I never really cared about strings, I have a million of them from years and never really pay attention to it, do not even remember the brands as I use the same strings until it basically explode but, in those months, I had the chance to try some different ones and I started noticing the differences mostly for tension and very complicated tricks.
It all actually started when I tried the Yoyofriends strings (which came with the Shortcut), probably the best strings I have ever tried, sadly cause the Covid situation I can’t order them and even in “normal” times it will takes ages to arrive from there to UK, the string was fast, soft and kept the tension so well, never experienced something like that before also the string lasted soooo greatly also under a very humid weather where I was in Italy, when I had to waste it, it was a sad moment as I did not had any backup.
I did took a little pack of 10 of kitty fat as I can see them are quite a “standard” but I do not like them a lot to be really honest, the tension doesn’t hold properly and the string is gone after couple of hours of serious playing, I still have it on but is not great at all, I have to check the tension all the time and is quite unreliable on slacks and similar.
I remember time ago at a yoyo meeting in London, I tried the Airetics and that was another amazing product but sadly I see they stopped to produce them.
I would like please some advices on strings, your favourites, the one that old most the tension, the fast one and durable but only “cheap” where for cheap I mean not boutique, products that I can find in ever shop around the world!
If you want something that will literally always feel new though… Markmont strings are nuts. They are coarser on the hands but damn dude, it’s crazy how long those mf’s last.
I’ve tried some bulk strings lately, here’s my personal ranking:
Aceyo strings: halfway between fat and normal thickness best quality price ratio
MonkeyFinger Vines: last long, high quality
YYSL Plutonium: not really cheap, but superior quality
Topyo strings: soft, cheap
Sochi: a bit too rough for my taste, normal thickness does not hold torsion very well
Kitty: rough, not my cup of tea
KnotBad: imo they’re in fact bad
ive tried the old kitty bulk for years but they are too soft for my liking but they are good on slacks and suicide tricis in few throws until it frays out quickly, never tried the new version since it was too pricey until I tried sochi and project44 strings.
These two are my go to bulk string for my magicyoyo n12 for just 20 bucks and you can never go wrong with it anywhere.
I was able to try a lot of different strings out because of the Pay it Forward Silenus thread and a few trades that gave me a ton of string to try.
Project44 strings are my favorite.
The string lasts a long time without having any tension issues, feels nice, has tons of tension/thickness options, is on the cheaper end for Bulk and performs slacks/whips/etc well. There’s also no other bulk string that goes as thicc as their thickest string. I like my strings to feel more like rope.
I tried Polo’s string recently. It’s basically just a tighter wound kitty first class string. So once you break it in, it feels like a standard first class. Because of this I would say it lasts longer, and performs better when new. Maybe worth the extra money if that’s your thing.
However, Polo Strings are at $35, I would rather buy Slackies. They’re cheaper and they are way tighter wound.
Thanks so much guys for the help and the answers, in my local online shop in UK (sorry Yoyoexpert, I do love you so much but is hard to buy everything from America cause the shipping cost) I can choose between:
Sochi: all the types (fat, normal, xl)
Alphaline String
Kitty first class: (fat, normal, xl, which I would like to avoid as I tried them already and not that in love)
sOMEThING Neon String - Type 1
SLACKiES Pro String (come only in pack of 50)
What I would like is something that is “soft” but still very fast (like the Yoyofriend strings lol I know I am obsessed) and also I like fat strings, I am not a fan of thin strings, I do not why but a larger diameter make me more focused and I like more the feeling, also I would like only one colour and not mixes, only neon yellow as it’s my favourite!
Some nylon strings are very soft like badwolfeco and ziplines. For polys, project 44, alphaline, yoyo garden, strings, aceyo ones and yysl are pretty good!
I have some extra and I’m based in Uk too, lemme know if you want to try!
Hi Niki, thanks a lot I would love to try some also those yysl, the only bad point is that all those strings have to be bought in USA for us as the options in Uk are the ones I listed over there in my latest post, I wanted to have something “safe” close to home to take it quickly every time I am in need without also add to the order other items
Heard great stuff about them in general but hard to find in europe sadly, I have to go with what I can find here as strings are something for “everyday use” and it’s impossible to order new yoyos and stuff every time I need strings (still wish I can do that )
another for YYSL, great texture, consistent and long lasting. monkeyfinger vines i use for more as a ‘bulk’ string, but i wouldn’t consider it that. a bit coarser, resilient and can be had for a good price.
I have both Alphaline and Project 44. AL is a but stiffer/course, but it’s a solid choice. My favorite atm is P44. I actually bought the Fat and the regular since some of my throws respond better with a thicker string, some with a thinner one. Most notably, the Free Solo wasn’t happy with the thicker string, but came alive with the regular. I didn’t like the thinness at first, but now it’s part of the throw’s character.
What’s interesting is the FS finally made me take note of the gap width. I used to not care, but I was getting frustrated with how snaggy it was with the thicker strings, yet the Thorn was fantastic. Finally widened my aperture, and the FS is back on plane.
Anyway, Project 44 gets my vote. 10% nylon and is under $20 for 100.
Kitty First Class Fat (XL is also nice) is my favorite string at the moment. WAYYYYY better than standard Kitty. it has 2 different areas of twist, one is looser around the bearing, and the other is the standard torsion twist along the length of the string. the little bit of extra looseness around the bearing means the string holds neutral torsion way longer than most other strings ive tried.
Alphaline is my #2, might move back into #1 now that they have white.
I was alphaline only for a long time, but wanted White, so I tried Kitty FC. Now Kitty FC is all I use.
runner up would be Yoyofriends bulk string. I’ve bought a few of their yoyos and the string is always really nice inside, actually lasted longer than other strings i had tried. but when I bought a 10 pack to test on other yoyos the consistency in twist was pretty poor so I never tried more. If they’ve got QC issues sorted, thats a good one to look at too.
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