accuracy.

This helps to explain why Tour Bite has been well received in the past but has been found difficult to play with by an intermediate club player like myself.

That is not to say that club players should be afraid of trying out the string. If you are of a big build and play frequently, you may well have the power and accuracy to make this string an effective way to increase spin without limiting other parts of your game.

Intermediate or beginner players might benefit from having a hybrid setup by putting Tour Bite in the crosses and having an all-around string in the mains for balance.

Find Your Ideal Tennis String

Are you looking for a new string to try in your racket? Use our easy to use tennis string finder tool . It lets you filter by string type, gauge, colour, price, stiffness and shape.

Final Thoughts

Though most string packets have “power” as a feature for marketability, this string does not deliver on that promise.

It is really meant for advanced players as Solinco Tour Bite can add a great amount of spin to your game as long as power and accuracy can be found elsewhere.

This string also looks to be an interesting option when considering hybrid setups for all levels.

• Great spin on both wings, useful for defence and tactical variation
• Price is very reasonable
• Underpowered
• Loss of accuracy
• Feedback is minimal

Other Solinco Strings

• Solinco Confidential Review
• Solinco Hyper G Review

Have you tried Solinco Tour Bite? Have any questions about it? Let me know in the comments below.

Alex Nulliah

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13 comments.

So it’s rather a warning “don’t buy or you are a brand collector? The article tells much about your player’s competence, so I would rely on your experience and never buy Solinco. I guess, you just bought it out of curiosity and to have a material for an article, right?

Solinco is the brand, they make some great strings. Confidential is one of my favourites.

Tour Bite is a pretty stiff poly so I wouldn’t recommend it for most players in a full bed, tbh I don’t think many players should use polyester, it’s just been a trend.

They do a Tour Bite Soft which is more arm friendly…

@Jonathan Some news about Fed’s surgery? Who will play Fed’s role at RLC? I heard recently, Medvedev will play RLC, but who else? And will Medvedev be the team leader? No Fed. No Rafa. No Thiem. Who will follow the tournament in Europe?

SRF published an article today, he is just rehabbing and says the worst is behind him…

Europe is Medvedev, Ruud, Tsistipas, Zverev, Rublev and Berrettini.

It will be interesting to see if it does well with crowds and tv ratings. It’s a good lineup but none of the big three. Maybe Fed fans will watch out of loyalty/fear of it flopping because he’s not there.

I think I will watch some of it, bit of a time difference which means night sessions are not possible. It is not clashing with anything though.

Who is SRF??? 😉 Sir Roger Federer? Well, just hit the right day to ask 🙂 Re RLC Strong team Europe. The leader in terms in terms of relation with Fed and own carisma should be Zverev, no? If exciting matches are to be expected, depends more on who will play for World. If Fed is just rehabbing, he could somehow appear there to play his usual master role 🙂 Crutches don’t make his appearance impossible. Could even use crutches to hold discipline in the team 😉

Damn! Who is “Jio´nathan”??? Can’t you add the very very small plugin to give the author of the comment to edit his/her crazy spelling errors???

Cheers for the review Alex.

I put Tour Bite on the crosses with a Gamma string on the mains in the Blade 98 v8 I demoed recently .

I think it will work ok in a hybrid setup, not my favourite as Luxilon ALU Power just feels nicer. Maybe I should have put it on the mains though.

Absolutely – I think for the price, if a player was looking for a bit more spin, Tour Bite would be a no-brainer in a hybrid.

And my pleasure! 🙂

@PRF – https://twitter.com/ThiemDomi/status/1441402070188367872

What does Thiem mean about the media here?

One thing is official. Alex Stober does not work for Thiem anymore. I’m rather cautious with news coming from media known from publishing gossips. One of such gossips was just published of late, allegedly coming from interview given by Stober to tennis.com about unfair way of splitting. But … I could not find this interview on tennis.com. So actually only secondary information about the issue. What I can guess only is, there was something weird during Thiem’s recovery, as he was allowed to take off the splint and start to hit. In few days after next news was, he felt pain and after consultation with doctors it was decided to wear splint over many weeks more , surgery not excluded. This was a huge setback, making him end the season. And this could eventually be a matter of conflict with Stober, because probably he was just expected to decide, if Thiem can start hitting or not. Right now only insiders could tell, what’s going on, but you know how many call themselves “insiders”, while only speculating. I can may speculate but would never present myself as an insider. I don’t have a source for such information. As this resulted in secondary comments even in rather serious Austrian media, Thiem decided, he will explain the whole thing to the media (after wanting to keep the thing private), so maybe we will get this explanation. It was similar with Bresnik split. Lots of speculative comments, presented like they had a hard background. But nobody knows, maybe even Bresnik and Thiem, what actually happened. Thiem is a strong family man. And Bresnik wrote in his book himself, the main factor of Thiem’s starting pro career, were just parents, not him. Thiem’s family seems to be a good one and in case of doubts Thiem would always stay with the family. We will never know deepest details, because Thiem is not eager for the world to know his privacy. IMO Thiem has outstanding integrity, but nobody i perfect. That’s all I know so far and m only trouble is, who will replace Stober. Because it seemed to be a very good and deep relation and Stober is meant to be one of the best physios worldwide. In the meantime Thiem also replaced Mike Reinprecht by Jez Green as a fitness conditioner. It’s all additionally complicated by pandemic travelling restrictions, because actually Thiem’s favorite fitness coach is Duglas Cordero (friend of Massú). That’s quite all I can speculate. I’m not very excited about the thing. More important is, if and when he would have the surgery, but I hope, this is in the hands of independent doctors 🙂

As I expected, Federer came to Boston and makes the atmosphere in Team Europe. Not sure it still using crutches, probably no more 🙂 So a kind of good news! Do you know who streams RLC in Europe?

Well, just found, it’s available on Eurosport. So I will watch later a bit from replies to see Federer there 🙂

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Running events, running articles, triathlon events, cycling events, triathlon articles, cycling articles, fitness events, fitness articles, sports events, outdoor events, sports articles, nutrition articles, health & injury articles, string playtest: solinco tour bite 17, 18.

Solinco tells us that Tour Bite is a newly developed, high-performance, and versatile monofilament co-polyester string designed to generate extreme power, and intense spin and bite.

According to Solinco, Tour Bite uses an innovative, proprietary composite formula of high-tech polyester resin compounded with new, performance enhancing additives. The distinct composition and make-up of Solinco's co-polyester strings provide the basis for their unique feel and playing characteristics.

Solinco says its co-polyester strings use the most innovative and cutting-edge engineering procedures that involve the mastering of three or more separate heating and cooling stages. Each distinct stage is carefully executed at specifically designed temperatures, durations, and with specialized extrusion techniques and molds to improve specific playing characteristics of each string. Solinco even matches the material with the shape of the string for maximum performance.

Solinco tells us its strings are quickly gaining popularity. Solinco is the official string of the 2005 NCAA Champion UCLA Men's Tennis Team, the 2006 NCAA Champion Pepperdine Men's Tennis Team, Virginia Tech Men's Tennis Team, and East Tennessee State University. Touring pros such as Kevin Kim, Lester Cook, Cecil Mamiit, and Leonardo Tavares have also adopted Solinco.

It is recommended for competitive and performance-focused players demanding the absolute highest levels of spin, bite, power, and control.

Tour Bite is available in 16, 16L, 17, and 18 gauges in silver only. It is priced from $11.50 for 40-foot sets, $155 for 656-foot reels. For more information or to order, email Solinco sales at [email protected], or visit solincosports.com.

We tested both the 17 and 18 gauges of Tour Bite. The coils measured 40 feet. We recorded stringbed stiffness immediately after stringing at 60 pounds in a Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 95 (16 x 18 pattern) on a constant-pull machine. We remeasured after 24 hours (no playing) for tension loss, as shown in the table. Our control string, Prince Synthetic Gut Original Gold 16, measured 78 RDC units immediately after stringing and 71 RDC units after 24 hours, representing a 9 percent tension loss.

The string was tested for five weeks by USRSA playtesters with NTRP ratings from 3.5 to 6.0. These are blind tests, with playtesters receiving unmarked strings in unmarked packages. We did advise playtesters to reduce tension by 7-12 percent compared to nylon, as recommended by Solinco.

Tour Bite seems more ornery to handle than other polys, but only a little. We had more problems weaving the last crosses than we did with coil memory.

On the court

Solinco made it a good day to be a USRSA string tester. Tour Bite 17 finished with an incredible seven ratings of well above average in Playability, Durability, Power, Control, Spin Potential, Tension Retention, and Resistance to Movement. Of these, the results for Spin Potential make Tour Bite 17 the best string we've ever tested for Spin Potential. To back that up, Tour Bite 17 also came in 13th best in the Power category and 15th best for Resistance to Movement. The overall score for Tour Bite 17 was well above average.

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Solinco Tour Bite Soft Review

Solinco Tour Bite Soft is a spin-friendly, comfortable co-poly that’s bound to be a breath of fresh air for anyone seeking comfort and spin without compromising too much on control. 

Tour Bite Soft offers its users a more comfortable version of the popular Solinco Tour Bite, but with its square shape, it still offers tons of potential to rip the ball with spin. 

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The modern game is dominated by heavy topspin shots, but with many strings, we have to sacrifice a lot of comfort to get the kind of spin and control we look for.

There are some softer options out there though that manage to offer spin with reasonable levels of comfort, and Solinco Tour Bite Soft is one of them. 

Solinco is well known for great strings such as Solinco Hyper G and they enjoy a great reputation throughout the tennis world.

As performance goes, we really rated the Solinco Hyper-G and we would certainly recommend it to anyone. 

However, for those players who seek a little bit more comfort, Solinco Tour Bite Soft might represent a better option.

Poly strings aren’t known for their comfort, and generally, players are willing to sacrifice in this area to achieve more control and spin, but there are polys out there like Luxilon 4G that seem to be able to offer a little bit of both. 

In order to find out just what the Solinco Tour Bite Soft would give us we strung my Babolat Pure Strike 18 x 20’s up with a couple of different tensions.

The first we strung at a relatively low 42lbs and the second at 52lbs. This gave us a chance to see how Tour Bite Soft performed across a few different tensions. 

6 out of 10

I would say the power levels of Solinco Tour Bite Soft are pretty regular for a poly string.

These strings are generally designed to lean towards control, so you wouldn’t really want your poly string to be scoring an 8 or a 9 out of 10 for power. 

For a player who looks for control as his primary characteristic, the power levels of the Tour Bite Soft were perfect.

The strings allowed for fast, aggressive swings, but it had a little something when you needed it. 

A score of 6 out of 10 is perfect for what the majority of poly players will look for. 

8 out of 10

The upside of a string giving you 6 out of 10 for power is that it’s likely to balance that out by offering lots of control.

Solinco Tour Bite Soft did this nicely and allowed me to hit with great precision and confidence that I was going to get the ball in court. 

If you’re an advanced player with big swings then it’s important that you have a string that can handle the racket head speed you produce and give you plenty of control.

While there are strings that offer more control than the Tour Bite it still does a very good job in this area. 

Whatever shot I was looking to hit, I felt like I had more than enough control to pull it off.

The confidence Tour Bite Soft gave me to go for my shots earned it an 8 out of 10 for control. 

6.5 out of 10

Solinco Tour Bite Soft offered reasonable feel without particularly wowing me.

The strings have a fairly elastic feel to them, which is probably something that helps them when it comes to comfort, but I did find it difficult finding my range on touch shots. 

I find feel is just one of those things you adapt to the more you play with a string, so it’s not something that would worry me, but I wouldn’t say this is Tour Bite Soft’s strongest area. 

A 6.5 out of 10 for feel. 

The shape of these strings means it’s really easy to grip the ball and get lots of spin.

I don’t think they are quite as spin-friendly as the original Solinco Tour Bite but they will certainly have more than enough spin-potential for the majority of players. 

I normally struggle to generate as much topspin as I would like off my backhand side, but I found I was getting a really nice flightpath with the Tour Bite Soft .

When I wanted to mix in the slice, I also had nice control and was able to keep the ball low and get it skidding off the court. 

Once again, I would probably say the spin levels are pretty much what you would expect from a poly string.

They’re not right at the top when it comes to spin-potential, but they’re not near the bottom either. 

7.5 out of 10

One area where Tour Bite Soft is right near the top for Poly strings is comfort.

You’re never going to find a poly string that makes your arm feel like its hitting ping pong balls, but Tour Bite Soft does go along way to combining performance and comfort. 

The elasticity of the strings gives you a nice cushioning effect that makes hitting the ball much less stressful for the joints than some of the stiffer polys. 

7.5 out of 10 for comfort is a great score for a poly. 

This is probably the main area where I was a little bit disappointed with Solinco Tour Bite Soft .

It didn’t take too long until the strings felt like they went a bit dead, causing it to lose some feel.

It’s normal that strings lose a bit of tension as you play with them, but I just felt like the dropoff happened quite quickly with Tour Bite Soft. 

This, coupled with the fact that they don’t last as long as some of the stiffer polys led to a score of 6.5 out of 10 for durability.

Again, I wouldn’t say it’s a massive issue, but it is something to bear in mind. 

This string is going to appeal to players who are looking for comfort and spin.

It’s got the kind of control you would associate with a poly string, but it’s the comfort that makes it stand out. 

There are sacrifices that you make to achieve this level of comfort from a poly though, and I do think Solinco Tour Bite Soft is slightly lacking when it comes to feel and durability.

The durability, in particular will be difficult to come to terms with for players who expect to get a lot of playing time out of their strings. 

All in all, I’d say this string is well worth looking at if you are particularly concerned with adding a little more comfort to your string setup.

Overall, it’s a solid poly, but it does have its weaknesses. 

Is Solinco Tour Bite Soft Right For Your Game? Find Out With a Custom Fitting!

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Shhhh, It’s a Secret! Solinco Confidential String Review

Feel / Comfort

My first few swings with Confidential were incredibly firm and had a dead feeling, similar to Tour Bite. This was pretty shocking to me as my racquet was strung at 47 pounds. I was just about to write off Confidential as another version of Tour Bite, when after about an hour of hitting, the strings seemingly “unlocked” their potential. The feel softened enough to be more comfortable, but still maintained the control that Solinco is known for. Note: Solinco suggests the best tension range to be 45-50 pounds, and if possible, after stringing give the strings a day to settle for a more consistent response.

Power / Spin

Lately, I have gravitated towards lower tensions with polyester strings. I used to be in the low to mid 50 pound range, but now I am more comfortable just under 50 pounds. The main drawback when playing lower tensions is fast tension loss. In my opinion, Confidential separates itself from the multitude of polyester strings because it maintains tension well even on the lower end. Solinco Confidential played more powerful than Tour Bite, and slightly less powerful than Hyper-G. I am happy to report the string’s slightly pentagonal shape produces a solid amount of topspin on groundstrokes, and it was explosive enough that I enjoyed hitting through the court on put-away shots.

Confidential slides against itself well, and despite its fairly-sharp profile, it doesn’t notch prematurely. For my playtest, I sampled the 18g version in a dense 18 x 20 pattern, and even after several hours the performance was striking. After a short break-in period, the play-ability of Confidential lasts longer than the average polyester by a long shot.

I think I found the Solinco string for me! Confidential offers a controlled, and more comfortable response than the famous Tour Bite. Those who thought Hyper-G was too mushy, would really enjoy the middle ground Confidential provides. I had great success with a lower tension, but don’t write off stringing at a higher tension. One of our playtesters, Max Ziegler , strung much tighter and had good results as well.

Max says “It felt really good! The strings felt much softer, pretty comfortable, and not as stiff as Alu Power. Definitely got more depth to my shots with less effort so overall I’d say a bit more powerful than Alu Power. If I would have to compare it I’d probably say it was somewhere in the middle between LXN Smart and Alu Power. I strung it at 55 lbs (2 lbs less than I usually do) in my Wilson Blade 98 CV 18 x 20.”

Chris Virk-Brown echoed positive vibes about Confidential as well.

Chris states “I have played with Solinco Hyper-G and Tour Bite before, so I was very excited to try out Confidential especially given its unique characteristics. Right out the gate I found it to be on the crisp side with very little give, not much free power or spin. However, it didn’t take long for the string bed to settle in and quickly adapt to my game. Over time, the spin and power levels increased allowing me to hit the ball deep into the court, but I found it to start loosing the crisp feel that I enjoyed. Also I loved the sound the ball made when it hit off the string bed. It gives you a nice “pop” sound that makes you feel like you’re a pro. Overall, it was a great co-poly string that I could certainly see myself playing with for years to come. I strung Confidential at 48 lbs in my Wilson Ultra 100 CV Reverse.”

Sam currently works at Tennis Express on the Content Marketing team. He previously played at Southwestern University, taught tennis for 10+ years and earned his Master Racquet Technician Certification in 2011. He is an active USTA League and Tournament player at the 5.0+ level. He secretly wants Djokovic to become the GOAT in tennis.

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Solinco Tour Bite 17 full review and play test - Still the best poly string?

In episode 9 of The String Bar, we reignite the flame with the tennis string that started it all - the legendary Solinco Tour Bite - in 17 gauge.

We talk about the history of the string, why it's special, then hit the courts to see how this 4 sided beast compares to Poly Tour Pro, how it differs from Ultra Cable, what it feels like compared to Poly Tour Spin G, and how it can outperform Hyper-G.

We talk about who this string is for and how you can take it for a joyride even if you don't fall into that player category.

Don't hesitate to drop a comment over on Youtube on your thoughts!

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$ 12.99 – $ 169.99

A newly developed, high-performance and versatile co-polyester string designed to generate extreme power and intense spin and bite.

Utilizes an innovative, high-powered co-polyester monofilament fiber designed and shaped to generate maximum power while amplifying the spin and bite intensity of the ball.

Mini-Reel only available in 16, 16L, and 17.

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Solinco Tour Bite, Revolution, and True Feel Review

• Thread starter mcshift
• Start date Mar 5, 2010

• Mar 5, 2010

So i just ordered a reel of Tour Bite 17, and it comes with 3 packs of Revolution 17 and True Feel 17 so once i get the string next week ill post a review since theres not too much about Solinco strings here. btw for those that are interested in Solinco Strings a reel of tour bite is $155  

• Mar 27, 2010

Tour Bite 17 Review The Setup: Solinco Tour Bite 17 /Gosen OG Micro Sheep 17 (53/56) In a Pure Storm LTD (non-GT version) The reason i strung it up with the Og micro sheep is because that is the cross string ive been using now for a year. The other polys ive used with this string are Ashway Monogut 17, Pro Hurricane Tour 16, ALU power 17, tecnifibre spinfire 17, and iso-speed baseline 17 (all strung at similar tensions). Hitting Time I got in 4 different hitting sessions totaling 6.5 hrs. Playing Characteristics Power - 9/10 Control - 10/10 Feel - 8/10 Comfort - 9/10 Spin - 10/10 String Movement - 10/10 Impressions -The string felt just a little too stiff (but not harsh on the arm) so i will string a few lbs. lower next time. -the control of the string was simply amazing(more than ive felt with any other string), i could swing as hard as i could and the string would still land in (probably much due to the texture of the string). -I just recently switched from a Pure Storm Tour to the Pure Storm Limited, after switching i felt a big loss in spin because the PST is a 16x19 and the PSL is a 18x20. While using tour bite 17 in the mains i am getting so much spin and bite on the ball that it almost seems like im using a 16x19 sting pattern again except with all the control of a 18x20. (this is very important because this is the main reason why i bought this string...to make up for the spin loss from switching to an 18x20). -In terms of the feels of the string i would say that it is most comparable to BB ALU power (although i think Big Banger is overrated and i like Tour Bite better). I havent hit with BB ALU spin, but i would guess that its most comparable to that because of the shape of the string is like the same. -The texture of the spin is a polygon and it is very rough to the touch. After about 2 hrs the texture wears down a little bit but still produces crazy amounts of spin. -I am very happy with the string and I'd say that i had my best hitting session ever with this string. -I was able to compare it side by side to a hybrid of Pro Hurricane Tour/ OG Micro Sheep. I like the Tour bite better by far. The only area where PHT is better is in Comfort; the string feels a little softer/little less stiff. But in all other areas, especially spin, the Tour Bite far exceeds PHT. -String has not broken after 6.5 hrs and i dont expects it to very soon. I was worried the sharp texture would wear through my crosses but i havent even noted any notches in the cross string yet. btw, i may play d3 tennis this coming school year...i'd guess im a 5.0  

btw i will most likely try out power pads next time for added comfort and power  

• Mar 28, 2010

i will have a review Revolution 17 up over the next month  

PROTENNIS63

Hall of fame.

is the tour bite blue color? silver?  

tour bite is silver...it looks just like ALU spin Revolution is royal blue  

Tennis_Crazed

mcshift said: The Setup: Solinco Tour Bite 17 /Gosen OG Micro Sheep 17 (53/56) In a Pure Storm LTD (non-GT version) The reason i strung it up with the Og micro sheep is because that is the cross string ive been using now for a year. The other polys ive used with this string are Ashway Monogut 17, Pro Hurricane Tour 16, ALU power 17, tecnifibre spinfire 17, and iso-speed baseline 17 (all strung at similar tensions). Hitting Time I got in 4 different hitting sessions totaling 6.5 hrs. Playing Characteristics Power - 9/10 Control - 10/10 Feel - 8/10 Comfort - 9/10 Spin - 10/10 String Movement - 10/10 Impressions -The string felt just a little too stiff (but not harsh on the arm) so i will string a few lbs. lower next time. -the control of the string was simply amazing(more than ive felt with any other string), i could swing as hard as i could and the string would still land in (probably much due to the texture of the string). -I just recently switched from a Pure Storm Tour to the Pure Storm Limited, after switching i felt a big loss in spin because the PST is a 16x19 and the PSL is a 18x20. While using tour bite 17 in the mains i am getting so much spin and bite on the ball that it almost seems like im using a 16x19 sting pattern again except with all the control of a 18x20. (this is very important because this is the main reason why i bought this string...to make up for the spin loss from switching to an 18x20). -In terms of the feels of the string i would say that it is most comparable to BB ALU power (although i think Big Banger is overrated and i like Tour Bite better). I havent hit with BB ALU spin, but i would guess that its most comparable to that because of the shape of the string is like the same. -The texture of the spin is a polygon and it is very rough to the touch. After about 2 hrs the texture wears down a little bit but still produces crazy amounts of spin. -I am very happy with the string and I'd say that i had my best hitting session ever with this string. -I was able to compare it side by side to a hybrid of Pro Hurricane Tour/ OG Micro Sheep. I like the Tour bite better by far. The only area where PHT is better is in Comfort; the string feels a little softer/little less stiff. But in all other areas, especially spin, the Tour Bite far exceeds PHT. -String has not broken after 6.5 hrs and i dont expects it to very soon. I was worried the sharp texture would wear through my crosses but i havent even noted any notches in the cross string yet. btw, i may play d3 tennis this coming school year...i'd guess im a 5.0 Click to expand...

• Mar 29, 2010

Tennis_Crazed said: Thanks for the detailed review. I keep hearing a lot of good things about the Tour Bite string here in so cali and will look into getting a hold of some once I finish playtesting a few other strings that I've already bought. Have you tried the Tour Bite in any other gauges? I use ALU 1.25. How would you compare it to ALU Rough? Click to expand...

• Mar 30, 2010

mcshift said: No i havent, i only have 17gauge, but i would assume the playing characteristics would change just as any other poly would. I have only played with ALU power but i'm a stringer at a tennis shop so i know the texture of ALU rough and what it feels like... so based on what it feels like heres my guess... Tour bite's polygonal shape should provide more spin (same shape as ALU power spin) than ALU rough at first for a while but ALU rough should maintain its texture better against wearing down. I am guessing that tour bite would give more spin because it simply makes sense that the polygonal shape would bite into the ball better than the rivvets in ALU rough, plus in reading reviews of ALU rough it seems that people arent amazed by the spin potential while all reviews of Tour Bite have been absolutely amazed by the spin. also i would guess that tour bite would have better durability, expecially since stringing ALU rough can really beat-up the crosses when pulling/tensioning the mains. Click to expand...

Tennis_Crazed said: I'll probably try it first all poly and then hybrid it with some NXT. Have you tried it full poly yet? Let me know what tension you think works best. Thanks! Click to expand...

• Mar 31, 2010

Hey mcshift, I was wondering what would you consider "stiff"? Would stringing say, alu power at 60lbs be considered stiff for you? also, in terms of stiffness, how would it compare to alu power?  

zeratul90 said: Hey mcshift, I was wondering what would you consider "stiff"? Would stringing say, alu power at 60lbs be considered stiff for you? also, in terms of stiffness, how would it compare to alu power? Click to expand...

mcshift said: Well you bring up a good point cause in ratings its all relative to a persons personal opinion. Yes i would consider ALU at 60lbs stiff as i typically string between 47 and 53. I mean, i prefer a pretty mushy/soft feeling stringbed/ racquet and that is why i only hybrid my polys with OG micro sheep and i use the pure storm limited which is a very soft/fexy frame. In terms of stiffness i would say theyre almost identical, honestly i didnt get to hit with the ALU power hybrid for more than like 4 hrs, but from what i could tell they are very similar, although i do like Tour Bite better... hope that all made sense Click to expand...

Six.One.Tour.90FAN

Professional.

• Apr 1, 2010

where did you order it from?  

Six.One.Tour.90FAN said: where did you order it from? Click to expand...

mcshift said: I ordered it directly from Solinco because that the only place i could find it plus you get free shipping and if you buy a reel you get 4 free sets of string of your choice. let me know if you would like their email... Click to expand...

I currently have Tour Bite strung up in one of my PT57A sticks @ 48lbs and crossed with Gosen Micro @ 51 lbs. IMHO, there is not anything exceptional about this string. It does not dramatically increase spin potential. Don't get me wrong, it is not a bad string, but it is nothing that amazing either.  

I'm surprised to see a thread on this forum about Solinco strings. I got a few packs of the tour bite from a friend and didn't know that it was so widely available. From my personal experience thus far, I thought it was a great string....provided pretty crazy spin and overall had good playability and tension maintenance. The packaging was pretty sweet as well. I use pro hurricane tour, but found this to be a better all around string (not to say the pro hurricane isnt a good string as well). im looking to get a couple of reels for a good deal. mcshift could you please send me a contact info as well. thanks.  

also curious to see what people thought of the Revolution. never tried it, but im thinking of ordering a pack to test it out when i get my reels of Tour Bite.  

ctennisam94

I recently just ordered Revolution and tru feel. I bought two reels yesterday. I didn't like tour bite as much as Revolution. I pretty much got the same exact deal as mcshift.  

• Apr 2, 2010

I was given some sets of Tour Bite and a hybrid pack last Summer. After putting it in one of my racquets and a buddy's racquet, we both agreed it was good string but not any better than the poly I've been using for awhile (CF, CB). It seemed to lose some of the "cupping" a little faster than CF.  

• Apr 4, 2010

yeah, i hope thay have it on twe... I might order it directly for that cool deal...  

Six.One.Tour.90FAN said: yeah, i hope thay have it on twe... I might order it directly for that cool deal... Click to expand...

• Apr 5, 2010

WOW! so i had a chance to try out the Tour bite again this weekend and it was AWESOME. much better than i had remembered playing with it a while ago! AMAZING BITE! great control and feel. period. I played with it full bed, strung at 51lbs for about 2 hrs. Overall very very impressed! Will need to play with it a bit more to see how it holds up, and if spin potential continues and check on tension loss. Will provide further feedback if i can get out to the courts later today (its very windy and kind of cold out here though!)  

Tennis_Crazed said: WOW! so i had a chance to try out the Tour bite again this weekend and it was AWESOME. much better than i had remembered playing with it a while ago! AMAZING BITE! great control and feel. period. I played with it full bed, strung at 51lbs for about 2 hrs. Overall very very impressed! Will need to play with it a bit more to see how it holds up, and if spin potential continues and check on tension loss. Will provide further feedback if i can get out to the courts later today (its very windy and kind of cold out here though!) Click to expand...

• Apr 7, 2010

Weather has been beautiful and was able to make it out on the courts to play with the Tour Bite again. * BITE BITE BITE!! - balls really gripping onto these strings!! Noticed I'm tearing the ball to pieces…fur flying everywhere (poor tennis balls)...action on the ball is just ridiculous. Would describe the feeling as the ball being held for a split second in the stringbed as the edges dig into the ball and then as you follow-through and brush up on the ball it just creates enormous spin..Although I have noticed the edges are wearing down a little, can't really tell difference on performance or spin yet. * Tension - holding very well! Need to wait a little bit longer to know for sure, but after being strung for several days and through 2 sessions its holding tension great…better than Lux (although not saying much, that’s what I've been using) * Stringing tension observation- I realized that although I thought this string was good the first time I played it months ago, didn't have the great experience I'm having now…. I think it has to do with the tension I strung it at. I strung it probably 4 lbs or so looser than what I normally string lux alu at and its definitely playing better OVERALL: Continue to be very impressed with the string...I still have some lux left, but may be switching to this thereafter. Before I really consider switching the string will need to hold up in match play- string will need to perform through that  

TennisandMusic

TC, have you tried the other two at all?  

AllDownTheLine

• Apr 8, 2010

Six.One.Tour.90FAN said: After about 10-12 hrs of play, this string (Tour Bite)is still playing impressively. It was strung at 65 lbs and has lost some tension, but it is barely noticeable. When I first took it out for a hit, I was amazed at how rough the texture was. It took a bit of time to break in, it was quite stiff at first, but after 5 mins it was great. Spin potential is better than Blue Gear+ MSV HEx Put together. Crazy. I made someone fall backwards! The texture is not so Rough now, it is starting to deaden but has all it's control and power. Spin is still good, lasting longer than I thought, it's gonna break soon tho GET ME MORE!!!!!!!!! Click to expand...

Meaghan said: 61T90F where did you pick it up, cant seem to find it in UK ??? Click to expand...

TennisandMusic said: TC, have you tried the other two at all? Click to expand...

it sounds interesting. Anyone else had same opinion about this string? i am thinking of getting it.  

so i was able to try out the revolution (17g) for the first time this past weekend... i absolutely loved it. personally, i liked it even better than the tour bite. the revolution provided me with more than enough spin (def not as much bite as the tour bite tho) while providing me with more control and consistency. In terms of power, i thought it was similar to the tour bite. i also loved how it provided great feel. after using the revolution for almost 12 hrs (on 4 different days), there wasn't any noticeable loss in tension. i am a huge fan of the solinco revolution and will be using it going forward (was using pro hurricane tour until now) for sure. solinco is the new hot thing!!!! mcshift- thanks for their direct contact info.  

hmm i think maybe ill get it.. lol where can i purchase them? i don't remember TW having them  

stanfordtennis alum

David123 said: hmm i think maybe ill get it.. lol where can i purchase them? i don't remember TW having them Click to expand...

• Apr 9, 2010

Six.One.Tour.90FAN said: YOur going to have to order it directly from email [email protected] They have some great deals, + don't forget to negotiate! 90 Click to expand...

can't wait to hit with them.  

AllDownTheLine said: Wow, thanks for the review. I can't remember seeing such a glowing review for a string that wasn't Luxilon. I'm sold just by reading it. If you had to pick just one of the Solinco strings to buy would it be Tour Bite otr Revolution? Click to expand...

jaydubbs15 said: Why did you switch from the PST to the Ltd? Would you please compare/contrast the two? I bought a few PST and was initially thrilled with the power, but now I'm thinking it's too much power. What's your take? Click to expand...

mcshift said: I just switched 2 months ago. The reason i came to switching was because i have been using a 4 3/8 grip size when i need a 4 1/2 so i was gonna but new PST's off the forum. I decided that since ill be selling mine i sould try out a few other racquets to be sure i want to stick with it... MicroGel prestige pro=didnt like it all that much, but still pretty good. Then i came to the PSL, always wanted to try it out cause the specs seemed perfect compared to the PST...a little more head light, slightly smaller head, thinner beam. All seemed perfect except for the 18x20 string pattern which are not my favorite due to the loss of spin. But i gave it a try anyways and i loved it... Sure i did lose spin but the amazing control seemed to make up for it. And that is why i came to getting a reel of tour bit...for the extra spin. oh hah i forgot that i actually created a post reviewing my switch to the PSL http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=310855 review starts at post #20 btw if your even thinking about it switching...the non GT limited is a lot better than the Gt version. The Gt takes away all the feel and just feels dead and harsh. Click to expand...

jaydubbs15 said: Great, thank you. Do you think that your string set up would work with the PST? If not, what would you recommend for the PST (perhaps to tame its power)? Do you think that the Solinco mains will lessen the life of the Gosen crosses because of its rough edges? Click to expand...

i am realy interested in trying, which one is the best of the 3 polys? of should i get the hyrbid? and how much is each set?  

David123 said: i am realy interested in trying, which one is the best of the 3 polys? of should i get the hyrbid? and how much is each set? Click to expand...

mcshift said: TW doesnt have reels as of now but you can get 4 free packs of string if you buy a reel through [email protected] tell them Miles Cole sent you Click to expand...

genius24 said: so i decided to get a reel of the revolution 17 gauge and a reel of the tour bite 17 as well. they hooked me up with some individual packs of outlast, tru feel and some hybrids as well for getting the reels. i hit with the revolution again today....i really love this stuff. i think i like it more and more every time i use it. can't wait until it arrives. btw, i noticed that their website was up: www.solincosports.com Click to expand...

mcshift said: I think the Tour Bite would be awesome with the PST...insane spin! I havent tried a fully string job of the tour bite...only a hybrid with micro sheep. No, i havent noticed any notching or excess wear on the gosen string, surprisingly. But i would assume with any other synthetic or muti for there to be a lot of wear due to the texture of the string. But yeah, thats just another amazing thing about og micro sheep, it has amazing durability... but if your looking to buy another PST im selling one in 4 3/8 grip size for $65 shipped 7.5/10. Btw as far as power goes, if your looking for a lower powered racquet the PSL is a little less powered. I mean when you really hit the ball the power is just fine but you really need to swing through on your groundstrokes or the ball may go short. Also i would string the PSL a little lower than the PST due to the head size/ string pattern. Next time im stringing it up with revolution at like 40lbs. Sure thats a big drop in tension but i was reading the thread chris from TT posted about stringing low at like 30lbs and i was intrigued enough that im gonna drop mine a bit... Click to expand...

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