Hi All, Due to various reasons, I have recently made my decision to purchase my very own stringing machine in the near future; funding permits, of course With a fair amount of research, I settled on the Eagnas GB (latest version) for the quite popular exposure the brand has on this forum (sir Dinkalot owns a Eagnas Flex 940 himself, for example). I plan to buy the badminton accessories which can be fitted onto the machine. The features that I have been keeping in mind (which can also be referred to by others following the stringing path) are: 1. The support system is 6 point, hold down. I read that this would mean more secure support compared to the 2 point system which stringers around my area use and also slightly better protection for the 12 and 6 o'clock frame positions compared to a suspension system. 2. The Eagnas GB is a table top machine, which will mean more space management for me as personally I don't really appreciate a full sized stringing machine lying in the corner of the family area in my house or in my bedroom and that I can also transport it if required. 3. The tensioner is a crank, which means that I can control the speed my pull for each string and pull repeatedly for the stretchier strings such as BG65 which I use a lot. From my experience I found that as long as during stringing that I pull until the string no longer stretches, the tension on the string will be exactly the true desired tension. Last but not least as a beginner stringer myself with little experience on real stringing (I mostly only dwell into the technicalities on the stringing and the science of string usage), I would greatly appreciate recommendations for the more experienced stringers here. Thanks in advance
I once owned the Hawk 800 (GA III), older stand up version, that use very briefly before selling it. I hope you don't plan on stringing a lot of rackets on a daily basis. Those base clamps will wear on your hands if you do more than two rackets a day.
if you're buying in north america just be prepared that if anything at all goes wrong you'll get very little support.
Hi Blizztards, best of luck to you and entering the stringing world. I just want to go over what I would recommend if I had the chance to buy my machine all over again. Currently I have an eagnas flex 740 with wise tension head. I've had this for about 3 years now and I previously had my rackets strung by dink himself. One small preface, I am extremely "budget" oriented. I have strung hundreds of rackets on my machine and had my rackets strung on fancier machine, and used fancier machines. For a home or small business use machine I cant justify a Victor or Yonex machine. I will go in order from cheapest to most expensive. If you are looking for the best consistency, I would recommend a Eagnas Flex 160: http://www.eagnas.com/flex160.html It only cost's $220, gives you a 6 point floating design and a constant pull from a drop weight. I think this is the best bang for your buck for machines. Better than a $100 klippermate because of the 6 points vs 2. You can comfortably string 30+ lbs with out questioning your machine's limitations. Down side of this machine is that you cannot upgrade to fixed clamps later on but that is what you should expect from $220 machine. If you can gather another $100, I would recommend the Combo 710 http://www.eagnas.com/com710.html only $320, and you get some good fixed clamps. I choose this one because it has spring clamps vs cone lock clamps. I have cone lock clamps, and I do not use them unless its a very important string job, ie tournament competition player. Otherwise I just use flying clamps and they are just as good (only w/constant pull) If drop weight is not your cup of tea, then I would recommend Kwun's machine the Alpha Shuttle Express. It runs about $350 and also comes with a similar 6 point floating design. Found this one which is similar but features a hold down style on the head and throat: http://cgi.ebay.com/ieBro-Pros-Pro-...tDomain_0&hash=item230f49773d#ht_12768wt_1139 Its also a little cheaper. I personally don't like cranks so much any more. If I know the person stringing, and they're a good stringing, then I may give it my approval, however most stringers I see that use a crank usually do awful string jobs : / Cranks can be consistent, but I think accuracy is lacking. After this I would recommend dinkalot's Combo 910 $550 which is the same as the combo 710 but with a stand. All of these can be upgraded to a Wise tension head, which would increase your consistency and accuracy. I hope this helps.
You can't tell because he change the base clamps. The difference between a Combo 910 and Flex 940, are the base clamps the Flex 940 has Cone Lock clamps, and the Combo 910 has swtich action base clamps.
Yeah your right, I never noticed the table. I prefer the Flex table base, the base on the Combo is case iron similar to the Alpha tables.
Hi All, Thanks a lot for the responses and recommendations. I must point out that I am specifically aiming for a machine which is preset with fixed clamps because of the simpler and more robust operation (will try flying clamps later on but not now) and also that I am attracted to the more robust side supports of the GB compared to the K-shaped, movable supports of the other models (not to mention again hold down vs suspension mount). The GB costs US$465 and with that I plan to also order badminton swivel clamps to install on it. I am just wondering if my choice is reasonable, in experienced eyes?
Hey Blizzards, I would just check if the side supports are made for a badminton racket. From the looks of it, the supports may not even reach the badminton racket. It could be tennis only -_- The side supports are inferior to the K supports due to the fact they dont have any outside pressure, but rather relies on a bolt w/clamping and friction to keep it from moving. Its probably good enough seeing how its made for tennis, but I would rather have a support that moves horizontal with the frame. To rephrase, the GB model supports hold the racket inward/horizontally on the X axis, but are fastened up and downward on the Z axis. The K supports support the racket on the X-Axis and are also fastened on the X-axis giving them better support.
The table bases are interchangeable, but the rails are not. I recently found out the rails of a Combo are shorter than on the Flex. I sold a pair of switch action base clamps to someone upgrading from the cone locks. Then again, I don't really pay much attention to the table base, other than the function of the machine itself.
anything you say Sir .... coz you are the EXPERT in this field in may occasion, Dink-a-lot always said his is Eagnas Combo-910 ....
absolutely do not buy the GB. only one reason is enough to throw that one out: the side support. it has the similar style side support as an old Hawk80 i owned. the support themselves are designed using a bolt and nut that is held in place via friction alone between two metal surfaces. if you think about it, there are hundreds of pound of forces acting on the side support and they would eventually give and slide. this happened in my old machine. side supports that moves make it virtually useless and causes tension loss. it was very very frustrating and painful as i always try to tighten it till my fingers hurt and it still slides. it is a horrible design that do not work and if i were you i'd stay as far away from it as possible.
Okay, I understand. Lots of thanks for curbing my doubt about the K supports I guess the Combo 710 is the next best choice in my case. This time I will be ordering as extras, a pair of badminton swivel clamps and a load spreader for the suspension mount system. One small consideration though, can the Wise 2086 be mod-fitted onto the Combo 710?
With all the mods Panda (why does he refer to himself in the second person, anyways?) has done to his machine, it's no longer a Combo 910. If anything the Gamma base clamps are more like the Eagnas Cone-Lock clamps on the Flex series, than the Combo series clamps. If Panda said it was an Alpha Axis Pro, I'd probably believe him. Kwun, I agree with you, there are some machines that should not be sold anymore like the Gutterman AG and many of the models that are more than 10 years old. Also, too many loose parts gets lost easily, especially if you have young children.
Yes, the Wise 2086 can be fitted using the Drop Weight adaptor. As for the string clamps, many people prefer the Dual Clamps like in Panda's picture above for the same price as the Eagnas badminton clamps. BTW I just checked the Eagnas site and it's down. There is a message saying the site has been suspended.
Alpha Axis Pro ? as I said, you are EXPERT here ... hehez. oops ... you are still new in this forum even though you are famous at Tennis-Warehouse ... Why people here called Dink a lot = Panda ? ... maybe Kwun knows better than me ... Dink a lot aka Daniel Chien aka Panda is the owner of DC Badminton which produced Panda Power Badminton Racket .... www.dcbadminton.net You can take a look at this thread : http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php/52903-Goodbye-Crank-and-Hello-Constant-Pull-%28Wise-2086-aka-Tennis-Head%29 http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php/52903-Goodbye-Crank-and-Hello-Constant-Pull-(Wise-2086-aka-Tennis-Head)?p=829371&viewfull=1#post829371 that's before he did many modification .... as like he did mentioned on the above picture ... this is a video of him strung 40 lbs on badminton racket : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ocw-ckoQvE&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzmjtFDSS74&feature=related
One thing I noticed about Panda's table is it's shorter than the normal turntable. If it did not say Eagnas on the stand, it could be an Alpha Axis Pro or Revo 4000 with a Eagnas stand. I'm impressed with all the mods Panda made to that machine, might as well bought a Victor C-7027. But like he said the Combo 910 is nothing to write home about, if you get that American expression. I'm a stringing machine nut, What's wrong with that? I have used and owned many types of machines, not just the machines I currently use, so I do have some experience with machines. Most stringing machines are made to string Tennis rackets, they are not all setup to string badminton. Laugh all you want, but I'm just laughing back at you. For every 100 or so Tennis rackets I string about one badminton racket. Sorry for trying to expand my knowledge of stringing badminton rackets. Maybe I have not been here as long as you, but I have been around for a while.
