String & Racket Finder
Dunlop tennis strings compared
Every Dunlop string bed on the bench — 10 setups rated across eight axes, including arm friendliness, which is the axis most string charts leave out.
How the range scores
Across these 10 beds the range averages 6.4 for spin and 7.2 for arm friendliness. Its strongest axes are power (7.7) and feel (7.2); its weakest is control (flat) (5.6). That makes it unusually kind to the arm for a modern range. 1 of the 10 are named hybrids rather than full beds. Gauges represented: 1.22 · 1.25 · 1.26 · 1.27 · 1.30 mm.
Compare these strings in the finder →Ratings
Each row is a string bed rather than a reel: a full bed of one string, or a named hybrid. Axes are spin, power, control (flat), precision, feel, sound, longevity, arm friendliness, each rated 0–10.
| String | Setup | Spin | Pwr | Ctrl | Prec | Feel | Snd | Life | Arm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DUNLOP Black Widow 1.26 | full bed | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 4 |
| DUNLOP Explosive Bite 1.27 | full bed | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| DUNLOP Explosive Tour 1.25 | full bed | 8 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 4 |
| DUNLOP Explosive Speed 1.25 | full bed | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| DUNLOP Iconic All 1.30 | full bed | 4 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 9 |
| DUNLOP Iconic Speed 1.25 | full bed | 5 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 9 |
| DUNLOP Iconic Touch 1.30 | full bed | 4 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 9 |
| DUNLOP Silk 1.22 | full bed | 6 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 9 |
| DUNLOP Synthetic S-Gut 1.25 | full bed | 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 9 |
| DUNLOP Synthetic S-Gut 1.25 | TOROLINE O-Toro | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
Swipe the table sideways for the remaining columns.
Matching a string to your racket
A string only makes sense in a frame. A stiff polyester in an already stiff, powerful racket is the most common cause of arm trouble in club tennis, and the same string in a flexible control frame can be excellent. The finder scores the pairing rather than the string alone.