Head Lynx Tour String Review

Control - Score: 93 / Power - Score: 65

Although nearly every poly has good control, Lynx Tour proved exceptional in this category. In other words, it was perfect for Michelle, whose power game is unleashed by having the control she needs to attack the ball fearlessly. She said, "I loved the control from this string. It was pretty stiff at first hit, but after some tension loss, it was good to go. I was ecstatic with the control this string offered. It is everything I'm looking for when it comes to strings, and it really allowed me to hit out and add my own power. I also found good pocketing and easy access to spin, which helped me bring the ball down effectively. While this has nothing to do with how it played, the color is also unique and has become a favorite in most racquets. It initially felt a tiny bit stiffer than my two go-to strings, Solinco Hyper-G and Tecnifibre Ice Code, but that wasn't a bad thing. For me, that stiffer feel translated into more control, which is exactly what I need to swing big and generate pace."

As a longtime fan of low-powered polys, Chris was right at home with this string's firm feel and controlled response. He said, "Lynx Tour offered lots of control. I was able to take full cuts at the ball without fear of overhitting thanks to the lower-powered response. Even when stepping inside the court, I felt like I got ample control to take aggressive cuts at the ball with this string. As the string relaxed in my racquet, it started to offer a bit more launch with easier access to depth, but I still wouldn't call this a powerful co-poly."

For Mark, Lynx Tour's control was never in doubt. He explained, "As with most poly-based monofilaments, Lynx Tour is low powered (high control) and feels a bit crisper at contact than most of the brighter-colored polyesters I have played with. Even after 30 hours of play, it still felt crisp and predictable, with no 'mushiness' to the stringbed. The control was there from beginning to end."

Spin - Score: 89

With its shaped profile, low-friction surface and ability to accommodate explosive upward cuts, Lynx Tour was clearly built for spin. Needless to say, Chris was impressed. He said, "Getting spin with Lynx Tour was easy. I liked the bite I was getting from the stringbed of my racquet. I was able to get my topspin shots to dip nicely inside the lines. When looking to work an angle, I was able to get the spin needed to find my targets without reducing too much pace. My slice shots also worked well with Lynx Tour. I was generating enough spin to drive through the ball with a lot of confidence. The spin level of this string definitely added to my control and helped me stay in control when the tension started to drop out."

Even with its slightly less defined edges, Mark was able to squeeze some serious spin from Lynx Tour. He said, "Compared to Lynx Edge's seven sharp edges, Lynx Tour features six edges that are less pronounced but still very spin friendly. The launch angle for Lynx Tour seemed slightly lower than some other gear-shaped polyesters I have tested, which is why I believe the edges on the Lynx Tour may not be as sharp. Regardless, this string provided some serious ball rotation from start to finish of the playtest."

After Lynx Tour lost some tension and settled in, Michelle had all the spin she needed. She said, "At first, when it was too tight in the Prestige Pro, I was worried I wasn't finding enough spin. The overall response felt a bit off, but that quickly righted itself after a brief break-in period. Once the tension dropped a bit and the feel got dialed in, I noticed increased pocketing and found enough spin for my game. No complaints!"

Comfort - Score: 74 / Feel - Score: 81

Tennis strings almost invariably come with trade-offs. For example, if you want the surgical control firm polys offer, you typically have to endure some harsh feedback and discomfort, especially on off-center impacts. However, if our playtest team has it right, Lynx Tour deserves some kudos for avoiding this all-too-common problem. Michelle described, "While this is a stiffer poly, I could still feel the ball sink into the stringbed. I didn't experience any arm pain, even at higher tensions. It had the high control of a firm string without any of the typical downsides."

Despite Lynx Tour's relatively firm feel, Mark had zero issues with discomfort at his typical tension. He said, "This is a crisp polyester string with a very consistent and predictable response. It never felt harsh or uncomfortable. At my usual tension (53 pounds), it felt firm and played great. It's not quite as stiff as Luxilon 4G or Tourna Big Hitter Silver 7 Tour, two strings that require a slight drop in tension for comfort's sake."

"For a co-poly string, I found Lynx Tour to be adequately forgiving," said Chris, who got great feel from this string in a variety of racquets. "I liked the sense I had of the ball pocketing nicely on the stringbed, and I felt very connected to my shots. Since we tested this string for so long, I was able to hit it in a variety of racquets, ranging from 'tweener spec all the way to beefy player's spec racquets. I never had any comfort issues with this string and always found enough feel to satisfy my need for hitting too many touch shots."

Playability Duration - Score: 83

Despite the fact that poly-based strings tend to have subpar tension maintenance and playability duration, the majority of our playtesters were impressed with how well Lynx Tour held up over time. In fact, for Michelle, this string's ability to hold its original playing characteristics was a highlight of the playtest. She said, "One of my favorite things about this string was its great playability through weeks of use. I never noticed a significant drop from this string, and it felt consistent throughout the playtest. I was shocked how well the tension held up, even after a couple solid weeks of use; it never bagged out or got springy."

According to Mark, Lynx Tour checked all the right boxes in the playability duration department. He explained, "After playing with lots of different monofilaments over the past 15 years, I've found that softer versions of this string type offer a higher degree of comfort and maybe a slightly better return of energy to the ball, but only for a short period of time, which is then followed by noticeable tension loss. On the contrary, firmer monofilaments seem to offer better tension maintenance, along with lower levels of both power and comfort. That said, my impression of the new Head Lynx Tour is that it lies somewhere between those two extremes. It was firm and its tension maintenance was better than average, but it also provided me with a response that kept me out of the way of any discomfort."

"I was able to keep this string in my racquet for around 10 to 12 hours of play," said Chris. "Beyond that, I was wanting the control of a fresh set. When hitting with spin, I was still able to get ample control out of Lynx Tour, but on flatter shots, the ball could fly on me a little toward the end. I found the string to remain comfortable, and it never got brassy like some poly-based strings can after being in the racquet an extended time."

Overall - Score: 88