Comments: I started using 17 gauge VS four months ago in a hybrid setup, VS for the mains at 60lbs. I use a certified stringer. I have now popped five racquets less than a month after stringing, all at the frame on an outer string, not from wear in the center. New grommets made no difference. I have severe doubts about quality control on this string. I am switching to Wilson gut to see if it holds up any better.
From: Louise, 4/13

Comments: I read the reviews and the new BT7 has less than stellar remarks. But my shop, who I trust, says it is better than Wilson. Well, I will never trust them again and will go by what TW posters say. This is a bad and way overpriced string. Has no feel, is harsh and plays like a 5 dollar synthetic gut. Maybe a bit better, but not much. I put this on a 90 sq inch racquet at 51 pounds and it was really stiff. Waste of money. Possibly, the worst tennis product ever.
From: Jon, 3/13

Comments: I'm 57 and have been playing with VS 17g for over twenty years. I'm 4.0 and hit with moderate power and a have great slice. I play three or four times a week and was prone to arm problems before switching to VS Gut. With two racquets in the rotation the gut lasts around six months. I played one match with my son's poly-strung Babolat and my arm hurt for a week. If you are having arm pain problems this string is much cheaper than surgery and or physical therapy.
From: Kevin, 7/12

Comments: The original VS is the best natural gut available, and the 17g was the greatest feeling string that I have used. I bought a couple of new sets and after my first hitting session I thought that I got a bad set as it played noticeably different - the feel was totally off to what I was used to and that is when I noticed the BT7 "technology". Looks like Babolat has ruined their greatest string. The new BT7 string is on par with X-One Biphase in terms of performance and at half the price, I will be going away from the the VS series now.
From: Riley, 5/12

Comments: There's nothing quite like Natural Gut 17g. No other string on the market can match its "feel". You WILL feel the ball on contact, way more so than any other string out there. Despite the feel however, the natural gut string is not the ideal string for every type of player (but its certainly darn close). If you want outrageous spin, try a soft poly like RPM Blast 17g. If you want even more comfort, try Wilson Shock Shield 17g. But if you want the ultimate Feel and the most precise ball placement on the court (with plenty of everything else, such as great comfort, spin, and power), then this awesome Babolat VS Team 17g will certainly get the job done. You have to try this string at least once in your tennis life, and you'll see how different it is compared to the synthetics, multifilaments, and polys! Nothing out there offers the same unique, crispy feeling of Natural Gut 17g. Yeah, it's very expensive, but its worth it!
From: Philip, 4/12

Comments: I have been a gut player almost all my tennis life (many years!) and have been a VS gut user exclusively. Tried the 17 gauge about a year and a half ago and have been using it ever since in my Volkl V1 Classic at 53lbs. (My other V1 has the 16 gauge.) Both are great, but the 17 is better, and for me, the best string I've ever used. I'm a former college player, and at 58 years old, play a good 4.0 game, and some parts of my game are 4.5 level. I don't have the big, modern game of pounding groundstrokes- more the classic slice backhand and approach shots, but an excellent serve and return, a good topspin forehand and backhand. The 17 gauge has the best feel, comfort, and playability I've ever felt with no elbow issues whatever. I can feel the ball on my strings better with this string than any other, and am able to play with it for months without breakage. For an older player, this is the perfect string. Try it once and feel for yourself.
From: Marty, 12/11

Comments: This string lasts me 25 to 30 hours. It cost me about $55 to string. So average cost is about $2/hour of play. Signum Pro and Luxilon would cost me about $1 or less/hour. Besides the cost, this VS is light years better than everything else I had played before. Period. Wish it could be more affordable.
From: Boob, 9/11

Comments: I bought the Babolat VS 17 and strung (full bed) it in a Babolat AeroDrive GT at 55lbs. The feeling is out of this world. The spin and comfort feel is so exceptional great, that you've got to really try it out. I'm so sold on this gut that I'm sticking to it. Babolat, please don't stop production for this gut. If you pay for quilt then quality play it shall be.
From: Jansen, 8/11

Comments: Wow, so that's what all the hype about Natural Gut is about! Amazing string! I've got it in the mains at 54 lbs with poly crosses @ 48 lbs in a 16x18 pattern. The feel of every shot is just so perfect. The ball seems to stay on the strings forever and the comfort is unlike anything else. I'm sold!
From: K. 7/11

Comments: This is the best string in the world - period. I'm a 4.0 player that plays three hours a day, three times a week. I used to suffer serious shoulder and elbow problems using the blends in my Head Microgel Mid Plus. I went to this exact string and it all went away. The strings lasted over a year too. I cut them out and tried 18 gauge gut from another maker but liked Babolat's 17g better. Hope this helps!
From: Shawn, San Antonio, TX, USA, 11/10

Comments: I have this VS Team 17 on main and Luxilon Ace 18 on cross at 55lbs. Great strings and it really helps my back hand top spin shots going over the net and deep to the back court. Very spin friendly and great at serve and volley. Nice touch and feel.
From: B, Vancouver, BC, Canada 11/09

Comments: Awesome string. I use it with a Babolat Pure drive Roddick and it works superb.
From: Philip, Hong Kong 10/09

Comments: WOW, I used to play with ThermoGut 16 and Luxilon 16 Rough as you know that is Roger Federer strings. After I gave it a try this is the best string ever in the main and have it strung at 55lbs and Luxilon Fluoro 53lbs cross, I reduced 2lbs on Luxilon to take out a little stiffness. I play with a Wilson Kblade 98. It feels amazing and my game is up to another level and no more shoulder, wrist and elbow sore. You got to try this combination and you will be thanking me for bringing this up. Good Luck. I spent a lot of money to try a cheap string but nothing worked. This is it.
From: Michael, Buford, GA, USA. 06/09

Comments: I've tried many many different strings, ranging from synthetic guts, to polyesters at all different tensions. Babolat vs 17 gut beats them all. In open or dense string patterns, it gives great spin, you can find power if you swing hard enough, and gut doesn't force power upon you like synthetics do, but you can access power. There's so much feel too. I'm not as much of a topspin hitter as some, so I use this in the full stringbed, but bigger topspin hitters will want to hybrid this with a poly in the mains. I don't break strings often so I don't need to. I love this string, will use for the rest of my life. Babolat should never discontinue this string, ever ever ever.
From: anon. 06/09

Comments: I play on a high school tennis team as a senior. I really like the way you can control your ground shots, and the power that comes with this string is amazing. Lately, I have been on a string breaking spree, horrible. I play on the tennis team, and I play for at least 2-3 hours a day, or 10-15 hours a week. These strings held up for about 2 weeks. Being a hard hitter, topspin and solid volleys, I strung it at 55 lbs. and it gave me the control and comfort I needed.
From: Chris, Richfield, Utah. 4/09

Comments: I was worried about durability going into buying gut strings, and these have exceeded all of my expectations. I strung them at 54 lbs in the mains w/Weiscannon silverstring crosses and used string savers and the strings lasted me longer than any other string ever. The power and control are amazing compared to other strings and the tension holds longer too. Also, my bicep and elbow used to hurt at the end of long matches and it completely went away when I started using gut. Highly recommended.
From: Colin, USA. 2/09

Comments: There's plenty of control and spin to be found in these strings. Don't string it too tight unless you blast the ball every time. I have it strung at 62 lbs on a Microgel Prestige MP.
From: Anon. 1/09

Comments: These are very cool strings: soft, accurate, with grip and durability. That's right, I hit the ball hard and with topspin and the gut holds up just fine for me-better than most any other multi-filament or synth. gut. For those of you that use hybrid set-ups or just break this string fast, I have a suggestion with your strings. Instead of using a monofilament string in the cross or mains, use a softer string like another multifilament with the gut. I think because both strings are softer they don't cut, or groove each other as quickly. Tennis is all about different strokes for different folks, but love this type of set-up and it has helped my aggressive game! I use VS gut 17 in the mains and Tecnifibre Biphase 17 in the crosses!
From: Joplin, Longview, Washington, USA. 11/08

Comments: I chose this string for my new Babolat Pure Drive Plus. Overall I'm not too happy with the string. It has a great feel, but it seems that that's all Babolat thought about in this string. The durability, well the only way to describe it is awful. It broke within 3 hours of play. It also lost its tension extremely fast. I would only recommend it if you can afford re-string every few hours. I'm a 15 yr. old 4.5 - 5.0 player
From: Alon, UK. 7/08

Comments: This string is so good. I can't even describe it. I use it on my mains with Pro Hurricane on the crosses. The next time I string, I am going to string my whole racquet with it. I am currently in the process of switching raqcuets. Even though I play 6-7 hours a day every day, I rarely break strings. If you don't break lots of string, I highly recommend spending some cash on these, because they play great and are easy on the elbow and shoulder. Two thumbs up.
From: Michael, Downers Grove, IL. 6/08

Comments: Strung in a hybrid with Luxilon 5-star in the crosses at 55 lbs. and VS gut at 61 lbs., the setup was a little stiff, but a day later excelled in every category known to mankind. Terrific string.
From: Sam, New York, New York, USA. 2/08

Comments: I have been using this string for about a month. It produces really great power and is very durable. I could immediately see a great improvement in my serves and ground strokes the first day I tried it. I would definitely recommend it. (I use this string for the crosses and the Luxilon Big Banger for the mains)
From: Michael, Lodi, CA, USA, 10/07

Comments: First off, I'm a natural gut neophyte. I break strings quickly, so I tried Wilson Enduro Tour. I was satisfied with that for a while, but the tension loss and feel was terrible. I tried a hybrid with Babolat VS crosses & Enduro mains. Wow, what a difference! I absolutely loved the feel, power and control that the natural crosses gave me. Over eight days, I played two matches and had just started a practice session when the VS gave up the ghost. Even splitting string sets with the much cheaper Enduro, the price is too high given the durability. That said, however, if I made a living playing tennis, I would certainly use it.
From: Rex, Canton, GA, USA. 3/07

Comments: The string is very powerful, offers a nice ball pocketing, and has a good feel. The control and spin are better than the synthetic string, but not as good as with the polyester strings, such as Luxilon, Kirchbaum, Signum Pro and other strings alike. The durability was not a problem for me, as I cut the string out before it broke. I also noticed a somewhat improved shoulder protection from hitting with this string. Overall, even though it has more attractive features compared to the synthetic gut, such as feel, power and arm-friendliness, the string falls behind in the control, spin and price category versus the polyester strings.
From: Alin, Dallas, TX, USA, 03/07

Comments: This is the best string I've ever used, period. Not only does it offer amazing power, it provides more control (due to the very smooth and deep flex offered by its gut composition and thin gauge) than synthetic multifilaments like NRG-2 and even 16 gauge VS gut. The 16 gauge is nice, but the 17 is much better. If you're a serious competitor, you should try this string at least once. I string my Pro Staff 85 at 60 lbs with this and it's wonderful. The 16 gauge is the second-best string I've used, but I'd give it a B and this string an A. I'd love to try 18 gauge, but I don't have the funds. Breakage isn't bad, actually, as long as you don't have a white "kink" in the string. That's the risk. If there's a knot, the string will break where it is. I had a string job done by Court-side in my Wilson Ultra 2 standard and the strings looked practically new when they broke, because there was a white kink.
From: Robert, Vermilion, OH, USA. 2/07

Comments: Let me just say wow. I use this sting on the whole racquet strung at 60 pounds on my Wilson ncode 95 and the feel is like no other. The only set back is if you are a hard hitter like me than get ready to put down some big buck's because the sting is a lot and they break after 1 hour to 2 hours of hitting. 6.5
From: Max, 01/07

Comments: I have to say this string pretty much blew my socks off! I used to use Wilson NXT tour 17 on my Babolat Pure Drive Cortex until my playing partner recommended this to me. I had my stringer put this on my racquet and it just felt amazing! I am a 5.0 junior that plays quite a bit. This stuff is the greatest!
From: Max, Seattle, WA, USA, 12/06

Comments: I'm a first time user of gut and this string lived up to its expectations, power, great at net and pockets the ball beautifully. I decided to try this out because of some real problems I've been having with my shoulder (minor tears in rotator cuff tendons and arthritis in the AC joint). I was previously using BB Ace 18 ga. strung at 58 pounds on both the new Pure Drive Cortex and also on the Babolat Pure storm. Aside from being a powerful string and playing unbelievably at the net, VS also relieved a lot of the pain in my arm. I participated in my normal Friday evening tennis drills last night for an hour and a half straight and I have no where near the amount of pain I normally experience. A little on the expensive side but I string my own racquets which eases the pain on my pocket. Great string!
From: Mike, Voorhees, NJ, USA, 12/06

Comments: This was the first time for me to use Natural Gut and all I can say is wow. VS 17 is an amazing string. The playability left me awestruck. I'm a moderately hard-hitting junior and it broke badly in two weeks with it being on my crosses at 60 lbs and NXT Tour 18 mains at 57 lbs on my Flexpoint prestige. The best combo a base-liner could ask for. BUY THIS STRING NOW!
From: Anon 07/06
NTRP: 4.0

Comments:Nice playability but feels a bit gummy. I like the power and bite but doesn't quite last as long as Klip Legend or BDE Performance. A bit pricey too.
From: Nick, Mexico City, Mexico, 06/06

Comments: Great string. I strung it as a hybrid with pro hurricane in the mains and the gut in the crosses. Unbelievable power and control, I can place the ball anywhere with heavy topspin or slice. My serve is also a lot quicker; I hit 4 aces in my last match. It's also quite easy on the arm, if you are struggling with tennis elbow this is the string for you. It is quite pricey over here in England but is well worth the extra cash. If you want to improve your game in every department, string your racket with this.
From: Alan, England 6/06

Comments: This is a great string. I am a 13 year old junior who plays many tournaments. The control is great the only down fall is these strings broke in 3 weeks for me and I play about 12 hours a week so these strings aren't very durable.
From: Nick 04/06

Comments: My new string of choice for my mid size frame. So far, I have 13 hours of play on this string. It is holding up better than my 19$ multi that I am playing side by side to directly compare. The VS team is still holding its tension and is not even fraying yet (I wish I could say the same about the multi string that has lost a lot of its tension and lost even more control). I feel as if I can do anything with the ball with VS TEAM 17.
From: Paul Anderson, Kentucky, USA. 05/05

Comments: This string is just amazing. Currently I am using a nCode six one 95. I did not really like the racquet that much until I used this string. I used it as a hybrid with pro hurricane 16. I strung the hurricane at 70 and the VS gut at 56 (couldn't go much higher because the string was breaking). With that combination, I got the most solid and controlled shots I have ever hit. The only draw back is that I hit very hard and the string was already fraying after 3hrs. I think I might go to the 16 gauge.
From: Victor, Chicago, USA. 01/05

Comments: This is quite possibly the best playability string I've ever hit with. The feel is great, the only drawback that I found is the durability. I would go through a set in about 5-7 days, but I string my racquets tight anyways. If you want to get a little more life out of this string I recommend using it with Babolat Hurricane.
From: Evan, New Braunfels, TX, USA. 10/04

Comments: Great feel, and a little extra power to every stroke, You can see a significant difference if you switched from a synthetic one. I give this a five stars mark. My Pro Staff tour 90 goes best with this at 50 lbs.
From: Yasuhiro, Okayama, Japan. 12/03

Comments: Awesome improvement from any synthetic I've tried. The power and response is unparalleled. Strung with in a Prince Michael Chang Titanium at 56lbs.
From: Don, Hong Kong. 11/03

Comments: The string has excellent feel and a little added power, and it is incredibly comfortable. The only drawback is its durability. I know natural string is much less durable, but I broke a string in about 9 hours of play. I am an all-court player who uses both heavy topspin and slice. That probably added to the early breakage. I had it strung at 60 lbs.
From: Matthew, Kenosha, WI, USA. 6/03

Comments: This string has improved my game about 20%. There is no better deal than this. I am speechless! Try it. For the price the playability, and the longevity, this has been the greatest string. It goes great with the i.Radical at 60 pounds of tension. Take my recommendation, and buy a few packs of this string. You will be happy. I guarantee it!
From: Nadeem, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 4/03

Comments: I posted comments about the Babolat Touch 15L stating how impressed I was. My fiance accidentally bought me this 17 gauge offering for Christmas rather than my 15L. The difference between the two is staggering. I was surprised how much better the thinner gauge played! The jump to synthetic to the 15L Touch was stunning. The jump from 15L to 17 gauge is just as big. It feels so soft and powerful. So much feel, control and power. Tennis does not get better than this. Try some in your frame over the summer. If you are serious about winning, this stuff will add a new dimension to your game!
From: Bill, UK 2/03

Comments: Great string and a significant step-up from the Wilson NXT Tour, Babolat Twin Gut (tour) and the VS Touch that I have used on my Yonex MP1 Tour racquet. The VS Team has great ball feel and control, and is so very comfortable for the elbow. Response is quick and power is always readily available. The Twin Gut does cost less, but is relatively less responsive. About durability, as long as enough care is taken, they last a long time too and it actually holds tension pretty nicely through its lifetime!
From: Richard, Hong Kong 1/03