Strings Question

I'm a big fan of monel strings for my mandolin and guitars. I'm okay with mediums on mandolin, but would prefer light gauge, and my daughter, a beginner, really needs light gauges for her mandolin. Martin, my usual choice, seems to only make monel mandolin strings in medium gauge (.11-.40)

Besides liking the tone of monel, they seem to last much longer than PBs. I kind of enjoy the string changing experience, but my daughter definitely does not.

She could go to coated strings of course, but I have no experience with them, so need advice there too, if that's what she needs to do to get a decent sounding and long lasting set.

Good tone is important for her, she has an expensive mandolin (Collings MT2), and does play it some in the band she sings in. Also other band members (good players) play it too.

So, any monel light gauge or coated suggestions?

Thanks!

Curt Mangan: https://www.curtmangan.com/monel-mandolin-light-10-36/

I like Monels but my preference it D’Addario NBs and they make them in most common gauges. They are a but warmer to my ears than Monels.

Deleted, see next.

Thanks for the responses. Anyone have any comments on choices for coated strings in light gauge? D'Addario XTs are only offered in medium or heavier on Amazon. Same on the Just Strings site. At Just Strings, for D'Addario, there are only a couple of choices of light gauge (.10-.38), and many at .11-.40 and higher.

Is there much difference in the feel and ease of play between the lights and mediums? My daughter has been playing for a year, probably with lights. She has good callouses, and hasn't complained about difficulty of play. Her mandolin got a good setup when she bought it, and it seemed to play well when I played it briefly last week. Using mediums opens up a lot more choices.

What say you all?

There's these
https://www.juststrings.com/drs-dsm-10.html

NFI

I really like Elixir nano web strings on both my guitar and mandolins. Don't know if they make a light gauge. They seem to last a really long time.

Elixir has stopped making coated strings for mandolin. It was reported on here earlier this summer. Some stores might still have them in stock. Worth buying if you find them, IMO.

Have used Magnan in light and like the sound.

+1 for the Curt Mangan monel strings. I just put of light gauge on my ovel hole and like them a lot. They do cost a couple of $ more but they seem to last quite a bit longer than PB strings.

I have no advice to offer as over the years I have not been very adventurous with string experimentation always having used D'Addario Mebium PBs. I have been watching this thread as I only recently put Med. D’Addario monels on my Stiver. With this change I noticed no difference on E and A courses. Not sure what I don't like about the D and G courses but I do not like the tone I'm getting and also noticed less volume.
So maybe I will learn from this thread. Maybe even find out what it is I don't like about the tone of the monels.

D'Addario XS are gentle on the the fingers with a slick feel and they do last a long time (coated strings). A second vote for Nickel Bronze, a gentler tone and feel and last about 50% longer than PB (IME) but not as long as XS