I recently acquired a stringless Big Deal in a trade, so I spun a couple of thin homebrew polyesters to last me until I found a suitable Flea string. The main problem I had with my homebrews was that my string was nowhere near thick or dense enough to give any manner of control in string play, much less with tricks like whips and slacks.
Soon, I happened across Buddy Jim’s string shop, and, having dealt with him before, I knew he was a maker of quality string for a quality price. Luckily, he had recently started making Flea strings, so I ordered a pack each of Humbodlt and Truck Driving fleas and he threw in a pack of Emeralds for testing purposes.
Look and Feel:
From left to right: Humboldt Flea, Emerald Flea, Truck Driving Flea
Overall - Unfortunately, the pictures don’t do the string justice at all, because I didn’t have time during lunch to get the lighting right. :-\ However, in my opinion Buddy Jim’s strings have the most consistently appealing color combinations of any string I’ve had the opportunity to play. His combinations are incredibly varied and unique, to the point that every time I go to open a new pack from him and glance at the colors listed on the front I catch myself thinking, “oh, these colors will be a disaster”. They never are. The fact that each combo seems better than the last never ceases to amaze me.
Truck Driving - The Truck Drivers are the brightest yellow strings I’ve ever had the opportunity to play with. If you want strings that you won’t have any trouble seeing whatsoever, which can be handy when talking about thin flea strings, then these are the ones to go for. They are smooth, but not very soft, and feel somewhat stiff, almost wiry. As I personally prefer softer strings, these aren’t my favorite, but they definitely have their place and many will prefer them.
Looks: 4/5 (in my admittedly entirely subjective and possibly random rating system)
Feel: 3/5
Humboldts - These are a great combination of red, orange, and blue that is easy to see and pleasing to the eye. To my hands, they feel the softest of the 3 types listed here, which is a definite plus in my book.
Looks: 4/5
Feel: 5/5
Emeralds - This is probably the best looking string color combination I’ve ever seen (though many will doubtless disagree with my very humble personal opinion :P). They are a gorgeous combination of black, light green, and lavender that more than makes up in visual appeal what it lacks in visibility (unless you’re in a bright and light-colored environment, in which case they’re perfect). They are much softer than the Truck Drivers, but not quite as soft as the Humboldts.
Looks: 5/5
Feel: 4/5
Performance:
Overall - I noticed a few things about these strings in general when compared to regular-sized Buddy Jims. First, they do not seem to maintain good tension as well as their larger cousins, but this is likely a universal trait of flea strings. Second, they last just as long as normal Buddy Jims, which are some of the longest lasting strings I’ve played (every one I’ve owned are still in active use). Third, these strings are obviously not as good at whips and slacks as normal-sized strings, but again, this is universal, and they whip much better than my homebrews due to their increased thickness and density. Fourth, all three strings “controlled” much better than my homebrews. By this I mean that my strings were difficult to manage during string tricks, and never seemed to be where I needed them to be, which really hurt my string trick accuracy in even simple tricks, but the Buddy Jims performed like strings should perform, and landed where I expected them to, when I expected them to, if that makes any sense at all.
Truck Driving - These had the longest break-in time of the 3 types I received, by a factor of at least 4, but that may partially be due to my preferences for a softer, more broken-in string, and once broken in a bit, they play like champs. Tension maintenance seemed very slightly worse than the other 2 blends, somehow. Whips and slacks were good, for a flea string. Great string, but probably my least favorite of the 3.
Break-in Quickness: 3/5
Tension Maintenance: 2.5/5
Whips, Slacks: 2.5/5
Longevity: 5/5
Humboldts - These basically come broken in, and play at their best within minutes, yet maintain their playability for longer than my test lasted (and the first one I used is still going very strong). Very soft strings, but that didn’t seem to affect their playability negatively at all. Whips and slacks were better than Truck Driving in my opinion, and about as good as Emeralds. I was very surprised at how well these and the Emeralds performed whips - I wasn’t expecting to catch any whips at all on the Big Deal’s tiny gap, but with a bit of practice I was hitting them about as well as I could expect for a yoyo with a diameter the size of a quarter.
Break-in Quickness: 5/5
Tension Maintenance: 3/5
Whips, Slacks: 2.85/5
Longevity: 5/5
Emeralds - Though the Humboldts are softer, these are definitely my favorites of the 3 blends. Not being quite as soft as the Humboldts seemed to give them a slightly sturdier feel, which was ideal for me in such a small string. They break in very quickly as well, and maintain their playability as long as the other two types. Whips were as good as I plan to experience from a flea string.
Break-in Quickness: 5/5
Tension Maintenance: 3/5
Whips, Slacks: 3/5
Longevity: 5/5
In conclusion, though I haven’t played any “official” flea strings, I would definitely recommend Buddy Jim’s flea strings to any one wanting great flea performance for a proportionally tiny price. Also, if you haven’t tried his regular strings, I highly recommend you give them a shot, if for no other reasons than the above-average, consistent performance, low price, and surprisingly great-looking color combinations. Thanks Jim!
If you have any questions or constructive criticism about the review, let me know, and I’ll do my best to respond!
