2012 Luxilon Playtest

[pvaudio]

Originally Posted by ewberner

pvaudio,

were you just skeptical going into this test with it appearing to be the same? or is it really as bad as the first time?

No, it's the exact same string. It's across the board average.

[mad dog1]

Originally Posted by pvaudio

No, it's the exact same string. It's across the board average.

how are you able to be sure it's the exact same string? if i recall correctly the 2011 Lux string playtest was for 2 strings. 1 yellow/orangish and 1 green.

[pvaudio]

Originally Posted by mad dog1

how are you able to be sure it's the exact same string? if i recall correctly the 2011 Lux string playtest was for 2 strings. 1 yellow/orangish and 1 green.

Because I got the gold then, it was called 4G then, and I got the gold now, it's called 4G now, and it strung and feels identical. I don't really think I need more evidence than that lol

[mad dog1]

Originally Posted by pvaudio

Because I got the gold then, it was called 4G then, and I got the gold now, it's called 4G now, and it strung and feels identical. I don't really think I need more evidence than that lol

just wondering cuz i don't remember it being called 4G then. i just recall it being called the gold prototype string. i seem to remember that the gold string was more gold than this one. the color of this one looks almost like BBO. i thought the gold prototype was structured based on your macro photos. is this one also structured?

Originally Posted by pvaudio

As per my style, took macro images. This is in fact a non-twisted, faceted poly. The facets are very small, so it maybe 10-sided or so. I'd estimate string diameter (do not have calipers here) to be about 1.25mm, so I'd say this is a 16L poly. Nonetheless, check out the texture:







Will string up and hit with on Friday. Very interested to see what this string is all about.

[pvaudio]

Nope, it was 4G, and then even some pros were using it and on stringing sheets it was called 4G (Nishikori for sure I remember).

[mad dog1]

feedback was pretty mediocre on the gold prototype string. i'm surprised luxilon decided to release it.

[pvaudio]

And yep, it's the exact same smooth but ridged look as well. I just didn't post the images since it's the same stuff.

[Lefty78]

Got to hit 2hrs with the 4G yesterday...

Me:
Aggressive all-court game, 1hbh (topspin and slice) and I like to flatten out my forehand when the opportunity presents itself. I have zero problems generating my own pace.

Racquet (strung specs):
Dunlop Aerogel 100
362 Gr
323 mm BP
350 SW

Stringing:
49# in a full bed
No drama stringing the racquet, definitely easier than other Luxilon offerings, but the string is rather prone to kinking.

On court:
First impression was that the string is rather muted and low-powered, very comfortable, and offers good control. Spin production was nothing to write home about.

After 15 min hitting, my feeling was that the biggest strength of this string was that it didn't seem to have too many weaknesses. The biggest weakness was lack of touch/feel even for a poly.

By the second hour, the strings were moving a little more than I would have liked. Additionally, I found myself overhitting on some short balls. I suppose I could have strung a little tighter, but this was really the deal-breaker for me for reasons I've outlined below.

Conclusions:
It seems to me that Luxilon has created a string that goes dead very quickly, but still remains playable long after that. For players who are looking to get 10-15 hours out of a poly this could be an option, so long as they are willing to string the racquet tight and let the strings break in. I'm a tournament player though, and I want to pull a freshly strung racquet from the bag which will give me immediate and consistent performance for at least the majority of a match. I don't care if I have to cut them out afterwards, and this offering just didn't fit the bill. I think Luxilon clearly made some sacrifices with this string to keep it playable for the long-haul. Definitely not what the brand is known for. Assuming the strings have the typical Luxilon price tag, I'm only further discouraged. It's just not my cup of tea, but hey, one man's trash is another man's treasure.

[OnyxZ28]

Played three sets yesterday, alternating between my normal setup, APDGT+ with TB 18 at 48, and an APDGT+ with 4G at 48, both full beds.

In summary, there was not much about this string I liked. In all aspects it didn't hold a candle to Tour Bite 18, except for durability, which is TBA.

I'm an aggressive 3.5 baseliner, in plain english, it means I tend to hit straight into the back fence more often than I hit a ball in.

The 4G full bed felt much stiffer than TB18, and as I recall felt stiffer than any of the ALU offerings. The initial feel reminded me of BB Ace.

Power: The test string was low powered. I had to take even bigger cuts at the ball than I normally do to produce a similar effect. 5/10

Spin: The test string was not very spin friendly. TB18, ALU and ALU rough, even at similar guages are adept at producing a bounding ball that explodes off the court. Not so with 4G -- my opponent commented on how much less spin I was getting with it compared with my normal ball. If I had another set I would maybe drop the tension to 40lbs. 3/10

Feel: What feel? This string feels very muted, in contrast to the rawness of the ALU series and broken in TB.

Control: Directional control was on par with TB.

Comfort: I've played full beds of TB and ALU Rough in the ADPGT+ at similar tensions, even past their points of deadness, with no comfort issues. Unfortunately that wasn't the case with this test string. Although not overtly painful at impact, over the course of the set my hand and brachialis became a little sore. The soreness went away after going back to the TB racket.

Durability: All I can say so far is that it hasn't broken yet. Iw as half expecting premature breakage given the kinkage issues I had during stringing.

Tension Maintenance: The string dropped some in tension. If the question is how long before it became unplayable, my response is that it was near unplayable to begin with.

[TheLambsheadrep]

On Lxn fb page: "Tried the 4G (thanks for the shirt!) It was softer than what I am use to, but I am a fan of polys. So depending on the price I would try it again for sure."

This is the first tennis I've played since moving down to Raleigh, it's good that my girlfriend has enough time to play and help me test this out. I wonder how the huge increase in humidity affected this test, and how it will affect my game whenever I play outdoors...

I did a full set up of the poly, love the full goldish color. tension was at 57lbs, a normal tension for me but higher than normal for polys. I have been getting into kevlar hybrids between 57 and 63lbs, and believe it or not, my arm is just fine. I was using a Head TT Raddical Tour OS (199 for the test.

The power level was fine, since my higher stringing tension lowered the general power of the string. Since this was a softer poly, I did need to adjust to the swing power to play the ball the way i normally do. Full swings are a must.

As touched on before, it felt on the softer side of the polys ive used before. I playtested and loved the Beast XP string, and this was in the same ball park.

I was able to get about the same amount of spin from the polys i have used. I switched to kevlar because I can really feel the bite and see the spin, which wasnt happening with the poly all the time. I tend to hit flatter, but when wanting to, I was able to get a good amount of topspin for sure.

Being a softer poly, it was comfortable on the arm, but I prefer the firmer strings myself. Durability should be fine, I played about 2.5 hours in one shot with it and didn't notice anything that would suggest otherwise. Tension maintenance was about right for polys, but I don't pick up all that well on tension until the pop in my serve starts to go.

Control was there for the most part. Serving was fine, I was able to get some good spin while hitting my spots on the second serve. For the most part, I felt like I was able to get the ball to where I wanted to go as long as I was in position to do so.

Compared to the Kevlar/Syn gut hybrids I am using, the 4G has less bite, less pop, and less of the general feel I like. But it has more power, slightly more control, and more playability. I may recommend someone string it in the normal tension range (where my tension is prob higher than normal) to get the best results out of the poly.

Summary - I liked the spin off the serve. Didn't have the most pop ive ever played with, but was def up there with spin an placement. I did not like that it had less pop and was more mushy than my kevlar. There was no glaring weakness of the string, and if it were on the inexpensive side, like mentioned above, I would try it out again for sure.

[tyu1314]

Thank you TW for letting me be a part of the playtest.
I just recieved the string today, i usually strung my bhbr 16g at 53lb,any suggestion for the tension?

[ewberner]

Originally Posted by tyu1314

Thank you TW for letting me be a part of the playtest.
I just recieved the string today, i usually strung my bhbr 16g at 53lb,any suggestion for the tension?

Same tension so it is a true test.

[mrmo1115]

Have 2 racquets strung

Lux 4G/VS Touch 55/57
Lux 4G 55

My normal setup is

PHT/VS Touch 55/57

I'll post my review of the full and hybrid. I will also compare it to my normal hybrid of choice and let you guys know my order of preference.

[ewberner]

Originally Posted by mrmo1115

Have 2 racquets strung

Lux 4G/VS Touch 55/57
Lux 4G 55

My normal setup is

PHT/VS Touch 55/57

I'll post my review of the full and hybrid. I will also compare it to my normal hybrid of choice and let you guys know my order of preference.

You got multiple sets?

[Lefty78]

Originally Posted by mrmo1115

Have 2 racquets strung

Lux 4G/VS Touch 55/57
Lux 4G 55

My normal setup is

PHT/VS Touch 55/57

I'll post my review of the full and hybrid. I will also compare it to my normal hybrid of choice and let you guys know my order of preference.

Cool, have fun with it. How'd you get two sets?

I'll be happy to post my feedback on ALU Power if Luxilon wants to send me a reel.

[Lex]

Full set
Tension used for playtest: 51#
Regular string set up: Weiss Canon Mosquito Bite 18g
Racquet brand and model used for test: Head IG Prestige Pro
Power of test string: Fairly Low
Feel: Stiff
Spin: Average for a rounded poly
Comfort: Stiff, muted feel, might be a problem for TE sufferers
Durability: Very good to above average
Tension maintenance (how long before it became too loose or unplayable): Better than average poly
Control (predictable trajectory? performance on different strokes and swing speeds?): Good control for a low-powered string
Compare to the string you use most often: Stiffer and less power than WC Mosquito Bite. Less feel (due to gauge)
Tension recommendations (after hitting it, would you recommend a different tension? Why?): I'd suggest mid to upper 40's. String was very stiff and board-like
Summary: Very stiff, heavy coil memory, controllable string. I might consider this offering in a thinner gauge!!

4.5 NTRP Player

[m1stajk]

After hitting with this string again after about 2 days i noticed a great tension maintenance compared to my normal setup which is a full bed of tourbite which also has pretty good tension maintenance. The strings actually felt alot better after i had let the strings sit in the racket for a few days. I would say that the tension maintenence is a great plus for luxilon 4G

[rdis10093]

have fun with the free set guys, my friend says that this one is going to cost more than alu rough

[mrmo1115]

Originally Posted by Lefty78

Cool, have fun with it. How'd you get two sets?

I'll be happy to post my feedback on ALU Power if Luxilon wants to send me a reel.

My TW set actually didn't come in until yesterday... RPNY already has the string and they were able to provide me 2 packages!

[ewberner]

Originally Posted by mrmo1115

My TW set actually didn't come in until yesterday... RPNY already has the string and they were able to provide me 2 packages!

Sounds like you lucked out.