Kirschbaum Max Power String Review

Power: 38 / Control: 96

Max Power in name only, this string actually maximizes control. With that said, it's not surprising Max Power received such an outstanding control score. Despite needing a little extra effort to penetrate the backcourt, Brittany appreciated the control. She said, "When I had Max Power in my racquet at my usual tension the first thing I noticed was that this string has little to no power, which I found slightly ironic since it is called Max Power. It was a very control-oriented string that allowed me to take full swings and aim closer to the lines. Sometimes I had to put in a little extra effort just to get the ball to land deeper in the court. Because I felt like I needed a little more power I reduced the tension to the low 50s, which helped give me a little extra boost at times."

Chris was very impressed by this string's predictability, saying, "I found this to be a very control-oriented string. I loved being able to take a full cut at the ball and supply my own power. I never had to worry about overhitting, and I was able to drop my tension 3 lbs to soften the response. Even at the lower tension I found lots of control, and the sweetspot opened up a little for some additional power. The level of control reminded me very much of Luxilon ALU Power. With both strings I love the feel of knowing exactly where the ball is going the instant it leaves the stringbed."

Spin: Score: 86

With its ultra predictable response and low power level, Max Power makes it easier to take bigger cuts at the ball when generating spin. For Chris, this proved to be a recipe for extra ball rotation. He explains, "I was able to generate a lot of spin on my shots with this string. The controlled response allowed me to swing very aggressively, and I was generating a lot of racquet head speed that I could turn into lots of spin. Also, the string seemed to grab the ball very well. There seemed to be ample snap back and some nice bite, which resulted in extra spin. However, the biggest factor in getting lots of spin was my confidence in being able to swing big without fear of overhitting. "

"For me, the spin was about average for a polyester string," said Brittany, who was not quite as impressed with the spin potential as Chris. "I have definitely hit with textured polyester strings that gave me more spin. However, there was definitely more spin than a multifilament or a synthetic gut. I don't need a lot of spin, so this string suited my needs."

Comfort: 64

With its native stiffness, Max Power is not designed as a "comfort string" or as an option for players with tennis elbow. This fact did not bother Brittany, who had no issues with discomfort or excessive shock. She said, "Comfort isn't one of this string's strong points. I don't have any arm/wrist/elbow issues so I didn't have a problem with it. It didn't feel as comfortable when I hit outside the sweetspot, and I could feel some small vibrations, but this didn't affect me at all."

With his preference for firm polys, it's not surprising that Chris had no comfort issues with this string. He said, "Max Power felt pretty firm and crisp to me, yet it was not overly stiff or brassy. The string pocketed the ball decently and was far from board-like. I guess the best way for me to describe it would be comfortably crisp."

Feel: 86

In contrast to soft strings that occasionally launch the ball with an unwanted trajectory, Max Power's firmness gave our team a heightened command over the ball. Chris explained, "This was my kind of poly. It felt pleasingly firm and crisp, and I felt very connected to the ball with this string. I had that immediate sense of where my shots were going and how much stick I'd gotten on them. The feel just added to the level of control and confidence I had with this string."

"I would describe the feel of this string as crisp and on the stiffer side, but still pliable enough to pocket the ball," said Brittany. "For me, that is a big positive and how I prefer my strings to feel. I enjoyed the feel, especially when I was at the net or hitting passing shots, since I could feel the strings pocket the ball."

Playability Duration: 89

A common complaint against co-polys is that they tend to lose too much tension and become unplayable long before they snap. If our playtest team has it right, Max Power does a better job avoiding this problem than the majority of its peers. Brittany was more than a little impressed, saying, "To be honest, the tension maintenance on this string is among the best I have ever played. When I first strung my racquet at 57 lbs it was too tight, and I needed more power. I let it sit for a couple days, but the tension hardly dropped. I had to string it at 51 lbs to get a little more power. Both string setups easily lasted two-plus weeks."

Chris also got very good mileage out of Max Power. "I managed to get a solid three weeks of playability out of this string. While the string felt the best during the first week, I found it lasted better than many other co-polys and I was happy with the playability throughout. Poly-based strings aren't known for holding tension, but I thought it was one of this string's strengths -- when compared to other co-polys. "

Overall: 86

Scores

(Scores are determined by averaging individual play test scores)

Playtester String Setups

Review date: September 2014. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

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