Powerful cheap syn gut

Will Wilson

Semi-Pro
I'm looking for a reel of cheap syn gut that is pretty lively and fairly soft. I tried Forten sweet and liked it. Any others I should try?
 

THESEXPISTOL

Hall of Fame
If like the soft feel stick with Forten Sweet. You want something a little more crips try PSGO, Dunlop S-Gut or Head PPS. If you want something even more crips and durable go with PSGD.
 

fuzz nation

G.O.A.T.
Loving the syn. guts myself and I've recently sampled some Forten Sweet 16, too. Ultra plush stuff, but not too mushy compared with other soft setups I've tried and I also like the durability of the 16 over the 17 gauge option. I'm ordering more for myself this week.

Also had pretty good luck with Tecnifibre's 16 ga. syn. gut, although I'd say that it's a little bit more crisp than the Forten. Prince's Syn. Gut with Duraflex runs too firm and "clunky" for me, but I've always liked their original syn. gut. I use Gosen OG Sheep Micro for some basic setups, but definitely prefer the Forten and Tecnifibre.
 

maxpotapov

Hall of Fame
Loving the syn. guts myself and I've recently sampled some Forten Sweet 16, too. Ultra plush stuff, but not too mushy compared with other soft setups I've tried and I also like the durability of the 16 over the 17 gauge option. I'm ordering more for myself this week.

Also had pretty good luck with Tecnifibre's 16 ga. syn. gut, although I'd say that it's a little bit more crisp than the Forten. Prince's Syn. Gut with Duraflex runs too firm and "clunky" for me, but I've always liked their original syn. gut. I use Gosen OG Sheep Micro for some basic setups, but definitely prefer the Forten and Tecnifibre.

I would not call Forten Sweet "ultra plush", it feels pretty stiff in my BB London Tour. Maybe the tension is too high (supposedly 23 kg/50 lbs), but the main reason is rough/sticky surface prevents mains from moving. For a heavy top spinner like me it creates rough experience, but maybe for flatter hitting players it may feel comparatively soft.
 

Will Wilson

Semi-Pro
Wilson Extreme syn gut

What have your experiences been with Wilson Extreme sun gut? How does it compare with Forten sweet?
 

coolblue123

Hall of Fame
lively as in powerful?

But wouldn't it pretty hard to find a Powerful Soft string? Wouldn't a soft string absorb most of the power?

Soft Cheap String is Gosen OG Sheep 17. Also try a higher gauge string as well as the thinner gauge will increase string movement. Another option is to lower tension.

But by far, my fav string is Pro Supex FT Ruff. It had 0 durability but it has great power, spin, good comfort. Unfortunately, it was discontinued.
 

Will Wilson

Semi-Pro
Thanks for all the responses. I tried Gosen Sheep Micro but felt it was stiffer than Forten. I read on a different thread here that Head PPS was a lively (powerful) Syn Gut. I tried in 18g and thought it was awesome but it broke in 2 days. The 17g didn't seem that lively to me but that was a while ago.

So I'm looking for more feedback on Forten vs. Head PPS and both of those compared to Wilson Extreme Syn Gut.

Thanks
 

goran_ace

Hall of Fame
What have your experiences been with Wilson Extreme sun gut? How does it compare with Forten sweet?

I used that stuff for a few years back when I had a pretty great deal on anything Wilson. It's not my favorite synth gut but it's not bad either.

Really depends on your preferences. I grew up playing with PSG and later PSGD so that crispy feel is what I was used to and is my standard for synth gut comparisons. I think Forten Sweet is fine as a soft cross in a hybrid, but in a full bed I think it just feels mushy and breaks too quickly. If PSGD and FS represent the two ends of a scale I'd put Wilson Synth Gut Extreme about 7/10 or 8/10 of the way towards the PSGD side.
 

Will Wilson

Semi-Pro
I used that stuff for a few years back when I had a pretty great deal on anything Wilson. It's not my favorite synth gut but it's not bad either.

Really depends on your preferences. I grew up playing with PSG and later PSGD so that crispy feel is what I was used to and is my standard for synth gut comparisons. I think Forten Sweet is fine as a soft cross in a hybrid, but in a full bed I think it just feels mushy and breaks too quickly. If PSGD and FS represent the two ends of a scale I'd put Wilson Synth Gut Extreme about 7/10 or 8/10 of the way towards the PSGD side.

Thanks for the specific info, that helps a bunch.

Any experience with Head PPS?
 

anubis

Hall of Fame
Gosen OGSM is very stiff for a nylon string.

Softest nylon I ever used that was a monofiliament was Babolat Nv. Y... but it's not terribly cheap.

Prince Original Synthetic Gut is softer than Gosen as well.
 

Beejay

New User
Head PPS (RSI stiffness 190 for 17g) and Forten Sweet (RSI stiffness 194 for 17g) are cheap, soft, and powerful, while Gosen OGSM (RSI stiffness 199 for 17g) feel a little stiff and crispy. I use PPS and Sweet for all crosses for stiff (or low-powered) multi mains, and OGSM for soft and high-powered multi mains.
 

Stardust

New User
I used that stuff for a few years back when I had a pretty great deal on anything Wilson. It's not my favorite synth gut but it's not bad either.

Really depends on your preferences. I grew up playing with PSG and later PSGD so that crispy feel is what I was used to and is my standard for synth gut comparisons. I think Forten Sweet is fine as a soft cross in a hybrid, but in a full bed I think it just feels mushy and breaks too quickly. If PSGD and FS represent the two ends of a scale I'd put Wilson Synth Gut Extreme about 7/10 or 8/10 of the way towards the PSGD side.


+1 vote for Wilson Extreme Syn Gut. As a long time Forten Sweet user and apologist I was soon pleasantly surprised by the soft and comfortable feel and durability of the Wilson ESG – softer and a bit more durable than Forten. Very nice nylon string and I’d prefer to HEAD SG PPS because where I am it’s cheaper at least. POSG is also a great syngut but a bit higher in price too.
 

corners

Legend
Head PPS (RSI stiffness 190 for 17g) and Forten Sweet (RSI stiffness 194 for 17g) are cheap, soft, and powerful, while Gosen OGSM (RSI stiffness 199 for 17g) feel a little stiff and crispy. I use PPS and Sweet for all crosses for stiff (or low-powered) multi mains, and OGSM for soft and high-powered multi mains.

As the numbers show, synguts are all the same in terms of power, maybe differing by 1% within the same gauge. There is a reason for this: syngut is simply a monofilament of heat-treated nylon with some kind of coating applied. They are all the same! Unlike polyester, which can be changed considerably by adding various other chemicals to the mix (making a copolymer, or copoly), nylon is nylon.

However, going up or down in gauge will change the "power", or ball speed, slightly. I like Gosen OGSM 18 personally. As powerful as a multi, in my opinion, and with better (crisper) feel to boot.
 

Beejay

New User
As the numbers show, synguts are all the same in terms of power, maybe differing by 1% within the same gauge. There is a reason for this: syngut is simply a monofilament of heat-treated nylon with some kind of coating applied. They are all the same! Unlike polyester, which can be changed considerably by adding various other chemicals to the mix (making a copolymer, or copoly), nylon is nylon.

However, going up or down in gauge will change the "power", or ball speed, slightly. I like Gosen OGSM 18 personally. As powerful as a multi, in my opinion, and with better (crisper) feel to boot.

The same or similar? Anyway, RSI data shows Forten sweet 17 is 1.27mm, Gosen Micro 17 is 1.24mm, Head PPS is 1.22, and Prince SG 17 is 1.26mm in thickenss. if going up or down in gauge will change feel and power, they may change the power and feel (actually coating also contributes to the feel).
 

corners

Legend
The same or similar? Anyway, RSI data shows Forten sweet 17 is 1.27mm, Gosen Micro 17 is 1.24mm, Head PPS is 1.22, and Prince SG 17 is 1.26mm in thickenss. if going up or down in gauge will change feel and power, they may change the power and feel (actually coating also contributes to the feel).

You earlier cited the stiffness data for those same strings: 190-199. Nearly identical. By contrast, copoly strings range from 190 to 350 on the same stiffness scale!

Sure, you can fuss over this type of thing, but all syngut strings are virtually identical. Probably the biggest difference between them is the coating, which varies by manufacturer and changes how the strings interact with each other and feel to some degree. Inside the coating they are all pretty much the same.
 

Valjean

Hall of Fame
Though I have long liked POSG and enjoyed Gosen's OGSM 18, Wilson's Extreme Synthetic Gut is my candidate for hidden gem in this string category.
 

KFwinds

Professional
Those are both nylon multi-filaments, which are more expensive and slightly more powerful than synthetic guts. Synthetic guts are nylon monofilaments.

Toalson Leoina is actually less expensive than most synthetic guts; the 15L is $2.49 per set, and the 16g is $3.40 per set here at TW
 
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