Gear Guide: Gamma Glide with Live Wire XP

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Gear Guide: Gamma Glide with Live Wire XP

Early in 2014, Gamma released its revolutionary Gamma Glide Cross String, which was all but guaranteed to take your game to the next level with its enhanced spin, power and comfort. Glide is a specialized proprietary super-fluorinated polymer – in other words, it’s super slick. By decreasing friction between the cross strings and main strings, Glide creates “snap back” on contact, resulting in insane spin levels. The beauty of Glide is that it can be used with any main string you choose, but Gamma initially paired it with its Moto polyester string. Great for regular players and frequent string breakers who want power, spin and durability, the combination was a huge hit (check out the review above). Now Gamma has prepackaged Glide with its Live Wire XP multifilament string for an even more comfortable and feel-oriented product. I currently use a similar hybrid, so I was excited to put the Glide/Live Wire XP to the test.

Power/Spin/Control

To put it simply, I am certain I had more spin with this string compared to my normal hybrid of a multifilament and polyester string. I could actually see the ball diving down into the court on my groundstrokes and spin serves alike. Of course, as the spin increased, so did my consistency, as I found I could hit heavy balls with greater net clearance.

The power of the strings was comparable to any poly/multi hybrid that I have used. I had no problems hitting with pace. The big improvement really stemmed from the spin though, as I was able to hit with maximum power and still have the confidence I needed to keep the ball in play.

I was surprised that even after many hours on the court, I did not have to straighten out my strings. This is visual proof of the “snapback” Glide utilizes to create the spin. Also, if you are like me and do not enjoy having to adjust your strings in between every point, this is an added bonus.

Durability

I was very surprised by the durability of the Gamma Glide with Live Wire XP. I expected this particular quality to be the worst part of the string, with Gamma promoting the increased slide of the multifilament over the polymer. I was expecting quick notches to form on the Live Wire. However, this was not the case. It took many hours for the Live Wire to show wear, and they did not notch as expected.

After demoing the string, I researched the Live Wire XP and found it utilized monofilaments as an outer wrap to reduce the notching. This appears to create a perfect pair between the two strings, and left me impressed by the durability of the hybrid.

Feel/Comfort

The Gamma Glide with Live Wire XP had a reasonably soft feel as expected, and I was extremely comfortable playing with it. I often find that power and spin come at the expense of getting great feel on groundstokes, volleys and serves, but that really wasn’t the case with the Glide/Live Wire combination. I strung the racquet tight to my preference (plus, Gamma recommends stringing the Glide 5-10 percent higher than your main strings), so the setup had a crisp feel to it. That said, it was nowhere near the stiffness of a full poly setup.

Overall

The Gamma Glide with Live Wire XP lived up to its expectations. I saw an increase in spin, which brought tangible benefits to my game. The power and comfort were right in line with most similar hybrids, but what really surprised me was the durability. It stood the test of time without sacrificing feel. The strings wore down slowly and did not notch as I thought they would. I came away extremely impressed by the Gamma Glide with Live Wire XP.

Jacob Ledger has been playing tennis for about 10 years and is certified by the PTR as an instructor for 10 & Under as well as adults.

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