something is wrong, full poly is lasting only 2 hours..

[IwishIwasbetter]

At the beginning of summer, my strings were only breaking once a week. But it has slowly started to break faster and faster, i play approx 5 hours a day and I have improved a lot since the beginning (esp my forehand has way more spin and power) but I don't think i am good enough to be breaking strings anywhere near this fast. My strings are breaking on the 4th or 5th cross around there everytime, so in the upper center of the racket. I use a youtek radical pro. I am stringing it right becuase even when I bought my next one i had tenniswarehouse string it and the luxilon alu power broke in one day only ( 3 hours). Yesterday, i had strung it with klip pro line 2 17 and it broke within 2 hours.
Today, I strung it with luxilon big banger original 16 and this string seems to be pretty durable which is good because I have played for 3 and a half hours on it and it still hasnt broken, although there is severe notching so it will break very soon now. I don't know what to do because I can't really afford to keep buying strings and stringing everyday. I string my own rackets by the way. I don't even get how the pros aren't breaking strings every half hour the way they hit the ball. I am pretty sure I am stringing it right but will take a video tonight or tomorrow just in case. Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[IwishIwasbetter]

oh yeah I tried a prestige which has a denser pattern but it only lasted twice as long, which is around 4 hours. Even when I demoed 4 rackets fromt tenniswarehouse, tehy were all sent back within 4 days with broken strings..It is ridiculous and very frustrating at this point, I am sick of stringing all the time.

 

[tennisfreak15347]

Have you considered Gamma Durablast? (not to be confused with Babolat Duralast) That stuff is pretty stiff and durable, it might be better for you. By the way, Gamma Durablast is a poly, and quite a cheap one too. Furthermore, if you really need to go into the extremes of durability, Kevlar might be a final alternative.

 

[tennisfreak15347]

P.S, the Radical Pro/ Radical Tour series in HEAD racquets were always known to be string eaters, so that worsens your issue a bit.

 

[philbhp]

At the beginning of summer, my strings were only breaking once a week. But it has slowly started to break faster and faster, i play approx 5 hours a day and I have improved a lot since the beginning (esp my forehand has way more spin and power) but I don't think i am good enough to be breaking strings anywhere near this fast. My strings are breaking on the 4th or 5th cross around there everytime, so in the upper center of the racket. I use a youtek radical pro. I am stringing it right becuase even when I bought my next one i had tenniswarehouse string it and the luxilon alu power broke in one day only ( 3 hours). Yesterday, i had strung it with klip pro line 2 17 and it broke within 2 hours.
Today, I strung it with luxilon big banger original 16 and this string seems to be pretty durable which is good because I have played for 3 and a half hours on it and it still hasnt broken, although there is severe notching so it will break very soon now. I don't know what to do because I can't really afford to keep buying strings and stringing everyday. I string my own rackets by the way. I don't even get how the pros aren't breaking strings every half hour the way they hit the ball. I am pretty sure I am stringing it right but will take a video tonight or tomorrow just in case. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Could be a grommet that's biting into your strings during stringing or a structural defect in the racquet that sends some sort of abnormal shock through the strings. This seems especially likely if there is no visible sign of wear on the strings that would normally be the reason for them to break. Instead, either issue I indicated could be causing the polyester to prematurely "pop" or "shatter" as some people say. Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[Richie Rich]

you might be one of the few people that it makes sense to use kevlar. if you are breaking strings that quickly, even with a dense pattern racquet like the prestige, you might not have a choice if you don't want to string every other day.

 

[dadozen]

Could be a grommet that's biting into your strings during stringing or a structural defect in the racquet that sends some sort of abnormal shock through the strings. This seems especially likely if there is no visible sign of wear on the strings that would normally be the reason for them to break. Instead, either issue I indicated could be causing the polyester to prematurely "pop" or "shatter" as some people say. Hope this helps. Good luck!

One quick option: ask someone else to string your raquet with the same string and at the same tension you're using now. If it lasts much longer, then you can conclude that it's your stringing method that is causing it.

 

[abenguyen]

either your stringing has something do with it, or possibly you mishit more often than you should?

 

[IwishIwasbetter]

my stringing is fine, i feel the mains and stuff after i string it to make sure it is smooth and i have strung for a couple of my friends too and their strings last a lot longer. Also, i am not breaking them on mishits, they are breaking in the upper center but it is definitely not a mishit. Man, this really sucks. I think im gona have to try kevlar main/poly cross. Maybe it will give me more spin like Travlerajm stated, but for some reason, i can only sense some arm trouble coming

 

[coyfish]

Something is off. Swallow your pride for a second and have someone else string your racket. Maybe your pulling too tight.

Pro's dont break full poly that fast normally.

 

[IwishIwasbetter]

Something is off. Swallow your pride for a second and have someone else string your racket. Maybe your pulling too tight.

Pro's dont break full poly that fast normally.

again, my racket came strung when i ordered it from tenniswarehouse with cyberflash, it broke in one day. Although you could still be right that I may be messing up something with the stringing i mean there is no way a player like me should be breaking them this fast..anyways, my luxilon broke again so im gona go string my racket with polyfibre tcs 16.

 

[sruckauf]

These good people have tried to help you. There's only one reasonable explanation. You're huge. Nothing you can do except go pro on that hugeness.

 

[The_Question]

Who strung it for you, and what kind of stringing machine was it?

 

[abenguyen]

either you hit alot harder than we think or its just something in the stringing. like the other poster said, try having another shop string it for you, someone you've never had string your racquet.

 

[IwishIwasbetter]

either you hit alot harder than we think or its just something in the stringing. like the other poster said, try having another shop string it for you, someone you've never had string your racquet.

yeah, hmm, ill get a video posted of me hitting AND stringing tomorrow, and I will get it done at my club to see the results. I really gota get this problem fixed though, ive restrung my racket nine times in the past six days,

 

[IwishIwasbetter]

during my stringing one thing i noticed was that the gripper was damaging the string, i tried tightening the screw all the way and loosening it all the way and keeping the screw half in and half out, but no matter what the part of the string that goes through that gripper was getting damaged. I string on an alpha revo 4000 by the way. Any suggestions? maybe this is why its breakin so fastt.

 

[abenguyen]

during my stringing one thing i noticed was that the gripper was damaging the string, i tried tightening the screw all the way and loosening it all the way and keeping the screw half in and half out, but no matter what the part of the string that goes through that gripper was getting damaged. I string on an alpha revo 4000 by the way. Any suggestions? maybe this is why its breakin so fastt.

i definitely think that is the reason. when this constantly happens, each and every string that you tension probably gets damaged by the gripper. this causes wear that isn't noticed most likely but is apparent when you play and break strings so fast. definitely need to get that part replaced or fixed (if possible)

 

[diredesire]

I won't say it's normal, but it's not unusual to have gripper marks on certain strings. You should be more worried about any sharp edges on your gripper, those will be much worse for durability.

Are your strings heavily notched when they break? If so, tough luck my friend, that's just how the cookie crumbles

It IS sort of unusual that it's a cross breaking, as crosses generally don't notch, are they wearing thin at the time?

As far as the adjustment screw you mentioned, the further in you screw it, the looser the gripper will get, as it's a limiting screw (as to how far the grippers can travel. The further they travel, obviously, the more closed they get). So if you screwed it all the way in, and were getting actual damage, something is wrong with your machine. If you're getting a little bit of "texturing" on your string, that's generally OK, although a properly adjusted gripper shouldn't be leaving any really noticeable marks. Again, check for any sharp edges, or poorly finished bits on your machine.

 

[IwishIwasbetter]

I won't say it's normal, but it's not unusual to have gripper marks on certain strings. You should be more worried about any sharp edges on your gripper, those will be much worse for durability.

Are your strings heavily notched when they break? If so, tough luck my friend, that's just how the cookie crumbles

It IS sort of unusual that it's a cross breaking, as crosses generally don't notch, are they wearing thin at the time?

As far as the adjustment screw you mentioned, the further in you screw it, the looser the gripper will get, as it's a limiting screw (as to how far the grippers can travel. The further they travel, obviously, the more closed they get). So if you screwed it all the way in, and were getting actual damage, something is wrong with your machine. If you're getting a little bit of "texturing" on your string, that's generally OK, although a properly adjusted gripper shouldn't be leaving any really noticeable marks. Again, check for any sharp edges, or poorly finished bits on your machine.

thanks for replying, so it is normal to have those gripper marks on strings? I mean it is roughing up the string is all, there are no sharp edges anywhere on my string when i string my racket, also my strings are not breaking on the crosses, the mains are breaking every time , but it is just around the 4th or 5th cross..is that normal for it to break that high in the stringbed? It is breaking in the upper middle part of the stringbed i guess. Also, the strings re heavily notched before they break everytime i know because i am constantly checking the notching while i play.

about the string gripper i get what you are saying but my machine is brand new so i still don't get how its leaving marks when the screw is all the way tightened, but i will try tightening it all the way today iwith alu power and see if it happens again. Anyhow, do you adjust the screw for every string or do you just leave it as is? How much of the screw do you generally leave out? Is it ok just to tighten the screw in all the way so there is less pressure on the strings as long as the string isn't slipping from the gripper?

Thank you.

 

[dadozen]

One thing that I noticed only now is that even though you're using a fill poly job you're breaking the crosses. That is very unusual. In non-hybrid stringjobs, the maisn break almost 99% of the times.

In hybrid stringjobs, using a multi or syn gut on the crosses, and poly on the mains, then the crosses are the ones that break.

I still think that there's something wrong with your stringing. Maybe the problem you mentioned is the reason.

 

[IwishIwasbetter]

again, i am not breaking it in the crosses. I am breaking it in the mains around the 4th or 5th cross. Sorry if i didn't make that clear.

 

[diredesire]

thanks for replying, so it is normal to have those gripper marks on strings? I mean it is roughing up the string is all, there are no sharp edges anywhere on my string when i string my racket, also my strings are not breaking on the crosses, the mains are breaking every time , but it is just around the 4th or 5th cross..is that normal for it to break that high in the stringbed? It is breaking in the upper middle part of the stringbed i guess. Also, the strings re heavily notched before they break everytime i know because i am constantly checking the notching while i play.

about the string gripper i get what you are saying but my machine is brand new so i still don't get how its leaving marks when the screw is all the way tightened, but i will try tightening it all the way today iwith alu power and see if it happens again. Anyhow, do you adjust the screw for every string or do you just leave it as is? How much of the screw do you generally leave out? Is it ok just to tighten the screw in all the way so there is less pressure on the strings as long as the string isn't slipping from the gripper?

Thank you.

Ah, well, if you really have deep notching, you're out of luck. Your OP made it sound like you were breaking crosses, which had me .

Notching suggests that you really are breaking your strings "straight up." As far as the set screw, I don't really adjust it much at all except when stringing multis. Like i said, marks CAN be kind of normal, depending on strings and the texture of your gripper. I haven't strung for an extended period of time on the revos, so I can't make a definitive comment whether or not it's normal. I use the set screw so soft multis don't get crushed.

Sounds like you should consider a stiffer poly if you want more durability

 

[Virtua Tennis]

my stringing is fine, i feel the mains and stuff after i string it to make sure it is smooth and i have strung for a couple of my friends too and their strings last a lot longer. Also, i am not breaking them on mishits, they are breaking in the upper center but it is definitely not a mishit. Man, this really sucks. I think im gona have to try kevlar main/poly cross. Maybe it will give me more spin like Travlerajm stated, but for some reason, i can only sense some arm trouble coming

Don't worry you keep hitting with that extreme western grip you'll have arm problems in no time at all

 

[IwishIwasbetter]

Don't worry you keep hitting with that extreme western grip you'll have arm problems in no time at all

i use an eastern forehand grip but ok.

 

[Kevo]

I wonder what tension you are using, and also how you start the mains. It could be that the first pull is weakening the string where the starting clamp is holding it.

Also, if you are consistently hitting high in the string bed that could put a lot of extra stress on the string. It would be interesting to watch you hit on high speed.

I had a problem once with poly when I strung the crosses a few pounds lower than the mains. I was breaking the mains quite early. I adjusted the overall tension down, but kept the crosses the same as the mains and that helped quite a bit. No more pre-mature breakage.

 

[coyfish]

Think were closing in on your problem . Even if you do break poly that often its odd to break them in the same exact spot every time.

 

[J011yroger]

Even if you do break poly that often its odd to break them in the same exact spot every time.

?!?!

Everyone I know who is a frequent string breaker breaks in nearly the same spot every time.

J

 

[autumn_leaf]

?!?!

Everyone I know who is a frequent string breaker breaks in nearly the same spot every time.

J

yea, my friend beaks it in pretty much the exact same spot everytime. he's a very consistent hitter....he shanks the ball in the exact spot over and over again XD! this is funny...but not a joke...

 

[ronalditop]

yea, my friend beaks it in pretty much the exact same spot everytime. he's a very consistent hitter....he shanks the ball in the exact spot over and over again XD! this is funny...but not a joke...

This made me laugh

 

[coyfish]

?!?!

Everyone I know who is a frequent string breaker breaks in nearly the same spot every time.

J

I break my full poly strings weekly and they are generally in the same spot but not in the same exact cross. If every break is in the same exact cross then my guess would be something is off.