A lot has been said about racquets, stringing, tension, etc., but very little has been expounded about the role of the badminton stringing machine. There is a certain mystic or even "magic", including ignorance, in this seldom explored area. Exactly, what is a 2-point, 4-point, 6-point, or any multi-point machine? What do they do? How can they affect stringing tension and stringing patterns? Can different machines change the dynamics of the racquet, i.e. 2-point machines are okay for higher cross over main tension, but not so for 6-point machines? Maybe, by kick-starting this little known area of the so-called master's realm of his magical skills, we can learn a little first, and then more, as we start putting on our thinking cap.
2 point stringing machine is the basic stringing machine whereby the racket is held in place at the top most and the t section of the racket. 4 point s. m. has an additional metal pieces to support the racket at 2 o'clock & 10 o'clock face position of the racket. 6 point s.m. has an additional metal pieces to support the racket at 2 o'clock & 10 o'clock, 4 o'clock & 8 o'clock face position of the racket. When a vertical section of the racket is strung on a 2 point s.m., the shape of the frame will become rounder due to the tension of the string pulling vertically. The shape then comes back to its original shape when the horizontal section is strung. Sometimes the horinzontal tension is varied to get the ideal shape of the racket. Due to this constant stress to the frame the 4 point & 6 point s.m. is used whereby the shape of the frame stays put and to reduce the chances of the frame breaking during stringing. Personally I feel the 4 point s.m. is good enough but some stringers like to string the horinzontal section from top down (2 piece string method) and there would be a need for frame support at the 8 & 4 o'clock points. ciao
In general, the more points you have on your stringing machine, the better your frame will be held by the machine. That means less likely to move while being strung and less likely to warp while being strung. You generally do not want the frame to move at all when it is being strung (especially at high tensions) so the more points you have, the better it is held by the machine.
A minor issue to be aware of is that additional supports tend to get in the way during the stringing process. As a result, if the racquet is only being strung at low to medium tensions, or if speed is an important factor, 2-point machines might actually be more preferable than those with additional support. -Rick
1. Seems only drop weight comes with 2 point support system. Most crank/eletric machines have at leat 4 points. 2. It saves time to "avoid the block", but not allow u to "pre-string" before tensioning. Overall, I doubt it will save any time.
that is why 2 point is still the most common stringing machine. Just because someone has a 4 or 6 point machine doesnt mean he'll do it that way behind the back room
I think that one of the key factors regardless of how many points the machine has is that the 12 and 6 o'clock position be securely fastened properly (i.e. the mounting system - whether it is clamp-down or suspension). You might have a 6-pt machine with suspension mounting which is not really that great for high tension stringing since the 6/12 o'clock positions are held by two vertical bars. So if you give a choice of a 6 pt suspension mounting and a 2-pt clamp-down machines, I would choose the 2-pt machine.
yes, most (not all) 4 and 6 point s.m. are overrated. It will give an inexperience stringer false confidence in stringing, thinking all is well. Any experienced stringer can do well with a 2 pointer. For example (automobile related again ) 90% of autos i've seen in the road ditches are 4wd trucks, suvs.(lol, no 6wd though) very very rarely i see a 1 or 2wd car in the ditch.
that's actually an interesting point. PeteLSD pointed me to a new mounting method by one of the manufacturers. instead of a 4pt mounting at 3,6,9,12 o'clock position, this manufacturer have 4pt mounting at 1,5,7,11 o'clock. the advantage being the initial mounting is much easier. 5,7 o'clock supports move together to clamp down the racket, and as a result, only one adjustment is made. compared to the tradition system, where there need to be a screw down on 6/12 o'clock, and then the 3/9 o'clock clamp needs to be adjusted. in theory, the supports can be anywhere as long as they are distributed evenly. the new 4pt system has the advantage in that it supports the 5/7 o'clock position, where the most stressed locations. normally a 6pt mount will fix that problem, but now we can achieve with a 4pt mount. less mounts to get in the way.
Example of a machine? Hey Kwun, you about the new mounting system... Could you post a URL for an example of a stringing machine which uses the mounting system you've described? Thanks