What did people used back in the 80s?

[J011yroger]

Originally Posted by tbuggle

you gotta be
pretty burly to have played in the 80's and be playing poly now, IMO.

Almost everyone my age or older from 4.5-6.0 plays poly.

J

[NLBwell]

Yeah, playing tennis in the 80s doesn't mean you are almost dead now.

[fortun8son]

Originally Posted by cork_screw

Poly technology wasn't developed for tennis back in the 80's. not even sure it was developed period for other processes/use ages for other things.

Dacron polyester textile thread was available in the 70's.
Remember Leisure Suits?
P.S. Ashaway, Gosen, TOA, and Technifibre all make textile thread and fishing line as well as tennis strings.

[Lakers4Life]

Originally Posted by slowfox

Did ya have the big VS stencil on it too? I always envied those who could afford natural gut. I stuck with PSG and Topspin. They still smell the same too. Perhaps a weird comment, but true.

Back then It only cost $10 more than the Gutex Graphite, and I was not a big string breaker. I did not have the VS stencil. You knew it was gut by the smelled out of the package. It had a very clinical smell, like iodine.

[coloskier]

There was also Ashaway nylon. Terrible string, but it lasted longer than gut. It may have been one of the first multis.

[fortun8son]

What and when were the first multis?
I know that Intellistring/tour was launched with the i-series racquets.
What about others? Sensation and NXT, for example.

[Lakers4Life]

Originally Posted by vsbabolat

Babolat always made VS Gut. The company did go through few name changes. The Company was called Babolat-Maillot-Witt and then Changed name to BabolatVS in the mid 80's

I just knew it for VS Gut back in the 80's. Now I know the manufacturer was B-M-W (not the German car company).

[Rabbit]

70s - Vantage I, Vantage II, nylon, Blue Star, or natural gut (lots of different brandings) - my favorite was PDP Rough Gut

80s - Prince Synthetic Gut (no Duraflex yet) the above, lots of "graphite infused" strings, natural gut & kevlar

90s - same as 80s, poly, natural gut, lots of choice in gauge

00s - lots of choice in manufacturer (everybody found out that .50 worth of synthetic string could be sold for $15)

[NLBwell]

Originally Posted by fortun8son

What and when were the first multis?
I know that Intellistring/tour was launched with the i-series racquets.
What about others? Sensation and NXT, for example.

The Vantage, Vantage II, and Blue Star that Rabbit and I used in the 70's were all multis. I would think that they had multi-nylons since maybe the 40's.

[KFwinds]

Loved PSG. Pretty much everyone I knew in the 80's (I was in HS) who couldn't afford VS Gut played PSG. When Prince Topspin was available I switched to that in my shiny white Spectrum Comp 110. Didn't experience my first set of multi or gut until about 12 yrs ago, and finally tried poly about 6 yrs ago. Now doing hybrids with multi or gut mains. Life was so much simpler back then!

[mctennis]

Originally Posted by TonyB

It's actually "Leoina" not "Leonia". And the 66 used to be what most of my friends played with because we were young and our parents didn't want to pay for restringing all the time!

Another popular string was Toalson Gold ("Toa Gold"). But again, only the 15 gauge lasted long enough to play with more than a few matches.

Oh, I was talking about Leonia strings. I guess it isn't the same string. Thanks for pointing that out.

[mctennis]

Originally Posted by Rabbit

70s - Vantage I, Vantage II, nylon, Blue Star, or natural gut (lots of different brandings) - my favorite was PDP Rough Gut

80s - Prince Synthetic Gut (no Duraflex yet) the above, lots of "graphite infused" strings, natural gut & kevlar

90s - same as 80s, poly, natural gut, lots of choice in gauge

00s - lots of choice in manufacturer (everybody found out that .50 worth of synthetic string could be sold for $15)

I remember using uncoated gut during the late 70's and 80's. I miss those strings. Thanks for the flashback Rabbit.

[Yaz]

Originally Posted by mctennis

They still make the Leonia 66. Plus when you read the reviews they still say great things about it. I may try some for the heck of it.

I also used mainly Leoina 66 in the 80s, but my Dad occasionally splurged for that gut with the blue spiral. I have a friend that still uses L66 and he loves it.

[NLBwell]

Was it Victor Imperial gut?

[BreakPoint]

Originally Posted by NLBwell

Was it Victor Imperial gut?

Probably. Wasn't that the gut with the blue spiral?

[NLBwell]

I think so, but not 100% sure.

[Lakers4Life]

Victor Imperial gut came in a tin can. I actually have a can, I got with a machine.

[dunlop_fort_knox]

blue star was the popular synthetic at the time. the most popular guts were Victor Imperial and also a cheaper Natural gut? Leonia 66 was the bomb!

[Lakers4Life]

I think I still have a Wilson JKPS with Leona 66 on it.

[THESEXPISTOL]

Which gauges where the most popular on nylons back then? 1.35 and 1.40?