Lifespan of a Frame?

[slkbassist]

Hi I was just wondering how do you know when a frame is shot/done for? (This is for visibly undamaged racquets...because ofcourse a racquet is gone if there are cracks or it is broken)

Some people have been playing with the same racquets for 10/ 15+ years just replacing bumpers and grommets when/if needed. Some people find/collect vintage racquets that are 30+ years old and still play with them. And then other people change racquets after a few months or a year- claiming the racquet has lost responsiveness.

How can you tell if you racquet has come near the end of its lifespan?

 

[Murray_Maniac]

There are countless threads dicussing this. Basically, replace a racquet when you feel that it is nowhere as good as it used to be. For some ppl its 1 or 2 years, for another 10-20, etc. You shouldnt in some cases to go by the common rule to replace a racquet every 2-4 years, unless you play all the time & get new stingjobs all the time. I plan to use the same racquet for my next 3 years in highschool.

 

[s7evin]

As far as i read on these forums it should be 200-300 stringjobs.

 

[beedlejuice22]

As far as i read on these forums it should be 200-300 stringjobs.

but that could be close to 100 years for some people.

 

[2nd_Serve]

Most people say it's good to change a frame every 2 years. You could go longer.

 

[nCode747]

if u found your holy grail i'd stick with it

some people have used the POG for a while.

 

[Deuce]

Hi I was just wondering how do you know when a frame is shot/done for? (This is for visibly undamaged racquets...because ofcourse a racquet is gone if there are cracks or it is broken)

Some people have been playing with the same racquets for 10/ 15+ years just replacing bumpers and grommets when/if needed. Some people find/collect vintage racquets that are 30+ years old and still play with them. And then other people change racquets after a few months or a year- claiming the racquet has lost responsiveness.

How can you tell if you racquet has come near the end of its lifespan?

^ That is #1 on the list of most ridiculous questions repeated on this message board.

It's like asking "How can you tell when a shirt has come near the end of its lifespan?"

By the way - in case you haven't figured it out by now, the first answer in this thread is the only correct answer.

 

[pow]

It's completely up to you and how much you want to spend...

Personally, I won't throw one out unless it's cracked.

 

[mellofelow]

It's like asking "How can you tell when a shirt has come near the end of its lifespan?"

Ha! That's a good one! Using the same analogy, depends how often you change your wardrobe. Some people will wear a pair of jeans till it's raggedy & falls apart and others like'm clean and fresh looking.

Just keep in mind that stiffness of the racket will weaken over time, mostly due to hitting, restringing and ground scrapping. For example, a racket with stiffness rating of 65 in the hand of a brute with 130 mph serves, restrung weekly and ground off 1/4 of graphite at 10 & 2 o'clock will probably play to around 60 (I'm guessing) in stiffness after 6 months. On the other hand, a player with powder puff serve & strokes and restrings 3-4 times a year, then the frame's probably still in honeymoon condition.

All depends...

 

[goosala]

I'd rank the factors by
1. how often you play
2. how hard you hit
3. how often you restring.

I usually keep my frames two years using two at a time. I play three to four times a week, hit hard, and restring often. I usually get three maybe four outings with one string job using syn gut. I'm also very careful not to scrape it on the court but only to pick up balls at the bumper guard.

 

[Vermillion]

Until it breaks

 

[s7evin]

My Head Prestige 600 is now 16 years old... And its still plays better then most of the cr@p sold today.

 

[Richie Rich]

thing is the drop off in feel of the frame is so gradual that you don't notice it. i have a few of the same racquets. a couple are 4 years old and a couple are new. i hit with an old frame and new frame back to back and only then could i tell the difference.

play with a frame for as long as you want to. no need to replace it just because it's xxx years old

 

[slkbassist]

^ That is #1 on the list of most ridiculous questions repeated on this message board.

It's like asking "How can you tell when a shirt has come near the end of its lifespan?"

Actually it isn't exactly. Because a T-shirt becomes visible faded/frayed/or just goes out of favor.

I was asking if there is a noticable difference in racquet play, even if there is no real visible damage. Sorry if it wasn't clear.

I've been playing for just over 17 years now, the longest I've constantly played with a racquet has been 7 years, and I feel it hasn't changed. I rarely break strings, primarily because I hit flat, using spin depending on my opponent/situation/strategy.

My question was just a spontaneous one, because I've noticed that some people claim their racquet has gone dead or lost response, after a short period of time. I just feel most of their claims are psycological, or perhaps they just have a bad string job without realizing it.

 

[rev200g]

From my limited experience, I play with the Dunlop Revelation 200g which I had purchased new in 1997. Due to a busy life at the time, I played with it maybe max 30 times from then until 2007. I rarely break strings since I hit with moderate power and spin.

Last year I decided to take the game more seriously and have since picked 2 more well played but decent conditioned Revelation 200g's from E***. They are all strung similiarly with Cyberflash 17 and are modded identically. Honestly, they feel very similar to my original Revelation. I am expecting these frames to last me for many years to come.

Another note, I have yet to break or crack any of my previous racquets except for a cheap wooden Dunlop when I started playing the game almost 30 years ago.

 

[tennisfreak15347]

Dont replace a frame until it cracks, thats what I do.

 

[Rorsach]

I just feel most of their claims are psycological, or perhaps they just have a bad string job without realizing it.

Quoted for truth.

 

[Zielmann]

It depends on what you like.

Yes, frames do have a lifespan, and will eventually be less responsive than they once were. But this happens so gradually, that you won't notice at all. It's not like a pet goldfish that you suddenly find floating upside down.

If you picked up a brand new copy of your racquet that's been well used, you will notice that it plays differently. And you might actually like the feel of the used one better. Who knows.

If the frames still feel fine to you, I'd say don't worry about it. I've got an 8 year old frame that I still use (as a backup now, but still works great). If you want to try a new one, demo first. If you like the feel of a new one better than your current used one, then replace the frames. But you might find that you are perfectly content with your frame, and might not like the feel of a new frame. It's all personal preference.

 

[PROTENNIS63]

tournament player- 1-2 years

recreational players- when you want to