RacquetTune helped me find a bad string job

[ultradr]

Finally installed RaquetTune on my iPhone and iPad and measured tensions
of string beds on 3 identical Head Prestige's, all with Babolat BT7 guts.

#1: measured 52# (requested 59/60# a few month ago, played a few weeks).
#2: measured 56# (requested 58# 2 weeks ago, have been playing since then)
#3: measured 66# (requested 62# 6-7 month ago, played only once)

I know these are only reference tensions but #3 clearly was a bad one, I concluded.
I requested 62# but I think the stringer( person or machine ) probably pulled it at 70+ lbs.
It felt dead and I stopped playing with it. BT7 with this high tension is probably unusable.
There goes $43(string) + $22(stringing fee) wasted.

[v-verb]

I bought a stringer because my local string punks decided they knew better than I did.

I asked for 38 lbs on my Prince Boron (like a POG OS). Racquet tune measured 60. and I wanted 35 on my POG mid - RT measured 50. The 2 jobs cost me $78 in total ( Babolat RPM Team 17)

I just said screw it and got my own stringer - a Klippermate. Not worth fighting with the shop

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by ultradr

Finally installed RaquetTune on my iPhone and iPad and measured tensions
of string beds on 3 identical Head Prestige's, all with Babolat BT7 guts.

#1: measured 52# (requested 59/60# a few month ago, played a few weeks).
#2: measured 56# (requested 58# 2 weeks ago, have been playing since then)
#3: measured 66# (requested 62# 6-7 month ago, played only once)

I know these are only reference tensions but #3 clearly was a bad one, I concluded.
I requested 62# but I think the stringer( person or machine ) probably pulled it at 70+ lbs.
It felt dead and I stopped playing with it. BT7 with this high tension is probably unusable.
There goes $43(string) + $22(stringing fee) wasted.

Did you use the standard string factors with the program or calculate custom string factors for the string?

[ultradr]

Originally Posted by mikeler

Did you use the standard string factors with the program or calculate custom string factors for the string?

I used a custom string factor of Gut 1.30mm, which was 1.79.

[Overdrive]

Originally Posted by v-verb

I bought a stringer because my local string punks decided they knew better than I did.

I asked for 38 lbs on my Prince Boron (like a POG OS). Racquet tune measured 60. and I wanted 35 on my POG mid - RT measured 50. The 2 jobs cost me $78 in total ( Babolat RPM Team 17)

I just said screw it and got my own stringer - a Klippermate. Not worth fighting with the shop

Yeah, I'm thinking of investing in a string machine instead of sending my racquets to be strung by the clowns at the local shop.

[ultradr]

Originally Posted by v-verb

I bought a stringer because my local string punks decided they knew better than I did.

I asked for 38 lbs on my Prince Boron (like a POG OS). Racquet tune measured 60. and I wanted 35 on my POG mid - RT measured 50. The 2 jobs cost me $78 in total ( Babolat RPM Team 17)

I just said screw it and got my own stringer - a Klippermate. Not worth fighting with the shop

I used to be a customer of a stringer who does stringing only.
He is a retired tennis player and all he does is stringing.
He was the most consistent stringer I have met and only charged $15-20.
I used to string it by myself but just can't beat a retired guy who does
stringing only.

Now that I relocated due to my day job, I'm in a process of finding a good
local stringer. Even the shop with USRA certifications, sometimes, does
a sloppy job, which is understandable. I just can not find one as good as
my old stringer, ha ha ha.

[Federerkblade]

is raquet tune 100 % reliable......

Im not so sure

[UCSF2012]

It's just some software some guy made up. No indication of any scientific method to it. No measuring tension (because you can't). No account of head shape on sound (because it's too complicated). Just randomness someone made up to make quick cash.

[scotus]

Machine types and prestretch make a noticeable difference in resultant stringbed stiffness.

[wt300lb]

I use the DT on racket tune as reference and can use that to string different brands and types to play fairly close. I don't pay too much attention to the RT versus machine tension because it usually doesn't match but if you match the DT from one string to another they will play fairly close. Just my two cents worth

[v-verb]

had a Donnay strung at 35 lbs from Kal El. Set up RacquetTune and guess what it measured? 34 lbs.

Seems pretty accurate.

[nightfire700]

I got two new Blade lites strung with Forten sweet 16 at 59 and 56. RacquetTune reported 47.5 and 46 respectively. There is a difference in the absolute values between what it was strung at and what RT reported but if I consider relative values then RT was fairly accurate. I think thats what RT is to be used for - not to measure absolute tension vis-a-vis the stringer tension but to keep track of how the tension lose happens over time with respect to the tension reported immediately after a new string job. That can help to figure out when its time to replace the strings especially if one doesnt break strings.

[UCSF2012]

Originally Posted by nightfire700

That can help to figure out when its time to replace the strings especially if one doesnt break strings.

I advocate a performance-based decision to replace strings. When the ball starts to not do what you want it to do, (you miss your targets more, more shots going long, hooking shots wide) then you replace your strings. Tension matters less than loss of resiliance.

[KFwinds]

Originally Posted by ultradr

Finally installed RaquetTune on my iPhone and iPad and measured tensions
of string beds on 3 identical Head Prestige's, all with Babolat BT7 guts.

#1: measured 52# (requested 59/60# a few month ago, played a few weeks).
#2: measured 56# (requested 58# 2 weeks ago, have been playing since then)
#3: measured 66# (requested 62# 6-7 month ago, played only once)

I know these are only reference tensions but #3 clearly was a bad one, I concluded.
I requested 62# but I think the stringer( person or machine ) probably pulled it at 70+ lbs.
It felt dead and I stopped playing with it. BT7 with this high tension is probably unusable.
There goes $43(string) + $22(stringing fee) wasted.

The only one of those that looks off is #3. I use the RacquetTune app and have been stringing my own sticks on a Gamma X2 for the past 7 yrs. The biggest eye-opener for me once I started using the app was how much tension my strings dropped within the first 15 min right after being strung. It seems as though they "settle" a bit. I'm not surprised by your first few readings, especially since they have been played for a few weeks.

Also, in response to the comment about the accuracy of RacquetTune; it's pretty darn accurate provided you make sure that you enter all the correct frame and string data for your stick. Sometimes I've taken readings that looked pretty funky only to discover that I was using the data entered for a completely different stick.

[sansaephanh]

how come all my rackets are in the 40's. Even though i strung them myself on the gamma x-2. I can't be THAT bad at stringing right? Even have a synthgut job at 60 from TW and it reads in the low 40's range just like all my other rackets. I know string tensions drop and stretch, but i thought it was normal. seeing you guys in the 60's is making me question myself.

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by sansaephanh

how come all my rackets are in the 40's. Even though i strung them myself on the gamma x-2. I can't be THAT bad at stringing right? Even have a synthgut job at 60 from TW and it reads in the low 40's range just like all my other rackets. I know string tensions drop and stretch, but i thought it was normal. seeing you guys in the 60's is making me question myself.

It's not you, its the machine.

For years I read about people here stringing at low tensions (50-52lbs), and all I could think was "There's no way I could control my racquet at that tension". I was stringing in the upper 50s (~ 58 ), was using a drop-weight, and had been stringing for 20+ years., but RacquetTune kept telling me upper 40s/low 50s.

This past fall I splurged and bought a new Alpha Revo w/ the Wise tension head. I strung my first frame at 58/56 (my normal tension), and my arm practically fell off.

Turns out I had been stringing at 54/52 for all these years and didn't even know it. Now I pull my racquet off the machine & it's practically spot-on w/ RacquetTune. So, I'd believe RacquetTune before a drop-weight machine.

[Ramon]

Originally Posted by ultradr

I used a custom string factor of Gut 1.30mm, which was 1.79.

I hate to tell you this, but you did not use the correct string factor. The only way to get the correct string factor is to measure it yourself. You can do this with a calibrated drop weight stringer. The instructions are in the RacquetTune app.

I measured my own string factors for a while until I got lazy and just used the default factors. I know my readings on certain strings will be off, but I mainly use it to track relative tension loss. Until you have the equipment to measure string factors yourself, do not rely on RacquetTune to give you accurate tension readings. It will still work fine for measuring relative tension loss over time.

My own experience with Babolat Tonic 16 gauge w/BT7 told me that it measured very high when using the default string factor. My guess is that the #3 string job may have been your best string job while #1 and #2 were either rushed and under-tension or they were exposed to moisture and lost tension. Gut can lose a lot of tension just by playing in humid weather (ie. right after it rains), even if it's coated with BT7. You will discover this if you measure your tension after every match.

I've measured and compared many different strings. I think the true string factor for a Babolat BT7 gut string is much less that the default string factor in RacquetTune.

[Maui19]

Originally Posted by UCSF2012

It's just some software some guy made up. No indication of any scientific method to it. No measuring tension (because you can't). No account of head shape on sound (because it's too complicated). Just randomness someone made up to make quick cash.

Your post is rather unfortunate. I suggest you review some of the posts made here by the creator of RacquetTune. He explains how it is designed and the science behind it.

[Ramon]

Originally Posted by UCSF2012

It's just some software some guy made up. No indication of any scientific method to it. No measuring tension (because you can't). No account of head shape on sound (because it's too complicated). Just randomness someone made up to make quick cash.

Originally Posted by Maui19

Your post is rather unfortunate. I suggest you review some of the posts made here by the creator of RacquetTune. He explains how it is designed and the science behind it.

RacquetTune is based on sound scientific principles. All of the physics is explained in the software, and the author has made some brilliant posts in this forum that were validated by other top-notch posters with doctorates in engineering and/or physics. The troll obviously didn't do his homework.

[ultradr]

Originally Posted by Ramon

I hate to tell you this, but you did not use the correct string factor. The only way to get the correct string factor is to measure it yourself. You can do this with a calibrated drop weight stringer. The instructions are in the RacquetTune app.

I measured my own string factors for a while until I got lazy and just used the default factors. I know my readings on certain strings will be off, but I mainly use it to track relative tension loss. Until you have the equipment to measure string factors yourself, do not rely on RacquetTune to give you accurate tension readings. It will still work fine for measuring relative tension loss over time.

My own experience with Babolat Tonic 16 gauge w/BT7 told me that it measured very high when using the default string factor. My guess is that the #3 string job may have been your best string job while #1 and #2 were either rushed and under-tension or they were exposed to moisture and lost tension. Gut can lose a lot of tension just by playing in humid weather (ie. right after it rains), even if it's coated with BT7. You will discover this if you measure your tension after every match.

I've measured and compared many different strings. I think the true string factor for a Babolat BT7 gut string is much less that the default string factor in RacquetTune.

I have tried 1.32 mm also. I saw a similar differences in tensions.
String factor is not crucial factor in my case.
Note that I'm only interested in differences in tension.

Note that no tension meter in this world can measure absolutely accurate tension.
I am using it just as a "Reference Tension" to compare 3 identical frames with
3 identical strings.