When you first start studying stringing machines you run into a lot of clamp terms. You will see flying clamps, floating clamps, fixed clamps, base clamps, swivel clamps, glide bar clamps, and starting clamps. Some of these terms are just different names for the same thing like flying clamps and floating clamps. Fixed clamps and swivel clamps are also fairly synonymous since since most fixed clamps also swivel. Some, but not all, of those clamps can be seen here http://www.eagnas.com/store/index.php?cPath=39 Funny thing about fixed clamps is that when you first view one like here http://www.prospro-tennis.nl/site/productShow.php?product=211 a novice might think it is some variation of a floating clamp because it looks like it is used in a hand held fashion. But after realizing it is not hand held, the novice then wonders how it mounts to a stringing machine. If that same novice has only studied portable "glidebar" type machines such as the numerous Shuttle Express variations then he is really confused on how a fixed clamp can be used on such a machine. The vast majority of those machines offer no fixed clamp capability. Ultimately, the novice learns that most fixed clamps require being mounted into a base clamp that mounts to a turntable of a stringing machine. The exception being the special fixed clamp that works on a glide bar of a portable machine like the Easy-3 http://www.eagnas.com/easy3.html As the novice views numerous videos of stringers using only flying clamps, he then wonders whether a machine with fixed clamps is worth the extra money. Since the low cost portable machines without fixed clamp capability are so hard to modify with that capability, I came to the conclusion that it is worth spending a bit more to have a machine with two fixed clamps if portability is not an issue. In watching stringing videos, most fixed clamp systems do not appear as fast to use as flying clamps, but they offer more capability and more reliable holding power, especially when starting mains. And if you upgrade to the better fixed clamp systems with high quality base clamps like the quick action Gamma MCQA-11 and the better fixed/swivel clamps like the Watdon WA3342 then using fixed clamps can become almost as fast as using flying clamps. So I bought an Eagnas Combo 810 as a low cost machine that would give me the foundation to get to the nice fixed clamp system described above. I can also use the stock Eagnas base clamps and fixed clamps for a while too. But I still wonder, after watching videos of Kwun and others who seem to do such fast and quality work all with flying clamps only, is it likely that I will end up just skipping the fixed clamp system and only using flying clamps?
purely for speed. it is hard to beat a nice flying clamp. however, having used some of the best fixed swivel clamp systems in the world, i find that the difference between the best swivel fixed clamp and a flying clamp isn't that much. stringing purist will choke when they see people use flying clamp and i have to admit that they do lose some tension. i use it myself as my machine is not equipped with fixed clamps but i wouldn't hesitate using the fixed clamp system on a ES5Pro or C7030 instead of the flying clamps if i have the choice (or more precisely, money). tradeoff is everywhere i guess. but the enabler is always higher and higher cost. if i have the money, i will just get a C7030 and be done with it...
I think if you use consistant pulling type of machines, then the "extra gripping power" (which means less tension loss) will be balanced with the next tension step. However, if you use crank, then the advantage of fixed clamp should be more significant.
I've tried flying clamps before and found no real advantage in speed, but I cut my teeth on fixed clamps and I'm pretty quick with them by now. IME flying clamps can be used without tension penalty, but if you have fixed clamps you should use them when you tie a knot, asthis is the point where most tension "escapes".
Mark, Lazybuddy, and Kwun, thanks for your comments on fixed clamps. I am encouraged to hear that there is not much loss of speed from using them over flying clamps. And since I am going to use the crank system for some months before upgrading to a Wise 2086, it is also good to hear from Lazybuddy that fixed clamps are all the more beneficial because they lose less tension than flying clamps when using a crank system.
FYI, depend on what you are used to. Given same machine is used. For me, fly clamps give me 3 min advantage over the fixed clamps. However, my fix clamp machine speed gets better and better. Fly clamp has been stop at 25 min fastest. Master LB and Mark is right. Only one thing I want to mention is the first and last cross. Using throat up pattern, you can tension the 1st string with fixed. For the top cross, you will loose some tension because there is no next string to compensate for tension loss. Other wise, with constant pull machine, the advantage is not enough to upgrade. If it come with fixed clamp, use it if you can. If not, no need to go out and upgrade and spend extra money.
The only way I can forsee tensioning the first (be it top-down or bottom -up) cross with spring fly clamps only is to do pull the second cross and lock the first two crosses off against each other; seeing as a great many ECP users do this anyway to avoid breaking their staring knot, I can't see that it would have too much impact (especially going bottom-up). Or you could try to find a starting clamp that will hold "active" tension on a badminton string - a tall order, as most of the ones I've seen will slip under machine tension (although a locking-type one, rather than springs alone, would probably work) - just put some sort of pad between it and the frame. There's an excellent video of a guy using an ES5 for 2PTD where he starts with a starting clamp, but the video descriptor is in kanji - it's on here somewhere.
Mark, you make a good point about most starting clamps not being able to hold against machine tension. I have only the regular spring type starting clamp, but I may modify an ordinary locking vice-grip style plier set to work as a locking starting clamp. Of course, if the fixed clamps on my soon to arrive Combo 810 are any good at all, I may not ever need to use a starting clamp against full machine tension. But even with fixed clamps available, I can still envision situations where it would be advantageous to be able to hold against full machine tension against the racket frame with a starting clamp. So thanks for bringing up the potential benefit of having a really strong locking starting clamp available.
Actually, what I have done is using one of the fix clamp as a starting clamp and go from there. If you pre weave the main, you know exactly where to put the fix clamp inside the frame to start. N*pple clamp anyone?
