Luxilon 4G Soft String Review

Control - Score: 94 / Power - Score: 57

With its low-powered and ultra predictable response on big swings, 4G Soft earned one of the highest control scores awarded by our playtest program. Chris found exceptional control even at lower tensions. He said, "I imagined a softer version of 4G might bring with it some additional power. However, I was pleasantly surprised that 4G Soft retains the same excellent control as regular 4G. The response was very low powered for me. I even tried this string at 40 lbs but still found it to play at a low power level. My favorite tension turned out to be 51 lbs. At that tension I found enough pop to help me get the ball away, yet I was still getting a huge emphasis on control from the stringbed on every swing. I felt very confident with this string in my racquet because I never felt like the ball was going to fly on me. I thought this string excelled in the control department and that made it exactly my kind of string."

Brittany also found excellent control, saying, "This is an extremely control-oriented string. I felt I could go for riskier shots closer to the lines and have the ball land exactly where I wanted. I could take full, fast strokes without worrying about the ball sailing long. However, there was very little access to power, even when I dropped the tension about 5 lbs lower than normal. I ended up testing the string at 51 lbs with hopes for some extra power. The biggest difficulty I faced was a lot of my shots were landing shorter than I wanted; around the service line or slightly past. When I looked at my PlaySight data I found I was more consistent with my groundstrokes, but my average power level was significantly lower."

Spin - Score: 85

Our team was very satisfied with the amount of spin they got from 4G Soft. Brittany had zero complaints. She said, "I always expect a certain amount of spin from polyester strings. 4G Soft definitely did not disappoint. While I tend to hit a flatter ball most of the time, I do like to add extra spin when hitting shorter, angled groundstrokes or passing shots that dip at my opponent's feet. I was able to do both with this string, so it passed my test. Compared to other polyester strings, I would say it had slightly above average spin potential."

"I'm a huge fan of the spin I get from regular 4G," said Chris. "This softer version didn't bring anything extra to the table, but it didn't really have to. I was still getting lots of spin, which upped the level of control I was getting even further. I could see healthy ball rotation and a nice arc to my topspin shots. I also felt confident driving my slice backhand with this string. I had a good sense of how much spin I was getting on my shots and that allowed me to judge the depth of my shots very well."

Comfort - Score: 75

Given its relatively high stiffness, 4G Soft is not likely to wind up on anybody's list of comfortable polys. For more advanced players like Chris, however, the firmer feel was not a problem. He said, "While this string is softer than regular 4G, it is still on the stiffer side and is stiffer than my go-to string, Volkl Cyclone. The firmness of the stringbed never bothered me, and because the string is so controlled, I could string it lower. At 51 lbs the string felt great. I had a nice firm feel, which offered control without feeling brassy. I had no comfort issues and enjoyed the feel of this string."

Although Brittany detected a firmer feel on off-center hits, she too had no issues with discomfort. She said, "I could definitely tell that this string played slightly softer than 4G. Like other polyesters with soft in their name (ALU Power Soft), it is softer than the original but it is still not a soft string like a multifilament or synthetic gut. I didn't have any issues with this string's comfort, although I do not have any history of arm issues. When I did hit outside the sweetspot I definitely felt firmer feedback, but it was wasn't jarring or harsh."

Feel - Score: 83

Contrary to its name, 4G Soft felt on the firm side to our team. Brittany appreciated the stiffer response because it gave her a heightened feel for the ball. She explained, "Even though Soft is in the name of this string, it did not feel mushy at all. I would describe it as a crisp, firm feeling string that was easy to adjust to. I liked how well I could feel the ball on the strings, which helped me redirect the ball wherever I wanted it to go."

Also appreciating the firm feel, Chris said, "Despite its name, I found 4G Soft to be a firmer feeling string. There are many softer feeling monofilaments on the market these days, but I wouldn't say this string is too firm at all. I felt very connected to my shots with it. I could trust the response of this string and found it confidence inspiring during tight moments of a match."

Playability Duration - Score: 85

In our Tennis Warehouse University String Lab 4G Soft posted an impressive score for tension maintenance, suggesting that it should hold its playability quite well over time. Chris appreciated the consistent response. He said, "I was happy with the performance of this string for the duration of the test. I tried 4G Soft at many different tensions and found it to hold well at all levels. Some strings can bag out too quickly when strung down in the 40s, but this felt great over several weeks of playing."

Although she noticed a slight drop in tension, the playability held up quite well for Brittany. She said, "I loved this string the first time I played with it. After about a week I noticed a slight drop in tension, but that didn't affect my playability. I would say at the end of three to four weeks I would probably cut this string out of my racquet, but for the most part it did its job."

Overall - Score: 81

Scores

(Scores are determined by averaging individual play test scores)

Playtester String Setups

Review date: March 2015. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

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