The 4G Review Everyone Seems Afraid to Write?

haqq777

haqq777

Legend
J011yroger said:
4 years later has everyone concluded that I was right all along?

J
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Interestingly enough, I tried it again a month or so back. I played full bed a few times when it came out but then let it go because I did not gel. I recently got a couple of sets from a friend and out of curiosity wanted to see if maybe I was wrong in my observations initially. But the fact that I was still underwhelmed leads me to believe that this string, at the end of the day, is just not for me. The one thing that still stands out for me like last time was lack of ball bite and the boardy feel even at low tensions. I like me some dwell time and this was just not giving me that. Snapped it mid session, thankfully, and since then am more happier with my go to RS Lyon in the frame.
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Moveforwardalways

Moveforwardalways

Hall of Fame
Not sure where the hate comes from. I like 4G full bed. Great control, predictable, accurate, and consistent. BBO is better for like 2 hours and then becomes way worse than 4G. And 4G stays comfortable the whole time it's in the racquet. If you are comparing fresh of the stringer, sure BBO out plays 4G. But if you are not restringing for every USTA match, 4G will work far better practically.
 
ricki

ricki

Hall of Fame
Moveforwardalways said:
Great control, - just somewhat only for accurate flat hitter
predictable, - no, just no, you hit 5 cm off center and buy-bye
accurate, - same as no.1 and btw 4G does not snap back as viciously as for example RPM blast or other slick strings, it moves "slowly almost to its original place but does not jump back in the groove"
and consistent. - can not agree, try cutting a winner with topspin and it goes wherever you dont want it to
BBO is better for like 2 hours and then becomes way worse than 4G. - BBO plays decently until it saws into itself 50%
And 4G stays comfortable the whole time it's in the racquet. - yes it is IMO the only big plus of this string, it remains virtually same tensioned all time and it helps to absorb some shock in the strings
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Fixed it for you :)
 
Moveforwardalways

Moveforwardalways

Hall of Fame
Pros like Gasquet, Raonic, and Dolgopolov all use 4G mains if not full bed. Many others use 4G crosses. If it was that terrible, they wouldn't use it.
 
Faris

Faris

Professional
Moveforwardalways said:
Pros like Gasquet, Raonic, and Dolgopolov all use 4G mains if not full bed. Many others use 4G crosses. If it was that terrible, they wouldn't use it.
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Pros are creatures of habit, get sponsorship dollars and are under contracts among other things...not to mention that comparing what pros use versus rec players is a bit unfair...can you hit like Raonic, Gasquet or Dolgopolov? The needs and requirements are different for pro levels. 4G in general is pretty unpopular in my rec players circle for all reasons already mentioned. Maybe you know some that like it a lot but seems consensus here is that its indeed crappy and not worth the expensive $
 
Shroud

Shroud

G.O.A.T.
Faris said:
Curious to know which pro goes outside of sponsorship to spend money on 4G.
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So here are the pros who are using 4g. Wilson sponsored so they dont have to duck sponsorship

Used on the pro tour by Alexandr Dolgopolov, Kei Niskikori, Grigor Dimitrov, Paul-Henri Mathieu, Serena Williams and Venus Williams, among others.
 
Moveforwardalways

Moveforwardalways

Hall of Fame
Faris said:
Pros are creatures of habit, get sponsorship dollars and are under contracts among other things...not to mention that comparing what pros use versus rec players is a bit unfair...can you hit like Raonic, Gasquet or Dolgopolov? The needs and requirements are different for pro levels. 4G in general is pretty unpopular in my rec players circle for all reasons already mentioned. Maybe you know some that like it a lot but seems consensus here is that its indeed crappy and not worth the expensive $
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They are sponsored to use a company not a particular string. Why does it matter if I can hit like them? That isn't the point. If the string was bad, they wouldn't use it.
 
Faris

Faris

Professional
Shroud said:
So here are the pros who are using 4g. Wilson sponsored so they dont have to duck sponsorship

Used on the pro tour by Alexandr Dolgopolov, Kei Niskikori, Grigor Dimitrov, Paul-Henri Mathieu, Serena Williams and Venus Williams, among others.
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So, since its good for pros, its good for you too, right? :rolleyes: - my point was you initially said some use the string even w/o sponsorship. Not the case. Players you listed now are sponsored i-e getting paid to use them. Big difference from what you initially stated. In addition, see my post afterwards also where I suggest it's juvenile comparing pros string setups to rec level players. And a big chunk of these handfuls doesnt use it in full bed either, just hybrid.

Moveforwardalways said:
They are sponsored to use a company not a particular string. Why does it matter if I can hit like them? That isn't the point. If the string was bad, they wouldn't use it.
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It matters because you can not hit like them. You are not a pro level player. They have their own needs and requirements for how they want to hit strokes and ball to behave. Also, pros are paid to use strings and they are also creatures of habit and do not move away easily from equipment that works for them. More than likely the reason why just a handful use it still. Saying a pro uses it so it must not suck is pretty idiotic. Have you seen how different a pro players equipment is setup from rec level players? Just because a pro uses it does not mean it is good or bad. It just means it works for them. Oh and btw, Gasquet uses Lux BBO, not 4G.
 
Shroud

Shroud

G.O.A.T.
Faris said:
So, since its good for pros, its good for you too, right? :rolleyes: - my point was you initially said some use the string even w/o sponsorship. Not the case. Players you listed now are sponsored i-e getting paid to use them. In addition, see my post afterwards also where I suggest it's juvenile comparing pros string setups to rec level players. And a big chunk of these handfuls doesnt use it in full bed either, just hybrid.


It matters because you can not hit like them. You are not a pro level player. They have their own needs and requirements for how they want to hit strokes and ball to behave. Also, pros are paid to use strings and they are also creatures of habit and do not move away easily from equipment that works for them. More than likely the reason why just a handful use it still. Saying a pro uses it so it must not suck is pretty idiotic. Have you seen how different a pro players equipment is setup from rec level players? Just because a pro uses it does not mean it is good or bad. It just means it works for them. Oh and btw, Gasquet uses Lux BBO, not 4G.
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I already said i confused 4g with Alu or BBO and will be switching. :)

And fwiw i think i have my stick setup closer to some pros where a poly is needed. Sure the technique is nowhere close but equipment wise its close if not overdone. Anyhow i thinks its a great cross for me and since i found out from this thread they have it in rough i will probably get some.

Poly is pretty soft and 4g is one of the stiffest so for me its a major plus
 
Faris

Faris

Professional
Shroud said:
I already said i confused 4g with Alu or BBO and will be switching. :)

And fwiw i think i have my stick setup closer to some pros where a poly is needed. Sure the technique is nowhere close but equipment wise its close if not overdone. Anyhow i thinks its a great cross for me and since i found out from this thread they have it in rough i will probably get some.

Poly is pretty soft and 4g is one of the stiffest so for me its a major plus
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FWIW I follow most of your threads. Very interesting equipment you have.. way way out of the norm for average rec player- you like it way too stiff and heavy...suits you well...no brainer :)
 
Matthew Lee

Matthew Lee

Professional
4G in my experience is stiff and oddly muted. It worked well in a Wilson Six.One racket for me. Imagine Wilson Revolve, but a little bit more of a stiff-muted combination.
 
Moveforwardalways

Moveforwardalways

Hall of Fame
Faris said:
It matters because you can not hit like them. You are not a pro level player. They have their own needs and requirements for how they want to hit strokes and ball to behave. Also, pros are paid to use strings and they are also creatures of habit and do not move away easily from equipment that works for them. More than likely the reason why just a handful use it still. Saying a pro uses it so it must not suck is pretty idiotic. Have you seen how different a pro players equipment is setup from rec level players? Just because a pro uses it does not mean it is good or bad. It just means it works for them. Oh and btw, Gasquet uses Lux BBO, not 4G.
Click to expand...

1. So pros use it because it works for them, but it sucks as a string. Got it. Solid logic.

2. Never said I could hit like a pro. Just said that it doesn't matter if I can hit like a pro. The string is the string regardless whether I hit with it or not. One does not follow from the other.

3. This website says Gasquet uses 4G, so that's what I based my earlier comment on.

https://www.tennisgear.com.au/pages/tennis-professional-string-set-ups
 
Shroud

Shroud

G.O.A.T.
Faris said:
FWIW I follow most of your threads. Very interesting equipment you have.. way way out of the norm for average rec player- you like it stiff...suits you well...no brainer :)
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You seemed cool till this post!! Oh well.

And yeah if Shroud digs it then it has to suck
 
Shroud

Shroud

G.O.A.T.
Matthew Lee said:
4G in my experience is stiff and oddly muted. It worked well in a Wilson Six.One racket for me. Imagine Wilson Revolve, but a little bit more of a stiff-muted combination.
Click to expand...
Good point. I think lots like some "feedback" from their strings either in the form of a boyong or a ping and some give. 4g is the stiff silent type. I have enough conversations in my head when i play...
 
Faris

Faris

Professional
Moveforwardalways said:
1. So pros use it because it works for them, but it sucks as a string. Got it. Solid logic.

2. Never said I could hit like a pro. Just said that it doesn't matter if I can hit like a pro. The string is the string regardless whether I hit with it or not. One does not follow from the other.

3. This website says Gasquet uses 4G, so that's what I based my earlier comment on.

https://www.tennisgear.com.au/pages/tennis-professional-string-set-ups
Click to expand...
1. Pros use it because they are a creature of habit and have different needs from their strokes. Nice cherry picking from my earlier comments though. Full points.
2. Yes, see point above. Since you are NOT a pro, you can not hit like them. Hence basing your choice of string on what a pro uses is juvenile, to say the least. Let me know when you can hit 90+mph forehands and 120+ serves with slices/kickers etc too. We'll pick this up then.
3. Old website with incorrect info. I have seen his stick in person. Was at Citi Open. Very interesting flared butt too.
 
Moveforwardalways

Moveforwardalways

Hall of Fame
Faris said:
1. Pros use it because they are a creature of habit and have different needs from their strokes. Nice cherry picking from my earlier comments though. Full points.
2. Yes, see point above. Since you are NOT a pro, you can not hit like them. Hence basing your choice of string on what a pro uses is juvenile, to say the least. Let me know when you can hit 90+mph forehands and 120+ serves. We'll pick this up then.
3. Old website with incorrect info. I have seen his stick in person. Was at Citi Open. Very interesting flared butt too.
Click to expand...

Lol. Cool post bro. Not sure what made you get argumentative. All I did was post that I liked 4G and then you got triggered and jumped in with (the obvious) that I'm not a pro player and whatnot, and then thought that made some kind of great point or something. But I'm really not trying to trigger you, just saying I like 4G. Didn't know that would touch a nerve.
 
Faris

Faris

Professional
Moveforwardalways said:
Lol. Cool post bro. Not sure what made you get argumentative. All I did was post that I liked 4G and then you got triggered and jumped in with (the obvious) that I'm not a pro player and whatnot, and then thought that made some kind of great point or something. But I'm really not trying to trigger you, just saying I like 4G. Didn't know that would touch a nerve.
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Nothing touched or triggered anything, I'm as chill as they come. But you seemed to get all hyper defensive and what not when I called you out on suggesting if it works for pros it should work for an avg rec player. To each their own man. Good for you if you like 4G. Buy a reel for all I care :) be well
 
Matthew Lee

Matthew Lee

Professional
Faris said:
Nothing touched or triggered anything, I'm as chill as they come. But you seemed to get all hyper defensive and what not when I called you out on suggesting if it works for pros it should work for an avg rec player. To each their own man. Good for you if you like 4G. Buy a reel for all I care :) be well
Click to expand...
Your last sentence is the only thing necessary and logical.
 
B

bkr

Rookie
I know a player (rated around 4.5) that plays with Pro staff 97LS with 4G strung at around 52lb and he is a young 59 :) and never had any arm issues.This is surprising to me as he says that he uses it until breaks and plays well through out consistent.I was hitting a big ball with RF97 and he had no problem taking it early and send the heavy balls back faster to me.

Take what you can from this as Pro Staff 97LS is a light racquet strung with 4G..and only thing probably helping here is the 16 crosses ( PS 97LS ..18*16 pattern).This gentleman has no arm issues or anything relates to arm.
 
YellowFedBetter

YellowFedBetter

Hall of Fame
I played it in hybrid in both a Pure Control and an APD and didn’t like it all. Spin was horrible for a poly. Not good control either. It did seem to work okay in an RF97 demo though.

It’s not the worst string bit there’s no way it’s worth the price. If I was going to go Luxilon I’d rather just get Alu Power even though it doesn’t last as long. Way better performance in the time it does work.
 
Notirouswithag

Notirouswithag

Professional
bkr said:
I know a player (rated around 4.5) that plays with Pro staff 97LS with 4G strung at around 52lb and he is a young 59 :) and never had any arm issues.This is surprising to me as he says that he uses it until breaks and plays well through out consistent.I was hitting a big ball with RF97 and he had no problem taking it early and send the heavy balls back faster to me.

Take what you can from this as Pro Staff 97LS is a light racquet strung with 4G..and only thing probably helping here is the 16 crosses ( PS 97LS ..18*16 pattern).This gentleman has no arm issues or anything relates to arm.
Click to expand...

I believe it, I'm also a 4.5 and use the 2017 PS97 LS but 4g soft/ isospeed cream hybrid in mine and im 30 years younger
 
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ToastyTilapia

ToastyTilapia

Rookie
I use 4g as a cross for gut because it lasts forever (but only in my six.one 9518x20 and xt speed pro because of the tight string pattern). Great cross for gut. That said it's one of the stiffest polys out there and not for me in a full bed.
Edit* A very similar string to 4g is Babolat RPM Team. Similar stiffness but better spin.
 
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A

ashridge

Semi-Pro
I haven't read through this whole thread, but I do have some recent experience with 4G, and not positive. I've been demoing quite a few racquets from TW over the last 6 weeks or so, and more than half have been strung with 4G in a full bed when they came to me, including the ones I played with all last week and just sent back (RF97 Autograph, Pure Aero Tour, Blade 98S). I played with them cumulatively for about 4 hours last week, and my arm was suffering, elbow in particular. I understand why TW strings a lot of their demos with 4G, but stiff racquets combined with some of the stiffest poly strings available=OUCH. At least for me. Playability was decent, but I would never string up any of my own racquets with 4G in a full bed.
 
tribesmen

tribesmen

Professional
Your arm was suffering, because you play too much with completely different racquets in short time and not because of the strings. You need a transition time if you change so different sticks and I'm sure your hits were not clean between changing the sticks.
 
emn8

emn8

Rookie
ToastyTilapia said:
I use 4g as a cross for gut because it lasts forever (but only in my six.one 9518x20 and xt speed pro because of the tight string pattern). Great cross for gut. That said it's one of the stiffest polys out there and not for me in a full bed.
Edit* A very similar string to 4g is Babolat RPM Team. Similar stiffness but better spin.
Click to expand...

+1 for a cross with gut.
Used in a RF97A with 4G as a cross. Was using this setup solely for doubles play which was maybe 2-3 days per month. Great for taming the gut and I liked the fact that I knew exactly how it was going to play everytime I picked it up - and that was over a number of months. Not many setups I could say that about.
 
flanker2000fr

flanker2000fr

Hall of Fame
My 2 cents on the 4G: decent string as far as control and spin are concerned (especially good on kick serves for me), but expensive and very harsh on the arm. It was starting to give me a TE, despite playing with a soft frame (DR98).

I have switched to a Volkl Cyclone 17, which is much softer, and tension maintenance hasn't been bad either (played 6 hours with it so far). Kick serve doesn't jump quite as high, but my sliced backhand is much better. The rest of my game (forehand, return, net play) is very much the same. Altogether, I'll stay with the Cyclone.
 
Bender

Bender

G.O.A.T.
I both like and dislike 4G. A lot nicer when it breaks in, plays like cardboard when new, which is not surprising since it's the same colour as cardboard.
 
U

USPTARF97

Hall of Fame
Full bed I do-not care for 4g. It’s almost like it was designed to be a cross for Natural Gut. Plays well there and tension maintenance is good.
VS Touch 1.30/4g 1.25 @ 58/55 in a RF97 is the best racquet/string set up I have ever used with many years of testing frames and strings. Too bad it is also the most expensive.
 
Last edited:
achapa8807

achapa8807

Semi-Pro
A string that should have been good but upon playing it in different frames and tensions, it is a no go for me. I’d rather pay for PTS or use PTP if I’m going Yonex, which is what I usually play. I’ll bounce back to BBO or ALU, but 4G is a No G for me.
 
achapa8807

achapa8807

Semi-Pro
Bender said:
I both like and dislike 4G. A lot nicer when it breaks in, plays like cardboard when new, which is not surprising since it's the same colour as cardboard.
Click to expand...

Agree 100% But once it breaks in, it can get a little sloppy and unpredictable. I’ll stop playing it after 5-6 hours easy.
 
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