Spring-driven constant pull machine

Doesn't really answer kwun's question I'm afraid. And of course you get different resulting stringbed stiffness values if you change the string and the racket (head sizes). If you compare the values with same stringer, same equipment, same racket and string, the values would be very, very consistent - and that's what it's all about. I keep track of all the stringbed ping frequencies and normally, I consistently see a variance of +-5 Hz between several jobs with same racket and strings. If the spring driven tensioning system is able to provide that, it's all good.

The scene at 4:46 in the video does look a bit strange indeed. The bar drops significantly when the clamp is released and seems to be going "on block" and hence kwun's question regarding the resulting tension after this drop.

 

Not to be a nay-sayer, but what's the benefit of this machine against a dropweight? is it at an incredibly competitive price point?

 

Here are the advantages that I've figured out myself:
It should be a lot lighter due to the missing weight thing. An interesting factor if you go for a portable machine. Also, the position of the lever bar doesn't influence the actual tension that is pulled (same as in other Stringway machines btw).

But I'm wondering why those points haven't been promoted really yet instead of throwing smoke bombs like "slow" and "fast" strings. Which is nothing that this machine does any better or worse than others.

 

500€ is what they sell it for, so not very competitive.

I fear after my last discussions with @stringtechno , they don't believe that there's a lot I like about their machines, but I do. Completely inner supports would be great if kept simple and yielding enough space to work with inside the frame, and from what I've seen, they already have the best system (very few machines have inner supports as side supports though). Unfortunately, i have the impression that they're not even trying to improve it further and they seem to fear the comparison to 6 point machines, though there's probably nothing to be afraid of.

True. Saying their machine is better and then saying the stringer on the other machine made a big mistake is not really good marketing. Also, if the stringer always strings at the same speed, same strings will end up almost the same everytime. Reminds me of my last discussion with him/her/them.

At those prices, I don't want to be forced to use flying clamps. I need to use them at the moment and for those huge spaces at the bottom and top of Babolat rackets, that's not very comforting.

An (ironic?) idea for the next test to prove that a machine is worse than another:
Make the stringer string at -10 degrees (Celsius), then measure the tension and/or stiffnes at 30 degrees. The better machine will be used at the same temperature that's used for the measurements.

 

For a constant pull machine, that's impressive!

Nevertheless, that's fine if it works. It just made me laugh, because I wrote it before I saw the new message.

Stiffer than others? Isn't there some plastic spacer in between? That's the first thing I noticed in your video and I didn't like the look of it.

That's nice to have.

Anyway, without the chance to use fixed clamps, it's not an option for me. Maybe cooperate with @Tennisman and build a mechanic constant pull machine with his new fixed clamps and bases. It can weight three times as much, would be fine. Maybe get some feedback on the gripper as well, looks slightly complicated, but I cannot comment without having tried it. Give one of those machines to @s_mair for testing (one for free for me would be fine, too), and he might buy it.

 

6,5 kg is highly impressive. And regarding the clamps, it all comes down to what you're after. If weight is your priority numero uno, then fixed clamps are that first thing you need to cross off your list (along with an electronic tensioner...). A solid base plate will easily add another 5+ kg to the whole package. Plus the clamp bases.

So if you're regularly on tour and want to have your stringing machine with you, this one seems to be a serious candidate. And with good flying clamps, you'll still end up with consistent results if you're used to it.

And for the record, I'll most likely be spending my equipment budget of the next 3 years on that StringMaster, so I feel like I'm out of the test+buy thing for a bit.

 

True, but they don't give me an option to put it on the list in the first place.

Don't. It's heavier than the Superstringer and you're planning to string at tournaments, it doesn't give you a huge improvement and that T20 is your real love (only talking about stringing machines, still don't let your wife read this if you want to get the Stringmaster). I know I should be the one talking you into getting it, but is it really worth it for you or is it just the toy you want to play with yourself, because you know otherwise someone else will play with it? Think about all that effort you've put into making the T20 your machine. It might not be perfect, there might be someone/something better looking somewhere, but you know it's a great machine and you don't want to let it go just for some excitement. You'll never look at the Stringmaster the way you look at the T20.

That's a bit off topic, but I can manage to get back to this one...

@stringtechno, also talk to Tennisman about how to promote and sell your products using this forum, he seems to be some kind of genius regarding that.

 

Currently, I'm still waiting for the badminton specific supports (hooray to German customs!), so there's no real hands on experience yet for the StringMaster. A major downside of it is definitely the boring black color, that's fur sure.
So let's see what happens.

Still, it's the first time that I come across the term of slow and fast strings, so maybe you need to do some further explanation on what you mean by that first. What I do know is that the differences between several tennis strings in terms of flexibility are a lot bigger than what I know from badminton.

But to answer your question regarding different tensioning speeds for different strings - no, I do not change the pull speed setting on my WISE when going from let's say a 0.70 mm BG65 to a 0.65 mm Li-Ning No.1. Also, I keep the same pull-clamp-release rhythm and end up with a total string job time of around 25 minutes, independent from the type of string.

 

This is exactly the attitude I was talking about and that I just cannot understand. "We've always done it that way, so there's nothing to improve." In another thread, I came up with several ideas to find out if there is something to be improved. It would probably have shown ways to improve it, too. All of them were rejected for the same reason. "We've always done it that way." That's death to all progress, to all improvement.

Good to know, my memory was mistaken then. Still, they're not available for this machine. Furthermore, at the price point of your tabletop drop weight machine is comparable to the Stringmaster machines. Actually, yours is more expensive after taxes. You've probably always sold these fixed clamps, so why are they superior to the Stringmaster machine's clamps and bases (just an example of another new machine, feel free to compare it to any other machine)?

Looks like all the force is going on plastic. Hard to believe that this is stiffer than other machines. Since it doesn't seem to influence the accuracy, it shouldn't be an issue. I was just surprised.
I think you are referring to machines with moveable towers and only one kind of them, but I won't go into this. Like you said, there's a lot of factors involved in accuracy and consistency, the stringer being a major one.

Anyway, I really think you're producing good machines, and I really appreciate that you're not only copying other machines and what's working for them. You act like there's nothing to improve when you do it and while I admire that confidence, I believe that there's always room to improve. Don't change for the sake of changing something, but I truly don't believe that your machines are perfect. I like the idea of having a string powered constant pull machine, no power needed, no no dropweight where the tension depends on the position of the weight (not too bad, but not perfect). I do like the idea of inside supports. Maybe that's why I'm trying to push you to keep improving.