Pictures courtesy of Mark Montgomery’s website (I found a link to it through his Instragram page):
My Thoughts:
So, you may or may not know that I am very picky when it comes to strings. Call me a critic, but I know what I like. I don’t buy boutique or bulk strings, and never have. I’ve been spinning my own strings since I got back in to throwing [about two years ago], and I will occasionally trade my strings for other people’s strings [both home-spun and store bought].
That is how I came across these strings, actually. @gcoomans got some of these in the mail, and I actually wanted to trade him a few of my home-spun strings for one of the Markmont stickers that these came with. He was down to trade, and threw in a couple of the strings too.
Now, String making is a passion of mine, and for that reason I can appreciate strings made from other makers for a few reasons, including:
- The time and effort it took to make them
- The effort in developing unique colors and/or recipes
- The care put into packaging/branding
- Consistent quality
But just because I can recognize and appreciate these qualities, doesn’t necessarily mean that I am in love with the product. This has been my overwhelming conclusion with other strings. At least, until I strung one of these up…
These Cumulus Foam strings are freaking. Awesome. What I love about them- They:
- Are bright and visible
- Retain a good amount of energy put into them for whips and slacks. In other words, they pack a punch.
- Are durable/ long lasting
- Come plenty long enough
- Are soft on the fingers
- Don’t feel snaggy on the bearing
They are on the thinner side, which I thought would be a problem: but they play like fatter strings. It’s actually pretty incredible. Them being thinner also makes them nice for denser tricks that require a lot of string wraps in the gap.
In the gap on the bearing, they are nice and slick. They play an awful lot like nylon or nylon/poly blends, but they are 100% polyester! I usually steer clear of full poly strings, because they just feel… lifeless. Like, I feel like I have to force them to do what I want them to do; especially when it comes to hooks, whips and slacks. These? These strings don’t give me any lip. If I tell them to hook, they hook***. If I tell them to slack, they slack. If I tell them to whip, all it takes is a slight flick of the wrist; not a full blown, forced whipping motion with my whole arm. Very reminiscent of nylon in that respect.
The durability is nice too. I’ve been playing one of these for about a week and a half, and it doesn’t even feel close to being worn out.
They feel like poly, but they perform like a blend. They are the perfect combination of old school feel and high performance.
These are probably the only strings I have tried from another maker that I would consider buying on a regular basis. Excellent work @Markmont!!
***Disclaimer: I still cannot do shotgun beefhook. So I’m not claiming that they are magic or anything haha
I’m looking forward to these more!
