Synthetic gut Mains / Polyester Crosses Club

[Rabbit]

After many, many, many dollars spent on string (and cortisone), I think I have arrived at a "perfect" string bed. It's not too firm, not too soft, just right. Synthetic gut mains with a poly cross is just about the perfect blend of two worlds. I like the feel of synthetic gut because that's what I grew up playing with; well that and natural gut. But, sticking polyester in the crosses adds a nice element of control to the mix. The result is a string bed that is very livable and user friendly. It has touch, enough power, and control to satisfy. I also find that the synthetic gut breaks when it's supposed to and you don't wind up with a dead set of string that'll wind up hurting your arm. If it breaks too quick, just up your gauge.

My personal preference is Gosen OGSM 1.15 in the mains at 54 and Luxilon Ace 1.12 in the crosses at 50. I have it in 3 rackets in rotation and get about 6 sets out of a string job. When one of the three breaks, I string them all. Cost per string job is a staggering $10 .

For those of you who also like this setup, what do you use?

 

[tennytive]

Many many dollars is a grand understatement when I remember your threads on trying every gut string ever made.

I used a similar set up to yours for a while with OGSM and Polyon Ice. I strung two of my sticks, one with poly in the mains and the second with syn gut mains. Since they felt equal in performance, I preferred poly mains from then on as the syn gut was much easier on my fingers when weaving. If I recall, my tension was 45 for poly and 49 for the syn gut, both 17 gauge. A 2 year recovery from tennis elbow made me give up polys for good or I most likely would still be using this hybrid.

 

[hlausic]

Now, Gosen OGSm 1.25 main, Tecnifibre Red Code Wax cross...

 

[Ft.S]

I use Klip Legend 16 in the mains and Lux 4G Soft or Max Power in the crosses with 3# difference. Very comfortable setup for sure, when my arm or wrist starts complaining of full poly, I switch to this hybrid setup for couple of matches and all gets back to normal

 

[gmatheis]

I use Klip Legend 16 in the mains and Lux 4G Soft or Max Power in the crosses with 3# difference. Very comfortable setup for sure, when my arm or wrist starts complaining of full poly, I switch to this hybrid setup for couple of matches and all gets back to normal

Big difference between natural gut in the mains and synthetic gut. The synthetic gut breaks way too fast for me. I think I tried a multi with a poly cross and broke it in one day.

Currently on Wilson NG/Genesis Black Magic and it's been a little over a week.

 

[1HBHfanatic]

Best combo I found for the head.rad.mpa
when through several combos, high, low with poly/poly
poly/syn.gut, high, low, no good
finally tried s.g/poly
16g pp.syn.gut/18g pp.poly,, 56/52 lbs.. great combo for this raket..

 

[am1899]

Big difference between natural gut in the mains and synthetic gut. The synthetic gut breaks way too fast for me. I think I tried a multi with a poly cross and broke it in one day.

Currently on Wilson NG/Genesis Black Magic and it's been a little over a week.

FWIW, I found cheap solid core nylon synthetic gut mains and poly crosses to be a more durable setup than multi mains and poly crosses. Years ago I strung up sensation mains with sonic pro crosses. Felt amazing. 30 min later, POP! Thought I must have nicked the string, so I strung it up again. Same result. Tried Gosen OGSM 16g mains instead, and it lasted quite a bit longer. Didn’t love the feel as much, though.

 

[Wes]

Best combo I found for the head.rad.mpa
when through several combos, high, low with poly/poly
poly/syn.gut, high, low, no good
finally tried s.g/poly
16g pp.syn.gut/18g pp.poly,, 56/52 lbs.. great combo for this raket..

Was this strung up as 16x19 or 16x16?
Also, what does "pp.syn.gut" and pp.poly" mean... Pro's Pro syn. gut and Pro's Pro poly?

 

[1HBHfanatic]

Was this strung up as 16x19 or 16x16?
Also, what does "pp.syn.gut" and pp.poly" mean... Pro's Pro syn. gut and Pro's Pro poly?

Yes, pp=pros pro
and yes, I tried it both ways
16/16 sg/poly, I did not like, too open pattern for me, but it was a fun test
16/19 sg/poly was exactly what I liked on this raket..
I should mention, I have it set to 8pts HL with lead at 2,5, 8, 10 oclock (2" of 1/4" lead tape, and about 2' of 1/2" on handle),, my 1hbh likes it..
this is my fun hit raket..

 

[Paragon]

Hey guys im looking into trying out Wilson Nxt and Lux 4g, i used to play with 4g full bed @ 50. Any recommendations on where i should put the NXT either in the mains or crosses? and what would be the benefits of both? Thank you.

 

[Rabbit]

Hey guys im looking into trying out Wilson Nxt and Lux 4g, i used to play with 4g full bed @ 50. Any recommendations on where i should put the NXT either in the mains or crosses? and what would be the benefits of both? Thank you.

It depends on what you're looking for. If you like the control/spin of 4G, put it in the mains and the NXT will soften up the string bed. If you like NXT but would like a bit more control, go the other way.

I like the feel of synthetic gut and find that a thin poly in the crosses gives me a bit more spin and control. That's how I landed on my set up. If I go the other way, the feel is usually too stiff to my liking. I also string the mains 4 pounds tighter than the crosses.

 

[dak95_00]

I play really well with Prince Synthetic Gut w/ Duraflex 17 at 60 lbs in my mains and Isospeed Baseline Spin & Speed 17 at 60 lbs in my crosses. I play a Prince Mono which is a 97 and 16x21. My only issue is I break the mains very quickly. I’m trying out later today some cheap Genesis 16 nylon at 63 lbs in the mains. I just want to see what f playability will be similar and get more longevity. I’m currently only getting a match if I’m lucky out of the Prince 17.

The Genesis was purchased as a reel from that bird store for maybe $20. My initial impression of it was that it was similar in feel as a full bed to Prince and also Head Synthetic Gut w/ PPS.

 

[PBODY99]

PSG/df @ 52# mains/ various 1.20mm poly @ 48 in my signature Speedport 110

 

[BenC]

I'm using Forten Sweet 16 and Ashaway Monogut 16L in my Wilson 6.1 95. It feels like a more controllable and muted version of a full bed of syn gut with increased dwell time. The copoly also seems to retain tension much better than when it was used as a main (as measured with a Gamma tension testing tool).

I also (hilariously) tried Gamma TNT Ruff 16 and Ashaway Monogut 16L. Weaving and fanning the crosses was very annoying. Hitting partners did report much more spin but it felt like dwell time was reduced and I was getting more power than I wanted over the Forten/Ashaway setup.

 

[BenC]

So to resurrect this thread ... I've noticed something about my syngut/copoly hybrid. I'm using Forten Sweet 16 in the mains and it notches very quickly (<1hr) but I figured that wouldn't be a problem if it were used as a main string instead of the crosses. However, I spent a few hours hitting with this setup and it feels like the deeper the notching, the more the stringbed locks up unless you hit hard enough to unlock the strings. It makes the string bed unpredictable - some shots have very moderate spin, others get loaded up to near poly-like levels.

I feel like there should be an additional measurement of string "hardness", (i.e. resistance to notching) which I don't think the current "inter-string friction" measurements takes into account.

I've also used Gamma TNT2 and it seems much more resistant to this kind of behavior. I also haven't tried using Forten Sweet in the crosses to see if it notches any less that way.

 

[Paragon]

So to resurrect this thread ... I've noticed something about my syngut/copoly hybrid. I'm using Forten Sweet 16 in the mains and it notches very quickly (<1hr) but I figured that wouldn't be a problem if it were used as a main string instead of the crosses. However, I spent a few hours hitting with this setup and it feels like the deeper the notching, the more the stringbed locks up unless you hit hard enough to unlock the strings. It makes the string bed unpredictable - some shots have very moderate spin, others get loaded up to near poly-like levels.

I feel like there should be an additional measurement of string "hardness", (i.e. resistance to notching) which I don't think the current "inter-string friction" measurements takes into account.

I've also used Gamma TNT2 and it seems much more resistant to this kind of behavior. I also haven't tried using Forten Sweet in the crosses to see if it notches any less that way.

well thats normal. I used Nxt/4G and when i had the setup in both ways the more i played with the setup the lesss string movement because the syngut / mutli starts to fray which causes less movement across the poly or vice versa.

 

[BenC]

well thats normal. I used Nxt/4G and when i had the setup in both ways the more i played with the setup the lesss string movement because the syngut / mutli starts to fray which causes less movement across the poly or vice versa.

It's the unpredictable stringbed I found surprising - it's basically unusable in a match. Other syngut/multi strings with different wear behavior will probably fare better in this kind of hybrid.

 

[Paragon]

that could be a reason why pros refrain from using multi / poly hybrids and rather use gut /poly hybrids

 

[norcal]

I usually use Kirsch PLII 18L in the mains, OGSM17 in crosses.

I switched it up and loved the feel but boy did it break fast, even with some string savers to prevent notching.

Maybe I'll give it a try this winter with OGSM16 in the mains.

 

[JustTennis76]

I have been using the Beast Attack Hybrid from prince with soft string in the mains and beast in the crosses and really love the combo. Like the OP said, it's got very good control and strings break when they are supposed to break with this setup for me which is usually around 15 hours.

 

[loosegroove]

With my racket (Prince Phantom Pro 100), I'd probably break this setup within a 2 hour hitting session. But given that I string for myself and I have some random round poly and syn gut lying around, I should probably give it a try one of these days.

 

[BenC]

Looked at the Gamma TNT2 and it's notched heavily after just a few hours of light hitting, but critically the stringbed isn't locked and the stringbed response is more or less as it was when newly strung. So the locked/unlocked switching behavior may just be the use of Forten Sweet in the mains.

I think the takeaway is this:
1) obviously a syngut main/poly cross hybrid won't last long at all - the polys will saw through the syngut, and there's really no stopping it
2) if you like the feel of that kind of hybrid, not all synguts will work well in that role.

 

[alexmcnab]

Interesting thread, I've just tried:-
Prince SGDF 1.30mm @ 58lbs in mains
Weiss Cannon Scorpion 1.22 @ 54 lbs in the crosses
Seemed a nice combination, comfy with good control. We were playing in the rain with increasingly wet balls so be interesting to see how it feels in the dry and will get a better idea about durability.

 

[LOBALOT]

The friends I string for like Gosen OGSM in the mains with Weiss Cannon Silverstring in the crosses (or vice versa). However, while it performs great initially and is a cheap setup, it is not durable. I have a couple of questions:

1. I really like the playability and price point of the Gosen. Any suggestions for a more durable synthetic gut with similar characteristics (Note: We are not fans of duraflex)?

2. In the quest for something better I have been thinking about Tourna Big Hitter Silver as a nice round cross string instead of the Weiss Cannon. Has anyone tried both of these? From what I see the Tourna is a tad stiffer, more spin, more durable, cheaper.

Thanks!

 

[marco forehand]

I was a syn gut mains poly cross player for about 18 months. I felt it was a poor man's champion's choice. I used a thin gauge (1.2) round poly in the cross. I preferred a 16 (1.3) gauge syn gut over a 17 (1.25) syn gut in the mains.
For a firm feel try Pro Supex Spiral Flex. For a ,more "fat" feel try Forten Sweet (my favorite). For a slightly dead feel try Gosen Micro 16 gauge.
I found the life span to be about 6 to 8 hours. (String cost per string job was below $2.75 per)
I also tired Ashaway's Dynamite (I liked the 17 gauge over the 16 gauge there), and Pro Supex's Maxim Touch (16g). Not sure the results meet the extra cost.
I have

I have changed my set up in the last couple of months.

 

[Rabbit]

IME, the great thing about this set up is that it tends to break according to your game. In other words, if you aren't a player who impacts the ball that much, it lasts longer. If you hit the ball hard, the set up lasts about as long as it should which results in my biggest consideration: arm health. If you want longer play, the solution is simple: bump up the gauge on the mains. Personally, since I string for myself, 2 - 4 sets is perfect. I'd just as soon restring my frames at that point. I rotate 3 frames anyway, so it works about perfect for me.

 

[Rabbit]

So I had a weak moment and an old hybrid pack lying around and decided to once again try natural gut mains and polyester crosses. My results weren't acceptable. Where once I loved that combo, I guess in my old age I have become a cheap date. The combination didn't have as much spin or control as my normal set up of Gosen OGSM and Luxilon TiMo. It did have more power; a welcome addition. But I didn't find the control or spin I so love in my go to setup.

I had played with it like 3 times, all indoors. The last match I played, I got a set in with it and then put it back in the bag and grabbed a "regular". My service returns immediately improved. With the natural gut, my partner and I squeaked the first set 7-5. With the regular setup, we won the 2nd 6-2.

I know this is a mortal sin, but I'll be cutting out the natural/poly combo this afternoon and weaving my normal setup back in there.

 

[dak95_00]

I also play cheap with my Forten nylon mains and Isospeed Baseline crosses. Help me understand why a normal person would ever hybrid gut with poly? Won’t the poly go dead well before the gut and require a cut out anyway?

If I ever feel the desire to pay that kind of money, I believe I’m going Sampras with a full set of gut.

 

[Rabbit]

@dak95_00 IMO, poly in the crosses is nowhere near as noticeable in terms of performance degradation. I also tweak my string bed by playing with a thin enough gauge (18) in the mains that breaks about when I want it to. Yes, I enjoy stringing! I haven't seen any drop off with the natural gut/polyester string job and it's been in there a while.

 

[darklore009]

I recently switched from Poly Mains/Syn Cross into Syn Main/Poly Cross. I like it as its much comfortable to hit with and the tension drop is gradual than sudden with the other way around. I been experimenting with different tensions with this setup. From my last setup with my TC95, it was Gosen OGSM 17g with 52ibs and Pros Pro Blackout at 50. Last night I strung it a bit tighter this time with 55ibs/53ibs, Synthetic gut is prestrectched @ 10% as an experiment.

 

[Rabbit]

I recently switched from Poly Mains/Syn Cross into Syn Main/Poly Cross. I like it as its much comfortable to hit with and the tension drop is gradual than sudden with the other way around. I been experimenting with different tensions with this setup. From my last setup with my TC95, it was Gosen OGSM 17g with 52ibs and Pros Pro Blackout at 50. Last night I strung it a bit tighter this time with 55ibs/53ibs, Synthetic gut is prestrectched @ 10% as an experiment.

My experience mirrors yours. I find that with SynGut mains, I am more prone to swing out. I get better spin and the poly helps firm the string bed up and enhances control.

 

[MathieuR]

For all my "clients" who have no specific wishes I string sg mains, poly crosses. (all these people have new strings once every blue moon)
Biggest advantage: the stringbed doesn't lock-up. The mains notch, but keep sliding.

 

[johnwah]

does anybody vary their mains and crosses more than 4lbs? it feels like the softness of the syn gut requires a much higher tension than the poly...

 

[LOBALOT]

The friends I string for like Gosen OGSM in the mains with Weiss Cannon Silverstring in the crosses (or vice versa). However, while it performs great initially and is a cheap setup, it is not durable. I have a couple of questions:

1. I really like the playability and price point of the Gosen. Any suggestions for a more durable synthetic gut with similar characteristics (Note: We are not fans of duraflex)?

2. In the quest for something better I have been thinking about Tourna Big Hitter Silver as a nice round cross string instead of the Weiss Cannon. Has anyone tried both of these? From what I see the Tourna is a tad stiffer, more spin, more durable, cheaper.

Thanks!

The Tourna Big Hitter Silver was cheap enough that I couldn't resist and bought a reel. So far the experiment looks good as a cheaper alternative to Weiscannon. It is a bit stiffer when stringing and plays a tad firmer. However for $6 in string with Gossen OGSM one can't beat the price. I think the Tourna makes a nice cross string if someone is looking to restring often.

 

[Marcus14]

does anybody vary their mains and crosses more than 4lbs? it feels like the softness of the syn gut requires a much higher tension than the poly...

Like I said before - go FULL POLY. It will save you a lot of trouble. That is, of course, you can take advantage of what poly has to offer.

 

[krisdrum]

does anybody vary their mains and crosses more than 4lbs? it feels like the softness of the syn gut requires a much higher tension than the poly...

I have been doing 5 lb differential. 60 on the mains, 55 on the crosses, usually with a soft thin gauge poly cross. Even then I feel like I can probably go higher on the mains. The SG has plenty of comfort even at the higher tensions.

 

[1HBHfanatic]

I recently switched from Poly Mains/Syn Cross into Syn Main/Poly Cross. I like it as its much comfortable to hit with and the tension drop is gradual than sudden with the other way around. I been experimenting with different tensions with this setup. From my last setup with my TC95, it was Gosen OGSM 17g with 52ibs and Pros Pro Blackout at 50. Last night I strung it a bit tighter this time with 55ibs/53ibs, Synthetic gut is prestrectched @ 10% as an experiment.

i remember going through that transition years ago (poly/sg to sg/poly), for a long time,,
until recent 2 years or so, i noticed how tight and tighter i was preferring the tensions, (i keep records of my stringing history; i went back and noticed the progression in tension increase, and the deterioration on my wrist)
i decided to go full poly at low tensions (use to hate it when i first tried it), and now that's my preferred setup
when from 56/58 poly/sg, to 62/59lbs sg/poly to now 49/46lbs fb poly/poly

im not saying this is going to be you, just remember that path as i read your post
every player with their own unique game/swing will find their "golde lock", string combo!!

 

[Rabbit]

I keep going back to what Ron Ferguson says: string as loosely as you can control.

54/50

May drop from there.

 

[Kimiko Yuuki]

I dropped 10# on my full bed poly to 55# and spin rate more than doubled, but ball speed and control dropped tanked. Going back to 65# so I can get back to hitting triple digit ball speeds even if they are slightly flatter.

Sent from my LM-Q610(FGN) using Tapatalk

 

[grhcan99]

Has anybody compared syngut/poly vs syngut full bed in terms of spin?

I haven't tried syngut/poly yet but I have tried full syngut before and if I use my regular forehand strokes I would dump everything to the bottom of the net. Yes, literally bottom of the net. I have to make a big adjustment to get the ball over the net.

Will a syngut/poly solve this issue?

 

[2nd Serve Ace]

Has anybody compared syngut/poly vs syngut full bed in terms of spin?

I haven't tried syngut/poly yet but I have tried full syngut before and if I use my regular forehand strokes I would dump everything to the bottom of the net. Yes, literally bottom of the net. I have to make a big adjustment to get the ball over the net.

Will a syngut/poly solve this issue?

Imho, nylon strings have no business being on the cross due to their extremely "sticky" nature locking up the stringbed. This inhibits spin and honestly makes the stringbed less comfortable.

 

[grhcan99]

Imho, nylon strings have no business being on the cross due to their extremely "sticky" nature locking up the stringbed. This inhibits spin and honestly makes the stringbed less comfortable.

So are you suggesting nylon/poly?

 

[darklore009]

Syn Gut Mains/Poly Cross has its disadvantage of the lack of spin because the poly is locking up the synthetic gut mains. If you're the type that hits a lot of spin or shreds through strings, this isnt for you. However, if you hit flat or able to generate spin on your own, this setup would do.

I find the Syn Gut/Poly to be much forgiving than a full bed of poly as I can get away with many frame shots with my TC95. Currently have matched TC95 16x19 with 320g 10p HL with different RAs of 70 and 63. Both played very similar with the exact setup of Gosen OG Sheep Micro in the mains and Pros Pro Blackout in the cross @ 58ibs.

 

[tennisbike]

Just stirring the pot here. Strung a couple of SG/poly:

Head Liquidmetal Radical MP, Forten SG 40/KB PLX 1.25 42lb: lively
Prince Tour 18x20, Gosen Micro 16/KB PLX, 40/37 lb, need a play test

 

[Rabbit]

Alas my perfect formula has been thrown a curve. Luxilon has stopped making TiMo. My first option is Ace. The saga continues.

 

[hurworld]

Alas my perfect formula has been thrown a curve. Luxilon has stopped making TiMo. My first option is Ace. The saga continues.

Have you tried Ghost Wire 1.10 as a replacement?

 

[esm]

Syn Gut Mains/Poly Cross has its disadvantage of the lack of spin because the poly is locking up the synthetic gut mains. If you're the type that hits a lot of spin or shreds through strings, this isnt for you. However, if you hit flat or able to generate spin on your own, this setup would do.

I find the Syn Gut/Poly to be much forgiving than a full bed of poly as I can get away with many frame shots with my TC95. Currently have matched TC95 16x19 with 320g 10p HL with different RAs of 70 and 63. Both played very similar with the exact setup of Gosen OG Sheep Micro in the mains and Pros Pro Blackout in the cross @ 58ibs.

on my Angell racuqets, i have only tried PP Syn Gut 16 @54lb/PP RD 1.19 @48lb on the TC100 63RA and thought it played nicely. then i strung ti up with a fb of PP EUrption 1.18 @ 33lb/31lb and the playability and pocketing feel was amazing, have stuck with it since. done the same with the TC95 16x19 63 RA and liked it too, no so much with the PP RD 1.19 on the TC95 though..... but i think i will put another couple of hours in and see.

 

[Yoneyama]

I am a big syngut fan and have tried a lot in the past two years after having my wrist wrecked by Lux 4G. I am going to give Gosen AK Pro CX / Kirschbaum Max Power a go soon.

The AK Pro CX is the best syngut I have ever used and I really like it in a full bed - prefer it to any multifilaments. It holds tension amazingly well and has decent snapback in a full bed (it doesn't lock up).

For some context, my current favourite setup is Babolat VS Touch / Kirschbaum Max Power (at 60/54lb). Perfect combo of comfort, control, power and tension maintenance in a Vcore Pro 97 310g, leather grip and some lead in the head - 360g strung. I previously used Lux polys in this hybrid but any version of Alu lost tension so quick it was a waste of gut, and 4G destroyed my wrist. Max Power is a stiff string but no where near as bad as 4G and its tension maintenance is just as good as 4G.

Anyway, I don't use that setup in wet conditions so I will be subbing the VS with the AK Pro CX and will report back here.

 

[Rabbit]

Have you tried Ghost Wire 1.10 as a replacement?

I have not, thanks for the suggestion! (You are referring to the Tier 1 string?)

 

[hurworld]

I have not, thanks for the suggestion! (You are referring to the Tier 1 string?)

yup!