Natural Gut vs. X-One
- Thread starter FreshStew
- Start date
Thanks baek57
Where would Tonic rank?
It's actually in those results he posted. It's the 6th one down (though that's a little deceptive, since all the strings above it are variations of Babolat's VS. It also does well in other categories, such as tension maintenance, elasticity and overall performance.
shell
Professional
Big ups shell
Yeah I don't hit with a ton of spin since I always go for winners
Would gut give me more spin than X-One?
I have not noticed more spin with gut over X-1.
Big ups shell
Yeah I don't hit with a ton of spin since I always go for winners
Would gut give me more spin than X-One?
The only thing guaranteed to give more spin is more racquet head speed.
Valjean
Hall of Fame
These aren't playtest scores, they're from the USRSA's annual *marketing* survey and incorporate the blandishments and incentives--to what degree no one knows--of several racquet and a few string companies. If you check the sample record, meaning the numbers commenting on any given string, some are shockingly small--notably for the thinner gauges and even for the string of some major companies known mainly for manufacturing string.
Bottom line is, with this annual survey you're not getting some ranking based on lab or play test results, based on a full sample of available strings.
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rasajadad
Hall of Fame
The red crosses with the natural color mains look good too! Going to PSGM for me cut the price of my cross string in half without an impact on playability or longevity.
Of more interest might be the string selector map also published by the USRSA, which uses lab results for resilience, etc. to show the relative properties of various strings. In those, you can clearly see the differences between natural gut and various synthetics/multis. And those are certainly not subject to any personal or market-driven biases.
Are you going all gut/X-1? If so, the gut will feel better/softer/more powerful. I find the x-1 hardens and does not play as well after being on the racquet after 2 weeks.
In a hybrid, I like the x-1 better because the poly goes bad so fast that I do not see the extra benefit from the added cost of the gut.
In a hybrid, I like the x-1 better because the poly goes bad so fast that I do not see the extra benefit from the added cost of the gut.
Bubba
Professional
I love X-1 (see my sig setup below) and have used it for over a year now... Switched to it from NXT Tour. It shreds pretty fast, but has great feel, power, etc. I get about 10 hours of normal play before either it snaps or loses too much tension. Warning, the red frays faster than the natural for some reason.
Nick... see you're at it again
Nick... see you're at it again
Oh yes, definitely easy on my arm.
But it was the playability that raised my game to a next level.
It may break in a bit...give it a few hours. But there's no reason to string it tighter than your regular string in the first place. If it's pre-stretched, gut holds its tension better and longer than almost any synthetic. You may just have to experiment with lower tensions.
It depends on where you are coming from. What strings have you used before Tonic+ ?
Natural gut is crisp compared to "some" nylons especially on low impact. But guts real value is with big impact shot that make pretty big pocket. No other synthetics are as resilient as nat gut with deep impact.
You will also find you need to adjust you strokes because gut deflects balls in different angle. In short, you will hit many balls long.
In my case, it took me 20 hours of playiing until I get fully adjusted.
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Kaptain Karl
Hall Of Fame
If not for the cost, I'd take the worst gut (I've seen) over any synthetic string. I put the "()" in because some yo-yo might post about some homemade gut his uncle made in a prison in Turkey, or something....
- KK
- KK
FreshStew
Rookie
Kaptain Karl
Hall Of Fame
Kaptain Karl
Hall Of Fame
Before you get that drastic, try a trick a Stringer showed me: Put the frame flat on the floor, place the ball of your food on the strings, and rock your weight onto and off of the sweetspot. (If you are 400 pounds, take it easy. If you are 85 pounds "soaking wet," don't worry about it too much.)Does 2lbs. make that big of a difference?
I feel like cutting them out
It *may* make the strings ease up a bit....
- KK
Does 2lbs. make that big of a difference?
I feel like cutting them out
You just put them in. You're probally just not used to them yet.
I used all natural gut exclusively last year (Tonic+). Then near the end of the summer I started playing around with hybrids (NG and Gosen) and all X1.
During the fall and winter I played mostly all with X1 (17 gauge in red). Not because I liked it better but because that was the most playable racquet I had in my arsenal and I didnt want to spend more money to get them restrung.
Then I finally restrung one with all gut, and tryed to use it cold in a match and it was just impossible. I had to use the X1 racquet. It took me about a week to get used to the NG one again and that was after I had used it for most of my summer season last year.
(it's softer and the ball does leave at a bit different angle so I had to get used to that so I could control the ball.)
I think I gained at least another 5mph if not more though on my serve and after getting used to it Im a lot more confident in going for shots in tight places versus any of the multi's ive used which do not always react the same.
FreshStew
Rookie
I'll stick with it but does the gut feel a lil stiff because I strung it 2lbs. more than normal(strung it at 60lbs. which is the max)?
I expected more pop than X-1(strung at 58lbs.).:-?
I cant say it's you without seeing you, but it could be technique as well.
That's the issue I had, it was a completely different feel (no "thud" like with a stiffer string), so I subcontiously slowed my swing down which was about as good as having a stiff swing.
I think the improvements really show up when you swing at the ball. It's not like it's going to be super powerful and will make the ball fly off the racquet faster all on it's own or anything. (in fact if you have a slower swing, then you probally should string them at the same tension, but I accelerate thru the ball a bit more so I have mine at different tensions)
Im not saying this is you but people do weird things when they switch strings sometimes. It's like the people that I see that buy "spin" strings, and all the sudden their stroke totally changes because they are now "trying to make spin". (sometimes by flicking there wrist or other sort of weird anamolys)
I feel that when I serve I have a much faster serve with the NG at 59/60 then I do with the X1 at 57/58.
But most of the other strokes it's more about my technique and that I feel more confident that the ball is going where I need it to go consistantly with the NG so Im not as afraid to swing away and go for the lines.
But it's going to "feel" a lot different (at least from a sound perspective and how it leaves the stringbed) and a lot of people probably have trouble getting over that, especially if they are only looking at one or two outings.
Maybe if someone has a slower swing, they would be better off stringing it a bit lower for the extra power. They are probally right, if you are looking for more pop, then stringing it tighter doesnt make as much sense.
(because NG may add more power, but stringing it tighter takes away power so they cancel each other out)
Im just looking for equal power myself and I use NG because it seems to maintain it's resilency longer and it is much more consistant which is why I get away with stringing it 2 lbs tighter.
Does that make sense?
Holdfast44ID
Semi-Pro
Natural Gut tension and control
Contrary to the normal belief that tighter strings give you more control if you are a hard hitter, I think I get better feel and power with NG at an average tension than at the high end, and I am a hard hitter. When I strung NG up 5 lbs. tigher than usual, it felt boardy. I had to really break it in. Stringing it 5 lbs. lower allowed for greater "feel" early on without the break in period needed.
HF
Contrary to the normal belief that tighter strings give you more control if you are a hard hitter, I think I get better feel and power with NG at an average tension than at the high end, and I am a hard hitter. When I strung NG up 5 lbs. tigher than usual, it felt boardy. I had to really break it in. Stringing it 5 lbs. lower allowed for greater "feel" early on without the break in period needed.
HF
FreshStew
Rookie
Yeah you right:lol:
Last night the gut felt good.
I was part of the problem.
When I first started playing with them I shortened my swing cuz I got used to playing with X-One but its better taking full swings with gut. Much more consistent.Gut does take some time to break in but what string doesn't.
Thanks JavierLW
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FreshStew
Rookie
Yeah gut felt boardy at first. I think lower tension gives a lil more feel.:-?
FreshStew
Rookie
Yeah ALL ABOUT TENNIS. They never mess up.
