A new tool for weaving crosses

Discussion in 'Badminton Stringing Techniques & Tools' started by StringWeaver, May 13, 2018.

  1. EpicBlue

    EpicBlue Regular Member

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    I would say it's like bicycle training wheels. It would be of help in the beginning but will eventually not necessary as one keeps on stringing.
     
  2. StringWeaver

    StringWeaver New Member

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    Perhaps the StringWeaver is analogous to training wheels for a beginner, though with one big difference. Training wheels eventually are removed, but if one learned to string using this tool, it is unlikely they'd want to stop using it because there is no reason to not use it. There are a number of positives but no negatives to using this technology to weave the crosses. It is better for the strings because they are not rubbing against each other when pulling the crosses.There is less chance of mis-weaving. It's easier on the fingers, particularly with stiff or textured strings. And if you are accustomed to using the tool, it's likely you will be faster than without it. Stringers who have been stringing racquets for decades have adopted the StringWeaver because of these advantages. Here is an actual quote from a customer who has since purchased several sets of StringWeavers to share with his friends:

    "I am a MRT of the USRSA (member since 1978)-and have been stringing since that year. Your devices are the best "tools" that I have purchased in over 30 years. They make stringing a breeze. I see that I really do not have to worry about notching (burning) the strings now when I do the crosses. It is making stringing a pleasure to do. Wonderful invention."- MW, New York City

    I've received many other similar testimonials from customers, some of whom were skeptical, but nonetheless curious enough to give it a try.
     
  3. stradrider

    stradrider Regular Member

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    I am not convinced it is good in the beginning as well. If you want to learn stringing, you need to learn how to weave efficiently. How would you even learn if you are using a device instead of just doing it again and again like everybody else?
     
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  4. flyingcords

    flyingcords Regular Member

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    For tennis stringing, no doubt it can help and be friendly for the fingers, because string is stiffer and less easy to weave.
    In the badminton stringing process, weaving the crosses with the fingers is for me a pleasure, because badminton strings are soft and easy to manipulate, easy to weave, it comes so natural that I cannot imagine using a tool for weaving and losing this great feeling you have when doing it with my fingers. One of the great feeling of stringing a badminton racquet is the contact with the string and weaving the crosses is the best moment for me of the process. The most enjoyable.
     
  5. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    just a clarification, before I performed the experiment, in order to familiarize with the new tool, I strung 5 rackets with the stringweaver as recommended. it was much slower in the beginning with the way the stringweaver spread out the string. after 5 it was as smooth as I can get it.

    I didn't move the weaver, i left it at one end. I tried positioning it closer to the cross string but the bulk of the weaver gets in the way of my hand and fingers.
     
  6. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    yes. i am not a good tennis stringer and the string stiffness and friction really slows me down. I can imagine it is a useful tool for tennis. but for badminton, the string is thinner/softer with less friction and the stringweaver didn't help much.
     
  7. StringWeaver

    StringWeaver New Member

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    There is no reason one can't learn to weave efficiently with a device. Just because weaving has been done one way for a long time by everybody else doesn't mean the process can't be improved by new tools and techniques. Consider the evolution of the stringing machine. Before such machines were developed, stringing was done by hand and the tension was the stringer's best guess. Then came drop weight machines, crank or lockout machines, and now electronic pull machines. Are these all bad because it's not the way things were historically done? With the StringWeaver you are still weaving the crosses, it's just going to be a bit easier with less chance of making a mistake, especially for a beginner.

    Looking at the new badminton strings hitting the market, the trend is towards "textured" strings which are going to create more friction and be more difficult to weave. Also, I suspect it won't be long before polyester strings begin to supplant nylon strings. Frequent string breakers (like Kwun's kids) will drive demand for more durable strings, and polyester is among the most durable. But, as any tennis stringer can attest, polyester strings are a pain to weave, and textured polyester is a nightmare. When stringing with textured polyester, the StringWeaver really shines.
     
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  8. flyingcords

    flyingcords Regular Member

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    Have you ever stringed a badminton racquet ? One ? Hundreds ? None ? It doesn't seem you have a lot of practice, when I read your arguments. The big deal when stringing badminton is dealing with holes, not weaving the crosses. And I can only share issues with friction about my fingers when stringing with thin gauge strings, like bg66. The strings do not suffer of friction when weaving the crosses if doing it correctly, but the fingers may suffer when you pull and manipulate thin string.
     
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  9. EpicBlue

    EpicBlue Regular Member

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    I meant that it'll make beginners less suffered. Although stringing is indeed less suffering than riding bicycle in the beginning. :p
     
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  10. stradrider

    stradrider Regular Member

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    I wasn't really arguing with you :).

    I think most suffering for the beginners is in working out the pattern, fighting shared and blocked holes and learning the knots. Weaving is never a problem and I don't understand the fuzz of trying to help the beginners with it. It is just a technique. Beginners need to learn to do it efficiently and the only way is to actually do it, not avoid doing it...
     
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  11. stradrider

    stradrider Regular Member

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    Sorry, but I do not see the weaving device as an evolution - it is not, if it does not help an experienced stringer. In my view it only makes beginners dependent on it.. Somewhat it rather reminds me of the Nestle's baby formula scandal in 70th...
     
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  12. kakinami

    kakinami Regular Member

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    I thought luxilon made a badminton string and it was not very popular. As for textured strings, I recently strung with the Yonex Aerobite boost and that was not a friendly string. A .72 textured main and .61 cross that would be an interesting string for @kwun to try. Maybe if I see Kwun again I can give it a try! Technology is always good to learn about, and may not be for everyone, but sometimes even experienced stringers like to try new things.

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  13. aqua26

    aqua26 Regular Member

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    Great Product.
     
  14. kakinami

    kakinami Regular Member

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    Yo! Long time no chatter about this product! Dennis was kind enough to send me one to try out. Although I am living in Japan it took a while to get because it was coming from my family in the US. Reading up on past posts, I agree most stringers have muscle memory on how to string and the 1 ahead is probably what most stringers do and it creates the soft weave making it easier for most stringers to weave. I was pretty stoked to try it out, although I have built up my normal muscle memory, for me I did feel like it did slow me down, but on the flip side pulling the string across the mains was a breeze, I didn't feel much friction so pulling straight across, I wouldn't think it would cause friction burn, so I would feel comfortable just pulling it straight through (at lower tensions). I think this is a great tool for beginner stringers, but I also feel like it is a crutch, coming from the school of hard knocks. Looking at it through a technological view and wanting to always try new things, it is very innovative, when I weave I tend to push a little on the mains to make sure I feel the cross go up and down, with this tool I pretty much glided the cross through the mains, not pushing up or down on the mains. pulling the cross through the mains was also a breeze like I said. I had a co-worker try stringing for their first time, I had them weave without the tool and then weave with the tool. With zero experience stringing they said it was a lot easier to weave with this tool. My honest opinion to a solid stringer, it is a useless tool, if you are teaching someone to string or new to stringing and want some help or want to try an innovative product, it is a cool tool to have. I am always looking to learn more things about stringing and trying new things, even though I would probably never incorporate it with my techniques, I want to try anything having to do with stringing. I am more curious to feel it on tennis, I feel like I am a little slower stringing tennis than I am badminton, with 4 more years stringing badminton professionally than tennis. Wow almost 22 years stringing badminton professionally (1999 US Open Badminton Championships) and 18 years stringing tennis professionally (2003 Siebel/SAP Open 2003 Bank of the West Classic)

    I made a little video trying the tool Enjoy. If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying. When in doubt call it out. =P
     
  15. akatsuki2104

    akatsuki2104 Regular Member

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    I am quite new to stringing rackets but I don't think this tool may be useful for me (and beginners). It's like learning to drive with an automatic transmission and then trying to drive a manual transmission. It's best to learn the proper technics and then decide if this tool can be useful or not :D
     
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  16. kakinami

    kakinami Regular Member

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    @akatsuki2104 I might agree it would not be useful to you, my guess is you might have strung at big tournaments like maybe an All England's, a World Championship, or maybe an Olympics, or ATP or WTA events. But for someone just starting out that has an open mind, wanting to experiment with different things, it could be a useful tool to learn how to weave with. For me I probably would not use it also but to THINK without trying you might want to re-THINK it =P maybe I can see your point that they might use it as a crutch and you don't see them as a REAL stringer, but like you, everyone is free to do as they choose as a stringer. I was pointed out while I was pulling across my mains, the sound was different with it on and without it. I did feel so much ease pulling across with it on, but again I have my own way of stringing, I probably would not use it but I have an open mind to try it, to try different patterns, to try different knots, but always go back to my modified AK Yonex pattern with Gudgeon knots.[​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]

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  17. akatsuki2104

    akatsuki2104 Regular Member

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    Sorry, my english is not the best so I couldnt explain my though accuratly.
    I am not againt trying it out but what I meant, at least for my personnal learning, is that I should improve my skills without the tool first before I could understand and benefit (or not) from it.
    I am really a beginner (less than 100 string job) and I see this tool as a shortcut for my learning which I don't think is the right way of learning.
    Sorry for the confusion
     
  18. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    The key to weaving cross string is the feel from the finger tips and strength of the fingers.

    The configuration that allows for the best development and utilization of both finger feel and strength is from using the weaving one ahead technique. With that technique, the amount of moderate soft weave creates the exact right contour for both finger tips to be in contact with the strings at all times. The contour in fact, nudges the finger tips and guides the strings to move in the right angle, snaking the string tip across the string bed. That's why you see very well practiced stringers seem to just wiggle and glides across the string bed in an almost impossible pace and dexterity. This comes with practice. You should be able to develop it with a couple hundred string jobs and of course, the more and more frequent the better.

    With the stringweaver, the main strings are separated more than one-ahead, at first it sounds like a great idea, but it separates / zigzag the string too much. The fingers are now unable to maintain good contact and feel with the strings at all times. This is why I personally found the stringweaver to be slower. I cannot grab hold of the string as well anymore. Now the motion is disconnected and awkward. Kinda like the opposite end of doing a hardweave. I tried to do the same smooth flow but it was not possible with so much zigzag. Ultimately, if continuing to use it, one will end up not learning the proper feel of the string and won't advance their skill.
     
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  19. kakinami

    kakinami Regular Member

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    But it was fun to try a new thing? Maybe? <3

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  20. kakinami

    kakinami Regular Member

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    My bad no confusion I was just being a wise ass, bad person, I love all stringers, if I give you a hard time it means I have more love for you. I agree it is a crutch for new stringers, I would not personally recommend it but if people want to try it I am not against it. I want stringers to enjoy stringing, as for me I feel some people think of it as a job, labor intensive. I think of stringing as a joy, the harder the problem and finding a solution the more fun I think stringing is. Although I am against recommending it to other stringers, I feel it is their choice to find a solution to help them enjoy stringing rackets. I have tried the product so with first hand knowledge, this doesn't work for me, BUT, for someone who finds stringing frustrating but wants to learn, I highly recommend to try to help keep stringing enjoyable to the newly person introduced to stringing rackets. Keep in mind if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying. Using a crutch to help you stay in the game keeps you in the game. I feel stringing rackets is not the thing for me but I love it. I have a short attention span but I love the pain of stringing for long hours, producing something to help players play and to help champions win. I guess my advice to you might be don't knock it until you have tried it. My mamma told me life is like a box of chocolates. Just kidding she told me if you don't have anything good to say don't say it at all. Always look at the positive side of things. If someone is doing a terrible string job, at least look at it as if someone is getting their racket back with strings. Sorry if I sounded like a douche, I am, but hey at least I can admit it. Just stay positive in stringing. Keep on stroking, using your racket and not your hand. =P

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