I'd like to re-string less often: NXT 17

Hi folks,

I have a K Six One 95 (16 x 18) and a 6.1 Pro Staff Classic. I've been stringing both of them at 60 pounds with Wilson NXT 17. Here are my two problems: (1) I would like to hit with more depth, and (2) I'm restringing about once per month, playing twice per week. And I don't want to spend that much on restringing. It'd be nice to cut that down to every two months.

Obviously I have a million options, but I know nothing about strings.

Have any ideas for me? Would switching to the NXT 16 be the answer to both of my problems? Got a better option that would retain some of the feel/benefit of the 17 guage? What if i keep the 17, but just reduce the tension to 58 or so?

I'm not married to the NXT product, it's just what I've been using for the past year so it's my starting point for experimenting.

Thanks!
 

volleyman

Semi-Pro
Hmm. OK, here are some options:

Klip Legend Gut mains/Gosen OG Sheep Micro crosses. Cost $1 less per string job than NXT. Should outlast and out play NXT. Add string savers to significantly extend the life of the string job (adds about $1.00). The biggest problem will be getting your hands on the Klip - it seems to disappear from TW as soon as it gets in stock.

NXT Mains/Gosen OG Sheep Micro Crosses: Costs about $6 less per string job than full NXT. Should feel almost the same, and last about as long. It'll just be cheaper.

Klip Excellerator: About $3 less per string job than NXT. I like it better and think it's slightly more durable.

Pro Supex Maxim Touch: Costs about $8 per string job less than NXT. Plays nicely, but probably not significantly more durable than NXT. However, the price differential should significantly help your stringing budget. You can pound that price down even more by buying a reel if you really like it.
 

neverstopplaying

Professional
If you don't string yourself, go to NXT 16ga. (increase durability) and drop 2-3 lbs (increase power).

If you really like multi (NXT), you may not like a syn gut (I don't). Some gut hybrids alternatives are interesting, but are more expensive to experiment with if you don't buy your strings and string yourself.
 

J011yroger

Talk Tennis Guru
You are using regular NXT? Not NXT Tour?

IMO regular NXT is garbage, but NXT Tour is a nice string.

J
 

Valjean

Hall of Fame
Why are you restringing so often now?

Babolat's Attraction series, its Addiction and Tecnifibre's MultiFeel are all significantly less; MultiFeel offers better spin potential (for greater depth with good control) while the other two afford comfort similar to NXT. Addiction has very good across-the-board qualities and the best precision in play itself.
 

jimstorm

Rookie
if you like nxt stick with it just change gage. but if it dosent matter you can try something differetn. I havent tried it, but i heard tecnifibre code red was comparable but better than nxt.
 
Thanks for all the feedback, folks!

I'm experimenting slowly, so I'm going to just switch to NXT 16 and see what happens. Keeping the 60lb tension, so the only variable change is the guage. I want to see if I notice a change in depth with simply a guage change. I may be getting plenty of bite with my stroke and string pattern and maybe don't need the thinner guage.

Valjean: Why am I restringing so often? I'm getting 12 to 18 hours on the NXT 17. I think that's relatively common for that string. I use moderate-high topspin and I rarely hit a flat serve. So I guess that contributes to the breakage.

Jo11y: Yep, the regular NXT 17 is what I was using. Thanks for the tip about the NXT Tour. I'll play on these NXT 16s for a bit, see how long they last and then give the Tour a shot. What do you like about the Tour vs. the regular NXT?

Volleyman: thanks for the options. I'll keep this thread in mind when I'm looking to do more experimenting. Appreciate it.

I think what pissed me off about the NXT 17 is that I had my backup racquet restrung with them back in October. I had to finish 2 matches with it this year. In other words, I got about 3 hours of play out of it before they broke. I guess they don't like sitting in a closet. I think they lost all their damn tension over the winter and sawed the hell out of each other as they'd move an inch every time I hit a forehand.
 

Valjean

Hall of Fame
So it's breakage, then, that aroused you so. Then, since you are going to 16 gauge string, why don't you restring now with their *reinforced* player's version of NXT, NXT Max, instead? Go all the way at once!
 

Racer41c

Professional
If it helps...

I did an NXT comparison about 18 months ago, tried them all. I liked the NXT OL the best of the bunch. Plain NXT is in my opinion, not a good string at all. Any of the newer NXT's are better.

As far as switching to the 16g, I echo the recommendation to lower your tension by 2 lbs. The power level will be much lower. If your looking for more depth your going to come up short at the same tension.
 

M J

Rookie
If you're looking for something like NXT but more powerful and more durable, you can't do better than natural gut. In fact, I would say the two biggest differences between NXT and natural gut are that the gut is more durable and more powerful. You'll even get more playing time per dollar spent on string with the gut.
 

wrxtotoro

Rookie
If you're looking for something like NXT but more powerful and more durable, you can't do better than natural gut. In fact, I would say the two biggest differences between NXT and natural gut are that the gut is more durable and more powerful. You'll even get more playing time per dollar spent on string with the gut.

Agreed. A full natural gut cost around ~$30-40 + routine care (nail polish, string saver, avoid water...), it last like 2x longer than NXT. Gut also hold tension until the moment it breaks. NXT just turns into a mush after 10 hours of hitting.

Personally I don't hybriding natural gut with Gosen OGSheep micro. (~$18-23) I tried that on the cross and the tension just drop crazy over 30 hours of playtime. I had to cut it out.
 
Had my first chance to hit around with the NXT 16 today. Meh. I hope they're simply not broken in yet. I was left a bit unmoved. Feels a bit backboardy compared to the 17 guage. But hey: I hit things a bit more deep and won the match, so I guess there's that! Felt a bit powerless today but didn't notice considerable loss of control... just some loss of control.

I'll have to wait until I get another hour or two on them before I cross these off the list :)

Thanks for the additional advice, folks.
 
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