Boutique String Recommendations

Hi, I recently bought sochi fat in bulk (I still need to try first class kitty fat and OTS fat and maybe project 44 string although idk if it is consider bulk or boutique) but I would like to know if there is any boutique string I should try. The only string that I know that is considered boutique, is most of YYSL’s string and sochi x zipline alphaline and I haven’t tried any of the two. If possible, is there any boutique string I should know about that is pretty cheap or possibly on Amazon, also, what are your experiences or opinions with YYSL string and Alphaline (maybe some opinions on first class kitty and OTS bulk string as well as Project 44 string if it’s considered bulk or boutique).

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I have been happy with the YYSL strings that I have used. The Nytro series gets kinda fluffy but is extremely soft. Type X seemed to be kinda rough but performed well.

Alphaline is phenomenal, and by extension so is Zipline.

OT string has been great for me as well. I find the “normal” that came in the kit to be softer than the fat that was sent to me by a friend, but maybe that’s just in my head?

Canopy rope is also fantastic

Pretty sure Alphaline is Zipline’s bulk, no? I love Zipline’s Smoothies and Polyesque, personally. It’s a big preference thing. Perhaps others will chime in with their favorites, but I’ve pretty much only used Zipline stuff.

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Yes they are a collab between Zipline and Sochi to produce bulk.

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I like yysl ammo because I like jd

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I love zipline skyline 3 and throw yo emulsions.

I loved A&A nylon and wish I could get more. Someone else made something close to that feel but I can’t remember who now.

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zipline is fantastic. jeremy makes amazing string and is a super cool dude. alphaline is my choice for responsive because i like the response it delivers on butterflies. for unresponsive it’s executive lites all the way. they are top tier in play, unbelievably soft on the hands, fast but not too fast on whips, and they LAST. i usually get a month of daily play out of each string

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Markmont DRAGON Foam are my favorite

Last forever, hold tension very well. Love them.

I’m biased, but I’ve got several different lines of string that are a bit different.

Check out Throw-Yo Threads!

(all have a damn good lifespan, too!)

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Markmont shop has been down for a bit, unfortunately. Hope it is back soon!

What are your softest strings for general unresponsive play? I love Zipline, but I need to spread the love.

Yeah I don’t have as much experience as others but I’ve tried my fair share of blends and boutique strings and smoothie/polyesque are probably my favorite. I’m not a big fan of nylon anymore after using it exclusively for a while. It can be fun but messes with timings and muscle memory. But that 70/30 poly/nylon is great, best of both worlds imo.

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My softest are the Nectar strings. They’re 100% nylon. The next would be vapors, which are a triolobal/nylon blend.

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I feel like I’ve avoided 100% nylons because they weren’t soft and cut into my finger…can’t remember what string I used that gave me that impression.

nylon should be significantly softer and longer lasting

what do you mean?

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There are different types of nylon out there. Teas are the next step after Vapors as my 3rd softest that use two different nylon threads, one of which would cut your finger off if I made a 100% of it :yo-yo:

TBH. Teas are currently my favorite strings that I make. They have a slight break-in period, but play wonderfully and have a bit of “heft” to them.

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Because of the increased elasticity or whatever you want to call it, the execution of hooks and whips and other slack elements is different.

Like try doing beef hook with a bulk poly and then use a full nylon string.

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oh yea they def play very differently

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And to add to that, I highly encourage any regular nylon users to play any yo-yos they are considering selling with full poly string a bit before deciding.

In my experience it can drastically change how solid or floaty a yoyo feels and just the overall feel of the yoyo in play.

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I’ve played a fair bit of strings and while they perform differently in and of themselves, I’ve never experienced anything i would call a total change in the feel of the yoyo. i will say this though, to me poly feels like I’m trying to sand my skin off :rolling_on_the_floor_laughing:

oh i do wanna edit and say while ive tried other ot and they were ok, i just yesterday tried ot fat courtesy of @SlowThrow and thats some pretty darn soft poly. i wanna try to film some with it since its comfy but also has that visibility that pops! i totally think that the slower speed of poly also helps it look better in video than nylon

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