curious about stringing

Discussion in 'Badminton String' started by mr personality, Jan 27, 2004.

  1. mr personality

    mr personality Regular Member

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    hey guys

    i'm just curious about the way they string here in usa. whenever i buy a new rac or string one, they ALWAYS give it at a very low tension. so every half a year i'll restring it back in indonesia and recently i asked the guy what is the tension he used. he told me it was 30 lbs. yes! 30 lbs, i even reconfirmed it with him. so i came back to usa and i told people nxt time i want a tension of 30 lbs and they say it's impossible. i asked another friend of mine what his tension was, and his was 27 lbs. and the last time i bought my rac i told the yonex guy i want it to be really tight, and he said he'd put 22 on it and couldnt put anything above yonex recommendation. of course, that is a very low tension.


    i dont know what do they use here, but in indonesia, they use this big machine and the guy would sit around it and do his job. i dont understand why cant anybody here string it as tight as 30 lbs. 25 is probably the tightest i've heard for americans.


    mine is bg 85, and it does last more than 1/2 year even when i'm an attacking and smashing player, so there is actually no problem with 30 lbs tension. and i will only restring it every half year in indonesia cos i've been disappointed one too many times in usa. that too, not because the string broke, but just because i dont want to get a 22 lbs stringing so i'll cut the string and have it restringed again.
     
  2. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

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    It sounds improbable : BG85 at 30 lbs lasting 1/2 year for an attacking player. How many hours do you play in a month? I used to string at this tension, and I had a lot of broken strings and broken racquets.
    If you string your racquet in Indonesia at 30 lbs, the strings will contract in the colder US climate, and you will have higher breakage rate than when playing in Indonesia. Or is it possible the big stringing machine is out of calibration? This often happens with shops that don't upkeep and periodically re-calibrate their machine.
     
  3. mr personality

    mr personality Regular Member

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    plays 3-4 times a week, 90% of which is doubles matches. the badminton club doesnt have enough courts to play singles.
     
  4. mr personality

    mr personality Regular Member

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    and i think if the machine is out of calibration, how much can it differ anyway. right? i mean 30 lbs may be 27 or 28 or something like that. definitely not 22 23. and i dont think the stringer guy is lying cos what good does he get. haha. and i checked with somebody with experience at my club and she is the us top 3 in women singles for senior and she was amazed that my string is tighter than the rest of the people's.

    by the way the specific rac i'm talking about is my mp100

    just something to keep me wondering. thanks for the reply anyway
     
    #4 mr personality, Jan 27, 2004
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2004
  5. bluejeff

    bluejeff Regular Member

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    1. Stringing over the Yonex's recommendation that much will void the warranty. So, if the racket broke during stringing, who is going to be responsible for the racket? You or the stringer you asked for stringing at high tension? That's the problem.

    2. BG-85 @ 30 pounds? sure, I will break the string within an hour. I tend to string rackets 10%-20% down in tension compare what I will have in Asia. So, if I string this racket at 25pounds in Asia, I will probably make it to be 22 or so in the US. It's too dry in here.

    3. The big machine you talked about is probably the Babolat machines. They are known for high tension stringings. It's hard to find those stuff in the US. Also, keep in mind that there are less badminton players in the US, so people tend to be easy on everything (general speaking.)

    4. Where are you at? There are many good stringers out there in the US (although you have to find them by yourself).:)
     
    #5 bluejeff, Jan 27, 2004
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2004
  6. Pete LSD

    Pete LSD Regular Member

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    You have to find a stringer who is willing and who is capable of stringing that high. Please note 30 lbs in sub-tropical and tropical weather is quite common. The hot and humid weather tends to soften tight string bed really fast. In North America, the reverse is true, as indicated by taneepak. Your 30 lbs string bed will feel like a wooden board even after a week of repeated use.

    Second, make sure that your stringer calibrate his machine every morning. Yes, the professional stringers do that!

    Third, there is no way BG-85 will last 1/2 year for frequency of play.

    Fourth, don't compare to a senior. Ask Tony G. and compare your string bed to his ;).

    Fifth, you can increase the frame life by using proportional stringing. Sure, you don't get the full 30 lbs but your racquet will love you :).
     
  7. mr personality

    mr personality Regular Member

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    actually i dont know what the machine is called, just that i enjoy watching that guy stringing racs since he moves so swiftly. usually i string at this yonex dealer at maryland where i buy my rac since the stringing comes with the rac (hv to pay more for bg 85 of course). but if i break it, i'll ask that woman's husband who is also in my club to string it for me since he has the stringing tools. i think he told me that his machine is not the big machine. his is more like the one which grips the rac and i think he actually has to move his hands. sorry i'm not familiar with all these stringing devices so i cant mention what they are called.
     
  8. Pete LSD

    Pete LSD Regular Member

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    My stringer has a Babolat machine. The string job from this machine is slightly tighter than his other machine, Prince Neo. Overall the difference is very small. He told me that he calibrate the two each morning with a digital instrument.

     
  9. mr personality

    mr personality Regular Member

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    i guess i'll probably have to compromise and get something like a 25 or 26 lbs stringing over here. hopefully my string doesnt break till july. and that senior woman is probably early 50s, not 70s or something that old. though she doesnt wanna reveal the actual age. woman.... ;)

    btw no chance of asking tony to compare. i didnt go to watch the dc open recently cos driving in bad weather really sucks, esp with 30" of snow hahah

    i'll only use bg 85 because it's the thinnest string and i like the "bounce" feeling it has, and i'm used to it anyway. if i were to change to 65, i'll prolly hit the net more than hit over it when attacking.
     
    #9 mr personality, Jan 27, 2004
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2004
  10. mr personality

    mr personality Regular Member

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    btw bluejeff, can you recommend any good stringers that you know? i live close to ohio. and shipping it to anywhere in us or canada wont be a problem.
     
  11. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    i would side with the majority here. BG85 at real 30lbs, playing double in th US and lasting 1/2 year don't seem possible. Bg85 can go to 30 lbs but definitely dont last anywhere near 1/2 year.

    *i dont think the stringer guy is lying cos what good does he get. haha. *
    Well, it could be the stringer dunno the machine is out of calibration. Also, if intentional, it could be a marketing ploy because it sound impressive, some customers think he/she getting the money worth.

    The question is 30lbs really right tension for you. Sound like u r just letting the stringer make his call, maybe including the inflated number.
     
  12. Pete LSD

    Pete LSD Regular Member

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    In case you can't find a decent stringer, purchase a stringing machine and string the racquets yourself.

    If you hit the net more with BG-65, the issue is your technique. Your equipment can only do so much for you.

     
  13. mr personality

    mr personality Regular Member

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    usually i'll give it to him since he's guy who strings most of the players in my town. got to know from from their recommendation too. and he does the stringing real tight for me, and i got a real loose one in usa so this time i went back, i asked him what was the tension he used to string on that mp100.

    anyway thx for the replies guys. off to sleep since it's 3 am.
     
  14. bluejeff

    bluejeff Regular Member

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    I live at Columbus, Ohio, and I string bymyself :)
    I personally think the stringing done by San Diego Shop is pretty good.
     
  15. LazyBuddy

    LazyBuddy Regular Member

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    A lot of dealers refuse to string racket more than Yonex's rec. value (usually 20-22 lb). Simple, in US, there's warranty on racket. If they put a tension like 30 lb, and the racket breaks (especially used and abused racket), who will pay for the replacement?

    Don't put high tension does not mean can't put high tension. I know a local dealer, who always refuse to string more than 25 lb for ppl. However, if his close buddies (who understand his concern) or himself, he felt free to put up to 28 lb range, as long as he carefully exam the racket before the process.

    If we put away the warranty issue, many stringers in US has the ability to string more than 22 lb, if they have a workable machine to go with. It's more like a trust between the 2 parties. However, the sad thing is, most of the cases, once a racket is broken, the stringer always took the blame. I am not saying the stringers never make mistakes, but have to say, heard too many cases like the players over abused the racket (tons of paint chips, hidden cracks, don't cut string after it snaps, etc), and still ask for 25 lb.

    Therefore, regardless tension, if u trust someone with his/her job, stick with the party. If u feel bad on certain issues, move on.
     
  16. JChen99

    JChen99 Regular Member

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    Re: Re: curious about stringing

    Agreed... BG80 only lasts a month@28lbs... i dont think BG85 will last more than 2 weeks for me even @28lbs XD
     
  17. Pete LSD

    Pete LSD Regular Member

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    BG-68 Ti, @ 26 lbs on an oval, last only three weeks at best!
     
  18. quagmire

    quagmire Regular Member

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    i believe yonex will still replace rackets even if they were strung at higher tensions. the recommended tension on yonex rackets are there in order for them to replace fewer rackets :D you can often add 2-4 lbs more and its still going to be very safe. besides, broken rackets are often results from clashes rather than solely high tensions. if you can avoid clashes entirely, theres almost no chance for your racket to break unless its in a bad condition already.

    another thing to consider is the stringing machine used, some machines i believe cant string above 27 lbs or something.

    or maybe you can just get another racket brand that can handle high tensions and says so on the shaft. i have an RSL 3180 and its recommendation on the shaft is 28 lbs. it doesnt have any warranty tho ;)
     

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