Solinco Confidential Soft String Review

Like most of the polyester monofilaments our team has playtested, Confidential Soft is a control string suited to players with long, fast strokes. That said, it has been engineered with softening agents to deliver a slightly more elastic and powerful response than the average poly. This proved perfect for Michelle, who appreciated the livelier feel of Confidential Soft. She explained, "I've been struggling to find the same power and strength since my diagnosis and surgery, and I’m navigating tennis in a bit of a new body. Getting a little extra power without sacrificing control is a welcome attribute for my game, which is why I was thrilled to be testing Confidential Soft."

Although Troy found Confidential Soft to have a little more power than the standard version, it still delivered impressive control. He said, "When comparing Confidential Soft to other co-polys on the market, I found it to be more on the control side of the spectrum. The original version of Confidential is very controlled and low powered, while Soft is slightly softer and provides a bit more power. However, it is still very much a control-oriented co-poly string."

It's not surprising that Confidential Soft earned a respectable spin score from our playtesters. The string shares its pentagonal shape (for bite) and slick surface (for snapback) with Solinco's Hyper-G, Tour Bite and Confidential, an impressive collection of spin strings engineered to turn high racquet head speed into vicious ball rotation. For Troy, this softer version of Confidential proved even more spin-friendly than the original. He described, “For some reason I was getting a little more bite on the ball with this Soft version. The edges of this string felt like they were gripping the felt on the ball easily, and my shot production resulted in heavy topspin. Because there was a little more pocketing compared to the original Confidential, the strings were cupping the ball well and shooting it out with a lot of spin on my whippy forehand. I wouldn't say this is my highest rated string in terms of snapback, but I felt like the spin was plenty good, and I didn't have any issues with the mains sticking out of place."

Although she has flatter mechanics, Michelle had no problem generating spin with Confidential Soft. She said, "It is no secret that I am rarely hitting with a lot of spin, but I appreciate the added spin I can generate when driving balls through the court with a tight spiral. I had a chance to test this string in the Babolat Pure Aero 98 2026, which is a racquet that's great for spin but hasn't done much for my net clearance. This combination helped add a bit of jump to my flatter shots. I also really appreciated the spin when hitting angles, especially on our TW court where you can run players into the side wall. I found success doing so in dingles and doubles. It is always nice to be able to drive a ball through the court and then angle the ball off the court when given the opportunity."

Don't let the name fool you; Confidential Soft is still a polyester monofilament, making it noticeably firmer than a multifilament or natural gut string. However, when compared to the stiffer polys Michelle typically uses, this string was just what the doctor ordered. She said, "Confidential Soft feels softer than Confidential, which is the point! I also found it softer than Hyper-G and Tour Bite. I tried it at a few different tensions in my Wilson RF 97 and the Pure Aero 98, and I enjoyed the feel and comfort. My body is feeling more aches and pains lately (not always because of tennis!), and it was nice to play with a softer polyester. It pockets the ball well, but it never felt too mushy or dead."

Troy was impressed that Confidential Soft remained comfortable without compromising the direct feedback crucial to control. He explained, "I thought the feel of Confidential Soft was nice. It is a little bit softer than Confidential, which is firm and low powered."

Nothing lasts forever, especially softer co-polys, which tend to lose their tension and playability long before they break. To its credit, Confidential Soft held up surprisingly well over the course of this multi-week playtest. Troy noted, "In terms of consistency and playability duration, I found Confidential Soft to be pretty solid, which I have come to expect from Solinco co-poly strings. I felt like it held up a bit better over time when compared to Solinco Mach-10. While Mach-10 felt nice and soft, it got a little bit springy, or 'launchy’, as time went on. I did notice some drop in tension over time with Confidential Soft, like all co-polys, but it was somewhat gradual, and the control was pretty good even as the tension started to decrease slightly."

"I appreciated the durability of Confidential Soft," added Michelle. "I am by no means a string breaker, and I could juice out weeks of playability from Confidential Soft without a noticeable decline in control."