So in a video from Halim on YT, he said when mounting the racket you should keep it "loose" and "don't pressure the racket". I've taken that advice and strung two rackets with the fixing points JUST touching the frame with as little pressure as possible. Now both frames came out ~2mm shorter. Both rackets were strung with 2 knots and 25/27.5lbs. Where could be my mistake here? Also, should i cut these two immediately or is it safe to use them until the strings break? Thank you all : )
btw, i'm using an stringmaster deluxe with a 6 point system, i'm keeping the 4 and 8 o'clock points around the 12th hole.
Here's my mounting process, also with the StringMaster Deluxe: Maybe this helps a bit. In general, I prefer to have the supports on the tighter side instead of having them too loose.
I watched Halim's video who said the opposite which is confusing. I tend to prefer your method but was wondering which one would be better
This is the exact video i mentioned in the beginning. That's why it also confused me when my rackets came out deformed. However, in this video at around 1:22-1:27, you can acatully see him first adjusting the supports so they touch the frame, and then giving the nobs another half turn. Judging from his movements and the slight motion at the T of the racket, i would say he does put just a little force onto it. After tightening he wiggles the racket by the shaft and it is not really moving. Which means to me it is definitely properly tight and NOT "loose" as he said in the other video. This is about how I ended up doing it now and the rackets retain the shape. I don't want to discredit Halim as i do think he is a great stringer. In in this case he contradicted himseld imo.
Really well observed. Having really loose supports just doesn’t make any logical sense. The side supports are there to take load coming from the frame being compressed by the main strings. They can only do their job when they are in firm contact with the frame. And play will give the frame more space for deformation which cannot be a good thing. I tend to compare it to giving someone a good hug. You don’t want to squeeze the air out of them but they still need to feel it. Does that make any sense? Forgive me if it doesn’t, I got my Covid booster shot yesterday and have felt a bit fuzzy today.
After watching your video and digging deeper into mounting. I realized my perhaps newer version of the StringMaster Deluxe has a different mount for the side supports. The badminton racket holders i can get for it are the same as these ones here. They are not adjustable in angle so they cannot be at 90 degress with the frame, just like the stock ones that came with the machine. This might be nitpicking from me but I'm already in discussion with TennisMan about a change to a badminton specific machine like the 3700 pro v2. Why didn't I think of this before ordering..... ugh.
1-2mm stretch. and then side support just lightly touching the frame. That's given you have a good quality machine.
The real answer is to experiment, as every machine have different end tower and side support rigidity. What works for us might not work for you. but 1-2mm is the usual. Agree that having loose support is wrong.
yes, they have changed the side support design from the very first production batch to the later ones to make them fit for both badminton and tennis. Can you perhaps post a picture of how the angles look like with a racket mounted? Since they have a round'ish profile and are completely covered with plastic, it shouldn't be a real issue when they are not in a perfect 90° with the frame. So think carefully before directly jumping to a different machine (which surely has other disadvantages). And btw, I really like that smell of OCD coming from your posts. That's what makes good stringers. I think.
my personal opinion? That looks fine. The support bits themselves are indeed a bit bulky but have the advantage compared to the Chudek ones that they don't have any sharp edges at the contact area with the racket. But I clearly get what troubles your inner Monk there. In the end, you'll have to make that call to switch to a 3700 all by yourself. Just be aware that there will be noticeably less space underneath the racket for your hands to operate - that is the biggest differece there. I'm sure that Dirk will make you a good offer regarding a possible machine switch so just go by your gut feeling.
Hmmmm very good point about the space left to work with. Will make sure to think twice before making the decision.
