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WeissCANNON Jibber-Jabber

This entry was posted in WeissCANNON Strings by GGTennis. Bookmark the permalink.

Over the past two days we have fielded a number of email messages and telephone calls inquiring about the exclusivity of WeissCANNON string products.  The purpose of this post is to have a resource to which those with these questions can be directed.

In short, as players who use them know, WeissCANNON strings are high quality offerings.  The founder of the company, Siegfried Weiss, has been involved in the tennis business for more than 45 years and holds an engineering degree in fibers technology.  The WeissCANNON string offerings which were introduced as a brand in 2006 are constructed/manufactured to his specifications.  They are tested and refined before being introduced to the marketplace under the WeissCANNON brand.  They are authentic WeissCANNON products.  Simply put, WeissCANNON strings are WeissCANNON strings.  No other strings are the same although given the reputation for quality it is easy to understand why lesser brands would want to claim to be of similar or equal quality.  If you truly believe that you can get the same string under a different brand name at a lower cost, we suggest you get it and try it for yourself.  We are confident after your affair with the lesser brand and the inevitable disappointment you will be back.

In message board jibber-jabber there are some anonymous sources who claim to have inside intimate knowledge about the origin of all strings.  While it is true that many string brands are produced in the same factories, it would not necessarily be accurate to claim that because they appear to have similarities that they are the same.  It is something akin to someone claiming that McDonalds Hamburgers are the same quality as you can get at Fuddruckers, only much cheaper.  Well, guess what?  They indeed are both hamburgers but they are definitely not same.

A better analogy might be cars. Chevy Camaros, for instance, are produced on the same assembly line.  The standard coupe comes equipped with a 3.6 liter, V6 engine, 18″ wheels and a standard sound system.  The SS version comes equipped with a 6.2 liter V8 engine, 20″ wheels and a Boston Acoustic Sound System.  Both cars are produced in the same factory.  They have some of the exact same components and they even look very much alike.  Yet, when it comes to performance and the pleasure you are going to get as a driver, they are very different.

Just because someone believes that “string x” comes from the same factory as “string y” it is quite a leap to claim they are the same.  Perhaps they are indeed rolled on the same reel…but what does that really suggest?  The Camaro Coupe and the Camaro SS both have the same body, yet they drive with distinct differences. The performance level is not the same and for that matter neither is the cost.

We just want our customers to be wary of the claims that they have seen on message boards.  Behind the scenes, the tennis string business is extremely competitive and cut-throat.  There are some bad eggs out there.  There is one brand in Europe that is notorious for aggressive guerrilla marketing and other non-flattering business practices. While we can not substantiate the validity of the complaints about this brand, we are aware they exist.  Could the speculation about lesser brands being equal to or the same as WeissCANNON be another product of these guerrilla marketing efforts?  Perhaps.  We don’t really want to go that far, but we would suggest it is a possibility.

The take home message from us is that WeissCANNON strings are WeissCANNON strings and are not another brand.  Period.  End of story.

If you believe you can get the same product under a different name at a lower price, by all means go for it.  Afterall, many people are very happy with the driving performance of the coupe.  They enjoy having a vehicle that resembles the SS and do not really care that the performance is not at the same level.  Others, who demand superior performance, are simply not content without the top of the line equipment and features.  You have to decide for yourself which camp you are in.  Can you do with accepatable performance or are you seeking the best of the best?

The content of this blog entry is the copyrighted property of Guts and Glory Tennis LLC.  It may not be copied or reproduced without our express written permission.  We invite those with comments to comment via our blog. 

12 thoughts on “WeissCANNON Jibber-Jabber

  1. Boris Becker on said:

    considering all the govt crooks, lies, bail outs, oil spill cover up, japan nuclear cover up, its easy to understand the mistrust. Personally I dont believe anything until Ive either done some research or experienced it first hand. Im very happy with the results from B5E on my tennis game. Im not going to try and test any copy cats until I finish my reel 🙂

    Reply
  2. Scott Snyder on said:

    A little off this topic but…I recently strung my Babolat Aero 112 with Scorpion 1.22 M and Bab VS 17 X at 53/56.5. The control, touch and spin was simply crazy good..the best I have ever seen….however at about the 6 hour mark it began to dwindle fairly dramatically, then settled and was still a good setup for about 30-40 hours of matches, lessons, heavy ball machine practice and heavy serve practice. I am a topspin player.
    Do you think I will still find the same (or better 🙂 ) “magic” if I lower the tension of both? What tension would you recommend if I am really seeking the best spin and best control?

    Reply
  3. ggtennis on said:

    String using the method we describe in an earlier post and you should be fine. In terms of best spin and control we have a new product we expect to launch later this year. It is the best we have hit in this regard at low tensions.

    Reply
  4. Les Mirkowski on said:

    Hi again. Thank you for redirecting and once again thanks for your great article on stringing “polys”. I found it very informative and down to earth.(not like the confusing mumbo jumbo elsewhere)Great job!
    My question still remains however.
    Can you please tell me which one of the WC “polys” offers the best compromise of this two attributes;
    Largest (longest) deflection and highest stiffness at the same time?
    I can deduct, one or the other from the descriptions, but I would like to know which will give me the best of both worlds?
    I can’t afford trying all in different tensions but can do one at few tens.(first time I’ll be aiming at 48 lbs)
    Can you help decide which? I’m hoping, I may get it right in first 2 or 3 trials.
    Thank you
    Les

    Reply
    • GGTennis on said:

      Les,

      Thank you for your comment. I am not clear what you mean in regard to longest deflection and highest stiffness None of the WeissCANNON strings fall in the “stiff” department. The award for the crispest play would go to the Silverstring which is a tremendous all-around option. The Scorpion is a bit softer and more powerful, but also a great all-around and versatile performer. The TurboTwist offers the most elasticity but it is anything but stiff. Perhaps the softest/stretchiest poly offering we have see to date. Hope this helps.

      Reply
  5. Les Mirkowski on said:

    Thank you for the quick response.
    I’m getting closer. What I meant in my question was (I should say) best ball pocketing (“grabbing”?) and control (but I’m not sure that my understanding of these terms is correct).I also understand that it may be impassible to emphasize two opposite properties in one string.I’m satisfied with your answer.I’ll try Silverstring.
    Just one more question.
    Is the B5E softer or crispier compering to Silverstring?
    Thank you.
    Great site!

    Reply
  6. GGTennis on said:

    The B5E and Silverstring are made of extremely similar composite materials. The feel between the two is very hard to distinguish. The B5E does offer easier access to spin which is the main difference. I tend to think of the B5E as a profiled version of Silverstring.

    Ball pocketing and grabbing are different effects. If you were coming to me seeking a WC option I would probably start out with a hybrid of WC B5E in the mains with Silverstring 1.20 in the crosses.

    Reply
  7. Les Mirkowski on said:

    And this is exactly what I’m going to do!

    THANKS!

    Reply
  8. Leung on said:

    So B5E is just slightly crisper/stiffer than Scorpion? I’ve used both and have noticed that the Scorpion (1.22) make slightly more of a “ping” sound upon contact than the B5E. That seem to translate into slightly more power but I wasn’t really able to tell if it’s necessarily softer.

    On a different note, it seems like B5E maintains playability slightly longer than the Scorpion, as the Scorpion started moving around somewhat sooner than the B5E. So I understand that in theory B5E probably hold tension/playability the best out of all Weisscannon strings? How does Silverstring compare to B5E in this regard? I also noticed that turbotwist (1.24) seem to hold tension/playability just as well as the B5E. Does that seem like a observation consistent with what you guys are seeing?

    Reply
    • GGTennis on said:

      The softness level is similar…depends on the gauge. I would suggest the 1.22 Scorpion and 1.25 B5E are very similar in this area. B5E does outlast the Scorpion in terms of playability, your observation matches our experience in that regard. Silverstring and B5E are very similar in terms of feel. Think of the B5E as an updated and profiled version of the Silverstring. Both are excellent choices. TT 1.24 is a unique offering. The feel is unreal. In terms of tension maintenance it is very good but the B5E is slightly better. Very close.

      Reply

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