Anyone Here Ever Use The Stringmeter?

[gmlasam]

How accurate is it and is it worth getting?

[rich s]

will it tell you your exact string tension? - NO

is it a good instrument to measure relative tension loss over a period of time? - YES

worth getting? - I think so.

[TennsDog]

I got mine on **** for about $15 instead of the $30 they try and sell it for. I think it is a good tool. I started having control problems with one racket, so I checked the tension and compared to my other racket... it was about 5 lbs lower, so I restrung it and now it's great. Like said already, not great for exact tension, but works well for relative tension.

[brtennis]

I have one and I don't use it after one use. It give much lower tension number than real and is quite damaging to the string bed by twisting the string severely.

I have an electronic one called ERT700. It measures tension by sending a vibration wave which can just be felt subtly by hand holding the racquet handle. It is very accurate and is not intrusive to the string. The bad news: costing $195 from tennismachine.com

[SW Stringer]

I have an electronic device that I use to measure the string tension. It's the Korg Chromatic Tuner CA-30 which is used by musicians to tune their instruments. About $20 on the internet, more at a music store. A useful addition is a pickup tuner which plugs into the Korg if the built in microphone isn't sufficient. For about $10 more - SignalFlex SF30 Universal Tuner Pickup. Not anywhere near $190 but you have to "ping" the strings yourself and then hold the racket close to the microphone so the tuner can indicate the frequency. It's been a great tool for tracking tension loss on strings and for QC'ing string jobs. I can't believe the number of times the same frame has come back for restringing and the resulting job has been dead nuts on - the same frequency as done six months previously. I thought I was pretty consistent as a stringer but until I started using the CA-30 I really didn't know for sure.

[HT]

Originally Posted by SW Stringer

but you have to "ping" the strings yourself and then hold the racket close to the microphone so the tuner can indicate the frequency.

Sure this indicate same frequency by converting vibration in to freq and pitch, but how do check for the exact tension in number, 55# 59# 61# ect....?

[fastdunn]

It gives you how much tension you need to twist a string
for a given amount. It's like having an objective measure
instead of feeling it with your fingers. It would give you
pretty accurate relative tension differences if you use
same string on a same racquet. Therefore it's good for
objective monitoring of tension loss over a peeriod of time..
It's like one of those devices that pinches various parts of
your body and estimate approximate body fat percentage...

[HT]

Originally Posted by fastdunn

It gives you how much tension you need to twist a string
for a given amount. It's like having an objective measure
instead of feeling it with your fingers. It would give you
pretty accurate relative tension differences if you use
same string on a same racquet. Therefore it's good for
objective monitoring of tension loss over a peeriod of time..
It's like one of those devices that pinches various parts of
your body and estimate approximate body fat percentage...

I agree that it can detect freq changes, which can be interpret into tension lost. But how much of a tension loss measured in numbers of lbs, that is what I want to know! Are you telling that it will give a readout the freq. and tension in # reduction?

[fastdunn]

Originally Posted by HT

I agree that it can detect freq changes, which can be interpret into tension lost. But how much of a tension loss measured in numbers of lbs, that is what I want to know! Are you telling that it will give a readout the freq. and tension in # reduction?

It's not measuring tension to be exact.
It twists the strung(or tensioned) string to measure stiffness, basically. Therefore, I think it's monitoring stiffness differences.
IMO, it's same principle as you pinch your tummy to guestimate
your fat percentages, ha ha ha.

[HT]

Originally Posted by fastdunn

It's not measuring tension to be exact.
It twists the strung(or tensioned) string to measure stiffness, basically. Therefore, I think it's monitoring stiffness differences.
IMO, it's same principle as you pinch your tummy to guestimate
your fat percentages, ha ha ha.

So that's what it's made for. It totally makes sense now. he! he! he!

[David Pavlich]

Originally Posted by talktennis

I have one and I don't use it after one use. It give much lower tension number than real and is quite damaging to the string bed by twisting the string severely.

I have an electronic one called ERT700. It measures tension by sending a vibration wave which can just be felt subtly by hand holding the racquet handle. It is very accurate and is not intrusive to the string. The bad news: costing $195 from tennismachine.com

I disagree that a stringmeter damages the strings. What kind of data do you have to verify your claim?

David

[K. Wilson Moose]

Never damaged the strings with mine either. It is a good tool for comparing relative tension and for tracking tension loss.

[SW Stringer]

HT said: I agree that it can detect freq changes, which can be interpret into tension lost. But how much of a tension loss measured in numbers of lbs, that is what I want to know! Are you telling that it will give a readout the freq. and tension in # reduction?

Take a frequency reading just as racket comes off stringer and that freq will be at the reference tension. The tension of the string bed is proportional to the square of the frequency. So for example if the racket measured C (above middle C) or 526 hertz originally at a 60 lb reference tension, and it sat overnight and you measured it at 507 hertz then the new tension is 60 times 507 times 507 divided by 526 divided by 526. (60*(507/526)^2) The new tension is then 60 times .929 or 55.7 . This is a real example, it happens with every string, some drop more, some less. The most tension losss that I've measured was with Kirschbaum Competition, but after the initial drop it was pretty flat till it broke.

[fastdunn]

My stringmeter does not damage strings.
It's good to have objective measure of relative tension loss.
There's too many factors affecting your feel on the string bed.
If my girlfirend is not happy, for example, I feel my frame(stringbed) harshier....

[brtennis]

David,

The higher the string tension, the more twisting the meter will have to exert on the string to get a reading. The meter clearly left two imprints on the points of contact on a natual gut freshly strung at 68lb(while the meter read a ridiculous 52 or 53lb). It didn't damage the string by breaking it outright but it certainly stretch the measured string severely.

[pastrami]

hmm ... I'm a bit confused, it does give you a tension reading right? I was hoping the stringmeter would give me some feedback on how well of a job I'm doing with my stringing ... I've done about 10 racquets but no idea how well it's done =)

[David Pavlich]

Originally Posted by talktennis

David,

The higher the string tension, the more twisting the meter will have to exert on the string to get a reading. The meter clearly left two imprints on the points of contact on a natual gut freshly strung at 68lb(while the meter read a ridiculous 52 or 53lb). It didn't damage the string by breaking it outright but it certainly stretch the measured string severely.

If leaving an imprint, or a "ghosting" mark on string meant the string was damaged, then string such as Babolat Xcell or NXT or ESP wouldn't last 10 minutes. Even the lightest clamping pressure leaves ghost marks on soft strings, gut included.

David

[brtennis]

If I were a racquet and someone treated me a string meter twist, I would have let out an "Ouch, I DON"T LIKE THAT".

If not "damaged", how about string unfriendly?

[coach]

Originally Posted by SW Stringer

but you have to "ping" the strings yourself and then hold the racket close to the microphone so the tuner can indicate the frequency.

. I noticed as a new stringer of racquets that the strings do have a ping to them, like a guitar string. But unlike a guitar, all these pings should have the same frequency or tension, but what also would affect the ping would be string length. As you know mains differ in length from one to another, as do crosses (which are unpingable since they are laced into a weave with mains). So it's a nice idea but for practical purposes, ?????