Hello all! I just did my first 5 racquets on my Tourna 300-CS machine and wanted to give a write-up on my initial impressions as there seems to be a bit of interest in this machine in this forum. As a bit of background, I decided to go with the Tourna versus similarly priced machines because of the self-leveling 6-point mounting system it has, which I grew to favor from my days stringing professionally on Babolat Star 3/4/5 machines. AFAIK, this the only machine with this mounting style at the sub-$1000 price point that does not come from Eagnas. I am also planning on converting my CS-300 to an electronic constant-pull with the Wise 2086 Tension Head in the future.
UPS dropped off my stringer this past Tuesday. It comes in one box, about 65 lbs. and is very well packed with multiple layers of Styrofoam sheets protecting the machine and cardboard boxes holding the accessories and stand sections. When you unpack the box, the entire table assembly, including the tensioner and tensioner "rail", comes out in one piece. The only thing that needs to be assembled is the stand, which involves mounting the column to the base, attaching the tool tray and inserting the height-adjustment knob. Once that's done, you lower the table assembly onto the column, tighten up the height-adjustment knob to your preferred height and insert the V-supports and clamps onto the table. The tensioner comes with the tension brake fixed for shipping and the tension set to its lowest setting of 9 lbs. Total time for unpacking and assembly was about 40 minutes. The machine was free of any defects that I could tell...no missing parts, no scratches or dents and everything went together as described in the adequate assemble guide. One interesting "surprise" is that the quality of the paintwork is very high...the paint is thick, smoothly finished and glossy. All tools needed for assembly were included, as well as bolt and hex wrenches to de-assemble the table and tensioner for repair and maintenance. A straight awl and needle nose pliers are also included...not the highest quality, though. The machine itself is made in Taiwan, most likely by Xpider.
I checked the tensioner using a spring-based calibrator and found it to be spot on with the "54" setting on the tensioner showing almost level to the "55" mark on the calibrator. The over-all quality of the machine is very high for this price point. The metal work is very good...there are no edges that are rough or unfinished. Of particular importance, the table surface is machined very well, with the clamps' swiveling action being free and smooth all along their tracks. Even the tensioner's fairing is metal, not the high-impact plastic of the earlier Ektelon H/Neos machines I have experience with. Clamps are spring assisted with micro-adjustment dials...the levers operate with a very positive action making it easy to set just the right amount of force needed to prevent string slippage without causing any damage. The mounting support arms are big and machined extremely well, with multiple options to fit the V-supports for not only placement, but angulation as well. The adjustments for all the mounting support functions are done with knobs...this is a very ergonomic and easy-to-use machine.
Since Tuesday evening, I've strung a 3-stripe Prince Original Graphite with Ashaway Crossfire ZX Tour (Poly/Zyex hybrid at 50/56 lbs.), 2 new-old-stock Wilson Profile 3.0's with Gamma Livewire XP17 and Glide hybrid (60 lbs.) and 2 Yamaha Secret 04's with Forten Thin Blend (Kevlar/Synthetic hybrid at 54/58 lbs.). The machine was simply a joy to use. It was very evident that the clamps, their swivel bases and the tensioner were a bit stiff starting off, but by the fourth racquet, things have loosened up quite nicely. I did have to put some Tri-Flow lubricant in the ball-races of the linear string gripper as it had some sticking issues releasing the string after releasing the tensioner brake...this was a quick and easy fix that eliminated the sticking issue completely. Aside from that, there were no issues: table rotation is smooth and free, the clamps and tensioner work great and the mounting system is simply awesome...no slippage, movement or deformation.
Prior to actually getting my Tourna delivered and set-up, I was wondering about two things: "How much machine could I be getting for $995.00?" and "What would the fit-and-finish level be?" Well, first, it turns out that the 300-CS operates every bit as good any lock-out/crank machine I've ever used, with the added plus of that self-leveling mounting system you can't get at this price point. And, two, the quality of the machine and how it's been manufactured is excellent...it's every bit as good, or better, as similar machines from Gamma, Alpha, etc.
I bought the Tourna 300-CS for use as my personal machine and, in this capacity, it's hard for me to think that there could be a better machine...new...for under a grand.
Arvin C
UPS dropped off my stringer this past Tuesday. It comes in one box, about 65 lbs. and is very well packed with multiple layers of Styrofoam sheets protecting the machine and cardboard boxes holding the accessories and stand sections. When you unpack the box, the entire table assembly, including the tensioner and tensioner "rail", comes out in one piece. The only thing that needs to be assembled is the stand, which involves mounting the column to the base, attaching the tool tray and inserting the height-adjustment knob. Once that's done, you lower the table assembly onto the column, tighten up the height-adjustment knob to your preferred height and insert the V-supports and clamps onto the table. The tensioner comes with the tension brake fixed for shipping and the tension set to its lowest setting of 9 lbs. Total time for unpacking and assembly was about 40 minutes. The machine was free of any defects that I could tell...no missing parts, no scratches or dents and everything went together as described in the adequate assemble guide. One interesting "surprise" is that the quality of the paintwork is very high...the paint is thick, smoothly finished and glossy. All tools needed for assembly were included, as well as bolt and hex wrenches to de-assemble the table and tensioner for repair and maintenance. A straight awl and needle nose pliers are also included...not the highest quality, though. The machine itself is made in Taiwan, most likely by Xpider.
I checked the tensioner using a spring-based calibrator and found it to be spot on with the "54" setting on the tensioner showing almost level to the "55" mark on the calibrator. The over-all quality of the machine is very high for this price point. The metal work is very good...there are no edges that are rough or unfinished. Of particular importance, the table surface is machined very well, with the clamps' swiveling action being free and smooth all along their tracks. Even the tensioner's fairing is metal, not the high-impact plastic of the earlier Ektelon H/Neos machines I have experience with. Clamps are spring assisted with micro-adjustment dials...the levers operate with a very positive action making it easy to set just the right amount of force needed to prevent string slippage without causing any damage. The mounting support arms are big and machined extremely well, with multiple options to fit the V-supports for not only placement, but angulation as well. The adjustments for all the mounting support functions are done with knobs...this is a very ergonomic and easy-to-use machine.
Since Tuesday evening, I've strung a 3-stripe Prince Original Graphite with Ashaway Crossfire ZX Tour (Poly/Zyex hybrid at 50/56 lbs.), 2 new-old-stock Wilson Profile 3.0's with Gamma Livewire XP17 and Glide hybrid (60 lbs.) and 2 Yamaha Secret 04's with Forten Thin Blend (Kevlar/Synthetic hybrid at 54/58 lbs.). The machine was simply a joy to use. It was very evident that the clamps, their swivel bases and the tensioner were a bit stiff starting off, but by the fourth racquet, things have loosened up quite nicely. I did have to put some Tri-Flow lubricant in the ball-races of the linear string gripper as it had some sticking issues releasing the string after releasing the tensioner brake...this was a quick and easy fix that eliminated the sticking issue completely. Aside from that, there were no issues: table rotation is smooth and free, the clamps and tensioner work great and the mounting system is simply awesome...no slippage, movement or deformation.
Prior to actually getting my Tourna delivered and set-up, I was wondering about two things: "How much machine could I be getting for $995.00?" and "What would the fit-and-finish level be?" Well, first, it turns out that the 300-CS operates every bit as good any lock-out/crank machine I've ever used, with the added plus of that self-leveling mounting system you can't get at this price point. And, two, the quality of the machine and how it's been manufactured is excellent...it's every bit as good, or better, as similar machines from Gamma, Alpha, etc.
I bought the Tourna 300-CS for use as my personal machine and, in this capacity, it's hard for me to think that there could be a better machine...new...for under a grand.
Arvin C
[j/k]
