7 Best Multifilament Tennis String: Better Performance at Lower Price

Tennis is a very popular game and also very competitive. As a tennis player, you must ensure that your skills are up to the standards and your equipment is good enough.

As a professional tennis player, your gear includes polyester and natural guts strings because those are the best in both quality and performance. You may have hardly used multifilament strings and that is understandable. Compared to polyester and natural guts, multifilament falls short by a lot.

But still, multifilament is a good choice for other non-professional players. Mainly because it mimics the feel and performance of natural guts bought on a smaller scale. But it also comes at a lower price.

Multifilament strings may not be the best choice but it does deliver in terms of power and comfort. There is a lack of control and spin, but with a few compromises, you will be able to tweak the specs and get a well-balanced string. However, it will still be nowhere closer to natural gut and other similar strings.

You don’t need to emphasize some variations, check multifilament strings in your racket. But if you do, then here are some recommendations to help you.

In a hurry? Here are my top three picks:

Best Overall
Gamma Sports Live Wire XP Tennis String, Black, 17g
Runner-Up
Solinco Vanquish 16 g 1.30 mm Tennis String - 2 Packs
Top Brand
Babolat Xcel (16-1.30mm) Tennis String Set (Natural)
Gamma Sports Live Wire XP Tennis String, Black, 17g
Solinco Vanquish 16 g 1.30 mm Tennis String - 2 Packs
Babolat Xcel (16-1.30mm) Tennis String Set (Natural)
$16.37
$24.98
$20.95
-
-
Best Overall
Gamma Sports Live Wire XP Tennis String, Black, 17g
Gamma Sports Live Wire XP Tennis String, Black, 17g
$16.37
Runner-Up
Solinco Vanquish 16 g 1.30 mm Tennis String - 2 Packs
Solinco Vanquish 16 g 1.30 mm Tennis String - 2 Packs
$24.98
-
Top Brand
Babolat Xcel (16-1.30mm) Tennis String Set (Natural)
Babolat Xcel (16-1.30mm) Tennis String Set (Natural)
$20.95
-

Top 7 Best Multifilament Tennis Strings

1. Gamma Live Wire Professional

Gamma Live Wire Professional

Gamma Live Wire Professional is one of the most popular multifilament strings out in the market. It is one of the oldest and most natural-looking multifilament strings. The string comes at a very affordable price.

It is surprisingly well balanced for this price point. It provides well-balanced power, control, and comfort that you would expect from any other multifilament strings.

The focus of these strings is on power and comfort. It is available in three different gauge sizes. 16, 17, and 18. 16 goes for more control and 18 goes for power. 17 is the balanced point.

Things I Like:

  • Available in three gauges
  • Natural color
  • Soft and comfortable
  • Low-budget
Check Current Price & Reviews

2. Solinco Vanquish Tennis String

Solinco Vanquish Tennis String

Solinco is widely known for its polyester strings. But these multifilament strings from them are worth our attention. These Solinco Vanquish strings are mainly focused on control and durability. But it is also comfortable enough for the tennis arm. The only trade-off is power.

The strings do not generate power at all. But you can perform strong hits. They are durable enough to handle the pressure created. The strings appear to be thicker and come in three different gauges. 15, 16, and 17.

All of these gauges are focused on control and comfort. But we cannot say much about the spin. It is not up to the standards, but overall, it is worth checking out.

Things I Like:

  • Reasonable price
  • Soft and comfortable
  • Natural color
  • Available in three different gauges
  • Focused on control
Check Current Price & Reviews

3. Babolat Xcel Tennis String

Babolat Xcel Tennis String

Babolat is a very famous brand for producing tennis strings. Their polyester and co-polyester strings are well received and used by many ATP players. Their multifilament string, Babolat Xcel, is also similar to those strings.

Babolat Xcel is mainly focused on comfort. You will be surprised to see how comfortable it is on the arms. Elderly and injured players can easily play with these strings. Just like comfort, it is also surprisingly well in control of the ball too.

But in terms of power and spin, it does not live up to the standards. It is not much of a surprise since it is made of multifilament.

Things I Like:

  • Available in 15, 16, and 17 gauge.
  • Strings are durable and comfortable
  • Great control over the ball
  • Lower price
Check Current Price & Reviews

4. Head RIP Control Tennis Strings

Head RIP Control Tennis Strings

The Head RIP Control is all about control. It is an ideal choice for control-oriented players. As you are in control, you will naturally give up power because that is the rule of nature.

The strings come in 16, 17, and 18 gauge. Those who would love to emphasize power but still want control can pick the 28 gauge. That one is focused on power and spin and very little emphasis on control.

But all three of them are focused on comfort. The core material of these strings is nylon. Nylon is fused with polyolefin ribbons to make it strong and durable.

Things I Like:

  • Available in three gauges
  • Option for giving up control and focus on power
  • Comfortable and soft
  • Available at a very low price
Check Current Price & Reviews

5. Tecnifibre NRG2 Tennis String

Tecnifibre NRG2 Tennis String

Tecnifibre NRG2 tennis string is one of the most competitive multifilament tennis strings. It comes with a great balance between control and power. These strings are well known for their amazing feat of high tension.

If you are a heavy hitter, then don’t hesitate to try these strings out. They are made of multifilament, polyurethane, and monofilament. They not only provide durability, but also control and comfort.

Things I Like:

  • Great durability
  • SPL coating
  • Elastic fiber
  • Available in three different gauges
Check Current Price & Reviews

6. Gamma TNT2 Touch Tennis String

Gamma TNT2 Touch Tennis String

Gamma TNT2 Touch Tennis String tried to effectively mimic the properties of a natural gut tennis string. It has enhanced elasticity and durability. Strong power generation is also present. This string amazingly does not give away control for such a feat of power.

The materials used are premium nylon and similar materials. All combined gives you a premium feel of multifilament which is soft and comfortable on the arm. Moreover, it comes in two gauges 16 and 17. 

Things I Like:

  • Elastic fibers
  • Premium multifilament
  • Durable and soft
  • Extreme control potential
  • Powerful
Check Current Price & Reviews

7. Head Velocity MLT Tennis String

Head Velocity MLT Tennis String

The Head Velocity MLT strings are one of the most powerful multifilament strings. It is all about power. Its multifilament core is surrounded and coated with a monofilament core.

Combining the strength of these two materials, this string can transfer energy faster and deliver more power in every shot. With every shot, you can deliver an explosive-like ball to your opponent which will be very hard to handle.

The focus of this multifilament string is totally on power. Then it goes to comfort. The soft multifilament core gives you a soft experience. It goes easy on the arm, preventing injuries and pain. Then the focus moves to spin.

Multifilament strings are not very good at spinning the ball. But a few tweaking can do the trick and the Head Velocity MLT did that. The balls are brushed well when it hits the racket and send back spinning. But in terms of control, it performs very badly.

You won’t have any sense of control over which way you send back the ball. That is why these multifilament strings are recommended for professionals and experienced players

Things I Like:

  • Non-frictional coating
  • Instant response
  • Moderate spin potential
  • Power oriented
Check Current Price & Reviews

Buyer’s Guide: Important Factors To Consider

Tennis String

If you ever want to buy a multifilament string, there are a few things you should consider before buying. Multifilament strings are cheap. Yes. But this cheap price comes with some great trade-offs.

Multifilament strings cannot live up to the standards of those natural guts and polyester strings. But they are good enough for intermediate players. Beginners should not use these strings because they have no power generation.

Beginners do not know how to generate the power of hitting the ball back by themselves. As a result, they need to rely heavily on the string’s ability to generate power for hitting the ball back and multifilament is a bad choice for that. Also, it is not very durable.

Multi-filament breaks up quite often. Thus, it is not an ideal choice for those who perform strong hits. Multifilament strings also have very little control. And in terms of spin, it hardly can generate any.

But if you do some modifications in the way you string them, you might be able to generate spins and controls. If you are ok with all these considerations, then you should proceed to buy and try multifilament strings.

Now before you jump on and buy a set of multifilament strings, consider the following things and make sure you got them right.

Material

Multifilament strings are made with hundreds or thousands of fibers together. As it is multifilament, different types of fibers are used and weaved together to make one strand of fiber and that is what we know as a multifilament string.

Your consideration would be what fibers are used in the strings. Nylon is a must because that is the core element. Then see if it has polyester or not.

Polyester is a good material choice for strings. Monofilament polyester is far better than multifilament. But since it is too costly, multifilament is the focus of most unprofessional players.

So, look for polyester and nylon in the strings. If they are there, then those strings will be good enough.

Gauge

After choosing the strings with the right materials, look at their gauge or thickness. The thinner the strings are, the better spin they will provide.

But if you want to have better control, then look for the thicker ones. The thicker ones provide better control. But too much thickness is not a good option because the thicker your strings are, the less spin potentials they have.

So, try to choose something balanced. Go for medium thickness strings. In other words, choose between 16- and 17-gauge strings.

Tension

Tension is another important thing to consider when buying strings. If your strings have high tension ratings, that means they have much better control.

It also means they have greater tensile strength and that means much durability. This durability will allow players to perform stronger hits without breaking the strings.

But multifilament strings generally do not have high tensile strength. They break quite often. So, if you are a strong hitter, then we would recommend you to not buy a multifilament string for your racket.

Shape

Multifilament strings are often shaped and have different dynamics. If you are looking for spin properties, then look for the ones that have the flattest sides. Square, hexagon, and octagon.

These similar types of shapes are great for generation spins. But since multifilament does not have ball pocketing functionality, it won’t be able to generate much spin.

That does not mean multifilament strings cannot spin the ball at all. It can, on a small scale. So those of you looking for spins should look for other material-made strings.

Full-bed or Hybrid?

Full-bed means stringing only one type of string in the racket. And hybrid means stringing one type of string horizontally and a different type of string vertically. As we know that multifilament lacks a lot in control and spin, you should try a hybrid format with multifilament.

String multifilament strings in one way and another string focused on control and spin in the other way. This will balance the performance.

FAQ

What are multifilament tennis strings?

Multifilament tennis strings are made by weaving hundreds to thousands of filaments together to mimic the feel of natural gut strings.

What is the softest tennis string?

The softest tennis string is the multifilament string if it is mostly built with nylon.

What’s the best multifilament tennis string for tennis elbow?

The best multifilament tennis string for tennis elbow is the softest one which is made of nylon. They absorb the shockwave of the ball and the arm stays at rest.

Final Words

Multifilament may not make an ideal choice for tennis strings. But it does have its advantages. Multifilament strings let you experience how it feels like to play with natural gut strings but on a smaller scale.

That is not surprising since the price of multifilament is significantly lower than the other filaments. Multifilament is proved to be less durable and has no control of itself. But some variations check on all four aspects of tennis strings.

So, if you ever want to try out a multifilament tennis string, be sure to check all of them to pick the right one. Otherwise, you may end up with the worst.

Last update on 2022-11-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Leave a Comment