Has Luxilon gone "soft"? Alu Soft vs Alu Power:::: 4g Soft vs 4g

danbrenner · Feb 9, 2015

I love blast. I would use it regularly if it didn't bag out after 3 sessions. I can swing plenty fast enough trust me. I hit bullets with my forehand, and serve. and I have a western grip that absolutely needs fast rhs. this string just doesn't cut it as far as spin. plain and simple.

danbrenner · Feb 9, 2015

the only thing it cut.. was itself. right out of my racquet. This would make a really nice cross for gut mains.

EasternRocks · Feb 9, 2015

Should have given it more time I tell you. The ALU Soft has everything I'm looking for in a poly. Good comfort, excellent control and consistency across the string bed, crisp feel, average power, good ball pocketing/dwell time and above average spin. I've tried 30 polys and I think I've finally found the one. If I didn't use ALU Soft or if it never came out, I would be extremely inclined to use the regular ALU but around 49 pounds or so to help beef up the comfort on the string.

danbrenner · Feb 9, 2015

hey brother. I didn't mean to rain on your parade. whatever works for you. for me, I want razorblades as edges. that's my preference. or a really elastic string like blast that gives me tons of spin. this just wasn't for me. I actually prefer 4g cause its so dead that I get more dwell time and can get more spin and precision that way. either way I am happy for you that you found your string.

EasternRocks · Feb 9, 2015

danbrenner said:
hey brother. I didn't mean to rain on your parade. whatever works for you. for me, I want razorblades as edges. that's my preference. or a really elastic string like blast that gives me tons of spin. this just wasn't for me. I actually prefer 4g cause its so dead that I get more dwell time and can get more spin and precision that way. either way I am happy for you that you found your string.

Haha no offense taken. I'm not trying to convince you to try it again or anything. I'm just a fan of it and wanted to give you my 2 cents. As for Blast, it's not an elastic string at all. It is low powered. As for 4G I'm not a fan because it has even lower power than RPM and it is incredibly stiff. Spin potential on the 4G is also subpar. The only way I could use that string is if I went with gut in the crosses like Nishikori does.

EasternRocks · Feb 9, 2015

djnemo said:
Will be trying Alu Power Soft in a full bed this week and will report back. Softness isn't a selling point for me, but tension maintenance and longevity is. With regular Alu Power, I start noticing a loss of liveliness after about 5 hours. Since I don't have my own stringer, this is a major pain having to drop it off at my stringer every week. If I can get 10 hours of life in Alu Soft and have it play 90% as good as regular Alu Power, I'm all in.

Regarding longevity - I do like 4G but only as a cross with gut mains. Not enough feel for me in a full bed.

Have you had a chance to hit the APS yet?

SpinToWin · Feb 10, 2015

Shaped strings are supposed to make it easier for the strings to slide, so there will be string snapback with a slower swing. When you really ramp up the swingspeed though, I feel like there's a vagueness in response with the strings which leads to inaccuracy.

Round strings give you what you put in and have a lower launch angle, so you need high racquet head speed and a more drive-like swing to take full advantage of them. That way you get pace and a lot of spin, which results in a pretty heavy shot.

Players with more extreme grips seem to generally prefer shaped strings, as their higher launch angle makes it easier for them to get the ball up above the net, which can be challenging with inherently more closed racquet faces…

At least that's my experience.

danbrenner · Feb 10, 2015

SpinToWin said:
Shaped strings are supposed to make it easier for the strings to slide, so there will be string snapback with a slower swing. When you really ramp up the swingspeed though, I feel like there's a vagueness in response with the strings which leads to inaccuracy.

Round strings give you what you put in and have a lower launch angle, so you need high racquet head speed and a more drive-like swing to take full advantage of them. That way you get pace and a lot of spin, which results in a pretty heavy shot.

Players with more extreme grips seem to generally prefer shaped strings, as their higher launch angle makes it easier for them to get the ball up above the net, which can be challenging with inherently more closed racquet faces…

At least that's my experience.

As usual Spin is correct. I couldn't agree with you more. I have a pretty extreme Western grip and rely on that extra bite to get the ball at a higher angle. I couldn't have said it better myself.

danbrenner · Feb 10, 2015

But Spin. U have to admit. This TWU spin potential is truly nonsense. 6.9 for this typical round poly. Come on now. Because folks, trust me, this is simply your typical round poly. And they also gave 4g soft a 6.7 spin potential. This is absurd. I think sales have slowed over there, and their grading system has been compromised HEAVILY
Spin what are yiur thoughts?

EasternRocks · Feb 10, 2015

Wilson Revolve - another round poly that has a 7. something spin potential. It's not a farce...if you have a certain game you can reap the benefits.

SpinToWin · Feb 10, 2015

danbrenner said:
But Spin. U have to admit. This TWU spin potential is truly nonsense. 6.9 for this typical round poly. Come on now. Because folks, trust me, this is simply your typical round poly. And they also gave 4g soft a 6.7 spin potential. This is absurd. I think sales have slowed over there, and their grading system has been compromised HEAVILY
Spin what are yiur thoughts?

My thoughts are that spin potential is just a number with no real implications for on-court performance. It literally is just a combined unit of two characteristics of which we do not know if and how they translate to on-court performance.

danbrenner · Feb 10, 2015

SpinToWin said:
My thoughts are that spin potential is just a number with no real implications for on-court performance. It literally is just a combined unit of two characteristics of which we do not know if and how they translate to on-court performance.

As usual you are correct Dr Spin. However I will say this I went back to my trusty vocal v torque and the grip on the ball has returned the spin has returned make no mistake there is no comparison from V Tourque to Alu soft. If V Tourque has a spin rating of 6,5 or whatever then Alu soft should be in the fours at best in comparison

danbrenner · Feb 10, 2015

EasternRocks said:
Wilson Revolve - another round poly that has a 7. something spin potential. It's not a farce...if you have a certain game you can reap the benefits.

What a difference. Thank goodness I cut that string out. It's no comparison in the spin dept. Soft is more of a flat hitters string.
I would love for u to try v Tourque 17 and give your opinion?

EasternRocks · Feb 10, 2015

Won't be trying new strings for a long while. The only strings I would possibly try at this point are the regular ALU and Cyclone in a thicker gauge. Even those 2 I don't feel too inclined to try because I am happy at the moment. Those 2 strings I've played with and have passed on, but I am interested in tinkering with them. ALU in terms of tension and Cyclone in terms of gauge.

SCRAP IRON · Feb 13, 2015

EasternRocks said:
Won't be trying new strings for a long while. The only strings I would possibly try at this point are the regular ALU and Cyclone in a thicker gauge. Even those 2 I don't feel too inclined to try because I am happy at the moment. Those 2 strings I've played with and have passed on, but I am interested in tinkering with them. ALU in terms of tension and Cyclone in terms of gauge.

I know that you probably mentioned this, but what racket and string pattern do you use?

SpinToWin · Feb 13, 2015

SCRAP IRON said:
I know that you probably mentioned this, but what racket and string pattern do you use?

He uses an Ai98, 16x19 string pattern.

SCRAP IRON · Feb 13, 2015

SpinToWin said:
He uses an Ai98, 16x19 string pattern.

Thanks brother.

monomer · Feb 22, 2015

EasternRocks said:
You actually have to consider this: On their spin potential ratings it's done according to a "Fast" swing, note that if you go to the TWU Database they will ask you if you want the data based on a Slow, Medium, or Fast swing. Additionally, the stiffness varies with your answer to that question. Not trying to claim that this is definitely true, but you have to swing really quick to feel the spin out of this string. Shaped polyesters do better for players who are not that advanced yet or cannot swing at a really high racquet head speed. The spin is probably not as high for you or it doesn't feel that high because you are not able to swing as fast as me (again not trying to attack your level of play, but it is noticeably lower than mine as I'm a current collegiate player). You have to put that into consideration.

They are not as off as you think. The spin on this string is quite good.

Edit: To clarify what I mean, think about the term snapback. With higher advanced level players, snapback is the way in which they get spin. Lower level players cannot swing fast enough with round polys to get that same amount of spin they get from a shaped poly, which inherently increases the ball to string friction, which is one way of getting spin. However, shaped polys do not snapback as easily as round polys do because string to string friction is greater with them. Hope this makes some sense. This is why all the pro's are using round polys as opposed to shaped.

This is really true for the Alu Soft. Tried it for the first time in an APD+. It was slightly more harsh and had a little less spin than I expected. When I got warmed up and really started taking a rip at the ball, the string came alive. It feels like it goes into another gear when you reach a certain RHS.

It doesn't feel like gut but is similar in that, the harder you hit, the better it feels and performs. It really is an outstanding poly for someone that has the RHS.

For me, it's right on the edge of my comfort zone with my usual swing. I only have three hours on it but probably will still be switching to it if the playability holds up as long as the TW reviewers say it does.

EasternRocks · Feb 22, 2015

How did you find the power level to be? I thought it was a little too low for my liking. It didn't have much elasticity to it.

monomer · Feb 23, 2015

EasternRocks said:
How did you find the power level to be? I thought it was a little too low for my liking. It didn't have much elasticity to it.

I had been using Cyclone Tour which is pretty much on the other end of the spectrum for polys. I definitely prefer the softer feel and power of Cyclone Tour. The Alu Soft seemed to have outstanding control and much less power. Normally this would not be my type of string but for some reason I really liked the feel when taking a big swing.

I tried it at 50 lbs. (in an Aeropro+) and will drop it a few lbs. when I restring. I'll have to see how I feel about it when I get more playing time. It gave me a lot of confidence to really swing out.

EasternRocks · Feb 23, 2015

monomer said:
I had been using Cyclone Tour which is pretty much on the other end of the spectrum for polys. I definitely prefer the softer feel and power of Cyclone Tour. The Alu Soft seemed to have outstanding control and much less power. Normally this would not be my type of string but for some reason I really liked the feel when taking a big swing.

I tried it at 50 lbs. (in an Aeropro+) and will drop it a few lbs. when I restring. I'll have to see how I feel about it when I get more playing time. It gave me a lot of confidence to really swing out.

Can't disagree with you there, but the one drawback is that even on my hardest swings, I wasn't able to get the power/zip I am looking for. I thought the power level of the string is very similar to Cyclone. It's a stiffer/tad harsher, crisper playing Cyclone IMO. I think spin is easier to get with the Cyclone because you aren't swinging at your highest RHS all the time. If you were, the ALU Soft would probably have a tiny bit more spin.

AMGF · Sep 4, 2015

I'm digging up an old thread but wanted to add my experience. The AluPower Soft is an amazing string. Not too harsh, lots of control and the spin is amazing for me. I can hit very short diagonals and I have had my hitting partners give up on balls thinking it was gonna go wide just to see it fall in. Cool stuff. The harder you hit the more it spins.

I agree with EasternRocks, this might be the holy grail of poly. Good power, good spin, good control, not too harsh and after about 8hours, still plays like a charm. Strung at 50/48 in leaded (+9g) Graphene Prestige Pro. I hit hard and I have a 1700 rating (about 5.5 for US folks).

Next up is Luxilon 4G Soft. Anyone tested the 4G soft vs alupower soft??

Curious · Mar 10, 2017

AMGF said:
I'm digging up an old thread but wanted to add my experience. The AluPower Soft is an amazing string. Not too harsh, lots of control and the spin is amazing for me. I can hit very short diagonals and I have had my hitting partners give up on balls thinking it was gonna go wide just to see it fall in. Cool stuff. The harder you hit the more it spins.

I agree with EasternRocks, this might be the holy grail of poly. Good power, good spin, good control, not too harsh and after about 8hours, still plays like a charm. Strung at 50/48 in leaded (+9g) Graphene Prestige Pro. I hit hard and I have a 1700 rating (about 5.5 for US folks).

Next up is Luxilon 4G Soft. Anyone tested the 4G soft vs alupower soft??

I was wondering if your thoughts about Alu power soft had changed or you had found a better one. Also asking the same question to EasternRocks.

Roland G · Mar 10, 2017

AMGF said:
I'm digging up an old thread but wanted to add my experience. The AluPower Soft is an amazing string. Not too harsh, lots of control and the spin is amazing for me. I can hit very short diagonals and I have had my hitting partners give up on balls thinking it was gonna go wide just to see it fall in. Cool stuff. The harder you hit the more it spins.

I agree with EasternRocks, this might be the holy grail of poly. Good power, good spin, good control, not too harsh and after about 8hours, still plays like a charm. Strung at 50/48 in leaded (+9g) Graphene Prestige Pro. I hit hard and I have a 1700 rating (about 5.5 for US folks).

Next up is Luxilon 4G Soft. Anyone tested the 4G soft vs alupower soft??

Yes, the 4G Soft was not quite as sweet for me. It was a little less spin-friendly and also a bit firmer and lower-powered. It is though a really good control oriented string though if that's what you're after and holds tension pretty well too.

AMGF · Mar 10, 2017

Curious said:
I was wondering if your thoughts about Alu power soft had changed or you had found a better one. Also asking the same question to EasternRocks.

I still use Alu power soft in my hybrid set up, still think it plays great. But I changed frames and now use a 18x20 extended lenght. To keep the SW in check (I'm at 355 right now), I use 18g because thicker gauge bring the SW over 360sw and it affects my serve speed. I tested a couple of strings but my choice right now is the Volkl Cyclone. In 18g I get all the spin I need which is helpful with the 18x20. For me it really suits my Angell TC97 18x20 perfectly. The frame has great control as is, and the thin gauge gives me extra pop and spin to make it a well put together cohesive frame/string package.

I tried the Hyper G too and liked it very much. But for some reason I always went back with my Cyclone strung frame. So now it is my go to string. It is also very cheap compared to pretty much everything else which is another plus. I watched TW review where they compared the Blast and Cyclone and pretty much agreed with it 100%.

AMGF · Mar 10, 2017

Roland G said:
Yes, the 4G Soft was not quite as sweet for me. It was a little less spin-friendly and also a bit firmer and lower-powered. It is though a really good control oriented string though if that's what you're after and holds tension pretty well too.

I never got around to try the 4G as I changed frames and my needs went in another direction. However, there is a 16yo kid here in a development program that uses it as it is the only string this side of kevlar that lasts him a whole week.

Curious · Mar 10, 2017

AMGF said:
I still use Alu power soft in my hybrid set up, still think it plays great. But I changed frames and now use a 18x20 extended lenght. To keep the SW in check (I'm at 355 right now), I use 18g because thicker gauge bring the SW over 360sw and it affects my serve speed. I tested a couple of strings but my choice right now is the Volkl Cyclone. In 18g I get all the spin I need which is helpful with the 18x20. For me it really suits my Angell TC97 18x20 perfectly. The frame has great control as is, and the thin gauge gives me extra pop and spin to make it a well put together cohesive frame/string package.

I tried the Hyper G too and liked it very much. But for some reason I always went back with my Cyclone strung frame. So now it is my go to string. It is also very cheap compared to pretty much everything else which is another plus. I watched TW review where they compared the Blast and Cyclone and pretty much agreed with it 100%.

Do you think Prince tour 100 16X18 stringbed is too open to use Cyclone 18?

AMGF · Mar 10, 2017

Curious said:
Do you think Prince tour 100 16X18 stringbed is too open to use Cyclone 18?

It would for me. I like to have good control and if it was me in a 100 16x18, I'd probably go no higher than 16g. But I can generate my own spin and pace and everyone has different needs/wants.

But my gf uses 19g Cyclone in her 100in 16x19. It has okay control, the Cyclone even in 19g is still a poly and doesn't move around like most multi. However it hits with huge spin, pop and comfort (for a poly) which also really helps on her serve. She regularly hit aces in her 3.5 league believe it or not.

Everything is a compromise. If you play a lower level, the benefits of a thin poly like the Cyclone in an open pattern frame (power/spin/higher launch angle) will probably outweigh the downsides (less precision). The only sure way to know is to try them out and see how they work for you.

YellowFedBetter · Mar 10, 2017

Yes Alu Soft is a very good poly that's served me pretty well in my time using it. Will be switching to try Hyper G as I want a little more pop and spin (especially on serve), but I would have no problem going back to it. My favorite of the four polys I've used. The spin isn't as good as PHT and RPM Blast (to be expected with it not being shaped) but is WAY better than 4G (the most disappointing string in terms of spin I've ever used).

Control is about even with PHT, slightly better than RPM, and again leagues better than 4G. Slightly lower powered than PHT and RPM, much less powerful than 4G. Feel is muted, better than PHT but not as good as 17 gauge RPM. Very good string that does it job, lasts decently long for a poly, no frills, no spills.

MatthewH. · Dec 9, 2017

AMGF said:
I still use Alu power soft in my hybrid set up, still think it plays great. But I changed frames and now use a 18x20 extended lenght. To keep the SW in check (I'm at 355 right now), I use 18g because thicker gauge bring the SW over 360sw and it affects my serve speed. I tested a couple of strings but my choice right now is the Volkl Cyclone. In 18g I get all the spin I need which is helpful with the 18x20. For me it really suits my Angell TC97 18x20 perfectly. The frame has great control as is, and the thin gauge gives me extra pop and spin to make it a well put together cohesive frame/string package.

I tried the Hyper G too and liked it very much. But for some reason I always went back with my Cyclone strung frame. So now it is my go to string. It is also very cheap compared to pretty much everything else which is another plus. I watched TW review where they compared the Blast and Cyclone and pretty much agreed with it 100%.

I just picked up some cyclone 18 gauge for my TC 97 18/20. What tension would you recommend starting at? I’ve usually been around 52 pounds

AMGF · Dec 9, 2017

MatthewH. said:
I just picked up some cyclone 18 gauge for my TC 97 18/20. What tension would you recommend starting at? I’ve usually been around 52 pounds

I play 48/52 (yes mains lower than crosses) and it plays awesome. If you don’t feel like going off the beaten path I used to play 52/50 or 50/48 depending if I play outside or inside. But ever since I tried 48/52 I haven’t gone back.

Gamechanger · Jan 16, 2018

AMGF said:
I play 48/52 (yes mains lower than crosses) and it plays awesome. If you don’t feel like going off the beaten path I used to play 52/50 or 50/48 depending if I play outside or inside. But ever since I tried 48/52 I haven’t gone back.

Why you play mains lower than crosses? And did you also tried 19 or 18l Cyclone? I am planning to try the 18l in my Ultra Tour.

AMGF · Jan 16, 2018

Gamechanger said:
Why you play mains lower than crosses? And did you also tried 19 or 18l Cyclone? I am planning to try the 18l in my Ultra Tour.

I just decided to give it a try. I noticed some pros doing that and to my surprise it played so well I switched completely. When I go full bed poly I always do mains 2 to 4lbs lower. You might not like it, but I’d recommend you give it a try at least once when you are settled on a string and tension.

I’d stay away from 19g Cyclone. It dies much more rapidly and whatever gain in spin or touch there could be I didn’t feel any. I recommend the 18l over the 19. I feel the 18g to be really good too, for a bit more SW go 18g but I think overall I prefer the feel of the 18l.

Peter Dervan · Oct 2, 2018

EasternRocks said:
I would say SPE has more inherent power to it. It's livelier for sure. Spin comparison is tough because I feel like I can get a lot of it from the SPE, but right now I am also satisfied with the spin I'm getting from Soft. The one thing that SPE doesn't have that Soft has is ball pocketing/dwell time/consistency in the string bed. First off, the Soft does a good job of maintaining a feel in which you always know where the ball will go. I think the SPE sometimes can get a little inconsistent because of how lively it is. As far as ball pocketing/dwell time, I don't think SPE does a good job in this department because the ball comes off the string bed so quickly that I sometimes don't get to "feel" the ball. The split millisecond makes a difference. I go on TWU to check the dwell time and SPE does have a lower one than a lot of other strings. If I wanted to be extremely nitpicky, I guess I would like Soft to have a bit more spring/elasticity to it, but I think it's one of those things where you can't have the perfect string. One similarity I can point out which is why I like both strings is that they are in that medium stiff (~high 180's-~low 200's) and crisp category. Unfortunately, they aren't that many strings in the current market that check those 2 boxes.

I can't claim that it's the best string I've tried yet because I'm still under 10 hours with the string, but it's definitely vaulted itself into my top 3 already. I am 99% sure I will be switching to it. I have already 5 sets here and will probably string those up at #52 lbs.

Edit: I went ahead and looked at the TWU database to see which poly's do fit in that stiffness/crisp criteria. I honestly can't find many others besides Soft and SPE. They have Big Hitter Silver 17 at 186...so I'm guessing the 16 would be in that 190 range which would be definitely in my range. I don't know if the string plays crisp though...have you played with it? The only other string I could see working out for me would be Cyclone 16...it is at 197. The 17g played too plush for me and the crisp feeling did not last very long. Perhaps the 16g would have that crisp feel for a bit longer. If I was still playtesting strings, I would give those 2 a shot.

ER , Dan,
Have either of you tried Pacifc x-cite 1.25? If not - I’d honestly give this string a play test. It’s pricey, but it lasts so long, and has amazing blend of power / pop / control.
I’d string it at about 50/48 on a 98” at a guess.

Ps. It’s not a shaped poly obviously, but really is fantastic. I’ve play tested so many strings, on so many rackets with so many setups / tensions - and this one stands out across many rackets, and across many players I have given samples too (top top players, US college level etc).

Ps. I found reg 4g to be too low powered. I haven’t actually put a full bed of 4g soft into a test yet as I’m coming back from a TE injury, but 4g soft with gut crosses is a sweet sweet setup on a Fischer Pro Vacuum 90 (48 mains 4g, 52 crosses gut).

I string the x-cite up at 47/46 on a Fischer. (16x20 string pattern). Two others that come to mind that tested the same string used a Head Prestige 18x20 (320g version) and Wilson Blade 98 (same pattern I think ?green & Black one).

No comparison between pacific string and any other poly I’ve tested, bar reg 4g which actually feels like it gets stiffer over time somehow !!

The 4g soft / nat gut setup - the gut is gonna go before the poly, so tension seems great for the 4g soft. (I hit eastern forehand, one handed backhand and slice backhand a bit- and I reckon I’ll be getting somewhere between 25-40 hours on that setup. I haven’t been keeping a proper track but I will in future.

Regards
Peter

netlets · Jan 5, 2020

I realize the last entry in this thread is a little over a year old, but I feel like adding my two cents. I just strung up my Wilson Clash Tour with Luxilon Soft at 45 lbs. I read through this topic to see what people thought of it and the spin potential compared to more edgy polys. I was able to get the ball to really jump (explode) with this string more than I have been able to with Tour Bite and Hyper G, which I have used for the last 5 years exclusively. The person I was hitting with commented on how my ball was really exploding when I accelerated my racquet head speed. I think there is something to the snap back, where the rougher edges slow the snap back, the rounded edge strings can snap into place more quickly. You won't notice it unless your low to high swing speed is significant - so it didn't happen all the time for me. I use a semi-western fh grip and am a 5.0 player.

1HBHfanatic · Jan 5, 2020

@netlets lux.4g.soft is a nice string,, if you can find the tension where the stiff ness of the string does not hurt you
I tried 4g.soft and hated the first experience with it (too tight I guess), i then tried it a year or so latter at a much lower tension and really got to see how good the string tension maintenance is
i string w.clash.100 with lux.4g.soft for a friend @58lbs;I would be at that similar tension if I were using the clash as well, but that's a personal preference, some people like the clash at 45, some like it at 58??!!

TheIntrovert · Jan 5, 2020

Used ALU power as a cross with X1 on the mains and always felt that the stringbed initially felt very stiff and lacked quite a lot of control. And felt that the stringbed played perfectly a couple of hours before breaking both in terms of plushness and control. Tried Red code as a cross. Hated it. Far too stiff. Was looking around searching for sets of ALU power and found that ALU power soft was a thing. Bought it and put it in. Near perfect. The plush feel and control that I liked from the used stringbed was there from the get go. Lacked a bit of spin in comparison but will adjust tension when I string next. But am a very big fan.

mctennis · Jan 5, 2020

What tension(s) did you

TheIntrovert said:
Used ALU power as a cross with X1 on the mains and always felt that the stringbed initially felt very stiff and lacked quite a lot of control. And felt that the stringbed played perfectly a couple of hours before breaking both in terms of plushness and control. Tried Red code as a cross. Hated it. Far too stiff. Was looking around searching for sets of ALU power and found that ALU power soft was a thing. Bought it and put it in. Near perfect. The plush feel and control that I liked from the used stringbed was there from the get go. Lacked a bit of spin in comparison but will adjust tension when I string next. But am a very big fan.

What tension(s) did you use so far? I was interested in trying this but the tread had not been updated in quite a while.

TheIntrovert · Jan 5, 2020

mctennis said:
What tension(s) did you

What tension(s) did you use so far? I was interested in trying this but the tread had not been updated in quite a while.

48 mains 46 crosses. Think I will go for 49 mains 47 crosses next time

esgee48 · Jan 5, 2020

Spin Potential is defined as COF Ball-string divided by COF String-string. It is a construct which has little bearing on players' ability to spin the ball. If you use the string data from the RSA, then you know they do not have a spin potential for strings since it is very dependent on player, tension and swing speed. As stated previously, the data from static measurements are the best for guidance IMO. Dynamic lab situations are not that accurate IME.

4G is pre stretched and is reflected in their stiffness numbers. ALU Power does not seem to be pre stretched and is reflected in its stiffness numbers and % total tension loss. 4G acts like SG for tension loss. ALU Soft appears to be more like a multi and I wonder if they changed the formulation to include some Zyex fibers.

FIRETennis · Jan 6, 2020

ALU Power Soft is a great string! The only negative is that the reel of ALU Power Soft is 200m vs. 220m for the regular ALU Power causing it to be ~10% more expensive.

netlets · Jan 6, 2020

FIRETennis said:
ALU Power Soft is a great string! The only negative is that the reel of ALU Power Soft is 200m vs. 220m for the regular ALU Power causing it to be ~10% more expensive.

And that's the real issue isn't it? There are solid string choices in the $12 range and Alu Power Soft is $18 a set. I string my own racquets and most of us here I would venture to guess do as well. I'm going to play with Alu Power Soft the next couple of days against a really strong player and see how I like it. I just finished trying Hyper G soft, which is a nice string but I think I prefer Alu Power Soft.

mili4a · Oct 21, 2020

TW review is really spot on, spin potential - control for the ALU Soft. Shaped strings do not improve ball to string friction, at least I have never had any success with shaped poly, shaped strings add barely any spin, but they make a somewhat unpredictable response, which holds up my ability to swing as fast as I can.

With that being said, let me share some of my experience and why I like this string. I am not a competitive player but I like the game of tennis and I started experimenting with racquets and strings long time ago. Recently I had to help my daughter find a new racquet – string combination suitable for her game. She is 15 years ranked competitive player, I she plays 4-6 days 3-5 hours / week. She use to play with Yonex EZONE 98, few years ago she switched to Wilson Blade 98 16x19 2015 because she didn’t like the countervail version. I and my daughter both play very aggressive style taking the ball on the rise, low trajectory, changing the pace all the time using semi-western grip, to give my opponents less time to move themselves. We demo few new racquets: Yonex EZONE 98, Wilson Blade v7, Babolat Pure Aero and Babolat Pure Strike. We had the chance to order Luxilon Timo , Luxilon 4G and 4G Soft , Luxilon Element, Luxilon ALU Power Rough, Volkl Cyclon , Volkl Cyclon Tour, Solinco Confidential, Solinco Hyper-G , Yonex Poly Tour Pro, Head lynx, Babolat RPM and RPM Rough, Yonex 850 Tour Pro, Yonex Rexis and I may miss some. For a period of 5 months we messed around with tensions we did hybrids (multi – poly and poly – multi) then we tried Luxilon Alu Power Soft on Blade v7 16\19 - 49 lbs. OMG I was stunned, the spin was outstanding, very comfortable, very predictable string amazing ball pocketing. However, I found the playability to be average around 8-10 hours for her and 10-12 for me (for comparison she makes 10 hours with RPM) but if you want an arm friendly string and you are an aggressive player using any opportunity to step in the court this is a string for you. When I got warmed up and really started taking a rip at the ball, the string came alive. It somehow feels like it goes into another gear. The harder you hit, the better it feels and performs. It really is an outstanding poly. I got myself the same racquet and I use this string as my string to go, she made this her preferable string as well.

FIRETennis · Oct 21, 2020

mili4a said:
TW review is really spot on, spin potential - control for the ALU Soft. Shaped strings do not improve ball to string friction, at least I have never had any success with shaped poly, shaped strings add barely any spin, but they make a somewhat unpredictable response, which holds up my ability to swing as fast as I can.

With that being said, let me share some of my experience and why I like this string. I am not a competitive player but I like the game of tennis and I started experimenting with racquets and strings long time ago. Recently I had to help my daughter find a new racquet – string combination suitable for her game. She is 15 years ranked competitive player, I she plays 4-6 days 3-5 hours / week. She use to play with Yonex EZONE 98, few years ago she switched to Wilson Blade 98 16x19 2015 because she didn’t like the countervail version. I and my daughter both play very aggressive style taking the ball on the rise, low trajectory, changing the pace all the time using semi-western grip, to give my opponents less time to move themselves. We demo few new racquets: Yonex EZONE 98, Wilson Blade v7, Babolat Pure Aero and Babolat Pure Strike. We had the chance to order Luxilon Timo , Luxilon 4G and 4G Soft , Luxilon Element, Luxilon ALU Power Rough, Volkl Cyclon , Volkl Cyclon Tour, Solinco Confidential, Solinco Hyper-G , Yonex Poly Tour Pro, Head lynx, Babolat RPM and RPM Rough, Yonex 850 Tour Pro, Yonex Rexis and I may miss some. For a period of 5 months we messed around with tensions we did hybrids (multi – poly and poly – multi) then we tried Luxilon Alu Power Soft on Blade v7 16\19 - 49 lbs. OMG I was stunned, the spin was outstanding, very comfortable, very predictable string amazing ball pocketing. However, I found the playability to be average around 8-10 hours for her and 10-12 for me (for comparison she makes 10 hours with RPM) but if you want an arm friendly string and you are an aggressive player using any opportunity to step in the court this is a string for you. When I got warmed up and really started taking a rip at the ball, the string came alive. It somehow feels like it goes into another gear. The harder you hit, the better it feels and performs. It really is an outstanding poly. I got myself the same racquet and I use this string as my string to go, she made this her preferable string as well.

Fantastic result. I prefer ALU Soft to the regular ALU, however they key for both is to keep tension sub 50! I've even played down to 40 and the spin is still ridiculous and balls stays in!

Has Luxilon gone "soft"? Alu Soft vs Alu Power:::: 4g Soft vs 4g

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