Coated strings you have played in the past use tone killing layers of material. The coating gets in between the winds and inhibit vibration. Instead, Cleartones feature the thinnest coating in the guitar industry. At one micron, they feel and sound like traditional strings but with the added benefit of 3-5X string life. In fact, Cleartones were tested to be up to 36% louder than the leading coated string brand according to an independent sound lab.