MS200 ECO (fixed clamp) Review - Monkey can string

[hangzhou]

Background: first time stringer, never used any other machines. Did the first string job all by myself.

Positives:

Machine Quality: Very stable portable table, excellent mounting table, very solid. Very good fixed clamps(double actions). Good 4 point and 4 inside point frame supports provides excellent racket support, yet the mounting process takes a little bit longer time. The tension head is very good at gripping strings.

Stringing job: very easy to handle with accurate result. Very fast.

Support: Very good from Tim.

Output: very solid and relative stiff string bed. No way to verify whether the tension is accurate.

Improvements:

1. Strings will be pulled over on the frame for throat section. That may leave marks on the frame or cause damages on the string. TT model may not have same problem since they have different mounting system.

2. Poor document, really bad.

3. The famous rod doesn't match with its marketing image, i.e. accurate constant pulling. No marks on it, have to use a ruler. Inconvenient. There are lot of ways to make marks on the rod, be it etching or mill out a flat face on side for stickers.

4. Take a little bit longer to secure racket onto the mounting pads.

5. Price: a little bit higher for its mechanical parts, but quite decent for its output compare to other crank or drop weight systems with fixed clamps. It went up from $569 to $589.

6. No straight or curved awl included. Terrible mistake for first time stringer. For that price, at least one awl should be included.

7. Should include a free tension calibrator to support its constant pulling technology.

So far, I have finished two rackets all by myself, the Price POG Mid and Head Ti. Radical OS, with hybrid job. One with Laserfibre polytour main and laserfibre synthetic gut cross , the other is Wilson polyester main and Laserfibre synthetic gut cross. Really enjoyed the stringing process and looking for more.

Laserfibre offer free string samples, I selected one reel of synthetic gut and two sets of Polytour. Good deal.

Conclusion: Even monkey can string using MS200 ECO. :lol:

 

[Gaines Hillix]

hangzhou, you don't sound like a monkey to me! Seriously, congratulations on your first string jobs and on getting it right the first two times you used the machine!

 

[topspin]

decent review, although there are a couple of things i want to mention

the mounting is the same on the ms200tt except that the tt has the 12 o'clock support, and no the string going over the racquet in no way scratches your frame or damages your string, there is simply is no string out there that is rough enough to scratch a frame

lots of ppl complain about the rod not having marks, there is a simple solution, just bring it to an engraver and get it marked, of course you will quicky realize that you will need multiple markings dependind on the weight combination you're using (for badminton or raquetball...) so you will quickly realize why Stringway went with the ruler idea

i bought an awl and still haven't used it in 100+ stringjobs

i don't know any company that gives a free tension calibrator, but hey i wouldn't mind, anything free is fine by me

 

[Jerry Seinfeld]

Why would a tension calibrator be needed? LF drop-weight machines don't require calibration.

 

[hangzhou]

I used the ruler and marker pen to draw the tensions from 48 to 68 lbs on the rod. Also I made a marker for 1' length on the rod so that I can quickly measure the needed strings from reel.

On laserfibre web page, you can see that TT has different mounting pad (12 o'clock) than ECO. But on stringway web site, they are same. Very strange, and I don't understand.

It sounds like that strings have to go over the frame for throat section for both TT and ECO models. I do notice that the EM450 model from Stringway has a tilted table for avoiding that issue. Very interesting design.

My second racket was Head Ti.Radical and it was strung with one piece job before. For two piece job now, then I need the awl to get string through one hole.

I mean tension meter, not tension calibrator. Sorry for that. That's just my thought for Laserfibre since they are marketing their machine as high end product with dead on accuracy. If the tension meter is provided (at cost or free) with the machine, stringer and racket owner will have the chance to appreciate the excellent output by laserfibre technologies, which would be a great selling point for both laserfibre and stringer.

 

[bcaz]

Um, if the string doesn't go above the frame, where should it go? Below the frame, where it still would be rubbing? I've had no problems, but if it suits you, you can insert a business card between the frame and the string.