Keep in mind that all of this is volume dependent as well. Sure you string but how many are you really doing a month/year? Is your client base actually pretty solid and reliable or is it cyclical/ feast or famine? Even stringing for a university it’s cyclical for me. August to December 1 it’s full blast, January 1-mid May it’s full blast. Maybe 10-15 rackets a month during December, June, and July. It all depends on how many of our players are local, in summer school, or passing through on the way to tourneys. For recreational players it’s very much the same way. I’ll have a week where I do 10, then 3 weeks where I do 5 total. Basically how reliable is your income from stringing? How long will it take you to recoup the money? Do you actually enjoy stringing enough to spend big money on a machine? I know the machine will be a sunk cost once purchased but how many labors will you do for ‘free’ before the machine is paid for? How many before it’s worth it to pay 3-4K for a machine? Many of the electronic machines will last for years and years especially with light use (<500 a year) but what about buying a $700-1000 crank making your money back, adding a wise if your interest is still there, and upgrading the future? Plenty of people think they have the volume and passion to justify a pro caliber machine but really few do. I can say from personal experience that I normally go through cycles during the year (typically about mid March) where I’m burnt out on not having evenings or weekends because of stringing but I keep plowing through because the money’s good and I know I’ll eventually enjoy it again. I don’t think you can do large volume for increased periods of time if you don’t actually like stringing. Why are you trying to purchase your own or another machine if you’re already stringing rackets? Taking clients from an established business could cost you in other ways.
