The tennis industry has a secret recipe, like Coca- Cola, and it’s called Luxilon ALU Power. No one has come close to copying it, and it’s still the best string on the pro tour. When it first came out, Pete Sampras was amazed by how the ball would dive right at his feet. He called it “cheatalon.” Our team had incredible precision from the backcourt, with balls that dropped so suddenly they seemed to defy gravity. What makes ALU Power so special is its feel. It’s better than any other string we’ve tried. This feel gave us a better sense of the ball, and that’s why ALU Power was so popular. It made the ball feel more alive and fun to play with. That’s why it’s one of the most iconic strings in tennis history.
Control
We tested both the Grey and Ice Blue colours of ALU Power. Paul liked the Grey colour a bit more, but he loved both versions. He said, “This string has a perfect balance of power and control. The ball jumps off the string like Blake Griffin on a basketball court. But ALU Power is different because it’s never too powerful. You always know exactly where the ball is going. The strings just feel really lively and comfortable, like many other string companies have tried to copy. The Grey felt a bit more lively, while the Ice felt a bit flatter. But I still think ALU Power is the best string out there.
David also liked the Grey version a bit more lively, but the best part for him was that he was in charge of the power. He said, “This string doesn’t have a lot of power, but it’s enough to get the job done. I could get enough pop on my groundstrokes to hit winners or force my opponents to make mistakes. Of the two colours, Grey has a bit more pop, while the Ice version feels a bit deader. I noticed I could hit my shots with less effort and get more hop when I used the grey ALU Power. Either way, the best thing about hitting with this string in any colour is that it lets the player control the power.”
Spin
ALU Power is a string designed for quick strokes and heavy spin. David liked the Ice version better for spin, but he eventually got used to both. He said, “The Ice version was better for spin, and the Ice string pocketed the ball a bit better. It felt softer and the ball seemed to sink into the stringbed more. With the deader response, I could swing faster, and the extra grip gave me more spin. But the difference was small, and I still got a lot of spin from the Grey-coloured ALU Power. By the way, I thought spin production was just as good as ALU Power Rough.”
Paul is a big fan of shaped polys, and he liked the bite of this string, even though it’s round. He said, “The spin potential is above average, but not great. It doesn’t have any special features that grab the ball really well, but the ball does seem to sink into the stringbed enough to make a decent amount of spin. A lot of spin comes from how fast you swing the racquet, and if a string gives you enough control, you feel more confident and swing harder. ALU Power definitely does that. I could swing faster with the Ice version because it wasn’t as lively as the Grey, so I could make more spin with the Ice.”
Comfort
ALU Power is a firm string, so it might feel a bit stiff for players with short strokes and light racquets. But for players like Paul, who has a heavier frame and good sound mechanics, this string offers surprising comfort and great feel. He said, “This is what makes ALU Power different from other firm monofilaments. The ball feel it produces at impact is unmatched. It feels like you can feel each individual hair of the ball’s fuzz. The perfect mix of power and control gives a very comfortable soft-but-not-too-soft feel that’s easy on the arm. The Grey has a comfortable, lively feel, while the Ice has more of a softer, plush comfort to it.”
David also had a comfortable experience, but he warned against straying too far from the sweet spot. “In an old-school player’s racquet like the Wilson ProStaff 6.0 95, both colours of this string felt comfortable. But ALU Power is a fairly firm playing string, and things can get a bit brassy off centre in a stiffer racquet. The slightly softer response of ALU Power Ice made it the more comfortable of the two for me, but neither is a comfort string. If used in a heavy, flexible racquet and the player finds the sweet spot more often than not, then there should be no comfort issues with this string.”
Control
When the ALU Power string first hit the pro tour, it was like magic. It gave pros the power to hit the ball harder, with the perfect spin to hit it in all sorts of ways. David was blown away. He said, “The control I got with this string was amazing! It was the best part of the playtest. I could hit the ball really hard and still keep it straight. If I had to pick a winner for control out of the two colours - and it’s super close - I’d say ALU Power Ice. I felt great with both colours, but the Ice felt a bit stiffer, which made me feel more confident.
Paul didn’t lose control even though the string had more power. He said, “Even with all that power, ALU Power is still stiff enough to stay in shape at impact and give you the control you need. The Ice felt a bit more controlled than the Grey because the ball didn’t bounce off the strings as much. Usually, soft strings mean you lose control, but not here! There are stiffer strings out there that give you more control, but for as soft and comfortable as this string is, it’s still enough to let you hit your shots with confidence all day long!”
Playability Duration
Before Luxilon’s Big Banger series, poly-based strings were a total letdown. But then Big Banger Original and ALU Power came along, and monofilament strings finally got the playability they deserved. Sure, poly-based strings still have a long way to go to match the tension of natural gut, but players like Paul are loving the improved playability. He said, “The playability lasted longer than average, over two to three weeks. It’s not the longest-lasting string, but Luxilon really nailed the tension maintenance and playability with ALU Power.”
David definitely noticed some changes after the tension dropped, but the control and spin stayed pretty high. He said, “I found both colours to last me two weeks of playability without any issues. I even played both through a third week, and even though the tension had dropped off and the string started to feel a bit less comfortable, I was still able to get a lot of control and spin from it.”