The past few weeks Frans tested the Luxilon Element Rough for mijnracket.nl! The string excels in comfort and spin. Read his full test report here.
Luxilon, beloved by the pros and the most played string brand on the ATP Tour, should the general public also tension these strings from now on? This is a review of the Luxilon Element Rough! Specifications:
Brand: Luxilon
String: Element Rough
Thickness: 16 (1.30 mm)
Type: Co-poly
Similar strings: Diadem Solstice Power, Babolat RPM Blast Rough.
Judgement:
Durability: 8
Voltage retention: 6
Spin: 8.5
Ball control: 8
Power: 8.5
Control: 5
Comfort: 9
Durability/Voltage maintenance
The tension retention seems to be reasonable in practice. Most polyester strings generally lose a lot of tension quite quickly, and this string seems to do that a little more than an average polyester. In terms of durability, this string seems to perform better. Although it is difficult to test this string completely on that since it has not broken yet. What is noticeable is that the string remains playable for a long time. Polyester strings often die after a week or two. Then they no longer respond well, the spin disappears a little and all playing characteristics simply deteriorate considerably. After three weeks of playing, this is much less noticeable with the Element Rough and the string is still excellently playable!
Spin
There is quite a bit of spin in this string. This is due to two factors. First, the strings slide over each other very easily, they have a lot of ''snap-back'', even when the string has been in there for a while. Second, the ''rough'' surface of the string ensures that the ball gets some extra rotation. So in the spin category this string certainly performs above average in the realm of polyester strings, although there seems to be a bit more spin in strings like the Solstice Power, and Elite XT from Diadem.
Control/Power Ratio
The Element Rough is not your typical polyester when it comes to this aspect. This string is full of power compared to other polyester strings. This is also at the expense of control. Hard hitters may find this a lesser string, but for the player looking for free power this is ideal.
Comfort/Ball feel
Comfort is one of the strongest points of this string. The string is simply very soft on the arm, especially for a polyester string. This soft feeling on the arm mainly ensures that the ball contact feels nice. This soft response certainly does not ensure that there is no ball feeling anymore.
Conclusion
Spin, Power and Comfort are the keywords that stick to this string. This string is therefore suitable for a large group of players. Hard hitters might want to string the string a bit heavier. In the end, this seems to be an ideal string for players who like to reap the benefits of polyester but actually want a bit more playability from a string. Players who don't put new strings in their racket every two or three weeks could also try this string. All in all, definitely a successful play test!