I’ve seen the Alien Black Diamond 16 tennis string every time I visit Tennis-Warehouse, and I’ve been tempted to try it out every time I do. I finally got around to getting a set of the Alien Black Diamond 16.
String up Alien Black Diamond 16 tennis string was pretty easy, the knots tied up easily and weaving the crosses was painless. I was able to string the Alien Black Diamond in record time which is always a bonus, get’s me on the tennis court faster.
Alien Black Diamond 16 playtest
When I got on court and went through my warm up routine, I finally was able to really focus on how the Alien Black Diamond 16 felt when hitting full speed. Off the ground, the strings did not produce like I wanted them to do; my initial impression was that the Alien Black Diamond 16 felt extremely stiff, even when strung at a much lower tension (40lbs).
Following my first impression of stiffness, I picked up on the complete lack of spin. The Alien Black Diamond 16 string did not nearly produce the same amount of spin as I have experienced with previous sets of poly tennis string. Even when adjusting to a more extreme western forehand grip, the ball would not noticeably spin more, thus the ball would not accelerate through the tennis court or “kick up” like I have in the past.
One of the more prominent letdowns of the Alien Black Diamond string, was the feel. I could not, for the life of me, get any feel or touch with the Alien Black Diamond 16. It honestly, felt that the ball was not sitting on the string long enough for me to massage the ball on touch shots. At net, the Black Diamond did not produce at all; punch volleys were decent but drop or angled volleys were harder to come up with. There was a general lack of feel overall, even on groundstrokes, just could not get the feel!
Alien Black Diamond 16 final thoughts
The packaging says that this string is “Out of this world.” Honestly, that’s about as big as on overstatement as they come. This is one of those tennis strings that you wish you never tried, or spent money on. Do I recommend this the Alien Black Diamond 16 string? Not really, I mean, if you are willing to test them in a hybrid at an extremely low tension (45-50lbs) then sure, try it. Though, I would not recommend for regular use.
- 2021 French Open Wilson Racquets - April 13, 2021
- Slinger Bag and Wilson Tennis Collaboration - March 2, 2021
- Wilson Tennis and Romero Britto - February 22, 2021