NG natural gut strings – an indepth review
Recently, IART member Roger Gough posted a question in the Premium Members Q&A about NG strings.
Thanks to Roger for getting the ball rolling, which prompted me to contact NG strings and the owner to find out more about their natural gut strings. We had a nice conversation, and I asked if he’d be willing to let IART do some testing on his ProV5+ natural gut strings, their top-tier product. He agreed and sent several sets for play testing, which I distributed to three IART Global Ambassadors: Albert Murata, Mark Campanile, and Matt Steverson. All tested the strings, and Albert did a video, which I’ll include below. Mark and Matt compared the NG strings to Babolat VS and Luxilon, and their comments are listed below.
It’s extremely important to note that what we tested was NG’s top of the line natural gut string. There is a significant difference in the quality and price of their two lower tier strings, the NG Pro V5 ($26.88) and the V5 ($17.88). The vast majority of our premium members are business owners who are committed to providing only the very best strings for their paying customers, especially when it comes to the natural gut strings they recommend. Therefore, our interest was in the ProV5+, the highest quality string the company offers.
Mark Campanile: I have strung up two of my racquets with the NG natural gut strings. I play with the Head Auxetic 2 Speed MP 100 300G and use Head Lynx 120 on the mains, and then I installed the NG natural gut 125 on the crosses. My tension is 46 lbs. I normally use the same setup but use Luxilon Natural Gut 125 for my cross strings. My first impression is that the NG gut has a very similar look and feel when compared to the Luxilon gut. I like a firmer, natural gut. Babolat VS Touch seems a bit too soft or even mushy to me, and over time seems to break down sooner than the Luxilon natural gut. I have played about 20 hours with the NG natural gut on both clay and hard courts, indoors and outdoors, and I am quite satisfied with it. I don’t think it is quite as firm as the Luxilon gut but I do believe that it is firmer than the VS Touch. Initially, I was feeling that the NG gut was moving a bit too much in my racquet but it settled in and is not moving so much anymore. I would put the texture, firmness and lasting features of the NG natural gut somewhere in between Luxilon and Babolat VS Touch but leaning more toward the Luxilon natural gut.
After playing recently on the HarTru, I have come to realize that the NG natural gut is a pretty good substitution for the recently hard-to-procure Babolat and Luxilon natural guts. I have been play testing the premium version of NG and am quite satisfied. I think it might fray a little sooner than the Luxilon Natural Gut that I normally play with, but the playability and tension maintenance are very good.
I like to do a hybrid in my racquets and have not tested a full bed of NG to see how it slides against itself instead of the thin round poly that I use for my main strings, but I will say that the cost benefit of the NG natural gut is enticing! The cost of the Babolat and Luxilon natural gut strings is on the rise especially when you add the now required tariffs. That makes the NG natural gut an incredible value compared to the price of the top two leading brands.
Matt Steverson: I must say that this string piqued my interest. We don’t get lot of new gut offerings these days, and especially from outside our normal “gut countries” of France, Australia, and the like, but from India, where we haven’t necessarily gotten the best gut in the past. This one could set a new standard.
General Information
The string has a nice, full “molecular” coating for protection and ease of stringing, and the gauge was quite consistent in the set I tested. I didn’t use a micrometer on it, but my “calibrated fingers” thought it quite nice in this respect.
The packaging is a nice foil pouch to keep out UV rays, something that took some thought and expense and is appreciated.
The labeling is quite good, letting you know just which model, gauge, color and length option you have (By the way, it appears the full name of this string is “V5+ ‘The Terminator'”. Yes, “The Terminator”. I guess they figure that, once you try it, “you’ll be back” for more. I know, and I’m sorry.)
You can buy it in one 12 meter length, 2 lengths of 6.5 meters, in 15, 16 or 17 gauge, natural red, black or blue color, and coated or uncoated lengths. I was sent the 6.5 meter lengths in 16 gauge natural with a coating. Normally, two lengths of string will have a cable tie holding each one, but this string has only one tie holding both together, which is a problem for me.
When you clip the tie, the 2 lengths of string have a tendency to uncoil and make 2 nice “bird’s nests” on you, which not only makes it a pain to unravel, but can also affect string durability if it “kinks” on you. I’d really appreciate if the NG guys would splurge another penny or so for 2 ties on this setup.
Tim Strawn: I have used natural gut string for most of my career and the brands I’m most familiar with are Babolat, Luxilon and Bow Brand. During my 3 years of working with Bow Brand, the official stringing team of Wimbledon, I had the opportunity to tour the Bow Brand factory and observe the process of making natural gut string up close, from start to finish. The process is quite lengthy and involves several people at various stations starting with receiving the Serosa from the abattoir. The first thing that struck me was the smell, not exactly a smell you’d want to encounter first thing in the morning. You can see a nice video about the manufacture of Bow Brand natural gut string HERE
My initial impressions of the ProV5+ were positive. The string comes in a nice foil package which protects it from damaging UV sunlight. It has a nice color, very similar to Luxilon, and it handles well during the installation process. The first thing I noticed was the change in color when the string was tensioned. While it’s difficult to pin down, my best guess is that it’s because of the molecular coating that’s used but I didn’t feel like this had a negative effect on the playability of the string. I think it has more to do with what I’m used to seeing with other brands I’ve used and the difference I experienced with the NG. I installed it in a Wilson Clash 108 and the playability fell directly in the middle of Babolat VS Touch and Luxilon. It wasn’t as stiff as the Luxilon yet not as soft as the VS Touch and I found that interesting. The sets we received for testing came in two 6.5 meter lengths tied together with one tie wrap. This is something I would request the manufacturer change to facilitate easier uncoiling of the string. Two half sets tend to get tangled up and that can be problematic with natural gut. When working with gut it’s recommended to avoid kinking and when separating the two half sets of NG after clipping the tie wrap, this can happen. I ask about full length sets which would be very useful when doing a natural one-piece string job and was told that this would be coming at a later date. Personally, I feel this string is well suited in a hybrid configuration and would allow retailers an attractive option to introduce their customers to natural gut.
Price and Quality: The price of the NG ProV5+ is $29.88 per set, which is a fantastic price point for this string. Natural gut has always been an expensive string to stock and with tariffs in place, the price for Babolat, Luxilon and Wilson are now even higher. I feel that trying to compete on price with the 3 companies mentioned would not be advisable and with more exposure and targeted marketing, any shortfall in price will be made up in volume sales. It’s extremely important to note that what we tested was NG’s top of the line natural gut string and there is a significant difference in the quality and price of their two lower tier strings, the NG Pro V5 ($26.88) and the V5 ($17.88). The price of the lower tiered models will naturally attract consumers who have limited knowledge of natural gut and are always looking for the lowest price possible. They will tend to overlook the 3 levels and if buying the lower end model, assume that since it’s natural gut, it should be superior. This of course, will not be the case and is exactly why I opted to work with the owner of NG strings and do some extensive testing on the model our members would use for their paying customers. If you’re in business and servicing racquets on a regular basis, your reputation is on the line and a wise business owner will only stock strings they are confident in recommending to their customers, especially the natural gut they choose to sell! If you wish to test the difference in the three levels of NG natural gut you can always order directly from their website HERE
My final thoughts are that I would not hesitate to recommend the NG ProV5+ and let the players decide for themselves. In a hybrid configuration I think players will be pleasantly surprised!
Comments (2)
This comment from Tim hits the spot with me. “If you’re in business and servicing racquets on a regular basis, your reputation is on the line and a wise business owner will only stock strings they are confident in recommending to their customers, especially the natural gut they choose to sell!”
I’ve been slowly trying the NG gut over time. With this newest version, V5+, I have been more satisfied with the strings initial appearance and playability. My customers expect a level of quality and I don’t want to let them down. It’s great to get the feedback from all of you.
Thanks for the feedback, Roger. A refreshing thing about working with NG is the direct communication with Kevin, the owner. You can just pick up the phone and talk or send him a text, and he’s pretty good with a timely response. I think IART members are going to be pleasantly surprised at the quality of the ProV5+ natural gut strings, and with 20% off, I would encourage all premium subscribers to give him a call and place an order.