stringing machine help??

[Goldberg]

i have been playing tennis for a while but ever since i have been playing at the college level i have been breaking strings a lot more than i used too. I hate having to shell out 20-30 per string job and hate letting anyone else touch my rackets.

Do you think it is a good investment to get a stringing machine? If so what would be a good cheap one to buy??

also is it hard to learn to string a racket?? i have never done it before.
Thanks!

[Marc C.]

Stringing is not hard to learn at all. I learned from one of my friends and the video on the Silent partner website. In your case, a stringing machine would be a great option. It could even pay for itself if you have friends who are frequent string breakers. Look in the stringing machine section, there are hundreds of posts by people looking to get into stringing and about what machine to purchase.

[mark rodgers]

You're a young guy who's going to be playing tennis for the next 40 years or so. Is there any question that you should or should not purchase a stringing machine?

Stringing rackets is easy and you can always call upon any of us here. My suggestion is that you get something like a Gamma 5003. Cost is about $800 new. If that's too steep, try a Eagnas Hawk 800 (about $500 - www.eagnas.com). Some guys will tell you stay away from Eagnas because of their customer service but that was my first machine and it worked fine. Both are standing units with a manual crack tensioner and swivel clamps. I'm sure other guys will give you some more input on what works for them. If you charge $5 to $10 per string job I'd think you would pay for it pretty quickly since you're on a tennis team not to mention the $$ you save for yourself. After you've gotten pretty good (in about a month or so) you can teach other guys to string and charge them $5 bucks to borrow your machine.

[Goldberg]

that price still sounds a little steep. are there any other stringing machines that are good for a lower price?
thanks for the help

[mark rodgers]

Try sptennis.com. Their lowest price model is about $200. They have a good FAQ section for people wanting to know more about stringing machines.

You could always post a message in the "Wanted" section for a used machine. Good Luck.