I have been looking into some constant-pull machines to replace my lowly dropweight. I'd like your input as I make my final choice.
Laserfibre Quantum
http://www.laserfibre.com/
Looked into this machine with much interest. But no longer interested for two reasons.
1. Unreliability of the company: A 10-year warranty means nothing if the company does not stand behind the product. These days people can't even pay to get these machines shipped. I sent Laserfibre an email asking for some info, I haven't heard back and it has been over 2 weeks.
2. Diablo: I usually do a gut/poly hybrid. My current choice of poly is Luxilon M2, but I am not sure if this string can be wrapped around a tiny diablo without being damaged. I didn't think about this until !Tym brought it to my attention, but M2 and some other polys become susceptible to snapping when bent or tightly wound. If the diablo had a larger diameter it may be okay, but the way it looks in the picture, I would not want to take the chance.
Stringway ML100 single action clamps
http://www.stringway-nl.com/USA/index.html
I like the fact that the reliable service team at Alpha stands behind this product.
Already pricier than Laserfibre, Stringway seems to nickle and dime you for options, but ultimately I am willing to pay more for reliable service. Their 10-year warranty sounds like a real warranty compared to that of Laserfibre.
I think I would take !Tym's advice and go for the single-action clamps. Since I don't really need a stand ($300 more for a stand? Give me a break.), it will cost $899.
I like the automatic dropweight feature, but I am still worried whether it can work for me without snapping my strings.
So those of you who have used this, can you tell me whether this machine can string up VS Team 17 at 68 lbs without snapping it? (I usually use 65 lbs, but need some room for possible future changes).
I would also like to know if this does a reliable job on polys. I am quite convinced that my current dropweight machine is not suited for stringing stiff polys. For example, when the tension arm is at the horizontal level, I would think that the tension arm would drop lower if I increase the tension by 3-4 lbs at that moment, but often nothing happens with very stiff polys. So I am not sure if the tension is accurate.
Eagnas Plus 8000
http://www.eagnas.com/plus8000.html
Unlike Laserfibre, Maxline responded to my email inquiry the next day (Kudos to Michele!).
This particular machine received some favorable reviews here. What attracts me to it is the 3 different settings for speed. Since I sometimes snap my 17-gauge VS Team or 18-gauge Klip Legend on my dropweight, I usually take it to a professional stringer and ask them to use the "slow-pull" function on the gut. When pulled at slow speed,my thin-gauge guts have never snapped. So having this function is an attractive option.
I know all about Eagnas/Maxline and their reliability problem. I have had one bad experience and one good experience with them in the past when I bought flying clamps from them.
But it seems that the notorious Victor is quite dependable and even well-mannered when you deal with him in person at his warehouse. I live less than an hour-drive away from Maxline warehouse, so I can go pick up the machine, and in case I need service, I can just drive over there. I think this makes Eagnas more attractive to me than, let's say, Silent Partner DG.
Silent Partner may well make a better electronic machine (I simply don't know), but both Eagnas and SP offer the same warranty (only 1 year on the electronic tensioner). In case something goes wrong, I would have to ship the Silent Partner back to the East Coast, whereas I can drive down to Eagnas.
Not only that, Eagnas offers extended warranty at $65 per year. So I can purchase a few more years of warranty for peace of mind.
All right, those are some of my thoughts. Let's hear from you experts.
Laserfibre Quantum
http://www.laserfibre.com/
Looked into this machine with much interest. But no longer interested for two reasons.
1. Unreliability of the company: A 10-year warranty means nothing if the company does not stand behind the product. These days people can't even pay to get these machines shipped. I sent Laserfibre an email asking for some info, I haven't heard back and it has been over 2 weeks.
2. Diablo: I usually do a gut/poly hybrid. My current choice of poly is Luxilon M2, but I am not sure if this string can be wrapped around a tiny diablo without being damaged. I didn't think about this until !Tym brought it to my attention, but M2 and some other polys become susceptible to snapping when bent or tightly wound. If the diablo had a larger diameter it may be okay, but the way it looks in the picture, I would not want to take the chance.
Stringway ML100 single action clamps
http://www.stringway-nl.com/USA/index.html
I like the fact that the reliable service team at Alpha stands behind this product.
Already pricier than Laserfibre, Stringway seems to nickle and dime you for options, but ultimately I am willing to pay more for reliable service. Their 10-year warranty sounds like a real warranty compared to that of Laserfibre.
I think I would take !Tym's advice and go for the single-action clamps. Since I don't really need a stand ($300 more for a stand? Give me a break.), it will cost $899.
I like the automatic dropweight feature, but I am still worried whether it can work for me without snapping my strings.
So those of you who have used this, can you tell me whether this machine can string up VS Team 17 at 68 lbs without snapping it? (I usually use 65 lbs, but need some room for possible future changes).
I would also like to know if this does a reliable job on polys. I am quite convinced that my current dropweight machine is not suited for stringing stiff polys. For example, when the tension arm is at the horizontal level, I would think that the tension arm would drop lower if I increase the tension by 3-4 lbs at that moment, but often nothing happens with very stiff polys. So I am not sure if the tension is accurate.
Eagnas Plus 8000
http://www.eagnas.com/plus8000.html
Unlike Laserfibre, Maxline responded to my email inquiry the next day (Kudos to Michele!).
This particular machine received some favorable reviews here. What attracts me to it is the 3 different settings for speed. Since I sometimes snap my 17-gauge VS Team or 18-gauge Klip Legend on my dropweight, I usually take it to a professional stringer and ask them to use the "slow-pull" function on the gut. When pulled at slow speed,my thin-gauge guts have never snapped. So having this function is an attractive option.
I know all about Eagnas/Maxline and their reliability problem. I have had one bad experience and one good experience with them in the past when I bought flying clamps from them.
But it seems that the notorious Victor is quite dependable and even well-mannered when you deal with him in person at his warehouse. I live less than an hour-drive away from Maxline warehouse, so I can go pick up the machine, and in case I need service, I can just drive over there. I think this makes Eagnas more attractive to me than, let's say, Silent Partner DG.
Silent Partner may well make a better electronic machine (I simply don't know), but both Eagnas and SP offer the same warranty (only 1 year on the electronic tensioner). In case something goes wrong, I would have to ship the Silent Partner back to the East Coast, whereas I can drive down to Eagnas.
Not only that, Eagnas offers extended warranty at $65 per year. So I can purchase a few more years of warranty for peace of mind.
All right, those are some of my thoughts. Let's hear from you experts.
