I’ve been using YYSL since the company’s inception going from Type 2 to X to Venom as my preferred options. My only gripe is that I wish they held tension slightly better and played slightly faster, but I never found anything I liked nearly as much so I’ve just been using Venom for probably 10 years. Have used Ammo and didn’t care for the thickness. I’ve varied between neon yellow, neon orange and white over the years and have wanted to switch back to white recently and figured I’d try out some Zipline given the rave reviews it gets. Purchased Skyline III, Executive Class Lite, .20/20 Keiran Cooper/Paul Harness and Business Class, all in white.
Skyline III:
If you’ve played nylon string, you probably know what to expect here. A fast playing string that shows effectively no wear after the ~90 minutes I’ve put into it so far. The poly component slows it down a little bit which is definitely more to my personal preference and I suspect also makes it a bit softer. A string’s ability to hold tension throughout a play session is very important to me, and Skyline III performs very well in this regard. Overall: 8.5/10
Executive Class Lite
Someone actually sent me one of these in a BST deal so I was already playing with it for hours before I got my Zipline order. I don’t really know what I could say to do this string justice because it’s absolutely perfect for what I’m looking for in a string. Slower than Skyline, but only in that it makes play feel more predictable and better. Much faster than poly with much better and more consistent slacks and whips regardless of whether I was throwing on a highwall organic or competition oriented throw. Very soft on the hands. I’ve probably put over 4 hours in on one string and it shows basically no wear. It holds string tension better than any string I’ve ever used. Without a doubt purchasing more Executive Class Lite in the future, and it’s my favorite string I’ve ever used without question. If you like a very fast string, you would likely prefer Skyline III. For me however, this string gets a 9.9/10.
Update
I bought a lot more. I’ve yet to actually use one up despite having bought the initial pack a month ago and having it on the yoyos I play the most which is impressive. Orange plays every bit as well as white.
.20/20 Keiran Cooper/Paul Harness
The one I strung up might have just been a dud. In around 45 minutes of play I was never able to keep the tension feeling good for more than a couple minutes. And I’m not talking a couple twists, I’m talking perfect tension to looking like you just threw a 15 second UFO trainwreck tension. The string is notably rough on the fingers during play relative to the previous 2 and what I’m used to from YYSL. It’s thin for my preference, which actual gave me some hope that I might like it for semi-responsive play, but the string was just far too unenjoyable. If I liked the thickness and feel of the string, I’d have strung up another to see if it was a bunk string but after 45 minutes I just couldn’t endure any more. Overall: 1/10. I didn’t suffer any serious injuries while using this string, and for that I am thankful and award it 1 point.
Update
Finally got around to trying another one of these and the experience is much better. No string tension issues whatsoever. I’m currently playing it on a responsive yoyo so I can’t speak to how well loops open in suicides, but my second impression is markedly better than the first. For the purposes of playing on a narrow gap responsive yoyo, I find this string quite nice in how it plays. However, I strongly prefer the softness of the Business Class. I will give this string some time on an unresponsive yoyo to really put it through the paces and see what it can do later before putting it back on the responsive yoyo to see how long it takes to wear out.
Business Class
While thin like the previous string, this one is quite pleasant to play. Smooth on the fingers, and after a brief break in period it held tension quite well, allowing for consistent slacks and whips. I do like thinner strings for some yoyos, so I’ll definitely put the rest of these to use. Only reason I don’t have more to say about this one is that it feels like a remarkably better version of the previous string and because the Executive Class Lite is so exceptional. Overall, 7.5/10
Update
Used one string for over 2 weeks on a narrow gap responsive yoyo (Bee GT) which was the yoyo I was exclusively throwing before the string was looking absolutely ragged. I liked how it played on unresponsive yoyos, but I adored how it played on the responsive yoyo. Just for fun, I’ll throw the string in with a load of laundry to see if it has any life left. As an application specific string for responsive play, I’d rate it higher than I did previously as it suits my preferences very well.
While 1 of the 4 was a disappointment, I can absolutely see what the hype is about, especially with the 2 nylon/poly blends. I don’t think Skyline III would have replaced Venom for me but the Executive Class Lite certainly looks like it will as there’s nothing bad I can say about it after a solid amount of play time. The premium price is well worth having a string that feels truly perfect.