Hi There Forum....
First time poster, novice stringer!
Although I'm getting a better feel for string measurement, there are still a few things I'm yet to understand.
One of them is, many tutorials suggest that string should be measured out according to the length of the racquet.
In this case, surely the pattern can make a huge difference ?
I mean, a 16x18 will need less than an 18x20 on the same sized head...right?
I got caught out badly on a Head Gravity 2021 the other day....now I'm paranoid.
I had used the measurement from Klipspringer and it was way short.....HELP!!
Here's how I do it:
I consider an average racquet to be 27" long with a 16x19 pattern. I also string with poly strings the majority of the time, so that's what I'll be using for my initial process.
For an average racquet, I know I have enough string if I measure off 8.5 racquet lengths for the mains, and about 8 + an extra handle length for the crosses. This generally gives me enough without having a ton of extra string, but also enough that I'm not worried about coming up short at all.
From there, I adjust accordingly. If I have more mains or crosses (18x20, 18x19, 16x20, etc) I will increase the string I pull accordingly. If I have fewer mains or crosses (16x18), I have an extended length racquet (over 27" long), or I have a string that will stretch more (a multifilament or synthetic gut), then I decrease my pulls accordingly.
If it's my first time stringing that racquet/string, I will err on the side of too much string rather than too little. When I'm done, I make a note (either physical or mental) about how much extra string I have, and try to minimize the extra string on future string jobs. I may waste a couple feet of string on the first string job, but it's worth it for the peace of mind and never having to worry about coming up short and wasting almost 40 feet of string.
For example, on a 100" 18x20 with a stiff poly, I might say "9+ mains, 8.5 crosses" meaning I need a little over 9 racquet lengths to comfortably string the mains, and 8.5 for the crosses. But for a 16x19 racquet that's 28" long with a multifilament I might adjust it to 8 mains, 7.5 crosses.
The more you string, the better you'll get at estimating how much you need, because you're right, not all racquets and strings will need the same amount of string.