Luxilon Natural Gut 16/1.30 String
4.5
Overview
Luxilon takes its pro tour bona fides and applies it to natural gut, the most responsive string material ever made. Composed of uniquely elastic serosa fibers, Luxilon Natural Gut offers phenomenal shock absorption while also remaining wonderfully crisp. The result is a string that protects your arm but still delivers the kind of direct feedback that makes you feel connected to the ball. In contrast to other natural guts, we were impressed by this string’s durability. The outstanding tension maintenance means that Luxilon Natural Gut remains playable longer than any synthetic on the market. Given this string’s feel, comfort and power, it will pair perfectly with your favorite co-poly. Players looking for maximum comfort, power and tension maintenance should give this string a serious look.
Comes with a re-sealable package and a dot marking the center.
- Gauge: 16/1.30mm
- Length: 40ft/12mm
- Composition: Natural Gut (serosa fibers)
- Color: Natural
Videos
Customer Reviews
Great as a hybrid, not so much for full bedStrung on a Wilson Pro Staff 97 V10 at 56lbs in the mains with Element at 54lbs in the crosses. Full bed at 58lbs on a ProKennex Black Ace 98.
In the hybrid setup, the first hour didn't feel very much like how a natural gut would feel. At least not in comparison to my usual go to; Babolat VS Touch. But after some tension loss the strings start to open up a bit and the feel and power you get from this is spectacular. While not quite as soft as VS Touch, it's still very comfortable. The biggest advantage the Luxilon natural gut has over the VS Touch is that it doesn't fray as quickly as the latter, after roughly six hours of hitting it's still looking pretty clean and no signs of sawing where the crosses meet.
In a full bed however, perhaps it's the construction of the string overall, it feels very much like a soft rounded poly rather than natural gut. I kid you not, a multi like X-1 Biphase is actually more comfortable than this in a full bed setup. Power is still right up there of course but without the slickness of a poly cross, spin isn't as easy to generate.
Tried this on a whimBeen using Wilson natural gut in my 18x20 V8 Blades and have been happy for the most part. Tried this on a whim. Lower power but better control, with excellent spin and good comfort. I usually use 17G, but so far I am liking this in a 16G. If durability is good, this may become my go-to set up.
Great stringIt is a fine natural gut at a good price. No issues with quality.
Lux GutWhen Luxilon first released natural gut years ago I found it to be very stiff and inferior to other guts. The formula or production seems to have changed and moved to Ireland and it's now excellent. It's still slightly stiffer, crisper, and a bit less powerful than Babolat BT7 Vs gut. It has a more durable coating and works better with poly in the crosses. I find it a bit more spin friendly as well. It frays FAR less than VS Gut. Durability is much better. I use it in the mains with poly crosses.
Previous Feedback
Comments: I love these strings. I string at 62 pounds because I hit like a beast. Very comfortable! I play 15-20 hours a week, so comfort is key. I used many of the different Luxilon polyester strings, ALU, 4G, etcetera. You sacrifice a bit of control with gut, but just increase tension.
From:Johnny, 3/11/21
Comments: After trying and hating VS Gut for its poor control and spin potential, I tried these strings with great results. I am a 27 year old 4.5 player and I love to string these strings in the mains of my Yonek Vcore Pro with ALU Power Ice blue in the crosses at 58 pounds. I love these strings more than any other gut to this day. A must try.
From:Anonymous, 1/2/20
Comments: It is stiff for gut, harsh and underpowered. Even in a full set.Pacific Tough gut 16L is far superior in comfort, dwell time, pocketing and spin.
From: RF, 9/11/18
Comments: I was very disappointed with this string. As Phil and others have pointed out, it does not feel like Babolat VS Gut at all. For me, it was harsh, particularly on off center hits, lacking in power and surprisingly lacking in feel. No better than a good multi, in my view. I play at a high level but have an old school game and use a Wilson PS 85.
From:David, 11/9/17
Comments: The best gut string I've ever used. Compared to VS it feels more crisp, has slightly less power and better control and spin. The longevity is unbelievable. The mushiness from a tension drop that I loathe has not yet happened, even after many hours of heavy hitting. The cushioning isn't quite as good as some other gut strings, but I'm glad it doesn't feel like a pillow. I've tried LXN Natural Gut as mains in a hybrid with Element and Kirschbaum Pro Line X in the crosses. I use the RF97 Autograph and play at a 4.0-4.5 level.
From:Rye, 9/16/17
Comments: It's nothing like VS at all. Very little power, only moderate cushioning, none of the touch of VS, either. It feels much closer to a upper echelon multi than a natural gut product. From my experience, I will say that Luxilon gut resists fraying better than VS when used in a hybrid. That is the only benefit of the product over VS.
From:Phil, 9/5/17
Comments: I was pretty disappointed in this string. It has none of the feel, power, or pocketing that VS has, it felt like something along the lines of Origin to me. Considering the quality standards Luxilon has established over the years, I had high expectations for this product, and it failed to meet even the most rudimentary standards I had for natural gut strings. I wouldn't recommend this string to anybody.
From:Bib, 9/1/17
Comments: Arguably the worst performance/cost factor of any string I've used since I started playing in the 1970s. It has none of the elasticity, power, or feel of VS Gut. I'm not sure if the coatings on the string itself are too heavy, or the base material itself is substandard, but something is amiss. I have two Blade 98 18x20s, one with a hybrid of ALU Power (cross) and Luxilon Gut (main) at 40 lbs, and another frame completely of Hyper G 17g at 35 pounds. The playability of the Hyper G strung frame absolutely trounces the Luxilon hybrid strung frame in every conceivable metric. I love ALU Power as much as any string I've ever used, and consider 4G and Element to be terrific products, as well. I'm just really baffled how Luxilon allowed something this poorly designed/executed to hit the marketplace.
From:Anne, 9/1/17
Comments: Fellow Seniors, save your money. Luxilon Natural Gut 1.25mm is a total waste, dashing my hopes of fame and glory. The string felt stiff right out of package much to my surprise. Played the first hour with it having good control but still stiff often making a crackling sound when I hit with topspin. I put the racquet back in my bag hoping it would loosen up some before my upcoming match in two days. I spent the big bucks, now my tennis buddies better look out. I was psyched up, grabbed my racquet out of the bag and just as quickly was dead in the water. The string had broken while in the bag. Back to some good multifilament strings for me. A little less fame perhaps, but I'm still in the game. I'm a 4.5 doubles player.
From:Gary, 8/22/17
Comments: Much better than modern strings. My coach has been trying to teach me extreme topspin for some time. So I've left gut for (co-) poly strings. To be honest, I do not find so much extra top spin even with such extremes as Solinco Tour Bite, Hyper G or Weiss Canon Ultracable. And I find gut much better for touch shots as droppers. Somehow, its power seems to be more "linear." Poly strings are good in the upper range of racquet head speed, but go extremely dead with soft shots; the ball ends up lying a feet or two before you, quiet frequently. If you have elbow problems, it is this gut type of string or the doctor, anyway. And keep in mind, the trick with tennis elbow is to prevent it in the first place. This one efinitely not worse than Babolat VS. If you are a fervent player, the extra dollars are well invested: one can play this one until it breaks. You have to cut out a poly every two to three weeks, before it goes dead.
From:Andrew, 8/13/17
Comments: Finally, I found a replacement for the old Wilson Natural Gut. Luxilon Natural Gut has similar characteristics. Similar in power, softness and touch. I am getting more spin from Luxilon than the old Wilson natural gut. By the way, I use Natural Gut in the mains and use a poly for the cross.
From:Spin, 5/4/17