thanx for your replies.

squash strings are not easily available in India. so we have to make do with tennnis strings. Last time I got my racket strung with cheap Head 16 guage tennis strings which were hard i.e. is very inelastic. The racket had no power and I think that at the end of their life these strings gave me shoulder pain.

Now yesterday i got my racket strung with eaven cheaper Prokennex performer strings which according to web are tennis strings. These strings are very elastic. The racket gave me great power and today my shoulder did not hurt.

based on this my conclusion is soft strings are better but what about durability?

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Stiff string yes, but it has to be quite elasic. If you go with a hard monofilament string, a higher tension won't give you hardly any power unless you do some serious breaking in of the strings. It'll stop them breaking as often though ;)

If you're after power the best way is with one of the better brands of string (let's face it they're the specialists!), something quite thin in guage (18-17 or 1.15-1.23mm) and something quite durable.

Hothead, let us know what types of strings they are and we'll be able to help you a bit more.

Cheers

Adz

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I actually found that if you have a good swing, the higher tension and stiff string with provide more power. 

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Ah, really tough one to call without knowing the exact types of string being compared.

Basically there are some very soft and flexible strings that last quite well (e.g. tecnifibre 305 1.3mm or Ashaway Powernick 18), but you really need to know what string type you're being offered.

Can you get me the name of the two brands and models being discussed? I can give you a pretty good comparison then, but as a general rule, stiffer strings last longer than softer strings.

Cheers

Adz

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Thanx Adz

actually the last time i had my racket strung with a very hard string which was quite inelastic.

today the shopkeeper showed me a string which is very flexible and it bends very easily.

which one is preferable keeping in mind 1.durability 2. power.

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Really does depend on what type of string you use and what type of construction the strings are. Monofilaments tend to be quite hard (stiff) where as multifilaments tend to be softer (more flexible).

Unless you meant tensions? Tensions vary depending on the preferences of the player.

A higher tension with a stiff string gives a very board-like playing surface which is good for touch play but you'll lose power.

A lower tension with a stiff string gives you better power but you tend to lose touch and feel

A lower tension with a softer string is probably a no-go as you don't really get touch or power unless you have a very elastic string (so thin guage and multifilament).

A higher tension with a softer string can still provide power if the string is quite elastic, and it should also provide reasonable touch, but you shouldn't have it too tight or the string will be prone to breaking easily.

Hope that helps!

Adz

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