questions re stringing machines- please help!

[smirker]

Hi,

I am sure this has been addressed a million times before but despite reading numerous posts I still have a few questions I'd like answering before I purchase my first stringer.

Which type of machine gives "constant pull"? I have read this is essential to deliver consistent results.

If I buy a dropweight will that deliver the consistency I am looking for?
I have looked at the Stringway web site and their dropweights look good as you don't have to ensure the tensioning arm is horizontal.

Would it be best to go straight to a crank machine. I can get a RAB (SM1000) crank for a similar price to the above dropweights.

Sorry for all the annoying questions but as a newcomer to stringing I want to make an informed descision when making a purchase and my choice is somewhat limited living in the UK.

 

[smirker]

guys, I know this is tedious but help me out please

 

[jim e]

In my opinion, a constant pull will give the best consistant result. You can go an inexpensive way by going to a drop weight, or if you get a crank, which is not a constant pull, you can update most of them by purchasing a wise tension head, and you will then have an electronic constant pull.
My own thoughts on that is why by a crank, and then buy a Wise unit, you are just as well to buy a high end electronic as you will then have constant pull, a good mounting system, and do good consistant results,
In other words, it is always best to purchase the best that you can afford, as that will save you from updating to a better one later if you get tired of a 1st inexpensive one. You usually get what you pay.
I was fortunate to get a great high end machine, off the big auction site , when the distributors were being changed, and got mine for a great price.
Bottom line it depends on what you can afford, the quality you want
A # of people says it depends on # of racquets you will string, I don't string a great #, per week, which I am glad for as my free time is limited, but I am glad that I have a quality well built electronic machine, as it makes stringing more enjoyable, as it should be.
Good luck!

 

[Tennis Musician]

A crank machine is the fastest type of machine. A dropweight is the slowest. You said you were looking at some stringways, those are a different type of dropweight that don't have to be horizontal so they would be fast also.

A crank and some cheap electric machines are lockout machines which means once they pull the tension desired they will not continue to pull tension. A constant pull being a dropweight or most electrics, will reach the desired tension and will continue to pull the tension.

A lockout machine will produce a looser stringbed than a constant pull machine. 4 lbs. is an average difference.

If you can afford a crank or electric go with it. A dropweight will produce just as good of a job but it will take longer.

If you string 5-7 racquets or more a month then I would go with a crank or electric, otherwise a dropweight is the best value.

A somewhat experienced stringer can string a racquet in about 40 min. on a electric machine, around 25-30 on a crank, and 45-60 on a dropweight.

 

[william7gr]

If you are doing a lot of racquets than get a crank if not than get a regular drop weight the people here say it is not that big of a deal. I will be getting a Alpha Pioneer DC PLus soon hopefully.

 

[VGP]

A couple of questions.....

Are you going to string for yourself or for others as well?

If it's just you, how often are you planning on restringing?

What types of rackets are you going to be stringing?

Do you plan on having a dedicated area for your machine or are you space limited?

What's your patience level for taking time to string?

 

[1012007]

Jim what machine do you have and what price did you get it for??

 

[SW Stringer]

Hi,

I am sure this has been addressed a million times before but despite reading numerous posts I still have a few questions I'd like answering before I purchase my first stringer.

Which type of machine gives "constant pull"? I have read this is essential to deliver consistent results.

If I buy a dropweight will that deliver the consistency I am looking for?
I have looked at the Stringway web site and their dropweights look good as you don't have to ensure the tensioning arm is horizontal.

Would it be best to go straight to a crank machine. I can get a RAB (SM1000) crank for a similar price to the above dropweights.

Sorry for all the annoying questions but as a newcomer to stringing I want to make an informed descision when making a purchase and my choice is somewhat limited living in the UK.

" . . . Which type of machine gives "constant pull"? I have read this is essential to deliver consistent results. . . . "

Yes, consistent results is the key word in this sentence. To determine if your stringing results are consistent you need a system (device or pc/software) that will measure your results. Ways to measure the racquets String Bed Stiffness are available from free (freqmess software) to hundreds of dollars (ERT 300, ERT 700, ERT 1000) to thousands of dollars (Babolat RDC, etc.). The free software is the most accurate and sensitive of the devices.

A knowledgeable and careful operator can get equally consistent results with practicall ANY of the stringing machines on the market today, from inexpensive entry level DW's, to mid range priced cranks, to boutique "true constant tension" DW's, to high end electronics.

So, you be the judge, the only real difference between the machines is the size of the dent made in your wallet.

 

[Deleted member 25923]

jim_e, what machine do you own?

 

[1012007]

Jim what machine do you have and what price did you get it for??

jim_e, what machine do you own?

I think i may have asked

 

[VGP]

So, you be the judge, the only real difference between the machines is the size of the dent made in your wallet.

Yeah, if it weren't for a $25 Tenex/Gamma 4000 (crank) that I found at a garage sale, I wouldn't have gotten one even after using my Alpha Pioneer III for 15 years.....

Ok, I know that I've spent a bit more in trying to get it in tip top shape, but still not a bad deal.

 

[smirker]

I think i may have asked

Lol, I don't... yet. That's why I am asking. My only knowledge of stringers comes from reading posts on here and watching when I take my racquets to be strung ( on a high end Babolat btw) I recently got a friend to re-string for me and the results although fine are noticeably looser. Think he uses a crank (Ashaway). From reading the blurb on the Stringway site they make it sound as if constant pull is the only way to go but then many here use cranks, presumably with good results?

 

[smirker]

A couple of questions.....

Are you going to string for yourself or for others as well?

If it's just you, how often are you planning on restringing?

What types of rackets are you going to be stringing?

Do you plan on having a dedicated area for your machine or are you space limited?

What's your patience level for taking time to string?

VGP, excellent questions to which I will respond.

Initially for myself to gain experience as and when the performance of my strings drops off. Probably once a month per racquet on average.

Type of racquet, well my own which are pretty standard but then hopefully some of the players from my club who tend to have a selection of weird and wonderful frames inc some fan patterns (Head Si6)

Currently negotiating the dedicated stringing area, she says the shed, I say the dining room although on a positive note she did say she would be willing to learn to string if we were going to make some sort of part time business out of it!

I am space and time limited as I have a family and so would be stringing in the evenings/weekends. Would this affect my choice of stringer? I have read that the Stringway models are very fast due to the tensioning system despite them being dropweights?

My budget would be up to £450 and obviously available in the UK, or possibly imported from Europe(Stringway)

 

[smirker]

I think i may have asked

1012007 I think Man was asking the other Jim in this thread, not me. He doesn't have your insider knowledge

Did you get your MS 200 in the end?

 

[1012007]

Im am picking it up at the end of the month. I cant wait!!!

E bay has had a lot of good machine on recently. A few MS200, a new RAB stringmaster 1000 with stand that was going to £255 shipped until it was taken down by the seller. Keep looking on there i would!! Otherwise i have one for sale, when i receive my MS200. dropweight, flying clamps and 6pt mouting system. very easy to use. I can do 1 racket in about 35-40 mins. Email me if you want more info

Exthree machine - around £100 excluding shipping

 

[jim e]

jim_e, what machine do you own?

I have the Pro master,by SAM, is listed now with xtremesportsmachines, just put www. in front of the name, and the site will come up.It is their Pro Master model.Great customer service with them as well!! The distributors were changing, and I got this machine for just under $1500, with shipping!And it was brand new, never used!(Was on *bay),The machine that I have is identical to last years Wilson,just rebranded with the wilson name, which was used at the 2007 US open.(Wilson's Red Machine)
Had this not been offered, I would have ordered a star 5, but for the machine that I got, which last time I checked was going for just over $3500. I got a great deal, for the price.
I actually could afford to get whatever machine I wanted, but I wanted to be practical about it as well. I got back into stringing as a necessity, as no one around me could be trusted to do a good job, as I visited some box stores and saw problems. I am now glad that I am stringing again(Did a lot in 60's-74). But as I said my free time is limited, as I enjoy playing tennis again(after a 33+ year break from it), and other commitments, work etc.
I do string 4-5 racquets/ week which is all I really wanted, so it works out great for me.I string friends for just string price, others pay my labor rate. I get a good fee, but do the proper job. I even have some return customers that I strung for back in the 60's.
My real job is a dentist, this is just an enjoyable hobby for me, and knowing that my racquets are done properly, and whoever else I string for.

Edit: There is one for sale now on this sites for sale board, even though it is used, it does keep track of # of pulls, and 30 racquets is nothing, and still not a bad price for a high end machine!
Deals are out there for people to get a good machine, for the price you want to pay.May just take a while for stringing machines to go up for sale.Just thought I would mention this, I know nothing about the person selling his, just that the machine is a good one, at least mine is.And xtremesportsmachines will give good customer support.

 

[Deleted member 25923]

Oh, dentistry? How do you like it?


Is there grad school for dentists?

 

[jim e]

Oh, dentistry? How do you like it?


Is there grad school for dentists?

1.It is a great job for me. I really do like it.
2. Yes

 

[smirker]

Im am picking it up at the end of the month. I cant wait!!!

E bay has had a lot of good machine on recently. A few MS200, a new RAB stringmaster 1000 with stand that was going to £255 shipped until it was taken down by the seller. Keep looking on there i would!! Otherwise i have one for sale, when i receive my MS200. dropweight, flying clamps and 6pt mouting system. very easy to use. I can do 1 racket in about 35-40 mins. Email me if you want more info

Exthree machine - around £100 excluding shipping

Yeah, looked at the RAB.The one in Lincoln on for £300. I think there is another on there now. Very tempted by one of the Stringway DW's but they do seem expensive compared to others.

 

[1012007]

Yeah there was another RAB 1000. The seller ended early a few days ago. item number: 130252508101

I have just got a Stringway MS200 (SA clmaps) off e bay. £1000+ new and i got it under £300. I have seen a few on there before but the sellers have always sold locally. They arent sold much as they have a 10 year warranty. But yeah if you can get one of the bay, go for it.

 

[Deleted member 25923]

1012007, did you receive your SW yet? Any stringjobs? Have you ever strung before?

 

[Deleted member 25923]

I have the Pro master,by SAM, is listed now with xtremesportsmachines, just put www. in front of the name, and the site will come up.It is their Pro Master model.Great customer service with them as well!! The distributors were changing, and I got this machine for just under $1500, with shipping!And it was brand new, never used!(Was on *bay),The machine that I have is identical to last years Wilson,just rebranded with the wilson name, which was used at the 2007 US open.(Wilson's Red Machine)
Had this not been offered, I would have ordered a star 5, but for the machine that I got, which last time I checked was going for just over $3500. I got a great deal, for the price.
I actually could afford to get whatever machine I wanted, but I wanted to be practical about it as well. I got back into stringing as a necessity, as no one around me could be trusted to do a good job, as I visited some box stores and saw problems. I am now glad that I am stringing again(Did a lot in 60's-74). But as I said my free time is limited, as I enjoy playing tennis again(after a 33+ year break from it), and other commitments, work etc.
I do string 4-5 racquets/ week which is all I really wanted, so it works out great for me.I string friends for just string price, others pay my labor rate. I get a good fee, but do the proper job. I even have some return customers that I strung for back in the 60's.
My real job is a dentist, this is just an enjoyable hobby for me, and knowing that my racquets are done properly, and whoever else I string for.

Edit: There is one for sale now on this sites for sale board, even though it is used, it does keep track of # of pulls, and 30 racquets is nothing, and still not a bad price for a high end machine!
Deals are out there for people to get a good machine, for the price you want to pay.May just take a while for stringing machines to go up for sale.Just thought I would mention this, I know nothing about the person selling his, just that the machine is a good one, at least mine is.And xtremesportsmachines will give good customer support.

Yes, that's Bolt. I've heard lots of good things about him. He went out of his way to send people upgrades for the mounting system on an Alpha Pioneer III because it was a bit unstable in stock form, so he made some custom adapters. Seems like a very generous, trustworthy guy. unfortunately, I can't get that machine. I'm just saving up for a revo or something for future endeavours.

 

[1012007]

Hi,
No i havnt picked it up yet. Will do at the end of the month.
I have owned an Exthree dropweight with flying clamps for almost a year now.


Not mine but exactly the same. Got the pic of another seller

 

[Deleted member 25923]

Hi,
No i havnt picked it up yet. Will do at the end of the month.
I have owned an Exthree dropweight with flying clamps for almost a year now.


Not mine but exactly the same. Got the pic of another seller

Nice. Who makes it? Or is exthree the company and not the model?


That is a strange setup not seen very often (i'm referring to the single fixed clamp and flying clamp)

How does that work?

 

[1012007]

Yeah it is Exthree, thats the company name.

I only just saw the fixed clamp in that pic.
Mine just has flying clamps

 

[Deleted member 25923]

Oh I see. Cool.

 

[1012007]

How is your SP Swing?
Its even more basic than mine lol

 

[Deleted member 25923]

How is your SP Swing?
Its even more basic than mine lol

I'm liking it. I've gotten faster, and the flying clamps are nice. Unfortunately, I have to clean the clamps every 3 string jobs or so.


I learned from these boards that there is a doth on the tensioning drum that lines up with a little nick in the tower that holds the tensioning drum when it is parallel. So now I don't have to bend down and see if the arm is parallel.

I'm saving up now for a 6 pt mounting system w/ a crank and fixed clamps. It's just screaming Alpha revo 4000 to me lol.

 

[smirker]

Yeah there was another RAB 1000. The seller ended early a few days ago. item number: 130252508101

I have just got a Stringway MS200 (SA clmaps) off e bay. £1000+ new and i got it under £300. I have seen a few on there before but the sellers have always sold locally. They arent sold much as they have a 10 year warranty. But yeah if you can get one of the bay, go for it.

The one on there now is a 2000 electric model, again at £300. Does that look right to you?guessing they will want more than that for it.

 

[1012007]

Personally i wouldnt buy it. It doesnt mention one thing about the age and condition and you would have no warranty on it either. If it was cheaper it might be worth taking apunt, but for £300i personally wouldnt buy it

 

[smirker]

Personally i wouldnt buy it. It doesnt mention one thing about the age and condition and you would have no warranty on it either. If it was cheaper it might be worth taking apunt, but for £300i personally wouldnt buy it

Ok, thanks for the heads up. Not sure I need an electric as my first stringer. As you say a bit suspicious. No guarantee it actually works. I can get the SM 1000 for £375 off the website so I might well go for that. Not sure I want to import a SW from Holland plus it will cost more. The only one I could afford would be the M90 with flying clamps and there are better machines out there for the money IMO.

 

[1012007]

I have emailed SW alot and they said they would include shipping in the price.
Also you wouldn't pay any customs etc as it is within the EU

As for the SM1000 - its probably your best option but £375 is the price excluding vat. The total is around £440 with vat for the table top. I believe they offered me the stand up version for only around £30 more.
You would have to weigh up your options. RAB or SW as they are the only 2 reasonable options living in the UK. Depends on the prices and what you can get for that amount fo money. £440 can get you the RAB but will only probably get you the M90 with flying clamps... so it best to go for the RAB.
If you can get the M90 with fixed clamps then that might be better option. Also SW has 10 years warranty compared with RAB's 3

here is the stringway prices

M90 - O91 - TH 5-POINT- DIRECT 2 FLYING CLAMPS € 435,38
M90 - O91 - T98 5-POINT- DIRECT 2 DOUBLE ACTION CLAMPS € 588,27 maybe the best option
M90 - O91 - T92 5-POINT- DIRECT 2 SINGLE ACTION CLAMPS € 692,49
ML90 - O91 - TH 5-POINT- DIRECT 2 FLYING CLAMPS € 399,71
ML90 - O91 - T98 5-POINT- DIRECT 2 DOUBLE ACTION CLAMPS € 552,61
ML90 - O91 - T92 5-POINT- DIRECT 2 SINGLE ACTION CLAMPS € 656,83
ML100 - O91 - T98 5-POINT- DIRECT 2 DOUBLE ACTION CLAMPS € 640,44
ML100 - O91 - T92 5-POINT- DIRECT 2 SINGLE ACTION CLAMPS € 744,66
ML100 - O92 - T98 5-POINT- DIRECT 2 DOUBLE ACTION CLAMPS € 672,57
ML100 - O92 - T92 5-POINT- DIRECT 2 SINGLE ACTION CLAMPS € 776,79

 

[smirker]

I have emailed SW alot and they said they would include shipping in the price.
Also you wouldn't pay any customs etc as it is within the EU

As for the SM1000 - its probably your best option but £375 is the price excluding vat. The total is around £440 with vat for the table top. I believe they offered me the stand up version for only around £30 more.
You would have to weigh up your options. RAB or SW as they are the only 2 reasonable options living in the UK. Depends on the prices and what you can get for that amount fo money. £440 can get you the RAB but will only probably get you the M90 with flying clamps... so it best to go for the RAB.
If you can get the M90 with fixed clamps then that might be better option. Also SW has 10 years warranty compared with RAB's 3

here is the stringway prices

M90 - O91 - TH 5-POINT- DIRECT 2 FLYING CLAMPS € 435,38
M90 - O91 - T98 5-POINT- DIRECT 2 DOUBLE ACTION CLAMPS € 588,27 maybe the best option
M90 - O91 - T92 5-POINT- DIRECT 2 SINGLE ACTION CLAMPS € 692,49
ML90 - O91 - TH 5-POINT- DIRECT 2 FLYING CLAMPS € 399,71
ML90 - O91 - T98 5-POINT- DIRECT 2 DOUBLE ACTION CLAMPS € 552,61
ML90 - O91 - T92 5-POINT- DIRECT 2 SINGLE ACTION CLAMPS € 656,83
ML100 - O91 - T98 5-POINT- DIRECT 2 DOUBLE ACTION CLAMPS € 640,44
ML100 - O91 - T92 5-POINT- DIRECT 2 SINGLE ACTION CLAMPS € 744,66
ML100 - O92 - T98 5-POINT- DIRECT 2 DOUBLE ACTION CLAMPS € 672,57
ML100 - O92 - T92 5-POINT- DIRECT 2 SINGLE ACTION CLAMPS € 776,79

Thanks for the info. What is the difference between the M90 and ML 90? I had a look on their website but it is not entirely clear.

It does look like a toss up between the RAB or SW. Gutted I missed the RAB on **** £300 for the stand-up was a bargain. You got yourself a real bargain with yours, looks like a top machine. Have to post when you get it how it strings.

 

[1012007]

Well 1 week ago on e bay there was a RAB with the stand for £225 including shipping to anywhere in the country, but the seller took the listing down.

Im not sure whats the difference between the M90 and ML90 but i assume the ML90 is better. I might be wrong but i think the ML90 has an auto-matic dropweight where as the M90 has a regular dropweight. Email stringway and see, they are very quick to reply and give loads of info. If you ask for their best price, im sure they will reduce the price by quite alot. When i asked for a quote they dropped it by 70 euros and included shipping.