String
Wilson NXT 16 / 1.30
Wilson’s classic club multifilament—plush pocketing and easy depth in the soft-string lane, with the usual multi tax of fray and tension fade at a premium set price.
Court Score
3/ 5
Demo this as a primary option in its lane? Not an average of the axes.How we score.
- Powerfree depth
- 3
- Controlaim when swinging out
- 2
- Spinshape / dip
- 2
- Comfortarm-friendly sessions
- 5
- Valueworth street price
- 3
What it is
You block a heavy ball late in a league set and the stringbed gives a little—cushion, then a clean leave—without the metallic sting of a dead poly. That’s classic Wilson NXT: the long-running premium multifilament clubs keep on the wall when someone asks for soft and playable.
US retail naming (Sep 2026): Tennis Warehouse titles the volume set Wilson NXT 16/1.30 String (Natural and Black; Orange also appears at some dealers). Wilson US lists the set as NXT 16 Tennis String - Set (SKU family WR8312000; older retail packs commonly WRZ942700). Same product either way—16 gauge / 1.30 mm, 40 ft / 12.2 m. Composition: multifilament—Xycro Micro fibers bonded with polyurethane (X-bonded core). Wilson/TW marketing still cites ~10% larger sweet spot and ~74% less vibration vs traditional synthetic gut. TW University lab stiffness ~174. US street for a set: ~$24. Reels if you string a lot: 330′ ~$170, 660′ ~$325 on TW for 16/1.30 Natural.
Not NXT Power, NXT Control, NXT Duramax, or Sensation—this listing is the classic NXT, focused on the 16 / 1.30 set most club players actually buy.
Who it’s for
Serious recreational and club players who want a soft full bed—roughly 3.5–4.5 with slow-to-moderate swings, doubles players who live on touch and blocks, and anyone nursing elbow/shoulder after poly. Strong fit if you want gut-adjacent pocketing without natural-gut money, or a comfort cross / hybrid softener with a poly main.
Skip it if you already swing huge with heavy topspin and hate restringing—fray and durability are the tax. Also skip if you need shaped-poly bite (Hyper-G / RPM Blast) or firm round control (ALU Power).
Standout details
- Specs that matter: 16 / 1.30 mm (also 17 / 1.24) · 40 ft / 12.2 m set · PU-bonded multifilament · Natural / Black · TWU stiffness ~174
- Comfort is the franchise: cushioned response, low shock
- Easy depth, not laser control: generous pop for moderate swings
- Spin is stroke, not shape: adequate for a round multi
- Playability window: plays great until it frays and goes dull
- Pricing ladder: Set ~$24; reels help if you string yourself
- Tradeoffs: Premium set price; frays under heavy spin; tension/feel fade; not a control or spin specialist
Who’s hitting it
Club reality, not tour mythology. NXT is one of the most common comfort multis on US recreational sticks. Tour often hybrids with gut/poly. Retail ≠ tour setup.
Honest verdict
If Court List already covers ALU Power, Hyper-G, and RPM Blast on the poly side, NXT fills the comfort multifilament / soft-string slot: plush and easy to hit with, not firm, not spin-shaped, and not free on durability. It’s not the rare “everyone must demo this first” multi (Tecnifibre and Xcel still compete), but for serious recreational players who want Wilson’s classic soft bed as a primary comfort string, it’s still the solid default that makes sense.
Updated 2026-09-08