Weiss Cannon Ultra Cable String Review

Power - Score: 54 / Control - Score: 95

Our team gave Ultra Cable a control score that was nearly off the charts. This string's low power level and ultra predictable response on full swings fit Michelle's game like a glove. She said, "From the first hit, I loved how consistent the stringbed played for me. It was obvious this string was made for players like me who generate their own power and need a lower powered response for a tad more control in their game! I had it strung at 58 lbs in my Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph, and everything was landing where I wanted. The response from the string was low powered and allowed me to hit out with confidence. I also tried Chris' Babolat Pure Drive Plus with the lower tension and it felt great, too. The string really pocketed the ball well, and despite a lower tension there was great control even when paired with his powerful racquet. It was fun to hit out and be aggressive with this string!"

With Ultra Cable, Chris felt like he could drop the ball on a dime. He explained, "I loved the control I had with Ultra Cable. Even strung low down at 46 lbs in my Babolat Pure Drive Plus this string offered enough grab and control for me to feel completely dialed in. On a full cut at the ball I was able to find ample pace while still keeping my shots well within the lines. With just enough power but heavily emphasizing control, this string offered just what I look for. I felt like I could place the ball exactly where I wanted on the court, and do so at full pace if desired."

Spin - Score: 95

For our team, Ultra Cable had massive spin potential, earning it one of the best scores we've ever awarded for spin. It's also one of the best spin strings we've ever tested in our Tennis Warehouse string lab. Needless to say, Chris was beyond impressed. He said, "I loved, loved, loved the spin I found with Ultra Cable. I found a ton of grab on both topspin and slice shots. I was able to hit with additional pace while still maintaining consistency thanks to all of the spin I was generating with Ultra Cable in my racquet. At 46 lbs I found even more spin than at 52 lbs, which is where I typically string playtest string for an initial impression. At the lower tension I was getting a higher launch angle, so I had additional clearance over the net. The massive amount of spin I was getting had the ball dropping well within the lines and kicking up nicely. I was able to knife through my backhand slice and get the ball to skid low and fast after the bounce. Lovely!"

Although she has flatter mechanics, Michelle definitely noticed some extra RPMs with this co-poly. She said, "While I don't access a ton of spin with my strokes and my style of play, I could tell there was lots of spin potential coming out of this string. When I did add extra arc on the ball I was happy with the results, and I found I could get some heavy spin on my balls. I usually enjoy the spin potential of a string because it adds a bit of control to my flatter balls, and this seemed to be true with Ultra Cable."

Comfort - Score: 68

Like most low powered monofilament strings, Ultra Cable has a fairly firm construction -- a feature that can lead to discomfort for beginners, especially if they have a light and stiff racquet. However, for an advanced ball striker like Michelle, this string was comfortable even at higher tensions. She said, "While it isn't for everyone, I'm a fan of tightly strung polys. I usually start playtests with my strings at 57 or 58 lbs, and this was no exception. Usually if a string feels too tight, I will re-evaluate the tension from there, but this string played comfortably firm for me. I had no comfort issues at all. While I can't recommend stringing it that high for everyone, I can say that for anyone who does have a tendency to string their polys higher, this string will prove to be comfortable and shouldn't cause any arm pain. As I mentioned before, I also tried Chris' strings, which were in the low 40s, and they felt really plush and nice on contact. While that isn't my preferred setup for strings, I did enjoy the feel. I also liked that I still had great control and loads of spin at a lower tension."

Chris, who typically plays with a firm poly, had no comfort issues with this co-poly. He said, "Ultra Cable is a stiff co-poly string, and I wouldn't recommend it for beginners or players with arm issues. However, the string played just fine, and I had no undue jarring or shock from my racquet during the test. At 46 lbs I found the string to pocket the ball nicely and offer a more forgiving response. I tend to like stiffer, firmer feeling poly-based strings, so Ultra Cable felt just right for me."

Feel - Score: 88

Our team gave Ultra Cable very high marks for feel. For Chris, this string was crisp and firm without feeling too unforgiving. He explained, "The feel of Ultra Cable was firm and crisp enough to connect me to the ball. I also found enough forgiveness and ball pocketing in Ultra Cable to keep comfort in check and touch shots on target. I felt very in control of the ball when hitting with this string and loved how it connected me to my shots."

Michelle felt completely dialed in with this string. She said, "As I initially mentioned, the first thing I noticed about this string was how consistent it was off the entire stringbed. Some strings play a bit erraticly outside the sweetspot (which sometimes is the racquet's fault), but I felt connected to the ball and confident with my shots with Ultra Cable. I usually have a very small margin for error in my game, but Ultra Cable gave me confidence when going for the lines. I really felt good about flattening out put-aways and going for my shots when this string was in my racquet. I was dialed in and connected to the ball."

Playability Duration - Score: 81

In our string lab, Ultra Cable didn't break any records for tension maintenance -- a distinction it shares with the majority of co-polys we've tested. On the upside, Michelle found the playability to hold up very well despite the inevitable tension loss. She said, "Playability duration was great. I had mine strung at 58 lbs, and it seemed to hold its original playing characteristics better than most strings. Even after two weeks I didn't feel like the string bagged out, and it still played pretty low powered and consistent for me."

"I managed to get two weeks of hitting on Ultra Cable before it lost playability," said Chris, who often removes his polys before they snap. "I didn't have any breakage issues, but I did find control starting to fade. In the third week the string was no longer giving me the same incredible control I had fallen in love with. I have found a similar loss of playability with other poly-based strings at low tensions, so the fact Ultra Cable did the this was not a surprise. I might have been able to get more life from it if I had stayed at 52 lbs, however, I loved the response of Ultra Cable so much at 46 lbs that cutting and restringing every two weeks is worth the investment for me."

Overall - Score: 93