Around two months ago, I was contacted by Rhylan Morgan, who wanted to send me a choice of Dead Threads string from his lineup. I've never been one to like writing reviews, especially brief impressions, but I informed him that I was going to, and that I was going to test it as thoroughly as I could, for however long it took, until they were quite literally dead. What I have here has been a long time in the making, and leads to as honest review as I can give you.
I hate most homemade strings, let's get that out of the way. I've been sent blends of whatever/whatever, different thicknesses and stiffnesses, and godawful colors to conclude that I simply can not stand specialty string. While varying in how elaborately they reach it, they all achieve simply horrid, sloppy, overly-whippy play. Even normal poly seems to get messed up, wether through their wind or whatever thread they buy. While not devoid of its flaws, I simply find bulk poly string superior. This is one of the things that keeps me away from reviews; I used to do them, but I find that I'd rather not subject myself to it.
Rhylan's selection included normal and thick versions of polyester and nylon, as well as cotton. I chose the thick poly, under the moniker "Tiger Poly." I figured that due to my obsession with eliminating slip, liking a really smooth toss and hard bite, that it was me best option, and turned out to be something I was eager to use. Shortly after my selection, I received an envelope from Rhylan.
What I received was five white strings. I liked this already; he sent me enough to do an actual review of the product (there have been times where I've received /one/), and it didn't have some fancypants color to distract me or reduce visibility. They were also very very long and untied, giving me the option to set them up exactly as I liked. If this is how he presents his products to actual buyers, perhaps with the addition of better packaging, then I'm a fan. So far everything has been no frills, straight to the point.
Compared to a run-of-the-mill bulk poly string, these ones are certainly thicker. They are smooth and soft, which is a relief considering I'm used to getting stiff and overtightened strings. In my hand so far, they feel like what I have been using as my go-to, except better.
To get the best idea of how these strings would perform on a wide variety of yoyos, I chose five that varied in response, bearing and shape/weight:
-C bearing 3yo3 CMA: one of my most thrown yo-yos. Heavy, requires a thick string or constant replacement.
-A bearing C3 Sceptre: my most thrown yoyo, daily carry. Moderate, and can keep a string playing well for a long period because of its small gap.
-D Bearing SPYY Pistolero v.2: Textured gen pad response, very aggressive and needy.
-C bearing CLYW Chief: Figured I’d use this since it’s becoming pretty darn common, and gives a “competition yoyo” perspective.
-Metric C ILYY Fury: Worn response, so works as a test to see if Tiger strings can rejuvenate a slippy yoyo.
I played these string near exclusively for months. I was considering writing this review linearly. I'm reconsidering because, due to school and an irregular playing period, it'd be too convoluted to be read in a decent fashion. I'll write it categorically:
[b]What I thought about the thickness:[/b]
When I put these strings on my yoyo for the first time, they filled up the gap very nicely. I knew what to expect, but I was still pretty surprised when the string started to overflow out of the gap on my CMA and Sceptre. It felt nice at the slipknot and in the hand.
On a first throw, there was absolutely zero slip. The yo-yos rolled right off my hand and to the bottom of the string without a thunk. The Chief and Fury had a bit of a bump at the end, but I'm obsessing over it, so I choose to call it good enough (there's a reason I don't play C bearing and slim response yo-yos much). Binds were a bit sloppy when done normally, and required a touch of extra attention. For the time being, I was fine, knowing that these were brand new, and not broken in. I kept playing them until they gave in a bit more. I'd say this period was a day, but with a few hours of play I predict any other player would break them in. Then again, I was breaking in 5 at a time…
I was granted a nice solid spin, without the dreaded clunk from a harder throw, and binds were a satisfying bite and snap. More attention is required to operate a yoyo with thick string, lest you want to get snagged up, but anyone giving a crap about specialty strings should know this already and be aware of how to deal with it. I compare my Sceptre and Pistolero with this string to a standard transmission car: if you're doing something wrong, it's going to beat the crap out of you and make you frustrated, but if you know what you're doing, it's rewarding and far superior to most anything a loosey goosey wide gapped yoyo can offer.
[b]How was the tension?[/b]
At first, like most new strings, the tension was a bit iffy. It required constant correction during the early period. While this can sometimes be chalked up as being the user and the tricks they do, but these strings certainly required more attention than my normal poly strings. I was also concerned when the loop around the bearing began to open up. I feared that this would continue, and cause iffy play.
Luckily, however, this was not the case, and as the string wore, it sweetened up and required less poking around to keep it at an operable tension. I'd say it's the same as regular poly.
[b]They're lasting for a pretty long time:[/b]
At this point in time, two months after first getting these strings, three out of five are still in working condition. One snapped after a particularly chaotic day on multiple yoyos and the other is frayed enough that I don't want to play it all that much anymore. All of them are fuzzy and grey, but they still work.
I've noticed something fantastic about these strings, after playing them this long. They still don't let the yoyo thunk at the end of a throw, even though they are fully worn. My normal choice of string starts life at an okay thickness, but descends to a sloppy level after a few days, and an intolerable one after a week (read: of irregular play). These Tiger Poly strings, however, start almost a touch too thick, and possess a temper, but as they wear, their "thin" point is still thick enough to operate very well, ensuring that they are used happily for a longer period. Because of this, I'm very satisfied with them.
New Tiger, worn Tiger, and YYE poly. The Tiger is still much thicker than the YYE poly even in this state
[b]tl:dr I'm wrapping this up[/b]
All in all, I've been very surprised by the play of these strings. While my views on yoyo play might not be the most agreeable for most, my hypothesis regarding thick string and how it benefits the player, both on a throw, and through longevity, has been confirmed. It's taken this long for a string to become unusable, and it was because it broke, not because I grew irritated by it. I didn't need to replace it to get a smoother throw, even if it wasn't worn to a fray yet. They stuck in there and worked like they should, and kept me happy all throughout. If you're willing to subject yourself to something that might be a bit more temperamental but rewarding (or satisfying and relieving if you're actually good enough to "drive stick"), then I really suggest trying out Dead Threads Tiger Poly, or any other thicker poly string. Give it a shot, you might find it to work better in the long haul, and could replace your thin, stiff, or otherwise sloppy string.