Do you string your rackets yourselves?

[mongoose]

I'm getting tired of getting my rackets strung at inconsistent tensions by my stringers. For example, I have two of the exact same rackets. I request that they both be strung with the same string at the same tension. But when I collect them, the tensions on both rackets are different. The pitch of the sound the string makes are way different. This happens many times with many different stringers that I feel like purchasing a stringing machine and string them myself. Does anybody ever feel the same?

[olli]

Yes and no.I once wanted to get my racket strung at 8,5 kg ,but what did i get,maybe something about 6 kg, and that happend at my local Badmintonshop.It was my fault not to complain.Now i let my rackets get strung 100km far away (a friend works there once a week,so needn't go there myself).The owner of the shop is a real master at stringing(fast and exactly).My last two rackets makes exacly the same sound.Not long ago my coach bought a stringing machine.His first try took about an hour.Me took it two hours ,a horrible tension and wrong string lines.My second try wasn't even better,at my next try i damaged this f*****g machine :-(.


He paid about 250.-DM for the machine (very cheap!!)and his results were good.

I think it's a good idea to buy your own, though you will damned these much too little holes a badmintonracket got.

PS:when it's repaired i will try again ,if my coach let me,it's cheaper (6 broken strings in just 4 weeks took me more than 100 DM)

[Ricky]

It is not difficult to string racquets yourself but I believe it is very difficult to string it good. In fact, I've a feel (not quite sure, hope someone can confirm) that tension alone is not the only key element - as there are a number of stringers can string up to very high tension in my place (of course, there are more poor stringers as well), but I do find one of them is the best, i.e. I always feel more satisfied when stringing with one of the stringers (at the same tension). I just can't tell the difference, perhaps psychological, I just play better with racquets strung there.

[Cheung]

Strangely enough, I have found with the same stringer, same model racquet, same strings, same tension setting with stringing done sequentially that the 'ping' sound will be different. Happens with experienced stringers and when I string.

[kwun]

i used to. but i am so slow at it i eventually gave up on that idea. it takes me around 45 mins if i concentrate, 35 mins if i really rush it, but most of the time, i'd be watching badminton tapes while stringing at the same time, it usually takes me more than an hour as a result!

[viver]

I watched my coach string manually his racquets and sometimes mine. It would take him around 30 mins to string one. Interestingly he always try the 'ping' sound to decide if the tension is good or not. I have a machine with me and theoretically the tension should be more precise but I still prefer the feel of the racquets my coach used to do for me.

[cooler]

manually? you mean with no machine?

[viver]

That's right, with hands and no machine involved. Some tools are needed though unfortunatlly don't know their designations. Before all Chinese players strung their own racquets manually. It could be seen in tournaments. When the strings broke during play, one player will go into the court and pick the racquet with broken strings and take it back into the player's room. Once the racquet is re-strung it will be placed again in the court side for the on court player to use it again.

[craig]

Can someone tell me which stringer is good in the US? I am looking for a good one to have my racquet strung.

[cooler]

then your coach is old fashion like mine too.

[viver]

Not a question being old fashioned Cooler, the thing is he can string the way he liked. I at that time used Carlton 3.7x racquets and we know that the Carlton racquets grommets are no the best. My coach watched me play and one day he strung my racquet and the strings did not break. I never had anybody strung like him. Even though he taught me how to but I think I haven't been able to learn 1% of that. Interesting enough the way he strung my racquet: the head had looked like what we call the "Isometric" head.

[cooler]

hand stringing does sound special at first but i can put in as much quality and care with a machine as by hand stringing. Hand pulling is not as consistent nor gets high tension as machine pulled. With a machine, i can string it anyway i like it too, in more ways that hand job can. On special (mine) specification, i can have 3 to 4 clamps on strings at one time plus several perimeter fixing points at one time. Of course, a hand job can get assistance from another warm body but 2 or more people holding a racket is a crowd. Also, i do not believe in distorting a racket by force shaping it into isometric shape or to any other non-original shape as an advantageous technique.

:cool: er

[viver]

Actually I am not knowledgeable about stringing issues. I am saying the racquet strung by my coach was much better that strung outside by other stringers. And who am I to discuss with my coach the knowledge he has. After all he had strung racquets thousands of times and of course he should know what can and cannot be done. He himself also mentined that stringing using a machine is more precise than using only human hands. But you also need a well maintained machine and an expert stringer.

[Cheung]

Using a "ping" to judge the string tension.Viver, can you ask if the ping is the same pitch for the outermost strings as well as the innermost strings?. It would confirm something for me. i.e. outermost strings being strung at a lower tension.

[kwun]

i read something about that. apparently Jans Eriksen's racket is strung that way. tighter (30+lbs) on the inner strings, and lower tensions on the outer.

[cooler]

that is a common practice among the pros circle.

[viver]

The 'ping' pitch is higher in the inner strings - centre ones. The outer ones have different pitch. I observed at that time is was like playing a guitar. My coach used the 'ping' pitch to determine the desired tension.

[Cheung]

That must mean the outer strings being at a much lower tension than the centre strings.

[olli]

won't they all have the same tension after a while?

[viver]

I have a stringing machine myself. I tried many times stringing racquets and listened to the pitch every time I did the main ones. I was never able to reproduce those sounds, even though in theory the machine is more precise on the tension. I tried having the inner ones, say at 25 lbs (24 and 23 later) and gradually going down to the outer ones 23 lbs. It did not have the same results neither when I did not change the tension at all. Some day when I have the chance to see my coach again I may ask him this question.

[Cheung]

Perhaps the tension in the outer strings has to go down even more.
Do you think it would increase the size of the sweet spot, having the same 'ping'?

[viver]

You may be right. I remember it sounded like a guitar: different pitch/tones can be heard as go go from inward to outward strings. Based on that I do not think having the same 'ping' will increase the sweet spot. Next time I'll probably try more different tensions when doing the main strings.
I read somewhere (darn, I can't find it now) an article about a professional stringer. He mentions the pro players have different specifications for stringing their racquets. Interesting article. I'll let you know once I find it

[kwun]

viver.

does the tone go up as you move outwards?

that's really drastic change coz even at the same tension, the tone should go up since the further away you move from the center, the shorter the string. if the tone is actually going down, that mean the tension really goes down rapidly.

[viver]

I do not know how to define that as I am tone deaf. It would be similar if you play guitar from middle string to the bottom string - going from innermost to outermost strings. The 'ping' was sharp and distinct as my coach was testing the tension. When he was doing the main strings he was testing with the 'ping' sound on every string he pulled. He would secure with an awl?? when he was satisfied with the sound. But Kwun, you may be right - inner strings should have less tension that the outer ones, according to the pitch. I'll ask a friend who plays guitar to confirm this.

[viver]

I asked my friend who plays guitar and he had the following comment: it's possible that the racquet is strung at same tension and produce different tones since they are of different length. He played the guitar and I identified the sounds. The pitch is higher as we go from inner to outer strings. Hope this helps you to string your next racquet.

[Cheung]

"He played the guitar and I identified the sounds. The pitch is higher as we go from inner to outer strings."

A guitar can't be taken as a comparison because the strings are of different thickness, right?

Anyway, I'm still wondering, if we vary the outer string tensions to produce the same "ping", will the sweet spot enlargen?

[Cheung]

"He played the guitar and I identified the sounds. The pitch is higher as we go from inner to outer strings."

A guitar can't be taken as a comparison because the strings are of different thickness, right?

Anyway, I'm still wondering, if we vary the outer string tensions to produce the same "ping", will the sweet spot enlargen?

[viver]

Guitar strings are of different thickness and badminton strings have different lengths from inner to outer. Sounds produced could be similar. I can't tell if "playing" with the outer strings tension would have an effect on the sweet spot. It is just a matter of trying.
I strung my last racquet last week with BG 85. Tension used 21 lbs in the inner strings and the last 4 outer I used 23. Main, top 3 strings at 25 and the remainder at 24. Played with the racquet for 3 nights and it felt good. Better than my previous strung at 24 lbs (22 main and 24 cross) with BG 68-Ti.
Hope you experiment with new settings for your next stringing job and let me know your results.

[cooler]

very good point olli. Yes olli, depending on the types of strings used. However, kwun and cheung are currently under the magic spell of viver's stringing wizardry.

[cooler]

it's 1:13am here and getting sleepy. If i have time, i want to defend my off the wall statement of my post.

[viver]

Cooler I am a bad stringer. I am trying to have a good tension for my racquets but not really succeeded. The last one seem a little better but honestly I could not get the same feeling comparing the ones my coached used to do or from a professional stringer that I sometimes take my racquets to.

[cooler]

friends, foes, and countrymen

After pondering this for a day i have decided not to make my defend statements.
I feel the content could be too damning and would put BC at risk of losing some key and valuable posters that BC had so hard to earn over past years. I too had learned something here as being 'politically correct' sometime has its merit.

hope u understand

:cool: er

[cooler]

Luckily this post is so buried in the back burner that hardly anyone is gonna find it :lol:

[Brett]

Cooler, I feel like May - I have no idea what you're talking about.

[cooler]

i guess right all along, u r a patience man.

which post or statement that u dont understand?

[Brett]

It was the one stating that you chose not to defend your statements so as to avoid offending anyone. I didn't really see any significant disagreement among the authors of the threads on this topic, so I was confused as to which of your statements you felt was being challenged.

[cooler]

i wasnt challenged, it was just about my off the wall comment on 04-10-01 02:28

[cooler]

beside, nobody except us go back this far and read old threads.

[Brett]

I see.

Yeah, we're kind of nerds, aren't we? I just have this nagging little worry that if I don't routinely go back and check on the past five or so screens of older messages, that the little "new" flag will disappear and I will never find that belated answer to an important question I had a few weeks ago.

[jenny]

HI
can i ask if u know any stringing machine sites that i can look at .
thanks