Questions about Prince Neos (vs Eagnas combo 900le)

P

ppt3

New User
I am brand new to stringing, and considering to buy a used machine to string for my family and friends, so probably only a couple of jobs a month.

There are a Neos and a Eagnas combo 900le for sale locally. They both have about similar price between 200-300.
Neos belongs to a sports club and was used as a backup machine. The owner said it is in pretty good condition and calibrated. But by the a little blurry photo I got, paints on the edge of upper tray is pretty gone, so hard to say how heavily it is used.

Anyway, after lots of researches, I have a few questions:
1. how much is Neos clamp drawback typically?
In TW's stringing video:
between 2:30-2:32, when the tensioner is released, it's very obvious that the clamp moved back at least a couple of millimeters. I observed similar behaviors in a few neos video on youtube.

Is that typical for Neos? How about any other string machines esp fixed clamp ones?

2. I am a little worried about the parts availability. Seems many parts have been out of stock for quite a while.

3. What tools/accessories are included in Neos? The list I collected is:
a) 2 flying clamps
b) 1 shorter bar (for ATW pattern, earlier model might not have it)
c) cutter/nose piler/ awl
d) tip/throat riser pad set (4 pcs)
e) throat retainer pad (10+ pcs)
Anything else?

4. How is Eagnas combo 900le? It is their relative higher end of the Eagnas crank line, and seems not much negatives on that.
Guess the machine is out of warranty anyway, so probably do not need to deal with their customer service except buying parts from them if anything breaks down.

I kind of like their 6-points bracket vs Neos's 2-points.

Any suggestions/answers are appreciated.
 
esgee48

esgee48

G.O.A.T.
You can still get parts for the Neos 1000 since the machine is still manufactured. Tennis Machines has parts if needed. Don't worry about cosmetics. Worry about rust if there is any. Depending on machine, may need to get a starting clamp and calibration widget. If you can post pictures of the machines, then we can all pile on with our opinions. Drawback from the clamps can be minimized. by adjusting or cleaning the clamps.
 
MAX PLY

MAX PLY

Hall of Fame
I think the current lack of stock on Neos parts is temporary--TM will be restocked by Prince very soon I suspect. Frankly, the Neos is probably the last machine on the planet where a scarcity of parts will be a problem. Have to look at the machine in question to give you a sense of how to proceed. Send some pics.

P.S.: your drawback concerns are easily addressed
 
Last edited:
P

ppt3

New User
Thanks. I will try to post the pic.

So the drawback in the video @2:30 is typical? The machine in the video looks pretty new so I guess the clamp is clean.
 
dak95_00

dak95_00

Hall of Fame
I’ll buy it! The Neos that is. Just search Eagnas and you’ll easily come to the proper decision.

Drawback is an easy fix if even necessary.

Where is this machine?
 
AndI

AndI

Rookie
ppt3 said:
between 2:30-2:32, when the tensioner is released, it's very obvious that the clamp moved back at least a couple of millimeters. I observed similar behaviors in a few neos video on youtube.
Is that typical for Neos? How about any other string machines esp fixed clamp ones?
Click to expand...

Cannot tell much about Neos. I can tell, though, that Wilson Baiardo and Gamma X-ELS both have the same behavior.

MAX PLY said:
I think the current lack of stock on Neos parts is temporary--TM will be restocked by Prince very soon I suspect. Frankly, the Neos is probably the last machine on the planet where a scarcity of parts will be a problem.
Click to expand...

Am I wrong when I think I saw discussions about temporary lack of spare parts in stock for several years in a row, starting from the time when Prince went into bankruptcy and was purchased and restructured, mainly along the lines of cutting services? Their "customer service" does not even have a phone anymore...

I think you could call tennis machines or tennis warehouse and ask them how they deal with availability of spare parts... No reason for them not to share... Do they buy spare parts or buy new machines to replace broken ones and use the old one for spare parts?

NEOS 1000 is an amazing machine in the sense that it was brought to the market in 1990 and it is still produced - for 28 years! It took 20 years to introduce an update, Neos 1500, in 2010. On the other hand, a used NEOS 1000 machine can be up to 28 years old, and even if it is built like a tank, a 28 year old tank might need some spare parts :)
 
Last edited:
mad dog1

mad dog1

G.O.A.T.
ppt3 said:
I am brand new to stringing, and considering to buy a used machine to string for my family and friends, so probably only a couple of jobs a month.

There are a Neos and a Eagnas combo 900le for sale locally. They both have about similar price between 200-300.
Neos belongs to a sports club and was used as a backup machine. The owner said it is in pretty good condition and calibrated. But by the a little blurry photo I got, paints on the edge of upper tray is pretty gone, so hard to say how heavily it is used.

Anyway, after lots of researches, I have a few questions:
1. how much is Neos clamp drawback typically?
In TW's stringing video:
between 2:30-2:32, when the tensioner is released, it's very obvious that the clamp moved back at least a couple of millimeters. I observed similar behaviors in a few neos video on youtube.

Is that typical for Neos? How about any other string machines esp fixed clamp ones?

2. I am a little worried about the parts availability. Seems many parts have been out of stock for quite a while.

3. What tools/accessories are included in Neos? The list I collected is:
a) 2 flying clamps
b) 1 shorter bar (for ATW pattern, earlier model might not have it)
c) cutter/nose piler/ awl
d) tip/throat riser pad set (4 pcs)
e) throat retainer pad (10+ pcs)
Anything else?

4. How is Eagnas combo 900le? It is their relative higher end of the Eagnas crank line, and seems not much negatives on that.
Guess the machine is out of warranty anyway, so probably do not need to deal with their customer service except buying parts from them if anything breaks down.

I kind of like their 6-points bracket vs Neos's 2-points.

Any suggestions/answers are appreciated.
Click to expand...
No brainer. Prince neos all the way. I’ve owned 3 Eagnas machines, a neos 1000, a gamma 6004 and a babolat sensor so I do have experience with the machines you are asking about.
 
Rabbit

Rabbit

G.O.A.T.
ppt3 said:
Seems there are a few new Neos owner recently. :)
Click to expand...

Guilty as charged. I've owned a 1000 and a 1500 and now own the (Babolat) Mighty Sensor. I've been on the boards since inception and I can tell you that they are littered with complaints about EAGANAS. Their machines are basically turnkey meaning if you have problems.....you have problems. And there have been more than a few people who have problems with their gear. Now they may have improved, but if it was my money (and it has been) I'd stick with a known factor. You won't find any complaints about the NEOS, you might see some quibbling over design, but in the main, everyone loves the NEOS. They are the equivalent of a King Panzer tiger tank.
 
P

ppt3

New User
Rabbit said:
Guilty as charged. I've owned a 1000 and a 1500 and now own the (Babolat) Mighty Sensor. I've been on the boards since inception and I can tell you that they are littered with complaints about EAGANAS. Their machines are basically turnkey meaning if you have problems.....you have problems. And there have been more than a few people who have problems with their gear. Now they may have improved, but if it was my money (and it has been) I'd stick with a known factor. You won't find any complaints about the NEOS, you might see some quibbling over design, but in the main, everyone loves the NEOS. They are the equivalent of a King Panzer tiger tank.
Click to expand...

Thank you all for the suggestions. Finally pulled the trigger and got the Neos. Man, it is heavy and built like a tank. Got a little bruise while carrying the upper part. ;)

The machine didn't come with any tools/accessories. Just the machine with 2 sliding bar and clamps.
So I need to at least get the throat/tip retainer, maybe a starting clamp, and cutter etc.

A few parts/screws of the machine were loose, so spent whole night reading the manual, cleaning up and tuning. It is fun. :)

I found there are a few counter-sink screws missing. They are used to attach the top tray to the base/rack. They looks like this: https://goo.gl/images/JsqgEJ

Anyone know where I can get them? or the spec? Plan to pay a visit to homedepot.
 
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