i am thinking of moving to fixed clamp, and that means getting a completely new machine. i figured since this will probably be the machine i will use for the rest of my life, i will get a decent one, but not one that will require me to declare bankruptcy. the budget is around US$1k~$1.5k. i have pretty much boiled down to either the Gamma 6004 6pt, or the Victor C-7027. it will be mated with my WISE head and the Alpha Shuttle Express will go on the market to help funding it. here are my analysis: Victor C-7027: + clamp down mounting + victor auto-release clamp base + slightly cheaper - ugly - fixed side support arm distance - very big Gamma 6004 6pt: + beautiful engineering design + adjustable side support arm distance + gamma clamps (Pete says it is better) - suspension mount - expensive - very big anyone care to comment?
With just some cursory web checking, it didn't look like the price premium for the Gamma 6004 was excessive over the Victor C-7027. The Gamma 6004 6pt is priced at $1299 here http://www.golfsmith.com/product/30026733/gamma-6004-stringing-machine?scode=SPNG99VK&cm_mmc=Shopping Engines-_-GoogleBase-_-xx-_-xx&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=30026733 N/A&tcode=fr_home and I saw the Victor at $1130 here http://www.badmintonshoponline.us/store/victor-string-machine-c7027-p-924.html With more research you may have found lower pricing on both machines and maybe a larger price differential than the $169 I found. But assuming shipping is near equal, I think the Gamma 6004 justifies up to a $300 price differential. I think the adjustable side support arm distance of the Gamma machine would be very helpful for more strategic placement of side supports on the racket. With fixed clamps, you can start making heavy direct pulls on your first cross and optimal placement of the side supports would be advantageous in protecting rackets under those circumstances.
the most important functional differences between the two is: - the Gamma is suspension mount while the Victor is clamp down. this absolutely cannot be modified without some fundamental changes in the design of the mount themselves. - the Gamma has adjustable support position and Victor is fixed. this i can think of at least one way to circumvent. it will require custom machining of a side support that clamps directly on the support arm and removing the original support. i do agree that having the flexibility of side support position can be useful. but i also consulted with the great PeteLSD who claims that this limitation on his C-7030 wasn't a problem at all. the question is whether these differences is worth the $300 price difference. the Victor also comes with a bag of tools which from what i saw from Pete's C7030 are very nice tools.
I own two lathes and a milling machine and thus I will sometimes make custom parts for various things. But it doesn't always quite work out like I thought it would and I end up making more modifications than I first predicted and I end up spending quite a bit of time and trouble making things work. I am pretty much happy in the end, but I have now learned that whenever there is a ready made part or device that already works at reasonable cost, I would have been better off going that route. The advantages you mention above for the Gamma machine are pretty substantial and even more important than the adjustable arm distance I first mentioned. Sure seems to me like the Gamma 6000 machine can justify quite a premium over the Victor C-7030.
My Pro's Pro shuttle express has screw down mounts, which i've just recently stopped using. The problem that i have i would presume is integral to the shuttle express design itself, and pro's pro sloppy construction, in that i can't get the table perfectly flat and level, so that when you screw the racket down in warps and flexes. I've modified my 12/6 posts to work better as a suspension mount without damaging the frame (a round metal post would do this big time) and can now mount a racket with little to no distortion and no damage. In doing so the racket doesn't actually touch the base at the top/bottom, but is held by the side supports. One would hope that victor machines would be built better to alleviate that problem, but i see that they also make a rebadged shuttle express that is identical to the PP version, minus the paint job. Woth thinking about anyway.
the debate of whether clamp down mounting or suspension mounting is very much relevant here and should continue. the assumption i had has always been clamp down is better due to the more secure mounting at the 12/6 o'clock position which prevents the racket head from sliding. the sliding can occur because of sideway pulling forces while tensioning the crosses. the issue with clamp down is similar to what you describe, the flat surfaces of all the mount point must lie exactly on the same plane, and even then, it is not guarantee to not warp the racket because of potential tapering of the racket head structure. having said that, it is very much possible to convert a clamp down mounting system to a suspension mounting system as you have done, probably involve just clamping down a load spreader. it is imho, impossible to convert most suspension mount into clamp down without major changes to the design of the machine.
Since so many of the top stringing machines use the suspension approach (like the ES5ProTech and many others) I had always thought that approach was best as it allowed the racket head to more easily stay planar assuming the side supports are adjusted correctly. With quality side supports (like what comes with the top brand machines and Michal Chudeks aftermarket supports) optimally positioned on the racket head, it would be very difficult to make the racket shift. In fact, even on my low end suspension system Combo 810 outfitted with Chudek side supports and pulling direct on a first cross at 33 lbs., there was not even a hint of the racket wanting to shift.
I will chime in later today...But my custom Chudek supports had just arrived in the mail last night for my 6004 (Pete's old machine). Big thanks to him to spend the time and effort to make a support to fit this machine. I haven't tried it out yet (will do so tonight). Another thing you may want to consider Kwun... Do you want a badminton only machine or one that is flexible to do other rackets? After using a laserfibre/stringway machine for 5 years i do miss the advantages of clamp down mounting (peace of mind for higher tensions). I've only strung about 50 or so rackets with the Gamma 6004 + WISE, I notice that i'm more observant of any frame movement when tensioning on the crosses. This may get rectified with the chudek support.
I think the new 6004 also come with auto release or a push button release. Here is my thoughts. Just my bs opinions. 1) regarding the leveling of racquet on the mount. you MUST check if the racquet can be mounted level once you get the machine. if you worry about the racquet mounted level, then 6004 will be the better option because the n/s support can always go up or down to keep level. 2) i like gamma clamp better because they are narrower and can fit into tighter space. 3) size does matter? no comment...
Kwun, if you go for the Gamma 6004, you have to order Michal's shoulder supports. Let's wait for Howie's review first before making a decision The base clamp of the Gamma is superb. If you want it to hold tight against the turntable, just tighten the screw. The resulting adjustment will last string job after string job. The clamp down of the C-7027 is uber solid. I saw it in action and I saw the results. You will most likely not required to add 2+ lbs on the cross. Victor's base clamp is fancy but the adjustment is not permanent with repeated useage.
Another consideration is that the Gamma's turntable allows you adjust the distance between both columns simultaneously. On the other hand, Victor's turntable is more conventional: you have to adjust each one separately. I personally prefer the more conventional way of adjusting the distance between the columns. Maybe other folks have different opinions.
I already mentioned this in other threads. Gamma's columns aren't solidly bolted to the turntable. There is a big screw inside the turntable that adjusts both columns simultaneously. Kwun knows about this already.
originally i thought clamp down will be much more superior, mainly due to Pete's recommendation. however, after giving it more thoughts, i feel that the advantage is not that significant anymore and there are also downside to having it: maintaining planer head mounting. non-adjustable side support. if suspension/clamp down are given equal weight, then the comparison has become: Victor C-7027: + clamp down mounting + victor auto-release clamp base + slightly cheaper - ugly - fixed side support arm distance - very big Gamma 6004 6pt: + suspension mount + beautiful engineering design + adjustable side support arm distance + gamma clamps (Pete says it is better) - expensive (+ cost of badminton clamp & side support) - very big the decision is even harder to make now.
Relax . . . sit back and comb the feather on a shuttlecock. The key is to finding a demo machine and use it yourself first before commiting to a purchase. There is no hurry.
