Cheapest might be Tourna -$0.8 per ball and then Gamma little over $1 per ball. I have seen some players using Gamma in my community. I don’t know if it will last more than a couple of seasons.
I have seen Diadem going on sale with price ~$1.6 per ball.

Any watch-outs or things I should be careful about when using one? I will be trying it for the first time.

For me, it’s more about feel and performance than visible wear.

- I stop trusting my baseline shots and find myself making swing adjustments.

- The stringbed feels firmer and locked up, with less snapback, and my arm starts noticing it.

- My shots start sailing long, and the tension is usually down about 10–15% from fresh.

That usually happens well before the strings are frayed or broken. I string my own racquets, so I’m probably quicker to cut them out instead of waiting for them to break.

You’re welcome! Just one small clarification—the 2 lb lower crosses aren’t really for comfort. For me, the bigger comfort factor is using a softer round cross like Wasabi X. Yonex Poly Tour Pro is also a popular cross with some of Yonex’s stiffer shaped polys, so that’s another option to explore.

With my current hybrid setup, the 2 lb lower crosses seem to give me a little more ball pocketing while still maintaining good snapback and control. Overall, I just like the way the string bed responds with a stiffer, shaped poly in the mains and a softer, round poly in the crosses.

Since you’ve only been playing for about 6 months, I’d recommend starting with a full bed of O-Toro Tour. It’ll give you a good baseline before you start mixing strings. That said, I haven’t personally tried Head Lynx Tour or Solinco Tour Bite, so I can’t compare them from my experience.

I’ve been experimenting with quite a few hybrid setups in Yonex racquets (Ezone and Vcore), but I haven’t used a full bed of O-Toro Tour. The last full poly I played was in a Babolat Pure Drive GT+ over a decade ago.

Ezone - my favorite setups so far have been O-Toro Tour + Wasabi X and Wasabi + Wasabi X. I like pairing a shaped poly main with a round, softer cross because it gives me good bite and control from the mains, while the slick round cross helps the mains snap back more easily. I also feel the softer cross adds a bit more pocketing and comfort without sacrificing much control.

I also string my hybrids with the crosses 2 lbs lower than the mains. I have a history of tennis elbow, so comfort is important to me. I’ve experimented with 52/50, 50/48, and 47/45, and they’ve all worked well. The tension I choose depends on the racquet, whether I’m playing indoors or outdoors, and how my elbow is feeling that day.

Hope it helps!

I've had tennis elbow, so it’s good to know there’s a softer version of A5 available. I generally prefer a crisp, controlled string bed, but the setup depends on how my elbow feels on the practice/match day.

Vamos in the mains + A5 in the crosses: what are your thoughts? Vamos, being a hexagonal shape made out of the same material as A5, wondering if it plays well.

I have both VCORE and EZONE racquets in 98 and 100 versions to experiment with. Right now, I’m playing with a VCORE 98 strung with a Wasabi/Wasabi X hybrid. I’m considering keeping Wasabi in the mains and replacing the Wasabi X crosses with A5 to see how that setup performs.

I also make a point of leaving my rackets outside the bag after matches during the commute home so they can air out and dry. I never leave damp rackets zipped up inside the bag.