Electric Guitar Strings Nickel vs Beefy Slinky Electric Guitar Strings: which is safer?
Ernie Ball Beefy Slinky Electric Guitar Strings is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
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
Our pick
Ernie Ball
Beefy Slinky Electric Guitar Strings
PFAS grade
Excellent 85/100
Overall grade
Excellent 77/100
Verdict
Buy
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
Nickel-plated steel wound around hexagonal steel core
Confidence
82%
PossibleNickel contact dermatitis
PossibleHexagonal core fracture and sharp edges
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 Ernie Ball.
- We flag Nickel contact dermatitis and Hexagonal core fracture and sharp edges on the Ernie Ball and not on the D'Addario.
- The D'Addario is Nickel-plated steel core with nickel-brass wound exterior where the Ernie Ball is Nickel-plated steel wound around hexagonal steel core, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- These two are level, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.
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