Bought a Stratocaster about 4 months ago and kept the default factory string for the first 3 months. Decided to switch to Elixir about 1 month ago and ohhhhh.. it's such a wonderful feeling. There's a huge difference between tone sound (Elixir 1, default strings 0), bending & sliding feels a lot more comfortable (Elixir 2, default 0). When I was looking for a new set of strings, Elixir looked a bit pricy compared to alternatives but my friend (a long time player) also recommended these, and I am so glad that I took his advice and decided to buy these. 10/10, if you're thinking "should I or should I not" then let me make the decision easier for you: Yes you should.