10shoe
Professional
The millionth customer came in today and asked me "What tension is my racquet at now?"
After all these years (and I've been doing this for over 30 years) you would think I would be ready for this question.
Instead as time has passed I am less prepared for it than ever. So when I hear it, I am wanting to bang my head against the wall.
Now, don't misunderstand me. It's not that I lack equipment for measuring string bed stiffness. I have plenty meters.
And I try to talk to my customers in terms of percentages, i.e "You've lost 15% of your original tension" when DT readings drop from say 40 to 34.
But everyone wants to talk pounds and I can't even comprehend what they are imagining is actually going on in their racquets.
Today the question came from a guy whose racquet had been strung 38/40. Now, is he imagining I have a meter that is gonna say,
"Well, now your racquet is at 34/36"????
I think we as stringers are all aware that what he is imagining would constitute a drop in tension would in reality constitute an increase. And if the
cross strings ever ACTUALLY were tighter than the mains, something would be really, really wrong.
And then, there is the reasoning behind the asking of this question. Like, if I tell him his racquet is now 34/36 is he gonna say that he likes the way it
is playing now, so now we need to restring it AT 34/36?
So, I am curious how other stringers handle this question and whether I am the only one whose eyes begin rolling at the first hint this question is coming.
After all these years (and I've been doing this for over 30 years) you would think I would be ready for this question.
Instead as time has passed I am less prepared for it than ever. So when I hear it, I am wanting to bang my head against the wall.
Now, don't misunderstand me. It's not that I lack equipment for measuring string bed stiffness. I have plenty meters.
And I try to talk to my customers in terms of percentages, i.e "You've lost 15% of your original tension" when DT readings drop from say 40 to 34.
But everyone wants to talk pounds and I can't even comprehend what they are imagining is actually going on in their racquets.
Today the question came from a guy whose racquet had been strung 38/40. Now, is he imagining I have a meter that is gonna say,
"Well, now your racquet is at 34/36"????
I think we as stringers are all aware that what he is imagining would constitute a drop in tension would in reality constitute an increase. And if the
cross strings ever ACTUALLY were tighter than the mains, something would be really, really wrong.
And then, there is the reasoning behind the asking of this question. Like, if I tell him his racquet is now 34/36 is he gonna say that he likes the way it
is playing now, so now we need to restring it AT 34/36?
So, I am curious how other stringers handle this question and whether I am the only one whose eyes begin rolling at the first hint this question is coming.