Best natural gut currently
- Thread starter stephenclown
- Start date
I stocked up on many of the older Wilson gut as well, and I now prefer the Lux gut as well. Little more crisp with added control, and like you is lasting a long time, as I have well over 30 hours.
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Luxilon made a natural gut with poly characteristics. Haha, I have no idea how my strings are holding up this long. I never get 6 weeks out of a string, let alone natural gut.
liftordie
Hall of Fame
Spin is good as gut/poly? No strings movement at all?
Still trying to decide if I like 1.25 or 1.30 gut more what has been your experience guys?
1.25
- Softer feel
- More spin
- More power (also a con)
- Better touch
- Better serve
1.30
- Durability
- Tension maintenace
- Predictability
I want the feel of 1.25 with the consistency of 1.30
Will string my 1.25 2-3 pounds tighter and see if i can get this effect.
1.30 feels much harsher, atleast with luxilon's NG. Compared to the 1.25
With 1.25 I can use more shots (angles, dropshots, more unreturnable serves & aces) but more unforced errors
1.25 needs to be strung about 4-5 pounds tighter than 1.30 in my experience
With Luxilon's gut the durability is excellent as I have over 30 hours with the 1.25, and hasn't broke yet. About 20 hours with the 1.30 version.
1.25
- Softer feel
- More spin
- More power (also a con)
- Better touch
- Better serve
1.30
- Durability
- Tension maintenace
- Predictability
I want the feel of 1.25 with the consistency of 1.30
Will string my 1.25 2-3 pounds tighter and see if i can get this effect.
1.30 feels much harsher, atleast with luxilon's NG. Compared to the 1.25
With 1.25 I can use more shots (angles, dropshots, more unreturnable serves & aces) but more unforced errors
1.25 needs to be strung about 4-5 pounds tighter than 1.30 in my experience
With Luxilon's gut the durability is excellent as I have over 30 hours with the 1.25, and hasn't broke yet. About 20 hours with the 1.30 version.
JustTennis76
Hall of Fame
It's hard to beat the feel of Babolat VS Touch. I have the 15L(1.35mm) and Prince Tour XC 15L(1.35 mm) in my Prestige Pro. The response is so predictable and feel is very soft, launch angle is good enough. Extremely durable. Could last me for an year. I don't even want to try any other natural gut brand. I also have my other racket string with gut poly(babolat VS Touch 16 and Prince Tour XP 17). I will use that on colder days.
As far as 1.25 vs 1.30 I decided 1.30 was the winner.
1.25 is too finicky and needs to be strung super tight lowering the sweetspot and durability. Also it is extremely sensitive to temperature. At night when it's cooler I would be ok, but during the day balls would fly.
You get more spin, and touch but also more unforced errors due to that unpredictability. 1.30 feels more muted and not as soft, but you can make up for that by lowering the tension.
I was able to stock up on some old wilson gut for $30 a pack. I got 15 packs so it should last me a while. I'm trying to buy some more!
Quick question for you guys when i run out of the old wilson gut, If someone is moving from Non-BT7 to BT7 gut, can they get a similar feel by lowering the tension 3-4 lbs?
1.25 is too finicky and needs to be strung super tight lowering the sweetspot and durability. Also it is extremely sensitive to temperature. At night when it's cooler I would be ok, but during the day balls would fly.
You get more spin, and touch but also more unforced errors due to that unpredictability. 1.30 feels more muted and not as soft, but you can make up for that by lowering the tension.
I was able to stock up on some old wilson gut for $30 a pack. I got 15 packs so it should last me a while. I'm trying to buy some more!
Quick question for you guys when i run out of the old wilson gut, If someone is moving from Non-BT7 to BT7 gut, can they get a similar feel by lowering the tension 3-4 lbs?
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Chotobaka
Hall of Fame
Do you know the country of origin for the SP Premium Gut?
liftordie
Hall of Fame
Chotobaka
Hall of Fame
Don't know but SP is german company...
SP Premium Gut is a good gut?
SP is sourcing it from a company that makes natural gut. If I had to take a wild guess, I would say it is made in Australia. The look of the string and packaging looks a lot like the now defunct Titan brand, which was manufactured by Klip. If anyone actually knows the COO, please chime in.
I have not tried the SP natural gut, but it is favorably reviewed at stringforum.net I found SP Premium natural gut for $49.00, so it is not the bargain level gut that Titan was. Unless the price were lower, I would stick with gut made by major in-house manufacturers.
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I asked a retailer that sells SP Premium Gut, for the same price as VS Touch and they said they prefer VS Touch so I didnt end up trying SP Gut. Btw SP has 2 kinds of gut, the premium and the budget one called cross gut. Not sure how different they play. Would love to hear about it if anyone got experiences with them.
liftordie
Hall of Fame
Here in Europe SPPG is 10€ less than VS Touch.
liftordie
Hall of Fame
I will because I have good deal on it but I know VS is the best gut in the world. Because it is french, of course.please try it and let us know if its the best natural gut currently
I stocked up on some pre-BT7 gut since it was cheap and i couldn't resist, however I think I like Luxilon better than pre-BT7 gut. It's going back to the tennis shop soon unless any die hard fans would like some of the old wilson gut. I have 11 packs in 1.30 gauge.
Also Luxilon Gut is on sale for $34 if you look around!
Also Luxilon Gut is on sale for $34 if you look around!
IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
DR 98.
Also update on pre-BT7 gut, I liked it more once I went up a couple pounds in tension. 64 lbs seems to be good for me with pre-BT7 1.30 gauge.
At 60 lbs I always had a fear of hitting long, too much power, however with Luxilon gut I liked it at 60 lbs.
In summary Luxilon gut should be strung 3-4 pounds looser than pre-BT7
IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
Strung up full bed Lux gut in a ProStaff 97s as an experiment.
1.25 gauge, 57# tension.
3 hours hitting now and feeling really good! Reminds me of Pacific Tough Gut, once the Tough Gut has broken in after a few hours.
Most of the exterior coating has now worn off and it's getting good bite on the ball.
Particularly sweet on 1st serve, volleys, dropshots, and BH slice.
Will report back how long it lasts with my medium-spin and medium-power ~4.5 game style...
Great, please keep us updated. I may try the 1.25 gauge again, but at 66 lbs instead of 62, like I did last time. It is a bit softer and better feel on touch shots. I like the predictability of the 1.30 though
Mig1NC
Professional
I always wondered how gut would play in a 97S. Those Wilson spin effect patterns are a big question mark for me
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IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
The 97s (thin beam) is pretty flexy and low-powered compared to many modern frames, especially after a few stringjobs to soften up the frame a bit. So, should be a decent candidate for gut among the more recent frames.
It's actually not as "spinny" as you might think (given that they call it Spin Effect). The 18x17 actually is more of a control pattern compared to the 16x19.
My 97" RF97A, for example, has a much more open string pattern with 16x19 than my 97" 97s does with 18x17. Hopefully that means it won't eat up my gut
IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
I really need all the spin I can get, that was my main factor in choosing 1.25 over 1.30. The racket has great control.
I haven't hit with a DR98, but at 16x19 it likely has a more open string pattern than my 18x17 Prostaff 97s. Maybe that's why you need such high tension to tame 1.25?
If you're getting plenty of spin, then 1.30 is the way to go, since in addition to the predictability you mention, the strings will last longer as well ($).
How is the Luxilon Gut working out for you?
IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
I'm at 8 hours now, the coating has worn off the outside and it's really gripping the ball well. It's starting to saw through the mains in a couple of places a little bit, hopefully it still will last a while.
I'm in the same boat as you've described, trying to figure out if I can tame the power of the 17 gauge. I love the spin but it's a little too powerful as some of my shots are sailing long.
I'm going to remove a couple of grams of lead from my racket head to reduce the swingweight a little bit, to see if that helps...
I'm also trying ToughGut 1.25 in full bed in my 97S, as a comparison. Will post the results in a month or two once I've had more time to hit with both of them...
Yeah you can up the tension 2-3 lbs or go to 1.30. I find the 1.30 provides enough spin for me.
Ok cool played with Luxilon gut 1.30 today after hitting with the old wilson gut 1.30 (pre-bt7) for about a month.
in my opinion the luxilon gut is a better gut. It's lower powered which i actually like because i don't have to string it super tight & offers more access to spin than the old wilson. It is a bit more powerful than a multi but still controllable. the wilson hits a bit softer but has to be strung tighter so in a way the softness is about the same as you can go 3-4 lbs lower with the luxilon. Luxilon gut is more of a modern playing natural gut, where as someone who hits flat may prefer the old wilson. Luxilon gut is perfect for me because i am primarily a baseliner, i don't like to string super tight and i don't want to use poly. Great string. The Luxilon gut just gives you that extra confidence to swing out as compared to the old wilson. I played a match today and had much more groundstroke winners compared to normal. This is a keeper for me
in my opinion the luxilon gut is a better gut. It's lower powered which i actually like because i don't have to string it super tight & offers more access to spin than the old wilson. It is a bit more powerful than a multi but still controllable. the wilson hits a bit softer but has to be strung tighter so in a way the softness is about the same as you can go 3-4 lbs lower with the luxilon. Luxilon gut is more of a modern playing natural gut, where as someone who hits flat may prefer the old wilson. Luxilon gut is perfect for me because i am primarily a baseliner, i don't like to string super tight and i don't want to use poly. Great string. The Luxilon gut just gives you that extra confidence to swing out as compared to the old wilson. I played a match today and had much more groundstroke winners compared to normal. This is a keeper for me
Chotobaka
Hall of Fame
In my experience, Volkl V-Icon 17g natural gut at $29.00 for 40' is a great buy for gut/poly hybrids. It is made in Australia (Klip) and has a substantial coating on it. It is slippery and matches up well with Signum Pro Poly 1.18mm in the crosses. Spin, durability (for NG) plus power and playability make this a no-brainer for me. Purchased in USA. I do not think is is in the same class as VS for a full bed, but it works very well in my hybrid set up.
IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
How long does the coating last, before the poly crosses start sawing into it?
Compared to, say, Tough Gut?
Chotobaka
Hall of Fame
Tough Gut has been on my short list of preferred natural gut for a while now, especially for hybrid stringing. I stocked up on half-sets of 16L at deep discounts a few years ago but sets have gotten much pricier now. Everything is going to notch eventually, but V-Icon resists it at least as well as Tough Gut. The difference in hybrid playability is negligible. At TW's sale price, it's hard to beat V-Icon for my hybrid use. YMMV.
I was using Volkl V-Icon for a while until the local pro shop did not have them for a while. I had to switch gut brands. The Volkl V-Icon plays very well for me. I actually like the seeming thicker coating on the gut. It takes a little longer to break it in but , as Chotobaka said, The difference between the Volkl and Tough gut is not enough to switch to the TG. Time to buy some more Volkl V-Icon now since I read this thread. Thanks for reminding me about Volkl again Chotobaka!
IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
@aaron_h27 - how many hours are you getting out of Lux 1.30 compared to Lux 1.25, before they break?
Msv natural gut???
Yes. You can check it out at msv website (German)
As for "perfect gut" distributed in Korea, I only know it is a Made is aussie gut. Heh.
I cut both out before they could break last time to try new strings but i had 30 hours on each. I have 1.30 in both of my rackets now and plan on using it until they break
dominikk1985
Legend
How much better is premium gut than "cheaper" gut like klip legend? I have only played with cheaper guts in a hybrid and I did like it.
Is a premium gut worth the extra money (neither is really inexpensive of course)?
Is a premium gut worth the extra money (neither is really inexpensive of course)?
I would not put Klip gut in the cheap category. It hits real well at a reasonable price. I prefer the legend uncoated 16g. Holds up well, hits very comfortable. I have a few strung with the Klip uncoated, and a few with Lux. Nat gut. Lux is little more crisp, but gives added control. I have been hitting with both lately, and both fit my game fine.
You will not go wrong with "most" quality Nat. Gut strings.
You will not go wrong with "most" quality Nat. Gut strings.
dominikk1985
Legend
Yeah klip is definitely not cheap but still like half the price of the top guts, I would call it middle class.
I definitely think it is good value though, but of course there is always a better one if you are willing to pay.
Please provide the link. Did google it but it doesn't seem to be there.
Decided to remove link
I believe that for natural gut go for the cheapest if it is priced the same as x1 biphase if not opt for VS or luxilon.
It is like a overcooked sirloin(screw up NG) will always taste better than a medium rare flank steak(best multi).
Of course wagyu steak (vs /luxilon) will be always the best if handled by a professional chef (mrt certified stringer)
I believe that for natural gut go for the cheapest if it is priced the same as x1 biphase if not opt for VS or luxilon.
It is like a overcooked sirloin(screw up NG) will always taste better than a medium rare flank steak(best multi).
Of course wagyu steak (vs /luxilon) will be always the best if handled by a professional chef (mrt certified stringer)
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alidisperanza
Hall of Fame
I'm pretty sure vegan tennis players aren't using gut.Sorry vegan tennis players
A number of years ago I checked out the various natural gut options. I found that each had one negative or another.
However, once I found Pacific Tough Gut 16, I never looked back. It's been extremely consistent over the years in its playability, durability and tension holding. I string it in the mains with Gosen Micro 16 in the crosses.
Once I notice any type of fraying, I use the Babolat string savers. Note that I'm generally not a string breaker.
I just noticed that its not listed right now at TW. I hope this is just temporary. I still have a few sets left.
However, once I found Pacific Tough Gut 16, I never looked back. It's been extremely consistent over the years in its playability, durability and tension holding. I string it in the mains with Gosen Micro 16 in the crosses.
Once I notice any type of fraying, I use the Babolat string savers. Note that I'm generally not a string breaker.
I just noticed that its not listed right now at TW. I hope this is just temporary. I still have a few sets left.
IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
Did you ever compare ToughGut 16 to 16L?
I have only used ToughGut 16L, as I feel that I might lose too much spin going to 16...
