Polyester $20–21 / set
Power
6
Spin
10
Control
9
Comfort
5
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
String type
Polyester strings
The string most competitive juniors move to: spin and control for fast swings, with a stiffer feel.
Strings reviewed53From 13 brands
Price per set$2–22USD, typical retail
Average arm score2.5/5Higher is gentler
Youngest age12+Lowest recommended age
What is a polyester string?
Polyester ("poly") is a single solid strand, or monofilament. It barely stretches, so it gives low power and a lot of control. Its slick surface lets the main strings slide and snap back, which adds spin.
That is why most tour players use it. The same stiffness is also why poly is a poor match for young kids and for anyone with arm pain.
For junior players
- Wait until your player swings fast and full. If the ball lands short or the arm hurts, poly is not the answer yet.
- String a few pounds lower than a multifilament would be strung, and pick a softer poly from the arm-friendly picks below.
- Restring often. Poly loses tension quickly and plays stiff and "dead" well before it breaks.
- A hybrid with poly mains and a soft cross string is a gentle first step.
Gentlest on the arm
- Babolat RPM Power Arm 4/5 · comfort 8
- Gosen Sidewinder Arm 4/5 · comfort 8
- Head Hawk Touch Arm 4/5 · comfort 8
- Luxilon Element Arm 4/5 · comfort 8
- Gamma Verve Soft Arm 4/5 · comfort 7
- Yonex Poly Tour Pro Arm 4/5 · comfort 7
For the youngest players
- Babolat RPM Power From age 12 · arm 4/5
- Gamma Verve Soft From age 12 · arm 4/5
- Gosen Sidewinder From age 12 · arm 4/5
- Head Hawk Touch From age 12 · arm 4/5
- Luxilon Element From age 12 · arm 4/5
- Kirschbaum Pro Line II From age 12 · arm 3/5
All 53 polyester strings
Polyester $20–21 / set
Power
7
Spin
10
Control
8
Comfort
6
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 13+ yrs
Polyester $18–20 / set
Power
8
Spin
7
Control
8
Comfort
8
Arm friendliness 4 of 5 Arm 12+ yrs
Polyester $17–19 / set
Power
7
Spin
8
Control
9
Comfort
7
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 13+ yrs
Polyester $10–12 / set
Power
5
Spin
8
Control
9
Comfort
5
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
Polyester $16–19 / set
Power
7
Spin
9
Control
7
Comfort
7
Arm friendliness 4 of 5 Arm 12+ yrs
Polyester $9–10 / set
Gosen
G-Tour 3
High-purity co-polyester monofilament with silicone oil coating for snapback and longevity
Power
5
Spin
8
Control
9
Comfort
7
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 13+ yrs
Polyester $2–4 / set
Power
4
Spin
8
Control
9
Comfort
5
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
Polyester $14–15 / set
Power
7
Spin
8
Control
8
Comfort
8
Arm friendliness 4 of 5 Arm 12+ yrs
Polyester $10–14 / set
Power
5
Spin
7
Control
9
Comfort
7
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 13+ yrs
Polyester $14–18 / set
Power
6
Spin
7
Control
8
Comfort
8
Arm friendliness 4 of 5 Arm 12+ yrs
Polyester $14–18 / set
Power
6
Spin
9
Control
9
Comfort
6
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
Polyester $8–12 / set
Power
6
Spin
6
Control
8
Comfort
7
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 13+ yrs
Polyester $9–12 / set
Power
5
Spin
7
Control
9
Comfort
4
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
Polyester $9–12 / set
Power
4
Spin
7
Control
9
Comfort
4
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
Polyester $10–13 / set
Power
7
Spin
7
Control
8
Comfort
6
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 12+ yrs
Polyester $11–14 / set
Power
6
Spin
9
Control
8
Comfort
5
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 13+ yrs
Polyester $7–9 / set
Power
6
Spin
7
Control
9
Comfort
5
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
Polyester $21–22 / set
Power
6
Spin
8
Control
9
Comfort
5
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
Polyester $21–22 / set
Power
6
Spin
9
Control
9
Comfort
3
Arm friendliness 1 of 5 Arm 15+ yrs
Polyester $21–22 / set
Power
7
Spin
7
Control
9
Comfort
5
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
Polyester $21–22 / set
Power
7
Spin
9
Control
8
Comfort
4
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
Polyester $14–16 / set
Power
4
Spin
6
Control
9
Comfort
3
Arm friendliness 1 of 5 Arm 16+ yrs
Polyester $14–16 / set
Power
4
Spin
8
Control
9
Comfort
3
Arm friendliness 1 of 5 Arm 16+ yrs
Polyester $18–20 / set
Power
7
Spin
7
Control
8
Comfort
8
Arm friendliness 4 of 5 Arm 12+ yrs
Polyester $14–16 / set
Power
5
Spin
9
Control
8
Comfort
6
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 13+ yrs
Polyester $8–10 / set
Power
7
Spin
8
Control
8
Comfort
6
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 12+ yrs
Polyester $7–8 / set
Power
7
Spin
9
Control
8
Comfort
7
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 13+ yrs
Polyester $9–12 / set
Power
7
Spin
8
Control
8
Comfort
5
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 13+ yrs
Polyester $10–13 / set
Power
8
Spin
7
Control
7
Comfort
6
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 12+ yrs
Polyester $10–13 / set
Power
6
Spin
9
Control
8
Comfort
5
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 13+ yrs
Polyester $8–11 / set
Power
6
Spin
7
Control
9
Comfort
6
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 12+ yrs
Polyester $15–15 / set
Signum Pro
Tornado
Heptagonal (7-sided) co-polyester with an axial twist, extruded, cooled, then reheated and twisted
Power
6
Spin
9
Control
8
Comfort
5
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
Polyester $11–13 / set
Power
7
Spin
9
Control
9
Comfort
5
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
Polyester $12–13 / set
Power
7
Spin
10
Control
9
Comfort
5
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
Polyester $12–13 / set
Power
8
Spin
9
Control
8
Comfort
7
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 13+ yrs
Polyester $11–12 / set
Power
6
Spin
8
Control
9
Comfort
6
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 13+ yrs
Polyester $10–12 / set
Power
5
Spin
10
Control
10
Comfort
3
Arm friendliness 1 of 5 Arm 15+ yrs
Polyester $10–12 / set
Power
6
Spin
9
Control
9
Comfort
5
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
Polyester $12–16 / set
Power
6
Spin
8
Control
8
Comfort
7
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 13+ yrs
Polyester $14–18 / set
Power
5
Spin
10
Control
10
Comfort
5
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 15+ yrs
Polyester $14–18 / set
Power
7
Spin
8
Control
9
Comfort
6
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
Polyester $16–20 / set
Power
7
Spin
7
Control
9
Comfort
7
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
Polyester $9–12 / set
Power
6
Spin
9
Control
8
Comfort
5
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 13+ yrs
Polyester $10–13 / set
Power
7
Spin
9
Control
8
Comfort
6
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 12+ yrs
Polyester $12–15 / set
Power
6
Spin
10
Control
8
Comfort
5
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 13+ yrs
Polyester $12–15 / set
Power
5
Spin
9
Control
9
Comfort
5
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
Polyester $8–10 / set
Power
6
Spin
8
Control
8
Comfort
6
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 13+ yrs
Polyester $8–10 / set
Power
5
Spin
10
Control
9
Comfort
5
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
Polyester $14–18 / set
Power
6
Spin
7
Control
9
Comfort
7
Arm friendliness 4 of 5 Arm 13+ yrs
Polyester $16–20 / set
Yonex
Poly Tour Rev
Octagonal co-polyester monofilament with SIF (Silicone-Infused Filament) technology
Power
5
Spin
9
Control
9
Comfort
6
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 15+ yrs
Polyester $14–18 / set
Power
5
Spin
9
Control
8
Comfort
7
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
Polyester $16–20 / set
Yonex
Poly Tour Strike
Round co-polyester monofilament with high molecular weight and controlled temperature stretching
Power
5
Spin
7
Control
10
Comfort
5
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 15+ yrs
At a glance
| String | Type | Power | Spin | Control | Comfort | Durability | Arm | Set price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babolat RPM Blast | Polyester | 6 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 2/5 | $20–21 |
| Babolat RPM Blast Rough | Polyester | 7 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 3/5 | $20–21 |
| Babolat RPM Power | Polyester | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4/5 | $18–20 |
| Babolat RPM Team | Polyester | 7 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 3/5 | $17–19 |
| Gamma Moto | Polyester | 5 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 2/5 | $10–12 |
| Gamma Verve Soft | Polyester | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4/5 | $16–19 |
| Gosen G-Tour 3 | Polyester | 5 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 3/5 | $9–10 |
| Gosen Polylon | Polyester | 4 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 2/5 | $2–4 |
| Gosen Sidewinder | Polyester | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4/5 | $14–15 |
| Head Hawk | Polyester | 5 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 3/5 | $10–14 |
| Head Hawk Touch | Polyester | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 4/5 | $14–18 |
| Head Lynx Tour | Polyester | 6 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 3/5 | $14–18 |
| Head Sonic Pro | Polyester | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 3/5 | $8–12 |
| Kirschbaum Competition | Polyester | 5 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 2/5 | $9–12 |
| Kirschbaum Max Power | Polyester | 4 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 2/5 | $9–12 |
| Kirschbaum Pro Line II | Polyester | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 3/5 | $10–13 |
| Kirschbaum Pro Line Rough | Polyester | 6 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 2/5 | $11–14 |
| Kirschbaum Super Smash Orange | Polyester | 6 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 2/5 | $7–9 |
| Luxilon 4G | Polyester | 6 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 2/5 | $21–22 |
| Luxilon 4G Rough | Polyester | 6 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 1/5 | $21–22 |
| Luxilon ALU Power | Polyester | 7 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 2/5 | $21–22 |
| Luxilon ALU Power Rough | Polyester | 7 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 2/5 | $21–22 |
| Luxilon Big Banger Original | Polyester | 4 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 1/5 | $14–16 |
| Luxilon Big Banger Original Rough | Polyester | 4 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 1/5 | $14–16 |
| Luxilon Element | Polyester | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 4/5 | $18–20 |
| Luxilon Savage | Polyester | 5 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 3/5 | $14–16 |
| Prince Tour XP | Polyester | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 3/5 | $8–10 |
| Prince Vortex | Polyester | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 3/5 | $7–8 |
| Signum Pro Firestorm | Polyester | 7 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 2/5 | $9–12 |
| Signum Pro Hyperion | Polyester | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 3/5 | $10–13 |
| Signum Pro Plasma HEXtreme | Polyester | 6 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 2/5 | $10–13 |
| Signum Pro Poly Plasma | Polyester | 6 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 3/5 | $8–11 |
| Signum Pro Tornado | Polyester | 6 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 2/5 | $15–15 |
| Solinco Confidential | Polyester | 7 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 2/5 | $11–13 |
| Solinco Hyper-G | Polyester | 7 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 2/5 | $12–13 |
| Solinco Hyper-G Soft | Polyester | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 3/5 | $12–13 |
| Solinco Revolution | Polyester | 6 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 3/5 | $11–12 |
| Solinco Tour Bite | Polyester | 5 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 1/5 | $10–12 |
| Solinco Tour Bite Soft | Polyester | 6 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 2/5 | $10–12 |
| Tecnifibre Black Code | Polyester | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 3/5 | $12–16 |
| Tecnifibre Black Code 4S | Polyester | 5 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 2/5 | $14–18 |
| Tecnifibre Razor Code | Polyester | 7 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 3/5 | $14–18 |
| Tecnifibre Razor Soft | Polyester | 7 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 3/5 | $16–20 |
| Volkl Cyclone | Polyester | 6 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 2/5 | $9–12 |
| Volkl Cyclone Tour | Polyester | 7 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 3/5 | $10–13 |
| Volkl V-Square | Polyester | 6 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 3/5 | $12–15 |
| Volkl V-Torque | Polyester | 5 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 2/5 | $12–15 |
| Wilson Revolve | Polyester | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 3/5 | $8–10 |
| Wilson Revolve Spin | Polyester | 5 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 2/5 | $8–10 |
| Yonex Poly Tour Pro | Polyester | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 4/5 | $14–18 |
| Yonex Poly Tour Rev | Polyester | 5 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 2/5 | $16–20 |
| Yonex Poly Tour Spin | Polyester | 5 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 3/5 | $14–18 |
| Yonex Poly Tour Strike | Polyester | 5 | 7 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 2/5 | $16–20 |
Polyester strings: quick answers
At what age can a junior use polyester string?
Most polyesters in our database list a recommended minimum age of 12 to 14. Age is only a guide: swing speed, strength and no history of arm pain matter more.
Why does polyester go dead?
Polyester loses tension faster than other types, and its feel changes as it does. A poly that has not broken can still be past its best, so many families restring on a schedule.
Is polyester bad for the arm?
It is the stiffest common string type, so it sends more shock to the arm. Softer polys, lower tension and frequent restrings reduce the risk.
How much do polyester strings cost?
Across the 53 polyester strings we cover, a single set costs from $2 to $22 at typical retail.