as tempted by PeteLSD, i attempted stringing a Panda Ultra Pro at 44x46 today. he suggested starting lower but i thought, what the heck, no guts no glory. as you probably have guess, by attempted, means that it failed. i used BG65, tried ZM70 new earlier but they snapped in the first few mains. i don't think the new ZM70 are suitable for such high tensions. anyway, it was successful for the mains, did flat 44lbs throughout the racket, no proportional. i finished it and tied off. the Ultra Pro is very impressive, some deformations but the frame is rock solid considering how much force was on that thing. i tied a couple of dummy cross strings at around 9 and 11 o'clock to secure the frame. that's went ok. and then i started weaving the cross, bottoms up. 46lbs. everything was ok until around the 5th cross from bottom. the main string snapped at the top. the grommet hole that broke it forces the string at an angle and thus created too much stress. the Ultra Pro on the other hand, survived and lived to see another day. the weakness at this tension is the string. if we can find something a bit stronger than BG65, this maybe a success.
I had to turn the volume to extra low, was afraid of the snap sound. Every time you changed video to a new clip, I felt the suspense build up, it was pretty amusing. Why did you put the 4 red string crosses at the middle and top? Would it be to stop some of the compression effect of the mains at such a high tension?
This is one of the many perils of stringing at uber high tension. I experienced too many such premature main string breakage in the past. The problem is as mentioned above - the slightest bent here and there get significantly magnified. An uber tough string and uber smooth grommet system are required. Having dummy strings at the top really help the frame from expanding outward and avoid collapse. Such a precaution is required because the 6004's stock shoulder supports just can't keep the frame from moving.
imagine me standing there and actually have to experience that on every string! and not to mention the 5 or 6 times ZM70 snapped on me. i tried it, snapped, tried another segment, snapped. yeah. just being cautious because usually when the cross tensions building up, the racket head will get squeezed upwards. that's the attempt to counter that force. but well, never managed to get that far...
yes i did. only during the BG65 one though. ZM don't smell anything. also notice the cemetery of ZM70 on the floor.
I'm reliably informed that the smell is phenol; Ashaway stuff doesn't seem to have it. Some other ones kwun can try: Ashaway Flex Micro, Microlegend XL, Micropower XL, BG55 (already mentioned), BG38... Babolat VS Touch 0.75?
hm.. time to give Winston a call.. hahah. i would deserve a nobel prize for stringing badminton natural gut to 45lbs!
ZM70 and BG65 can take 45lbs. tension if one is careful enough. Once on the racket both string will be relatively durable. When string at ultra high tension, some suggestions: 1) Pre-weave the racket so you can string faster and have less uneven tension on the racket. 2) Use a new racket or a racket that has new grommets and/or rotate the grommets so they are new/fresh not used. The string most likely broke due to the grommet cutting through the grommet and into the frame. 3) Use your hands and hold/put pressure on the side of the racket that is being tensioned. Once the tension is achieved, slow release pressure from that side. This helps distribute the tension. 4) Don't just let the string pull if it's close to being obstructed by the side supports and/or it's a weird angle. Do a trial pull, that is, pull and get ready to untension if something goes wrong. 5) Pull at the slowest setting.
I noticed in the video, at the part where the main strings broke, the point on the racquet that immediately jumped free out of the support arm's grasp is somewhere on grommet A13. If kwun were to set the top support arms to grasp the racquet at that point would the distortion during the cross strings stringing have been nullified more (and possibly prevented the breakage)?
thanks for sharing if u r successful... i wonder which player can play this racket properly without breaking strings.
kwun, do you have any access to Toalson Superline 80? 0.80 mm - thickest stuff I could find over here.
Let me know if you want some sets - it's ridiculously cheap, and I can have them sent straight to USA to avoid sales tax.