TW Review of new Luxilon 4G string --Good as Gold

[Nostradamus]

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/revi...l?from=recruit

Here is the very favorable review from TW playtesters. Most love the feel and control of this string. but when it came to power, it was a bit confusing. Jason felt it had plenty of power and felt it was one of more powerful polys he tested. but others felt, it was a bit under powered.

[pvaudio]

It is their flagship string now, so you had better believe it gets reviewed well.

[pvaudio]

Also curious is that in their playtest they praise the tension stability, and yet in our playtest on the forum, that was one of the worst aspects.

[Nostradamus]

Originally Posted by pvaudio

Also curious is that in their playtest they praise the tension stability, and yet in our playtest on the forum, that was one of the worst aspects.

really? cause Luxilon and the TW reviewers are saying this is one of the best strings in maintaining tension.
and still confused about power. One reviewer saids it is very powerful and another one states it is low powered so i am confused on that.

[Nostradamus]

Serena's racket is being preped to be strung with Luxilon 4 G string.

http://instagram.com/p/OrTGUugVYu/

[corners]

Originally Posted by Nostradamus

really? cause Luxilon and the TW reviewers are saying this is one of the best strings in maintaining tension.
and still confused about power. One reviewer saids it is very powerful and another one states it is low powered so i am confused on that.

Everyone is confused about "power", with both strings and racquets. If you look at the TW racquet reviews you'll also see wild swings between players' perceptions of racquet power.

The truth is that there is very little difference in power between different racquet models. A little more difference in strings, but only when comparing completely different materials, like natural gut vs. poly or kevlar. The difference between one copoly string and another, in terms of actual speed of shot, is very small, less than 1 mph.

All this talk of power originated with the racquet and string manufacturers, who have to have something with which to lure in buyers. But it's mostly BS.

When people talk about power differences between strings or racquets they are really discussing actual power - ball speed - but also the angle at which the ball comes off the strings (which is the primary determinate of depth), as well as the feel of impact and how quickly the ball leaves the strings (dwell time).

The problem is that we're not equipped, as humans, to separate the actual from the perceptual. When someone says such and such a string is more powerful than another what they are actually saying is that such and such a string seemed more powerful to them. Another player might have the opposite experience. And neither of them really know for sure.

This forum is sustained by babbling about string "power", so you can expect some nasty responses to this post. But just pick a string that feels good and allows you to hit the shots you want and try not to get caught up in illusions of powerful equipment.

[Nostradamus]

^^^Great point, corners. about 1/2 way down the page, there is a comparison review box. where you can put in another string and compare it to 4 G string.

Section on Energy return, 4G has higher number if you compare to RPM blast 17g. Does it mean 4G has more power ?

Does energy return = Power ?

[jman32]

Originally Posted by corners

Everyone is confused about "power", with both strings and racquets. If you look at the TW racquet reviews you'll also see wild swings between players' perceptions of racquet power.

The truth is that there is very little difference in power between different racquet models. A little more difference in strings, but only when comparing completely different materials, like natural gut vs. poly or kevlar. The difference between one copoly string and another, in terms of actual speed of shot, is very small, less than 1 mph.

All this talk of power originated with the racquet and string manufacturers, who have to have something with which to lure in buyers. But it's mostly BS.

When people talk about power differences between strings or racquets they are really discussing actual power - ball speed - but also the angle at which the ball comes off the strings (which is the primary determinate of depth), as well as the feel of impact and how quickly the ball leaves the strings (dwell time).

The problem is that we're not equipped, as humans, to separate the actual from the perceptual. When someone says such and such a string is more powerful than another what they are actually saying is that such and such a string seemed more powerful to them. Another player might have the opposite experience. And neither of them really know for sure.

This forum is sustained by babbling about string "power", so you can expect some nasty responses to this post. But just pick a string that feels good and allows you to hit the shots you want and try not to get caught up in illusions of powerful equipment.

i tend to agree that there is not that much difference in power, however control is the key to power.

i play tested the 4G with a heavy, powerful racket: the great control of the string allowed me to swing as hard as i wanted which created a very heavy/high powered ball.

i have tried other polys that did not have the same level of control, so the ball i could hit was not as strong.

players with more moderate swings will not reap the benefits.

[RD 7]

Have you ever seen the RSI playtest reports? Opinions on power can vary greatly. The experience of power can depend on stroke style. Jason's heavy topspin forehand probably caused the lateral displacement of the mains followed by a powerful snapback. Perhaps this was experienced as more power. Also, lower tensions can cause a higher trajectory, resulting in more depth, which can be confused with power. Things like power and spin are more player-dependent than not. Pete Sampras' leaded Pro Staff 85 was extremely powerful because of the mass. But it requires someone strong and advanced enough to unlock that mass. Therefore a 3.5 might find it dead, whereas an open player with more strength and flexibility might be able to get the mass moving. This player is more likely to say the 85 is powerful. Which is to say: the experience of spin and power and even comfort is heavily relational (to gear, stroke, perception). Now, if TW wanted to, they could frame each response inside the theoretical context found in Tennis Warehouse University; they could exhaustively explain the physics behind each players experience - and then each review would be 40 pages. And then you'd see all the message board scientists come out of the woodwork to challenge every claim. Eventually, you'd come to the conclusion that words like power raise more problems than not - and you'd retreat back to the amniotic comfort of marketing cliches where every string does everything. . . because at the end of the day you just need the customer to buy the damn string so you can go home and have a beer.

I get calls all the time from parents who want to buy the string that will allow their kid to hit with Nadal's spin. At some point in the answer I try to get them to see that the operative word is Nadal.

I Agree with corners. Pick something that feels right. At the end of the day, the most accurate statement might be "this feels good to me."

And if you want more power, take a lesson, do some strength/flexibility work. Maybe lead-up the shoulders ... and swing faster!

[Nostradamus]

RD7, what do you think about the Energy return section in the comparison table in the middle of the review ?

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/revi...l?from=recruit

[RD 7]

I don't know the formula's assumptions. You would need to ask the TW Professor. I've always been curious myself.

[jorel]

Originally Posted by Nostradamus

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/revi...l?from=recruit

Here is the very favorable review from TW playtesters. Most love the feel and control of this string. but when it came to power, it was a bit confusing. Jason felt it had plenty of power and felt it was one of more powerful polys he tested. but others felt, it was a bit under powered.

maybe jason is a jaugernaut

[Nostradamus]

Originally Posted by jorel

maybe jason is a jaugernaut

what level is Jason, anyway ?

[cluckcluck]

Originally Posted by Nostradamus

what level is Jason, anyway ?

Says he's 4.0, I haven't seen him play.

[FloridaAG]

I heard very poor things about this string

[Nostradamus]

Originally Posted by FloridaAG

I heard very poor things about this string

This is one of the best reviews i have seen from TW guys. so i am confused about what you mean by poor ? nice thing about TW reviewers is that they have folks from all levels so they have good variety of people reviewing.

[pvaudio]

Originally Posted by Nostradamus

This is one of the best reviews i have seen from TW guys. so i am confused about what you mean by poor ? nice thing about TW reviewers is that they have folks from all levels so they have good variety of people reviewing.

His point was mine. They have sent this out to the public twice, and twice it has overwhelmingly been negatively reviewed. 4G is the new Lux flagship string. Do you truthfully expect a retailer to post a review saying that the new top of the line offering from the most popular poly brand in the world is less than spectacular?

[smirker]

Originally Posted by pvaudio

His point was mine. They have sent this out to the public twice, and twice it has overwhelmingly been negatively reviewed. 4G is the new Lux flagship string. Do you truthfully expect a retailer to post a review saying that the new top of the line offering from the most popular poly brand in the world is less than spectacular?

He is either (a) incredibly naive,(b), stupid or (c), a genius pulling the wool over our eyes with his inane postings.

[Sander001]

Originally Posted by Nostradamus

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/revi...l?from=recruit

Here is the very favorable review from TW playtesters. Most love the feel and control of this string. but when it came to power, it was a bit confusing. Jason felt it had plenty of power and felt it was one of more powerful polys he tested. but others felt, it was a bit under powered.

I bet it's because Jason strings it tighter than everybody else. Stiff(er) polys usually produce more power the tighter they are strung and 4G seems to be quite the stiff poly.
Looking at TWU, 4G is indeed quite powerful in addition to that.

[ben123]

Originally Posted by Nostradamus

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/revi...l?from=recruit

Here is the very favorable review from TW playtesters. Most love the feel and control of this string. but when it came to power, it was a bit confusing. Jason felt it had plenty of power and felt it was one of more powerful polys he tested. but others felt, it was a bit under powered.

is it better than the rpm blast strings????