First time reel buyer, need help.

[cknobman]

For Xmas I received my first ever tennis stringing machine. Im loving stringing my own racquets and am now ready to move away from single packs of string and get better value from reels.

For the last 3 years I have been playing with Wilson Sensation Duo single packs which come with:
Poly: Enduro Pro 17
Multi: Sensation 16

I have been very happy with this setup and have tried a couple of others such as Babolat Hybrid Pro Hurricane+N.VY 16 String but have always come back to the Sensation Duo.

Since I had not been buying reels I was limited to the hybrids offered by retailers in prepackaged units but now that I am moving to reels I realize I will be able to combine any setup I want.

So my question is what are your recommendations?
I am not looking for ultra premium strings that cost an arm or leg but something that would be comparable in price to what I have (~$130 per reel). In your opinions are there better performance/price values out there than what Sensation and Enduro Pro offer?

[jim e]

If you are just stringing for yourself only, then be sure that if you do get reels that you indeed like the string.If you string for others you can always use for others.If I get a string that does not move, I offer it at a discount to the young hitters.
If you only string for yourself and purchase a couple reels on advise you get here and do not like them, then what will you do with them?
You can always purchase some single sets not just hybrid sets and cut them up to make your own hybrid before you go to reels. All I'm saying is if you do plan on getting some reels, try the set first to be sure that you will like the reel.

[BigT]

I would get a few synthetics, multis and polys to start off with. Different gauges and colors. Choices are limitless.

[GS]

You're alittle lucky in that you can buy Wilson Sensation 16 and Enduro Pro 16L by the reel (from TW, of course). Buying a reel of string is a slightly big investment---you should stick with what you like.

[pvaudio]

Just a note: make sure you do the math, as not all reels are created equally. Some reels are sold in 200m, 220m, 660ft or 726ft. Here's the conversions:

200m = 656.17ft
220m = 721.78ft

While the differences are seemingly trivial, there are two points here. If you are stringing for your racquet, and your racquet alone, knowing exactly how much string you need can save you money. Instead of cutting off 40ft of string like is in a normal set, you can cut just enough which is often a few feet less. If you do not do this and simply cut 40ft every time, you likely won't save money at all over the price of individual sets. The second point is in the reel itself. Depending on its length, the price/stringjob can be very different. Many reels are priced similarly as a reel, not based on the length. More importantly, many reels are priced by set rather than priced for being a value. Here's examples:

Example: http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Tecn...A-X1BP16R.html

Technifibre X-1 Biphase, 660 foot reel. $250. That yields 16.5 40 foot sets. Price per set: $15.15 bucks.

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Tecn...FUSA-X116.html

Technifibre X-1 Biphase 40ft set. $16/set.

If you do the math, that means you end up saving a total of $14. In other words, unless you're completely committed to X-1, you're better off buying sets.

Now, here's a good example of savings:

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Weis...ORY-WCMBR.html

WeissCANNON Mosquito Bite 660 foot reel. $99.90. Price per 40ft set: $6.05

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Weis...LORY-WCMB.html

WeissCANNON Mosquito Bite 40ft set. $9.95.

Now, if you do the math here, you end up saving $64.28. That's a LOT of savings. WC Black5Edge can be had in a reel and when it came out, the savings were about $98 over the initial $12/set price. That's because it was priced at $99.90 like the other WC reels. I bought that reel without even thinking about it. So you see, it really depends on your string choices as to whether or not a reel is a good investment. If you string frequently, you have nothing to lose by getting a reel. Not only that, but it's more convenient than having sets lying around. If you switch strings often or string for many people who like different strings, then having reels is not always beneficial.

As a fun fact: I bought my reel of Signum Pro Tornado from England for $79.15 ex VAT. Why? It's 200m, which I'll round to 660. Sets here in the states cost 14.69. That means that I just saved $163.24, which is less than $14 different than the reel costs to buy in America. In other words, I bought 2.23 reels of the string in the UK for the price of one in the US. Shipping was only 5.95 too. Moral: pays to look around when there's a string you really like

[cknobman]

Wow pvaudio thanks for the tip I will definitely keep an eye out for that.

[seekay]

pvaudio touched on it, but I want to emphasize the value of cutting less than 40 feet per string job. I can comfortably string my racquets with 35' of string, which comes to a little over 18.5 sets from a 660' reel.

If I were to buy that same reel of Mosquito Bite and divide it into 18.5 sets instead of 16, the cost would drop to $5.40/set and the total effective savings would go up to $83.25.

How well this works depends on your racquet (head size and pattern) and stringing machine (distance from the frame to your tension head), but even if you use 38' instead of 40' per racquet, you effectively get a free set.

[Hi I'm Ray]

Yeah some reels hardly offer any savings. In that case I'll just get standard sets in case I find something better, then I can just switch without getting stuck with a reel (edit: to sell)

Forten Sweet 16 is $2.95 a set and $49.99 in a reel. I love this string but what the heck is that? Well the 17ga reel is $5 less but its not by much.

[mikeler]

You usually don't get stuck with a reel. There are always buyers out there but most will demand some discount.

[Davis Cup Fan]

Isn't tw running a sale right now on multiple packs of wilson enduro it could possibly be cheaper than buying a reel. But I'm not 100% sure.

[Hi I'm Ray]

edit: post moved

[pvaudio]

Yes, that is quite a hijack. You should post that in his multi thread so that others can see it as well.

[mikeler]

Huh??????????

[zapvor]

if you like your hybrid set up just buy both strings in a reel!

[pvaudio]

Originally Posted by mikeler

Huh??????????

He asked a question about multis, so I directed him towards your thread so everyone could see the question. Looks like he never posted it again!

[kiteboard]

Best reel for dollar: bhbr, msv hex, prince syn gut. Don't buy reels, unless you want some of my old string! Got lots of stuff for you to buy.

[Roddick33]

Hey Mikeler.

You're hawt.

[pvaudio]

Originally Posted by Roddick33

Hey Mikeler.

You're hawt.

Something you guys would like to tell us?

[mixedmedia]

PV's tips in #5 are spot on. Shop around, and try to squeeze out 17 sets from a 660' reel, just make sure you don't try to cut it too close and end up losing a set instead of gaining one!

[Roddick33]

Originally Posted by pvaudio

Something you guys would like to tell us?

Nope nothing yet