Pure Drive Purist

  Know Your String - Co-Poly Monofilament This post is an extension of the original "Know Your Strings" post, focusing solely on co-poly monofilament (Poly). Overview Poly strings are gaining significant traction and popularity in the last two decades. Unlike other, softer string options, co-poly monofilament is a single strand of string, which will be a little stiffer in the racket. Poly will typically last longer in your racket than other string options and will usually have a slick outer coating to allow the string to slide at contact and snap back quickly, replicating the string movement of natural gut. Because of this string movement, players who hit with significant pace and spin will enhance more benefits from poly, and will not feel as drastic effects of its stiffness. Options Most string companies make several poly options. Overall, the differences are stiffness and longevity. Stiffer poly will produce a little more power and spin as the strings will snap back into p...

  Know Your String - Synthetic Gut This post is an extension of the original "Know Your Strings" post, focusing solely on synthetic (syn) gut. Overview Synthetic gut strings are a soft string that will provide good comfort and playability. Like multifilament strings, syn gut is made up of fibers bound together, but there are significantly fewer than the multifilament options. Typically, syn gut strings are comprised of one larger "core" fiber in the center, and smaller ones around the outside. Because of this, syn gut strings will stretch less than multifilament, resulting in a stiffer feel and quick tension loss. Synthetic gut is usually what comes in pre-strung rackets and is typically the least expensive string on the market. Options Most string companies make one synthetic gut option. Overall, most syn gut strings will play very similarly. Deciding among syn gut options mostly comes down to which brand you prefer , as most are less than $5.00 per set.  Stringing...

  Know Your String - Multifilament This post is an extension of the original "Know Your Strings" post, focusing solely on multifilament. Overview Multifilament strings are a soft string that will provide good comfort and playability. Multifilament strings are made up of many small fibers of nylon bound together. Because of this, multifilament strings will move and stretch more than many other strings, resulting in holding their tension well and being forgiving on the arm. Options Most string companies have two main price options for multifilament strings. While all multifilament strings play similarly, the main differences are how long the strings maintain their tension and how soft the strings feel. The more expensive options will typically consist of more and thinner fibers. The cheaper options will have fewer fibers, and as a result will not stretch as much as those with more. With so many options out there, check some out for yourself and experiment to find what works bes...

 Know Your String - Natural Gut This post is an extension of the original "Know Your Strings" post, focusing solely on natural gut. Overview Natural gut has the name it does because it is made from animal intestines. While that may seem gross, it is incredibly forgiving and is still considered the "gold standard" in strings. Natural gut is known to provide a nice "pocket," basically meaning it has good feel all across the string bed. This occurs because the string is incredibly soft and flexible, and the outer coating allows it to slide against itself. This combination allows for significant string movement at contact, especially when compared to other string types. This movement allows for greater access to spin and power.  Options There are a handful of companies that make solid natural gut options. Babolat makes the majority of the gut used today, and their gut is typically considered to be the best on the market. Klip is another option that will be mor...

Know Your String There are 5 main groups of strings on the market today, and each has strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, the best string type for you will depend on a variety of factors and the only way to find what's best is to try some different string and tension setups. Natural gut Natural gut is the softest, and typically the most expensive string type. Made from cow intestines (hence the name natural gut), it provides a soft, forgiving feel due to the composition and the slick outer coating. Because of the coating, the string can slide or glide against itself, so at contact the strings move and snap back to generate more pace and spin with less effort. Although it’s the most expensive, it also has the shortest life expectancy of all strings, which is why you will see or hear it used in a hybrid setup (usually with a monofilament) more often than a full racket. Natural gut is also more difficult to string, requiring more patience and caution to avoid ruining the string befo...