I hear this question almost every week at the stringing bench from clients. “What’s the cheapest string you can put in my racquet that won’t feel like I’m downgrading?” It’s usually juniors stringing every couple of weeks, competitive breaking strings regularly, or players who’ve felt the premium co-polys and don’t want to go back to something dead and boardy just to save a few pounds.
So I got five budget monofilament polys to try on court looking at shape, stiffness and tension behavior against what I’d expect from a much more expensive string. Here’s what is on the list, plus a few other notable mentions.
My top 5 budget polys
| String | Construction | Gauge Options | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis Hexa Infinite Black | Hexagonal monofilament co-polyester | 1.23mm, 1.30mm | Defined edge for spin without sacrificing stability |
| Signum Pro Plasma Hextreme | Hexagonal monofilament co-polyester | 1.25mm, 1.30mm | Hex shape without the usual harshness |
| Kirschbaum Max Power | Round monofilament co-polyester | 1.20mm, 1.25mm, 1.30mm | Consistent, no-surprises full-bed poly |
| MSV Focus HEX Ultra | Hexagonal monofilament co-polyester | 1.10mm–1.30mm | Spin-hungry players wanting strong tension holding |
| Topspin Cyber Flash | Round monofilament co-polyester | 1.20mm, 1.25mm, 1.30mm | Cheaper equivalent to Luxilon/RPM/Kirschbaum |
1. Genesis Hexa Infinite
Construction: Hexagonal monofilament co-polyester Gauge options: 1.23mm, 1.30mm Colours: Black, red, yellow, blue Best for: Players wanting a defined edge for spin without sacrificing stability
This one is popular with coaches in my network, who want something affordable that still feels premium. The hex profile is doing the heavy lifting here, and although on the firmer side it offers a ton of spin and control is excellent. Genesis have brought it into budget territory.
The medium stiffness rating means it doesn’t feel like a plank right off the reel. Where it earns its keep is in tension holding: it’s built to resist the early tension dropoff where often cheaper polys go dead within a week. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a truly spin-capable string but doesn’t want to pay premium prices. Personally I like the thinner profile, 1.23mm gauge best and honestly it performs as good if not better than most premium polys in the same category.
Read our review of the Genesis Infinite Blue 1.23.
2. Signum Pro Plasma Hextreme
Construction: Hexagonal monofilament co-polyester Gauge options: 1.25mm, 1.30mm Colour: Orange Best for: Players who find hex polys too harsh and want the shape without the stiffness
This is probably the softest of the hex-shaped strings on this list although it is by no means a ‘soft’ poly. Signum Pro have made their name on control-first strings and Plasma Hextreme is no exception. The three attributes they rely on (control, tension holding, spin) are definitely reflected on court. Where it shines is comfort, it’s considerably more arm friendly than most shaped strings I’ve strung, which is usually the trade off you pay more for. Spin and control are honestly up there with most shaped polys I have tried. The standout for me is the tension holding, I reckon I got well north of 10-12 hours before I noticed any significant drop off.
3. Kirschbaum Max Power
Construction: Round monofilament co-polyester Gauge options: 1.20mm, 1.25mm, 1.30mm Colour: Grey Best for: Players who want an honest, no-surprises poly that plays consistently for its whole lifespan
Amongst stringers, Kirschbaum’s budget round polys have a reputation for punching above their weight and Max Power is a clean example. This is the least flashy string in the list, but most of my clients don’t want “flashy.” They want something that plays well after several heavy hitting sessions. It is such a balanced string for me, control, spin and tension holding are all top notch and arguably are as good as any premium round poly.
What surprised me is that it offers decent power at the same time. Usually a control focussed string sacrifices quite a bit of power but this string seems to do it all. Pound for pound it really is one of the best value strings out there. I have used this mostly full bed, but have on occasion combined it with a medium firm shaped poly. Just a word of caution, it is probably one of the firmer strings on my list, so do factor that in if you have sensitive arms!
4. MSV Focus HEX Ultra
Construction: Hexagonal monofilament co-polyester Gauge options: 1.10mm–1.30mm Colours: Black, White Best for: Spin-hungry players who still want strong tension retention
MSV offers a few decent polys and most represent good value. You can pick up a reel for around fairly cheaply in most online stores. Spin and tension holding are the standout features. Control: The hex edges bite the ball quite a bit on heavy topspin swings. It held its tension through testing better than I would have expected from something at this price.
Control is pretty decent overall. Again one of the firmer strings on the list so if you’re arm-sensitive I’d hybrid this with a softer cross rather than run it as a full bed in most cases. That said, I have tested this full bed mostly and the MSV Focus HEX Ultra is still one of my most requested strings.
5. Topspin Cyber Flash Silver
Construction: Round monofilament co-polyester Gauge options: 1.20mm, 1.25mm, 1.30mm Colours: Red, Silver Best for: Players who’ve liked Luxilon, Babolat RPM or Kirschbaum but want a cheaper equivalent.
I chose this one specifically because it has been compared to the bigger poly names and that comparison holds up fairly well on the court. I would describe it as a very good mid-stiff control-and-spin poly at a fraction of the cost of the strings against which it’s often compared. Spin and control would be the standout features and for me plays better than Alu Power which would be in a similar category.
Just one slight drawback which is why it ranks 5th on list is tension holding which I would describe as average but on a par with Alu Power. Given you can pick up a reel for about a 3rd of the price I think it is a solid option to save some cash.
Other Notables
There are a few others that didn’t quite make the top five, but are worth knowing about:
Polyfibre Tour Player – round monofilament with a spin/control/power profile so a good balance. Compares well with most premium round polys at a fraction of the price. Tension holding is good without being standout.
Kirschbaum Flash Orange – important to note that this is actually a round copolyamide, not a copolyester like the rest of this list. This gives it more of a soft, elastic feel closer to a hybrid than a pure poly, but still offers above average tension holding. Spin is as good as any round premium poly and achieves a good balance of power and control.
Still In Black HTS Anthracite – hexagonal monofilament with control/spin/tension-holding focus. A neat alternative to the above hex strings (though less well known). Despite the shaped profile, control is excellent. A little on the firm side, but I mainly playtested the thinner gauge and didn’t cause any arm sensitivity for me.
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Final thoughts
I appreciate that a lot of players will still want to go for the bigger brand names and in a lot of cases they do offer some standout options. But for the vast majority of club and league players, and especially for anyone restringing several racquets a month, these setups get you a big chunk of the performance for a fraction of the cost.
That’s pretty much what most of my clients are actually after, especially if they are buying their own reels and handing over to me to string. Parents of juniors who are breaking strings on a regular basis want something a little kinder on the wallet so these are the strings I often direct them to.
