Pacific Bull Gut: world's most exclusive and expensive natural gut string

Michael Lesbowicz · Aug 27, 2013

I recently discovered Pacific's very rare and hard-to-find
Tournament Pro Bull Gut string,
which Pacific describes as the as most exclusive and highest
quality natural gut string.
It is also the world's most expensive tennis string: 70 Euros ($94 USD)
for one pack. It is available in 1.25 mm (16) and 1.30 mm (16L)
gauges. There is no recommended tension listed on the back
of the pack, but the product description mentions each set
containing specially selected fibers from 6 to 8 bulls, hence the high price.

As the name implies, it is not just a natural gut string, it is a
natural gut string made exclusively from bull gut.
This string should not be confused with the Prime Gut
Orange Bull Fiber string, which is just the Prime Gut string,
with an extra orange bull fiber strand wrapped around it.

Pacific's Bull Gut was nowhere to be found.
I contacted three different online tennis stores, and
Tennis Warehouse Europe was the only one store willing and able to
order this string for me. Both gauges are now currently in stock
at TWE.

I recently got three packs of this string:

I will write a review of this string in a week or two, when I get it
strung up in one of my racquets.

struggle · Aug 27, 2013

imagine the winners one can achieve with $95 strings.

Dear Djordje · Aug 27, 2013

Federer needs this to go up against the bull.

Say Chi Sin Lo · Aug 27, 2013

tbuggle said:
imagine the winners one can achieve with $95 strings.

I bet I can hit winners and drop shots from two courts away with these $95 bull strings.

Michael Lesbowicz · Aug 27, 2013

Two more things:

I will not be hybridizing this with any other string.
It is just too expensive to experiment with like that,
so I want to start out by taking advantage of a full bed of it.

I have never played with natural gut before, so will not be
able to compare it with other gut strings. Therefor I am not
sure how useful my review will be, but I hope to have some
interesting findings to report.

Read more here, it is the first string on this page:

http://pacific.com/products/tennis/strings/natural-gut/

pauliewa · Aug 27, 2013

I think there are better ways to throw money away. Certainly easier ones.

sundaypunch · Aug 27, 2013

Michael Lesbowicz said:
Two more things:

I will not be hybridizing this with any other string.
It is just too expensive to experiment with like that,
so I want to start out by taking advantage of a full bed of it.

I have never played with natural gut before, so will not be
able to compare it with other gut strings. Therefor I am not
sure how useful my review will be, but I hope to have some
interesting findings to report.

Read more here, it is the first string on this page:

http://pacific.com/products/tennis/strings/natural-gut/

You will have no basis of comparison. You would probably be better off spending some time with a variety of normal guts strings first.

Michael Lesbowicz · Aug 27, 2013

sundaypunch said:
You will have no basis of comparison. You would probably be better off spending some time with a variety of normal guts strings first.

This is true. My review will obviously not be a Bull Gut vs. Other gut comparison.

But at least I can compare it to all the 'gut-like' multifilament polyamid (nylon) strings that I have used.

BLX_Andy · Aug 27, 2013

Michael Lesbowicz said:
This is true. My review will obviously not be a Bull Gut vs. Other gut comparison.

But at least I can compare it to all the 'gut-like' multifilament polyamid (nylon) strings that I have used.

If you have that money to spend on 3 of those string sets then at least buy one pack of Wilson and Babolat Natural Gut and use those first so you have a base comparison. But good luck nevertheless.

Lambsscroll · Aug 27, 2013

The feel of uncoated natural gut combined with the longevity of VS BT7 are its endeavour.

MarrratSafin · Aug 27, 2013

It used to be just under 50 Euros on TWE. The price now is just..:shock:

Edit: Prime 16g has gone up too, good thing I stocked up earlier.

djosbun · Aug 27, 2013

I love the fact that your first ever gut string purchase was this string! I hope it plays awesome for you. I am sorta like you in that of there is something I'm interested in buying, I'll try to get the top-of-the-line of the item (as long as I can afford it).

Can't wait to read your review of it!
Dave

Sander001 · Aug 27, 2013

Michael Lesbowicz said:
1.25 mm (16) and 1.30 mm (16L) gauges.

That's bull!

Rjtennis · Aug 27, 2013

Interesting. That's some expensive stuff! Have fun.

PKfan1 · Aug 27, 2013

I hope you have an experienced stringer to put this stuff in your sticks. I would hate to hear that it was wasted due to some hack stringer's incompetence.

Disgruntled Worker · Aug 27, 2013

I would string it at 80lbs in a wood racquet

djNEiGht · Aug 27, 2013

What kind of tennis rackets do you use? What kind of strings have you used before? What is your playing style and do you break strings? Good luck, have fun, that's all

Michael Lesbowicz · Aug 27, 2013

djNEiGht said:
What kind of tennis rackets do you use? What kind of strings have you used before? What is your playing style and do you break strings? Good luck, have fun, that's all

Rackets: Yonex EZONE Xi 100 & VCORE Xi 100.

Strings used before: Tecnifibre X-One / TGV, Luxilon M2 Pro / 4G,
Isospeed Axon Multi / Axon Mono / Professional / Energetic Plus,
Ashaway MonoGut ZX Pro, Solinco Tru Feel.

Playing style: sometimes very poor, sometimes average, occasionally above
average. Not a hard hitter. Prefer staying at the baseline. Serve & volley not my thing. I have a habit of trying to hit a winner on every return. Sometimes
I succeed.

Broken strings: never broken a string before.

Michael Lesbowicz · Aug 27, 2013

pauliewa said:
I think there are better ways to throw money away. Certainly easier ones.

I would not consider it throwing money away.
What might be a waste of money to you, is not a waste of money to someone else.
It depends on your priorities, interests and what you consider worth
spending money on. To you, 94 $ for a pack of tennis strings might be a waste of money,
whereas to me spending a few million dollars on a painting at an auction (like some millionaires sometimes do)
is a waste of money - even though the millionaire who values the painting, might think it is the best money he ever spent.

Even a 5 dollar polyester string is good enough to play tennis with
and does the job, but I like to experiment and in general, when I see
something rare and expensive, I am willing to spend some cash on it,
to test it and see if it is worth the price.

Later on I will of course be trying other (and cheaper) natural gut strings,
to compare and find out whether Bull Gut is really worth its price or not.

Say Chi Sin Lo · Aug 27, 2013

Allow me to apologize well ahead of time if my assumptions are wrong, but your brief history with strings/equipment (and maybe even the sport in general) suggests you have never used natural gut. So here are some tips to preserve the gut for as long as possible, because they're all expensive, yours in particular!

1) BE CAREFUL stringing it. They're not like synthetic and polys, which can withstand all kinds of bends and kinks. If you kink it in anyway, kiss them goodbye. Either be an experienced gut stringer, or find one that is experienced in stringing gut.

2) Stay away from water and moisture at all costs. I don't care how thickly (or not) coated these are, water is detrimental to natural gut.

3) You're more likely to snap gut on off center hits, so there's that.

Tell us how they play, most of us don't (and probably won't) use these because they are extremely expensive. Which is why you should be more cautious about them.

Enjoy! Once you go gut, it's hard to use anything else.

Michael Lesbowicz · Aug 27, 2013

@Say Chi Sin Lo: your assumptions are not wrong.

Only thing is, I did already mention (see post #5)
that I have never tried natural gut before.

My purpose of getting these strings was not to find out how much
better they are than other natural gut strings, but just to get the
(supposedly) best and most expensive one, and compare it to some
of the best synthetic multifilament strings I have tried.

Thanks for your advice. I will have my rackets strung by TWE.
Hopefully they will do it right. I will include a note asking them
to be extra careful.

TimothyO · Aug 28, 2013

Michael Lesbowicz said:
This is true. My review will obviously not be a Bull Gut vs. Other gut comparison.

But at least I can compare it to all the 'gut-like' multifilament polyamid (nylon) strings that I have used.

There's no such thing as "gut like" multifilament. Not even close. Comparing a multifilament to gut is like comparing a multifilament to Kevlar. There is no comparison.

Michael Lesbowicz · Aug 28, 2013

TimothyO said:
There's no such thing as "gut like" multifilament. Not even close. Comparing a multifilament to gut is like comparing a multifilament to Kevlar. There is no comparison.

Tell that to the manufacturers.
They are the ones who advertise their multifilaments as "gut like".
I am not the one making the claim, they are, and I am not even
saying I believe them.

To quote Solinco about their Tru Feel multifilament string:

"A premium high-quality, arm-friendly multifilament string
offering unparalleled natural gut-like feel and comfort...".

Kirschbaum also claims the multifiber core in their Gut Feeling
string provides "gut-like playability".

So you will have to educate the manufacturers, not me.
I am already aware of the limitations of synthetic strings.

Michael Lesbowicz · Aug 28, 2013

BLX_Andy said:
If you have that money to spend on 3 of those string sets then at least buy one pack of Wilson and Babolat Natural Gut and use those first so you have a base comparison. But good luck nevertheless.

I will do that too once I am done with my Bull Gut vs. Synthetic comparison.
My next plan is to get a set of Pacific's next-best natural gut string,
the Prime Gut, to see how much better the Bull Gut is and whether it is
worth the high price.

I am not sure if I want to try Babolat VS Gut. I have read bad things
about the latest BT7 version.

anubis · Aug 28, 2013

If I had those strings, I'd get myself some truck nuts for my racquet.

Rabbit · Aug 28, 2013

Hey, thanks for starting this thread. I am very interested in how you like it. I have used all of Pacific's gut except for this, and am a devotee of their product. I can tell you Prime is buttery smooth and the most powerful gut I've ever used, so I can only imagine how nice what you have will be.

As for the guys giving you a hard time, just ignore them...jealousy takes all guises!

Good luck with your string and please keep us posted.

maxpotapov · Aug 28, 2013

Michael Lesbowicz said:
I am not sure if I want to try Babolat VS Gut. I have read bad things about the latest BT7 version.

I heard BT7 VS Gut provides gut-like playability

TimothyO · Aug 28, 2013

Michael Lesbowicz said:
Tell that to the manufacturers.
They are the ones who advertise their multifilaments as "gut like".
I am not the one making the claim, they are, and I am not even
saying I believe them.

To quote Solinco about their Tru Feel multifilament string:

"A premium high-quality, arm-friendly multifilament string
offering unparalleled natural gut-like feel and comfort...".

Kirschbaum also claims the multifiber core in their Gut Feeling
string provides "gut-like playability".

So you will have to educate the manufacturers, not me.
I am already aware of the limitations of synthetic strings.

I thought it was you who wrote:

But at least I can compare it to all the 'gut-like' multifilament polyamid (nylon) strings that I have used.

My apologies if you were just quoting a manufacturer.

The tennis industry is its own worst enemy the way it misleads its customers, whether on the subject of strings or racquets.

Michael Lesbowicz · Aug 28, 2013

TimothyO said:
My apologies if you were just quoting a manufacturer.

No problem. And yeah, that's it! Hence the "gut-like" term in quotes.

Michael Lesbowicz · Aug 28, 2013

maxpotapov said:
I heard BT7 VS Gut provides gut-like playability

I would not doubt it!
Imagine that, a natural gut string which almost plays like real gut.

hoodjem · Aug 28, 2013

Michael Lesbowicz said:
There is no recommended tension listed on the back
of the pack, but the product description mentions each set
containing specially selected fibers from 6 to 8 bulls, hence the high price.

As the name implies, it is not just a natural gut string, it is a
natural gut string made exclusively from bull gut.

Poor bulls. Killed for their gut.

Someone call PETA.

pennc94 · Aug 28, 2013

anubis said:
If I had those strings, I'd get myself some truck nuts for my racquet.

Post of the year!

Smasher08 · Aug 28, 2013

Michael Lesbowicz said:
Tell that to the manufacturers.
They are the ones who advertise their multifilaments as "gut like".
I am not the one making the claim, they are, and I am not even
saying I believe them.

To quote Solinco about their Tru Feel multifilament string:

"A premium high-quality, arm-friendly multifilament string
offering unparalleled natural gut-like feel and comfort...".

Kirschbaum also claims the multifiber core in their Gut Feeling
string provides "gut-like playability".

So you will have to educate the manufacturers, not me.
I am already aware of the limitations of synthetic strings.

Have you ever heard of something called "marketing"??

Smasher08 · Aug 28, 2013

TimothyO said:
There's no such thing as "gut like" multifilament. Not even close. Comparing a multifilament to gut is like comparing a multifilament to Kevlar. There is no comparison.

Yep, some strings can approach it in certain characteristics, but never across the board.

X-1 and PPA are certainly very good in terms of feel, but not so much in elasticity, tension maintenance, spin generation, and durability. At least not when crossed with a smooth copoly.

Readers · Aug 28, 2013

Michael Lesbowicz said:
I will do that too once I am done with my Bull Gut vs. Synthetic comparison.
My next plan is to get a set of Pacific's next-best natural gut string,
the Prime Gut, to see how much better the Bull Gut is and whether it is
worth the high price.

I am not sure if I want to try Babolat VS Gut. I have read bad things
about the latest BT7 version.

The next best is orange bull fiber, not the prime gut.

Yes, they make 2 bull strings...

StringingIrvine · Aug 28, 2013

I'm excited to hear your opinion.

However, the fact you spend roughly $300US on three sets of strings make me believe money is not an issue. On the other hand I know if i spent that amount of money, it might influence my review as I would try to justify my purchase in anyway.

Get out there and hit and let us know how it plays!

Michael Lesbowicz · Aug 28, 2013

Lambsscroll said:
The feel of uncoated natural gut combined with the longevity of VS BT7 are its endeavour.

So you have tried Pacific Bull Gut?

Michael Lesbowicz · Aug 28, 2013

MarrratSafin said:
It used to be just under 50 Euros on TWE. The price now is just..:shock:

Edit: Prime 16g has gone up too, good thing I stocked up earlier.

Oh no. Inflation. :-?

Pacific Prime Gut in 1.20 mm gauge is still available at TWE for 30 Euros.

v-verb · Aug 28, 2013

Rabbit said:
Hey, thanks for starting this thread. I am very interested in how you like it. I have used all of Pacific's gut except for this, and am a devotee of their product. I can tell you Prime is buttery smooth and the most powerful gut I've ever used, so I can only imagine how nice what you have will be.

As for the guys giving you a hard time, just ignore them...jealousy takes all guises!

Good luck with your string and please keep us posted.

Agreed! Please keep us posted

Michael Lesbowicz · Aug 28, 2013

djosbun said:
I love the fact that your first ever gut string purchase was this string! I hope it plays awesome for you. I am sorta like you in that of there is something I'm interested in buying, I'll try to get the top-of-the-line of the item (as long as I can afford it).

Can't wait to read your review of it!
Dave

Nice to know I am not the only one who thinks that way.

I wanted to try natural gut for the first time, so I looked around
to find the most expensive (and hopefully the best) I could find.
I was never satisfied with using something that was second-best.

Michael Lesbowicz · Aug 28, 2013

Smasher08 said:
Have you ever heard of something called "marketing"??

Yes, once a long time ago. I think.

Michael Lesbowicz · Aug 28, 2013

Readers said:
The next best is orange bull fiber, not the prime gut.

Yes, they make 2 bull strings...

The orange Bull Fiber string is not a pure bull gut string.
It is just the Prime Gut (made of ordinary gut) with an extra
orange colored bull gut fiber wrapped around it in a spiral.

Michael Lesbowicz · Aug 28, 2013

StringingIrvine said:
I'm excited to hear your opinion.

However, the fact you spend roughly $300US on three sets of strings make me believe money is not an issue.
On the other hand I know if i spent that amount of money, it might influence my review as I would try
to justify my purchase in anyway.

Get out there and hit and let us know how it plays!

I understand why one would make that assumption, but it does not apply to me.
I am not like that. If there is something I do not like, I will say my honest opinion,
regardless of how much I paid for it. On the other hand, I will also
not pretend a product is better than it really is, just because it is very
expensive, so if it ends up being good but not great or impressive,
I will say so.

However, it is highly doubtful that a 94 $ natural gut string will be junk,
so I am expecting to be positively surprised and satisfied with the performance.
Whether it is much better than the best synthetic strings or cheaper
natural gut, is what I plan on finding out in the next couple of weeks.

TennisCJC · Aug 29, 2013

At $94 per set for Bull Gut, I would want the rest of bull cut up into rib eye, Fillet Mignon, an NY strip steaks and delivered with the set of strings.

Michael Lesbowicz · Aug 29, 2013

TennisCJC said:
At $94 per set for Bull Gut, I would want the rest of bull cut up into rib eye, Fillet Mignon, an NY strip steaks and delivered with the set of strings.

Hahahaha.

If I had not been a vegetarian, I would probably have expected that too.
And the strings better come from organic pasture-fed bulls!

Triskadekaphilia · Aug 29, 2013

Michael Lesbowicz said:
I recently discovered Pacific's very rare and hard-to-find
Tournament Pro Bull Gut string,
which Pacific describes as the as most exclusive and highest
quality natural gut string.
It is also the world's most expensive tennis string: 70 Euros ($94 USD)
for one pack. It is available in 1.25 mm (16) and 1.30 mm (16L)
gauges. There is no recommended tension listed on the back
of the pack, but the product description mentions each set
containing specially selected fibers from 6 to 8 bulls, hence the high price.

As the name implies, it is not just a natural gut string, it is a
natural gut string made exclusively from bull gut.
This string should not be confused with the Prime Gut
Orange Bull Fiber string, which is just the Prime Gut string,
with an extra orange bull fiber strand wrapped around it.

Pacific's Bull Gut was nowhere to be found.
I contacted three different online tennis stores, and
Tennis Warehouse Europe was the only one store willing and able to
order this string for me. Both gauges are now currently in stock
at TWE.

I recently got three packs of this string:

I will write a review of this string in a week or two, when I get it
strung up in one of my racquets.

Looking forward to hearing your review.

However, since you have never played any natural gut previously I don't believe that the review would be terribly useful.

My prediction: the strings will play great. Like pretty much any NG plays.

Will they play more than twice as good as Wilson or Babolat VS? That is the pithy question! And ... that will be impossible for you to determine or report.

Good for you for trying the best / most exclusive / most expensive string product available. However, I think you are approaching it backwards. It would be more logical to play with mid priced gut 1st, then VS and understand what the magic of gut is before testing the extreme.

Triskadekaphilia · Aug 29, 2013

Excessive consumption!

Is a bull's intestinal serosa intrinsically better than a cow's? Just because a bull is stronger doesn't make it's gut any better. They are different types of muscle tissue.

I agree with the above posters that it is likely just marketing nonsense.

Still, I would rather waste 100 bucks on string than buy a Veyron and discover that the Ferrari is just as good. Just don't break the string with an early shank!

phishbiscuits · Aug 29, 2013

€56 for single set
€50 for 6+

I have a set of it, a set of the Orange Bull fiber prime, and will do a playtest.
I will compare the 16g versions along with Wilson and BT7 VS.

Michael Lesbowicz · Aug 29, 2013

Triskadekaphilia said:
Is a bull's intestinal serosa intrinsically better than a cow's? Just because a bull is stronger doesn't make it's gut any better. They are different types of muscle tissue.

I agree with the above posters that it is likely just marketing nonsense.

And you came to that conclusion without even trying the string?

It is not marketing nonsense.
I talked to Pacific and they admitted the Prime Gut string already meets the
highest demands for a natural gut string. What they have done with the
Bull Gut string is create a pure natural bull gut string from specially selected higher grade bull gut fibers,
which they say enhances the properties of a natural gut string. So as far as power and comfort
is concerned, the Bull Gut is a step above. In theory.
Whether there is a noticeable practical difference, remains to be seen.

pennc94 · Aug 29, 2013

Get a set to the TWU Professor for objective measurement in the string database.

Pacific Bull Gut: world's most exclusive and expensive natural gut string

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