Silent Partner string machine

[ryeung]

Does anyone have any experience with the Silent Partner Swing stringing machine? It appears to be designed for tennis rackets but does it work for badminton as well? Any comments?

Thanks.

[LazyBuddy]

Originally posted by ryeung
Does anyone have any experience with the Silent Partner Swing stringing machine? It appears to be designed for tennis rackets but does it work for badminton as well? Any comments?

Thanks.

At least, u need the smaller clamp for badminton string.

If this machine is "drop weight" type, u might want to get a lighter weight, since if u stay with the tennis one, the lower tension might not be very accurate.

[badrad]

this unit is electric, using a relatively cheap electric motor. the accuracy of the motor is not that close. be sure to keep a calibration tool on hand to keep the tension tested.

the string grabber is fairly simple cam system. not sure if it was designed with badminton in mind, or that badminton is an after thought.

In general the look of the unit is rather cheap and flimsy. In some reviews, they have noticed bending of the plate that holds the motor. the plate could not resist the constant torque. but it think that was use with tennis racquets. badminton tension will be lower, so maybe won't be as hard on the use.

i think for the equivalent amount, go for a more reliable drop weight instead of electric. realistically drop weight has little component to fail. electric - you are subject to motor failure and calibration.

[ryeung]

I'm also considering the Eagnas flex 740. There have been posts about the hawk but the flex seems like a pretty good deal. The only thing is the air suspension system. Will it hold the racket down without creeping up when stringing?

[badrad]

one of my friends just recently bought the Eagnas smart 909 which uses the similar suspension system. It holds amazing well, provided you use all 6 points. In older 6 point systems where the top and bottom posts are still clamped down, you may be able to get away without using the side points. But in this suspension system, all 6 points are integral to the racquet head support.

A small complaint he had was the side supports were more designed for tennis rather than for badminton. He need to do some minor adjustment to get it just right for badminton.

[ryeung]

Thanks badrad.
Does the suspension system hold the racket securely? The concern with the drop weight is the accuracy/consistency of the applied tension if the weight is not perfectly horizontal. Is this really a major conern? Sorry if these questions seem trivial but this will be my first machine and I don't want to make too bad of a decision.

[badrad]

Originally posted by ryeung

Does the suspension system hold the racket securely? The concern with the drop weight is the accuracy/consistency of the applied tension if the weight is not perfectly horizontal. Is this really a major conern? Sorry if these questions seem trivial but this will be my first machine and I don't want to make too bad of a decision.
Quite alright. It's a new direction for you and an initial investment, it is good that you take the time to review as much as you can before making a decision. Also, you will find treat it like buying a car - learn on this one, make some money and then you trade up later on.

I was suspicious too about the suspension system, but i have two fellow stringers that have recently acquired similar units with this type of suspension. They are more than satisfied with the secure holding. The only comment by the one is that his unit required all 6 to be used, but when done so was very secure.

There are some very experienced stringers that I know that will never go to anything else except for drop-weight. In fact by comparison of all the systems, drop weight is the only one that will garantee accurate tension. Unless you have found a way to change earth's gravity around your house.... In the crank (spring), electric and pneumatic systems, garantee there will be some tolerance differences, so you will need to recalibrate just to double check. The reasons are wear and initial precision of the internal parts. It's always a good idea to check anyways, just to make sure you are pulling at the correct weight.

Drop weight sounds like it might be a hassle only at the beginning. Once you have strung about a dozen or so racquets, you will find it to be very fast and dependable.

But - if you are choosing, make sure you pick up at least a few of these features to make your stringing life more pleasant.

Drop weight systems are only as good as the string grabbing mechanics. Most higher end drop weights will provide a cam action or ball-bearing string gripper. Take a close look at the drop weight side in the pictures you might from the website. You should see a little arm that branches off from the center of the drop weight that points towards the racquet. Usually that is the grabber.

What this means is you put the string in between this grabber, and when the string pulls, it automatically clamps the string and pulls it until you release the weight. This allows you to use only one hand on controlling the weight. Now this may sound trivial but on the cheaper systems (ie. lower end klippermates) only give you a knob that you wrap the string around and you need to hold the string while tensioning to prevent slipping.

[badrad]

This is the eagnas unit - check the gripper method.

[badrad]

This it another gripper. To compare, this one takes up more length of string (ie. the last pull may still require you to have at least 12 to 18 inches remaining).

Another point to note - but this is more opinion - check that the pulling mechanism is as in line with the racquet as possible. If the grabber is much below the head of the racquet you will be pulling downwards, rather than horizontal through the grommet. Now most units will pull slightly downwards, and those are units that offer 360 degree racquet rotation. (rotating the racquet 360 degrees, the racquet handle might hit the grabber). But this feature is more only for convenience.

[ryeung]

Thanks very much for your help. One of the reasons I am leaning towards the flex740 is the linear ball bearing gripper and the ratcheting drop weight mechanism. It'll make it a lot easier to reposition the weight. I do like the simplicity and reliability of the drop weight. A quick calculation seems to indicate that being off by say +/-5 degrees won't make a whole lot of difference in tension. I realize that the crank is faster but since I am primarily only going to be using it for mine and my sons' rackets, time is really not too important. Is it true that the drop weight being a constant pull tensioner will give a truer weight, especially if you allow the string to stretch and stabilize a bit before clamping? I hear all this talk about pre-tensioning the string but don't know if it's that big a deal or not.

[badrad]

about pre-stretching. Although more used in tennis to eliminate the coil memory and to pre-stretch certain string types (ie. gut and nylon which have greater tendency to stretch).

I have heard (but never tried) a couple ways to pre-stretch - using a constant pull machine, leaving the pull on for a longer/extended period of time, but this time must be consistent for each pull. and a second method, but very time consuming unless you have a tensioning head (there are some expensive units that have these built in) the ability to add a percentage (ie. 10 or 15%) increase to the initial pre-stretch pull. You release the string, and the tension head automatically reverts to the desired pull tension.

Pre-tensioning just adds extra step to each pull, something you likely won't need to worry about too often.

BTW, if you use the drop weight to pre-stretch the string, you do need to keep a consistent time/angle to ensure that each pre-stretch is the same. The problem here is if this isn't consistent, you can't be sure if each pull pre-tensions the same amount - ie. 1 pull might be 5%, 2 pull might be 10, 3 pull might be 3%, etc... So you could be left with a string that has uneven pre-tensioned sections. The best solution is really to make every single pull similar to the other. This ensure the best constant tension or method throughout the racquet.

[Pre-emptive]

I have the flex 940 and the support is excellent. I am putting only half to one pound more for the cross string when i string my iso rackets.

[ryeung]

Thanks to everyone for their input. It has been most informative and has taken some of the mystery for a first-time buyer. Now at least I can make an educated decision. Still difficult to decide between all the different models with slightly different features. And then juggling all this within a certain budget.

Thank you all.

[Scriber]

I know this is an old thread but i'm in the market for a stringing machine and came across the silent partner machine as well. I was wondering if anyone bought this one, specifically the silent partner swing.
I know it uses a 6 point inner mounting system. Will the 2 extra supports on each end get in the way of the string holes?

[aloy66]

Found an old thread regarding Silent Partner Swing stringing machine. Anyone used it on badminton rackets before? If so, any alteration done on the mounting system? The "6 point inner mounting system" looks interesting. http://www.sptennis.com/manuals/Swing.pdf . Don't know if it can secure badminton frame properly.

[Pete LSD]

They are all tennis machines to begin with. However, badminton specific shoulder supports are available.

[aloy66]

Just found out that SP Swing can be used for badminton. However you need to buy the badminton kid ($100) that includes proper shoulder supports and flying clamps.

[druss]

I have the silent partner crump and it's a pretty good machine. I also ordered the badminton kit with it.

[Pete LSD]

Druss, mind posting photos of the Crump in action. Did you get loadspreaders from MBS?


I have the silent partner crump and it's a pretty good machine. I also ordered the badminton kit with it.