Luxilon 4G Tension Loss and Aging

[TimothyO]

TW shows an astounding 10 pounds tension loss for 4G. TT members have reported conflicting perceptions of tension loss ranging from minimal to extreme.

Has anyone actually measured tension loss besides TW?

Besides tension loss how a poly ages can determine it longevity. Some become too springy, others too boardy. How does 4G age?

Any specific comments on 4G as cross with gut mains? I found a few scattered comments and am interested in latest impressions.

 

[rudester]

I did try gut mains and 4G crosses at 58/55 in a PT 57A. I also tried a full bed of 4G in same type racquet at 52 and preferred the full bed because the ball stayed in the court better, i think the gut mains and 4G would also be nice if that was your regular combo, and especially since the 4G is purported to have great tension maintenance. I generally prefer full bed of poly anyway and have same opinion of this combination. I did think that the
Hybrid setup had amazing feel.

 

[filphil]

I know someone who playtested this poly. He usually strings his full beds of poly below 45lbs. I'll ask about his tension loss/stability since he always keeps track of it for you.

 

[djNEiGht]

I strung my 4g test string at 48#. I did not check it against racquet tune after stringing. I did check it some time later and I was getting 43#. I used it this morning and still found the string very playable. I think I can play with this a while longer...as for the Gamma test string...I'm going to start hitting rocks with it. Can't wait for it to snap or have a pair of scissors find it's way to it.

 

[Cfidave]

Initial tension drop was about 4lbs for me. I have had it in my Prestige Pro for about 4 weeks now, and it is still playing well. Full bed at 48lbs.

 

[purple-n-gold]

My 4G test string has been in raq since 8/13/12 and logged 15+ hours, full bed at 54/52..could tell this past weekend it had started to go south, still prefer it over the week old Gamma test string

 

[stormholloway]

I did try gut mains and 4G crosses at 58/55 in a PT 57A. I also tried a full bed of 4G in same type racquet at 52 and preferred the full bed because the ball stayed in the court better, i think the gut mains and 4G would also be nice if that was your regular combo, and especially since the 4G is purported to have great tension maintenance. I generally prefer full bed of poly anyway and have same opinion of this combination. I did think that the
Hybrid setup had amazing feel.

Can you compare it to ALU?

 

[rudester]

Can you compare it to ALU?

Actually my usual string is ALU, I can share my initial impressions of 4G, since i have not had an opportunity to play as much as i would like of late. What i am really enjoying is the comfort and accuracy of the 4G, I do not seem to generate as much spin on kick serve as with ALU, and the 4G does not generate as much power as ALU. That said, I am able to take a good swing at the ball resulting in a well placed shot that will still dip into the court. 4G has just a nice feel, comfort and plenty of power when needed, what attracted me to 4G was the claims of minimal tension loss, time will tell. ALU has more power and spin, although i am not a fan of ALU rough. 4G excels in comfort feel and accuracy, IMHO.

 

[TimothyO]

Rudester,

I agree about 4G's comfort and precision. I'm at about 12+ hours with a VS/4G hybrid in an AG 4D 200 Tour and getting top notch precision, good comfort, and outstanding spin. I think the spin comes from the fact that I can hit with greater RHS and remain confident of retaining control due to 4G's low power.

I'm using the 16g version and am tempted to try the thinner version in my 200 18x20 frames. Might be too low powered though.

 

[antony]

how long should 4g at 59 lbs last before it becomes "dead"? I don't mind tension loss, but I care about any negative string performance from repeated impacts

 

[Samo]

how long should 4g at 59 lbs last before it becomes "dead"? I don't mind tension loss, but I care about any negative string performance from repeated impacts

People will tell you it's already dead at the start

There is very little difference in the string performance with "aging". Sure you can feel it's a bit more lively when newly strung, but the performance is almost identical during lifespan. There is no noticeable drop off in performance.

I usually string them at 24/23. After first 2 hour hours of play the tension drops to 23.5kg, then it stays the same until 5 hour mark when it breaks. Maybe it drops to 23.4 or 23.3 at most. During the winter I play mostly doubles on carpet and it last me much longer than 5 hours. I can't say exactly what was the longest it lasted, but I would say probably around 20 hours and the tension was still over 23kg and the performace was still good.

 

[Shroud]

I keep 4g in for months with kevlar mains. Even at 86lbs I would like a tighter stringbed and am sensitive to tension loss. 4G has been one of the best strings in that regard, but I manually prestretch so it elongates permanently before stringing.