Best natural gut currently
- Thread starter stephenclown
- Start date
That is a LOT of string savers. I hope it works out for you. I tried using them at one time. It has been years ago though. I am not sure why I did not continue using them.
You should check wdstrings if you don’t mind waiting for the slow delivery with no tracking number which I did without any issues.
IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
I agree but I'm really liking the stiffer feel and long playability (30 hours).
Otherwise, I'm only getting like 15-20 hours before major notching/breakage on my full bed gut.
I'm playing full gut due to sensitive elbow and wanting to still play tennis for next 30 years...
Sounds like a great benefit with using the string savers. I've been using gut or a gut hybrid for 30+ years. I've been happy with the results.
Hit with Luxilon NG today, much better than Babolat. I just feel more confident swinging out because it's lower powered and it has a slicker coating for more spin. Big difference. If I had to play with Babolat there is no way I could use a full bed of natural gut. Luxilon is the better gut by FAR. I mean it's a big difference.
Tried it with string savers for the first time today, no difference in feel or spin IMO, It was nice to not have to straighten the strings in the sweetspot, I did have to straighten the strings on the outside of the frame because I didn't put any savers there, but no big deal.
Luxilon NG has so much control, i really think it could rival some poly's in the spin department. You get a nice mix of control & spin, but enough power to hit aces, and winners with ease. When I tried a gut/poly hybrid (with babolat) I had more spin, but more balls kept coming back.
I am sticking with this set-up for the time being. It just works so well for my game
Tried it with string savers for the first time today, no difference in feel or spin IMO, It was nice to not have to straighten the strings in the sweetspot, I did have to straighten the strings on the outside of the frame because I didn't put any savers there, but no big deal.
Luxilon NG has so much control, i really think it could rival some poly's in the spin department. You get a nice mix of control & spin, but enough power to hit aces, and winners with ease. When I tried a gut/poly hybrid (with babolat) I had more spin, but more balls kept coming back.
I am sticking with this set-up for the time being. It just works so well for my game
A full bed of Luxilon gut? What tension(s)? Just curious. I agree with you Luxilon is night and day difference from Babolat. Enjoy!!
Full bed 1.30 gauge at 63 lbs. Yonex DR 98
Last edited:
Syfo-Dias
Professional
@aaron_h27 How's the string movement with a full bed of Lux gut? One of the main reasons I haven't gone back to full gut is because I hate straightening out strings all the time.
I use the Duel V-Core 330 at 62 lbs.
IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
IME, using string savers greatly reduces need to constantly straighten strings, and when you do need to straighten, it's much easier.
IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
I've been enjoying full bed 1.25 Lux gut at 62 lbs strung tension.
How many hours do you get out of that set-up?
Quite a bit of movement during the first couple outings off the stringer, but after the tension settles it doesn't move a ton.
Thank goodness! I was looking around for some alternatives because I could not see paying that much for gut. It was " hold the presses" at $50 and when it climbed higher than that I was not going to pay that much. Even the non- gut strings were and still are climbing into the " not buying that one" range. Especially how long the non-gut strings only last, 6-10 hours. I'm not a tennis pro than afford to have them restrung every day. Thanks but no thanks tennis string manufacturers.
I have three racquets. I have one a full gut bed in. I need to go up in tension the next tome I string it up. I had it at 61 but it feels a little too powerful. I use gut mains and two different crosses in the other two. The full bed gut I just put in about two weeks ago. It still looks good. I need to try and log hours of play on each one to really get a definite playing time. Since I usually rotate them , so I do not have to string so often, I usually do not have specific hours marked down. I know some crosses lost tenson and playability REALLY fast.
I'm not sure if string savers add tension or not. I normally string Lux NG at 62-63 lbs but i strung at 60 to compensate for the string savers and there is a bit less control than my normal tension without the string savers, it does feel a bit more boardy though. I did a 10x10 pattern in the SS
I played a 2 hour match yesterday and only hit one double fault, I know a string is working well when my double faults are down
I played a 2 hour match yesterday and only hit one double fault, I know a string is working well when my double faults are down
Yeah so I decided string savers weren't for me...they really didn't do anything IMO and they just seem like extra work & extra money , I even had to cut my gut out early due to me not stringing at my normal tension. I'll be going back to my normal tension of 64 lbs and will just oil the strings when they get dry. Gotta keep it simple!!
I still find it strange how much spin I can get with Lux NG, it's not as much as gut/poly, but with gut/poly all I could do is hit loopy shots when the poly lost tension, Also with gut/poly I had to use a dampener due to the increased stiffness, with full gut I can use no dampener and it feels great!
All in all Lux NG is good stuff, just costs a pretty penny.
I still find it strange how much spin I can get with Lux NG, it's not as much as gut/poly, but with gut/poly all I could do is hit loopy shots when the poly lost tension, Also with gut/poly I had to use a dampener due to the increased stiffness, with full gut I can use no dampener and it feels great!
All in all Lux NG is good stuff, just costs a pretty penny.
I just wanted to do an update on this, the reason I had arm pain was because of the lead tape, Lux NG is comfortable until it breaks. For some reason with my DR 98, adding short strips of lead makes the racket give off a lot of vibrations. I have solved this problem by using longer 8 inch strips and no arm pain whatsoever.
IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
Yeah, I haven't had any arm pain with Lux gut 1.25.
Stringing it full bed at 65# in my ProStaff 97S which has RA of 65 so medium stiffness racket...
I do however get wrist and elbow pain with the same racket if I use gut/poly hybrid. My 45-year-old arm seems to be very sensitive to poly (I didn't grow up playing with it).
Now sticking with full bed gut from here to the grave
Yeah, I haven't had any arm pain with Lux gut 1.25.
Stringing it full bed at 65# in my ProStaff 97S which has RA of 65 so medium stiffness racket...
I do however get wrist and elbow pain with the same racket if I use gut/poly hybrid. My 45-year-old arm seems to be very sensitive to poly (I didn't grow up playing with it).
Now sticking with full bed gut from here to the grave
Full bed Gut is really amazing, I can actually control the ball better than gut/poly. Gut/poly trampolines too much after tension loss.
It's nice being able to go out and have your strings play consistently over a period of time.
I still have one pack of VS left, I may try it again at 66 lbs. Or see if the store will let me exchange it for Lux NG
ByeByePoly
G.O.A.T.
Yeah, I haven't had any arm pain with Lux gut 1.25.
Stringing it full bed at 65# in my ProStaff 97S which has RA of 65 so medium stiffness racket...
I do however get wrist and elbow pain with the same racket if I use gut/poly hybrid. My 45-year-old arm seems to be very sensitive to poly (I didn't grow up playing with it).
Now sticking with full bed gut from here to the grave
That is crazy old ... you should just quit.
I used the old Wilson Gut and Luxilon ALU Power Rough back when I played college tennis, but since I don't play as often, I am looking at what I can buy to get the most for my money in terms of durability and not having to shell out all that money that I did when I was a bachelor on strings and such. but now with a baby on the way, trying to save money where I can!
I strung up three frames with Tough Gut and I made the mistake of leaving the rackets in my trunk overnight during the winter (I live in the Chicago Area) and the string-bed felt so mushy afterwards.. needless to say, I am never doing that again! but just bought some of the new Wilson Gut in the red packaging, so we will see how those work out
I strung up three frames with Tough Gut and I made the mistake of leaving the rackets in my trunk overnight during the winter (I live in the Chicago Area) and the string-bed felt so mushy afterwards.. needless to say, I am never doing that again! but just bought some of the new Wilson Gut in the red packaging, so we will see how those work out
full bed or hybrid?
I recently strung up a racket with the old wilson gut in the white package (pre-BT7) b/c i had no Luxilon on hand. I strung it at 66 lbs in my DR 98 (2 lbs tighter than Lux NG) to compensate for the extra power but i probably need to string it 3-4 lbs tighter than Lux NG as every now and then the ball flies on me randomly, unlike with Lux NG.
the old wilson is definitely softer, and I like that I can see where im hitting the ball on the string bed.
old wilson gut fray's a bit more.
Not sure if the feel is better, but its definitely softer. It feels a bit more muted than Lux NG. Still great touch and dropshots with both strings
the old wilson has more string movement than Lux NG, so if you don't like straightening strings I'd probably go with the Lux.
I will report back on tension loss & durability, but so far I like Lux NG better because I can swing out more and string at a lower tension
going to string the New Wilson Gut in a hybrid with ALU Power Rough in the crosses and gut in the mains.
I also tried BT7 Gut/RPM 17 in two rackets previously and loved the feel and sound off the stringbed. especially off the serve indoors. you can just hear how much easy power it gives you.
I also tried BT7 Gut/RPM 17 in two rackets previously and loved the feel and sound off the stringbed. especially off the serve indoors. you can just hear how much easy power it gives you.
I think i may have to go gut/poly or full poly
I keep breaking full nat gut in about 6-8 hours ever since I added lead to my rackets. I went from 310 SW to 340 over the last 6 weeks. The extra spin/bite is eating up my strings.
Both with Lux NG and Babolat ;(
My stringer thinks I need new gromets but I don't know if that's the issue
I keep breaking full nat gut in about 6-8 hours ever since I added lead to my rackets. I went from 310 SW to 340 over the last 6 weeks. The extra spin/bite is eating up my strings.
Both with Lux NG and Babolat ;(
My stringer thinks I need new gromets but I don't know if that's the issue
use string savers?
IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
Where on the stringbed are you breaking the strings?
Looks like the string must snap at grommet if stringer told you that. One thing about Nat gut is the string can snap early if you are not a clean hitter, or another words you shank the ball. You can have a mis hit and string not snap, but is weakened, you think all is ok but later for no apparent reason the string snaps.
One way to help this issue is to have stringer apply a very small amount of a lubricant to the grommets. I use tri flow with a very tiny microfiber brush, and it does make a big difference.I only use this for my Nat gut jobs.
Just a suggestion.
grhcan99
Semi-Pro
Depends on where they're breaking. If at grommets and always on same spot, it could be grommets issue. If in middle, then grommets may not have anything to do with it.
Edit: Oh Jim E has already provided answer
At the top of the hoop near the cross tie off, two mains are breaking at the top
Thanks jim e,
I need to figure out something, I do not like gut/poly, tried it out today. Blah. I will order some new grommets just to rule it out and also apply lube to the grommets. Is coconut oil okay to use?
I may also try pre-stretching that way I can string it a bit lower to take some stress off the gut.
I typically only do a light manual pre stretch. It is just enough to get rid of some of the string coil memory to make stringing easier, so no kinking. A kink will cause an early string failure.
I have strung VS gut as high as 70 lbs for one player a number of times with out any issues.
Most of my gut jobs are strung at 60-65 lbs.A few ask lower, seldom any higher.
I would string it at your normal tension. Gut hits well at relatively high tension, as that's the beauty of the string, as you will benefit by getting better control.Just my opinion. Good luck.
When should i lube the grommets? After stringing, before stringing, during?
IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
Which VS gauge? 1.30mm or 1.35mm
I just put the half set in a zip lock bag. It's fine.
That was 1.30.
That player hit with that string for a good while. I warned him at beginning it was over racquet recommended and string could only take so much, but it typically held up fine for him. He has since moved from my area, and now most of my gut string jobs are 60-65 lbs. range.
A few request in the upper 50 lb range but most are in the 60's.
Last edited:
grhcan99
Semi-Pro
Appreciate any advice on my case. Babolat Tonic 16g (Ball Feel) on mains and Topspin CyberBlue 17g on crosses at 57/55 on my C10 pro. In 20+ hrs. racquet became less controllable. Had to put more spin on my shots to keep the ball in. Gut mains still good so I did the unthinkable Cut the poly crosses and replaced it with new set and strung at 55. I made sure I weaved the crosses on the other side this time so they don't go over the same notches on the mains. I'm quite sure the gut mains would have a much lower tension now but I didn't know how much. As it was my own racquet I really didn't care. All I wanted was to get back control and not waste money on myself Bottom line, I got my control back and didn't notice any difference.
If any one of you guys were in my situation, would you have done the same? If bad, any advice on how to avoid situations like this? Could full gut be a solution? Appreciate any inputs.
Cut the poly crosses and replaced it with new set and strung at 55. I made sure I weaved the crosses on the other side this time so they don't go over the same notches on the mains. I'm quite sure the gut mains would have a much lower tension now but I didn't know how much. As it was my own racquet I really didn't care. All I wanted was to get back control and not waste money on myself Bottom line, I got my control back and didn't notice any difference. If any one of you guys were in my situation, would you have done the same? If bad, any advice on how to avoid situations like this? Could full gut be a solution? Appreciate any inputs.
Muppet
Legend
I had Klip Legend 16/Cyber Blue 1.25 in a 90" 16x19 Dunlop Black Max ll @59/56 once. It weighs about 350g. It played very soft and still had plenty of accuracy for me, with good pop too. So you have plenty of room to increase tensions for this hybrid. But I think I will stop experimenting with gut now. It's too soft for me. And increasing tension sacrifices the power. With a lot of multis there's enough stiffness to go along with the power. I have no problem with people re-stringing just their crosses. But I wouldn't want someone else doing it for me.Appreciate any advice on my case. Babolat Tonic 16g (Ball Feel) on mains and Topspin CyberBlue 17g on crosses at 57/55 on my C10 pro. In 20+ hrs. racquet became less controllable. Had to put more spin on my shots to keep the ball in. Gut mains still good so I did the unthinkable
If any one of you guys were in my situation, would you have done the same? If bad, any advice on how to avoid situations like this? Could full gut be a solution? Appreciate any inputs.
Thinking about 70lbs with Yonex Vcore Tour 89, it was Luxilon 1.30mm without any issue.
The problem for me as I went higher in tension the strings snapped faster. It strings up fine, but 60 lbs would get me 4 weeks of play where as 65-66 lbs I would get one week before breaking. But, it could be a grommet issue so ill report back.
Tried out gut/poly again, just blah. Doesn't give me more spin or control, less feel too. Poly just makes everything bad. I'm testing out Luxilon NG 1.30 / YPTP 1.25 and it's just horrible. I don't have any extra spin or control. I'm awaiting my grommets and will be back to full bed Lux NG at 64 lbs
I know how you feel about gut/poly strings. I personally like gut/poky strings at low tension and want to try higher one.
My stringer strung Yonex 89 with Luxilon 1.30mm at 70lbs without any problem but he did say the strings stretched thinly but still pose no problem anyway. I will try KLIP Armour Pro 15L at mains and 16 at crosses, both will be strung at 65lbs.
My current personal preference of hybrid strings: Mains: 1.30mm Gut at 52lbs and crosses: either Timo 18 or Big Banger Ace 18 at 40lbs to 48lbs. This is for Fischer Vacuum Pro 90. Now want to try higher tension.
