Babolat RPM Rough String Review

Control - Score: 65 / Power - Score: 62

Our team found RPM Blast Rough to have above average elasticity and power for a polyester-based monofilament, making it great for the player who wants, or needs, a more user-friendly control string. Unfortunately, our two advanced players had some trouble controlling the power. Andy explained, "This is a pretty powerful option compared to other polyester strings out there. It definitely gives you a little boost off the strings, making it nice for big hitters who want a bit of help generating pace from their stringbed. However, at times the power was a bit erratic, so I didn't find the control that I would've liked for my game. It definitely wasn't as precise-feeling as RPM Blast."

"RPM Blast Rough was more powerful than the co-polys I typically use," said Troy, who eventually ran into some control problems with this string. "The Rough version played noticeably livelier than the original RPM Blast, and I could definitely feel the ball coming off the stringbed with some added zip. I enjoyed the power level right off the stringing machine, but after a few hours of hitting with this string the tension began to drop, and then I found the string to be a bit too lively. Given the higher comfort level, I could probably minimize this problem a little by increasing the tension."

Spin - Score: 90

With its textured surface, RPM Blast Rough gave our team a fairly good grip on the ball. However, according to Troy, it takes more than texture to make a great spin string. He explained, "The added rough texture seemed to provide more grip than the original Babolat RPM Blast. Initially I found a very high level of spin potential, similar to the original Babolat RPM Blast. After 5-7 hours of hitting the strings started notching. Once that happened the main strings weren't snapping back into place as effectively, and the spin decreased. Also, this string has more power than the original RPM Blast. This made it harder for me to take bigger swings because I was worried about the ball flying long. I still got plenty of spin, but the lack of predictability on my fastest strokes made me a little tentative, and that made RPM Blast Rough less spin friendly for me than the original."

Andy had an easier time than Troy generating spin with this lively co-poly. He explained, "The spin potential was good for a lively, textured co-poly string. It grabbed the ball well at impact, slid on itself and sent the ball off to the other side of the net with some pretty good rotation. I could get the ball diving down at the court on my topspin shots and knifing through on my slices. One of the strengths of this string definitely proved to be its easy spin potential."

Comfort - Score: 66

As mentioned above, RPM Blast Rough is more elastic than many of the polyester strings we typically use. The result was that it had more give at impact, making it pretty comfortable for a polyester string. Andy was impressed. He said, "Another strength of this string, compared to other polys, was its arm-friendliness. It's pretty soft and lively so I didn't feel I had to slug the ball like I would with some other polyester strings. Players who like polys but want something a little easier on the arm will be happy with the response of RPM Rough."

Troy all found plenty of comfort, saying, "In comparison to other co-poly strings that I have tested, including the original RPM Blast, this string has better than average comfort. Although I found a similar type of elasticity with ALU Power Rough, Babolat RPM Blast Rough felt more comfortable to me. After testing this string for about five hours the tension dropped significantly, and then the string began to feel more dead and less comfortable."

Feel - Score: 59

There is a reason why many advanced players prefer leather grips, thinner racquet beams and firm polyester strings. These things provide very direct ball feedback, but the downside is more shock on off-center hits. Softer co-polys like RPM Blast Rough do a great job minimizing shock, but they can eventually become too springy or mushy, which leads to a more erratic trajectory (think control problems). For Troy, this softer feel was fine in the beginning, but time eventually took its toll. He said, "When RPM Blast Rough was fresh off the stringing machine I found good elasticity with a predictable stringbed response, and I felt connected to what the ball was doing. After the tension started dropping the strings started to feel too springy and unpredictable, which made it harder for me to control the ball."

"I wasn't a big fan of the feel," said Andy, who clearly lacked the kind of feedback he prefers. "I thought it was a little bit muted, which left me feeling a bit disconnected from the ball as it left the strings. I struggled with precision and finesse because I just never really 'felt' the ball all that well during the playtest. Some players like this disconnected feel, but I prefer a little more responsiveness from my strings."

Playability Duration - Score: 40

Like virtually all the softer co-polyesters we've playtested, RPM Blast Rough gave us some control problems after losing tension. As a result, Andy had to cut it out before it snapped. He explained, "It may be due to its low stiffness (compared to other polys), but I found this string to lose tension and playability quite quickly. I found a noticeable drop in tension after about a week, and then felt the need to cut it out after about 2-3 weeks. This is fairly standard with softer polys like this, but I would've liked a little longer lifespan out of each set."

"RPM Blast Rough has good elasticity and power right off the stringing machine, but at the same time I found it crisp and predictable," said Troy. "Once the tension started dropping this string had a very springy response, and it became less responsive to what I was trying to do. This made it harder for me to control the ball on full swings."

Overall - Score: 65