It got a bit better before snapping some 10-12 hours in.
I use gut on clay and think it’s the best string that one can get. I use it as a main with lynx tour crosses. But I string it much higher than you. 27/25. Gut is sensitive to temperature changes and I only drop to 25kg during winter when it’s close to 0 degrees. I found it to be too lively during summer at 25kg.
I settled on 58/51. Pretty spot on in my extreme mp.
I have been using yonex strike as a cross as its way cheaper and holds tension better than Alu rough, but it starts to get sticky and stay out of place after a few weeks. Alu rough stays incredibly slippery for ages. Lux rough is the gold standard for me too, I just can’t afford/justify paying nearly double the price here in Australia for a reel of Luxilon.
Yes.
I have to agree
If I play only singles, the gut breaks around 12-15 hours. Usually I play singles for 10 hours and then use the string job only for doubles and drill sessions. With VS/HGS, the gut gets frayed, but I usually cut them out more often than not around 15-18 hours when I feel that the poly is dead. I play at the 4.5 level and so, the hitting is not at the level of top juniors and college players who break strings more frequently. I have noticed that some of my friends who mishit the ball frequently compared to me tend to break strings more often while I am more of a clean ballstriker.
When I used to play fullbed NG, I played at 57 or 58lbs. When I started hybriding, I went down in tension first by 5%, then 10% and then kept going down till I found the tension range that works best for me. The poly crosses makes the stringbed stiff and so, the gut mains don’t feel like they would in a fullbed.
I think most people use 1.25 gauge since Luxilon Alu Power is the golden standard of poly strings and they didn't have all the gauge offerings they do now back then. 1.25 gauge gut is too powerful for a lot of people without stringing super high and that reduces durability a lot.
I’ve found that GW as a cross sometimes will get a bit too mushy after a few sessions. Cream gets pancaked because it’s so soft with its rubber elastomer. Max power is probably your best option for cross if you enjoy the feel of that string. I opt for SP polaris as a cross because the crisp feel of silver strings tends to make my arm tingle. Stiff string at lower trnsion is better than softer string at higher tension because soft string at high tension won’t last long.
Somebody I play with broke both his full-beds of 4G last night. They'd been in the racquets about 2 years. He said he doesn't like strings when they're fresh.
I can only really describe my experience which was 16g nat gut mains / 17g poly tour pro yellow crosses. 18x20 VCore HD. Lots of control. Yes the string-bed feel did change over the 12 weeks it took for the mains to break. However, I found I was able to adapt very easily to this change. I think 16/17 would work well and you would probably get more durability from the gut.
Cross string impacts control more than mains.
I'm trying lux NG 1.30 x Max Power Rough 1.25 right now. I don't know if I like how it feels so far
I use the standard max power. It could also be the tension, racquet, or even the gut, but the possibility for the gut being the culprit is very low.I'm trying lux NG 1.30 x Max Power Rough 1.25 right now. I don't know if I like how it feels so far
Yeah with different gut hybrids I've been using 62 lbs happily (4G-R x NG, ALUP-R x NG, NG x ALUP-R) but I wanted to try 57 lbs with this string so that is indeed a factor. I was thinking most likely it's the Kirschbaum that I don't like though. With every Kirschbaum string I've tried so far, I've never cared for their feel. Maybe their strings haven't given me the kind of tactile feedback that I'm used to? I will continue to play with it and adjust to it.
