Hello Mark. I am an experienced stringer who used to string professionally in clubs and in the retail space back in my college days, so I have been fortunate enough to use a lot of different machines. After doing a ton of research, I recently ordered a Tourna 300-CS for my own personal use and think that it will serve you quite well. For me, the biggest reason I went with the Tourna is that it features an auto-leveling mounting system. This means that when you're mounting the racquet, you only have to turn two dials (one for the upper support arms and one for the lower support arms) for the support arms to close in to mount the racquet. With this type of mounting system, you are virtually assured of mounting the racquet centrally and level, with even pressure applied to the frame. This is very much the same mounting system used on high-end professional models like Babolat's Star and Sensor machines, Wilson's Baiardo and Alpha's Ghost, among others. With the Axis Pro, you would use separate dials for each side on both the upper and lower mounting arms. This could result in uneven mounting and pressure applied to the frame. This is a huge difference, IMHO. Other than this, the two machines pretty much the same.
As far as Tourna's history with stringing machines, I wouldn't worry. The lock-out design is very mature at this point and is considered pretty much bullet proof. Tourna/Unique Sports is a solid company that has been in the tennis industry a long time, with headquarters based right outside of Atlanta. We did a ton of business with them when I was working clubs as well as the tennis retail super warehouse I strung at and they were always top-notch to deal with. Also, Tennis Machines (near St. Louis, MO) are authorized for Tourna machine service, so once the 2-year warranty passes, getting parts and service shouldn't be an issue. I plan on eventually getting the Wise 2086 electronic tension head to use with my 300-CS, turning it into a machine that will have the features and performance of the Babolat Star 3/4/5 machines I loved using.
I must also admit that there is a rather large internet retail site that will allow you to break-up the purchase of the 300-CS into 5 payments, interest free, which was also a huge factor in my decision. But even with that aside, the mounting system of 300-CS is really a huge difference at this price point. Just my $0.02 worth...Hope this helps!
Arvin C
