Mamba Premium Natural Gut - Review

S

Say Chi Sin Lo

G.O.A.T.
Mamba Premium Natural Gut - Review (Black version included!)

So, I've had Mamba's Premium Natural Gut in my frames for a few days. By now, I have an idea of how they behave. All tension are reported after factoring the initial tension lost.

I am comparing everything to Gaucho Classic. I haven't used those big daddy gut (babolat, wilson, klip).

My old setup was Gaucho Classic 15L/Head RIP Control 16, 52/50

Like I have previously mentioned in the Mamba tennis thread, Mamba Premium Natural Gut feels dry to the hand. They can be tricky to string because they're so dry, especially at the knots. They're so dry that the simple bending/twisting action of tying knots can cause cracks and unravel the strings. BUT, it's nothing a little lotion won't fix. I applied some lotion at the very end when I was tying the knot.

Gauge was fairly consistent. Most of the inconsistency, if any, occurs on the ends of the strings. And they don't even go on the racquet. So who cares. Otherwise, they string onto the racquet without any problem, other than the excessive dryness.

Let's get to how they play! They're natural gut, and play like it. The ball pocketing, touch, feel, comfort, and most of all, the POWER are all there.

But holy crap, these strings are stupid powerful to me. Way more powerful than the Gaucho stuff. I was taken back by the power of these strings. At first I thought I was still cold and not swinging through the ball. But no, these strings are really powerful. Good or bad, that's for you to decide. For me, I don't like much power coming from my frames. Luckily these are gut, so I can up the tension without worrying much about the associated shock to my arm.

I'm also in the middle of trying out some "soft" polys, so far I've strung up:

1) Mamba premium gut 16/WeissCannon Silverstring 17, 52/46. Didn't care for it. Sort of glad it snapped on a framed shot.

2) Mamba premium gut 16/Tourna Big Hitter Silver 17, 52/46. Not bad, not the worse thing if I was stuck with this setup.

3) Mamba premium gut 16/Polystar Energy 17, 50/46. It felt awesome on impact, but then I had uncontrollable power with these tensions.

Once I settle on the poly crosses, I will revisit the tension and power issue. I know I haven't hit with the brand name stuff, but these are scary powerful. You're probably wondering why I'm sticking with gut. I like everything BUT the power gut provides. And there are ways to go around the power issue.

Finally, these strings seem to be able to withstand quite a bit of weather :). One of my hitting session was on a misty night. We stopped after 20-30mins because the lines got slippery, but surprisingly, the gut is not ruined! :twisted: But I wouldn't recommend you to hit longer than 30mins on a misty night with these gut.

Can't comment on durability yet. I will update as I go through these strings and different poly crosses setup.

To sum up, good quality gut with a ridiculous amount of power!
 
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Thanks for the reviews. I'm probably going to try a Mamba gut setup in the next few weeks. It does sound a bit too powerful, but a poly cross should address that.

If I were you, I would probably consider increasing the tension on the poly before going any higher with the gut. A 6 pound difference is already pretty high, and then you have to account for the fact that the poly will lose a lot more tension than the gut. 52 pounds is not abnormally high for poly but I probably wouldn't go past that. My limit would probably be 56/52.
 
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Yes..soft copoly cross like cofocus at 56 with the gut at 58 is the way I go...but I have a 100 size PDR and I believe OP uses a 90 so he can go lower.
 
I strung up Supra Natural gut and it's not dry at all. In fact, kind of oily. Not sure if they coated the sting with oil or what. Unfortunately looks like I won't be able to play this week.
 
filphil said:
I'm using a poly/multi hybrid right now and it's pretty comfortable at the moment.
Click to expand...

I initially thought so too, until my arm started to disagree with me. I think Poly/Multi hybrids (with poly in the mains) are deceivingly rough on your arm. The poly could be dead but you don't realize it until it's too late. I'm not sure that's the case with hybrids where the poly is in the crosses. Gut/Poly hybrids seem to have a lot of fans who say it's still arm friendly even after the poly dies. Multi/Poly hybrids have a different solution to that problem; the multi breaks before the poly even has a chance to die.
 
I agree. At the moment I'm watching ball placement to determine when to change my strings. If I feel that I have to swing harder/faster to place the ball deeper, I'm going to deem the poly(mains) as dead.
 
Have you ever used pacific gut?I just wondered how the power compared..well I will find out soon, but the pacific does not break easily.

Thing I love the gut/poly is that trajectory you get..it is very fed like for me at least..the ball dive bombs..that's the only way to put it.
 
Say Chi Sin Lo said:
Like I have previously mentioned in the Mamba tennis thread, Mamba Premium Natural Gut feels dry to the hand. They can be tricky to string because they're so dry, especially at the knots. They're so dry that the simple bending/twisting action of tying knots can cause cracks and unravel the strings. BUT, it's nothing a little lotion won't fix. I applied some lotion at the very end when I was tying the knot.
Click to expand...

OMG! I wish I read this before stringing the Natural gut up! I totally agree that it is very dry and can be a pain in the rear end when stringing. I will try the lotion trick the next time I string it up. I bet it will help the string just slide right by.
 
drkplayer122 said:
OMG! I wish I read this before stringing the Natural gut up! I totally agree that it is very dry and can be a pain in the rear end when stringing. I will try the lotion trick the next time I string it up. I bet it will help the string just slide right by.
Click to expand...

Lotion helps a lot.

If anyone is curious about their durability, right now I'm at about 15hours with the Mamba Premium Gut/Polystar Energy 17g, 50/46lbs.

There's no fraying, no random unraveling. So far, I am very happy with Mamba Premium Gut.

On a side note, I am loving Polystar Energy as a cross! :twisted: I've got a few more polys to try:

MSV Co-Focus 1.18
Tecnifibre X-Code 17
SPPP 17
Mamba Iontec 1.20

Let's just say if I have to end my playtest now, I can stick with Polystar Energy as a cross.
 
drkplayer122 said:
OMG! I wish I read this before stringing the Natural gut up! I totally agree that it is very dry and can be a pain in the rear end when stringing. I will try the lotion trick the next time I string it up. I bet it will help the string just slide right by.
Click to expand...

What type of lotion is ok to use and how do you apply it?
 
~20hours!

Update at ~20hours, I'm convinced enough to stock up!

IMG_6309.jpg


IMG_6310.jpg


Sorry I don't have a macro lens, but here are some closeups.

IMG_6312.jpg


IMG_6314.jpg


That one string has been unraveling since it's been strung, and the loose end hasn't grown since. With the Gaucho stuff, if I saw a string unraveling, it'll keep unraveling and I knew a pre-mature rupture is a few hours away.

I break a lot of strings. At 20 hours and still sitting pretty, that's just gravy on top! I'm very happy the durability of Mamba Premium Natural Gut.

As for playability, I do not notice a drop as time goes by. Soft and comfortable, excellent pocketing, excellent feel, and apparently, excellent durability in my book.
 
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Ramon said:
What specific setup are you showing at 20 hours?
Click to expand...

My apologies.

3) Mamba premium gut 16/Polystar Energy 17, 50/46.

Weisscannon Silverstring felt like crap to me, and it snapped on a shank. I will say that the shank was pretty epic.

Tourna Big Hitter Silver was alright, nothing stood out.
 
22hours and Kaboom!

~22 hours and they're done!

IMG_6315.jpg


IMG_6319.jpg


After it snapped, I played with the other frame strung with Premium Gut 16/Polystar Energy 17, 52/46. IT WAS PERFECT! :twisted:

Now I'm going to cross it with MSV Co-Focus 1.18. I'm expecting great things from it.
 
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Mamba Premium Gut/MSV Co-Focus 1.18
This set up plays VERY good. It's soft, but not as soft as Polystar Energy but it's not off by much. It is everything that people have raved about Co-Focus. If I have to describe it, it's a slightly crisper version of Polystar Energy but just as comfortable. This stringbed provided excellent touch and feel.

Few notes, MSV Co-Focus was not pleasant to string at all. I don't know why but they did not want to be weaved through the mains. Also, people said it sounds like I'm hitting with a bat.

Mamba Premium Gut/Mamba Iontec 1.20
There are a lot buzz about Mamba Iontec lately, and I can see why. As a cross, Iontec provides a very soft string bed, on par with Polystar Energy.

Mamba Premium Gut/Signum Pro Poly Plasma 17
It's not the worst stringbed ever, but it's not to my liking. It's not as soft as Polystar Energy, Mamba Iontec, and MSV Co-Focus.
 
I played a match today with Mamba Premium Gut 1.30 / Iontec 1.25 strung at 50/50 on my dropweight machine, which came out to a stringbed tension of 52.8 on RacquetTune with calibrated string factors. I think that's about the equivalent of 53/53 on a lockout machine. My normal setup is Discho Microfibre strung at 50 on my dropweight machine, but it comes out to 56.2 on RacquetTune, so it's about a 56 on a lockout (differences are probably due to elongation).

No full multi that I know of approaches this setup when it comes to spin. However, I think the extra power is throwing me off a bit. Shots that I know would have easily been in with my regular setup went long. When I prepare properly and hit a topspin drive, the spin generally keeps the ball in, but reflex shots and defensive shots, where I don't have time to prepare properly, are going out more often than they do with my regular setup. At the same time, the stringbed tension may be a bit high for me. Dwell time and forgiveness on off-center hits do not seem to be as good as my regular setup. Maybe I need to decrease the tension on the poly for better dwell time and more "give" and increase the tension on the gut for less power? If I do, I'm a little concerned about the difference in tension between mains and crosses after the poly crosses lose tension. I can already tell that the tension loss of the poly is a factor as I test the tension on a daily basis.

I can see that gut/poly has potential. There's no other way for me to get this combination of spin and arm-friendliness. However, it's not giving me the kind of confidence I need to take full swings like I do with Discho Microfibre or Prince Premier Attack. I find myself hitting too many "safe" shots. I might have to experiment with different tensions, and possibly different strings that are less powerful. Another thing I might try is a full set of Mamba Premium Gut at a higher tension.
 
Ramon said:
I played a match today with Mamba Premium Gut 1.30 / Iontec 1.25 strung at 50/50 on my dropweight machine, which came out to a stringbed tension of 52.8 on RacquetTune with calibrated string factors. I think that's about the equivalent of 53/53 on a lockout machine. My normal setup is Discho Microfibre strung at 50 on my dropweight machine, but it comes out to 56.2 on RacquetTune, so it's about a 56 on a lockout (differences are probably due to elongation).

No full multi that I know of approaches this setup when it comes to spin. However, I think the extra power is throwing me off a bit. Shots that I know would have easily been in with my regular setup went long. When I prepare properly and hit a topspin drive, the spin generally keeps the ball in, but reflex shots and defensive shots, where I don't have time to prepare properly, are going out more often than they do with my regular setup. At the same time, the stringbed tension may be a bit high for me. Dwell time and forgiveness on off-center hits do not seem to be as good as my regular setup. Maybe I need to decrease the tension on the poly for better dwell time and more "give" and increase the tension on the gut for less power? If I do, I'm a little concerned about the difference in tension between mains and crosses after the poly crosses lose tension. I can already tell that the tension loss of the poly is a factor as I test the tension on a daily basis.

I can see that gut/poly has potential. There's no other way for me to get this combination of spin and arm-friendliness. However, it's not giving me the kind of confidence I need to take full swings like I do with Discho Microfibre or Prince Premier Attack. I find myself hitting too many "safe" shots. I might have to experiment with different tensions, and possibly different strings that are less powerful. Another thing I might try is a full set of Mamba Premium Gut at a higher tension.
Click to expand...

did u try 54 gut/ 52 iontec?
 
Ramon said:
No, but my guess is it won't be much different from 53/53. Maybe I'll aim for 54/50 or 56/52 next time.
Click to expand...

I don't think you can string two strings at different tensions, and then assume the stringbed to play like the average of the two tensions.

54lbs gut will play like 54lbs gut, with its own unique attributes.
52lbs polys will play like 52lbs polys, with its own unique attributes.
 
Say Chi Sin Lo said:
I don't think you can string two strings at different tensions, and then assume the stringbed to play like the average of the two tensions.

54lbs gut will play like 54lbs gut, with its own unique attributes.
52lbs polys will play like 52lbs polys, with its own unique attributes.
Click to expand...

So you're saying 54 gut is much different from 53 gut, and 52 poly is much different from 53 poly? Maybe 2 or 3 pounds will be different, but I think 1 pound is splitting hairs.
 
Say Chi Sin Lo said:
Mamba Premium Gut/MSV Co-Focus 1.18
This set up plays VERY good. It's soft, but not as soft as Polystar Energy but it's not off by much. It is everything that people have raved about Co-Focus. If I have to describe it, it's a slightly crisper version of Polystar Energy but just as comfortable. This stringbed provided excellent touch and feel.

Few notes, MSV Co-Focus was not pleasant to string at all. I don't know why but they did not want to be weaved through the mains. Also, people said it sounds like I'm hitting with a bat.

Mamba Premium Gut/Mamba Iontec 1.20
There are a lot buzz about Mamba Iontec lately, and I can see why. As a cross, Iontec provides a very soft string bed, on par with Polystar Energy.

Mamba Premium Gut/Signum Pro Poly Plasma 17
It's not the worst stringbed ever, but it's not to my liking. It's not as soft as Polystar Energy, Mamba Iontec, and MSV Co-Focus.
Click to expand...

How about some pics? Thanks.
 
Ramon said:
So you're saying 54 gut is much different from 53 gut, and 52 poly is much different from 53 poly? Maybe 2 or 3 pounds will be different, but I think 1 pound is splitting hairs.
Click to expand...

No I'm saying I don't think you can simply string two different strings at two different tensions, take the average of the two, and then assume the individual strings are playing at that averaged tension.

54 gut and 53 gut may be hard to tell. BUT, I could tell the difference between my 50 gut and 52 gut.

50 Mamba Premium gut played like a rocket launcher, 52 Mamba Premium gut is just perfect for me. Sensitivity is really on you.
 
I forgot to mention, last week I tried the Mamba Premium/Iontec setup at a lower tension: 44/44 on my dropweight, which measured at 47.7 on RacquetTune, so it would probably equate to 48/48 on a lockout.

I only hit with it this way for a short time. I compared it head to head with Discho Microfibre. Spin was even greater than at the higher tension, but so was power. The forgiveness on off-center hits was not as good as the full multi. My serves were incredible with this setup, but I cut it out to try the higher tension because it was just too powerful.

If I do keep trying gut/poly, I'll probably go with less tension on the poly and more on the gut. I think I'll want a more elastic poly and a less powerful gut. Maybe Supra gut? It would interesting to hear from anyone who compared Premium to Supra. I might also try Iontec Black.
 
Ramon said:
I played a match today with Mamba Premium Gut 1.30 / Iontec 1.25 strung at 50/50 on my dropweight machine, which came out to a stringbed tension of 52.8 on RacquetTune with calibrated string factors. I think that's about the equivalent of 53/53 on a lockout machine. My normal setup is Discho Microfibre strung at 50 on my dropweight machine, but it comes out to 56.2 on RacquetTune, so it's about a 56 on a lockout (differences are probably due to elongation).

No full multi that I know of approaches this setup when it comes to spin. However, I think the extra power is throwing me off a bit. Shots that I know would have easily been in with my regular setup went long. When I prepare properly and hit a topspin drive, the spin generally keeps the ball in, but reflex shots and defensive shots, where I don't have time to prepare properly, are going out more often than they do with my regular setup. At the same time, the stringbed tension may be a bit high for me. Dwell time and forgiveness on off-center hits do not seem to be as good as my regular setup. Maybe I need to decrease the tension on the poly for better dwell time and more "give" and increase the tension on the gut for less power? If I do, I'm a little concerned about the difference in tension between mains and crosses after the poly crosses lose tension. I can already tell that the tension loss of the poly is a factor as I test the tension on a daily basis.

I can see that gut/poly has potential. There's no other way for me to get this combination of spin and arm-friendliness. However, it's not giving me the kind of confidence I need to take full swings like I do with Discho Microfibre or Prince Premier Attack. I find myself hitting too many "safe" shots. I might have to experiment with different tensions, and possibly different strings that are less powerful. Another thing I might try is a full set of Mamba Premium Gut at a higher tension.
Click to expand...


That is my concern with gut/poly setups. The added power is great on serves but I play a lot of big hitters and on defensive shots I want that added control.
 
mikeler said:
That is my concern with gut/poly setups. The added power is great on serves but I play a lot of big hitters and on defensive shots I want that added control.
Click to expand...

It's not just the defensive shots. Somehow it doesn't give me the confidence to hit as aggressively as I do with full multi. Maybe full gut at higher tension would work. Poly/Multi worked for me in the past, and I'm sure it would work now, but I'm afraid of what it would do to my arm.
 
It takes a little time and practice but I hit every shot better now with gut/poly. I can hit far more aggressively and flatten out shots as well..this is using a pure drive roddick. I string higher though..mid 50s. I think 50 is too low initially. I would rather have the stringbed settle in there.

I also would not just go out and play a match with gut/poly. You need to spend a week or so getting used to it, but you can hit every shot in the book with it..defensive..flat..it doesn't matter. Far more versatile to me and I actually have become a lot better at net as well.
 
Power Player said:
It takes a little time and practice but I hit every shot better now with gut/poly. I can hit far more aggressively and flatten out shots as well..this is using a pure drive roddick. I string higher though..mid 50s. I think 50 is too low initially. I would rather have the stringbed settle in there.

I also would not just go out and play a match with gut/poly. You need to spend a week or so getting used to it, but you can hit every shot in the book with it..defensive..flat..it doesn't matter. Far more versatile to me and I actually have become a lot better at net as well.
Click to expand...

What's your gut/poly setup right now? How high do you string, and what kind of machine do you string with?
 
I use a constant pull and string in the mid 50s. I use cofocus and right now have Supra gut in there. I string both at 56#s since cofocus is real elastic and drops tension. I end up with a stringbed in the low 50s, which sounds like a trampoline, but I have learned to control that and use it to my advantage.

I talked with a teaching pro about this, and he was saying a ton of pros use this setup now because of how relaxed and flowing you can hit the ball. That is what I needed to cut down on UEs because I tend to swing too hard. There is a difference between swinging too hard and racquet head speed though. He was also saying that this is a perfect way to hit really hard and heavy shots and save your arm in the process.

I think it also helps to have a heavier racquet to give you some power too. I went with the PDR with some lead for that reason.
 
Power Player said:
It takes a little time and practice but I hit every shot better now with gut/poly. I can hit far more aggressively and flatten out shots as well..this is using a pure drive roddick. I string higher though..mid 50s. I think 50 is too low initially. I would rather have the stringbed settle in there.

I also would not just go out and play a match with gut/poly. You need to spend a week or so getting used to it, but you can hit every shot in the book with it..defensive..flat..it doesn't matter. Far more versatile to me and I actually have become a lot better at net as well.
Click to expand...

You might be right. I was hitting much better with it today at a practice session, where I don't have to worry about winning points, just hitting a good ball. I'm actually getting to like this setup. I returned some shots I wouldn't have gotten back otherwise because of the extra power, and I was generally getting my shots in when I prepared properly. I could get used to this. I'll give it more time.
 
Aprreciate the review, but I think ANY gut review needs to be in comparison to the benchmark gut, VS (or Wilson). If you are comparing power levels and comfort between two lower shelf guts there's still not much for me to learn from that without referencing the "control" string. You owe it to yourself to splurge at least once on the good stuff just so you know for yourself too.

When I switched to gut I started with VS so I'd have that reference point for when I tried others.
 
jk175d said:
Aprreciate the review, but I think ANY gut review needs to be in comparison to the benchmark gut, VS (or Wilson). If you are comparing power levels and comfort between two lower shelf guts there's still not much for me to learn from that without referencing the "control" string. You owe it to yourself to splurge at least once on the good stuff just so you know for yourself too.

When I switched to gut I started with VS so I'd have that reference point for when I tried others.
Click to expand...

I'm sure Babolat and Wilson will agree with you, but I don't. If all varieties of VS gut were taken off the shelves tomorrow, guess what? The world would still be the same, only we'd be playing with other manufacturer's strings. By its very nature even VS gut won't be as consistent as a synthetic string because every cow's DNA is different.
 
Ramon said:
I'm sure Babolat and Wilson will agree with you, but I don't. If all varieties of VS gut were taken off the shelves tomorrow, guess what? The world would still be the same, only we'd be playing with other manufacturer's strings. By its very nature even VS gut won't be as consistent as a synthetic string because every cow's DNA is different.
Click to expand...

I think the vast majority of players will tell you that VS/Wilson is the best gut. Sure if they disappear people will play other brands, but that's not relevant to my point. That string is the established benchmark gut by which all others are measured. I'm not arguing whether it is or isn't actually better than the rest, but when communicating about other brands it is helpful to have a single reference point, and like it or not, VS/wilson is it.
 
Ramon said:
Maybe I need to decrease the tension on the poly for better dwell time and more "give" and increase the tension on the gut for less power? If I do, I'm a little concerned about the difference in tension between mains and crosses after the poly crosses lose tension. I can already tell that the tension loss of the poly is a factor as I test the tension on a daily basis.

.
Click to expand...

When hybridding gut with poly, I always string the gut 4-5 lbs higher than the poly. General opinion is a 5 lb differential will not damage the frame. TW will not string higher than a 5 lb differential between crosses and mains. I have done this for years with no discernable harm to my frames. I mostly string moderate tensions 55 lb mains with 50 crosses or a couple of lbs lower on each in the colder months or with stiffer strings.

Gut mains 54 with poly cross at 50 is probably a good place to start. I take the same approach with multi mains and poly crosses and use similar tensions.
 
jk175d said:
I think the vast majority of players will tell you that VS/Wilson is the best gut. Sure if they disappear people will play other brands, but that's not relevant to my point. That string is the established benchmark gut by which all others are measured. I'm not arguing whether it is or isn't actually better than the rest, but when communicating about other brands it is helpful to have a single reference point, and like it or not, VS/wilson is it.
Click to expand...

There may be some truth to that if you are comparing strings that cost over $35. If I was considering Pacific Prime or Tough Gut I might want to compare it to VS. However, when you're talking about $15-22/set the relevance a string that costs over $40 is questionable.
 
TennisCJC said:
When hybridding gut with poly, I always string the gut 4-5 lbs higher than the poly. General opinion is a 5 lb differential will not damage the frame. TW will not string higher than a 5 lb differential between crosses and mains. I have done this for years with no discernable harm to my frames. I mostly string moderate tensions 55 lb mains with 50 crosses or a couple of lbs lower on each in the colder months or with stiffer strings.

Gut mains 54 with poly cross at 50 is probably a good place to start. I take the same approach with multi mains and poly crosses and use similar tensions.
Click to expand...

I'm actually considering something like that, but I want to find a good tension maintaining poly before I do that. If Iontec keeps holding, I might try it again with a tension difference. 4 lbs difference doesn't seem like much to me, either, but by the time gut loses 8-10% and a poly loses 30%, you're now looking at about 50/35, and that scares me. The tension loss won't be a concern to a pro for obvious reasons, but it is relevant for those of us who are going to use the same setup for more than one match.
 
Last edited:
Ramon said:
There may be some truth to that if you are comparing strings that cost over $35. If I was considering Pacific Prime or Tough Gut I might want to compare it to VS. However, when you're talking about $15-22/set the relevance a string that costs over $40 is questionable.
Click to expand...

except that in describing the characteristics of a string it still provides a known reference. Case in point, the OP says "wow Mamba is maybe TOO powerful, compared to Goucho." Well, I have no experience with either one of those strings so I still have absolutely no idea of the power level of Mamba.
 
Ramon said:
I'm actually considering something like that, but I want to find a good tension maintaining poly before I do that. If Iontec keeps holding, I might try it again with a tension difference. 4 lbs difference doesn't seem like much to me, either, but by the time gut loses 8-10% and a poly loses 30%, you're now looking at about 50/35, and that scares me. The tension loss won't be a concern to a pro for obvious reasons, but it is relevant for those of us who are going to use the same setup for more than one match.
Click to expand...

This is also my concern as per our other Mamba Tennis thread.
 
If you hybrid with supra gut and a softer poly like Cofocus, just string at 56#s for both. Your tension will drop to around 51#s and it will play great.
 
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