Just in case some readers do not know what this article is about -
Luxilon
is a belgian company that became famous in the tennis world for their
Big Banger tennis strings (use
this link if the previous one is not working
- and there is also a page
here
where you can see other similar advice about Luxilon strings)
- at some point almost half of the top pro tennis players were playing with
those strings, which is totally amazing for such a competitive market !
1. This article is not for you if you think that the string does not make any difference OR
if you hope that the string (or the raquet) makes ALL the difference.
2. There is no 'absolute best choice' for all possible combinations - only generic rules that
the reader must understand and adapt to his/her specific conditions.
3. Among the parameters that have to be taken into consideration are in order - your swing style,
your raquet (huge number of parameters, most important = surface, number of strings, weight),
the court and the balls type, (and how well you are adapted to the last 3),
how often you play, your budget and (last but not least) your eventual medical problems.
All of the article is based on my personal experience and only speaks about strings
that I have used on my own raquets up to the moment of this first post - lately I have also recommended certain
models to some of my friends and there are 2-3 string models that I will test during the next months
and that will later make the subject of the second part of this article.
My Luxilon experience started last year, shortly after switching my tennis raquets from
Radical LiquidMetal OverSize to Prestige Flexpoint Midplus - I was generally using the Radical in an incorrect
way and that resulted in some problems in my elbow and wrist - and combined with the fact that the Prestige
raquets are quite different in 'swing style' and with my lack of 'tennis time' that resulted
in a rather long (and frustrating) period of adaptation.
One of the problems that I noted was that with the same swing style, string and tension,
the Prestige was generating less power and the smaller and denser stringbed was also giving me some inconsistent
results at high stringing tensions depending not only on how accurate I could hit the ball in the precise center
of the stringbed but also on how the string tension was changing after a rather short period of time - and that
was the point where I started to look on the Internet for some strings that might be better suited to my needs.
The search might not end for still some time (and maybe sometimes the journey is
more important than the actual destination) but some of the things that I have learned might help other
people in their own search.
I will first list the Luxilon strings that I have used so far together with the original
'ratings' from the producer itself, but after that I will provide my personal feedback on them and generic
rules on what you might want to try first when searching for the best match - please read that last part
carefully!
One small limit of this review is that the Luxilon strings indeed last longer,
so I actually have quite a number of new strings and hybrids to test but I have to wait for the existing
strings to break first :)
Another problem migh be that the absolute tension values (that I list below)
might not be really usefull for anybody else - obviously those values have some meaning only for
another Head Prestige Flexpoint Midplus and in case you like to hit the ball very decisive - but
from that point 'corrections' must be made for many, many things, from personal tennis swing / hit style
to less heavy raquets or less dense stringbed.
| Durability: | 8 |
| Power: | 7 |
| Control: | 9 |
| Comfort: | 10 |
| Durability: | 8 |
| Power: | 10 |
| Control: | 10 |
| Comfort: | 8 |
| Durability: | 10 |
| Power: | 9 |
| Control: | 8 |
| Comfort: | 7 |
At that point I have also tried mixing Supersense + ALU Power - the problem was that the precision from Supersense could only be maximized with that one on the mains and ALU Power makes very little sense in a dense stringbed on the crosses ...
| Durability: | 7 |
| Power: | 8 |
| Control: | 9 |
| Comfort: | 10 |
| Durability: | 6 |
| Power: | 8 |
| Control: | 10 |
| Comfort: | 10 |
| Durability: | 7 |
| Power: | 8 |
| Control: | 10 |
| Comfort: | 10 |
| Durability: | 8 |
| Power: | 8 |
| Control: | 8 |
| Comfort: | 10 |
Probably the most important rule in order to pick the right combination starts with the question of medical elbow / wrist problems - if that is the case Supersense is the absolute first choice, with maybe LTS Multi Mono an option on raquets with a big surface (but with a slightly lower tension). HOWEVER it is almost certain that the root of the problem is NOT from the string itself, and you should also try to correct the entire way in which you hit the ball; a slightly lower tension might also help, and in my case a very low tension with the Big Banger Original (which normally is the LEAST recommended string for comfort - but in my case we speak about 15%-20% lower tension) was the key to correcting my swing ... I also believe that a very good shock dampener might help - but for me the absolute best results on that were not coming from an expensive brand-name product but instead from the advice of a long-time trainer - I am using 4 small disks (10-12 mm in diameter, 2-3 mm thickness) of soft rubber installed on the crossing of the 4 central mains with the first cross string - it will cut all vibrations and it seems that it will also improve precision (but at the expense of a very small power loss, and it might not be 100% according to the pro-tennis regulations; it is also VERY difficult to install).
The second rule is that TENSION MATTERS A LOT, and with every single Luxilon string (maybe with the exception of Supersense) you must indeed lower the tension when compared to your 'normal string'. However the actual change in properties is not so 'linear' - very often the first 1-2 kg of lowering the tension has only a minimal result but with the 3rd kg there is a sudden huge change - it all depends on the string model and on raquet / stringbed density.
Another essential rule can be expressed as 'FIRST TIME TRY SUPERSENSE' - that means that if you have never used a Luxilon string (and you are not a pro player) or if you are changing raquets and you have no clue on what string and tension to use then the best start is with Supersense - that one is the most 'forgiving' (in case you don't hit precisely with the center, which WILL take place more often when you just changed the raquet type), the least 'demanding' on your arm and probably the only Luxilon string where getting the tension too high will still generate usable results. If you have no clue on the tension with a new raquet you can also ask somebody with more experience or in the extreme case where no advice exists you can use a very simple rule - with Supersense if you do not have medical problems just use the middle of the range recommended by the raquet maker (usually written in the raquet); with medical problems you might even want to go for the lower tension from that range; usually the tension for the mains can be about 0.5 - 1 kg bigger than the tension for the crosses (which will keep tension much better since the crosses are usually shorter).
Once you have used Supersense for some time (on a dense stringbed it can last quite some time) you can try to estimate what else would you like - for instance if you have a long and quick swing you might want more power and spin, and in that case you might want to try ALU Power, TiMo or even Big Banger Original (all at a LOWER tension than Supersense). If your serve is the very first concern and restringing is not a problem, then ACE might also be very tempting (or the extra-thin TiMo). If you would want a string that will last more than Supersense maybe the thicker LTS Multi Mono is an option (eventually at a slightly lower tension if you also want more power), but the longest lasting will be the Big Banger Original (which might also be better priced), probably 5 Star in second (this will be reviewed in the second part) and ALU Power third. If the price is a major concern you should also consider splitting a string reel with a few friends - but that only works very well if you know very precisely the actual length used for stringing your raquet! (see for instance here - not affiliated in any way but the selection and the prices are not bad).
HOWEVER for many recreational players Supersense might be the best choice for a longer time (or until serious progress is made) - so don't be afraid to return to that model if you really enjoy it!
2007-06-13