Hello fellow BCers, This is my first post. I've read a lot of comments in these forums and found them very informative. Keep it up! Regarding my question, I've sent my racquets for stringing many times and found that different stringers give me different tension even though I had requested for 26lbs using BG66 on all occasions (sometimes it's so bad until the string runs after hitting the shuttle). The feel on the same racquet with strings done by different stringers are different. Does it mean that different stringing machines does not give a standard tension? Or... is it the stringer's problem? Thanks.
it is a bit of both. this is why players like to stick with a certain stringer. the standard crank machines are more prone to variations than constant pull machines. with that said, the crank machines are adjustable, so any good stringer will just calibrate the machines so it gives the correct tension. also, it can be the string's problem. some strings are just faulty. there is nothing the stringer can do about that. however, what you are describing sounds like a majorly noticeable variation. I do not understand what you mean by " ometimes it's so bad until the string runs after hitting the shuttle" do you mean that the tension is fine after you have played with it? if yes, than it is normal. the strings need to settle at a certain tension before the play will be consistent. if no, than please explain your question. and yes, each stringer has his/her own definition of "26lbs" hence teh reason why people stick with one stringer
Thanks for the replies! As to what I meant regarding "the string runs after hitting..." is, when I used the racquet right after the stringing was done, after the first few points in the game, I already found the strings are not sitting at their position - at 26lbs, I believe, the strings shouldn't be that loose.... Yes, Pete, I should consider stringing my own racquets... Anyway, fyi, the best stringer I came across was the Yonex pro stringer who did my racquet strings during one of the SS Open here in Malaysia.
Best quote of the day! If you do your own, you can learn from your mistakes and get better! You can only become more consistent overtime.
for the ending tension on the racket, there are way too many factors. here is a list of the most common ones: - kind of stringing machine used. mostly are drop weight, CP, and EP. - clamps they used, since there are flying clamp, fixed clamp or combination. of course, the quality of them as well. - for any non-electronic types, how fast and how long the stringer did the pull. normally the faster you pull, the lower the ending tension will be. - whether the machine is calibrated correctly. - technique of stringer. at the end, stick with ONE stringer you can trust, OR do it yourself. 26 lbs is not really high tension. you will see that you can move the string very easily, especially if the stringer didn't make the crosses straight. i found at 30 lbs you can still move the string a bit.
I have been many clubs and shops before and used some of the machines in those shops. Even electric pull machine need to be calibrated once a while. Also, depend on the machine, some has pre-strech and some don't. Some stringers use fix clamp and some use fly clamp. One shop I went to long time ago (20 years) used tennis fix clamp on my badminton racquet. So, find one stringer you like, stay with him/her as long as you can. Be friend with your stringer. Buy him/her health insurance if necessary...
hahaha, i wish that was true. Unfortunately, 98% of players who outsource their stringing chooses by 1 parameter, lowest price. If it will save them 1 dollar, they will choose that. If the string breaks after 5 mins (not from mishitting) or frame cracked while playing (not from clashing), they automatically blame yonex and doesn't link the cause it back to the possibility of bad stringing.
Wise words. Thank you for your well taken point. I also want to point out that another issue is convenient and availability. This is for North America and EU countries. Some players take their racquets to big sporting shop because it is close. Some have to do that because it is the only place. I have player from other clubs over my area ask my friends to bring their racquet to me for restring because there is no one within 20 miles distance (not because I do any good job). Just an example, some one ask my friend to bring a racquet to me and he lives about 20 miles north from the club he and my friend in. My friend is another 10 miles south of that club. We meet at our club on Sunday which is about 10 mile south of my friend and about 15 mil north of me. If you add up all these miles, that is 55 miles already to get 1 racquet restringed and 2 weeks turn around time. And he was pissed off because the big store near him scrape the racquet and still did not do a good job.
26lbs and strings still move.....check & feel on the main strings, one after the next would be loose abit (ie 1 3 5 is loose but 2 4 6 is tight) this is probably stringer pulls a string and skip the next (side to side) to prevent racket breakage. I guess this problem (string moves) would be minimized if pull at higher tension. Pulling each string beyond 26lbs from one side to another....i guess the racket is definitely & certainly will break, unless is a new racket, probably it wont last. (Please help me on this, correct me if Im wrong) Best is start from center out, pulling each string will minimize string moving and good for the racket life span.
