Measured values

Stiffness

137lb/in

lower = softer, kinder on the arm

Tension loss

25%

lower = stays where you strung it

Energy return

94%

higher = livelier, more free power

Spin potential

4.2

higher = more spin off the string bed

Ball bite

0.465COF

higher = grabs the ball harder

String friction

0.111COF

lower = strings slide and snap back

How it ranks against all 791 strings

Stiffness 137 lb/in · 5th pct

Stiffer than 5% of strings tested — exceptionally soft and forgiving.

Tension loss 25 % · 35th pct

Sheds more tension than 35% of strings tested.

Energy return 94 % · 93rd pct

Livelier than 93% of strings tested — huge free power off the string bed.

Spin potential 4.2 · 35th pct

More spin potential than 35% of strings tested.

Ball bite 0.465 COF · 63rd pct

Grips the ball harder than 63% of strings tested.

String friction 0.111 COF · 77th pct

More string-on-string friction than 77% of strings tested.

Like Premier Touch 17, but…

Almost nobody looks a string up out of curiosity. You are here because something about your current setup is wrong. Each list below keeps the rest of this string's profile as close as it can while moving decisively on the one thing you picked, so these are swaps rather than merely different strings.

FirmerMore control, less launch

More spinBites and snaps back harder

Less powerLower launch, more control

Holds tensionStays where you strung it

What Premier Touch 17 is actually good for

Its standing on each of the site's rankings, out of every measured string in the database. Same arithmetic as the finder, not a separate opinion.

How long it lasts, and how far it stretches

Playable life

~30hours

Estimated from tension loss, on a scale running from 40 hours for the best-holding strings in the database down to 10 for the worst. At four hours a week that is about 8 weeks.

Estimated, not measured. This estimates when the bed goes dead, not when the string snaps. If you break strings before you notice them going dull, you are a breaker, and thickness and material matter far more to you than tension hold does.

Track this in a setup

Elongation under load

This stringDatabase median

How far the string stretches when tensioned to a given load. A string that elongates more absorbs more of the impact itself and feels softer; one that barely moves passes more of it on to the frame and the arm.

Measured at every tension and swing speed

The figures at the top of this page come from one test condition: 51 lb at fast swing speed. There are nine in total, and all of them are below. Tension moves the bed more than the choice between two similar strings does, so this is the table that actually answers "what will it feel like for me".

Bed stiffness against tension · Fast swing

Measured at 3 tensionsFitted response

Measured at three tensions, with the fitted response drawn across the whole stringable range. The line does not pass through the origin: this bed carries about 129 lb/in that does not come from tension at all, and gains roughly 0.2 lb/in for every extra pound you string it at.

Convert a tension with this

What that means

Stringing Premier Touch 17 at 30 lb gives a bed of about 134 lb/in; at 70 lb it is about 140 lb/in. That range is wider than the gap between most pairs of strings on this site, which is the single most useful thing this page can tell you.

Stiffness lb/in lower = softer, kinder on the arm

Strung at	Slow swing	Medium swing	Fast swing
40 lb 18.1 kg	158	147	135
51 lb 23.1 kg	150	145	137
62 lb 28.1 kg	152	142	139

Tension loss % lower = stays where you strung it

Strung at	Slow swing	Medium swing	Fast swing
40 lb 18.1 kg	37	38	40
51 lb 23.1 kg	21	24	25
62 lb 28.1 kg	16	18	19

Energy return % higher = livelier, more free power

Strung at	Slow swing	Medium swing	Fast swing
40 lb 18.1 kg	96	92	91
51 lb 23.1 kg	97	95	94
62 lb 28.1 kg	96	96	94

The highlighted cell is the condition every other figure on this site is quoted at.

What else the machine recorded

Further measurements from the same test, given at the reference condition of 51 lb, fast swing.

Dwell time

35.7ms

How long the ball stays on the string bed. Longer dwell is the physical basis of what players call hold or pocketing.

Bed deflection

32.9mm

How far the string bed moves at impact. More deflection means the bed is doing more of the work of stopping the ball.

Peak force

31lb

The highest force perpendicular to the string bed during impact. The spike the frame and the arm actually receive.

Tension at impact

38.4lb

What the bed is actually pulled to by the time the ball arrives, after it has settled. Always lower than the tension it was strung at.

Loss: settling

4.2lb

Tension lost simply from being strung and left alone, before a ball is hit.

Loss: bedding in

8.1lb

Tension lost while the bed settles over its first impacts.

Loss: impact

0.3lb

Tension lost to the impact itself. Frequently negative, because a bed often gains tension across an impact rather than losing it.

Loss: total

12.6lb

The three losses above added together, in pounds.

Strings that play like this

Closest matches across stiffness, tension loss, energy return and spin potential.

Volkl Gripper 17 96% match Solinco X-Natural 16 (1.30) 94% match Weiss Cannon Explosiv 1.30 93% match Gosen Compositemaster II 16 93% match Dunlop DNA 16 (1.30) 92% match Gamma Professional 18 (1.22) 92% match

Head to head: Premier Touch 17 vs Gripper 17 · Premier Touch 17 vs X-Natural 16 (1.30) · Premier Touch 17 vs Explosiv 1.30

More from Prince

What these numbers mean

Stiffness · lb/in

How much the string bed resists deflection. Higher plays firmer and more controlled; lower plays softer and easier on the arm.

Tension loss · %

Share of the reference tension the string sheds under a fixed test protocol. Lower means the bed stays where you strung it for longer.

Energy return · %

Share of impact energy handed back to the ball. Higher plays livelier and more powerful.

Spin potential

Ball friction divided by string-on-string friction. Higher means better bite with a cleaner snapback, so more spin.

Ball bite · COF

String-on-ball friction. Higher grabs the ball harder through the brush.

String friction · COF

String-on-string friction. Lower lets the mains slide and snap back into place after impact.

Compare Premier Touch 17 against 791 strings Switching from this? Convert your tension Use it in a hybrid Find it on the map Find the right string for me