Babolat VS Touch String Review

Babolat has been producing natural gut tennis strings for almost 100 years now, so it’s fair to say they know a thing or two about this material!

Sitting right at the top of their illustrious range, Babolat’s VS Touch is their most sought after string, being reserved for players that want the absolute last word in touch, feel and power.

When it comes to power, you can’t get much better than this.

The supple nature of the string means it is incredibly lively and responsive and a full set of VS Touch plays almost like a trampoline!

With that being said, it is well worth stringing a full bed of natural gut up at a higher tension than you usually would with a polyester or hybrid setup. This will enhance the control and spin of your stringbed, but on its own Babolat VS Touch is an absolute powerhouse!

Since you don’t get too much spin ordinarily from this type of string, it is worth adding a bit more shape to your shots or they are likely to fly on you a little.

As far as control goes with the Babolat VS Touch, it very much depends on how you string it up. Whilst the string feels butter smooth and incredibly plush in the racket, the insane power it can generate can also make it a little challenging to control at times.

So, if you string it down in the low 50lbs range it will likely be difficult to control the ball, whereas if you strung it up in the high 50lbs range you will have a much easier time of it.

Unless you are used to very low tensions or have played with natural gut your whole life (should you be so lucky), we would recommend going for the late 50s in terms of pounds strung for this string.

Another way to add more control is to use a hybrid setup. This would typically include a stiffer polyester that would deaden the feel of the string bed and make it more control oriented, rather than lively and powerful.

Which you use in the crosses and the mains is up to you, but opting for a stiffer string to pair up with that highly elastic natural gut will definitely rein in the power and enhance the control.

That being said, you do get a tonne of comfort and playability with the VS Touch from Babolat, so you can place the ball exactly where you want it and it will reward both powerful strikes and deft touches.

This is the mark of a good control string for me, one that can perform equally well with larger and small inputs.

Again, this string setup is going to be pretty tension dependent, so be wary of this before you play test it!

Touch is the main reason that players will go for a natural gut in the first place. You get the ultimate pure feel on the ball which you simply can’t get with any other type of string!

Babolat VS Touch is top of the tree when it comes to feel and touch, as they have been producing this string for so many years. Simply put, it is absolutely sublime!

The string has stood up to nearly 100 years of tennis technological innovation, including gadgets, rackets, balls, shoes and on court technology.

You simply can’t find playability like this anywhere else, so much so that a large number of the world’s top 100 tennis players use Babolat VS Touch in their rackets.

The string also stays crisp at higher tensions, meaning you can get the best of both worlds. You can maximise spin and control with a higher tension, but also generate a lot of power all whilst having that signature pure feel.

As far as spin goes, this is one of the areas in which VS Touch is found wanting. This is of course what you would expect from a natural gut string as you cannot add roughness to an organic material in the same way as you can with polyester.

So, naturally this string will lack a fair amount of spin and will feel like the ball slides off of the racket if you are more used to any kind of polyester string.

That being said, if you decide to string it way up in tension, you will definitely be able to improve both the spin and control as we have previously mentioned.

Another alternative again is to use a rough polyester string in tandem with the VS Touch, which is the route that many professional players go down.

On its own though, Babolat VS Touch definitely isn’t the most spin friendly string you will find on the market.

From a durability perspective, VS Touch from Babolat did surprisingly well. Naturally, it isn’t going to last anywhere near as long as a polyester string.

But, it did last a fair amount of time and didn’t show any signs of losing tension right up until the moment the strings broke.

Don’t be alarmed if you see the strings fraying at first as this is totally normal with this type of string. It will still take a fair amount of time for them to start notching and break down completely, so don’t let the fraying put you off!

The BT7 structure that is now available with Babolat VS Touch definitely improves the durability of the string.

The best part about this is that it doesn’t take anything away from the string’s feel, comfort or power, but manages to extend the life of the string quite considerably.

This is a huge step forward in this traditional string’s development, as most natural gut strings are renowned for lasting no more than a couple of hours!

Comfort is another area in which VS Touch excels. Its soft, flexible nature makes it by far the most arm friendly string out there, so it is the ideal choice for any player that is currently suffering or has previously suffered from any time of arm pain.

The only issue is that it is incredibly expensive to use consistently! However, if you can stomach the price, you will be in for a real treat.

The plush feel and flexibility of the string makes it a pleasure to play with.

VS Touch is an incredibly smooth string to play with and will make even the stiffest and heaviest or rackets seem friendly.

If you are looking for the last word in comfort from a tennis string, look no further than the Babolat VS Touch!

Overall, Babolat VS Touch is an absolute masterpiece that has changed the world of tennis for the better!

It is an incredibly plush string to play with and every tennis enthusiast should take the plunge and play with a full bed of natural gut at least once in their life! It is a very forgiving string that is by far the most comfortable that money can buy.

The power and touch are also incredible. Control can be dialled up with a higher tension and hybrid setups are recommended if you are looking for a bit more of a cost effective and longer term solution.

All in all though, Babolat VS Touch is an incredibly well loved string the world over by both recreational and professional players alike, and it is easy to see why!

The supreme feel, comfort and playability gives you a pure sense of connection to the ball that simply can’t be found anywhere else.