The Luxilon Natural Gut 125 tested by Stephan! Stephan has tested this premium gut string in a hybrid setup in his Yonex EZONE DR 98 310 in recent weeks.
Setup:
Luxilon Natural Gut 1.25 (natural gut) with 10% pre-stretch at 24 kg in length. The new Babolat RPM Blast Rough 1.30/16 was used as a width string at 23 kg. Racket: Yonex EZONE DR 98 310.
Here is a very happy tester. What a privilege to be able to play with such a beautiful setup! The Luxilon Natural Gut in the length and the Babolat RPM Blast Rough in the width. This blend looks like it was made for my Yonex EZONE DR 98:
First impression:
With the first ball contact you immediately feel the cushioned feeling of the Luxilon Natural Gut. A blessing for your arm. I immediately took out my vibration dampener to create maximum ball feeling. The shots from the baseline feel good from the first ball. Lots of control and a relatively low power level. I notice that I can hit the ball comfortably without being afraid of hitting the ball out. Due to the relatively low power level, I have to look for the length in my strokes. But that is just a matter of a few balls and they are close to the lines again.
Comfort and feeling Luxilon Natural Gut 125:
After a few strokes I try some more spin strokes from the baseline. When hitting a spin forehand you immediately notice that the turbo of the Babolat RPM Blast Rough is going on. Huge acceleration and ball rotation. And still a very comfortable cushioned feeling. I now understand that many pros on tour play with such a blend of strings. It is truly a unique feeling to play with a Natural Gut. The slices are also wonderfully packed in this setup. I can cut the balls sharply and put them deep.
And then a few steps forward for a half-volley. What a wonderful touch with this Luxilon Natural Gut! I was able to put away the half-volleys remarkably sharply. Moving on to the net certainly did not diminish my volleyball experience with the Luxilon Natural Gut. In fact, the fulling was very precise and crisp. This Luxilon Natural Gut is not only very comfortable but also has a nice crisp feeling that translates into precise, tight volleys at the net. An absolute plus for me as a player who does not naturally perform easily but now suddenly feels like Roger Federer. I even tried a 'no look' drop volley and to my surprise it went well.
Durability and overall performance:
I was so excited about this setup that I took advantage of it in the first doubles tournament of the season. Despite the competitive tension, the Luxilon Natural Gut gave me the confidence to keep hitting. After playing two matches in the rain, I was curious how durable the Luxilon Natural Gut is and whether it could maintain its tension. I can answer that with a resounding yes.
The Luxilon Natural Gut is remarkably durable and retains its tension well. I have now played with it intensively for 3 weeks in varying weather conditions and the Luxilon Natural Gut is still firmly in place. In short, I am very satisfied with this beautiful setup and very impressed with the Luxilon Natural Gut. So if you are looking for a unique feeling with a cushioned and comfortable ball contact and have sufficient power at home, then this string is a must-have!