Luxilon Big Banger Ace String Review

Power - Score: 53 / Control - Score: 87

For the most part, our playtest team reported excellent control with Big Banger Ace. According to Chris, this string's control actually got better with age. He said, "Right off the stringer I found this string to offer a fair bit of power. However, it didn't take long for the lively response to die down, and then the string became very control oriented. I found a pre-stretch helped me get to the controlled feel even faster and offered me a better response. Once the string had settled down I found I could take full cuts at the ball without fear of overhitting. I had a good sense of depth control, and that allowed me to play aggressively."

Our resident big hitter, Marco, had enough control to execute his long and very powerful strokes. He said, "This string was pretty low-powered for me, and I felt as though I could swing hard and fast at the ball while maintaining control. The fact that I had added confidence when taking big cuts at the ball really aided my game."

Spin - Score: 87

With its ultra thin gauge, Big Banger Ace gave our team some serious bite and easy access to spin. Marco was initially very impressed by this string's spin potential, but time eventually took its toll. He said, "The thin gauge created some great bite and really grabbed hold of the ball. For most of the test I was able to bring the ball down very effectively. The low power level definitely allowed me to swing bigger when I wanted more spin. Toward the end of the playtest Big Banger Ace lost its original feel and some of its responsiveness. This made it a little harder for me to bring the ball down and control where my shots were landing."

Chris had only positive things to say, "I found a solid level of spin with this string. It seemed to bite the ball well, and I was happy with the amount of topspin and slice I was getting. My angled shots were dropping nicely inside the lines, and I found similar success getting my topspin lobs to drop in. I really liked the response of this string on returns because it gave me the confidence to drive an aggressive slice and follow it to the net."

Comfort - Score: 73

Big Banger Ace played with impressive comfort for such a durable control string. In fact, Ace turned out to be one of the softest Luxilon strings Chris has ever hit. He said, "The response of this string felt softer than most Luxilon offerings. I think the thin gauge allowed it to flex and move out of position more. I would still say this is on the crisper side of the spectrum compared to all of the co-poly strings I've hit, but I never had any comfort issues. When strung at 54 lbs with a slight pre-stretch I thought this string felt plenty plush enough in my Babolat Pure Drive Plus."

Marco was also impressed by this string's comfort level. He said, "I found this string to be super comfortable and had no issues with off-center impact shock throughout the whole playtest. It definitely felt more comfortable than the thicker poly I normally play with."

Feel - Score: 87

Although Big Banger Ace is made from stiff material, it didn't feel very stiff in play. This turned out to be a mixed blessing for Marco. He said, "I enjoyed how soft this string felt, even on mis-hits there was a nice plush feel that really provided a comforting effect. The string felt fine for most of the playtest, but toward the very end of the test it felt less responsive. Since I typically play with stiffer strings I was having a harder time gauging the power level and how the ball was coming off the strings. This led to some control problems."

Chris liked the feel of Ace, especially after he broke it in. He said, "The feel of this string was lively right off the stringer, then less lively once it settled in. It never felt overly stiff or so dead that I felt I had to work too hard to add pace. The thin gauge seemed to pocket the ball well, which helped give it a softer feel than the lab stiffness results would indicate. I also liked the fact that the string retained a crisp response and I felt very connected to the ball."

Playability Duration - Score: 77

Like all the strings we've playtested, Big Banger Ace lost its fair share of tension over time. For Chris the tension loss turned out to be a good thing. He explained, "This string lasted very well for me. Some monofilaments only last me two weeks at the most, but this one felt good for three to four weeks. I think the fact that I preferred the response once the string had settled in helped keep it feeling 'good' to me. Players preferring a lively response might find this string too dead as it ages."

"The playability was perfect right off the stringing machine," said Marco. "I had no problems generating power or keeping the ball on target. After several sessions of hard hitting it started to get less responsive, and I didn't feel as connected to the ball. This made it a little more challenging to place the ball where I wanted. This string did have great durability. It's tough to find an 18 gauge string that's this durable."

Overall - Score: 85