Head Reflex MLT string review

Control - Score: 75 / Power - Score: 85

Given its highly elastic construction, it is not surprising that our team found Reflex MLT to be powerful. According to Tiffani, the control wasn't bad provided she got the string tension right. She explained, "Like with most multifilament strings, Head Reflex MLT trends toward power rather than control, but that's not to say that I found this string to be uncontrollable. It was easy to play with the tension to enhance either the power or the control. It was very powerful when it was strung at 50 lbs in my Tecnifibre TFight 315 -- too powerful for my taste. On the other end of the spectrum, 65 lbs produced a much more controlled feel, but a smaller sweetspot. A happy medium was around the 60 lb mark. The power was reined in, but the string's power was still easy to tap into."

Although more powerful than his typical stiff poly, Chris found an impressive level of control from this multi. He said, "I usually play with poly-based monofilament strings so I noticed a nice power bump from this multi. However, I'd say this string is more control-oriented than many other multifilament strings. Babolat's Xcel comes to mind as a comparable option. I found the blend of control and power to be very good with Reflex MLT strung at 55lbs. I was able to take full cuts at the ball without worrying too much about my shots flying long."

Spin - Score: 77

Constructed with a special low-friction coating, Reflex MLT is designed to provide a little extra "snapback" to help facilitate the ball's rotation. Chris felt that the spin potential was quite good for a multi, although it was a little inconsistent. He said, "I was able to generate more spin with this string compared to many multis. There were times when I felt like I was getting exceptional spin, but the level of spin wasn't as consistent as that of a poly-based monofilament. Some shots came off the stringbed with biting topspin, while nearly identical swings generated noticeably less spin. Still, I was able to get enough spin to enhance my control of the ball, and that made this an easier multi to use for me compared with more powerful and less spin-friendly alternatives."

Tiffani also found decent spin, but once again, she discovered string tension to be a crucial variable. She said, "Although this string has an anti-friction coating, it didn't produce the level of spin I would find from a co-poly. The strings still required frequent straightening, which I think is just a fact of life when playing with multifilament strings. I could produce more or less spin by adjusting the string tension. It seemed the higher I went with my tension the more spin I could hit. The spin is there, and in greater quantities than comparable multifilaments, but don't expect the same amount of spin as you would get from a co-poly string."

Comfort - Score: 91

For our crew the most indisputable feature of Reflex MLT was its amazing comfort. The ultra flexible construction did a phenomenal job absorbing shock and soaking up harsh vibrations. Tiffani found a comfortable response on off center hits, even at super high string tensions. She said, "This string is loaded with comfort. It was strung as high as 65 lbs for this playtest, and although slightly crisper at that tension, there was still plenty of comfort on mis-hits. Comfort was the highlight of the playtest for me."

Also finding phenomenal comfort, Chris remarked, "I loved the comfortable response of this string. I hit with it in a stiff and powerful racquet and the softer Super G 9, and it felt very comfortable in both. Even on shots hit near the frame, this string remained comfortable and forgiving. The forgiving response definitely opened up the sweetspot of the Super G 9 nicely."

Feel - Score: 80

Reflex received an extremely low stiffness score in our TW University String Lab. This helps explain the soft feel reported by our team. Thankfully, the low stiffness level didn't compromise the crisp feel that connects Chris to the ball. He said, "I'd call this a plush feeling string. It wasn't as soft as some previous Head offerings, such as Intellistring, that left me feeling too disconnected from the ball. Reflex MLT had some nice crispness to it, so I felt very connected to my shots."

For Tiffani, the soft feel stopped just shy of being mushy. She explained, "Reflex MLT comes just about as close as a string can to crossing the line to becoming mushy. The feel falls somewhere between a Wilson NXT and Tecnifibre NRG2 to me. I don't think this string can get any softer while still maintaining a clean finish at impact."

Playability Duration - Score: 80

Reflex MLT held up remarkably well for our playtesters, with only minimal changes to the playability over time. This should mitigate some of the sticker shock that comes with a premium multifilament. Needless to say, Tiffani was impressed with how long this string stayed fresh and playable. She said, "I noticed very little fraying and no drop in playability over time. This is a great string for me because I could easily get a few weeks to a month of playing out of a single set."

Although he suffered through the usual string straightening, Chris got great mileage from Reflex MLT. He said, "This string felt great for the duration of the two-week test. I had no breakage issues and the feel remained consistent after it settled in. There was some initial drop in tension, but not much. After that it felt like it was holding tension well. I did notice the string was getting stuck out of place more and more toward the end of the test, resulting in me having to straighten the strings between every point. The spin dropped off a tad, but all in all I was very happy with how it held up."

Overall - Score: 84