Keepin it Reel

[TennsDog]

I do my own stringing and I have heard that people who do their own stringing often buy strings in reels to save money. What I don't understand is how tha saves money. I have done some calculations on a few kinds of strings and found that the cost per foot of string is about the same for prepackaged and reels. Right now I buy sets because it is more convenient for me to just grab a set and not have to worry about measuring out the amount I need. What am I not seeing about why to buy (and keep) strings in reel form?

[RacquetDoctor]

I'll chime in on this one...I buy reels because you can string most 95" frames with about 33 ft going atw if it's not a natural one piece. Most packages come with between 38 and 41 ft. If you measure your own, you pick up atleast two sets by buying the reel.

The caveat is if you don't string often with the type of string you purchased. My rule is that if you can't go through the reel in 6 months, it's not worth it...better to buy sets and have fresh string....

[HT]

Originally Posted by TennsDog

I do my own stringing and I have heard that people who do their own stringing often buy strings in reels to save money. What I don't understand is how tha saves money. I have done some calculations on a few kinds of strings and found that the cost per foot of string is about the same for prepackaged and reels. Right now I buy sets because it is more convenient for me to just grab a set and not have to worry about measuring out the amount I need. What am I not seeing about why to buy (and keep) strings in reel form?

Lets say you're an avid player. Your topsin is razor-like that shaves down the ball so you go through a set of string in a week. Your best hitting buddy has a similar style and needs new string every week. Now you only preference is the Wilson Enduro Tour 17 String at $11.95 per set. So in two months, the two of you would go through 16 sets total of $191.20. If you bought a real of this stuff $120, it could last you two months plus one extra set for a total of 17 set. You save easily over $75 not including the multiple shipping for ordering in sets. Get the gist of it.

[SunDog]

measuring from a reel is also way easier than uncoiling a packaged set. i hang a yard stick above my home made reel dispenser and measure in three foot pulls.

most mid plus are 18' for the mains x 15' for the crosses. on the mains i measure three 3-foot lengths then just double it.

no time at all.

i also keep records of the actual length needed for the repeat rackets that i see. the charts all over estimate the amount required.

[PHSTennis]

How do you make a reel dispenser... sounds cool... I want to make one... I just measure it with my packaged string and cut it in half to string 2 piece I dont even know how much I need... can you help me save some strings... I waste alot cutting that 40ft of string for mid size and such racquets. thanks in advanced.

[passerofgasses]

Maybe I should patent this before posting it, but whatever.

I took a cookie tin that had a circumference of 2.75' (I woulda used one with a nice even number, but I couldn't find one). I drilled a small hole the size of about 13guage near the bottom on the side. I smoothed all rough edges. I put the reel inside, put the end of the string into the small hole, and proceed to use my finger by going around the outside of the tin. This same finger that's unreeling the string presses the previous string lap into a managible and neat stack. 12 trips around and I get 33 feet. I can even measure the short side at the same time by counting 4 laps (11 feet) and minusing about 8" or so. I mark that with a permanent marker.

http://www.walmartphotocentre.ca/wal...ew.ScreenHome?

The local shop here measures out their string manually with a foot long measuring tape taped to the counter. I found that weird, but I suppose if you got used to that, you could do it pretty fast and accurately. I personally hate wasting string though, especially that expensive rip control.

[SunDog]

i took a different route. i just bought a skrap piece of 1" x 4" board from home depot (practically free) and a wood dowel (3/8" diameter x 3 ft long - also near free) and a yard stick (near free too). I drilled two holes at a slight angle into the one by four and glued the dowels (cut to about a foot each) into the board. i mounted the board vertically (so that the dowels were pointing slightly up) on the wall next to my stringing machine - maybe two feet or so off the floor. Then i mounted the yardstick on the wall so that the bottom of the stick is at about my waiste height and the top of the stick is about at my fore head height. I can place several reels on the two dowels and just pull the string and allowing the reels to rotate freely.


i dont have a foto - but it works great.