stringing ettiquette

[II_Parthica]

As far as I can tell from reading the posts this came up once briefly.



As a beginner at stringing a number of people have asked me what my policy is on racquets breaking while I am restringing and also strings breaking shortly after a restring. Although I’ve not had either yet, (10 racquets restrung so far) I haven’t given an answer. What is the general advice of the more experienced stringers? Given that a racquet would be in fairly good shape when it prior to restringing and an average 22lbs tension. Also does anybody think it worthwhile taking out insurance to cover broken racquets?



Also on the subject of flying clamps, I have two types of "free clamp". One is a yonex clamp which simply has a spring to close the jaws and the other has no make and works on the basis of depressing a handle which swings down an angled piece connected to the jaws of the clamp pushing them shut. (Slightly similar to trunking shears or a car jack mechanism) Are both of these "flying clamps" and which is the better clamp?

[other]

As a beginner at stringing a number of people have asked me what my policy is on racquets breaking while I am restringing and also strings breaking shortly after a restring. Although I’ve not had either yet, (10 racquets restrung so far) I haven’t given an answer. What is the general advice of the more experienced stringers? Given that a racquet would be in fairly good shape when it prior to restringing and an average 22lbs tension. Also does anybody think it worthwhile taking out insurance to cover broken racquets?


i dont string, but i would not expect the stringer to take responsiblilty, unless it was due to human error, and they own up (i wouldn't know either way anyway). I guess if the stringer nicks the string during stringing resulting in a very quick break, they should be responsible for a restring or a refund.

If the racquet is too bashed, and the stringer doesn't think it will last the restring, then i would expect him to tell me and offer either a lower tension, or to confirm that whatever happens, he's already voiced his concerns and not his fault if it breaks and that i still want the same tension.

[silentheart]

I only string for friends and people in my club so I only speak for myself here in this post.
A good stringer should know the limit of the racquets, strings and his/her own machine. I will inspect the racquet as soon as I get my hand on the racquet. I also check the recommanded tension range and ask what tension the player would like me to string. If it is just 1lb over the recommanded tension, no big deal. Anything over that, I will tell the owner of racquet that I will not be responsible for breaking the racquet. Since I know the people I string for, I know if he/she is a hard smasher or a control freak. Since they know the style they play, they know who is at fault for string breaking with in 1 week. I am lucky that no one has argue with me yet.
Since I am not a dealer, I do not have extra racquet to give out. However, I do charge $5 extra on the first time in case I need to send it out to have it replaced under warrenty. If I accepted a job and broke the racquet under recommanded tension, I will use the reserve I build up to pay for the cost of the racquet. So far I am lucky. That is my little racquet insurance.
And no, unless you own a store, you can not get a general/racquet liability insurance in any reasonable rate from any insurance company... If you do own a store, the laibility insurance is still expensive...

[LazyBuddy]

1. The stringer and customer should have the trust in between. No one wants to see bad things happen (i.e. string snaps too fast, racket broke, etc). Usually the customer just finger pointing back to the stringer say, hey, u broke my racket. However, unless I carry a microsocpe, how I am going to notice / know if there's any hairline crack or internal damage due to previous clash or bad string job etc? Even if a racket looks perfect, it still can break due to manufacture defect. I always tell ppl that I will try my best to get the job done, but i can't be responsible for any racket breakage. If they agree, I do it. If not, they can simply find someone else.

2. For the string breakage, it's really down to the players. Hard hitter or ppl frequently mis-hit should know that they can break string easily. I don't think anything like 15 or 30 days gurantee is fair to the stringer. Say if I string lin dan's racket, who's known for broken 3 in a match, how I am going to keep up with my flow? I know there are ppl can't snap a string for years, as well as ppl can never let a piece last for more than 5 days.

3. Both clamsp are flying clamps. Personally, I think the spring ones should be a better choice in a long run. The 2nd type (screw adjustable) works fine if under 22-23lb, but very soon, u need to re-adjust the screw tightness very often, in order to maintain the tension effectively.