Drop weight machine suggestions..

[au]

on the ATS SS2, Klippermate, and S.Partner Swing. I've been hearing about ratcheting tension head and was wondering which one of these machines incorperates that technology? What does it do exactly? And what would be your recommendation? TIA.

[Gaines Hillix]

The ATS SS II and SP Swing have a ratcheting tension head. If you are familiar with how a socket ratchet tool works, this is a similar concept. The drop weight arm and tension head drum are locked together in one direction(from vertical to horizontal), but if the drum is held the arm can be moved in the opposite direction independently(it makes a clicking sound like a ratchet). On a Klippermate, if the arm doesn't reach a position parallel to the floor on the first pull, you have to back the arm up, release the string from the gripper, take up some slack and then put it back in to have another go at it. The ratcheting tension head makes it much easier. For the price, I think the SS II is a better value.

[au]

Thank you very much Gaines for the explanation and recommendation. Such quick response too.

Hey, I did a little research and found an Eagnes Model Hawk 26 which looks EXACTLY like the S.Partner's Swing except for the drop weight lever which has a String Gripper (with ratchet) instead of the drum. I think this method would be easier on the string when pulling. It's also $50 cheaper. They claim that Swing copied from it. I might just go this route if the two are essentially the same. Got any opinions on this? Anyone else have any comment on the Hawk 26 vs. Swing?

[rich s]

Avoid EAGNAS like a rabbid dog! If you do a search on this forum and the old forum you will find an overwhelming number of posts about how poor EAGNAS customer service is and how problematic their machines are.

Go with the ATS SSII you will not regret it compared to ANY EAGNAS machine.

[Gaines Hillix]

Agree with Rich...go with the SP Swing or ATS SS II. Eagnas has a bad rep for customer no service.

[Deuce]

And Eagnas claims that EVERY company has copied them. Doesn't seem likely. There's another thread a few down that mentions about the origins of the different machines.

To add a little to Gaines' efficient summary, the SP Swing has what they call a 'clutch' tension head. It functions exactly the same way as the ratcheting head, only without the clicking. THe Swing is therefore significantly more quiet than the ATS Super Stringer 2 - something to keep in mind if you'll be doing any 2am stringings, and neighbors are close.

The Swing also has a 6 point inside mounting system, vs. a 2 point for the ATS SS 2. I've strung on both machines. They're both good machines that will do the job well. With the Swing, you get 2 metal flying clamps (real clamps, not the modified vice grips like with the Klippermate). With the SS 2, you get 2 plastic clamps.