Today in the string battle the RS New York vs the Babolat VS Touch . How does the new premium multifilament string with promised 'Natural Gut feel' from Robin Söderling compare to the authentic natural gut of the Babolat VS Touch? Lately Mike has been putting both strings through the test in a hybrid setup. The RS New York and Babolat VS Touch with 2 identical rackets in length combined with the Luxilon Alu Power 1.25 in width. Both were strung at 24/23 kg in my trusty Prince Textreme Warrior 107 . The only difference is that the RS New York was 1.24 mm thick and the Babolat VS Touch was 1.30 mm. No test sets were available for the 1.30 mm version of the RS New York. The RS New York and Babolat VS Touch are strung with 10% pre-stretch, the Alu Power as a width string without pre-stretch.

RS New York rating:

Durability: 7 Voltage maintenance: 7 Spin: 7.5 Ball feeling: 8 Power: 8.5 Control: 7.5 Comfort: 8.5

Babolat VS Touch rating:

Sustainability: 7.5 Voltage maintenance: 9 Spin: 7.5 Ball feeling: 9.5 Power: 9 Control: 8.5 Comfort: 9.5

Test:

Not so long ago I played Natural Gut before because of my shoulder problems. Then combined with a Luxilon Alu Power 1.25 and also Yonex Poly Tour Pro 1.25 in width. So I already knew this combination. Now compare it with the 'premium multifilament' RS New York. When I first played the ball with the RS New York/Alu Power combination, I immediately noticed the different sound and feel. The string does not have the same damped playing feel and touch as Natural Gut. Nevertheless, it comes quite close, but in my opinion no more than, for example, a Babolat Xcel 16 or Tecnifibre X-One Biphase multifilament string. The RS New York is quite lively. It was easy to add length and power to my strokes, but the strings shifted quite quickly compared to the VS Touch. Of course, nothing comes close to the tension retention of Natural Gut, but the difference was still significant. Yet the RS New York is also very user-friendly and offers excellent comfort. However, gut has a much more predictable and consistent playing feel and also more touch. The comfort and power are apparently in excellent condition with the RS New York. In terms of control, the string lagged slightly behind. Natural Gut really gives more feeling and plays more consistently.

Coveralls:

Overall, the RS New York is an excellent multifilament string with good comfort and power. I personally expected a little more from the promised 'Natural Gut feel'. Nevertheless, the RS New York is a good and affordable alternative to natural casing if you are willing to make concessions in terms of ball feeling, tension maintenance and consistency.