Best Babolat string for a Pure Storm GT?

[JAY1]

As i've posted on the 'rackets' section i'm receiving three new Babolat Pure Storm GT op Monday.
I have my current Babolat Pure Drive's strung at 50lbs with XCel (yes 50lbs), that's years of playing pretty hard tennis. I need as much comfort as possible on my shoulder, elbow and wrist.
Someone will probably tell me that by string my rackets this loosely i'm missing out on something with my game, Please do say if you think I am?.
What Babolat string and tension would you recommend for me? it has to be a Babolat string as these are what i'm given.
These days i'm probably a 5.0/5.5 and have to take it easy on my right arm's joints.
Would really appreciate some good advice, i'm all ears.......

[pvaudio]

Xcel Power. Really their best offering without going to poly. I personally like the French Open version since it's stiffer, but that's likely not what you're after.

[JAY1]

Originally Posted by pvaudio

Xcel Power. Really their best offering without going to poly. I personally like the French Open version since it's stiffer, but that's likely not what you're after.

Thats good advice thank you.
What does a poly string do? And what is difference between Xcel and Xcel Power, is it just the obvious?

[pvaudio]

More or less. The Power is a touch stiffer and more powerful version, but they say it's more durable. The regular Xcel is a bit softer and more rounded. The Xcel Power should therefore give you a bit more spin.

Poly string is a different type of material altogether whose goals are completely opposite of yours: stiff, very low power, very high spin, short playability span. They're made for big hitters who can generate lots of racquet head speed and therefore get lots of spin for their dollar. However, if you'r enot a string breaker, poly really has no advantage. People say "but I don't break strings and play better with poly, so that doesn't apply". Not so. People break strings because they a. hit very hard, b. hit with a lot of spin, or c. both. If you're not doing any of the above 3 to the point that you break strings continuously, then don't bother with poly. This is completely different than a high level player using synthetics by choice, however.

[JAY1]

Originally Posted by pvaudio

More or less. The Power is a touch stiffer and more powerful version, but they say it's more durable. The regular Xcel is a bit softer and more rounded. The Xcel Power should therefore give you a bit more spin.

Poly string is a different type of material altogether whose goals are completely opposite of yours: stiff, very low power, very high spin, short playability span. They're made for big hitters who can generate lots of racquet head speed and therefore get lots of spin for their dollar. However, if you'r enot a string breaker, poly really has no advantage. People say "but I don't break strings and play better with poly, so that doesn't apply". Not so. People break strings because they a. hit very hard, b. hit with a lot of spin, or c. both. If you're not doing any of the above 3 to the point that you break strings continuously, then don't bother with poly. This is completely different than a high level player using synthetics by choice, however.

That's brilliant, thank you. I will stick to my Xcel string then.
With my arm problems do you think I dare go up in tension from my 50lbs that I had in my Pure Drive?

[fortun8son]

You could go to 53 or 54 with no problem.
Even higher with Xcel shouldn't hurt, but small steps are better.

[Ramon]

Why not get Babolat VS Gut? It will last a lot longer and you might prefer how it plays.

[fortun8son]

Originally Posted by Ramon

Why not get Babolat VS Gut? It will last a lot longer and you might prefer how it plays.

^^^ Even Tonic+, for that matter.

[JAY1]

Originally Posted by fortun8son

You could go to 53 or 54 with no problem.
Even higher with Xcel shouldn't hurt, but small steps are better.

Brilliant - thanks for the advice!

[JAY1]

Originally Posted by Ramon

Why not get Babolat VS Gut? It will last a lot longer and you might prefer how it plays.

Are you able to play with natural gut in the cold, damp and wet though? I live in England!
If so then that may be a great option - Thank you.

[JAY1]

Originally Posted by fortun8son

^^^ Even Tonic+, for that matter.

Can you tell me what the difference is between VS gut and
Tonic+ please?

[Ramon]

Originally Posted by JAY1

Can you tell me what the difference is between VS gut and
Tonic+ please?

VS is their highest quality gut. Tonic is second quality. Basically, if the natural gut string does not conform to their highest quality standards (cosmetic flaws, differences in gauge, etc.) they label it as Tonic if they still feel that it's good enough for most tennis players.

[Ramon]

Originally Posted by JAY1

Are you able to play with natural gut in the cold, damp and wet though? I live in England!
If so then that may be a great option - Thank you.

The newer coatings are supposed to be better in bad weather, but honestly, I still won't play with gut when it's raining or the courts are damp. I always have a spare racquet with synthetic strings I can use in any weather.

[JAY1]

Originally Posted by Ramon

The newer coatings are supposed to be better in bad weather, but honestly, I still won't play with gut when it's raining or the courts are damp. I always have a spare racquet with synthetic strings I can use in any weather.

Ok thanks - I think you've answered my question about natural gut, in the climate I live in I think Xcel will be the best for me, perhaps next summer I can try out some natural gut strings.
Thanks again

[Ramon]

BTW, I don't use VS. I use Klip Legend and Pacific Classic. I pay for my strings, and if I did get a chance to use VS, the last thing I'm going to do is mess up my expensive strings by playing in the rain. I've watched too many other people pull their racquets out of their bags only to see that their gut strings broke without them knowing it because they played on damp courts. For me, gut lasts 2-3 times longer than multifilaments, and unlike multi, its playability doesn't drop off after 6-8 hours of hitting, so for me it's worth the extra money.

[JAY1]

Originally Posted by Ramon

BTW, I don't use VS. I use Klip Legend and Pacific Classic. I pay for my strings, and if I did get a chance to use VS, the last thing I'm going to do is mess up my expensive strings by playing in the rain. I've watched too many other people pull their racquets out of their bags only to see that their gut strings broke without them knowing it because they played on damp courts. For me, gut lasts 2-3 times longer than multifilaments, and unlike multi, its playability doesn't drop off after 6-8 hours of hitting, so for me it's worth the extra money.

So you think Xcel is the right string for me to stick with?
Where do you buy your strings from by the way?

[pvaudio]

Originally Posted by JAY1

So you think Xcel is the right string for me to stick with?
Where do you buy your strings from by the way?

I didn't recommend gut because I saw you live in England which is of course known for its desert-like conditions

[Ramon]

Originally Posted by JAY1

So you think Xcel is the right string for me to stick with?
Where do you buy your strings from by the way?

I proudly buy strings from TW!

I never tried Xcel only because it's a bit expensive, but everything I've heard about it is very good. A local pro in my area used to play on the pro tour. He uses Xcel and loves it. If you need an arm-friendly string from Babolat that you can use in any weather, Xcel and Xcel Power are probably your best choices. You might want to give VS gut a try just to see what it's like. I've tried Addiction and was very disappointed. It's stiff for a multi and doesn't give me the confidence I get from a quality multi. I can also say from experience that gut is very arm-friendly, but the advantage of gut over a soft synthetic multi in arm-friendliness is very small.

If you like Xcel at 50 lbs there's no reason to increase it, but if you think going up to the mid-to-high 50's might give you more control, don't be afraid to try it. I have a history of elbow problems, but I found that a soft multi at 57-60 lbs is still far more arm-friendly than poly at any tension.

[pvaudio]

About Tonic vs. VS: unless you read the print and have a set of calipers, I guarantee you that you will not be able to tell the difference visually. Playing wise, VS is a bit more lively, but honestly if you're using the 1.30mm of either, you'd never tell unless you're at an extremely high level.

[JAY1]

Originally Posted by Ramon

I proudly buy strings from TW!

I never tried Xcel only because it's a bit expensive, but everything I've heard about it is very good. A local pro in my area used to play on the pro tour. He uses Xcel and loves it. If you need an arm-friendly string from Babolat that you can use in any weather, Xcel and Xcel Power are probably your best choices. You might want to give VS gut a try just to see what it's like. I've tried Addiction and was very disappointed. It's stiff for a multi and doesn't give me the confidence I get from a quality multi. I can also say from experience that gut is very arm-friendly, but the advantage of gut over a soft synthetic multi in arm-friendliness is very small.

If you like Xcel at 50 lbs there's no reason to increase it, but if you think going up to the mid-to-high 50's might give you more control, don't be afraid to try it. I have a history of elbow problems, but I found that a soft multi at 57-60 lbs is still far more arm-friendly than poly at any tension.

Brilliant! Thank you very much!