Ok guys, so I've convinced my wife to let me get a stringing machine but I have to wait until after christmas Anyway, it's mainly personal use and I have a maximum budget of around £300. If you were in my shoes, which would you buy and why?
Pro's Pro Pilot - cracking machine to get started, and you can bang a WISE on it if you have occasion later.
If you never intend to do tennis or squash, that'd do fine - six point support is a must, though IMHO.
IMO PP don't have the best fixed clamps. I would go for the PS3600 again. ( I'm very happy and satisfied)
It took some tinkering (viz.a teardown and rebuild) but I got my PP bases absolutely spot-on. In fact, I wish I had them back, because my current machine has curved rails (which are inconsistent over the length).
So I should be ordering this machine towards the end of the week, is it 100% better to get this over the cheaper challenger 2 drop weight machine for a beginner?
Drop weight is fine if you are only doing the odd restring (for yourself) once in a blue moon. But as you gain more experience, you will find it frustrating as it is a lot slower. Plus you will not be able to upgrade it to an electronic head - without butchering it. So eventually you'll probably end up selling it and getting something else. Get the 6-point crank machine - which is what I've got and used for quite a few years now. I would consider getting a good condition used one to save a bit more cash.
So its best to take the steeper learning curve on the crank for the long term benefits. Sounds sensible. I've looked for a second hand one but not had any luck there.
I wouldn't say that crank is necessarily a steeper learning curve. It does need calibrating, but there's usually instructions on how to do that. Just need a set of allen keys iirc. But the trick with crank is to be very consistent with the way you turn and lock out the crank. There will be a slight difference in tension if you turn handle quickly as opposed to doing it slowly. Most badminton specific clamps will do the job. Generally, the wider the clamp the better as it spreads the load across the string more evenly... but don't worry too much about that for now. Most will do the job even at moderately high tensions. Don't attempt high tension stringing until you've developed enough experience. So get some cheap single filament strings to practice on old metal frame racquets to start with before moving on to the likes of your 8DX and JJS! Metal frame racquets are ideal to start learning on as they tend to deform more uniformly so will give you a bit more warning before they break - even so, don't abuse them by going too high a tension.
This one would have interested me if I was in England. http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php/130416-Electronic-3600-stringing-machine?highlight=
