What do ypou expect? I mean - really?
Bass strings are expensive and we can all agree, that a cheap-as-chips set of strings like tis one can not bee the bees knees.
But, the question still is .. are they bad?
And frankly, no! The HB Valuestrings are perfectly useable strings for an acoustic bass. SUre, they do not uncoil as snappily as D'Addario or Elixirs, they sure don't last as long as Elixirs, but give the price, it's good value for money.
And "value for money" is what those strings describe best. They are value strings for the average value bass player. If you are a professional, you will have your own personal preference, but for amateurs or "sometimes for fun" players like me - my bass hangs spends 90% of the year on the stand - those strings are perfectly good. Sure, they don't have the snap and the bite of D'Addarios and they don't last half as long as Elixirs, but if all you need is some string to play along, they are just good enough. I mean, c'mon, ther last set of - expensive - Elixirs lasted as long as the Value Strings. The remander of the time, they happily corroded along.
I know, the picture will change if you are an active player, if you look for dynamic strings, if you play regularily ... sure it will. But not all of us are professionals and not all of us play daily and for me, the convenience of being able to just slap on a fresh set of strings when needed for as little money as Thomann calls up for those - without breaking the bank - is paramount.
So, given the price and the value, it's a "thumbs up!"