Not long ago I had a chance to test out a set of Solinco Tour Bite and came away with a very favorable impression. To me, the next logical step was to see how Solinco Tour Bite Soft—a more forgiving version of the string—stacked up against the original.
Like regular Tour Bite, I had no real issues installing Tour Bite Soft. It felt a bit more pliable than original Tour Bite, but it still retains the signature polyester stiffness. Tour Bite Soft didn't hurt my fingers and weaving it was relatively easy as well. It never got tangled when I worked with it and coil memory was quite low for a polyester. I strung it up at 50 pounds—as I do with most polyesters—but after hitting with it, I think you can probably get away with stringing it up a bit tighter than other polyesters because it is so soft.
On the court, Tour Bite Soft actually feels quite a lot like original Tour Bite, though it is noticeably softer. The strings offer the bite and spin potential of polyester with a less harsh response, but if you're suffering from arm pain I'd still recommend a soft multifilament over any polyester. Even though Tour Bite Soft is more forgiving than many other polys, it doesn't come off feeling mushy and still retains the crisp feel that poly players enjoy.
Tour Bite Soft offered plenty of durability for me, though the dense string pattern of my EXO3 Rebel 95 tends to minimize string breakage even with synthetic gut or multifilaments. Much like original Tour Bite, I felt that Tour Bite Soft went dead before it was really ready to break. Between 10 and 12 hours of play, the strings didn't seem to be as responsive as they were when they were freshly strung. I probably could have squeezed a few more hours of decent play out of them, though once polyester strings get to that point, I usually cut my losses and replace them with a fresh set.
Tension maintenance was very solid as well. Like any string, Tour Bite Soft lost some tension over time, but it wasn't a drastic decline. Unlike some polyesters I've tried, I never felt that Tour Bite Soft loosened up to the point where they were unplayable.
Overall, Solinco Tour Bite Soft is a very nice polyester string, though I personally preferred the crisper feeling of original Tour Bite. Tour Bite Soft is a great option for junior players looking to reap some of the benefits of a polyester string without all the harshness. It's also an excellent choice for adult players who are interested in trying polyester or polyester hybrids but aren't ready to take the plunge with something too stiff. So, while I personally didn't think Tour Bite Soft was quite as nice as regular Tour Bite, it's still a very nice polyester that offers plenty of durability and spin potential with a more forgiving feel.
Check out all of the Solinco Tour Bite Soft tennis strings -->
Read Ryan's original Solinco Tour Bite review.
Solinco Tour Bite Tennis String Review
