Hi everyone. I'm now looking to buy a stringing machine. I'm an advanced player but I've never strung a racket in my life. I've been watching many videos and reading many guides but I don't know what machine to buy. To be honest, I don't have a budget in mind but I would rather it wasn't stupidly expensive. Also, are electronic machines worth the extra money?
I have gone through the same process. from my experience, I would recommend a 6-point CP machine, such as Yonex ST-250, ST-200, or its clone brand, such as Eagnus. of course, there are many other brands (OEM and such) worldwide, such as this one in UK, http://www.watdon.co.uk/wd-strings/Manual.htm. here are the factors I have thought about: - electronic machine is normally very expensive. the ones with "pre-stretch" function should be the best to get. but, they are about 10+ times more expensive than a CP model. since I know I am pretty handy, I don't see any huge benefit of having a electronic model. - IF you are going to string for others, and expect a lot of stringing everyday, a electronic model may be a good choice. but, that doesn't really mean that you will be able to string more rackets everyday. the most time consuming part is not to pull the strings, but weave it. - drop weight type is not quite easy to work with, even though it does offer "pre-stretching" function. it also needs slight bigger space to work with. - to do higher tension (28+ lbs), 6-point support is recommended. even though you should be able to string high tension with 2-point machine, I personally don't feel comfortable with it. - price wise, CP machine is just in the low to mid range, at the least for me. - if possible, get the machine with swivel clamp. this will help to get started with the first main, and when you finish with the last two mains on the two sides. Well, for any kind of stringing machine, recommend you to get some good flying clamps (2+). good luck.
Thanks for the advice. I doubt I'll be stringing too many rackets (just mine and my friends' - we're going to split the cost between us as in the long run, it should save us a lot of money. I usually play at between 28 and 32 Lbs so six point is probably the way to go for me. I looked at the Pro's pro shuttle express (£140 and really small). It seems like a bargain and I like the fact it could be packed away when not in use. The reversible tension lever would be useful for me as I'm a lefty but is the machine any good? I really want it to be as it seems ideal but I just can't see it being that great due to its compact nature (never seen a stringing machine like it before) and low price.
currently using Eagnas' clone of Yonex's ST-200 and it works great. The six-point support system is highly recommend since you're going that high in tension. The cost of Eagnas' machine will be almost nothing considering you'll be splitting it with a friend. You should get some stringing guide and patterns as well with your machine, good luck and happy stringing.
Not just a friend; friends, meaning it should work out very cheap for all of us. The Eagnas ST-200 looks great. However, the fact tht the Pro's pro shuttle express is so cheap and so compact is tempting me. Is it any good or not?
