Luxilon 4G Rough String Review

Luxilon 4G Rough is used by pros like Alex De Minaur and offers a great deal of spin and control. Power is not a strong suit of most multifilaments, and this is a good thing since they are mainly geared towards taming the natural power that the player possesses.

4G Rough is definitely not the most powerful string out there. This is ideal for big hitters though, as they can rely on 4G to bring their shots back down into court with the amount of topspin they can so easily generate.

The string encourages you to swing with a lot of racket head speed due to its underpowered nature. This again suits big hitters and actually helps you generate more spin. The string doesn’t feel as harsh on the arm as some of the stiffer strings Luxilon make, like Big Banger or even the standard version of 4G.

Luxilon 4G Rough adheres to the traditionally ‘dead’ feel of most polyester strings. It is not particularly lively or responsive which is exactly what you would expect from this type of control oriented string.

This gives you the benefit of predictability and confidence in taking big cuts at the ball. The lack of power and sense that no matter how hard you swing the racket, the ball will always find the court gives you a great sense of confidence as you unleash another heavy forehand.

Although 4G Rough may be a little softer and more playable than some of the stiffest polys out there, the fact that there is so much spin on offer compensates for this and ensures that the ball stays in the court.

You get a nice crisp response from the string and the roughness does a great job of keeping low, dipping balls at the feet of your opponent. I found that where I would have to put extra racket work into a passing shot or spinny, low return with a multifilament string, the ball just naturally went where I wanted it to thanks to the spin from 4G Rough.

Touch is an area that I was pleasantly surprised by with Luxilon 4G Rough. Whilst it is a fairly compliant string, many of today’s rough strings are actually a bit one dimensional. Sure, they do a great job when you are ripping the ball from the baseline and want a lot of heavy topspin, but they can sometimes struggle with the more delicate drop shots.

This was not much of an issue at all with Luxilon 4G. The slight bit of suppleness made all the difference to some a feel point of view, making this a great all rounder up at the net.

You get a nice bit of bite from the roughness of the string, without the ball popping up and being easy for your opponent to put away.

It is a firm string, but isn’t overly harsh on the arm by any means. Personally, I would pair it up with a high quality multifilament, but that’s just personal preference.

A player that is used to playing with poly strings could definitely handle 4G Rough and would likely play well with it. You get a fairly consistent response from the string too, which is not something that can always be said of slightly softer polyester strings.

Spin is the overriding characteristic of Luxilon 4G Rough. It feels like you are tearing up the ball when you rip groundstrokes with this string! Whilst it is not so harsh on the arm, you can still feel the string bed catching the ball and pocketing it nicely.

This gives you a great feeling of security when swinging the racket quickly, which is something the string encourages you to do. The lack of power means you have to produce all the brute force needed to hit heavy shots. But, you won’t have to worry at all about keeping the ball in down the other end of the court, as 4G Rough will take care of that for you!

The spin is akin to that of Babolat RPM Blast Rough, but 4G Rough actually feels a little more plush to play with. Just like Tom’s play test with that string, Luxilon 4G Rough had my opponent getting frustrated with how much spin I was able to put onto the ball. They constantly mis-judged it and swung too low as the ball kicked up at them unexpectedly!

You can really feel the strings catching hold of the ball and spitting it out with oodles of spin. This is a very satisfying feeling when you want to sit back in the court and rip groundies, constantly pushing your opponent back further and further behind the baseline. Maybe I’m just a bit sadistic!

But, when you need to play with a bit more feel and precision, the spin also helps you control the ball and the comfort adds to the touch.

You can swing the racket with an awful lot of confidence, knowing that any racket head speed you generate will be translated predominantly into spin.

This helps keep the ball in the court and makes it a great string for counter punchers who want to turn defence into attack.

You can whip round the side of the ball and get it bending in a way that hardly any other strings out there can. What Luxilon 4G Rough can do in the spin department is truly impressive and something that needs to be seen to be believed!

The durability of 4G Rough is an aspect that really stands out from the crowd. It is an exceptionally robust string that will last for hours and hours.

For a string that is not stiff as a board, it is surprisingly resilient, especially when you consider it is getting chewed up by its own rough surface.

Tension maintenance is another area in which Luxilon 4G Rough does an amazing job. It isn’t quite as good as a softer multifilament or natural gut, but it isn’t very far off. For a polyester string, its performance over time is remarkably consistent, meaning you can enjoy the spin friendly, control focussed playing characteristics for hours on end!

Comfort is an area that I was surprised to find out is a strength of 4G Rough. Most polyester strings are famed for being so focussed on control that this often comes at the expense of playability and comfort. This is not the case with 4G Rough.

It does a great job of blending control and spin with comfort to make this a more accessible string to play with.

It doesn’t feel as harsh on your arm as some of the stiffer, more control focussed strings out there such as Babolat RPM Blast.

You get a firm response from the string like you do with most polyesters, that lets you know whether you have hit the ball well or not. But the fact that Luxilon has dialled in a little bit of softness to the string takes the edge off the vibrations slightly. This balances the string out well and opens it up to a wider audience.

Overall, Luxilon 4G Rough is a spin friendly string that ticks a lot of boxes for big hitters.

It offers great spin, control, durability and consistency, whilst also being just supple enough to enhance playability.

It is not a powerful string at all. If you are looking for more pop, then you should definitely pair it up with a soft multifilament or natural gut or lower the tension. This is something you can do and maintain performance however, as the spin and control the 4G Rough possesses is fantastic.