The "Gutpoly High" Club - Page 11

endro · 09-29-2012, 01:13 PM

Bringing this thread back to pose a question to those of you who have played extensively with a "champion's choice" setup (VS gut / ALU Rough) or any derivative thereof. I am going to try this setup in the KBT in an attempt to derive more power from the frame.

What would you guys recommend in the way of gauge and tension? I have 16g Pacific Toughgut / 17g OGSM @ 60/58lbs in one and it doesn't get much bite but the strings last pretty much forever. I have 17g Babolat VS / Pacific Classic @ 55lbs in the other and while I get more pop I don't think it is as much as I should be able to generate. Does 18g natural gut even exist? And if so, should I cross it with an 18g poly (TiMO perhaps?) I think I would be venturing into dangerous territory there as far as durability goes. Maybe an 18g gut / 16g alu rough would be best, but I am still not convinced. What do you guys think?

TL;DR : For Champion's Choice - what gauge / tension should I use for the K Blade Tour?

McLovin · 10-02-2012, 04:24 AM

The question is, do you routinely break strings? And if so, after how many matches/hours? What surface do you normally play on (e.g., indoor hard, outdoor clay, etc.), and at what level?

I use 17g gut mains, 17g poly crosses (currently Klip Legend & MSV Co. Focus) for outdoor hard & indoor hard, but will switch to 16L or Pacific Tough Gut during clay season as clay will eat the gut up after 5-6 hours of play.

Tension is obviously a personal thing, and as I've found out recently, numbers are irrelevant because it all depends on the stringer & the machine (in other words, one person's 52 can be another's 55). I just would not go too low w/ the gut as the ball will tend to fly below a certain tension. You just need to find what that tension is...

Also, I'd stay away from twisted polys as crosses. They will tend to saw through the gut and impeded the 'snap back' effect people talk about here. Personally, I didn't like ALU Rough (found it too stiff), but that doesn't mean it is bad, just not for me.

endro · 10-12-2012, 06:07 AM

Well I play 4.0 singles on indoor hardcourt during the fall/winter...and the same outdoors in the spring/summer. I don't really break strings, but then again all I use is poly and gut (2 most durable strings on the market). Plus in an 18 x 20 frame...my strings never break hence dropping the gauge all the way down to 18g or less (?).

Interesting, how is that setup working for you? What racquet do you use? I'm mostly a flat hitter with a bit of s&v thrown in. I don't think poly would help me much as I don't have the batspeed or swing trajectory for it. I'm trying the isospeed cross soon at mid tension so hopefully that will reign in the power of the gut. I'm just trying to find the thinnest, most powerful strings to put in this thing while still retaining a good amount of directional control.

09-29-2012, 01:13 PM	#201
endro New User Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: The Sweetspot Posts: 89	Bringing this thread back to pose a question to those of you who have played extensively with a "champion's choice" setup (VS gut / ALU Rough) or any derivative thereof. I am going to try this setup in the KBT in an attempt to derive more power from the frame. What would you guys recommend in the way of gauge and tension? I have 16g Pacific Toughgut / 17g OGSM @ 60/58lbs in one and it doesn't get much bite but the strings last pretty much forever. I have 17g Babolat VS / Pacific Classic @ 55lbs in the other and while I get more pop I don't think it is as much as I should be able to generate. Does 18g natural gut even exist? And if so, should I cross it with an 18g poly (TiMO perhaps?) I think I would be venturing into dangerous territory there as far as durability goes. Maybe an 18g gut / 16g alu rough would be best, but I am still not convinced. What do you guys think? TL;DR : For Champion's Choice - what gauge / tension should I use for the K Blade Tour? Last edited by endro : 10-12-2012 at 06:09 AM.

10-02-2012, 04:24 AM	#202
McLovin Hall Of Fame Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 1,618	The question is, do you routinely break strings? And if so, after how many matches/hours? What surface do you normally play on (e.g., indoor hard, outdoor clay, etc.), and at what level? I use 17g gut mains, 17g poly crosses (currently Klip Legend & MSV Co. Focus) for outdoor hard & indoor hard, but will switch to 16L or Pacific Tough Gut during clay season as clay will eat the gut up after 5-6 hours of play. Tension is obviously a personal thing, and as I've found out recently, numbers are irrelevant because it all depends on the stringer & the machine (in other words, one person's 52 can be another's 55). I just would not go too low w/ the gut as the ball will tend to fly below a certain tension. You just need to find what that tension is... Also, I'd stay away from twisted polys as crosses. They will tend to saw through the gut and impeded the 'snap back' effect people talk about here. Personally, I didn't like ALU Rough (found it too stiff), but that doesn't mean it is bad, just not for me. __________________ "Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row" -- Vitas Gerulaitis, after beating Jimmy Connors on his 17th try.

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