Match the bed to how you play
Break strings often? Comfort issues? Mostly social tennis? Type choice beats brand hype.
String types ↓The bed changes the racket more than the paint.
For UK club players: how to choose a string type, when to restring, what to ask a stringer — then dated service-price examples so you compare ready-to-play totals. Not a hands-on lab test and not a ranked “best string” list.
Four questions
Labour vs string-included, turnaround, type/gauge, tension and why.
Booking checklist ↓Upgrade path
Want more spin, touch, or comfort? Strings and setup first — then demo a shortlist.
Open upgrade advisor →Buying sets by the pack
Set vs reel, gauge checks, hybrid packs, and what to tell the stringer — we don’t guess pack prices.
Pack buying checklist →Same frame, different string — different tennis.
String type, gauge, and tension change how the ball pockets, how long the bed lasts, and how your arm feels after a set. A mid-price racket with a fresh, sensible bed often beats an expensive frame on a dead polyester job from six months ago.
- Power / pocket — softer beds (many syn guts and multis) usually feel springier at a given tension.
- Control / bite — firmer beds and many polys feel more “connected”; they can also feel harsh if tension is high or the bed is old.
- Durability — heavy hitters who snap soft strings often move toward poly or hybrid — not beginners who rarely break anything.
- Comfort — if your elbow or wrist complains, treat string choice as seriously as racket weight.
Polyester is not automatically an upgrade.
For a social or improving player who rarely breaks strings, start with synthetic gut or multifilament before premium polyester. Match the bed to break frequency and comfort — not to what tour players use on TV.
Synthetic gut
Common, affordable starting point. Fine for many club nights if you do not snap strings often. Ask for a mid-gauge unless your stringer has a reason to go thinner.
Multifilament
Usually the comfort-led ask when your arm complains on poly or a dead bed. Often costs more than syn gut for the set; still cheaper than chasing a new racket for comfort alone.
Polyester (full bed)
Durability and control for players who break soft strings or want a firmer response. Can feel stiff and loses tension for many players sooner than the calendar suggests. Not the default upgrade for every adult beginner.
Hybrid
Poly in one direction, softer string in the other — a middle path when you want some bite without a full poly bed. Ask which goes in mains vs crosses for your goal (comfort vs durability).
Thicker lasts; thinner feels springier.
Gauge is the thickness of the string. Thicker generally lasts longer and feels firmer; thinner often feels more elastic and may break sooner. Pick with your stringer rather than chasing a forum number. Write the gauge on your phone after each job so the next restring is comparable.
Use the frame’s recommended range.
- Find the manufacturer’s recommended tension range on the racket or spec sheet.
- Tell the stringer your goal (more pocket vs more control) and your last setup if you know it.
- Change one variable at a time — type or tension — so you learn what mattered.
- We don’t give one “best tension” for everyone, because we haven’t lab-tested that.
Listen to the bed, not only the calendar.
- You break a main or cross — restring; do not keep playing on a half-dead bed.
- Notch depth: mains look sawn where crosses pass, or the bed feels boardy and lifeless.
- Tension loss you can feel: balls sail long on your normal swing versus the first weeks after stringing.
- Fray, fuzz, or a sharp edge that catches a finger — especially on multi or syn gut.
- Rule of thumb many stringers cite: restring about as often per year as you play per week — a planning aid, not a lab result. Adjust for poly (often loses tension sooner for many players) vs multi.
Ask these four questions
- Does the quote include both string and labour?
- Is urgent turnaround or delivery extra?
- What type and gauge are being fitted?
- What tension will be used, and why?
Shop demos are often strung differently from what you will buy — note type and tension on the demo tag, then restring your purchased frame to your plan. See the 30-minute demo checklist.
Ready-to-play maths
Compare totals, not shelf stickers:
- Labour only vs string + labour.
- Add the set price if you bring your own string.
- Add postage or urgent fees if they apply.
- Add the set price if you bring your own string, and ask whether labour is separate.
Dated UK service examples sit below — not live offers.
Club string-pack examples
Luxilon ALU Power Silver 12.2m was £16.90 at Tennis-Point and ALU Power 1.25 Ice Blue 12m was £12.99 at Direct Tennis on 25 September 2026. Different colours of the same-named string are not always the same product — check the exact listing.
Open the latest string prices → Pack buying checklistWhat should a restring cost?
Some prices cover labour only; others include the string. Always compare the ready-to-play total.
Examples recorded 25 September 2026: Southbourne Tennis Club lists labour at £13, with string-and-labour examples from £17 to £23. Check what is included.
Check service ↗Examples recorded 25 September 2026: West End Stringing lists labour at £10, Head Synthetic Gut at £15, RPM Blast at £24 and Luxilon 4G at £28. Ask for turnaround.
See price list ↗Ask for the exact string, labour charge and turnaround. We have not verified a broader UK price range beyond the dated examples below.
Checked 25 September 2026 from public UK retailer pages — prices change; check the retailer before buying. Practical guidance for club players — not a hands-on string test.