Dead Strings?

[pattenww]

Low level 4.0, back to the game about 2 years ago after 15 year hiatus. Still playing around with raquet and string combos and learning to feel dead strings and tension loss.

So, Vokl Poly 16 at 60 pounds, been in ~6 weeks, but only ~10 hours play. NEW - When I played with them with my hands the strings slide around with no noise and very little friction - move right back in to place. Last night I played and they felt dried out, did not slide back in to place as well and made a lot of friction noise when I moved them around in my raquet..I also lost feel and some power when I played..are the dead?

 

[pvaudio]

Not necessarily, but they are most definitely notched. That's one of the main reasons that polys lose their spin: they notch into one another which limits their movement. I'd cut them out and start anew.

 

[pattenww]

Thinking I may try taking tension down to 55 for experiment, but am a bit paroniod since I already have a high powered frame- speedport black. Have Signum pro poly and polyfibre tcs to try next (all at 16 since I have a 16 x 19)..probably going to have to invest in stringer at some point...

 

[pvaudio]

Do it, you won't look back! You'll save so much money on stringing that it's ridiculous. The flip side is that you now have more freedom so you end up buying gobs of string that you've always wanted to try but didn't because you'd have to pay someone to string it for you. If you end up stringing for others, the machine pays for itself quickly. Trust me on this one

 

[SteveI]

Do it, you won't look back! You'll save so much money on stringing that it's ridiculous. The flip side is that you now have more freedom so you end up buying gobs of string that you've always wanted to try but didn't because you'd have to pay someone to string it for you. If you end up stringing for others, the machine pays for itself quickly. Trust me on this one

Yes.. a very good idea. The machine will pay for itself very fast. You can experiment with the 1,000,000 strings out there and you will have fresh strings more often. Having fresh strings will make your game more consistant and help save your arm in the long run. That is one effect that folks really should consider.. arm/shoulder/wrist health. When you own your own machine.. you will cut them out when they are dead.. not wait until they break

 

[Lsmkenpo]

The strings are dead, cut them out and restring, the tension doesn't matter, the elements in the copoly that give the string resiliency to snap back have broken down long ago.

The elements break down in the string just from being under tension for a long period of time whether you play with it or not.

After six weeks you are left with a string that will play like a first generation poly with no element additives, dead, no snap and no power.

This is the reason no company has ever developed a copoly that plays great for a long period of time, it is not possible, since it is these elemental additives shearing at contact which gives the string its snap.

Strings like Alu give a more dynamic snap in a shorter time frame (2 hours), some others give less of a dynamic snap at the onset but for a longer duration (10 hours).

There will always be a trade off, you cant have your cake and eat it too, due to how the strings actually work.

 

[Lsmkenpo]

......................

 

[junk]

Thinking I may try taking tension down to 55 for experiment, but am a bit paroniod since I already have a high powered frame- speedport black. Have Signum pro poly and polyfibre tcs to try next (all at 16 since I have a 16 x 19)..probably going to have to invest in stringer at some point...

getting my own stringer was one of the best things i've ever purchased (another one was a good coffee machine!). it not only saves money, but it also gives convenience - no need to carry my racquets anywhere, leave them, pick them up... i can try any strings i want, i can try any tension i want... i can cut them whenever i want... and it's just lots of pleasure stringing my own racquets

 

[pattenww]

1.) String machine recomendations for novice stringer...
2.) What are the negatives to moving to a multi..based on reading here, pluses seem to be more arm freindly, negatives seem to be too much power and breaking (wander if for me they would break about the same time the poly would go dead/be no good anyway..and a negative would be cost
3.) Is a poly/multi hybrid a good middle ground? what are it's pluses and minus
4.) Why do poeple string at different tensions of main and cross in hybrids and how to they figure it?

 

[Hominator]

getting my own stringer was one of the best things i've ever purchased (another one was a good coffee machine!). it not only saves money, but it also gives convenience - no need to carry my racquets anywhere, leave them, pick them up... i can try any strings i want, i can try any tension i want... i can cut them whenever i want... and it's just lots of pleasure stringing my own racquets

I've tried so many different coffee machines over the years, but I always come back to the good old fashioned french press. Nothing beats fresh burr-ground coffee beans brewed in a french press, IMO. The coffee comes out so strong and thick, like cocoa...

 

[smucker007]

1.) String machine recomendations for novice stringer...
2.) What are the negatives to moving to a multi..based on reading here, pluses seem to be more arm freindly, negatives seem to be too much power and breaking (wander if for me they would break about the same time the poly would go dead/be no good anyway..and a negative would be cost
3.) Is a poly/multi hybrid a good middle ground? what are it's pluses and minus
4.) Why do poeple string at different tensions of main and cross in hybrids and how to they figure it?

1. Depends on your budget..the the best one you can afford.
2. Multis will normally break faster than polys..and sometimes on the crosses rather than the mains. You can Hybird a multi with a syn gut on the crosses so that the mains snap first rather than the crosses.
3. Poly/multi would be a good combination..maybe multi mains/poly crosses. 80% of the feel/power from the stringbed will be dictated by the mains.
4. Some string different tensions because different strings lose tension differently and they compensate by stringing one higher/lower than the other. Others, like Yonex, the company actually recommends stringing 5% lower on the crosses on most of their racquets to get peak performance out of the racquet.

 

[pattenww]

Thanks all, pulled back the crosses this am to reaveal some SERIOUS notching..probably would have broken next time out. I am now that much smarter re strings..also they really did tear my arm up..