So I've always used 17 gauge or thicker strings, I recently put on a 1.15mm Proline II on one of my racquets to try and I love everything about it. Except my grommets are breaking in two separate places, the parts that touch the strings in the inner hoop are tearing apart. I have never had grommet problems before in the past, is this happening to anyone else or is this just a bad coincidence?
Thin gauge bad for grommets?
- Thread starter pow
- Start date
Loco4Tennis
Hall of Fame
Tubing Nylon (10 ft.) Price: 3.50
[FONT=Verdana,arial,helvetica]Nylon tubing used to protect string and prevent string and frame contact due to worn or missing grommets. Comes in 10 ft. reel. [/FONT]
you can try this and see if it fits inside the grommet holes to help the factory ones
ive never used it aperanttly it fits inside the factory grommet
maybe someone whos used it can shine some light on this
[FONT=Verdana,arial,helvetica]Nylon tubing used to protect string and prevent string and frame contact due to worn or missing grommets. Comes in 10 ft. reel. [/FONT]
you can try this and see if it fits inside the grommet holes to help the factory ones
ive never used it aperanttly it fits inside the factory grommet
maybe someone whos used it can shine some light on this
Very thin and durable strings can actually attack a frame.
I am stringing an H Cosmo with 18g Ashaway Kevlar mains at 60#, Gosen 17 crosses. Despite the grommets, which I replaced recently, the string holes are beginning to "keyhole." The string is actually breaking down the frame material and sawing its way in, without cutting the grommet, just stretching it. I advised the customer and he chose to stick with the string and tension and deal with the demise of his frames whenever it happens.
I am stringing an H Cosmo with 18g Ashaway Kevlar mains at 60#, Gosen 17 crosses. Despite the grommets, which I replaced recently, the string holes are beginning to "keyhole." The string is actually breaking down the frame material and sawing its way in, without cutting the grommet, just stretching it. I advised the customer and he chose to stick with the string and tension and deal with the demise of his frames whenever it happens.
YULitle
Hall of Fame
Tubing Nylon (10 ft.) Price: 3.50
[FONT=Verdana,arial,helvetica]Nylon tubing used to protect string and prevent string and frame contact due to worn or missing grommets. Comes in 10 ft. reel. [/FONT]
you can try this and see if it fits inside the grommet holes to help the factory ones
ive never used it aperanttly it fits inside the factory grommet
maybe someone whos used it can shine some light on this
It does fit through the factory grommets, if you are lucky. Often times you have to heat and/or stretch the tubing to fit. When using the tubing, it is best to have the tubing only showing about 1/16-1/8 of an inch into the frame. When tensioning the string that is to go through the tubing, you may have to hold the tubing in its desired location, to keep it the friction from sliding the tubing into the frame.
Another option is individual replacement grommet. These come in a variety of sizes and are easier to use IMO.
-Kap-
Rookie
Has anyone else noticed this as well with thin gauges?
I have no intentions of using kevlar, but is there reason to be wary with 1.20mm and thinner polys?
Bud
Bionic Poster
Has anyone else noticed this as well with thin gauges?
I have no intentions of using kevlar, but is there reason to be wary with 1.20mm and thinner polys?
Yeah, thin, stiff string puts quite a bit more stress on grommets. Just like a woman's high heel concentrates weight is a much smaller area. Ever notice the marks a hefty woman with spiked heels leaves in soft flooring?
Imagine a hair thin piano wire pulled at 100 pounds on a plastic grommet. It will slice through it like a knife.
I'd be more concerned with something like kevlar that stretches very little under tension.
Bud
Bionic Poster
Yeah, don't care for plastic tubing. You have to pull it to decrease the diameter... then, it's almost too small for string larger than 17g.
Anyone care to share any tubing 'secrets'?
-Kap-
Rookie
Thanks for the reply and reasoning, Bud. I would expect that a thinner gauge would cut into the grommets a bit more, but I was referring more to the frame damage that kinsella described, despite the grommets remaining intact. I'd hate to sacrifice a frame just to play with a thinner string.
Has anyone out there noticed any ill effects with an 18g poly as opposed to a 17g?
Yes, like in my first post, I always used 17g and I have had no problems and ever since I tried 1.15mm, there's been two parts on my grommet that has chipped off in the inner rim.
I don't think 17g would be a problem, I've used 17g just fine in the past, it's not far off from 16g and since you're stringing at 40 lbs that should also help. I had the 1.15mm poly strung at 55lbs.
YULitle
Hall of Fame
carguy
Rookie
yes, thin stiff poly string like cyberflash 17L or 18 and luxilon timo will definitely cut into grommets. damage to the grommets usually occurs where the string is not "relatively" parallel to the grommet outlet. however, softer polys like ts poly polar and msv focus are relatively grommet friendly.
EDIT: i suspect that poly strung at higher tensions seem to cause more damage ... but i haven't done enough racquets with thin poly at different tensions to make a definitive conclusion on this.
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Loco4Tennis
Hall of Fame
i think your onto something here
maybe stringing at 70 would really dig into the grommet, spoceially the ones where its bending the plastic grommet
if i were running into this problem and stringing that high i think i would use the tubing on does grommet holes
i am getting some tubing soon so i'll be able to see first hand on this, i use 17g from time to time and have not noticed any special problem there, but then again i dont string that high, i usually string between 57-62 lbs
carguy
Rookie
nope, i've seen the grommet damage at 57lbs tension with stiff poly string. otoh, i've strung softer 17g mf string (xcel prem) at 62 with absolutely no grommet damage at all.
Loco4Tennis
Hall of Fame
there are some factor in play too, like condition of the grommet material, whether you string hihg or low if the plastic is dry then its going to break, but same can be true for the other end of the spectrum, a new racquet is going to have good grommets that will be able to bend to the stress
but i think its safe to say that a tinner string pulled tighter has a better chance to destroy a grommet when the conditions are right
but i think its safe to say that a tinner string pulled tighter has a better chance to destroy a grommet when the conditions are right
ericykchan
Rookie
Found this old thread... I use 19g string and even trying to experience really low tension, e.g. 35lb to 40lb. Any idea if the added string movement will kill the grommets?
LOBALOT
Hall of Fame
If it is splitting at the tie off's that is one thing as it is related to how the stringing is doing that. Otherwise, I have not seen issues.
In the end I would say if you like the way the racquet performs with thinner string I would continue to use it vs. something that doesn't perform as well for you.
In the end I would say if you like the way the racquet performs with thinner string I would continue to use it vs. something that doesn't perform as well for you.
esgee48
G.O.A.T.
The answer is generally no, thin gauges will not damage grommets. However there are always exceptions such as using thin Kevlar at high tensions. Since Kevlar does not stretch under ordinary ball impacts, the frame and mainly the grommet system have to deform instead of the string stretching. This could potentially damage grommets but if tensions are not absurded, grommets will be fine. If tie off grommets are damaged by knots, that is also not a string issue per se. It is the stringer's fault if they mess up a grommet with a poorly seated knot. Similarly if a knot pulls thru, that is also the stringer's fault.
edit: Forgot to mention that this assumes grommets are in good/pristine condition to begin with. To keep them that way, I generally wipe the frame with polish or spirits [not ghosts!] to keep them from drying out whenever I do a string job.
edit: Forgot to mention that this assumes grommets are in good/pristine condition to begin with. To keep them that way, I generally wipe the frame with polish or spirits [not ghosts!] to keep them from drying out whenever I do a string job.
