Material
Gut tennis strings
Serum from cattle intestine, and still the best-measuring string in existence. It tops the comfort, power and tension-maintenance rankings outright and is the only material that does all three at once.
Worth knowing. It costs several times what anything else does and dislikes moisture. Most players who want its feel string it as the crosses of a hybrid rather than a full bed.
What the measurements say about gut
Median percentile across the 18 measured Gut strings, against all 788.
- StiffnessThe typical gut string: Softer than 99% of the database.
- Energy returnThe typical gut string: Livelier than 99% of the database.
- Tension lossThe typical gut string: Holds its tension better than 96% of the database.
- Spin potentialThe typical gut string: Less spin potential than 95% of the database.
- SnapbackThe typical gut string: Notches and grabs itself more than 93% of the database.
The best gut string for each problem
Highest-placing string of this family on each ranking, and where it lands against the whole measured database — so you can see at a glance which problems this material is the wrong answer to.
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Easier on my arm
Pacific Prime Gut Orange Bull 16 (1.30)
1st of 783 · full ranking
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More power and depth
Pacific Prime Gut Orange Bull 16 (1.30)
1st of 783 · full ranking
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Plays the same for longer
Pacific Prime Gut Orange Bull 16L (1.25)
1st of 783 · full ranking
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Best feel and touch
Pacific Prime Gut Orange Bull 16 (1.30)
1st of 783 · full ranking
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More spin and shape
414th of 715 · full ranking
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Lasts longer before it breaks
571st of 720 · full ranking
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More control, less launch
764th of 783 · full ranking
All 18 Gut strings
Tap a column heading to sort.
| String | Gauge | Stiff lb/in | Loss % | Power % | Spin | Bite COF | Snap COF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babolat Tonic + Natural Gut 16 Gut | 16 | 99 | 15 | 96 | — | — | — |
| Babolat VS Natural Team Gut 17 (1.25) Gut | 17 | 92 | 15 | 96 | — | — | 0.147 |
| Babolat VS Natural ThermoGut 16 Touch Gut | 16 | 96 | 19 | 96 | 2.7 | 0.340 | 0.124 |
| Babolat VS Touch 15L (1.35) Gut | 15L | 89 | 12 | 96 | 3.0 | 0.447 | 0.149 |
| Klip Armour Pro 16/1.30 Gut | 16 | 109 | 16 | 96 | 1.4 | 0.279 | 0.194 |
| Klip Legend 16 Uncoated Gut | 16 | 101 | 15 | 96 | 1.2 | 0.370 | 0.298 |
| Klip Legend 17 (1.25) Gut | 17 | 90 | 12 | 96 | 2.0 | 0.412 | 0.207 |
| Luxilon Natural Gut 1.25 Gut | — | 82 | 13 | 96 | 3.7 | 0.479 | 0.129 |
| Pacific Classic Natural Gut 16 Gut | 16 | 100 | 15 | 97 | 2.8 | 0.422 | 0.149 |
| Pacific Prime Gut Orange Bull 16 (1.30) Gut | 16 | 74 | 12 | 97 | 3.1 | 0.469 | 0.149 |
| Pacific Prime Gut Orange Bull 16L (1.25) Gut | 16L | 76 | 10 | 97 | 2.3 | 0.442 | 0.191 |
| Pacific Prime Natural Gut 16 Gut | 16 | 85 | 14 | 95 | 4.4 | 0.453 | 0.103 |
| Pacific Prime Natural Gut 16L Gut | 16L | 94 | 14 | 96 | — | — | — |
| Pacific Tough Gut 16 Gut | 16 | 107 | 21 | 95 | 1.8 | 0.320 | 0.180 |
| Pacific Tough Gut 16L Gut | 16L | 96 | 16 | 97 | — | — | — |
| Wilson Natural Gut 16 Gut | 16 | 97 | 17 | 95 | 1.3 | 0.330 | 0.245 |
| Wilson Natural Gut 16 (1.30) Gut | 16 | 93 | 12 | 95 | 4.0 | 0.492 | 0.124 |
| Wilson Natural Gut 17 Gut | 17 | 81 | 15 | 95 | 2.2 | 0.386 | 0.173 |