babolat vs team natural gut or klip legend

[dannythomas]

I have previously bought my daughter 2 Head Raptor racquets mail order and had them both strung in 17G Klip Legend Natural Gut. One of the strings has broken and my local store does not carry Klip only Babolat VS 17g. Apart from the Babolat being $42-95 against the Klip about half that price will she notice any difference between the 2 strings if she has her 2 racquets strung in the different gut strings at the same tension ?

 

[Tar Heel Tennis]

how good is she?

I have played with both strings in my frames. The VS Team feels better to me, but the difference between VS and Klip Legend is not so great as to feel completely different.

If anything, your daughter may decide she prefers the VS feel and will 'let' you string her frames with the VS now!

 

[ClubHoUno]

I have previously bought my daughter 2 Head Raptor racquets mail order and had them both strung in 17G Klip Legend Natural Gut. One of the strings has broken and my local store does not carry Klip only Babolat VS 17g. Apart from the Babolat being $42-95 against the Klip about half that price will she notice any difference between the 2 strings if she has her 2 racquets strung in the different gut strings at the same tension ?

VS Team is the best nat gut in the world in my view.
Best way is to test it and find out yourself/herself !

 

[dannythomas]

how good is she?

I have played with both strings in my frames. The VS Team feels better to me, but the difference between VS and Klip Legend is not so great as to feel completely different.

If anything, your daughter may decide she prefers the VS feel and will 'let' you string her frames with the VS now!

She is an advanced level player but mostly the reason she has been using gut is because she plays a lot at the net and it gives her better feel . It goes well with the Youtek Raptor because it is a flexible frame that also suits her game .But is the Babolat string worth twice the price of the Klip ?

 

[larry10s]

to me yes .
let your daughter tell you
dont let her know which one is "supposed to be better":
let us know her feedback please

 

[Boxofweasels]

I've hit with both strings you mention. The Babolat VS is a bit more powerful but not worth the extra bucks for the power difference. Klip makes excellent gut and I've played it for years until I tried Volkl Powerfibre - believe it or not, I like it better than the gut - great power control and feel (good tension maintenance too for a multi). Word on the street is that Powerfibre is really a re-branding of Klip Excellerator which wouldn't surprise me. You should give it a try, I personally think she would really like it (and you'll love the cost savings
Joel

 

[Wes_Loves_Dunlop]

Ive used pacific classic, klip legend, and am now currently testing vs team.
VS team is actually superior, but I dont think it is worth the price difference.

 

[Dreamcastin]

in the way they play, I cant tell a huge diff. the feel is worth the xtra cash for me to buy the vs team though. tension mant also seems much better.

 

[gameboy]

Going from synthetic to natural gut is like going from Camry to Corvette. But going from Klip to VS is like going from Corvette to Porsche. Most people are not going to notice the difference in performance.

I would advice you to just have your daugther try it. It is still gut and provides ample feedback and plush feel on volleys.

 

[JT_2eighty]

Another way to get the VS feel and also save a few bucks:
VS mains, klip crosses.

Still full gut, so great feel and pocketing, VS mains will provide most feedback as mains, and klip crosses (or better yet, Pacific), will save you a few bucks per stick, and over time this will add up. (string the klip a few pounds lower than VS, as Klip plays stiffer than VS).

 

[TennisCJC]

to use gut and save $; try these setups:

1. babolat tonic+ ball feel 16G (be sure to get "ball feel" and not "longevity" as the longevity is a 15G gut). Tonic+ is $33 per set instead of the $42 for VS and it is very close to VS 16G.
2. babolat tonic+ ball feel 16G in the mains and hybrid it with a good synthetic gut or multifiliment in the crosses. Gamma TNT2, or Tecnifibre NRG2 in the crosses should reduce the cost as these are about $10-$13 per set. You can also mix these with the higher VS gut if you prefer. The mains determine about 75% of how the racket plays so it is will almost as good as all gut for much less $.
3. Use babolit tonic+ in the mains with a soft poly in the crosses. The poly will bring a little stiffness to the string bed and more control. But, the gut will still give a good soft feel for volleys. This is the Federer setup and works well for an all court player. I personally think the poly helps the gut last longer because it holds the strings in place and does not saw them as much. Signum Pro Hyperion or Lux Fluro are both good soft polys. Signum Pro holds tension best and will play better longer in my opinion.
4. Use a poly (signum pro hyperion or pure) in the mains with the gut in the crosses. This is better for baseline players than for players that like to volley. But, it still volleys well. The poly will increase spin, control, but reduce power. If she likes this, a good multi in the cross may be almost as good as gut as the mains determine how the racket "feels".

 

[jhusein]

I have previously bought my daughter 2 Head Raptor racquets mail order and had them both strung in 17G Klip Legend Natural Gut. One of the strings has broken and my local store does not carry Klip only Babolat VS 17g. Apart from the Babolat being $42-95 against the Klip about half that price will she notice any difference between the 2 strings if she has her 2 racquets strung in the different gut strings at the same tension ?

I tried both strings many times. The feel of VS is better but not by much to justify the extra cost. More importantly though, Klip, to me, looses most of its playability at the 20 hour mark BUT not VS, which plays well for a very long time. So, If your daughter is not a string breaker, then VS is more economical and BETTER

 

[TennisCJC]

If you hybrid gut (or a multi) with a poly, string the gut at the tension you normally like and string the poly 3 lbs less. You will not harm the racket and most pros vary tension on mains and crosses for a variety of reasons such as poly/gut hybrids, and shorter or more crosses. The poly is stiffer and a lower tension compensates for the extra stiffness.

 

[duusoo]

I've hit with both strings you mention. The Babolat VS is a bit more powerful but not worth the extra bucks for the power difference. Klip makes excellent gut and I've played it for years until I tried Volkl Powerfibre - believe it or not, I like it better than the gut - great power control and feel (good tension maintenance too for a multi). Word on the street is that Powerfibre is really a re-branding of Klip Excellerator which wouldn't surprise me. You should give it a try, I personally think she would really like it (and you'll love the cost savings
Joel

I have had the same experience using Volkl Powerfibre. This stuff is really good. You don't hear much about it, but all things considered, it's the best multi I've ever used.