Heat Sleeve Question?

[shaneno]

When you build up your grip size one size bigger(aka using the black one) How much weight does a heat sleeve add?
i'm talking about balance of how much it would give a racket... if the racket balance was 2 and you add the heat sleeve how much would it be now?

Link to show u witch one i'm talking about
http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Heat...MMA-SLEEV.html

[Lakers4Life]

That's a good question, I've never checked the swing balance after the grip build up, but it makes the head light by a couple of points. I've wieghed the sleeve and it's about 20 gms. I figure the cut off to be like 1~2 gms.

[shaneno]

that not a lot added

[Lakers4Life]

How much weight did you have in mind adding?

[retrograde]

1. Weigh your heat shrink using a postal scale.
2. Use this calculator to figure out how your balance changes:

http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/lear...ionReverse.php

To use the calculator, you will have to fake it out because it wants to deal only in discrete weights (a small chunk of lead, not a long handle wrap). Tell the calculator you are taking the entire weight of the heat shrink and placing it at a single point whose distance from the butt (L) corresponds to 1/2 the length of the heat shrink.

[corbind]

Originally Posted by shaneno

When you build up your grip size one size bigger(aka using the black one) How much weight does a heat sleeve add?
i'm talking about balance of how much it would give a racket... if the racket balance was 2 and you add the heat sleeve how much would it be now?

Link to show u witch one i'm talking about
http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Heat...MMA-SLEEV.html

I just bought 5 full and 5 half size build up sleve. Top of my head a full one uncut is about [edited this post after weighing: 13.6 grams uncut /12.6 installed]. I'll check that when I wake. Further I'll just go ahead and shrink one on a handle and give you the exact results hopefully in a day.

[Chotobaka]

Originally Posted by Lakers4Life

That's a good question, I've never checked the swing balance after the grip build up, but it makes the head light by a couple of points. I've wieghed the sleeve and it's about 20 gms. I figure the cut off to be like 1~2 gms.

Another good question is whether there is a significant weight difference in the finished product between the heat-shrink build up sleeves and the flat versions (both Gamma). Although they are a little more work, I have always preferred the latter because, if done right, they maintain the bevels better. But this thread makes me wonder whether they also maintain weight and balance better than their heat-shrink brothers. I haven't used the heat-shrinks for a very long time so I do not have both on hand for comparison.

[retrograde]

I just weighed some sleeves purchased from TW a year ago:

@ TW White 1/2 size up heat shrink sleeve, untrimmed 9g to 11g

@ TW Black Full size up heat shrink sleeve, untrimmed 17g to 18g

So the black sleeve weighs as much as a synthetic grip.

[retrograde]

So to answer the question about balance ...

I used the TW calculator I linked to previously and assumed the following:

Length of racquet: 27 oz
Balance: 13.25 in (2 points head light)
Weight: 11.4 oz (just a guess, light weight racquets more likely to have even balances)

Weight to add: 14g (after sleeve is trimmed)
Location to add weight: 3.5" from butt (see previous post, assume sleeve trimmed to 7" total length)

Calculator results

New weight: 11.89 oz
New balance: 12.85" (5.2 points head light)

[corbind]

Alright, I did some weighing, testing, balancing and sleeve heat-shrinking and here is what I came up with:

White Heat Shrink Sleeve (build 1/2 grip size), UNCUT = 9.6 grams
White Heat Shrink Sleeve (build 1/2 grip size), CUT installed= 8.9 grams

Black Heat Shrink Sleeve (build 1 grip size), UNCUT = 13.6 grams
Black Heat Shrink Sleeve (build 1 grip size), CUT installed = 12.6 grams

After being installed the sleeve changed the balance point by 2 (to 2.5) points more head-light. Realize I did this measuring on a stick I do not use as it's just for monkeying around with. It's a stick that's sub 10oz so it's not realistic as most serious players don't use feathers.

On the other hand putting that on my current sticks would likely not give a perfect idea of HL balance change because mine are modified to between 12.9 and 13.1 ounces. So the best thing to do is just spend the few bucks and buy a few sleeves and see how it works for you.

Somewhat unrelated but I tried two methods of installing the heat shrink. First, the hair dryer. Sure it took a long time to shrink it all on there. Maybe 5 minutes or so and the heat was not so bad that it hurt my hands.

The second one I installed I decided to turn on the gas burner on my stove top. Put it on fairly low flame and held the handle about 24" above it. The heat is SO much hotter (compared to hair dryer/heat gun) that within seconds I had burned a hole in the sleeve!

So hair dryer or heat gun method is the only way to be assured you won't burn it.