Luxilon LXN Smart String Review

Control - Score: 89 / Power - Score: 61

The top score for this playtest was awarded for control. For our crew, full swings found their mark without a hitch, making it easy for them to swing big and load the ball with pace and spin. Granted, nearly every co-poly has decent control, but LXN Smart's control was so good that Chris was able to string it several pounds below the recommended tension range without losing an ounce of precision. He explained, "I loved the controlled response of this string. It allowed me to play around with tensions, and I made my way down to 35 pounds from a starting point of 52 pounds. Even at 35 pounds, I was still able to get lots of control on my shots. My only adjustment at lower tensions was getting used to a higher launch angle. No matter the tension, I noticed a drop off at the start of each fresh stringing, which then stabilized to a consistent level of control and power. The reliable response made me feel confident with Smart in my racquets, and that gave me the freedom to swing for the lines and stay aggressive."

Troy also had access to great control with Smart. He said, "Smart provided a high level of control. It was hard for me to gauge the power level when I first started playing with it. It had a soft feel with good pocketing, which you would typically find with a livelier co-poly. That being said, when I was taking a big rip from the baseline this string provided a low-energy return. It was as if the elasticity reached its peak more rapidly on big swings. For me, Smart had better control than Luxilon M2 Pro or Element, but not quite the same level of precision as 4G."

Spin - Score: 80

Smart didn't give our crew the lethal bite of a Weiss Cannon Ultra Cable or Solinco Tour Bite. Nor did it snap back into place as effectively as many of our favorite spin strings. That said, Troy couldn't argue with the results. He commented, "Based on the outcome of my shots, the spin was good. Right up there with most round co-poly strings. The part that made this somewhat of a surprise was that the main strings started to notch and get stuck out of place. There was the sensation that the strings were moving on contact and snapping back, but I often had to realign them. This was most noticeable in more open-patterned racquets, such as the Wilson Clash 100 Tour and Babolat Pure Aero Plus. It wasn't as much of an issue with racquets that had a denser string pattern. I'm guessing this string movement goes hand in hand with the Multi-Mono Technology."

"I noticed Smart didn't offer the snapback of most poly-based strings and tended to get stuck out of position," added Chris, who was ultimately impressed by this string's spin potential. "However, the lack of snapback didn't have a huge impact on spin. I felt like I was getting ample grip on the ball and plenty of spin. Down at 35 pounds, I was getting enough spin to get the ball to drop well inside the lines. Likewise, my slice shots had some nice bite to them, which allowed me to drive a slice or cut a short angle."

Comfort - Score: 66

Selecting a tennis string is typically an exercise in compromise. If you want the outstanding control that comes with a stiff co-poly, you typically have to trade away some comfort. Not so with LXN Smart, which delivered great control without requiring any real sacrifices in comfort. Even at higher tensions, Chris got plenty of comfort from Smart. He explained, "I liked the sense of ball pocketing I got from Smart. For me, it played softer on court than the lab stiffness measurement would indicate. Even when I had the string at 52 pounds, it felt comfortable in my Tecnifibre TFlash 300 PS."

Troy also found Smart to be quite comfortable. He said, "The feel of this string is on the comfortable end of the spectrum for co-polys. Although it felt a little firmer on full swings, the overall feel was soft and slightly muted. It was also more comfortable than the Tennis Warehouse University stiffness would indicate."

Feel - Score: 84

To optimize feel and playability, Luxilon designed Smart with a variable flex, which means it stiffens or softens depending on swing speed. Although we were unable to confirm this dynamic flex in our string lab, Troy's experience suggests that Luxilon might be on to something. He described, "Luxilon's claim that Smart stiffens up on big swings while playing softer on more compact strokes proved true based on my hitting experience. It seemed somewhat reactive to the impact force of the ball. When I took a big swing, especially on a flatter swing path, Smart felt firm and crisp, though not quite as crisp and responsive as ALU Power. On slower swings, such as volleys, it felt softer and closer to Luxilon M2 Pro or Luxilon Element."

"I found Smart to offer a soft feel without being too dampened," said Chris. "The feel got softer after the initial hit and seemed to stabilize and remain pretty consistent from then on. I didn't notice a change in feel compared to other strings when taking fast or slow swings, but either way, I liked the feel of the string."

Playability Duration - Score: 76

According to our team, Smart is not immune to the ravages of time. In addition to the inevitable tension loss that happens to every string, especially co-polys, our crew also reported some notching and string displacement. The good news, according to Chris, is that the playability remained impressively high throughout the test. He explained, "Smart dropped tension noticeably for me after my first hit with it. However, it then seemed to remain pretty solid in terms of playability. I found I could leave it in my racquets longer than many other polys and still get the response I was expecting. The surface of the string did seem to notch a little quicker, and I had to adjust my strings more than I do with most polys."

Although Smart required some straightening, Troy found that its tension and overall playability held up well over time. He said, "The tension maintenance was good considering the comfortable response of this string. Compared to strings like Luxilon M2 and Luxilon Element, Smart seemed to maintain its tension better over time. The fact that this string performed well at lower tensions also seemed to help with the playability duration. I could maintain control of my shots even as tension decreased. The biggest downside I found with playability was that the strings were getting stuck out of place. This became more evident as I put more hours of use on the string. This string's tendency to notch and move wasn't as significant as most multifilaments, but it was more noticeable than most co-poly strings."

Overall - Score: 82