Hello, first time posting here. i made the decision to buy a stringing machine. nobody in my badminton club has one. additionally i have 4 rackets which i can string by myself then. since im a beginner here i do not want to spend big money on my first machine (300€ limit). i did read a lot about the different mechanisms (electric, drop-weight, crank). for me its clear i want a manual machine. but i dont know what kind of machine. i have hooked to 2 models: Pros Pro Challenger II and Pros Pro Pilot both with different mechanics. both not the best machines as far i have read. but for beginners its okay. so whats the best machine to learn with? what machine would make less trouble? Sorry for hard understandings, english is not my native language Thank u in advance
I would go for the Pilot. The crank is a more convenient tension mechanism than the drop weight. It's also easier to upgrade later: you can swap the crank for a WISE electronic tension head, which is designed to mount on the same "track". I think the Pilot looks like a great starting machine.
Welcome to the forums danpie Both of those machines are great to start with, Gollum has made decent points about the pilot. I started stringing in 2012 and I opted for a dropweight machine which I still use now. Dropweight is a constant pull as gravity helps keep the tension in the string whilst you clamp the strings. Crank can be faster but not as accurate as a dropweight, however its easier to upgrade if you want to in the future. Both have pros and cons. Its a hard one to say as it depends on your technique and personal preference. With practice you can get fast on either machine. What I would recommend is look at Kwun and Mark A's stringing videos, both were very helpful to me when I started stringing. Make sure you use spare rackets when you do your first dozen or so string jobs as you will make mistakes and you don't want to practice on your best racket and damage it. Buy some cheap badminton string and practice, then you can always start again if you don't do the end knots and practice more. It took me like 30 string jobs or so to get the feel for my machine and get the technique how I wanted it. My first string jobs used to take 1 hour 30 mins or so, I wasn't bothered about the time, I just took my time to do the tensioning correctly and over time speed comes. Now I can finish a job between 25-35 minutes and on a dropweight that is a decent time. From my experience, both those machines are easy to learn with. Just take your time and ask if you have particular issues regarding stringing and the members here will help. There are plenty of great posts about choosing a stringing machine, read those if you haven't already. Good luck! Kindest regards, -Ajay- Quote of the Day Wisdom is what's left after we've run out of personal opinions.
Thank you very much to both replys. Im also considering to buy the "Pros Pro Shuttle Express". Adding 2 clamps from yonex would be fine. im reading so much threads of chosing a machine. but i can not chose for myself ... i guess im sleeping some nights about this decision and then i will have a clear head for buying the right machine some pros and cons about the shuttle expess?
Read this post, Kwun had the Alpha shuttle express which is essential the same machine: http://www.badmintoncentral.com/for...EVIEW-Alpha-Shuttle-Express-Stringing-Machine Kindest regards, -Ajay- Quote of the Day Wisdom is what's left after we've run out of personal opinions.
Just couple of weeks ago, I was having the same decision to make. I also was torn between the Challenger and the Pilot. I finally ended up buying the challenger since I preferred the dropweight mechanism. Dropweight doesn't need calibration and is by nature a constant pull mechanism. You can also upgrade the Challenger with a WISE if you want to later on, there are adapters available to combine them. I have now strung about 20 rackets on the Challenger and in general, I think it is a decent machine for the price. However, If I had to buy my machine now, I would spend a couple of bucks more and maybe get one with better quality. And since your are in Germany, I can definitely recommend to have a look through www.tennisman.de and get in contact with Mr. Schöll there. He is a very nice and helpful guy and can give you some good tips. For example, what nearly fits into your budget there is the DISCHO-Premium Stringer 3600 which could be an interesting option to the Challenger. If you stick to the basic question "Pilot or Challenger?", I guess it is only a matter of taste if you prefer crank or dropweight. Just make sure that you order the machine with the clamps that are also designed for badminton. And as a first upgrade, I can only recommend to order the Michal-Chudek-Side-Supports (all info can be found => here). They are just brilliant and the original Pro's Pro side supports just suck big time for badminton.
Fully agree to all that Ajay said. The BC forum is a great resource where I also found very good solutions for nearly all the problems I had with my first string jobs. But holy moly... ... 25 Minutes on a dropweight machine?! That is impressive! I am currently down to around 55-60 minutes (using fixed clamps) and I have no clue how to improve the time needed any more without getting sloppy on straightening/massaging the crosses or getting the lever really horizontal ect. Any tips where I might be able to save some time without becoming "quick and dirty"?
Just an advice: If you can spend a value of money, you should use the whole budget for the machine. Especially when you look at cheaper machines, there is every penny worthy. I would always go for a drop weight. Accuracy is to me more important than quickness and if you choose some strings which are known for alot of slack, you will always get a better result with the dropweight. Cranks are easier to use but also a bit frail. If you have enough money you don't must stick with the 200€ Pro's Pro.
Welcome to the stringing club [MENTION=122926]danpie[/MENTION]. I started stringing 5 years ago and was recommended to get the Pilot as one of my peers used a crank for stringing. One thing I have come across with my Pilot is that the tension lever spring can easily wear out and break. Cost of replacement isn't that expensive but I have gone through about 3 or 4 of them as I string fairly frequently for a hobbyist. My first attempt took me 3/4 hours which was joyful. I couldn't get my head round how you start the main. Like everyone else says, overtime you'll become more efficient the more you string and watching videos or discussing about it. Now I can string a racket between 40-30 minutes. One valuable tip that I can't recommend enough is to get the right tools. Before I didn't have them and it made my stringing time longer.
So many things I've picked up from practice and over time, here is stuff that come to mind straight away. 1) Preweave the mains before mounting on the machine, this saves time once you start tensioning and don't have to fiddle with finding the holes near the centre of the racket where the clamps can be in the way. 2) Make sure your desk is clear and all the tools you need are by your side. Otherwise, the strings will get tangled in tools left nearby and this wastes time sorting out. 3) Whilst the dropweight is settling to tension, start weaving the next main or cross. 4) I weave two piece method so less string to fiddle about with and I hold onto the end of the string so its easier to find for the next cross. 5) Biggest save of time, I use Yonex flying clamps, much faster than fixed clamps. You lose a bit of tension but I compensate by adding a bit of tension over what I need to balance it out. 6) Use nice steady music to pass the time, it helps you relax and for me, I string faster compared to no music. 7) Use string movers to help with shared holes, these are the time wasters in most cases. These are the things that work for me. Use any that help, good luck. Yes I have 4 flying clamps, String mover, thin pliers, scissors, string cutter and tape measure. Kindest regards, -Ajay- Quote of the Day Wisdom is what's left after we've run out of personal opinions.
highly recommend looking at other people's stringing videos. that's how i learned how to string, and that was before the creation of this stringing forum! i used to hang out in badminton stores in HK and watch the stringers do their job. after a few times i get the idea of the whole flow. it is really not rocket science. it will take some time but make sure you follow someone who know what they are doing. there are quite a few poor stringing videos on youtube. i cannot say mine is the best, esp the earlier ones are just so-so. but do find a good video and make sure you do each step carefully when you start. if you watch the videos it looks very easy and quick. however, most of the time it was with lots of practice and with lots of experience in order to make things "flow" so quickly. so learn as much as you can from the videos, and start slowly, thinking about what the person is doing. or even follow step by step. and then of course come here and ask questions. that's the best way to learn and should be much easier than the good old days without forum and youtube.
One thing I forgot to mention about these machines is that they're geared towards tennis and squash rackets by default. I had to change my clamps, side support and some of my tools in order to string badminton rackets more efficiently. So expect to spend a bit more on your stringing machine but don't worry as it'll pay itself when you start stringing for other people.
Thanks for the hint. I already made my decision DISCHO-Premium Stringer 3600 with Badminton Clamps. Better model than the Pro's Pro. As far as i heard yet. When i got the machine im gonna give a review after my first 10 Stringing trys. Gonna buy it next week is guess, because i have a lot of trouble in company atm. Thanks for all your help guys!
Congratulations, that´s a very good choice I think! If I had to decide which machine to buy now again, I would also spend the extra 150,- EUR for the DISCHO or even go above that. But hey, you need to leave some room for future upgrades. So have fun with your new hobby and I wish you some successful trial runs! Looking forward to reading about your experiences and lessons learned soon.
Personally I find pre-weaving too time consuming. I only pre-weave the first two centre holes and then go from there. I think the speed lies in the weaving part, particularly with the cross as you need to go up and under from one side to another. So for me, my duration would be approximately 10 minutes on the main and then 20/30 minutes on the cross.
Same for me, I don't like pre-weaving at all. I also see the biggest potential for me in the weaving of the crosses. I guess that I can gain another 5-10 Minutes there as I get the weaving done faster. But on top of that, I see no more significant potential for speeding up without tolerating to do a sloppy string job. I also don't think that I would be that much fast by using flying clamps - the fixed clamps are working very well and I have never felt that the clamping takes too much time. But wait... there is of course something that could be the next big step... and it is a four letter word: W I S E But to put a WISE on a Pro's Pro Challenger feels a bit like putting a nice V10 Ferrari motor in your rickety Fiat...
I noticed a surprise benefit with pre-weaving the mains: the string gets caught up less. You know, like when it wraps itself around a part of the stringing machine and you have to untangle it. Because there is much less string trailing around, it doesn't catch on the machine.
Agree with that, I tried using fly clamps and gained little benefits in my opinion. If only this was a tweet - I would have retweeted this within a heartbeat. Great analogy! But why bother buying another machine when you already have one which only needs an engine change?
Yeah... works brilliant until you reach the 300 km/h and then realize that you still have the crappy brakes and suspension. So what do you do next (if you survive it)? Buy new brakes and suspension. And so on and so on... Nah, if I really decide to go for a real update it will be a decent machine with a WISE. But I guess this will need some serious negotiations with the "management" at home and at least another 50 string jobs before even touching this topic.
