Electric Guitar Strings Nickel vs Phosphor Acoustic Guitar Strings: which is safer?

D'Addario Electric Guitar Strings Nickel is the clear pick. Elixir Phosphor Acoustic Guitar Strings carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.

Our pick

D'Addario Electric Guitar Strings Nickel

D'Addario

Electric Guitar Strings Nickel

PFAS grade

Excellent 85/100

Overall grade

Good 71/100

Verdict

Buy

Hazard flags

⚑ 2

Material

Nickel-plated steel core with nickel-brass wound exterior

Confidence

82%

PossibleNickel skin contact sensitivity

ReportedCoating degradation and core exposure

Why this gradeBuy
Elixir Phosphor Acoustic Guitar Strings

Elixir

Phosphor Acoustic Guitar Strings

PFAS grade

Good 50/100

Overall grade

Poor 42/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 2

Material

Phosphor bronze wound steel strings with proprietary Elixir coating

Confidence

45%

PossibleProprietary polymer coating composition unknown

PossibleCoating degradation and particulate ingestion

Why this grade

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Nickel skin contact sensitivity and Coating degradation and core exposure on the D'Addario and not on the Elixir.
  • We flag Proprietary polymer coating composition unknown and Coating degradation and particulate ingestion on the Elixir and not on the D'Addario.
  • The D'Addario is Nickel-plated steel core with nickel-brass wound exterior where the Elixir is Phosphor bronze wound steel strings with proprietary Elixir coating, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 35 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the D'Addario is the one to buy.
  • We are less certain about the Elixir grade, at 45% confidence against 82%, because it discloses less.

Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

More guitar strings: see the full ranking