There are several places where the string is 'cut' like this. Is this normal when stringing? Isn't this going shorten the lifetime of my strings quite a lot? edit: pic is pretty big - resizing bigger version: http://i.imgur.com/WdTD0r2.jpg
I've only just seen it so I haven't posed any questions to the stringer. I haven't played with it yet. It can only have happened during stringing.
damnit! I supplied my own string (Ashaway) so that complicates things as well. Maybe be better to make him aware of it and then get a freebie when they snap.
It is not a shared hole, but you are right in that it does seem that s/he tried to move the top string out of the way to put in the bottom string and damaged the string. Im going to guess this is a victor racket with extra grommets (less shared grommets), once he strung up and tensioned part of the strings s/he found the string covered some of the grommet holes (as they are not offset), and he was not able to put the string in, and used an awl as some people have stated, damaging the string in the process. This is the due to inexperienced stringer/ inexperience with racket make/ string pattern.
I have to do that sometimes if I forget to put a piece of string there before tensionning, but it never damages the string. I really can't see how he could damage the string so much that way. It looks like something very small took a bite in the string
You can also see some damage to the string at the 2nd grommet from the top of the picture, right where the grommet hole is. I suppose it could be a possibility of string burn. Where they pull the string through the grommet too fast/ without due care, it has damaged the string sitting perpendicular to the grommet.
It shouldn't be awl use - there are no shared holes nearby. Problem is, there's no way to prove that the string wasn't damaged before it went in the racket - I have seen strings come off the reel and out of packs with minor nicks. The stringer should probably have clocked it, but the fact that you supplied it yourself might give him an out. O/T - is it an MX60?
I too get this occasionally with zm70 reels considering the yellow and the 'octablade' we can see, its safe to assume its a mx60
Ok its not a shared hole but covered . This guy uses something really sharp to get into those holes. You can also see in the top-right corner of the picture, the string on another hole is also damaged. If the string breaks at those points I would claim back my money.
the hole alignment is too perfect for it to be pre-damaged strings. it looks to me he pulled the string too fast and burned the other string. but it also begs the question: how often does this happen? i haven't seen similar cases in my own stringing. he must be pulling a lot of strings really fast for this to happen. but we should be aware of it just in case. also, since such interlapping happens in the non-shared holes areas, there are lot of more string length to pull there while doing top-down vs. bottom-up. so ppl who do top-down should pay more care when pulling strings. esp on string with a rough texture like the Zymaxes.
Perhaps he uses Yan.V method of putting a scrap string in there. But when he removes the scrap string he pulls it out too fast and burns it.
I don't think I'd be able to create such damage even by pulling the scrap strings really really fast, since there isn't much string to pull. I think he just pulled the cross string super fast once he got it through the grommet.
This is why I always have my crosses coming out underneath mains loops - the machine pulls slightly downward anyway, and I can make sure I pull slightly downward when getting the cross through. At the 4/8 o'clock area, there's less string to pull through when doing top-down - it's already in the frame by then. But, of course, there's more string to pull through the 2/10 holes (but most rackets don't have mains loops up there).