Stringers: favorite and least favorite racquets to string?

pvaudio

Legend
This is for those of us who string sticks in addition to our own. I've come across some obnoxious sticks, and some which are heavenly because they make it more enjoyable. So, just want to hear what you have to say? Note: Prince O-port racquets are excluded from the hate category since it's unlikely that anyone would vote for anything but them :p

Favorite: Yonex RQ iS 1 Tour (16x18 )
Least favorite: Wilson KBlade 93(18x20)
 

Up&comer

Hall of Fame
Least favorite- I have a kid who has four kblade tours and restrings all of them every two weeks with Tour Bite. PITA.

Favorite- Aeroprodrives. Pieces of cake.
 

maggmaster

Hall of Fame
Gah, I play with Exo 3 tours, I hated stringing my own sticks, until I bought the string hole inserts. I only put them on the crosses but they make it so much easier to string.

Beyond that I dislike shared holes, I know it isn't a big deal they just always seem messy.
 

pvaudio

Legend
What is your definition of shared hole? Do you mean like for a cross tie off where the tie-on string runs the opposite direction? In other words, it closes the grommet as it bends around instead of opens it up to make it easier. My 4D200Ts tie off like this, and it's not really that annoying. On some with this sort of setup (see any Head racquet with the stupid caps on the hoop, it makes it cursingly irritating.

The problem with the kBlade is the same as with my Aerogel 100, except opposite. It's because there are two main skips, when you go to string the last cross, there are two strings blocking the grommet. That means that if you've got a floppy cross like natural gut, or a multi which is "strandy" (Thunderblast, for example), even cutting the tip makes it irritating to get through. On the AG100 however, the mains tie off at the head, so before tying off the last main, you can keep the mains clamped and preweave the top cross so you only have one blocked hole. With the kBlade, the mains tie off at the bottom so you have no choice. They also don't enlarge those grommets with this in mind. The second problem with that frame is the cross tie off. Like many Wilsons, it ties off on a cross very near to the outer main. That means you have little room for a knot. It's pretty much touching on the kBlade, however. Even a Wilson knot (which is all I use) is cramped in there. No me gusta.
 
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retlod

Professional
When people ask me to do 18x20's, I just say I'm too busy. :)

PV, have you ever done a racquetball racquet? Especially one where the strings go all the way down inside the handle? YUCK!!!
 

Up&comer

Hall of Fame
^^ Yep, PV. All those problems with it and it's an 18x20 with a 93 (looks more like 90) square inch head.
 

jmjmkim

Semi-Pro
I agree that rackets with shared holes is not cool.

I like stringing my POG 93 since it only has 14 mains. I can change out strings on these in 30 mins. just because I got tired of the color.
 

bbulla

Rookie
Dunlop once had these racquets with an odd # of mains, and staggered strings that were all messed up with the pattern...those were a pain too.
 

jamauss

Hall of Fame
you guys are all light-weights.

String a Bergelin Longstring and then get back to me.

http://www.80s-tennis.com/pages/mcgregor-bergelin-longstring-racket-11.html

Note the several lengths of string going from the handle up the side of the frame in those pics. You better have a reel ready too, cause 40 ft. won't even come close to being enough.

http://www.80s-tennis.com/pages/macgregor.html

Check out this pic of it - that's right - there's a little book that comes along with it so you can read up on how to string it. Yep. Read a book to know how.

http://www.80s-tennis.com/pages/macgregor-bergelin-longstring-2-racket.html

The E-Force racquetball rackets (string goes down through the handle) aren't that bad if you know the drinking straw trick. I can do them in about 20-25 minutes now.
 
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jamauss

Hall of Fame
The only real problem with CAPS is getting the old string out.
That is a PITA.

If you're trying to push the string out through the CAPS(pulling it 'out'), you're doing it wrong. Pull the string into the center of the frame around the grommets (like you would for knots) - that usually works faster for me. You can grab 2 strings at a time too to make the process faster. It's not as fast and easy as non-CAPS racquets, but it's better than trying to push each string out through the CAPS.
 
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Dunlop once had these racquets with an odd # of mains, and staggered strings that were all messed up with the pattern...those were a pain too.

I'd love to see a picture of one of those. Just makes me happy I don't string my own racquets.
 

topspin18

Rookie
Least favorite racket to string is any 18x20 racket.

Favorite is the Radical pro (100sq) Super easy! very open

I also agree prestige's are not good to get the string out!!!
 

deco0028

Rookie
Badminton racquets by far

I strung a badminton racquet some weeks ago, you need very dainty fingers for that task. Going back to a tennis racquet was like a vacation in Fiji. I will NEVER again complain about stringing a tennis racquet!
 

pbrommer

New User
. . . Like many Wilsons, it ties off on a cross very near to the outer main. That means you have little room for a knot. It's pretty much touching on the kBlade, however. Even a Wilson knot (which is all I use) is cramped in there. No me gusta.

This annoyed me greatly with mine. Good thing it hurt my shoulder and forearm and made me change racquets (from permission from the better half). The Tecnifibre VO2 320 had the crosses tie off next to a main after a long gap (I think it was like the KBlade Tour - 11B tie off).

18x20s don't make me too mad - just tedious. My brother's i.prestige mid wasn't bad, but then again the caps are shaved off from scrapes (which he likes). I did a Ti.Classic a couple years ago: pretty speedy.

The ProKennex 5g is rather easy. They did a good job with the design of tie-offs: no weird skips or long gaps to tie off. It took about an hour from mounting to taking off the stringer (SP Swing). One day, I will have to string my EXO3 Tour 18x20.....

Patrick
 

Wikky

Rookie
Prince Original graphite OS, hate it when people give me that thing. Especially with PSG.

If you're done mentally calling me a loser, then definitely Kblade 93. First racquet i ever strung and it literally took me half an hour to do the last cross becuase i couldn't get x one biophase through the double string blocked hole....
 
I only string for myself on the Klipper, but three of my last four rackets were the iPrestige mid, the K Blade 93, and now the EXO3 Tour 18x20. I didn't know I was being so hard on myself.
 
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