Time to get a stringer—Gamma X-ELS??

[Maria & Newport Breakers]

I have three kids (1g, 2b) playing tennis and now that they have entered their teens, the stringing costs are exploding. I just spent over $300 on getting 8 racquets strung. The boys especially are breaking strings constantly, and their coach wants them to restring poly after 15 hours to avoid injury.
I’m realizing we are going to spend thousands this year on stringing. It’s time to get a stringer, this thing will pay for itself in 90 days!
I’m scanning the options on TW and seeing the range from $6k Head to $2k gammas to cheaper drop weights.
Factors:
1. None of us know how to string. Kids want to learn, and so do I. Guy at our club says he can teach us.
2. They are fully committed, so this huge cost is not going away.
3. They all train 5-6 days per week and are now going through at least 2 racquets per week. So at least 6 per week. I do not plan to string for others.
4. Priorities are ease of use, consistency/repeatability of results, build quality, customer service of manufacturer. I strongly prefer to buy something high quality built to last. Cost is not an issue, but is the $6k machine hugely better than the $2k electrics? I am aware a competent stringer could do a great job with the cheapest machines.

What do you think of the Gamma X-ELS? Seems to have the bells and whistles, solid reviews, etc. Any recommendations for this machine for a busy family volume but not professional volume?? Please let me know your favorite for our type of situation.
Thanks!

 

[Irvin]

Tourna 700 is about $4K

 

[jim e]

I would prefer a linear tension head.
If something happened to my machine and it could not be fixed, I would go with the Alpha Ghost 2 or the Wilson Bairardo L. The more features the more enjoyable the process.. I know you said you don't plan on stringing for others, but possibly one of your kids would not mind making a few extra $ stringing for their friends in time. Given the volume of racquets with just your family, I would get the most machine that you can afford.
Join the USRSA and you get a lot of information on stringing. They have a good technical stringing manual, and The Digest, that has most racquet stringing patterns. Their online digest has patterns updated quickly. Being a new stringer, you also have access to calling one of their technicians if you get into a bind.
They do offer some discounts on machines to their members. I believe Tourna you can get a 10 percent discount, and Alpha is a 3 percent.
Watch some of the YULitle videos on YouTube, that is on the sticky section on these forums. Under stringing techniques / machines sticky. He does a decent job explaining the process.

 

[esgee48]

All good words in prior posts. My 3 cents are Tourna and Alpha eCPs but also include Stringway with fixed clamps. Only thing missing would be prestretch, but that can be mcgivered with a extra weight.

As for strings, if you’re settled, buy in reels. Buy packs only if testing. Many end up with more string than they can ever use.

Feel free to ask questions here. And be ready to post images since pictures are better at explaining issues.

 

[hadoken]

Given the amount of stringing you are doing, I think an electronic head is a must-have since it give you options like pre-stretch and a consistent way to set different tensions easily. Poly strings do not stretch much and I personally hate stringing poly on anything but an electronic head. The Gamma is fine BUT, the one thing I dislike about the lower priced e-stringing machines are the cone clamps....gravity clamps are much faster. You can always upgrade the clamps on the Gamma but since there is no budget restriction you might as well get an all-in-one solution with gravity clamps as standard.

Keep in mind machines are heavy. If you don't have a dedicated space for a floor model, then you are down to tabletops. Since you have a budget, I think a $4K floor machine from say Tourna, Alpha or Solinco would be fine and suit your needs. Tourna 700-es as someone else mentioned looks like a good bet. Looking at the pics online, you might be able to put caster wheels on it to make it more mobile as well.

 

[struggle]

Go big. It’ll be beans in the long run.

Oh, and let them learn to do it, you just chill.

 

[ichaseballs]

i think the gamma ELS is a good choice. the differences between a stringjob done between an ELS and a top end machine will be near impossible to tell apart. Gamma has good customer support, and from what I have seen Wilson outsources their support. A lot of college teams use an ELS, which tells you how good it is. if you don't mind spending the extra cash for a premium machine, then yes alpha ghost 2 or bairardo L. the new ELS machines also fixed the button issue by using a touch sensitive 'button'.

also consider if the kids are going to travel for tennis, then you may want to look into the portable "pro stringer".

 

[Garro]

I have had the Gamma ELS for almost 3 years and it has served me very well.

It’s pretty easy to just assemble and use, and it makes the stringing process a lot more fun and enjoyable than with a cheaper machine.

In all the time I’ve had it i haven’t had even one issue. I ended up buying a Gamma calibrator to test if my tension was off, but it never varied even a little bit.

As other users have said, there are certain bells and whistles you would get with an even higher end machine, but it’s debatable whether they are necessary. Certainly the ELS would be a good choice in your situation.

 

[thenewbig3]

Get the Alpha Ghost 2 - $3800 new - as per your calculations it should pay for itself in 171 days

Video Walkthrough

 

[ichaseballs]

OP keep us posted!
I would love to hear what you went with and how your initial experience is

 

[ichaseballs]

I have had the Gamma ELS for almost 3 years and it has served me very well.

It’s pretty easy to just assemble and use, and it makes the stringing process a lot more fun and enjoyable than with a cheaper machine.

In all the time I’ve had it i haven’t had even one issue. I even ended up buying a Gamma calibrator to test if my tension was off, but it never varied even a little bit.

As other users have said, there are certain bells and whistles you would get with an even higher end machine, but it’s debatable whether they are necessary. Certainly the ELS would be a good choice in your situation.

I calibrate my ELS with a Wise 2090 (Digital calibrator) and it generally needs a bit of adjusting to get it just right. (maybe if I relocated the machine or something)

 

[CVT]

I wanted the cheapest possible setup that was fixed clamp, electronic, and 6 pt. I wanted a decent vendor for support. I am using an Alpha Pioneer DC++ with a Wise tensioner. The Gamma ELS seems like a good choice, and the other recommendations on the thread are good too. For the amount of stringing you are doing, I agree with going higher end than I did. I was only stringing for myself, and I'm only a recreational player. I don't think the difference is huge between the various stringers, but you will want stringing to be as fun as possible with the number of racquets churning in your household.

 

[MaxSwing]

With my basic knowledge if you can afford to spend more then do so. The Ghost 2 does look like a great machine and I have seen it recommended many times, I dont string as much as it sounds like you will @Maria & Newport Breakers and I couldnt convince the wife that I should spend more than £2k but I went for something as good as I could get and am very very happy with it.

Hope you have fun choosing and that your kids keep enjoying tennis!

 

[koolio]

I bought my first stringing machine 3 years ago, and went with the Gamma X-ELS (mine is the older model, got it about a year before they redesigned the tensioner unit/buttons, but from what I can see it's functionally exactly the same). I would definitely recommend it. The only issue I've had is my tension button has started to get faulty (and it's a known issue) but the button is a $6 part that is easily replaceable (just pop the button out, unplug the wire and plug the wire into the replacement button). Gamma support has been absolutely phenomenal; they're based in Pittsburgh, knowledgeable, friendly, and most important they're easily accessible via phone or email.

One thing to know: if you get a tabletop machine (like the X-ELS), you'll want to purchase a stand for it (I believe the Gamma stand is around $250). You could use it on a table but that'll get tiring real quick.

Now that I've strung about 100+ racquets, I sort of wished I had two other creature comforts: a gravity clamp base (to tighten the base, you move a lever vs having to physically tighten the 'tab'), and a diablo tension head. Reasons: the gravity base just makes it a lot faster to tighten and release the base, and the diablo head requires less string to pull tension (compared to the circular gripper tension head). That said, when I bought my X-ELS (directly from Gamma) it was $1,300. Now, it's $2,100 (!!), and in order to get these two upgrades, you'll need to spend $3,600 - $4,000+. I called Gamma about buying the gravity base and it's expensive: $350 per base ($700). Great to know I can upgrade my machine but at that price, I'll stick with using hand muscle .

I see someone recommended the Alpha Ghost 2. A friend of mine that I play with regularly has had his for at least 4+ years and he's been super happy with it.

 

[cks]

I see someone recommended the Alpha Ghost 2

I bought a used Alpha Ghost 2. Solid machine. Love it.

 

[Maria & Newport Breakers]

Thanks all, for your input. I went with the Tourna 700, Irvin was able to steer me to a trusted vendor and hopefully we’ll be up and running soon.
Thanks again for the advice.

 

[MaxSwing]

Good luck and have fun! Go through the videos in the stickies here especially Yulite. The issue is staying away from bad advice (like Tennis Spin channel which I initially had seen but after learning more I see so many issues and mistakes by them!) when you dont know what is or isnt bad advice. The stickies I have linked are where you should start, then practice, then try and get on a training course / certification if you so desire.

Good luck!