Bump
Ok ok . I know this is old news but I have a question . Can
@ClassicTennisRackets tell us more about the process one would need to go thru to have his or her own rackets made?
For instance what does the $15,000 do exactly? Who do you contact to get this process started ? How do you get them the molds you would want?
Tooling ? What exactly does that mean and entail ? Apologies for the barrage of questions
I think perhaps I should step in to answer on behalf of our colleage, “classic tennis” (not “classic tennis racquets”). He was a project manager for various manufacturers in the racquet industry, from the late 1980’s through the day he suddenly passed away five years ago, and he was a personal friend.
He and I had some great chats over pints, and then later and more serious, about bringing back some weightier, flexier frames from classic molds we liked. He secured permission and plans from a former manufacturer in Europe, I did a little engineering work, and things were moving forward.
Basically, it boils down to funding batches of frames. Most factories are open to doing tooling and production but must have a commitment of a certain number. Depending on relationships and circumstances, this number can range from US$15k to US$40k.
When “classic” died, so did our idea. However, it seems that some of the big manufacturers have changed their thinking in the last couple of years, and we’re seeing more “classic-esque” options on the market.
