Breakdown

Power: 8.8

Most strings tend to focus on either power or control, usually at the cost of the other. This proved to be the case for ISOSPEED Energetic, which leaned much more toward outright power. For Munish, taming this string's power was key to getting the most out of it. He explained, "I found ISOSPEED Energetic quite powerful. I strung it up in my Wilson RF 01 Pro at a higher tension, which helped with the control. I was able to hit my targets both on groundstrokes and serves, but I struggled to dial in my volleys, so I hybrided this string with an ISOSPEED favorite, Cream. With Cream in the crosses and Energetic in the mains, I got a lot more control. I was able to be much more precise, and the power really complemented my game style."

Oak felt Energetic encouraged a power-based playstyle, but he felt differently about the string in a hybrid setup. He said, "For each section of this string review, I will talk about the string on its own in a full bed and in a hybrid setup with ISOSPEED Cream. I found excellent power with a full bed of Energetic. I really enjoyed how easy it was to generate depth and power through balls, with decent levels of precision. A full bed definitely felt much more power-oriented, and at times I felt like I couldn't shape balls back down into the court. A hybrid setup is where this string really starts to shine for me. The spin from a more spin-friendly string is rounded out quite nicely by the plush feel from Energetic as either a cross or main. The feel of the hybrid bed was exceptional, and I felt like I could shape balls back down into the court or flatten out my strokes."

Spin: 7.4

Our two string testers would have both appreciated more access to RPMs from ISOSPEED Energetic, especially in a full-bed setup. This string just didn't provide the level of spin production Oak has come to rely on, especially on his forehand side. He said, “A full bed of Energetic primarily lacked in the spin department, which definitely made it harder for me to use. Thankfully, it wasn't in the bottom tier of spin production in a full bed, and the string's spin capability could be accessed, although not super easily. The hybrid setup allowed me to utilize whatever kind of spin I wanted in any given situation."

Munish thought Energetic topped out when he was looking for extra ball rotation, even in a hybrid setup, thus limiting his shot-making at times. He noted, "Energetic is not the most spin-friendly multifilament I have played with. I really had to whip the racquet around to get some topspin on my shot. With the hybrid, I found that the spin potential had improved, but only slightly. There wasn't much snapback between Cream and Energetic."

Feel: 8.5

ISOSPEED Energetic featured impressive comfort and responsiveness for our testers, both on its own and in a hybrid setup. Munish found Energetic a tad too muted in a full bed and preferred its feel in a hybrid. He described, "The string felt comfortable, both full bed and hybrid. In the hybrid, I was getting a more 'connected' feel for the ball than in the full bed, which wasn't surprising to me. The multifilament takes a lot of the shock away but also makes the stringbed muted, and I think the poly really helped counter that problem."

Oak also enjoyed Energetic's feel in both setups, loving the pocketing in a full bed and reveling in the easy depth when in a hybrid setup. He said, "The string featured a phenomenal amount of comfort strung as a full bed. I really like how the ball pockets with this string, and if you are a flatter hitter, I can see how this would feel great upon impact. The feel on the full bed was pretty good, but it didn’t have the ability to shape balls exactly to my liking, particularly on my forehand side. Once again, the hybrid setup is where Energetic truly shone. The feel when mixed with a poly is exceptional, almost perfectly in that Goldilocks realm of having great touch, power, spin and reliability all at once."

Playability Duration: 8.8

Somewhat surprisingly for our team, the durability and tension maitenance of ISOSPEED Energetic held up very well (in all setups). Oak was taken aback by how long this string lasted, especially since his uppercut forehand motion tends to saw through softer strings quickly. He explained, “The durability of a full bed of Energetic surprised me. I was expecting to break these in a full bed, but I wasn’t able to in either my Wilson Pro Staff Six.One 95 18x20 or my Prince ATS Textreme Tour 98. The feel and comfort also held up quite nicely in the full bed, with ample plushness lasting throughout the playtest. Although hybrids are typically known to break more quickly (especially with a stiffer poly paired with a softer string), I didn't snap my hybrid setup in my Yonex VCORE 95 or in my ATS Textreme Tour 98. The durability was outstanding, and the playability maintained itself very well."

For Munish, this string proved to be more durable than anticipated. He said, "Energetic held up very well in terms of tension maintenance. On the other hand, the hybrid started seeing a little bit of notching, and I was worried that the string might break. Upon further investigation, I found that it was the ribbon wrapping that had started flaking, but the string itself was fine. I don't think it really affected my play."

Breakdown Summary