Head Natural Gut

Head Natural Gut
Gauge: 16G (1.30)
Price: $24/ half-set
Type: Natural Gut
Color: Clear and Slightly Natural

Setup: Head Natural Gut 16G 55 lbs / Luxilon Alu Power Fluoro 17G 55 lbs

So head makes natural gut. I don't have a lot of experience with natural gut because it's too expensive and it doesn't last. After playing with this monster, I found out why pros choose natural gut over any other string.

Stringing:
So I give it a little pre-stretching action and away we go. Very easy to string. Half set so no cutting and installation on mains was a breeze. Just have to be careful not to kink the string when pulling through holes. Make sure to adjust clamps and tension head so you don't damage the string.

By the way, my set up is very similar to what the Japanese ATP pro Kei Nishikori uses. He uses Wilson natural instead of Head natural. Hybrid of gut and Luxilon Alu Power Fluoro.

Ground Strokes:
Very good power generation. Spin generation was very easy and the feel was awesome. You can actually FEEEEEEEL the ball with gut mains. Good ball pocketing and the control was superb. I was able to get a heavy topspin shot with ease.

Serves:
Again really good ball bite for slice and kick serves. Was able to kick high and away from opponent. Kick height was about shoulder to head level. When needed to blast a flat serve, ample power was there.

Volleys and Overhead:
Again nice feel and it's pretty much the same as above.

Durability Issue:
First 2 hours of play was superb. Excellent feel, excellent ball pocketing, excellent power. You get the picture. At the 1 hour mark it started to fray slightly. I was expecting it to fray more but it started to fall apart rather than fray. At the 2 hour mark, signs of complete coating breakage and unraveling were seen. 2.5-3 hour mark it was gone.

Conclusion:
Head's natural gut performs very well in all areas. If you are not a string breaker and can afford gut, this is one to try. The only drawback is that it's fairly expensive for only a half set. A full set of Babolat VS is $42. $24 for a half set is...uhhh yea.

Quick Review (out of 10):
Power: 9
Control: 9
Spin: 9
Stiffness: 5
Feel: 9
Durability: 2
Tension Maintenance: 10