mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
I've learned so much from some members of this community so I wanted to give back by sharing my first hand experiences w/ 3 stringing machines I've owned to date. Also, I thought this might be helpful for any prospective buyers for these machines.
Disclaimer:
The following are only my opinions having owned and having strung a number of racquets on each of the following machines. This is in no way meant to serve as a comprehensive or formal review of each machine as I have not received any special technical training on the topic of stringers.
Background:
After nearly 15 years away from tennis, I recently decided to get back into it. As my interest grew, I began to collect more racquets. Since I preferred the “vintage” racquets, many of the racquets I was acquiring came equipped with 20-30 year old strings. Needless to say, taking all my racquets to be restrung would have gotten real expensive, real quick even if I were to have them strung with the cheapest nylon so my quest to purchase an affordable stringer began.
Research:
I began by trying to decide which type of stringer would be the best for my needs. Drop weight, crank, electronic? Fixed or flying clamps? Swivel base clamps or glide bars? Then I tried to figure out which brands seemed to have universally positive feedback. I ultimately decided that I wanted to stay under the $500 mark for my first stringer. I did not want to spend any more since I couldn’t afford anything more expensive and I wasn’t sure I would enjoy stringing my own racquets. The main requirement for my stringer was a fixed clamping system. As long as it came w/ fixed clamps, I did not care if it was a crank, drop weight or electronic machine. Ultimately, I purchased all the machines below used and in good to great condition.
My 1st Machine: Eagnas Flex 865S
The Eagnas Flex 865S is a constant pull electronic stringer w/ a rotational gripper. It comes w/ cone lock swivel base clamps. It offers 360 degree rotation. The Flex turntable mounts to a good high quality ball bearing device. The reason why I say it’s good is because it doesn’t have any excess play in any direction which isn’t something I can say about my Combo 910 which would wobble. However there were some tight spots in the bearing. When rotating the turntable, there was more resistance when it got to a certain point. Not a big deal, but it speaks to the quality of the Eagnas. Also I felt the Flex turntable wasn’t thick or stiff enough. When I pulled tension, I could see the turntable flexing slightly. The 6 point mounts were very easy to use. It would take a minute or 2 to adjust and mount racquets. The rotational gripper performed fine. It was easy to make adjustments to accommodate thick or thin gauge string. I only strung synthetic gut, multifilament, and Global Gut string. The rotational gripper wasn’t too hard on any of these strings. Calibrating the tension head was a bit challenging requiring a lot of trial and error and the instructions in the manual weren’t very good. For instance, if I calibrated at 55 lbs then changed the tension to 50 lbs and re-pulled tension, the reading on my scale would read 45. But if I changed the tension back to 55 lbs & repulled tension the reading on my scale would be 55. I ultimately found that it was just easier to calibrate the machine to whatever tension I wanted to string my racquets every time. Basically, as long as the machine was calibrated for a specific tension, the tension head and motor would pull accurately and consistently to the set tension which is important to getting a consistent string job. And the tension head was a true constant pull which I liked. If the tension dropped more than 4 lbs less than the set tension, the head would repull to the required tension. The cone lock swivel clamps worked fine, I found that they just weren’t rigid enough. When I released tension, there was drawback. Since this was my first machine, I just assumed this amount of drawback was normal. The Eagnas 3 tooth clamps worked just fine. When stringing multifilament, there was some ghosting of the string when the clamps were adjusted to the proper tightness, but from what I’ve read this is normal. I never had to clamp so tight that it left marks (crushed) the string.
2nd Machine: Eagnas Combo 910
This machine is a crank and has a stiffer, thicker turntable than the Flex which is a plus, but I still could see the table flexing when pulling tension. Maybe it wasn't the table flexing, but rather the turntable center mount. Also, the Combo turntable mount wobbled. It didn’t feel as solid as the Flex mount. The Combo 910 has 360 degree rotation. It also has the swivel base clamps which were a little easier to use, but I found the cone lock base clamps just as easy to use. The downside of the swivel base clamps is that they need adjusting/tightening every few string jobs. Like the Flex 865S, I experienced the same amount of drawback when releasing tension. The tension head was pretty accurate when I calibrated with my Ultrasport scale, but it pulls at a downward angle when a racquet is mounted so if you've set the tension head to pull at 55 lbs, due to the downward angle & friction at the grommets, you're most likely not getting 55 lbs. Not much more to say as the mounting systems were the same.
3rd Machine: Prince Neos 1000
Nearly everyone knows the Neos 1000. Its reputation precedes itself and now that I’ve had first hand experience, I know why. Straight up, no BS, the Neos produces more consistent string jobs. I think it’s because the Prince machine is manufactured to tighter tolerances. There is NO play whatsoever in the Neos turntable. When pulling tension, I can not visibly see any flex in the turntable. The tension head and tension head track are also of higher quality and pull string nearly level to the racquet so pulling 55 lbs should net a tension closer to the set tension on the string bed of the racquet. The ball bearing string gripper is higher quality than the Eagnas. When releasing tension, there is less drawback because the glide bar clamps are wider, more rigid and less susceptible to flex.
The 2 point mounting system is a time saver when it comes to mounting racquets. It holds securely. Strangely enough, I have not seen my racquets visibly distorting while being strung on the Neos, yet I could see them distorting in both of the Eagnas machines. While the Neos 1000 glide bar clamps are older, outdated technology and lacks 360 degree turntable rotation, I find that the machine produces far more consistent string jobs which is why I ultimately kept this machine and sold my Eagnas machines since I don’t string any fan pattern racquets. Also 360 degree rotation is a nice feature, but it’s not something I can’t live without.
Conclusion:
So how do I know I’m getting a more consistent string job? Before I weave my crosses, I always pluck the main strings and on the Neos I get the same pitch. Different length mains will emit different pitches when plucked. However the same length should produce the same pitch if they’re at the same tension. The right and left main 1 strings have nearly identical pitches when plucked. The right and left main 2 strings ring at the same pitch as each other, but they ring at higher pitch than M1 strings because they are shorter in length. The same pattern applies as i move on to the rest of the mains. On my Eagnas machines, the same length main strings in the same position would have different pitches. The end result is that I have found I hit less unforced errors with a racquet that has a consistent string bed vs. one that does not. Fewer balls fly long and fewer balls hit into the net.
Final Notes:
Please note this write up is not meant to bash Eagnas machines. For the price, they are quite good. But there is a reason why the Prince costs so much more and is still used by many pro shops. For the higher price, you’re paying for a higher quality machine that will produce a higher quality more consistent string job. This is just my firsthand experience having owned these 3 machines. Honestly, had I just owned the Eagnas, I would not have known the difference a better machine could make. I would have been perfectly happy with it. I can only imagine how much better a Babolat or high end Gamma or Prince machine could be which would be only machines I would considering upgrading to in the future.
Thanks for taking time to read! Happy hitting to you all!
Disclaimer:
The following are only my opinions having owned and having strung a number of racquets on each of the following machines. This is in no way meant to serve as a comprehensive or formal review of each machine as I have not received any special technical training on the topic of stringers.
Background:
After nearly 15 years away from tennis, I recently decided to get back into it. As my interest grew, I began to collect more racquets. Since I preferred the “vintage” racquets, many of the racquets I was acquiring came equipped with 20-30 year old strings. Needless to say, taking all my racquets to be restrung would have gotten real expensive, real quick even if I were to have them strung with the cheapest nylon so my quest to purchase an affordable stringer began.
Research:
I began by trying to decide which type of stringer would be the best for my needs. Drop weight, crank, electronic? Fixed or flying clamps? Swivel base clamps or glide bars? Then I tried to figure out which brands seemed to have universally positive feedback. I ultimately decided that I wanted to stay under the $500 mark for my first stringer. I did not want to spend any more since I couldn’t afford anything more expensive and I wasn’t sure I would enjoy stringing my own racquets. The main requirement for my stringer was a fixed clamping system. As long as it came w/ fixed clamps, I did not care if it was a crank, drop weight or electronic machine. Ultimately, I purchased all the machines below used and in good to great condition.
My 1st Machine: Eagnas Flex 865S
The Eagnas Flex 865S is a constant pull electronic stringer w/ a rotational gripper. It comes w/ cone lock swivel base clamps. It offers 360 degree rotation. The Flex turntable mounts to a good high quality ball bearing device. The reason why I say it’s good is because it doesn’t have any excess play in any direction which isn’t something I can say about my Combo 910 which would wobble. However there were some tight spots in the bearing. When rotating the turntable, there was more resistance when it got to a certain point. Not a big deal, but it speaks to the quality of the Eagnas. Also I felt the Flex turntable wasn’t thick or stiff enough. When I pulled tension, I could see the turntable flexing slightly. The 6 point mounts were very easy to use. It would take a minute or 2 to adjust and mount racquets. The rotational gripper performed fine. It was easy to make adjustments to accommodate thick or thin gauge string. I only strung synthetic gut, multifilament, and Global Gut string. The rotational gripper wasn’t too hard on any of these strings. Calibrating the tension head was a bit challenging requiring a lot of trial and error and the instructions in the manual weren’t very good. For instance, if I calibrated at 55 lbs then changed the tension to 50 lbs and re-pulled tension, the reading on my scale would read 45. But if I changed the tension back to 55 lbs & repulled tension the reading on my scale would be 55. I ultimately found that it was just easier to calibrate the machine to whatever tension I wanted to string my racquets every time. Basically, as long as the machine was calibrated for a specific tension, the tension head and motor would pull accurately and consistently to the set tension which is important to getting a consistent string job. And the tension head was a true constant pull which I liked. If the tension dropped more than 4 lbs less than the set tension, the head would repull to the required tension. The cone lock swivel clamps worked fine, I found that they just weren’t rigid enough. When I released tension, there was drawback. Since this was my first machine, I just assumed this amount of drawback was normal. The Eagnas 3 tooth clamps worked just fine. When stringing multifilament, there was some ghosting of the string when the clamps were adjusted to the proper tightness, but from what I’ve read this is normal. I never had to clamp so tight that it left marks (crushed) the string.
2nd Machine: Eagnas Combo 910
This machine is a crank and has a stiffer, thicker turntable than the Flex which is a plus, but I still could see the table flexing when pulling tension. Maybe it wasn't the table flexing, but rather the turntable center mount. Also, the Combo turntable mount wobbled. It didn’t feel as solid as the Flex mount. The Combo 910 has 360 degree rotation. It also has the swivel base clamps which were a little easier to use, but I found the cone lock base clamps just as easy to use. The downside of the swivel base clamps is that they need adjusting/tightening every few string jobs. Like the Flex 865S, I experienced the same amount of drawback when releasing tension. The tension head was pretty accurate when I calibrated with my Ultrasport scale, but it pulls at a downward angle when a racquet is mounted so if you've set the tension head to pull at 55 lbs, due to the downward angle & friction at the grommets, you're most likely not getting 55 lbs. Not much more to say as the mounting systems were the same.
3rd Machine: Prince Neos 1000
Nearly everyone knows the Neos 1000. Its reputation precedes itself and now that I’ve had first hand experience, I know why. Straight up, no BS, the Neos produces more consistent string jobs. I think it’s because the Prince machine is manufactured to tighter tolerances. There is NO play whatsoever in the Neos turntable. When pulling tension, I can not visibly see any flex in the turntable. The tension head and tension head track are also of higher quality and pull string nearly level to the racquet so pulling 55 lbs should net a tension closer to the set tension on the string bed of the racquet. The ball bearing string gripper is higher quality than the Eagnas. When releasing tension, there is less drawback because the glide bar clamps are wider, more rigid and less susceptible to flex.
The 2 point mounting system is a time saver when it comes to mounting racquets. It holds securely. Strangely enough, I have not seen my racquets visibly distorting while being strung on the Neos, yet I could see them distorting in both of the Eagnas machines. While the Neos 1000 glide bar clamps are older, outdated technology and lacks 360 degree turntable rotation, I find that the machine produces far more consistent string jobs which is why I ultimately kept this machine and sold my Eagnas machines since I don’t string any fan pattern racquets. Also 360 degree rotation is a nice feature, but it’s not something I can’t live without.
Conclusion:
So how do I know I’m getting a more consistent string job? Before I weave my crosses, I always pluck the main strings and on the Neos I get the same pitch. Different length mains will emit different pitches when plucked. However the same length should produce the same pitch if they’re at the same tension. The right and left main 1 strings have nearly identical pitches when plucked. The right and left main 2 strings ring at the same pitch as each other, but they ring at higher pitch than M1 strings because they are shorter in length. The same pattern applies as i move on to the rest of the mains. On my Eagnas machines, the same length main strings in the same position would have different pitches. The end result is that I have found I hit less unforced errors with a racquet that has a consistent string bed vs. one that does not. Fewer balls fly long and fewer balls hit into the net.
Final Notes:
Please note this write up is not meant to bash Eagnas machines. For the price, they are quite good. But there is a reason why the Prince costs so much more and is still used by many pro shops. For the higher price, you’re paying for a higher quality machine that will produce a higher quality more consistent string job. This is just my firsthand experience having owned these 3 machines. Honestly, had I just owned the Eagnas, I would not have known the difference a better machine could make. I would have been perfectly happy with it. I can only imagine how much better a Babolat or high end Gamma or Prince machine could be which would be only machines I would considering upgrading to in the future.
Thanks for taking time to read! Happy hitting to you all!
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