Following on from a recent post I started: (http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php/109151-Wrapping-strings-on-the-bottom-row) I wanted to ask people what the tell-tale signs are of a bad restringing job is? All I have so far (and please do correct me if I am wrong): There should be 2 or 4 knots (depending on whether it is a one string or two string method). I guess 3 knots is bad (and would be very weird), more than 4 knots is also bad. Having the knots on the outside of the frame is bad. Another thing, if you were considering using an unverified restringer, what kind of questions could you ask (and the typical answers that would be reassuring and/or raising alarm bells)? TIA
the problem is that most stringers these days managed to do a pretty good looking job. even the kids or moms at the local gyms here manages to come up with a string job that look pretty decent. unless there is a glaring error, they look exactly like any other string job you get. and they may well be decent ones as well. the ones that makes the glaring errors (eg. i have, for the past 30 years, never seen anyone tie the knot outside the frame), are the 1% and probably never survived anyway. in other words, most of the time, there are not that much clue whether a job is good or bad. you will have to actually play with it first to see if the feeling of the racket is good or not.
I guess that's where I get stuck, being only a social player, I don't think I would notice much between a an excellent restring and an above average restring. One could argue that if I wouldn't notice then it probably doesn't matter. May be I shouldn't be so picky
When you ask a stringer to string a tension for you but you know the tension is off. I used to go to a private club just to get stringing and they did a great job. After distance became a problem, I tried a local stringer and a club. I asked for 25 lbs and I was very disappointed when I received something much less. The local stringer I asked to string was reluctant to string my Nanospeed 9900 at 25 lbs. He mentioned it was very high and wanted me to double-think my decision. I did not. I got it back later and the actual tension had to be around 21-23 lbs. I asked him about it and he swore it was strung at 25 lbs. Never went back. I now string for myself and others. I do not think there are 'associations' in Canada to become certified stringers. It may point to an individual who has a higher probability to be knowledgeable but this may not be the case too. I dislike the term 'unverified' stringer. What you may ask a stringer are questions about pre-stretching methods, main/cross differences, pre-weaving, constant pull/crank/drop weight, etc?
Jonster brings up a good point. when giving a racket to be strung, we expect it to be at least close to the actual tension we asked for. i said close because there is no absolute. if we put 10 of the best stringer together and ask them to string 25lbs, i bet all the sting jobs will come back sounding slightly different. but at least they should be close. close enough to be of no significant. of course if it comes back 20, 21, or even 22lbs it should not be acceptable. the other factor is that we should expect everytime the racket comes back with the same string and tension, they should feel exactly the same. if you go to the local department store or local gym where they employ a bunch of kids and for sure kidA and kidB will come back with a different string job. so either find some place who is more consistent or always request for the same stringer, or both. stringing is a bit like finding a tailor, different tailor will make you a suit that fits you, but only the good ones know how to make you one that actually suits and look good on you.
Really? I got a factory-strung Arc 10 (from a cast-iron reputable dealer) looking like this - yes, that white blob is the main tie off knot. The knot may have fallen through, but I facepalmed all the same. Bad stringing, to me, means incorrect tension and/or slight frame asymmetry; very bad stringing is missed strings and more than four knots. Crossovers I can put up with, misweaves less so.
Misweaves are places where the strings go "over over over" instead of "over under over" i.e. the stringer missed a weave; crossovers are places where loops sit on top of each other on the outside of the frame, instead of side-by-side.
Don't know if these constitute a bad string job as such, but i try to avoid when i string things like: - putting the tie offs in odd places (i've seen some really strange tie offs, half way up the sides for instance) - long runs outside the frame before a tie off (i try to go to the next avalable shared grommet for mine, usually no more than 2 grommets away) -3 passes through a grommet (main, cross and main tie off) -untidy string on the outside of the frame (sometimes it's so much of a PITA to get through a shared grommet that it's hard to finesse these though) -grommets not fully seated and/or pulling out of the frame -really untidy knots (not really a problem, but from an aesthetic point of view all the tails sitting flush against the frame and all the same length looks nice imo) I also make a point of straightening all the strings out after stringing, i know they won't stay that way for long in use, but it's a nice first impression for the owner when they come back looking neat and tidy, plus it gives them a chance to bed in place where they ought to be. If i replace any grommets, i make a point of trimming them down to the same length as those around the new ones. Of course, it's harder to tell outwardly how a stringer has done the job, he might have been really inconsistant in how he pulls, clamps, weaves etc, but i like to think that when someone takes care over the things you can see, they're more likely to do the same with the things you can't.
hard to say about the tie off position. AK, who is the official stringer for the AE, WC, and then later on this year for the Olympics is known to do unusual tie off including higher up as well as triple string through grommets. and i have been following that as well.
If the racquet frame caves in with a hit on the sweet spot, something has gone wrong. If it happens with a fairly new racquet, I would strongly suspect a stringing problem. Unfortunatly, that's already too late.
