I actually received this racquet as part of a gift bag I got at the Grand Slam Stringer's Symposium in September this year. Nice gift, huh?!! What's great is that it was handed to me by the Yonex rep, Mark Gonzalez. A great guy and someone who knows his stuff!
Anyway, this racquet doesn't really fit my specs (I play with a flexy Volkl Powerbridge 10 Mid - 93 square inches). However, I thought that it would make a good playtest since Yonex racquets are a little under appreciated, in my view. Whenever I receive a Yonex to customize, it's generally always near the published specs (weight, balance point, swingweight, etc) and very well made. Hey, it's being used by Maria Kirilenko and that can't be all bad, huh?
The specs on this racquet told me it would be a stiff one (67 stiffness rating), 100 square inches and a fairly wide beam. It seemed like it is setting up to be a stiff, powerful racquet that would be hard to control. I strung this up with the Yonex Poly Tour Spin 1.25mm at 58 lbs. Let's see how the playtest went.
Groundstrokes:
Well, part of my pre-conceived notions was confirmed. This IS a powerful racquet. However, it was not uncontrollable. One conclusion can be made from this playtest is that it's a flatball hitter's stick. Topspin was a little hard to generate and it seems that this frame loved the flat ball. A powerful, flat ball is not necessarily a bad thing. It depends on what you're looking for in a racquet. I found that my groundies were deep and penetrating and I could control it faily well. I could rip forehands and backhands but I had to reel it back in to keep it in the court. One thing that was strange was that the headsize of 100 square inches seems smaller than published. The headshape didn't throw me off too much as I'm used to the Volkl that has a somewhat elongated head shape. Some people may have a bit of an adjustment period to the head shape.
Volleys/Overheads:
I enjoyed playing at the net as volleys were firm and powerful and the headlight balance kept it very maneuverable. The 100 square inches helped with getting most balls back but not much swing is needed to produce deep, firm volleys. Touch and feel was average. Overheads were powerful and easy to hit. The large head made smashes a snap.
Serves/Returns:
I liked this racquet for serves. They were powerful and I could direct it pretty well. Kick serves were a little tougher because of the lack of spin potential with this racquet. When I called on the racquet to power some serves, it did deliver. If you like powerful, flat serves, here's your racquet. Returns were some of my favorite shots. The larger head and powerful frame along with the headlight balance allowed me to return the ball hard and flat. I had to make sure to reign it in a bit because it could get a little wild, if I let it.
Overall, this is a solid frame. It's stiff, powerful and hits flat. It probably felt a little stiffer than it could have because of the string and tension I used. At 58 lbs and using a stiff poly could be a bit much. In fact, I felt a bit of arm pain after a few sessions. This could be tamed in the future by using a multifilament or natural gut string. Also, a soft poly at a low tension would alleviate most pain, I would think.
If your a 4.0 or below player looking for more power, good maneuverability and lots of pop, this is your stick.
Keep hittin'!
Dan
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
Luxilon 4G String Review
Luxilon 4G (1.25mm)
One of my buddies thought that Luxilon has gotten into the wireless business with this new 4G string. Nope, it's Luxilon's newest. There's been both hype and anticipation surrounding this new string from Luxilon. Is it really justified or just a new marketing scheme? This is billed as the next generation of strings and one better than the iconic ALU strings that so many pros use. I received a few sets from the Wilson rep and decided to string it up and try it out for myself.
To remind everyone, I'm playing a Volkl PB10 Mid and strung it at 58 lbs. I play at a 4.5 NTRP level primarily as a baseliner with heavy topspin and power tennis.
When I strung the 4G, it felt and looked very similar to the ALU (other than the color - it's gold) and went into the racquet very similarly. It was pretty easy to string and was like most all polys. I choose the 1.25mm set to play. There's a 1.30mm version for string breakers and those who like a thicker string. Both versions are smooth only and a rough version is not currently available.
Groundstrokes:
Ok. I HOPED that it would make me an old(er) version of Roger Federer but I really didn't think it would live up to the hype. However, when I started playing with it, I realized that this was actually an excellent offering from Luxilon. In fact, as soon as I started hitting, I realized that I could take big swipes at the ball and it was landing in most of the time. Generally, strings will help you with either power or control. It's rare that you can get both with the same string. But, the 4G did just that. I tried to push the limits of trying to hit harder and harder to see how far I can go without loosing control. I never did reach that limit as the ball just stayed in! I got great spin also. The ball was jumping more than usual and my regular opponents even mentioned that they saw a difference.
Serve/Overheads
Very solid on both of these and I could spin it, power it and control it nearly as well as my groundies. I got very nice jump on my kick serves and was placing it all around the box. Overheads were solid and I never felt like the string let me down.
Volleys:
Solid as a rock and I could really feel the ball as well. A lot of poly strings aren't that good around the net but this string performed well. Sure, it's not natural gut or even multifilament feel, but it was solid enough to venture into the net and not worry if the ball will fly in a wrong direction.
Returns:
I was as confident as I have ever been. As mentioned above in the groundstrokes section, I could take big swings without fear of loosing control. Returns were no different from groundies. I was amazed at how the ball would drop in even when I thought it was going out. Loved it on returns!
Overall, this is a great string. I have heard that many pros have and will switch to the 4G and rightly so. It says a lot about a string when pros use it without getting paid to do so. Luxilon doesn't pay players because they have great products and don't need to pay anyone.
The main knock on Luxilon strings is that their playability doesn't last as long as many other strings. Of course, this explains the pros using them because they don't need their strings to last long. They use one set of string less than an hour before switching to a fresh stringjob. Unfortunately, the rest of us can't do that. We need strings to last much longer.
During my playtest, I measured the durability, playability and tension maintenance. I played approximately 12 hours and found the following:
Durability - no visible signs of wear. No notching, string movement was minimal and no fraying.
Tension Maintenance - Over the 12 hours of play, the string lost 14.1% of its original tension. Excellent.
Playability - Frankly, this string was magic feeling for about 6 hours. The famous "Luxilon drop" was evident as ball after ball would drop in even when I thought it was going out. I got fantastic power and control and my confidence built as the playtest went on. After the 6 hour mark, the magic started going away and it began feeling very average for a poly. There's nothing particularly wrong with the average poly, but there was a noticeable drop off in playability. Also, I felt no arm, elbow or wrist pain as a result of this playtest.
If money were no issue, I could see myself playing this string full time. This would be great for the player that has the resources to buy and replace this string on a regular basis. Depending on how much you play and your level, you might have to replace it after 6-8 hours of play. Unfortunately, this isn't a cheap string ($32 installed) but many will play it anyway. If you're a competitive player, it's cheap if your results rise a level or 2 because of the 4G.
Great spin, control and power - the Luxilon 4G has it all. Luxilon said that this is ALU on steroids and after this playtest, I think it's time to break out the medical tests to check.
Keep hittin'!
Dan
One of my buddies thought that Luxilon has gotten into the wireless business with this new 4G string. Nope, it's Luxilon's newest. There's been both hype and anticipation surrounding this new string from Luxilon. Is it really justified or just a new marketing scheme? This is billed as the next generation of strings and one better than the iconic ALU strings that so many pros use. I received a few sets from the Wilson rep and decided to string it up and try it out for myself.
To remind everyone, I'm playing a Volkl PB10 Mid and strung it at 58 lbs. I play at a 4.5 NTRP level primarily as a baseliner with heavy topspin and power tennis.
When I strung the 4G, it felt and looked very similar to the ALU (other than the color - it's gold) and went into the racquet very similarly. It was pretty easy to string and was like most all polys. I choose the 1.25mm set to play. There's a 1.30mm version for string breakers and those who like a thicker string. Both versions are smooth only and a rough version is not currently available.
Groundstrokes:
Ok. I HOPED that it would make me an old(er) version of Roger Federer but I really didn't think it would live up to the hype. However, when I started playing with it, I realized that this was actually an excellent offering from Luxilon. In fact, as soon as I started hitting, I realized that I could take big swipes at the ball and it was landing in most of the time. Generally, strings will help you with either power or control. It's rare that you can get both with the same string. But, the 4G did just that. I tried to push the limits of trying to hit harder and harder to see how far I can go without loosing control. I never did reach that limit as the ball just stayed in! I got great spin also. The ball was jumping more than usual and my regular opponents even mentioned that they saw a difference.
Serve/Overheads
Very solid on both of these and I could spin it, power it and control it nearly as well as my groundies. I got very nice jump on my kick serves and was placing it all around the box. Overheads were solid and I never felt like the string let me down.
Volleys:
Solid as a rock and I could really feel the ball as well. A lot of poly strings aren't that good around the net but this string performed well. Sure, it's not natural gut or even multifilament feel, but it was solid enough to venture into the net and not worry if the ball will fly in a wrong direction.
Returns:
I was as confident as I have ever been. As mentioned above in the groundstrokes section, I could take big swings without fear of loosing control. Returns were no different from groundies. I was amazed at how the ball would drop in even when I thought it was going out. Loved it on returns!
Overall, this is a great string. I have heard that many pros have and will switch to the 4G and rightly so. It says a lot about a string when pros use it without getting paid to do so. Luxilon doesn't pay players because they have great products and don't need to pay anyone.
The main knock on Luxilon strings is that their playability doesn't last as long as many other strings. Of course, this explains the pros using them because they don't need their strings to last long. They use one set of string less than an hour before switching to a fresh stringjob. Unfortunately, the rest of us can't do that. We need strings to last much longer.
During my playtest, I measured the durability, playability and tension maintenance. I played approximately 12 hours and found the following:
Durability - no visible signs of wear. No notching, string movement was minimal and no fraying.
Tension Maintenance - Over the 12 hours of play, the string lost 14.1% of its original tension. Excellent.
Playability - Frankly, this string was magic feeling for about 6 hours. The famous "Luxilon drop" was evident as ball after ball would drop in even when I thought it was going out. I got fantastic power and control and my confidence built as the playtest went on. After the 6 hour mark, the magic started going away and it began feeling very average for a poly. There's nothing particularly wrong with the average poly, but there was a noticeable drop off in playability. Also, I felt no arm, elbow or wrist pain as a result of this playtest.
If money were no issue, I could see myself playing this string full time. This would be great for the player that has the resources to buy and replace this string on a regular basis. Depending on how much you play and your level, you might have to replace it after 6-8 hours of play. Unfortunately, this isn't a cheap string ($32 installed) but many will play it anyway. If you're a competitive player, it's cheap if your results rise a level or 2 because of the 4G.
Great spin, control and power - the Luxilon 4G has it all. Luxilon said that this is ALU on steroids and after this playtest, I think it's time to break out the medical tests to check.
Keep hittin'!
Dan
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