djNEiGht
Legend
I've heard good things about 4g but have personally yet to try it in a gut/poly set up
The gut/poly thread
- Thread starter SpinToWin
- Start date
phanamous
Rookie
In theory, I thought so too. Tried it and hated it as Revolve was actually too slick allow the mains to move too much at impact. I tried stringing it tighter to reduce this and it ended up making the stringbed feel too stiff reducing the sweet spot size in the process. Gave up on it.
Happi
Hall of Fame
I cut out my crosses all the time and replace with new string, I never experienced any problems with the frame at all, no cracks or anything. As long as you mount the racquet firmly before cutting out the crosses, you will be safe.
Does not matter where the tie off is, you just cut the knot.
Gut can last a long time, and plays well for a long time, so benefits are cost
Just got my first ever sets og nat gut... I don't want to die without even trying it once haha
I went with Babolat VS 130 in black...
Will try them in my PS v13 and TF 40 315, both control frames lacking a bit in power...
I have those choices to go for the poly crosses:
- Razor Code Carbon 120
- Wilson Revolve white 125
- Black Code Black 120 (afraid i would cut and notch the gut)
- Ice Code 120
- Babolat RPM Power 125
- Luxilon Alu Power 125 Lime
- Tour Bite 120
Which one would you chose, for a great 1st time experience??
For cosmetic purpose only, I would tend to favor Razor Code, haha
I went with Babolat VS 130 in black...
Will try them in my PS v13 and TF 40 315, both control frames lacking a bit in power...
I have those choices to go for the poly crosses:
- Razor Code Carbon 120
- Wilson Revolve white 125
- Black Code Black 120 (afraid i would cut and notch the gut)
- Ice Code 120
- Babolat RPM Power 125
- Luxilon Alu Power 125 Lime
- Tour Bite 120
Which one would you chose, for a great 1st time experience??
For cosmetic purpose only, I would tend to favor Razor Code, haha
Xabi Alonso
New User
It's the best cross I've played with. It holds tension well, and being quite stiff, tames the power of the gut, at least to some extent. I prefer to use full poly, but if I play often enough, I can get some pain in the elbow/upper arm. So I usually have at least one racket strung with gut and never had any arm pain when using gut, even at higher tensions (I usually string the main at 28kg, 4G cross at 26kg). I haven't tried that many different gut hybrids, so there may be other options that are just as good or better, but if you want durability, control and lasting playability, then I'd recommend trying 4G.
jmacdaununder2
Legend
Surprised more players aren’t cutting through the gut well before the poly goes dead.
When the poly is in the cross, it isn't nearly as big of a deal if it goes dead compared to it being in the mains or a full bed. Yeah, the performance may drop a little, but most people can play a gut/poly hybrid until it breaks with no major issues. As you can see, there are some who are adamant about cutting the poly out, but most would agree it's not necessary.
VacationTennis
Semi-Pro
- Razor Code Carbon 120
- Wilson Revolve white 125
- Black Code Black 120 (afraid i would cut and notch the gut)
- Ice Code 120
- Babolat RPM Power 125
- Luxilon Alu Power 125 Lime
- Tour Bite 120
Which one would you chose, for a great 1st time experience??
For cosmetic purpose only, I would tend to favor Razor Code, haha
Since it's your first my vote is Alu Power since it's round, would be a good place to start. I know a lot of people like shaped crosses but you can always try those in the future.
EggSalad
Hall of Fame
Just got my first ever sets og nat gut... I don't want to die without even trying it once haha
I went with Babolat VS 130 in black...
Will try them in my PS v13 and TF 40 315, both control frames lacking a bit in power...
I have those choices to go for the poly crosses:
- Razor Code Carbon 120
- Wilson Revolve white 125
- Black Code Black 120 (afraid i would cut and notch the gut)
- Ice Code 120
- Babolat RPM Power 125
- Luxilon Alu Power 125 Lime
- Tour Bite 120
Which one would you chose, for a great 1st time experience??
For cosmetic purpose only, I would tend to favor Razor Code, haha
Id go with either the Revolve or Alu. The rational being that they are 1.25 and I don’t love a 1.20 cross with a 1.30 gut.
But you probably can’t go wrong with any of those choices.
stapletonj
Hall of Fame
My 2 personal favorites aren't on here, but I am no string expert either.Just got my first ever sets og nat gut... I don't want to die without even trying it once haha
I went with Babolat VS 130 in black...
Will try them in my PS v13 and TF 40 315, both control frames lacking a bit in power...
I have those choices to go for the poly crosses:
- Razor Code Carbon 120
- Wilson Revolve white 125
- Black Code Black 120 (afraid i would cut and notch the gut)
- Ice Code 120
- Babolat RPM Power 125
- Luxilon Alu Power 125 Lime
- Tour Bite 120
Which one would you chose, for a great 1st time experience??
For cosmetic purpose only, I would tend to favor Razor Code, haha
Isospeed cream and Yonex PTP.
Basically you want a nice slick poly so the mains can move.
You should prefer a round poly for the same reasons and so tey don't saw into the gut like some polys can
Dont forget to go up in tension some on your mains! I sting my vcore mains at 62 lbs. and I'm over 60.
Lots of folks string looser than that.
YMMV.
Used that for a long time, great cross with gut.
Never tried it in a full bed but as a cross it felt comfortable, slick and held tension well.
I have used other strings that I thought were equally as good but nothing that felt remarkably better.
My vote's for revolve from that list.Just got my first ever sets og nat gut... I don't want to die without even trying it once haha
I went with Babolat VS 130 in black...
Will try them in my PS v13 and TF 40 315, both control frames lacking a bit in power...
I have those choices to go for the poly crosses:
- Razor Code Carbon 120
- Wilson Revolve white 125
- Black Code Black 120 (afraid i would cut and notch the gut)
- Ice Code 120
- Babolat RPM Power 125
- Luxilon Alu Power 125 Lime
- Tour Bite 120
Which one would you chose, for a great 1st time experience??
For cosmetic purpose only, I would tend to favor Razor Code, haha
AceyMan
Professional
Confidential is a rounded square but I don't recall anyone having tried it as a gut cross.
Any feedback who's tried it would be cool.
KC!
Hall of Fame
54/50 is VS gut/Hawk Rough, it is softer & more powerful than Durafluxx is in my other racquet at 46 lbs.
You guys have to stop this fear mongering. 54 lbs is not a high tension and especially with gut mains.
Happi
Hall of Fame
Its as high as I would go with poly cross.
I'm not too worried about tension in a gut/poly hybrid for most people unless it's ridiculously high, like 70 pounds on the poly cross. For full poly, maybe. I'm honestly not sure anymore. I think it's probably more dangerous to string full poly at 45 pounds and play with it for 40+ hours than it is to string it at 60 pounds and only play with it for 8-ish hours. I'm not sure, that's just what I've been thinking more lately.
Not saying I would necessarily recommend stringing poly at 60 pounds, as I'm not sure many people would actually benefit from that, just saying that I'm not sure it's worse than stringing it lower and playing with it for a long time.
KC!
Hall of Fame
I hit with it in my Blade Pro last night. The VS gut gives the string bed amazing feel/power. The Hawk Rough gives it a crisp feel & very spin friendly. It's a great combination; I really like it as a hybrid. I got the idea from taylor15 & dr325i
I agree completely with you here. I also prefer full poly but switched to a hybrid with 4G and gut about a year ago. I was just getting my racquets restrung way too often either from breaking a string or the poly just going dead. I got tired of that. I resisted gut for a long time since I am a string breaker. To add another benefit to all the ones you pointed out, I have to restring way less often. The hybrid setup plays the same for a much longer amount of time. I'd have to restring the full poly about once a week and now restring about every 4-6 weeks. Even though the hybrid setup costs more I spend less overall on stringing since I don't restring as often.
If you mean the poly breaking the gut strings? I made the mistake of using a shaped poly when I first move to a gut hybrid, I am a string breaker but the shaped poly - HyperG, cut through the gut in about an hour. Fortunately I strung another racquet with 4G and gut and that is what I continue to play with. That setup lasts quite a bit longer than others I have tried. I'd guesstimate I would break strings with full poly in a week, 8-12 hours or so. I got more durability out of poly (4G) and syn gut but not as long as nat gut. I'm about 4-6 weeks of playing, maybe 30-40 hours of playtime before I have to restring the 4G/gut hybrid.
Fintft
G.O.A.T.
I usually replace the poly a couple of times in a hybrid with gut in the mains.
Gut mains right? Tension?
So no...but yes
I have four racquets (all Wilson Blades) all strung with 4G/gut hybrid. Three of those have the 4G @48lbs on the mains and gut @52 in the crosses, the other one is gut @52 in the mains and 4G@48 in the crosses. Well, one of those is a little lower tension with 4G in mains @43/gut@45.
80% of the time I use the 4G@48/gut@52. I'm a decent player (4.5) but not super great and some days my form can be way off and you know, the easiest fix for that is to try a different racquet setup
I have very full swings and in theory the 4G in the mains should give me more control and spin but I don't know....swing to swing my form isn't going to be the same so it is tough to say how much difference there is for me in poly in the mains versus crosses, etc. I prefer the feel of the poly in the mains so that is what I use most.
I don't break the gut though with the 4G in the mains. It does move around, I can fell it and hear it but the gut lasts much longer than I thought it would. I have tried multis too with the 4G in the mains - NXT and Sensation and they do break quite quickly, 10 hours or so.
Federerkblade
Hall of Fame
Im hoping the experts can help
thinking of using gut poly again, it’s been a while since I have used gut and the market has changed
Wilson gut in Wilson packaging doesn’t seem available anymore
the only options are babolat Vs 1.30 white , although it comes in blue and black which I will probably avoid
and Lux gut 1.30
do these play wildly differnt ?
I was considering Alu soft in the cross, as it is lasts longer than Alu normal generally
anyone pkayed with this set up ? Recently and which gut to go for ?
thinking of using gut poly again, it’s been a while since I have used gut and the market has changed
Wilson gut in Wilson packaging doesn’t seem available anymore
the only options are babolat Vs 1.30 white , although it comes in blue and black which I will probably avoid
and Lux gut 1.30
do these play wildly differnt ?
I was considering Alu soft in the cross, as it is lasts longer than Alu normal generally
anyone pkayed with this set up ? Recently and which gut to go for ?
VS has more of that traditional gut feel. Lux gut is a little lower powered and more firm, so a lot of people switching from full poly to a gut/poly hybrid appreciate that it's a little more similar to what they're used to. But traditional gut players generally aren't happy with Lux gut for the same reasons.
Federerkblade
Hall of Fame
Thank you
I know babolat changed the formula for gut a while back but seems like it’s still a fav
Wilson gut doesn’t seem to be found anymore not where I am anyway
Alu soft anyone tried as a cross ?
I know babolat changed the formula for gut a while back but seems like it’s still a fav
Wilson gut doesn’t seem to be found anymore not where I am anyway
Alu soft anyone tried as a cross ?
Federerkblade
Hall of Fame
Reading back a few pages I’m surprised Alu power soft 1.25 has not been mentioned as a cross, I did use it as a cross to gut a few years back and liked it
but since it’s been a few years don't remember the exact feeling
hoping Someone else has tried it more recently ..
but since it’s been a few years don't remember the exact feeling
hoping Someone else has tried it more recently ..
What is the reason some people like shaped poly as a cross?
Looks like what matters is that the NG slides against the crosses easily... and I doubt a shaped poly would add any spin potential in the cross? Also NG would notch easier with a shaped poly...
Am I missing something?
Looks like what matters is that the NG slides against the crosses easily... and I doubt a shaped poly would add any spin potential in the cross? Also NG would notch easier with a shaped poly...
Am I missing something?
Federerkblade
Hall of Fame
thats true what would be a solid alternative to Alu power standard which lasts way longer and same benefits although there is nothing like Alu power I guess ..
Your guess is as good as mine. I don't think you're missing anything.
badmice2
Professional
None other than spending more time on a machine to catch up with a cold brew or time away from an ear full at home.
pedrogcr
Semi-Pro
The only case it might actually make sense is the one described below by @phanamous, to which I'd add the Ytex Square-X as another option, which is very comfortable (polyolefin based) and holds tension very well. But I've never tried it with gut, so don't know how well it would perform.
EggSalad
Hall of Fame
I did a little experiment with Tour Hex in the crosses. I love full bed Tour hex due to the pocketing, spin, tension maintenance and arm comfort. I was curious how it would do as a cross.
It plays excellent but I’m about 6 hours in and have a bunch of fraying. One area in particular near the sweet spot looks like it may not have too long before it snaps.
So fun experiment but going to stick with round poly.
Another option I tried was Tour M8. It’s shaped but the edges are rather smooth and it’s 8 sided and closer to a round string than something like Hyper G. Tour M8 is an awesome cross. But I had it at 50lbs and after 8 or so hours my arm had enough.
I string myself and like to scratch the curiosity itch from time to time.
Where did you find hawk rough?
I'm curious how you like that one, keep us updated
djNEiGht
Legend
I personally avoid shaped poly like a hyperG/Cyclone and other sharp/edged strings
I would entertain a rough/textured string like ALU Power Rough, PTRev, BHSR. The design of those strings don't saw into the gut like an edged poly would. Plus some have compared these type of strings to the design of a golf ball dimple. The golf ball is designed to help with the air flow.
Otherwise a nice round poly with slick outer does well.
The other type of polys I would consider is Grapplesnake Irukjandi or ytex square-x (which isn't sharp like volkl v-square)
I experimented with restringing the crosses on my racquet to learn the process and to also see how it felt. I initially had Wilson Revolve and then I replaced it with a budget string, Oehms Black Pearl Rough. The profile of the string is like a clover leaf or a flower. Edges aren't too sharp. The string has a slick/oily property to it when new. Has been working well in a tight 18x20
Fighting phoenix
Professional
How long do you wait to cut out the poly crosses? I'm trying VS 17G in the mains with Yonex PTP in the crosses, it's been about 12 hours of heavy hitting now and I'm thinking the PTP might be going dead. Time to cut them out and leave the mains in, and string a fresh slick poly in the crosses, reverse weave to avoid the nocking that's already there on the gut?
phanamous
Rookie
Sounds about right. Restring the crosses at 1-2lbs less than what you originally strung it at assuming you're using the same poly so it'll play similarly as before. With the gut mains being looser now, stringing the crosses the same tension as before will make the string bed feel tighter than before.
Fintft
G.O.A.T.
Don't remember how long sorry and I take the racquet to a certified stringer, I don't know how to string myself. Replaced the poly twice.
Federerkblade
Hall of Fame
What would be a safe tension to initially try on a v core 95 with gut mains and Alu soft on cross . With lead at 3 and 9 and lead at 12 … ?
The lead obv makes the racquet more powerful ..
The lead obv makes the racquet more powerful ..
