  Recently, we extracted the strong coupling, $\alpha_s(m_\tau^2)$, from the
revised ALEPH data for non-strange hadronic tau decays. Our analysis is based
on a method previously used for the determination of the strong coupling from
OPAL data. In our strategy, we employ different moments of the spectral
functions both with and without pinching, including Duality Violations, in
order to obtain fully self-consistent analyses that do not rely on untested
assumptions (such as the smallness of higher dimension contributions in the
OPE). Here we discuss the $\alpha_s$ values obtained from the ALEPH and the
OPAL data, the robustness of the analysis, as well as non-perturbative
contributions from DVs and the OPE. We show that, although the $\alpha_s$
determination is sound, non-perturbative effects limit the accuracy with which
one can extract the strong coupling from tau decay data. Finally, we discuss
the compatibility of the data sets and the possibility of a combined analysis.
