After accounting for the strings to settle after a brand new stringing job, do strings really lose tension? I always hear people talk about their string jobs being bad because the tension is lost within a few weeks and they say a good stringer would have it last for months. But if the knots are tied down properly, how can strings lose tension? I'm sure stretching the stretching from smashing and driving shouldn't make a huge difference.
Not if the string was pre stretched. Otherwise the string will stretch slightly more with time and use due to creepage, ie. the string gets longer.
check out this thread: http://www.badmintoncentral.com/for...string-tension-last-Here-is-the-answer-(maybe) strings are being stretched even under tension for *days*. unless you thoroughly pre-stretch your strings for days, you will still likely to see it stretch. the knot, on the other hand, has little to do with tension losing after the stringing is done.
your stringer should know how to either that or he strings it at 10% higher tension to start with, so that the tension will eventually over a week settle on your target tension
^^ or loop it around a smooth doorknob and pull it until it loses its plasticity and starts to spring back. Yes, it does, especially if you use a crank machine.
thats a significant amount of tension to be lost... its shocking! so after taking into account the 10-20% lost from stringing and then a couple pounds for it to fully stretch, then a 27lb stringing job can lose about ~6-8lbs?!?!
Keep in mind that the actual tension is irrelevant, if you use the same stringer and he is consistent then as long as you're happy the actual tension doesn't matter. Say that you've tried different tensions with your stringer with the same string and he's a very good stringer with an ECP machine. You've found that 27 lbs is the best tension for you after the first week as the string settles down. Does it really matter what that end tension is as long as you're happy with it? The other factor is that tension loss will be higher and faster the higher you string it. It's not a linear relationship so those that like really high tensions will have more to adjust to or will have to take more steps to prevent tension loss. If you like 22-24 lbs then there won't be as much tension loss as someone who strings at 28 lbs.
i agree that the tension doesnt matter as long as the person's happy but it's hard to explain that to players. they automatically assume that you dont know what you're doing and that tension shouldn't drop that drastically
Before I got my ECP I would clamp one end of the string with a fixed clamp, loop the string around a door knob and pull the other end with the crank. In order to really stretch it though I had to add weight to the machine to prevent it from tipping. As for players that don't know that tension drops... just explain to them, especially those who use thicker strings. If they still don't understand and keep blaming you then stop stringing for them.
