what is the best soft, last long multi string?

Magic of tennis

Magic of tennis

Semi-Pro
I know it might not be easy answer. I am breaking my strings too often.
I have been using Pro's Pro Kingut for several months. I like it a lot. But it breaks easily after 6 - 8 hours of playing.
Does anyone know which multi string is soft and last long?
 
S

Say Chi Sin Lo

G.O.A.T.
Try Head RIP Control. Its durability is a hit or miss for some people, but to me, it's the most durable string outside of polyesters.

And it's soft too.
 
mikeler

mikeler

Moderator
Some others that have proven quite durable for me are Discho Microfibre, Prince Premiere Attack and Babolat Xcel.
 
R

Ramon

Legend
Multis that lasted a long time for me (over 12 hours before I started playing more aggressively) are RIP Control, Prince Premier Attack, Discho Microfibre, and Kirschbaum Touch Multifiber (all 16 gauge).

My problem, lately, has been that I've started playing more aggressively from the baseline, and now I'm breaking multis in under 5 hours, usually with a shank. PPA and KTM have both been prone to premature breakage on shanks. I haven't tried DM lately because I try to fill my TW orders to get free shipping, and they don't sell it at TW.

I might try a setup with RIP Control in the mains and PPA in the crosses. RIP Control 16 is probably the most durable of the bunch, and I'd like to see how it stands up to shanks. I prefer the other strings on the list for playability.

I'm also playing with natural gut on one racquet. Gut definitely takes sudden stress better than synthetic multis, but it's expensive and doesn't hold up well in when it gets wet, so I always bring a spare racquet with multi.
 
Magic of tennis

Magic of tennis

Semi-Pro
I have broken two racquet' strings at the same play twice in past few weeks. That's why I came to ask this forum
Thank you all guys.
 
JT_2eighty

JT_2eighty

Hall of Fame
darklore009 said:
Rip control breaks on me. Once the outer layer is through, it breaks easily. Isospeed control is durable
Click to expand...

I agree on this. Rip Control can be durable for some people, but once that outer layer is worn, the core is fragile.

Isospeed Control 16 is basically the same material as Rip Control's outer layer, without the fragile inner core.

It has the same, muted feel of RIP, with the best durability you will find on a multi. It is soft on the arm, but not as powerful as other multis. While most multis feel lively and springy, Isospeed & RIP strings have a much deader 'feel', but that deadness does not make them any 'less-soft' for a multi. In that sense, they are still soft/arm-friendly, due to the multifilament construction. But for some people, that change in 'feel' can be a deal-breaker. Great control for a multi and great durability too. If you like RIP, you'll like Isospeed Control.
 
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E

ElVapo

New User
I know this might sound strange...the multi which lasts the longest in my raquets is the tecnifibre x-one biphase 1.24/Gauge 17.
 
P

parasailing

Legend
ElVapo said:
I know this might sound strange...the multi which lasts the longest in my raquets is the tecnifibre x-one biphase 1.24/Gauge 17.
Click to expand...

That string lasts me about 5 hours tops. Once X1 starts to fray, it's all over. I second Kirschbaum Multi Touch one of the most underrated strings here on the forum.

Mantis Comfort Synthetic should be something to consider. It smells like glue and you can get high from it when you are stringing :).
 
R

Ramon

Legend
parasailing said:
That string lasts me about 5 hours tops. Once X1 starts to fray, it's all over. I second Kirschbaum Multi Touch one of the most underrated strings here on the forum.

Mantis Comfort Synthetic should be something to consider. It smells like glue and you can get high from it when you are stringing :).
Click to expand...

Kirschbaum Touch Multifiber is one of my favorite multis. I just wish it was less expensive. If you don't regularly break strings on shanks, it lasts about as long as any multi and doesn't change much.

Mantis Comfort Synthetic is very soft, but durability is terrible. Stay away from it if you want something that lasts long.

I'd have to say Pacific Classic natural gut gives me the best combination of softness, playability, and durability right now. I have to disqualify most multis because I shank the ball too much. I'll be trying Babolat Tonic in the near future to see how it compares.
 
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Valjean

Valjean

Hall of Fame
Since you were having trouble with breakage I would invest in a string saver package and install one, no matter what string you decide to try out.

A thicker gauge than you are used to is another good idea.
 
fortun8son

fortun8son

Hall of Fame
mikeler said:
Some others that have proven quite durable for me are Discho Microfibre, Prince Premiere Attack and Babolat Xcel.
Click to expand...
These three seem to have the best combination of softness and durability.
PPA has the best price.
RIP/Isospeed strings, though technically multis, are in a class by themselves, as are the Ashaway Zyex strings.
 
T

the_faceless_player

Professional
I've had good luck with both of Solinco's multis. Tru-feel is soft and has great feel. Vanquish is a little stiffer but more durable. I was sawing through X-1 Biphase like crazy in hybrids but these have held up well. Tru-feel is being replaced by Solinco though so whatever retailers have left is it. There are nice options from head, discho etc as others have said too.
 
N

NLBwell

Legend
NXT Max is crisper than most multis, but it lasts by far the longest of the many I've tried.
For me, it plays the best also but not everyone likes it.
 
F

fuzz nation

G.O.A.T.
I've had a mixed experience with a number of multi's, but I've also been pleasantly surprised with the softness I get from Gosen OG Sheep Micro. It seems to deliver more softness than other syn. guts I've sampled, yet without getting overly mushy in the way that many multi's seem to as they age.

I offered this just because I think that a softer syn. gut might be a decent alternative for a multi user who needs some extra durability. Haven't used it in a while, but I also recall finding a rather soft ride with Prince Original Syn. Gut (pre-Duraflex).
 
K

K21ferg

New User
Babolat xcel

My favorite multi has to be the Babolat xcel string(16 gauge). This is the most popular choice of string for the customers I string for and I get nothing but great feed back. I also tested out this string @60 pounds and was very pleased.
Even at 60 pounds this string still was very soft and offered arm friendly play. This string had tremendous feel and played with great control. As I continued to play throughout the week these strings held there tension and continued to play great. I played for 2 hours with this string each day and by the end of the 2nd week they began to fray and that allowed amazing spin control. 3 days into the 3rd week they broke but I hit with a lot of spin and break strings very often and these held up longer then other multis I have played with. Although they are a bit expensive they played the softest had the most feel and control throughout the strings life.
 
mikeler

mikeler

Moderator
K21ferg said:
My favorite multi has to be the Babolat xcel string(16 gauge). This is the most popular choice of string for the customers I string for and I get nothing but great feed back. I also tested out this string @60 pounds and was very pleased.
Even at 60 pounds this string still was very soft and offered arm friendly play. This string had tremendous feel and played with great control. As I continued to play throughout the week these strings held there tension and continued to play great. I played for 2 hours with this string each day and by the end of the 2nd week they began to fray and that allowed amazing spin control. 3 days into the 3rd week they broke but I hit with a lot of spin and break strings very often and these held up longer then other multis I have played with. Although they are a bit expensive they played the softest had the most feel and control throughout the strings life.
Click to expand...

XCel is a great string but very expensive.
 
R

Ramon

Legend
K21ferg said:
My favorite multi has to be the Babolat xcel string(16 gauge). This is the most popular choice of string for the customers I string for and I get nothing but great feed back. I also tested out this string @60 pounds and was very pleased.
Even at 60 pounds this string still was very soft and offered arm friendly play. This string had tremendous feel and played with great control. As I continued to play throughout the week these strings held there tension and continued to play great. I played for 2 hours with this string each day and by the end of the 2nd week they began to fray and that allowed amazing spin control. 3 days into the 3rd week they broke but I hit with a lot of spin and break strings very often and these held up longer then other multis I have played with. Although they are a bit expensive they played the softest had the most feel and control throughout the strings life.
Click to expand...

mikeler said:
XCel is a great string but very expensive.
Click to expand...

NLBwell said:
For me, NXT Max will last 3 or 4 times longer than XCel. XCel is an excellent performance string, though.
Click to expand...

I never tried Xcel or NXT Max simply because I can't fathom how a synthetic multi can possibly be worth $18-20. Decent quality natural gut starts at about $26. For me, NG is much better at withstanding shear stress (I break multis on shanks quite often), lasts about twice as long, and plays more consistently from beginning to end. There are perfectly good multis I use as backups that are much cheaper.
 
N

NLBwell

Legend
Can't argue againt going to Nat Gut.

(I've never broken a multi from a shank, only once in my life for a poly)
 
T

Tennusdude

Semi-Pro
K21ferg said:
My favorite multi has to be the Babolat xcel string(16 gauge). This is the most popular choice of string for the customers I string for and I get nothing but great feed back. I also tested out this string @60 pounds and was very pleased.
Even at 60 pounds this string still was very soft and offered arm friendly play. This string had tremendous feel and played with great control. As I continued to play throughout the week these strings held there tension and continued to play great. I played for 2 hours with this string each day and by the end of the 2nd week they began to fray and that allowed amazing spin control. 3 days into the 3rd week they broke but I hit with a lot of spin and break strings very often and these held up longer then other multis I have played with. Although they are a bit expensive they played the softest had the most feel and control throughout the strings life.
Click to expand...

Is it really better than Gamma Professional 17g which lasts incredibly long for a 17g. I think because it is irradiated.
 
K

K21ferg

New User
Tennusdude said:
Is it really better than Gamma Professional 17g which lasts incredibly long for a 17g. I think because it is irradiated.
Click to expand...

Personally I feel that the xcel offers much more comfort and I'm not a fan of gammas live wire technology I just didn't enjoy the response after making contact with this string. Gamma Professional 17g is a great string but I just cant put it ahead of Babolat xcel (16g)
 
fortun8son

fortun8son

Hall of Fame
mikeler said:
Attack is softer than LT. Both tend to stiffen up as they age which is a weird phenomenon.
Click to expand...
It's a Prince thang.
Lightning and PSGD do that, too.
I see a lot of old sets, and they do get stiffer with age, even though they've lost a lot of tension.
 
M

morten

Hall of Fame
Yonex 850 pro, most underrated multi on the market, very consistant and durable, not as soft, but also not as springy/trampoline(in a good way) as many multis...
 
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