Babolat AddiXion String Review

Babolat AddiXion is a high quality, high performance string that seeks to strike a balance between  the traditional comfort, feel and power of a softer string, along with the crispness and control of a modern polyester. As one of the best multifilaments on the market, it is pretty powerful.

This is a trend that many big tennis string manufacturers have taken to in recent years. Of course, there are those strings that sit at the end of the spectrum.

Whether it be ultimate comfort and power with no real regard for control or spin with a natural gut, or one of the firmest polyester strings that bite the ball and spit it out with a tonne of spin and precision. However, Babolat have attempted to strike a bit more of a middle ground with their Addixion string.

This is of course at heart a soft multifilament string that is designed to be supple, comfortable and powerful. However, compared to its brother Babolat Xcel, it is firmer, crisper and more control oriented.

Power is generally one of the main things that players look for when using a multifilament string, along with comfort. The idea is that a more powerful response string like AddiXion will have more of that trampoline effect that players with compact swings love.

This is definitely still the case with AddiXion, as you can feel the ball pinging off the racket with pace when you strike your shots in the sweet spot.

However, compared to some of the more extreme and expensive ‘soft’ strings out there like Babolat VS Touch, Wilson NXT and Tecnifibre X-One Biphase, AddiXion is a little more dead feeling. That is not to say it is void of feel or communication, and it certainly isn’t an underpowered string.

But, multifilaments tend to be used in hybrid setups to deliver power and comfort predominantly. This string is not the most powerful you’ll find but it will still deliver a decent punch.

This is definitely a string that you could use in a full bed and it would not be too overwhelming if you are used to using a multifilament or natural gut in your hybrid setup at least.

You get a surprising amount of bite on the ball which helps control and the ball doesn’t slide off the strings as it can tend to do with more powerful alternative strings. This makes it more of a performance oriented string as it is more geared to control and spin than power and comfort.

You can afford to take a bigger cut at the ball when using Babolat AddiXion and still trust that your shots will find the court, whilst benefiting from the traditional comfort and power that a multifilament brings.

Control is the area that helps Babolat AddiXion stand out from the crowd. Multifilament strings are traditionally soft and powerful, but this also makes them lively.

Lively strings are great when you need a bit of oomph injected into your game, but they aren’t ideal when you possess plenty of your own power and want a controlled string.

AddiXion is not as controlled as the likes of an RPM Blast or Big Banger for example, but it is closer than you think.

The feel is more like a dead, soft poly rather than a springy multifilament. This actually really improves its control credentials.

Where some of AddiXion’s competitors can actually be a little difficult to control due to their power and lively response, Babolat’s offering feels quite neutral and is very blunt when it comes to its delivery. That’s not to say it lacks feel, but it is just very easy to place the ball with no fuss or bother.

Whilst you don’t get all that much spin with AddiXion, you do get a crisp response and a well judged amount of controllable power and comfort.

As far as touch goes, Babolat AddiXion is an impressive string. You can feel the ball leaving the strings with a great sense of where it will end up, thanks to the well judged level of feedback.

There is enough damping in the string to stop it upsetting the feel and ensure you get a smooth ride, but not too much. Given that AddiXion has less elasticity than Xcel for example, there is a lot less springiness from the string which helps with predictability.

You can place the ball with confidence, particularly on flatter shots around the net or when threading the needle on a passing shot.

You don’t get a whole load of spin with Babolat AddiXion, especially compared to some of the company’s more popular polyester strings. This means the ball can fly on you from time to time and you do need to add a little extra whip onto your swings to keep the ball in the court.

However, the communication you get through the hand means it is very easy to modulate your inputs with AddiXion. This is also a great help around the net when you need to place the ball with absolute precision.

Spin is not the strongest part of Babolat AddiXion’s arsenal. Given it is a firmer multifilament string, it is not really designed to rip up the court and produce a load of RPMs.

However, the crispness gives you a nice amount of pocketing on your shots and helps you feel where the ball is going to end up.

Also, the unique coating on the string helps it move around the string bed with ease, which enhances snap back and reduces notching.

However, this only works to a certain extent as the string can still spray around the string bed. If you hit with a lot of topspin and have long rallies, you may find yourself having to re-adjust your strings quite frequently.

Babolat has designed AddiXion to be a little firmer and more durable than some of the more traditionally soft multifilament strings you’ll find on the market today.

This helps the string withstand the friction that hitting with heavy topspin generates as well as improving the overall life of the string.

That being said, the string will start to notch over a longer period of time. Also, at higher tensions in particular, the string will start to move when you hit with a lot of spin and stay in position more than I expected.

Tension maintenance is pretty good with AddiXion. There isn’t any significant drop off in performance, as the string stays pretty consistent throughout its life.

Comfort is the name of the game when it comes to Babolat AddiXion. Fundamentally, this multifilament string is designed to be easy on the arm and offer easy power.

Even though Babolat has firmed up the string and made it a little crisper, you still get that plush feel.

This is a real benefit for players that still require that familiar smoothness from their string but also want a bit more control and precision on their shots.

As multifilaments go, this is not the last word in comfort. But, it is still a very pleasant string to strike balls with and it certainly won’t cause you any discomfort, even after hours of play.

Overall, Babolat AddiXion is a solid all rounder that airs on the side of comfort and power. This multifilament string does a great job of blending control, power and feel thanks to its slightly firmer construction.

AddiXion is a great fit for a player that likes the traditional easy power and comfort of a soft multifilament string, but also seeks a bit more control.

You get a pretty consistent response from Babolat AddiXion, which helps with control and ensures you can predict where your shots will go.