'Natural Gut Wholesale' Review (Stringing and Play)

Hellurr!

I got in trouble for posting the link to their website, so I will not do that anymore. I'm sorry, I was not aware links to other sites weren't allowed (none of my other forums have that rule unless it's eBayorAmazon).

I will try to recall everything I had in the previous thread but I will probably miss some stuff. If those who posted in the last thread would like to share their thoughts again, please do and please include string gauge and color.

General Info
I ordered the 16g black natty gut directly from them about two weeks ago. I couldn't string it until Saturday night because all 4 of my racquets were strung and none were close to breaking yet. Well I finally broke some of the VS Touch I had in my mains on one of my 99LS's... Thus I was off to the races with this string.

The string itself was $14.20/set and the shipping for unlimited sets was $3.75. Although it can be had for down to $11 per set if you buy in bulk from the bay. The set comes in two 20' sections both secured with zip ties. This may be a bummer for some who like to do single piece stringing jobs, but is pretty great for those of us who like to do hybrid string setups. However, with the first half-set I strung, there was a lot less remaining when I finished than when I measure 20' from a full set of another string so I have a feeling it's not a full 20' per half-set but it was enough to string the mains all the way through on my 99LS. It comes in a shoddily heat sealed back that was open to the air by the time it came to me.



The gauge was very consistent throughout the entire half-set except for one little piece. It had a tiny little knick taken out of it or something as shown below in the close-up photo. The twisting of the individual fibers is much more apparent on this gut than VS Touch. Overall the quality and consistency was very





Stringing
I own an ATS Super Stringer II, a drop-weight stringer clone. I strung this gut at 54lbs in the mains with Wilson Revolve 16g in the crosses at 52lbs. I strung at 54lbs because the max recommended tension was 54-55lbs and I had heard about some people snapping the string at 57lbs. While stringing, I think I would have been comfortable stringing up to 58lbs, but no higher. This gut seemed to be much stronger than VS Touch, not nearly as fragile so I wasn't nearly as worried about kinks or ghosting. It was very easy to uncoil, no tangling occurred which made avoiding kinking really easy. As I was working with the string, it seemed a lot more sticky than VS Touch, which is a good thing! It definitely seemed like it would grab the ball much better when playing.



This stickiness became very apparent when threading/weaving the crosses through so I will be looking for an even more slick poly cross than Wilson Revolve. Maybe Head Hawk or Signum Pro Poly Plasma Pure...



Overall, I was really pleased with this string while stringing. I was really excited to get out and play with it. With the stringing results being so positive, if the playability comes out good, then we have a real winner here.

Playability
I hit some serves with this string last evening, but finally got out to play with it this morning. I hit some serves, then hit with the wall for an hour and a half.

The first thing I am struck with, with this string, is the extreme power it provides. My serves were popping off at what felt like a 10mph higher average. Whenever I hit right in the sweet spot, the most beautiful ball pop you've ever heard resonated through the courts. This was with my flat serves. As I moved on to slice and kick serves, I was even more impressed. Earlier I said how the string felt sticky... It truly grabs the ball like something crazy. My kick serves were kicking like crazy and my slices were moving across the court dramatically. So yeah, serving felt really good.

Ground strokes were tough to keep under control. It took about 20 shots to finally start to get used to the power this string creates. By the end, with a few adjustments on my strokes to implement more spin, things were feeling pretty good. If you end up buying this string, make sure to spend some tie with it before playing a match because it's power will surprise you.

Overall things were pretty good... So far. However, natural gut is supposed to be the best string on your arm, and that's exactly what I found with VS Touch. Not so much with this natural gut. Don't get me wrong, it's not terrible and it's certainly better than any synthetic gut, poly, or multifilament on the market, but after that hour and a half I was starting to feel it in my wrist and elbow. Thus it is my recommendation not to crank with this string for an hour and a half like I did. Do some light practice and it will be perfect for match play.

Durability
Here is the wear on my strings after that time of intense hitting:



Sweet Spot:


I'm not really that worried about durability. So far it seems to be on par with the VS Touch I had in there previously for durability. However, I am worried about that little knick spot mentioned earlier. It is starting to look a bit worse so I will keep track of it the next couple times I hit.



Just Be Done Already
So, what's the point? This is an amazing string for it's price. I am stoked. I will certainly be buying again, and a lot more this time around, and I suggest you at least give it a try once. I don't know if this is the 'India Gut' that everyone is talking about, but I called the number on their site and some dude name Kyle (maybe Kevin? Can't remember) answered and was very helpful (and easily understandable). Seriously, give this string a try. It's worth it at least once.

I will continue to update this thread with my further experiences and purchases of this string.

Thanks for taking the time to read! I hope this helped some people thinking about trying this string.

Play Happy,
Cullin Kin

I have also used natural gut wholesale and have had similar experiences to above. It definitely is a budget gut so don't expect it to be like vs or Pacific or klip. I have used all of these and it's not even close, it even falls short of tonic and Titan. That said I think it would make a better cross string than pretty much any multi. I personally used it as a main with black zone but will try as a cross next. The only thing I worry about is its roughness may effect SnapBack
Black natural gut in 16.

Keep us informed as to how this gut plays and how long it lasts. From my experience the cheap guts do not last long at all. I have tried just about all of them and they either break while stringing ( mostly), break during the first few hours of use, or break when you store it in your racquet bag. Of course, results my vary.

Gut in the Steam 99S?

kingcheetah said:

Gut in the Steam 99S?

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Yup, does just fine. Had some VS Touch in there for 25-30 hours of play last time. Not as long as it lasts in my PS97's but still pretty good.

I played again tonight, this time with my 5.0 buddy instead of the wall. It could be that I strung this stuff lower than when I had the VS in there, but man it was hard to keep the ball in the court. My racquet was a rocket launcher when I wanted to hit flat and rip the ball DTL. However, when I wanted to roll a forehand crosscourt, I could generate some serious spin.

I really like this string! I'm very happy with it. It's lasted me 4 hours of intense play (in one day) so far, we shall see!

For what it is worth, when I first string this string up, I used the app 'RacquetTune to test the tension and it came out to 53.3lbs (pretty good for stringing the mains at 54lbs and crosses at 52lbs). Well, after 4 hours of play I just checked the tension again... 42.7lbs. That's a pretty big loss. So we will see if it continues dropping like that or levels out.

The VS and Revolve hybrid in my other 99LS and two PS97's are at 45-47lbs with at least 30 hours of play on each of them.

Btdubs... That app RacquetTune is awesome! If you string your own racquets (and/or others) or just want to see and know how your tension changes over time and see how your machine differs from the app I highly recommend it. $2.99 and well worth it. Much more accurate than I had thought.

Well, it's almost 20% tension loss after only 4 hours of play, which is pretty horrible (I would dare to say unrealistic) unless these strings are branded Barilla

Did you play in extremely humid conditions (mist etc.) or possibly made some mistake during stringing (bad knot etc.)? Also, it could be simply wrong RT readout - always make sure that you fill that white circle in RacquetTune completely - 360 degrees, as an indication that the accuracy is sufficient. Usually takes 5-6 "pings" to fill it up.

I strung many econo guts (Global Gut/Poly, typically @25/24kg) and maximum tension loss was never above 14-15% (usually prior to breakage, after many, many hours of play, 20+ or so). In my own experience, econo guts perform only marginally worse than premium guts in that regards (VS and Wilson hybrids usually settle at 12-13% tension loss and never lose more than that).

Dragan said:

Well, it's almost 20% tension loss after only 4 hours of play, which is pretty horrible (I would dare to say unrealistic) unless these strings are branded Barilla

Did you play in extremely humid conditions (mist etc.) or possibly made some mistake during stringing (bad knot etc.)? Also, it could be simply wrong RT readout - always make sure that you fill that white circle in RacquetTune completely - 360 degrees, as an indication that the accuracy is sufficient. Usually takes 5-6 "pings" to fill it up.

I strung many econo guts (Global Gut/Poly, typically @25/24kg) and maximum tension loss was never above 14-15% (usually prior to breakage, after many, many hours of play, 20+ or so). In my own experience, econo guts perform only marginally worse than premium guts in that regards (VS and Wilson hybrids usually settle at 12-13% tension loss and never lose more than that).

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It was probably one of my knots. I've been having trouble tying them lately so probably losing tension to that. I live in Colorado so not much humidity to speak of lol. Let me check with that app again.

What's the word on durability? Is it fraying like crazy or has it broken already?

Blitzball said:

What's the word on durability? Is it fraying like crazy or has it broken already?

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It's actually doing really well! We're at about 12 hours of play so far! Here are some photo's:





That knick is holding strong as well:


The most wear is occurring where the Wilson Revolve is touching the mains, it's digging in.

I'm actually liking this string more than the VS Touch. It has great power and the spin is incredible.

ETA: I don't have a racquet bag so there's no chance of the random in-bag breakage some people are experiencing lol.

Broke the VS Touch on my 2nd 99 tonight. Strung it up with the NGW at 54lbs in the mains and Head Rip Control in the crosses at 52lbs.

This second half set was the same length as the first and when I measured it this time, it came out to ~ 17' 8". Skimping on quite a bit... Thats like 4.5' missing from the full set. :/ Whatever, there's just enough to string the mains with like 6in left over on each side.

This half set was the same consistency as the first but with no knick. It's very smooth and stable, I'm impressed. Here are the photo's:









Overall, I am super pleased with this string and if this half-set lasts as long as the other, this will replace VS Touch in my racquets permanently.

What is the cross on the 2nd racquet?

bdinpgh said:

What is the cross on the 2nd racquet?

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Stated above, Head Rip Control.

Cullin Kin what rating are you?

I'm a 4.0 and I'm really hoping this can be my new cheaper alternative to VS touch. I'm thinking of going for the natural colored sets and pairing that with Revolve.

Oh, and thanks for the pics by the way. Very very helpful.

Kinda sad they don't have the 17g in black.

I can't believe anyone likes these. I thought their whole business model was tricking people into buying them once just to find out how terrible they are.

I'm a bit surprised that the op is thinking they are in the same ball park as vs. if they were the same price or even say $5 different would you still go with ng wholesale? Or is it more on a cost to performance ratio.

Blitzball said:

Cullin Kin what rating are you?

I'm a 4.0 and I'm really hoping this can be my new cheaper alternative to VS touch. I'm thinking of going for the natural colored sets and pairing that with Revolve.

Oh, and thanks for the pics by the way. Very very helpful.

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Currently, USTA has me at 5.0 but this tournament on Sunday may allow me to move up, hopefully.

Go right ahead, it's worth checking out. I have a set of the natural color on the way. I'm nervous it won't be anything like the black, but we shall see.

Crisp said:

I'm a bit surprised that the op is thinking they are in the same ball park as vs. if they were the same price or even say $5 different would you still go with ng wholesale? Or is it more on a cost to performance ratio.

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It's definitely a cost/performance ratio, with a little bit of just preferring the string. Don't get me wrong, VS is great and I love it but I have never been picky about my strings.

Keep in mind, I have only seen one set of this stuff, my next set that's in the mail could be terrible and I would never buy it again, but for now I am really digging it.

This is all about personal preference and it feels more suited to my style of play. VS was nice but I couldn't really generate the spin I can with this stuff. When compared directly with VS this stud is much more sticky so I feel like it grabs the ball better.

If they were both the same price or $5 difference, I'm not sure what I would choose. Let me check out this next set when I get it and I will report back. Right now, with the overall inconsistency of the first half-set and the skimping of over 4' of string all I could go on, I would probably go back to VS. However, I'm giving them one more shot.

guys is this worth it? I've never used gut at all but have always wanted to try it. I could never really afford it.

BuildStrikeCosmos said:

guys is this worth it? I've never used gut at all but have always wanted to try it. I could never really afford it.

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What tension do you like your racquets strung at?

Currently got on my racquet Volkl V torque which is a low powered copoly. 48lb.

If I ever try nat gut it might be 55lb

BuildStrikeCosmos said:

If I ever try nat gut it might be 55lb

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Yeah, so you will be right at the top of the tension range for this gut. I would say give it a try, the worst thing is that you're out $14.20...

So I just got my shipment of the 'Natural Color' natural gut from NGW... Here are some photo's:





Looks pretty clean and consistent except near the ends where it is a bit dirtied and frayed. Hopefully this has the same qualities as the black natty gut from them.

Be sure to measure the length, they will be owing you a full set in no time Have you mentioned the sets were short, to the site? The natural looks better IMO, thanks for posting this review, interested to hear about the natural.

So I have just strung this up as a cross hoping that I'd think it a little better in that role. Have not used the frame yet but had some problems that I should have thought about before. Because you are essentially using a lower grade natural gut it does not slide through the mains to well, but the end the string was really wanting to fray and twist as I was trying to install it. Fortunately much of the frayed part ends up on the floor rather than in the racquet. I'm worried though that the roughness of the sting I general will not allow the black zone main to slide. I do agree with op that this is definitely a natural gut it is very very soft feeling. My personal experience is that these are no where near as good as vs or the like, but that's just my experience. It still is possibly better than any other multi but time will tell on that.

JohnBPittsburgh said:

Be sure to measure the length, they will be owing you a full set in no time Have you mentioned the sets were short, to the site? The natural looks better IMO, thanks for posting this review, interested to hear about the natural.

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I will definitely keep this updated! I've got 2 new PS97's coming in on Wednesday and will string them up with that natural color gut. I'm going to measure the halve's right now. If these ones come up short, I will definitely give them a call.

Crisp said:

So I have just strung this up as a cross hoping that I'd think it a little better in that role. Have not used the frame yet but had some problems that I should have thought about before. Because you are essentially using a lower grade natural gut it does not slide through the mains to well, but the end the string was really wanting to fray and twist as I was trying to install it. Fortunately much of the frayed part ends up on the floor rather than in the racquet. I'm worried though that the roughness of the sting I general will not allow the black zone main to slide. I do agree with op that this is definitely a natural gut it is very very soft feeling. My personal experience is that these are no where near as good as vs or the like, but that's just my experience. It still is possibly better than any other multi but time will tell on that.

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It is very sticky! Definitely a natural gut. Wait until you play with it, I'll be excited to hear what you think. Tell me if you think this generates more spin (or grabs the ball more) than VS or the like.

Hay folks, you could try to increase NG's longevity by waxing the string bed after the frame is strung. After play, wipe the string bed down to remove dirt. Rewax or put in string savers where there is notching. The wax will get between the strings' intersection and will reduce notching. String savers perform the same function. There are threads all over talking up the benefits of lubricating the string bed. Most use oils or silicone for polys and/or synthetics, which you really don't want on NG. 2 cents.

esgee48 said:

Hay folks, you could try to increase NG's longevity by waxing the string bed after the frame is strung. After play, wipe the string bed down to remove dirt. Rewax or put in string savers where there is notching. The wax will get between the strings' intersection and will reduce notching. String savers perform the same function. There are threads all over talking up the benefits of lubricating the string bed. Most use oils or silicone for polys and/or synthetics, which you really don't want on NG. 2 cents.

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What kind of wax would you suggest? And where to get it?

Threads talk about using blocks of ordinary paraffin (bees wax). Me? I just melt some plain old uncolored candle onto a small plate, and dab the wax with a cloth rag. Then wipe the rag over the center of the string bed. Don't do it while the wax is too hot or you'll burn yourself or damage the strings. Put on as much or as little wax as you want. Afterwards, move the crosses up and down to get the wax in the string intersections. I learned this from an old time stringer. The wax kept the gut from getting wet, help lubricate it and SEEMED to keep it from drying out. 2 cents.

I use coconut oil on mine and it works great. Use a microfibre towel to apply it after stringing and after each session.

Available at Walgreens: Coconut Oil

I tried the coconut oil, but it smells.

If you smell it on your strings you're using way to much . A thin layer is all you need and I've never smelled it on the strings.

I've just ordered 5 sets of that (was cheaper then global gut) though I'll still have to pay for shipping to Europe then probably more taxes and stuff.

I'm currently playing with hybrid of global gut + some cheap poly, and after trying endless combinations of polys fullbed or mixed with multis and/or synth gut, I must say I won't dispense with the gold old feel of Gut in the mains - nothing, just nothing comes close to that.

I presume you have to be somewhat of an older player to get nostalgic about the feel of gut - younger players that have known nothing other than the feel of poly I dunno if it's a thing they'll appreciate...

Well, I just received my new PS97's today and I went to string with the 'natural color' natural gut I received about a week ago... I knew it looked a bit thick but didn't really make much of it.

Well, I couldn't get it through a single grommet except the ones where you are supposed to tie it off. So, I am not able to use it. I pulled out some of my 16g Tonic+ and the NGW is much much thicker. I'm thinking some 15g got labeled as 16g. So I called Kevin with NGW and he was happy to send me some 17g of the 'natural color' natural gut to replace the 16g... Very good customer service, I mean seriously. Dude was great.

Kevin with NGW is a good guy and will do what it takes to make sure his customers are happy. Now I just have to wait for the 17g to come.

shamaho said:

I've just ordered 5 sets of that (was cheaper then global gut) though I'll still have to pay for shipping to Europe then probably more taxes and stuff.
I presume you have to be somewhat of an older player to get nostalgic about the feel of gut - younger players that have known nothing other than the feel of poly I dunno if it's a thing they'll appreciate...

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I hope you like it!

I'm actually 20! I just have a bum shoulder and need the soft stuff.

Well, if the racquet is new...it may have just needed some slight "tweaking" to the grommets by using an awl.
It should fit the strings after that...but yeah, the gauge is not as consistent as Babolat. Well, I for one don't expect that when looking at the price difference.

Odin said it correctly!! You can't expect to pay a much lesser price and get the same quality control as you would for a string that cost between $30-$50. Use your awl and tweak the grommets, use some wax prior to stringing, and enjoy the gut. It does play really well for the price. I'm thinking about going to the black full time.

0d1n said:

Well, if the racquet is new...it may have just needed some slight "tweaking" to the grommets by using an awl.
It should fit the strings after that...but yeah, the gauge is not as consistent as Babolat. Well, I for one don't expect that when looking at the price difference.

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Yeah, I worked with the grommets with my awl but even then the gut was too thick. I mean this stuff could have even been 14g. It was crazy thick. I'm thinking it was just a mislabel because they do sell 15g. I compared it to my black gut from them and it's much thicker than that.

Oh well, I guess we'll see when the 17g comes.

For the price, I'm very happy. Especially with the customer service. He didn't even hesitate to send me a new one.

MixedMaster said:

Odin said it correctly!! You can't expect to pay a much lesser price and get the same quality control as you would for a string that cost between $30-$50. Use your awl and tweak the grommets, use some wax prior to stringing, and enjoy the gut. It does play really well for the price. I'm thinking about going to the black full time.

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So far I'm a bigger fan of the black. I've just had a better experience with it so far. Definitely with you on going to it full time. Pick up a cheap 10 or 20 sets on the Bay once verified that each set is relatively consistent.

All my 17g natural sets mic'ed out from 1.39- 1.58mm. Almost 13 gauge on one of the sets.

I've been using it for quite some time, 16g natural.

I like it and have strung it up to 60# with no issues.

The black has snapped on me during stringing, in the bag, etc.
Never had the same problem with the natural.

Hmm, now I'm torn on which color to order. I still haven't ordered any yet but I'm thinking of ordering 2 natural and 2 black sets 16g. I'm worried that I'll end up having to return the natural sets like you, Cullin. I guess it doesn't really matter if their customer service is on point.

Has anyone tried the Burgandy NGW?

Blitzball said:

Hmm, now I'm torn on which color to order. I still haven't ordered any yet but I'm thinking of ordering 2 natural and 2 black sets 16g. I'm worried that I'll end up having to return the natural sets like you, Cullin. I guess it doesn't really matter if their customer service is on point.

Has anyone tried the Burgandy NGW?

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I wish I could tell you! I'm hoping that it was just a fluke with the natural color as people seem to prefer that color. I'm sure the burgundy is the same as the black but is cheaper since no one wants it lol.

I've been really surprised by the CS. The number on their site is the personal cell phone of the dude running the operations there so it's nice being able to talk directly to him.

I measured these half sets in the mean time and both came out to 21'+ which I was really happy about. I'm not sure if my black set was just skimped on or if all black sets are shorter... I don't know. The only way to know is to order more lol.

Hmm interesting, I may give em a spin...multi strings I've tried (NRG2 1.32 and LiveWire 1.30) with poly cross feel fine to play with...but I pop them in just 1 hour. Natural guts I tried (Volkl V-icon and Bab Tonic) last well over 10 hours, but cost $35 a set.

Maybe I'll try these and see how it compares.

Anton said:

Hmm interesting, I may give em a spin...multi strings I've tried (NRG2 1.32 and LiveWire 1.30) with poly cross feel fine to play with...but I pop them in just 1 hour. Natural guts I tried (Volkl V-icon and Bab Tonic) last well over 10 hours, but cost $35 a set.

Maybe I'll try these and see how it compares.

Click to expand...

Hope it works out for you. It seems like some people have been having luck outside of the recommended tension range, but for the best results I would suggest staying within that range.

For me the tension range is not a problem. The 15 g version is really thick and significantly less bouncy than tonic or tough gut. As a result I can actually string it 1.5 to 2 kg lower and still retain control...In a gut poly hybrid.

Cullin Kin said:

Hope it works out for you. It seems like some people have been having luck outside of the recommended tension range, but for the best results I would suggest staying within that range.

Click to expand...

Just went for broke and ordered 10 sets of burgundy 16g...I string myself with a CP machine so I know the string job will be done right and if this gut doesn't last as long as other guts I've tried at least if I'm getting it at a third of the price so my only risk is extra stringing time (unless these strings start snapping while stringing).

I've strung ngut mains in my RF97 at 59 lbs with 15% prestretch, which means my machine pulled additional 15% on the initial pull, then relaxed down to 59. I guess with this string I'll take it down 58 with no prestretch, but will let the string get constant pulled for longer time.

What's the highest tension have you guys done with the GG 17g? I have gone to max recommended of 55lb. I will go up a couple pounds more and see.

Ive strung the 16g at 60# with 10% prestretch. No issues with the tension, just the occasional bad string. The Black NGW didn't do as well for me as the natural.

Yes, the gauge is inconsistent, but never was unable to deal with it.

I never exceeded 25kg (55lbs). However, since I went through 6 sets of Global Gut so far (12 hybrid jobs, GG in mains) without problems, I may try 26 kg next time, since I obviously have a good batch. The only unusual incident was when it snapped the bag, at the outer exit from grommet hole at 12 hours. However, that string job already had decent "mileage" at least for my criteria (10+ hours of play). I usually snap gut strings between 15 and 20 hours of effective play time (I usually swap between my two racquets every ~30 minutes).

Okay, so I received my replacement set of 17g instead of 16g and this stuff looks 1000 times better. I think I can actually fit it through the grommets. Unfortunately none of my racquets need a string job right now, but I'm hoping one will soon.

As for the gauge, I compared it with some 15L Tonic+ I have, the 17g NGW is a little bigger in diameter to the 15L Tonic+... So now that I see that the 17g is closer to 15g, then the 16g must be close to 14g... Photos below.

The color looks much better than the 16g, the 17g has more of the translucent tone to it where as the 16g was like gold.





This is the NGW with the 15L Tonic+:


This is the 16g NGW (Top) with the 17g NGW (Bottom):