Top end Victor is similar to the Victor ? Also, is the ES5 Pro an update of the ES5 ProTech with 1lb increments instead, or is the ES5 ProTech an update with .5lbs increments and better aesthetics ? And regarding the Adidas/Yonex machines, are they also OK to string Tennis rackets with ? Thanks for all the info!
Is it efficient to do so ? I mean, Babolat overlooked badminton with their machines, did Yonex overlook tennis or is it as good for tennis as it is for badminton ?
Yonex is as much a tennis company as it is a badminton company. considering the size and beefiness, i'd risk to say that the machine was designed for tennis and adapted to badminton.
May I know why? From the way I see it, the curved rails may provide an extra space in the middle of turntable, perhaps allowing a 360degree of base clamps rotation when located close between each other. (I'm just visualize it in my mind)
i don't see the need for that to happen during normal operation. when stringing mains, one of the clamp is always near the ends of the table. when stringing cross, we are stepping left/right/left/right clamps. the reason i didn't like it is when i string the mains, moving/dragging the base from one end of the table to the other requires dragging it in a curved path. otherwise it sometimes get stuck in certain angles, making the operation less smooth. also, a straight path is always faster than a curved path. and for no reason as all.
I could have guess that base clamps might get stuck during dragging.. Thank you.. I truly enjoy knowing some personal experience and preference from fellow forumers..
I just got the pricing info for the Adidas machines and it is VERY interesting. It looks amazing and seems to have everything I need. Only bummer is I'd have to pay about 25% more to get a crank adjustment for the height (instead of the classic lift and pin) and some "Cripper Jam: Up-Down" instead of "Cripper Jam: Fixed", any idea what that is ? Overall, the machine seems very interesting for the price I can get it for.
As far as I can tell, the Adidas machines are just Victor machines with Adidas stickers on them, so you might be able to get the equivalent Adidas machine with "Victor" written on it for a lower price. The Victor machine on which the Adidas electronic machine looks to be based is excellent... but for those curved rails. The automatic clamp bases are second only to the Yonex ones.
The Adidas machine looks different from the Victor machine, feature wise and build wise. It also costs less than Victor's. I'm kinda bummed it doesn't have a diablo though
Indeed. The rising tensioner is a very welcome feature, but how much would a diabolo have cost them? Surely less than the machining of that "lozenge" on the tension arm!
Not only that, but the rising tensioner does not help reduce the stress on the string. I'm not sure it is that much needed for badminton (probably for 35+ lbs), but I know it is for tennis. I think I could do without it though.
Adidas, Victor and Alpha machines are all made by the Exthree/Poreex. as far as the diablo, i think they haven't figured out how to efficiently put a diablo, a riser and the gripper into one unit.
the main use of the diablo is to reduce the clamping force on the string. given how some strings have pretty fragile coating (bg85, nbg98), i actually find it quite useful.
Yeah I did think it was made by the same manufacturer (maybe even Li-Ning machines). I do appreciate that they are different though, not only visually, but conceptually (to a certain level). Since you have tried both the ProTech and the Adidas machines, may I ask you this ultimate question kwun. Would you choose the ProTech or the Adidas, assuming you had to choose, knowing that the ProTech costs a little less than double the Adidas ?
ops. missed this post. hm... cost of Protech is way up there. but even if i have $10k spare, i think i will get a Adidas. really the only thing that i think Protech has that completely trumps the Adidas are the clamps. for $5k more, i don't think the clamps are worth that much. besides, i vaguely remember we can buy those Toyo clamps separately with the same shaft. that will leave me another $4k spare. that's a lot of rackets. another thing i don't like is that the Protech is really a tennis machine. the portions and string distances are too big for badminton. not to say that the Adidas is compact, but as a whole package, the Adidas seems more proportional for badminton.