Replacing crosses?

[got spin?]

I know it sounds absurd, but have you ever considered replacing just the crosses? Only in a two piece of course, but would this liven up the string bed if your use an expensive poly in the mains and a cheap syn gut in the crosses it seems like it might help with tension a little and help that poly last until it breaks?

 

[JohnB]

There is a thread about that somewhere with very different opinions.

 

[dak95_00]

I've done it. Only do it if it is for yourself. Give it a try. What will it hurt?

The real trick to get the most life is to reverse the crosses from the first stringing so to start new notches in the string on the other side. I only have ever done it w/ kevlar crosses.

In the end......

You are the only person whose opinion will matter.
You are the only person who will decide if it was worth it or not.
It can be done.

If you decide you like it and it is worth it to you, you'll also find it easier to tie off your crosses to other crosses.

 

[seekay]

I'm a fan of restringing just the crosses when I've got gut mains and poly crosses. The poly eventually goes dead even though the gut is still playing well.

It's important to mount the fully-strung frame in your stringing machine before cutting out the crosses. That will greatly reduce stress on the frame. If your crosses broke during play, you should cut out the mains and start fresh.

It may be a difference in the strings we're using, but I disagree with dak95_00 on notches. My view is that reversing the bend in the string and exposing the notched surface to the ball (all while creating a new notch on the other side) is more likely to cut into string life than stringing new crosses into the same notches you've been using.

But I agree that you should do this only for yourself on your racquets. Or at least make sure that any friends you string for understand the limitations of replacing only half the strings.

 

[smirker]

As Seekay says above most useful when using gut mains. I have done it with gut/poly with no ill effects, mounting the racquet on the stringer before cutting the crosses.

Can't see the point with poly mains though. Before the crosses break the poly will be dead anyway. Just re-string the whole racquet.

 

[bugeyed]

Your cheap synthetic gut crosses are probably less dead than the expensive poly mains. IMO

Cheers,
kev

 

[levy1]

I'm a fan of restringing just the crosses when I've got gut mains and poly crosses. The poly eventually goes dead even though the gut is still playing well.

It's important to mount the fully-strung frame in your stringing machine before cutting out the crosses. That will greatly reduce stress on the frame. If your crosses broke during play, you should cut out the mains and start fresh.

It may be a difference in the strings we're using, but I disagree with dak95_00 on notches. My view is that reversing the bend in the string and exposing the notched surface to the ball (all while creating a new notch on the other side) is more likely to cut into string life than stringing new crosses into the same notches you've been using.

But I agree that you should do this only for yourself on your racquets. Or at least make sure that any friends you string for understand the limitations of replacing only half the strings.

Yes, I do it often and no problem.

 

[Wikky]

From a personal standpoint, no problem, I would definitely do it to my racquets.

From a shop standpoint, no chance, wouldn't even do it if the customer asked me to.

 

[beernutz]

I've done it once when I was using a relatively expensive set of mains (Tornado) paired with a new cross string I was testing for the first time and after a couple of hours of play that combination just didn't work for me.

I mounted the frame, cut out the crosses, replaced them with with a cross I'd used numerous times previously and the racquet played just like it had those other times.

I generally only string for myself, my wife, and a few friends and like others have said, I'd probably never try this on a racquet that wasn't my own.