Prince Synthetic Gut w/Duraflex is one of the world’s most popular synthetic gut strings and has been around for decades. It’s also one of the cheapest strings on the market, but is it any good? In this Prince Synthetic Gut Duraflex review we’ll be putting the string to the test and rating its performance and durability.
We may earn an affiliate commission from links on this page. Tennis Creative does not accept money for editorial gear reviews, so we only recommend products we love!
Prince Synthetic Gut Duraflex Key Features & Specs
| String Material | Synthetic Gut |
| Special Features | Duraflex for enhanced durability |
| String Gauge | 17 Gauge (1.25 mm) / 16 Gauge (1.30 mm) / 15L Gauge (1.35 mm) |
| String Colour | White, Gold, Black, Green or Yellow |
String Testing Setup
We tested the Prince Synthetic Gut with Duraflex 16 Gauge on a couple of occasions using a Wilson Pro Staff RF 97 Autograph: once as a a full stringbed at 54 lbs and once as a full stringbed at 60 lbs.
Prince Synthetic Gut Duraflex - Test Results
Here’s a quick overview of the ratings we awarded the string in our test:
Control - Score: 74
As with other synthetic gut strings, Prince Synthetic Gut is a rather soft string, which often leads to a little less control than you might expect from a polyester. There is no doubt that the string is designed for higher tensions and players that might be looking for power rather than control. At lower tensions, the string did feel a little loose, particularly after an initial tension loss, and we found ourselves hitting slightly long on a number of occasions. That being said, it caused no problems at all when strung at higher tensions.
Power - Score: 80
One of the best things about the Prince Synthetic Gut is the easy access to power. Hitting hard and deep is no problem at all and the string helps get that little extra pop on serve. We found that power was easy to come by, even at higher tensions, though we did struggle to keep the ball in the court a little at lower tensions. We would definitely suggest stringing it a few lbs above your usual just to add a little more control and keep the power in check.
Spin - Score: 76
While it isn’t quite as spin-friendly as most common polyester strings, Prince Synthetic Gut has a good level of spin potential, particularly when compared to other synthetic gut strings. It seems to have a slightly rougher surface, which helps generate a little extra spin and it was certainly enough for our topspin and slice shots to be effective. When strung at a higher tension, spin seemed a little easier to come by, probably because it also provides a little extra control and allowed us to swing through our shots more and hit with a little more pace.
Comfort - Score: 84
By far the best feature of Prince Synthetic Gut is just how comfortable it is to play with. We had no issues with it even when used in a rather stiff and heavy frame like the Wilson Pro Staff RF97 and when strung at higher tensions. The string is very easy on the arm and is a fantastic option for anyone struggling with arm or wrist injuries, and it even works great when used in a hybrid setup. Using it in the crosses in combination with a slightly stiffer poly in the mains works great and it helps soften the stringbed a little.
Feel - Score: 73
Prince Synthetic Gut felt nice to play with even at higher tensions and at no point felt dull or muted. However, the string can become a little loose when strung at a lower tension and it can be a little difficult to get the accuracy on certain shots.
Playability Duration - Score: 76
One of the biggest concerns with synthetic gut strings is a very quick tension loss which leads to a big drop in playability. Unfortunately, Prince Synthetic Gut with Duraflex suffers the same issue. The strings feel great when freshly strung, but the performance does seem to drop off rather quickly.
When strung at lower tensions, the initial tension loss does seem to have more of an impact and the string quickly becomes difficult to play with, offering very little control. At higher tensions, the tension loss seems to be less noticeable and the string still offers a decent amount of control and power.
If you usually play with slightly harder strings like a co-poly, we’d definitely suggest string this at a slightly higher tension to account for the softness of the string and any loss in tension.
Durability - Score: 66
As we’ve come to expect from synthetic gut strings, the Prince Synthetic Gut isn’t particularly durable. That being said, it is slightly more durable than other synthetic gut strings thanks to its Duraflex technology and we didn’t find the durability of the string to be much of an issue. In fact, the strings appear to break at a somewhat convenient time, as we noticed the tension and playability had started to drop off, though had dropped enough to affect our game too much.
We would definitely suggest sticking with the 16 gauge rather than the 17 gauge based purely on the string’s durability.
Price
While not the cheapest synthetic gut available, the Prince Synthetic Gut is a great budget option when it comes to tennis strings. At £6 per 12 metre set or around £70 for a 200 metre reel, we would consider the string mid-range when it comes to price.
Verdict - Who Is This String For?
Prince Synthetic Gut with Duraflex is a great all-round string and is very comfortable to play with. It’s a great option for anyone looking for a softer string that might be easier on the arm, while still getting access to a nice amount of power and feel. Unfortunately, the durability of the string can be a bit of a let-down to some players. Anyone past an intermediate level will find themselves breaking strings faster than they can get their racquets strung.
However, it’s definitely a fantastic string for beginner and intermediate players looking for a well performing string while on a budget. It’s also a great option for a cross string in a hybrid string setup as it will help soften the string bed, and its durability is less likely to be of concern.
Similar Tennis Strings
Prince Synthetic Gut Duraflex is definitely one of the best synthetic guts out there, but if for whatever reason you’re not quite sure about it and fancy a different synthetic gut, be sure to check out the Tecnifibre Synthetic Gut, Gosen OG Sheep Micro or the Head Synthetic Gut PPS.
