Conventional Wisdom (part 2): Frame durability

[sheridanengland]

Conventional wisdom says that you should replace your frame every couple of years. The theory is that hitting breaks the frame down over time. I get it.

The question is, however: has anybody every done a clinical (for lack of better term) test to determine how many "hits" are in a racket? I'm reminded of one of those rocking chairs from IKEA where they have a machine pushing it and the counter is at some ridiculous number like 800k. Has any company ever shot a frame with, say, 50k balls to see if the frame still responds the same?

Cheers.

 

[BobFL]

Far bigger stress for a frame comes from stringing. Hitting is nothing compared to a stress in the moment when only mains are done...
Btw, if that junk that Ikea sells is good for 800k repetitions I am sure that racquets are good for 800 gazillion hits

 

[!<-_->!]

There are other variables you have to factor in I believe if you want to determine frame durability. A couple that come to mind are the environment you keep your racquets in and also the amount of times the frame makes contact with the court, be it from digging out low balls or just banging it on the court or other inanimate objects lightly. I'm sure these will also affect the durability of the frame.

 

[new_tennis_player]

...point being there's no scientific evidence one way or the other about frame durability: no one knows.

 

[tacotanium]

Far bigger stress for a frame comes from stringing. Hitting is nothing compared to a stress in the moment when only mains are done...
Btw, if that junk that Ikea sells is good for 800k repetitions I am sure that racquets are good for 800 gazillion hits

you mean when only crosses are done. it flexes easier for crosses when it's in tension.

 

[cellofaan]

you mean when only crosses are done. it flexes easier for crosses when it's in tension.

But usually (always?) mains are strung first, so there should be no situation in which onle crosses are done.

 

[BobFL]

you mean when only crosses are done. it flexes easier for crosses when it's in tension.

In theory yes but I always do mains first

 

[El Diablo]

I've always wondered how much of this lore starts with the manufacturers to churn sales. Makers of motorcycle helmets urge you to replace your helmet every 5 years because the styrofoam inside the outer shell "degrades." But environmentalist point out that the styrofoam coffee cups we use require thousands of years to degrade. Hmmm.

 

[Outlined]

I did not do tests but if you take good care for your stick (not hitting on the court after a lost point, in bags outside the court, etc.) and are not a pro then I think your stick could last very long.

Rotating them equally might help too. In this case I would say your set of sticks has a life time of 20 years.

 

[Tarboro]

I've had pros and gearheads tell me to play with a demo that's identical to my current frame (except that it has had a lot fewer stringjobs in its lifetime). If it feels similar to my sticks then my frames still have some life in them. If my frames feel softer or more flexible then it may be time to think about changing. Of course, this presumes that you're playing with production frames, which is not necessarily the case.

FWIW I've rotated among three identical frames for the past 3+ years, stringing all of them every 4-6 weeks, and I've never felt that my racquets are going soft.

 

[tacotanium]

In theory yes but I always do mains first

yea... you guys were right. i forgot im not a stringer and just realize mains are string first always. haha.

 

[new_tennis_player]

I've always wondered how much of this lore starts with the manufacturers to churn sales. Makers of motorcycle helmets urge you to replace your helmet every 5 years because the styrofoam inside the outer shell "degrades." But environmentalist point out that the styrofoam coffee cups we use require thousands of years to degrade. Hmmm.

Helmets will break down due to UV damage.

 

[Kevo]

Unfortunately, there really isn't a general rule for this. There are numerous examples of dud frames from various manufacturers that have cracking or breakage issues. That would lead me to believe that there is a wide range of states various frames could be in at any point in time. Some might be like new after five years, and some might be ready to retire. I have played with several old graphite frames that play great after more than 10 yrs. of use.

If you're really concerned about your particular frames, have them flex tested on an RDC once a year, and if it's more than 10% different that's probably a sign of structural problems.