1 Polyester $2–4 / set
Durability
9
Comfort
5
Control
9
Spin
8
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
Best for
Best budget tennis strings
Top 12 of 29 matching strings in our database. #1 is Gosen Polylon.
Juniors who play four or five times a week can need a restring every few weeks, and premium sets add up fast. A good budget string is often all a developing player needs.
Every string here starts at $10 or less for a set. Buying a reel cuts the cost per restring further once you know what your player likes.
The list
2 Synthetic gut $4–6 / set
Gamma
Synthetic Gut with WearGuard
Super Resilient Dynalon solid center core with WearGuard wear-resistant outer wrap, irradiated for elasticity
Durability
7
Comfort
7
Control
6
Spin
5
Arm friendliness 4 of 5 Arm 6+ yrs
3 Synthetic gut $4–6 / set
Durability
6
Comfort
7
Control
6
Spin
5
Arm friendliness 4 of 5 Arm 8+ yrs
4 Synthetic gut $4–6 / set
Durability
7
Comfort
7
Control
6
Spin
5
Arm friendliness 4 of 5 Arm 6+ yrs
5 Synthetic gut $5–8 / set
Prince
Synthetic Gut with Duraflex
Solid nylon core with single outer wrap and Nomex wear-resistant Duraflex fibers
Durability
6
Comfort
7
Control
6
Spin
5
Arm friendliness 4 of 5 Arm 8+ yrs
6 Synthetic gut $6–8 / set
Durability
7
Comfort
7
Control
7
Spin
5
Arm friendliness 4 of 5 Arm 6+ yrs
7 Polyester $7–9 / set
Durability
9
Comfort
5
Control
9
Spin
7
Arm friendliness 2 of 5 Arm 14+ yrs
8 Synthetic gut $7–8 / set
Durability
5
Comfort
7
Control
6
Spin
6
Arm friendliness 4 of 5 Arm 8+ yrs
9 Polyester $7–8 / set
Durability
8
Comfort
7
Control
8
Spin
9
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 13+ yrs
10 Polyester $8–12 / set
Durability
6
Comfort
7
Control
8
Spin
6
Arm friendliness 3 of 5 Arm 13+ yrs
11 Multifilament $8–10 / set
Head
Velocity MLT
1000x nylon multifilament core with 30 extra nylon filaments, polyurethane resin, low-friction coating
Durability
5
Comfort
8
Control
7
Spin
6
Arm friendliness 4 of 5 Arm 8+ yrs
12 Multifilament $8–9 / set
Durability
6
Comfort
8
Control
7
Spin
6
Arm friendliness 5 of 5 Arm 8+ yrs
Ranking table
| # | String | Type | Power | Spin | Control | Comfort | Durability | Arm | Set price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gosen Polylon | Polyester | 4 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 2/5 | $2–4 |
| 2 | Gamma Synthetic Gut with WearGuard | Synthetic gut | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 4/5 | $4–6 |
| 3 | Gosen OG-Sheep Micro | Synthetic gut | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4/5 | $4–6 |
| 4 | Wilson Synthetic Gut Power | Synthetic gut | 8 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 4/5 | $4–6 |
| 5 | Prince Synthetic Gut with Duraflex | Synthetic gut | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4/5 | $5–8 |
| 6 | Babolat Syn Gut | Synthetic gut | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4/5 | $6–8 |
| 7 | Kirschbaum Super Smash Orange | Polyester | 6 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 2/5 | $7–9 |
| 8 | Prince Lightning XX | Synthetic gut | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 4/5 | $7–8 |
| 9 | Prince Vortex | Polyester | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 3/5 | $7–8 |
| 10 | Head Sonic Pro | Polyester | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 3/5 | $8–12 |
| 11 | Head Velocity MLT | Multifilament | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 4/5 | $8–10 |
| 12 | Prince Premier Control | Multifilament | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 5/5 | $8–9 |
How we ranked
We kept strings with a lowest set price of $10 or less, then ranked them by our cost-to-maintain score (how far the money goes, 1–5) and then by the lowest set price.
Ratings come from our string database, built from manufacturer specs, lab tests and published reviews. Each string page lists its sources. 17 more strings passed the filter but did not make the top 12.
Questions parents ask
Do cheap strings hurt performance?
Not much for most juniors. The gap between a $6 and a $20 string is small compared with picking the right type and tension for your player.
Is a reel cheaper than sets?
Usually, yes. A 200 m reel strings about 15–18 racquets, so the cost per job drops a lot if you restring often. Many string pages list both set and reel prices.