Botched string job query

N

Nbp4ever

New User
Hi guys,

Just got my babolat pure control tour back from the stringer (my wife picked up for me) and just noticed hes somehow strung an extra cross right at the bottom of the racquet. Anyone know of this will affect playability? Again its right at the bottom, the extra main is seemingly been done between what would normally be the last and 2nd to last crosses.

Thanks
 
R

ricardo

Hall of Fame
Nbp4ever said:
Hi guys,

Just got my babolat pure control tour back from the stringer (my wife picked up for me) and just noticed hes somehow strung an extra cross right at the bottom of the racquet. Anyone know of this will affect playability? Again its right at the bottom, the extra main is seemingly been done between what would normally be the last and 2nd to last crosses.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Your racket has a 16x20 string pattern.

Are you sure there are 21 crosses?

I don't think it will affect playability.

I played with rackets with no other mains/crosses and I did not notice any difference.

Maybe if you are a pro (Nadal, Federer, etc) you might notice.

Most of the time you hit the sweetspot or you try to.

I will not worry about it.

However, you have to complain so your stringer will be more careful next time.
 
N

Nbp4ever

New User
Thanks for reply. Yeh def 21 crosses. Compared it to my 2nd racket. Was hoping it wouldnt affect playability like you said the sweetspot is the middle which is strung fine. Just probably whenever i hit a bad shot im going to blame the strings lol. Hopefully the atringer will redo it for free. Never had probs before. Cheers again.
 
uk_skippy

uk_skippy

Hall of Fame
Thanks for the picture. While it may not really affect playability, I'd take it back highlighting the issues, too many cross strings/mains not placed in right hole on 1 side/shared holes when none are required. Plus it doesn't look like the strings were straighten after finishing.

I think your initial statement of 'botched' string job is a good description.

Regards

Paul
 
T

The Middle Hand

Banned
image_zpsd8htp0zc.jpg


That is absolutely appalling. I have never seen anything so bad. Not only do you have 21 crosses and wavey strings, but several strings haven't been threaded through the corresponding grommet on the opposite side. I would expect a full refund as well as a goodwill gesture for time that you've had to waste in bringing it back.

odNlRur.jpg
 
R

ricardo

Hall of Fame
Your stringer is a newbie!!!

Nbp4ever said:
Hi guys,

Just got my babolat pure control tour back from the stringer (my wife picked up for me) and just noticed hes somehow strung an extra cross right at the bottom of the racquet. Anyone know of this will affect playability? Again its right at the bottom, the extra main is seemingly been done between what would normally be the last and 2nd to last crosses.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Maybe this is the first racket that your stringer has strung.
There are so many mistakes.

When I started stringing (just a hobby), the only mistake I made was mis-weaving.

I skipped the right mains, tied off at the right location, no shared holes, etc.

I think you should look for another stringer.

Better yet, if you can afford it, buy a used stringer (i.e Gamma X2) for maybe a $100.
I don't think you can do worse than your stringer.
 
C

Cobra Tennis

Professional
Looks like he botched the skipped main and made the mains uneven, then just went about it. There's no way a component stringer would not notice the error at least by the time he got down to the final crosses..
 
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F

frank52

Semi-Pro
I would not go back to have this restrung. Drive the other way and find a decent stringer. A stringer this bad should not be trying to do a racket in one piece. I believe Babolat even suggests a 2-piece string job. This job is awful. Get yourself your own stringer so you don't waste money again.
 
Irvin

Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
They messed up stringing the mains and made a pathetic attempt to cover it up. Notice the shared holes are not the same on both sides. I would take it back to be strung correctly or get a refund.

EDIT: Notice when stringing the mains grommet 8T on the right was not skipped so the pattern is not uniform. The 20th cross (the one between the 19th and bottom cross) is the extra cross. This makes the pattern between the bottom three cross more dense that the pattern above which is illegal.

ITF Rules App II b - ...The stringing pattern must be generally uniform and, in particular, not less dense in the centre than in any other area...
 
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lwto

lwto

Hall of Fame
Irvin said:
They messed up stringing the mains and made a pathetic attempt to cover it up. Notice the shared holes are not the same on both sides. I would take it back to be strung correctly or get a refund.
Click to expand...

Really, you would let him try again? LOL


Nah, just get your money and go some where else.
 
C

CATennis

Rookie
I think maybe you guys are going a little hard on this guy's stringer. I think some sensitivity is in order. Blind people need jobs too.
 
4sound

4sound

Semi-Pro
This string job damaged grommets and puts stress on the hoop in an uneven way.

Demand refund and get it strung somewhere else. I would not trust to restring. It looks like a kid tried to string the racket for the first time.

Honestly, its not that hard to string symmetrically correct.

I think I mis-weaved twice in 20 years & both times I was super tired. I immediately cut the strings out and started over.
 
MAX PLY

MAX PLY

Hall of Fame
I have no idea what the OP's options are but that string job is an abomination. The stringer has no business selling his or her "service" to actual customers. The OP should take the racquet back to the stringer--show him/her the problem and cut the strings out then and there. Get a refund plus the cost of replacement grommets and go somewhere else. The stringer should be encouraged to learn the craft first, then profit from it.
 
eelhc

eelhc

Hall of Fame
What makes it worse is that this not a unique frame with a weird stringing pattern. It's got to be one of the more common frames a stringing shop sees.
 
S

sovertennis

Professional
What would irk me the most is that the stringer (unless he's completely new at it and thinks he can thread any string just about anywhere it will fit) knew that he'd botched the job, yet still finished it, charged you for it, and (probably) expected you wouldn't notice.

I'd suggest you do this: ask him to restring it properly at no charge.

Then, get a machine when it's feasible to do so and learn to do it yourself. You won't regret it.
 
T

tennis_ocd

Hall of Fame
Nbp4ever said:
Hi guys,

Just got my babolat pure control tour back from the stringer (my wife picked up for me) and just noticed hes somehow strung an extra cross right at the bottom of the racquet. Anyone know of this will affect playability? Again its right at the bottom, the extra main is seemingly been done between what would normally be the last and 2nd to last crosses.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Wow. What type of establishment? Big box store? Tennis club? Personal stringer?

I'd return and get explanation. Whoever did that simply isn't ready to be turned loose on rackets..... Not that the placement of strings would likely matter but it raises so many other doubts about quality.
 
Irvin

Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
eelhc said:
What makes it worse is that this not a unique frame with a weird stringing pattern. It's got to be one of the more common frames a stringing shop sees.
Click to expand...

How many 16 main Babolat frames skip 8H and 8T? Just about every one of them! But I do have to admit, the spacing on the outside main is a little wide between the 7th and 8th mains. But no reason the stringer should have got only one side correct (how many frames are asymmetrical?)

EDIT: I would expect this from a young friend that just got a new drop weight for Christmas. I think the OP has the general idea by now. Imagine if there are issues you can see what issues are there you can't see?
 
Last edited:
eelhc

eelhc

Hall of Fame
Irvin said:
How many 16 main Babolat frames skip 8H and 8T? Just about every one of them! But I do have to admit, the spacing on the outside main is a little wide between the 7th and 8th mains. But no reason the stringer should have got only one side correct (how many frames are asymmetrical?)
Click to expand...

At my local club the stringing room always has several Pure Control (regular and tour versions), Pure Drive and Aeropro Drive frames waiting to be strung along with the more popular Head and Wilson frames. A reasonably experienced stringer could probably do these frames in their sleep.
 
lwto

lwto

Hall of Fame
eelhc said:
At my local club the stringing room always has several Pure Control (regular and tour versions), Pure Drive and Aeropro Drive frames waiting to be strung along with the more popular Head and Wilson frames. A reasonably experienced stringer could probably do these frames in their sleep.
Click to expand...

Babolat racquets are about the easiest to string out there.
 
T

ten11

Semi-Pro
You should just get a refund.

The worst case will be that you got a racket back strung correctly, but you don't know if all string has intended tension. By seeing this, anything is possible. This might be the worst "string job" posted here.
The stringer might have no clue about skip main. How did the stringer push two strings into the non-shared hole? ouch.
 
J

jim e

Legend
Irvin is correct that since there are mistakes that you can see, just how many mistakes are there that you cannot see, like some stringers who install 2 strings and pull once (double pulling) , or not even tensioning to the proper reference tension that you requested, or properly calibrated the machine for proper reference tension. get your $ back and go elsewhere. print this post and hand it to your stringer, as this job should have never left the stringers place, and how he did not even notice it and gives it to you this way ??? and if he did notice this poor job why did he give it to you?? This is not a good place to string. Probably one of those stringers that offers a cheap labor job.
 
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jmc3367

jmc3367

Rookie
1HBHfanatic said:
not the worst ive seen
but definately get it restrung
Click to expand...

If you have a picture of the worst I would like to see it. I wonder if he had a stringing manual and somehow got the patterns mixed up half way through. I am a novice stringer and have never ever messed one up like that. not even close. The worst mistake I ever made was a mis weave or two but I caught them early. Maybe he had a few too many beers while doing this one
 
am1899

am1899

Legend
That is hillarious.

Now, go get your money back and take it to someone who knows what they're doing.
 
1HBHfanatic

1HBHfanatic

Legend
jmc3367

wish i had a picture of the clients face when she got the racquet back!! haha
she was excited to get the racquet strung by "the kid", good college player, just got a stringing machine and just started stringing
this was a prince o port white racquet; he missed the last tie off hole/port, and used 1 down, leaving the last cross string slanted;
he tied off and cut when he realised it.
told the client "dont worry, it will play ok", haha
what makes this even funnier, this lady is one of the ones that is very finiky about her racquets, not the one you wanna mess up with; haha
i still laugh when i think about it
i ended up redoing the racquet for him/her, haha
 
Irvin

Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
1HBHfanatic said:
jmc3367

wish i had a picture of the clients face when she got the racquet back!! haha
she was excited to get the racquet strung by "the kid", good college player, just got a stringing machine and just started stringing
this was a prince o port white racquet; he missed the last tie off hole/port, and used 1 down, leaving the last cross string slanted;
he tied off and cut when he realised it.
told the client "dont worry, it will play ok", haha
what makes this even funnier, this lady is one of the ones that is very finiky about her racquets, not the one you wanna mess up with; haha
i still laugh when i think about it
i ended up redoing the racquet for him/her, haha
Click to expand...

There is only one way to have a slanted cross at the bottom of an O-Port racket and that is to string the bottom cross last and use the wrong tie off. Take for instance the O3 Speedport Red. The 18th cross should be strung last after the 19th. If you pull the 19th cross last the string will rest in the bottom of the O-Port unless you use some method to hold it up. To avoid losing tension in the bottom cross you would have to use a tie off lower than the bottom port and that's another problem.

EDIT: The one you're thinking of may have been a Speedport Pro White. http://www.princetennis.com/media/23629/o3_speedport_pro_white_SI.pdf The O3 White does not have ports at the bottom http://www.princetennis.com/media/24519/o3_white_SI.pdf
 
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Irvin

Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
I strung a Babolat just yesterday for a lady that said she just had he racket strung last week and hated the way it played. When she handed me the racket I immediately noticed and outside main was loose. The knots were tied with DHHs. One was untied on an outside main (the loose string,) the top cross was about to untie, and the other two knots were on their way. She had not even noticed those knots before. But when I gave it back to her the first thing she looked at was the knots. You don't always notice defects some times the frame just does not play the way you expect it to.
 
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1HBHfanatic

1HBHfanatic

Legend
Irvin said:
.....
[/url] The O3 White does not have ports at the bottom http://www.princetennis.com/media/24519/o3_white_SI.pdf
Click to expand...

thats the racquet, tnx, speed port 03 white,
now imagine this, he started ok, started threading the last cross on 7T hole and weaved across, BUTTTT did not finish on 7T on other side!!, he went 1 down to 6T!?!(i guess he missed or did not see that 7T hole), he tied off somewhere(provably correct tie off spot, not sure where), but the result was a slanted last cross, haha
 
Irvin

Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
1HBHfanatic said:
thats the racquet, tnx, speed port 03 white,
now imagine this, he started ok, started threading the last cross on 7T hole and weaved across, BUTTTT did not finish on 7T on other side!!, he went 1 down to 6T!?!(i guess he missed or did not see that 7T hole), he tied off somewhere(provably correct tie off spot, not sure where), but the result was a slanted last cross, haha
Click to expand...

To keep the slant he would have had to tie off on 5T in the throat area. The string will continue to slide right down the anchor string.
 
ttbrowne

ttbrowne

Hall of Fame
Yes, when he clamped the racquet, he miscounted the top grommets and was off. I did this about 400 racquets ago and caught myself after about 3 pulls. Restring!
 
1HBHfanatic

1HBHfanatic

Legend
ttbrowne said:
Yes, when he clamped the racquet, he miscounted the top grommets and was off. I did this about 400 racquets ago and caught myself after about 3 pulls. Restring!
Click to expand...

yup thats it, he was unfamiliar with this racquet and what to lookout for
provably did this late that night and was tired and just did not pay attention

osutennis24 said:
ugh, I hate those speedports that you weave the last cross before the 18th, so stupid
Click to expand...

haha it is a bit more interesting stringing the speed ports
but this is a well made racquet, the older p/o3/speed port/mp white is much much better quality than the new one, thus the price difference
good racquet for female players, i beleive, jankovic played with this one

http://static.bootic.com/_pictures/1331195/prince-o3-speedport-white-mp.jpg
 
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