Hi guys, I wanted to buy a stringing machine as I now get through about 8 or 9 broken strings a year and thought it would be easier to buy a machine and string them myself. I am completely new to the whole stringing and don't know what the terminology means and what stringing machine to buy? I would also string rackets for other people so in total I would string perhaps 2 or 3 a month. Please could you advise on what machine to buy (considering I am on a budget and don't really want to spend more than 250 pounds) or 400 USD. I looked at the klipper m140 and someone from badminton central who kindly uploaded how to string with it... what are the downfalls to that machine? Can you string to tensions such as 29/30?? Thank you very much in advance guys!
a Klippermate is only 2 point support and i would not do 29/30 with it. for your budget an Alpha Shuttle Express (or other Shuttle Express variants) will work pretty well, it has 6 point support and crank tensioner and can be had for less than 200 quid...
Thankyou for your post, I could not also find the Alpha shuttle express anywhere, but found this? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pros-Pro-Shuttle-Express-Badminton-Stringing-Machine-/300595805273#ht_1947wt_1270 I wouldnt string to 29-30 probably 26 is what I would go for, would you still use the 6point instead of 2 point? thanks
there are many Shuttle Express variants. they are all equivalently good machines. 6 point is always better, regardless of the tension.
Since I have never strung before, do you know if there are any videos around on the internet (such as the one someone from BC has kindly uploaded to youtube on the klippermate) for the 6point? My only worry about stringing a 6point would be the lack of videos on it! Thankyou
i will have one upload tomorrow! meanwhile, check out the videos posted here: http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php/109178-Best-stringing-resources
Yep, that's basically the same machine, the main difference is the mounting is screw down instead if suspension (has plusses and minuses) . the side suports are a little different and the machine is a little shorter. you can get them from w&d strings for £150plus VAT.
my video of stringing a whole racket with the ASE is here: [video=youtube;Nt1IEXUuoGk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt1IEXUuoGk[/video] it is just the whole process with no explanation. you should check out the other videos for detailed explanation of some of the steps.
if you do end up with a pro's pro shuttle express, let me now as i have one and can give you a few pointers of things that i have learned, sometimes the hard way...
congratulations! it is an excellent solid machine for people who are starting badminton stringing. there are a lot of process and flow for stringing and don't be surprised if your first string job ended up being 2hours long, that's normal. i suggest going through various stringing videos posted here as well as youtube and try to learn the process before the machine arrive. and of course, we will be here if you have questions.
Congrats! Too tired right now to write anything particularly coherent (or even remember much of it) but one thing i would recommend you do is pay careful attention when you mount on the 12/6 supports, and maybe find a little bit of plastic to protect the frame from the metal post. I dented a couple of my rackets before i worked something out, first was a bit of overgrip wrapped around the post, then a bit of round plastic held on with heatshrink. If you use the mbs/w&d loadspreader then the screw down mount hits that and not the racket frame. I've ditched the screw down mountings altogether for that reason, and also because the way the towers are set up meant there was potential for bending/warping the frame on the table.