Breaking perfectly good grommets while stringing?

G Fizzz

New User
So I was stringing my girlfriend's racquet the other day. She has the Prince O3 Speedport Tour with the speedport grommets. I checked for any cracked grommets and there were none and everything checked out fine. I was stringing it on my drop weight Klippermate machine and after the first three strings, the throat grommet with the string holes just cracked. The string cut right through the string holes. I strung it at 60 lbs which is in itsrecommended tension range. So I ordered two sets of grommets from TW, replaced them and went to string it again. Same thing happened to throat grommet so I just used the other throat grommet in the other set. I just wanted to know, has anyone else had this problem? Is there a way to avoid doing it? Some specific stringing technique for it or something?
 

SoCal10s

Hall of Fame
you went through the wrong holes... go check the stringing patterns and do it right... epic fail on your part.. don't worry it will still be OK using the same grommets .. I would use the same ones you broke and order new one and replace when you need to later.. the strings need to go around the graphite parts of the racket ,NOT making a U-turn around the plastic grommets ..
 

000KFACTOR90000

Professional
all prince speedports start at the head. you started at the throat.

don't worry about changing the grommets again - just string it up (it won't affect the performance of the racquet).

check almost any speedport tour and you'll notice you're not the first person to make that mistake :) (it does look like 3 holes in the throat but is in fact 4)
 

G Fizzz

New User
I do agree it was an epic fail but I know Prince racquets start stringing from the head, not the throat..
 

Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
This is a common failure poit on Prince O port rackets. Usually the string cuts through the fame where the grommet strip end and the string goes directly against the frame. Sometimes it happens at the head of the racket.

As as prevention you can use tubing on the string where it makes the bend around the frame but it is difficulet to hold it is the right place.

I am not say many racket break like this but for the racket that do fail this is a common point.

Irvin
 

Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
all prince speedports start at the head. you started at the throat.

don't worry about changing the grommets again - just string it up (it won't affect the performance of the racquet).

check almost any speedport tour and you'll notice you're not the first person to make that mistake :) (it does look like 3 holes in the throat but is in fact 4)

For the speedport racket I believe you are correct but not all O-Port rackets start at the head. And exception would be the Prince O3 Hybrid Comp.

Look at the O-Ports in the head and throat. The mains will always start between the two center O-Ports where there is an even number of Ports.

Irvin
 

SoCal10s

Hall of Fame
all new Prince rackets are a pain in the ass to string.. make sure you also lock the table and pull the string in a straight line when doing the cross strings or you may damage the racket .. or use the boomerang device(I've never used it)..
 

Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
^^ Kind of hard to use a brake on a Klippermate that does not have one. Besides using the boomerang tools there are better methods of stringing the New Prince rackets. One is the 2 piece 50/50 method. Another way is the mount the racket so that the pivot point of the turntable is higher on the racket so not as many strings are pulled at an angle that prevents the strings from staying in the bottom of the O-Port.

Irvin
 

struggle

Legend
sounds to me like you strung across the Oports as opposed to the solid part of the frame. if not, i'm not sure why you'd have cracked that many at once.
 
Last edited:

Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
^^ I do not think he did he did say he started at the top. Of course it is possible to start at the head and get mixed up at the bottom too.

I do agree it was an epic fail but I know Prince racquets start stringing from the head, not the throat..


Once a frame splits it will keep letting the string slip into that crack. You have to get something to stop it like a power pad but it is very difficult to do. If I am right the string is not really going through the grommet but through the frame just outside the grommet.

...I was stringing it on my drop weight Klippermate machine and after the first three strings, the throat grommet with the string holes just cracked...

If he strung three strings on one side that would get him to the end of the throat grommet strip I think. It is actually not the grommet cracking but the frame. After the frame cracks the string will then cut through the grommet sometimes.

Irvin
 
Last edited:

struggle

Legend
If he strung three strings on one side that would get him to the end of the throat grommet strip I think.

Irvin

just really looked at my O3 SP Blacks. I see what you mean, perhaps/ Mine are fine, BUT the "grommet" doesn't really protect the frame very much at that point. Mine are still fairly new, but something to look out for. perhaps tubing that bend might be a good idea as a preventative.
 

Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
^^ Absolutely a good idea. I have hybrid tours with normal grommets in the head and throat so I do not have that problem but I keep an eye on the side ports because on my frame there are no grommets on the side.

Irvin
 

struggle

Legend
^^ Absolutely a good idea. I have hybrid tours with normal grommets in the head and throat so I do not have that problem but I keep an eye on the side ports because on my frame there are no grommets on the side.

Irvin

i use full stringhole grommets on my SP Blacks, BUT never really much looked closely at that spot, just knew it was an easy feed. it is the ONLY place on the whole racket without a stringhole (and therefore some extra material/nylon).
hmm, plain silly. may just start tubing those, as you say.

thanks again!
 
Top