Stringing Machines & Limited Space

K

Katzenjammer

Rookie
Greetings all!

So, my wife and I live in an east coast city, right in the center; and we have a lovely townhouse floor-through, but space is -- shall we say -- somewhat limited.

I would like to start stringing our own racquets; partly to save money (at least in the longterm), and partly because I'm a gearhead and love to tweak and experiment, etc.

On the one hand, if space weren't an issue I would consider purchasing a Gamma X-ELS. It seems like a very high quality machine; my brother purchased one (his first too) and absolutely loves it; no regrets, etc. But he lives in the burbs with a nice big Man Cave, which means that he can have it out all the time. And it bothers no one. I would have to put it away and take it out every few weeks or so; which is doable I suppose.

On the other hand, I am also considering the Pro Stringer. It's tiny, and easily stow-able. We can travel with it. And best of all: I hear it makes a superb martini.

Just in terms of pure functionality/durability, of course, the Gamma is the better choice; there are always compromises when you engineer something so small. But space is always an issue. The Pro Stringer has pretty good functionality; pros seem to love it, and the people behind it seem quite innovative, imo.

So, either Gamma and put up with the storage issue; or the Pro Stringer and simply learn how to use it well.

Any other suggestions? Advice?

Thanks!
 
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My wife and I live in a very small condominium. In spite of it we have a stand up crank machine with a WISE head in the dining room. Some things just aren’t worth making compromises.

You ever heard that phrase, “there’s always room for ice cream?” Well, in my book, there’s always room for a stringing machine. :)
 
am1899 said:
My wife and I live in a very small condominium. In spite of it we have a stand up crank machine with a WISE head in the dining room. Some things just aren’t worth making compromises.

You ever heard that phrase, “there’s always room for ice cream?” Well, in my book, there’s always room for a stringing machine. :)
Click to expand...
Standupnfall said:
Remove wife, add whatever machine you want. I say Baiardo.
Click to expand...

Haha, lots of good options here once I shift my perspective to: what is a dining room really for? And get my priorities straight wrt wife.
 
You can typically put a cover over machine and move it to a corner in a room out of the way. I would suggest get as much machine as you can afford, as in end you will be happier. No one ever complains that they bought too much of a machine when it comes to a stringer, and when you don't have enough of a machine, or it's not as you expected, many try to sell what they have and upgrade later, and most take a loss on that.
 
Funnily, we actually bought the Gamma X-ELS, tried traveling with it to drivable tournaments and just couldn't deal with the hassle lugging that around, much less attempt to fly with it. My 10 year old had difficulty moving it around too, so we left it in the equipment room. We switched to a Pro Stringer 2.0, which has pretty much all we need in terms of tension range (40-65lbs), super portability, consistent string jobs and reliability. We've had it since 2020 and have hundreds of string jobs on it, dropped it multiple times and it still works very well. The kids can string on the patio, in the kitchen, and their rooms, anywhere in the house where there's a table top large enough, and put it back in the dry room when not used.
The learning curve is about the same as using the Gamma, especially if you're just learning how to string. I had a klippermate in high school myself. 30 years later, the PS is just easier.
Obviously our needs are different from yours. We wanted something that was portable and easy to travel with. Setting it up takes about 3 minutes. My kids (12 and 15) can restring in 20 minutes now. I'm still around 25-28 mins, with much less dexterous fingers and practice.

Here is my review of it:


Katzenjammer said:
Greetings all!

So, my wife and I live in an east coast city, right in the center; and we have a lovely townhouse floor-through, but space is -- shall we say -- somewhat limited.

I would like to start stringing our own racquets; partly to save money (at least in the longterm), and partly because I'm a gearhead and love to tweak and experiment, etc.

On the one hand, if space weren't an issue I would consider purchasing a Gamma X-ELS. It seems like a very high quality machine; my brother purchased one (his first too) and absolutely loves it; no regrets, etc. But he lives in the burbs with a nice big Man Cave, which means that he can have it out all the time. And it bothers no one. I would have to put it away and take it out every few weeks or so; which is doable I suppose.

On the other hand, I am also considering the Pro Stringer. It's tiny, and easily stow-able. We can travel with it. And best of all: I hear it makes a superb martini.

Just in terms of pure functionality/durability, of course, the Gamma is the better choice; there are always compromises when you engineer something so small. But space is always an issue; it has pretty good functionality; pros seem to love it, and the people behind it seem quite innovative, imo.

So, either Gamma and put up with the storage issue; or the Pro Stringer and simply learn how to use it well.

Any other suggestions? Advice?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
Sardines said:
...Obviously our needs are different from yours. We wanted something that was portable and easy to travel with. Setting it up takes about 3 minutes. My kids (12 and 15) can restring in 20 minutes now. I'm still around 25-28 mins, with much less dexterous fingers and practice.

Here is my review of it:
Click to expand...

Wow, many thanks - there's a lot for me to read though. I'll post any questions there?
 
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I would suggest reaching out directly to the Pro Stringer sales department. At one point they had a limited supply of a higher end digital machine that has not yet been made available to the masses. It was soft launched presumably due to limited supply and to collect feedback. If available, it may be exactly what you are seeking.
 
Gamma Progression II or X. Or rent a small storage unit you don't tell wifey about and go there to string/hang. Then you could have a stand up with all your stuff. Or if your name is solely on the townhouse, dump the wife and enjoy life...(might want to study up on the marriage law in your state though before you have "the talk" and you've got something set aside......this assuming the marriage is on the rocks in the first place:(). If she's a bossy woman, just pack your prized possessions while she's showering and make small trips to said storage facility. Don't take too much at one time...you have to be careful and suttle. Then, leave a note and tell her, "It's been real, now go take a hike........assuming you hate her and she treats you poorly...:giggle:). Or while you're at the storage facility, over time, you can construct a sort of time machine and never have gotten married in the first place... :D You Win either way!
 
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There are some good threads out there if you search on this topic on the use/setup of various carts. If it were me I would not get a Prostringer but get a tabletop and put it on a cart and slide the thing away in a coat closet or something. If you pick out the right one you can store all the string you need in it so it is ready to go.
 
Thanks everyone! I have also been looking at the Alpha Revo 4000. Seems like a superb machine; peeps seem to like it here on this board. And it seems a bit more manageable space/weight-wise than the gamma, no?

A Defenseless Creature said:
I would suggest reaching out directly to the Pro Stringer sales department. At one point they had a limited supply of a higher end digital machine that has not yet been made available to the masses. It was soft launched presumably due to limited supply and to collect feedback. If available, it may be exactly what you are seeking.
Click to expand...

Do you mean the next version coming out? If so, yes I've been in contact with them about that; addresses many of the issues previously occurring with the 2.0 (clearance for weaving mains, the pulling via the throat issue, etc.). Or do you mean a totally separate machine? Those guys are really continuing to innovate. I like them.
 
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Katzenjammer said:
Do you mean the next version coming out? If so, yes I've been in contact with them about that; addresses many of the issues previously occurring with the 2.0 (clearance for weaving mains, the pulling via the throat issue, etc.). Those guys are really continuing to innovate. I like them.
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As you can see, products made for different uses can be controversial, especially since many of the opinions against are non-users who have never even seen the machine in real life. It's worse than Wilson vs Babolat vs Yonex, or briefs vs boxers! :p :laughing:
I have the new X mount (2-6 pt) and it is very much easier to weave crosses for me, who does not have the dexterity and flexibility of my teenagers. Many of limitations of the PS 2.0 are addressed in the PS X machine, which I am contemplating. It's 100% more $$, which is quite cost prohibitive for many. Read the thread first to see if it's for you. I probably should update it with our new claws etc.
Katzenjammer said:
Wow, many thanks - there's a lot for me to read though. I'll post any questions there?
Click to expand...
That is what the thread is for. You just have to sift through the noise for information.
 
Sardines said:
As you can see, products made for different uses can be controversial, especially since many of the opinions against are non-users who have never even seen the machine in real life. It's worse than Wilson vs Babolat vs Yonex, or briefs vs boxers! :p :laughing:
I have the new X mount (2-6 pt) and it is very much easier to weave crosses for me, who does not have the dexterity and flexibility of my teenagers. Many of limitations of the PS 2.0 are addressed in the PS X machine, which I am contemplating. It's 100% more $$, which is quite cost prohibitive for many. Read the thread first to see if it's for you. I probably should update it with our new claws etc.

That is what the thread is for. You just have to sift through the noise for information.
Click to expand...

I have seen it used and still would prefer a regular machine.

Having traveled a ton to tournaments we always had our racquets strung up before we left. When we got there if we needed them strung (which was rare) we either knew the stringer in that town from having been there so many times or other players knew who could be trusted to string racquets and would reference a stringer for us.

Traveling with a machine really didn't make much sense.
 
Any table top could do the trick. I have a Stringway that I use on my kitchen counter.

With the drop bar removed and stored in the base (3 second job) it is a package of 74 cm long, 22 cm wide and 32 high. I store the machine behind a chair in my workspace.
 
LOBALOT said:
I have seen it used and still would prefer a regular machine.

Having traveled a ton to tournaments we always had our racquets strung up before we left. When we got there if we needed them strung (which was rare) we either knew the stringer in that town from having been there so many times or other players knew who could be trusted to string racquets and would reference a stringer for us.

Traveling with a machine really didn't make much sense.
Click to expand...
I can understand wanting to reduce the number of possible snafus when traveling for tournaments. Personally, I'd do exactly the same.
 
It doesn't make much sense to you, because you don't need an ultra portable machine. The point of giving information to people in forums is to help them make a decision based on their needs, not our own, especially when it comes to preferences. To say you have seen it being used, not having used it or played with a racquet strung with it, is unfairly based on biased assumptions, and not actual experience of using the PS and playing with racquets restrung with it.
I have strung my own sticks, but still send my sticks to an ATP/Yonex team pro stringer every other week at my club to restring, cos I don't have the time, or want to do it. I'm at the point where I can't tell the difference anymore, and that was blind tested, on a Playsight court. Neither can the local D1 university guys I hit with sometimes. Their team stringer uses both a Wilson at the center and a PSX on the road. He says none of the players can tell the difference.
If journeyman touring pros, top 10 D1 schools and tournament juniors are using these machines, then the PS gives consistent string jobs for high level players. I think that stands for itself, and whatever preferences be it fixed clamp, multiple mounting points etc etc, are just those, preferences, and have little to do with the outcome of a string job. Once the stringer knows how to get the tension right and work within the design, it's consistent. I don't think there's much more to ask for.
As for needs and necessity, ours includes international travel for tournaments for a few weeks at a time, so prestringing 3 sticks could still mean having to restring for breakage, weather/court conditions etc. Then there's dealing with ITF stringers who make you wait in line to charge $25+ per shot and don't even want to put the leather pads (prefolded) on 4 strings on my stick, without extra charge, or one refused and argued there was no need, and said he'd restring it if it snapped, which it did, and he refused to honor it, even when I provided my own gut. I've had one where I asked for tie offs on the crosses and he insisted on doing it on the mains, 2 days in a row too. And that's for a ITF1000 event! My kids also had their own nightmares with tournament stringers.
Now we just sit at a cafe or park, at the hotel or even onsite, and string in 25 mins, whether for pre/mid match restrings for changing conditions, or even tension change etc. Just 2 months ago in South Korea for the J300, we were told there a long wait for restring, as the weather went chilly and several parents/players asked my kids to restring for them before the match. We were also politely told not to restring on site anymore. Haha
LOBALOT said:
I have seen it used and still would prefer a regular machine.

Having traveled a ton to tournaments we always had our racquets strung up before we left. When we got there if we needed them strung (which was rare) we either knew the stringer in that town from having been there so many times or other players knew who could be trusted to string racquets and would reference a stringer for us.

Traveling with a machine really didn't make much sense.
Click to expand...
 
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if you’re going to get a machine outside of something super portable, get something you can put casters/wheels so you can push it out of the way. Any tabletop w/ or w/o wise still need to be moved physically, which means you have lug a turntable and platform in and out of a closet or some storage place.
 
Sardines said:
It doesn't make much sense to you, because you don't need an ultra portable machine. The point of giving information to people in forums is to help them make a decision based on their needs, not our own, especially when it comes to preferences. To say you have seen it being used, not having used it or played with a racquet strung with it, is unfairly based on biased assumptions, and not actual experience of using the PS and playing with racquets restrung with it.
I have strung my own sticks, but still send my sticks to an ATP/Yonex team pro stringer every other week at my club to restring, cos I don't have the time, or want to do it. I'm at the point where I can't tell the difference anymore, and that was blind tested, on a Playsight court. Neither can the local D1 university guys I hit with sometimes. Their team stringer uses both a Wilson at the center and a PSX on the road. He says none of the players can tell the difference.
If journeyman touring pros, top 10 D1 schools and tournament juniors are using these machines, then the PS gives consistent string jobs for high level players. I think that stands for itself, and whatever preferences be it fixed clamp, multiple mounting points etc etc, is just that, a preference, and has nothing to do with the outcome of a string job. Once the stringer knows how to get the tension right and work within the design, it's consistent. I don't think there's much more to ask for.
As for needs and necessity, ours includes international travel for tournaments for a few weeks at a time, so prestringing 3 sticks could still mean having to restring for breakage, weather/court conditions etc. Then there's dealing with ITF stringers who make you wait in line to charge $25+ per shot and don't even want to put the leather pads (prefolded) on 4 strings on my stick, without extra charge, or one refused and argued there was no need, and said he'd restring it if it snapped, which it did, and he refused to honor it, even when I provided my own gut. I've had one where I asked for tie offs on the crosses and he insisted on doing it on the mains, 2 days in a row too. And that's for a ITF1000 event! My kids also had their own nightmares with tournament stringers.
Now we just sit at a cafe or park, at the hotel or even onsite, and string in 25 mins, whether for pre/mid match restrings for changing conditions, or even tension change etc. Just 2 months ago in South Korea for the J300, we were told there a long wait for restring, as the weather went chilly and several parents/players asked my kids to restring for them before the match. We were also politely told not to restring on site anymore. Haha
Click to expand...

I understand. I responding to your previous post indicating those with opposing views haven't seen it used. Well I was responding that I have seen it used.

No I have not hit with a stick off of it but son has and having watched the stringing process I wouldn't have it strung again on the machine.

I am glad the machine is working for you and mean nothing ill of your choice of a machine. It just is not for me.
 
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I'll just say this - if you want to enjoy stringing, get a decent stringing machine. Otherwise, it will be a chore.
It doesn't have to be a Baiardo, but something you have to wrestle with will be, well, something you have to wrestle with.
 
The Stringway MS-140 is a totally viable option as well. Not as portable as a Pro Stringer, but more like a standard stringer in its operation, and room to weave crosses as normal. Plus it’s less expensive. All you need is a suitable table you can clamp it to when in use. And BTW I was also perfectly happy with a Gamma X-2 with Stringway clamps. Was my setup for years when space was a concern. Though I know many would disagree and are proponents of more machine!
 
Others may feel differently, but for several years I used the Klippermate, and I had no issues whatsoever about the quality of string jobs. I was a little limited on widely spaced crosses (other floating clamps would solve that)and a couple of other small points, but it was light and I could fit it on my closet floor. I now have a Gamma X-6FC, and it would not fit in that same closet. I built a small, two-tiered table where it sits at knee height in the dining room. I would love (and absolutely do NOT need, for the amount I string) an electronic machine, but the weight would be discouraging. Not impossible, but we get old.

My son has lived in Manhattan and S.F., and it may be that some people don't get how small "small" can be, living space wise. So a Klippermate or the Gamma X-2 as above, why not try a drop weight and prepare to love it?
 
WYK said:
It doesn't have to be a Baiardo, but something you have to wrestle with will be, well, something you have to wrestle with.
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Funny you say that, cos that reminded me of what I said to my wife, when my eldest did research and came up with TMS machine. In the TMS demo video, where the user has to brace the mount while pulling down on the drop weight. I said to my wife, imagine our 9 year old wrestling with that machine!
 
I've been using my Pro Stringer for 10 years next year! Still going strong.... :cool:
When I lived in a unit I used to store in easily in a cupboard in the laundry, now it live under my desk in my study, super portable and compact....
 
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