Eagnas Flex 940 swivel clamp issues

[Sizz]

I've had my little flex 940 for 4 years now and it's been very good to me despite the low cost. I've strung around 300-400 rackets so far. The only issue I've had is the threaded rod stripping out of the swivel clamp handle. Eagnas want's $24 for the little cast handle which I bought a few months ago. Now the other handle is stripped and I'm thinking about replacing the whole handle/bearing assembly with quality parts from mcmaster. Anyone else having this issue?

[Ken Sachar]

Sizz

I used to have the same problem with my Hawk 800. I modified the McMaster replacement and they last quite a while. Give me an email address and i'll explain.

Ken

[Sizz]

I jumped the gun and swung by mcmaster to get the following:

2 Each 94750A582 Black-Oxide Steel Full-Thread T-Slot Nut 3/8"-16 Thread Size, for 1/2" Slot Width $2.43
2 Each 6271K29 Die Cast Zinc Adjustable Handle 3/8"-16 Thread X 2-3/8" L Stud, 2-9/16" L Handle $8.56
2 Each 5909K11 Cage Assembly for 10 mm Shaft Diameter, 24mm OD Steel Thrust Needle-Roller Bearing $3.17
4 Each 5909K71 1 mm Thick Washer for 10 mm Shaft Diameter Steel Thrust Needle-Roller Bearing $1.08

Every piece looks stout so I'm hoping this will last. The adjustable handle can't strip out like the original one piece. The bearings are much higher quality also. Ken, Can you post that info here for others to see? I assume this is a common problem.

[Lakers4Life]

I thought the adjustable handle bolts were 8MM?

[Sizz]

Originally Posted by Lakers4Life

I thought the adjustable handle bolts were 8MM?

Yep. M8-1.25. I switched to 3/8" for two reasons. First, the threads in the original T-slot nuts were wearing down. It was just a matter of time before they would get stripped out. I couldn't find M8 t-slot nuts that would fit the glide slots well. Secondly, a larger bolt will provide more clamping force and last longer. I had to drill out the holes in the swivel bases a hair larger.

I just strung a racket with the new setup and it's a night and day difference. I was thinking about getting a new stringer just to get the quick cam type clamps but not anymore. The ball on the end of the handle, the added length, and the high quality bearings makes the clamps much easier to use.

I'd recommend this upgrade to anyone with the standard eagnas swivel clamps, even if they are working fine.

[Ken Sachar]

I just bought the clamp locking lever from McMaster (60235k41) for $8.75 and had the steel stud heat treated. What used to last 20-30 racquets went until I bought a new stringer.. over 100 racquets.

[Lakers4Life]

For the amount of rackets you have strung on your Flex 940, you could have bought a Gamma 6004.

I used to own a Flex 940, but traded it for a Gamma 5003 after about 6 months. A year later I got a 6004.

[zomg_rofl]

yah i had the same problem both my handles striped but i only had my stringer for like 8 months

[Lakers4Life]

^^^Dang, how many rackets you string a week?

[zomg_rofl]

well i keep a log of all the rackets i have strung. looks like about 200 since i got the machine

[Sports101]

Hey sorry guys, I have a question. I am new to string machines, and I have been looking at the eagnas flex 940, but have heard some mixed reviews about durablity etc. It seems to be my top choice right now for its crank tensioning system, stand, and six point mounting system. Do you think its a safe bet? And let me know if you have any other suggestions, my range is from 400 to 500. Thank you.

[Lakers4Life]

Originally Posted by Sports101

Hey sorry guys, I have a question. I am new to string machines, and I have been looking at the eagnas flex 940, but have heard some mixed reviews about durablity etc. It seems to be my top choice right now for its crank tensioning system, stand, and six point mounting system. Do you think its a safe bet? And let me know if you have any other suggestions, my range is from 400 to 500. Thank you.

You are better off getting the Combo 910, instead of the Flex 940. Same mounts and crank, with switch action base clamps.

[zomg_rofl]

Originally Posted by Lakers4Life

You are better off getting the Combo 910, instead of the Flex 940. Same mounts and crank, with switch action base clamps.

agreed. yea the clamps look 10x better on that machine. and you probably wont get the same issue that we have been having

[Sizz]

I'd agree with the quick cam clamps. They are easier to use but they are not bulletproof. A friend broke his clamp while adjusting the clamping force (it was slipping). He took it apart and said the parts inside were not quality. They are much more expensive to replace but I think the risk is worth the ease of use.

[Sports101]

So the only difference between the 940 and the 910 is the clamps? And there's an eighty dollars difference for the clamps, so you guys think its worth it?

[Sizz]

Originally Posted by Sports101

So the only difference between the 940 and the 910 is the clamps? And there's an eighty dollars difference for the clamps, so you guys think its worth it?

They wanted $110 a piece for me to upgrade my standard clamps to the quick clamps. So $80 seems like a good deal if they hold up. I think there's a chance either type will break. That's the risk of going with something half the cost of next step up(gamma 5k or 6k). At least in my case, the standard clamps can be easily upgraded and serviced. I dug up the email my friend sent me regarding his broken Combo 910 clamp :

I loaned my machine to rob when it was just a few months old and he had trouble getting one of the bases to hold. When he tightened the base hard; internal pieces broke and it got stuck locked in place. I took it apart and freed it but saw cheap broken parts inside and at that time I wished I had gotten yours. I was not impressed with parts (soft metal) nor construction for $230.

I called them and they said send in all the pieces and they would fix it. I forgot one part and they wrote me saying piece was missing and I took a few days to find it making a fool of myself. I sent 2nd shipment with missing part and while the process took a long time they fixed it for the cost of shipping only. Considering I took it apart and forgot a piece combined with their reputation for customer service I thought they were reasonable and it ended well. I haven't really had any issues since then but the glue on the circular cover never stuck on after I peeled it off so I worry about dirt getting in. When I wrote them they sent me instructions on how I could have adjusted the base so yes to that question and I felt a little foolish. I haven't had to adjust them so I'm not sure how effective provisions are.

[Sports101]

Ok thanks this helps me a lot. I guess there is the chance of either braking, like you said, so I will just hope it doesn't happen to me. But do you see it as a good machine otherwise? Is the machine in general worth the risk of the clamps?

[pvaudio]

Originally Posted by Sports101

So the only difference between the 940 and the 910 is the clamps? And there's an eighty dollars difference for the clamps, so you guys think its worth it?

Originally Posted by Sizz

They wanted $110 a piece for me to upgrade my standard clamps to the quick clamps. So $80 seems like a good deal if they hold up. I think there's a chance either type will break. That's the risk of going with something half the cost of next step up(gamma 5k or 6k). At least in my case, the standard clamps can be easily upgraded and serviced. I dug up the email my friend sent me regarding his broken Combo 910 clamp :

I owned a Flex 940 for a year before I bought my SP Aria, and now my sister is stringing on the Flex 940. I did indeed upgrade the clamps, if you can call it that, for a total of 200 bucks after wheedling him down 20 from 220. They aren't worth it because the clamp bases are not a quality product. I honestly would just use the conelock ones as they require next to no adjustment whereas the cam clamps need to be finely adjusted sometimes as you're stringing.

[lawdog]

I'd be interested in hearing more specifically about how the inner workings of the spring-assisted clamp bases are "cheap" or "not a quality product". I own a 910 and one of the first things I did when I got it was to disassemble the clamp bases. The base utilizes an extremely simple mechanism and consists essentially of four solid metal parts. I'll concede that the bases don't use polished stainless steel handles like some more expensive spring-assisted clamp bases, but that hardly equates to cheap construction.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll throw in that I think crank-tensioned stringers are such simple and basic machines that it's silly to pay upwards of $600 for one. I've heard comparisons like "the Eagnas is a Kia and the Gamma is a Lexus", but these comparisons fail to recognize that cars are complex machines and crank stringers are not. Basically, a crank stringer consists of a spring that measures the tension and some clamps, the rest of the machine is simply metal structure that doesn't affect the machine's performance. Unlike a car, a crank stringer is exactly the sort of simple machine that the Chinese can accurately and inexpensively replicate with little loss in quality.

[Lakers4Life]

Originally Posted by lawdog

I'd be interested in hearing more specifically about how the inner workings of the spring-assisted clamp bases are "cheap" or "not a quality product". I own a 910 and one of the first things I did when I got it was to disassemble the clamp bases. The base utilizes an extremely simple mechanism and consists essentially of four solid metal parts. I'll concede that the bases don't use polished stainless steel handles like some more expensive spring-assisted clamp bases, but that hardly equates to cheap construction.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll throw in that I think crank-tensioned stringers are such simple and basic machines that it's silly to pay upwards of $600 for one. I've heard comparisons like "the Eagnas is a Kia and the Gamma is a Lexus", but these comparisons fail to recognize that cars are complex machines and crank stringers are not. Basically, a crank stringer consists of a spring that measures the tension and some clamps, the rest of the machine is simply metal structure that doesn't affect the machine's performance. Unlike a car, a crank stringer is exactly the sort of simple machine that the Chinese can accurately and inexpensively replicate with little loss in quality.

I kinda agree with you, but the quality between an Eagnas and a Gamma are night and day. The Taiwan made machines are much better quality than the China made machine. Prince and Gamma machines are still made in Taiwan. Eagnas were also made in Taiwan, up until a few years ago, then the company switched to China production. The difference in the Eagnas machines that were made in Taiwan and China are also night and day.

The main difference is the tollerances and the quality of parts. Like the Cone-Lock base clamps of the Flex 940. Before they had adjustable handles, now they are fixed. As for the tension head it had not changed, though the Gamma tension heads are much beefier than the Eagnas. I recently got a Plus 6500 as a backup machine, and was surprised the tensionhead was spot on when I tested it.