Two piece stringing and Blade 98S

GN-001

Semi-Pro
I usually string two piece for all my racquets and for customers. Today a customer handed me a Blade 98S with an 18x16 pattern. I checked TW's specs description and it says:
18 Mains / 16 Crosses
Mains skip: 8T,10T,8H,10H
One Piece
No Shared Holes

Why one piece for this racquet? Besides the ATW stringing method, is there still any point in doing the normal one piece stringing method anymore? I thought it is not recommended to string bottom up? I'm wondering if some racquets are recommended to be done in one piece to avoid crossovers

This article suggests all tournaments should adopt two piece stringing: http://www.tennisindustrymag.com/articles/2013/04/18_racquet_stringing_is_two_be.html
 

esgee48

G.O.A.T.
name BLADE 98 S [T=tip of hoop, B=bottom of hoop]
range 50 - 60
lengths 20'M - 18'C
pattern 18M X 16C
skip mains 8,10T - 8,10B
MTO 9B
1st cross 8T
XTO 6T - 7B

This says 2 piece or an ATW is required. You can do it this way or TW's way. If it were me, I would do an ATW as long as it is not a hybrid.
 

Wes

Hall of Fame
Don't necessarily take the TW specs descriptions as gospel. ;)
Just because they have it listed as "One Piece" doesn't carry a lot of weight. You have to take this kind of info with a grain of salt.
After all, if you want a hybrid, you can't use a 1pc. method, right?

You're correct about it not being a good idea to install crosses bottom up (that's the whole concept behind ATW patterns - they allow you to string 1pc. (on frames which have the mains ending at the throat) yet still install the crosses from the top down (thereby avoiding the bottom up alternative).

So...
if your mains end at the head:
a) use the standard "natural" 1pc. method... or
b) use 2pc. method

if your mains end at the throat:
a) use a 1pc. ATW pattern... or
b) use 2pc. method
 

GN-001

Semi-Pro
name BLADE 98 S [T=tip of hoop, B=bottom of hoop]
range 50 - 60
lengths 20'M - 18'C
pattern 18M X 16C
skip mains 8,10T - 8,10B
MTO 9B
1st cross 8T
XTO 6T - 7B

This says 2 piece or an ATW is required. You can do it this way or TW's way. If it were me, I would do an ATW as long as it is not a hybrid.

Don't necessarily take the TW specs descriptions as gospel. ;)
Just because they have it listed as "One Piece" doesn't carry a lot of weight. You have to take this kind of info with a grain of salt.
After all, if you want a hybrid, you can't use a 1pc. method, right?

You're correct about it not being a good idea to install crosses bottom up (that's the whole concept behind ATW patterns - they allow you to string 1pc. (on frames which have the mains ending at the throat) yet still install the crosses from the top down (thereby avoiding the bottom up alternative).

So...
if your mains end at the head:
a) use the standard "natural" 1pc. method... or
b) use 2pc. method

if your mains end at the throat:
a) use a 1pc. ATW pattern... or
b) use 2pc. method

Thanks for the reply! That clears it up for me.
 

Wes

Hall of Fame
If it were me, I would do an ATW as long as it is not a hybrid.

@GN-001
FWIW, I recently strung a Blade 98S (not a hybrid) and was going to go with the ATW (much cleaner runs on the outside of the frame... not to mention 2 feet less to cut off the reel), but ultimately did it 2pc. (because it was specifically requested).

So, I completely concur with esgee48's comment above.
 

toby55555

Hall of Fame
name BLADE 98 S [T=tip of hoop, B=bottom of hoop]
range 50 - 60
lengths 20'M - 18'C
pattern 18M X 16C
skip mains 8,10T - 8,10B
MTO 9B
1st cross 8T
XTO 6T - 7B

This says 2 piece or an ATW is required. You can do it this way or TW's way. If it were me, I would do an ATW as long as it is not a hybrid.
Wilson instructions state if two piece tie off crosses 7 top and 12 bottom
Mains tie off 7 bottom
12 seems a high hole for a tie off?
 

kkm

Hall of Fame
name BLADE 98 S [T=tip of hoop, B=bottom of hoop]
range 50 - 60
lengths 20'M - 18'C
pattern 18M X 16C
skip mains 8,10T - 8,10B
MTO 9B
1st cross 8T
XTO 6T - 7B

This says 2 piece or an ATW is required. You can do it this way or TW's way. If it were me, I would do an ATW as long as it is not a hybrid.

now most stringing at big tournaments is 2-piece anyway.
 

Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
Wilson instructions state if two piece tie off crosses 7 top and 12 bottom
Mains tie off 7 bottom
12 seems a high hole for a tie off?
11T is very close to the outer main, 12T affords you the ability to lock the string behind the anchor string, and 12T is designed at a tie off grommet. I would not worry much about the distance from 8T to 12T but if you do you could easily find a way To make the last cross you string end in grommet hole 10T.
 

LOBALOT

Legend
I posted previously about the Wilson Burn Spin 18x16 racquet and difficulty I was having stringing it and how the Wilson Instructions were Bottom Up. It looks to me the same string pattern, same skipped grommets. Suggestions from this forum provided to me for ATW (Including Diredesire from Wes above) worked great.
 

1HBHfanatic

Legend
I don't like the bottom/up stringing on these instructions!, I would do the 2pc; less issues that way, more benefits!
the box pattern also works here for 1pc (clean look, no overlaps), but short runs are an issue if you don't like that!!

can someone tell me how the ATW would work on this racquet!?? im seeing alot of overlaps(blocked holes) with ATW??
 
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am1899

Legend
@1HBHfanatic

With the burn 100S (18x16), I’ve taken to using the universal ATW with 1 modification - instead of coming across the bottom cross with the long side, I use the 15th cross (then to the outside main on the short side, on the the 2nd cross, and so on). That of course leaves at the end of the job a long run from the 14th cross to the 16th cross. But basically everything else is installed at that point, so to me that’s not a big deal.

Some have offered the Diredesire ATW for that racquet. My concerns with that are 2 fold:

1. You still end up with 2 fairly long loops of string at 2 of the 4 “shoulders” of the racquet (where blocked holes could be a problem).

2. The outside mains are not installed until the end of the job. Which for one, means both of those would be hard weaves (which IMO isn’t that big of a deal). But what is a big deal is, I would say one of our most knowledgeable contributors here, expressed to me that he did not like patterns like this (where the outside mains are left until the end) for fear of what negative effect that might have on the integrity of the racquet - distortion/deformation, etc.

In looking at it, the Blade 98S may well be a good candidate for the box pattern as you pointed out. (Can’t say I’ve tried it). But, I don’t know that that I would necessarily say the same for the Burn 100S - because of the shared holes. I’d have to take a closer look at one next time I see it (which is hopefully never). :)
 
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1HBHfanatic

Legend
@am1899 ive done a 1pc on the burn before, but it was not easy, and not straight forward!?!, its a complicated racquet, but a interesting challenge for a stringer
when I don't have time, ill just do a 2pc and be done with it; but I always think to myself, I can do it better this time and spend a few minutes trying to figure it out, but most of the times I give up after 5 minutes and go with the 2pc,,
 

am1899

Legend
@am1899 ive done a 1pc on the burn before, but it was not easy, and not straight forward!?!, its a complicated racquet, but a interesting challenge for a stringer
when I don't have time, ill just do a 2pc and be done with it; but I always think to myself, I can do it better this time and spend a few minutes trying to figure it out, but most of the times I give up after 5 minutes and go with the 2pc,,

IMO “straight forward” and the Burn 100S don’t go together in a sentence. :)

I had a client who had that frame and he always wanted a hybrid job. The proximity of the outside mains to the recommended main tie off is just plain ridiculous. Sure, you can do a Yonex loop and reduce some of the distance. But even then, it’s still a fairly long run and rather unsightly. I also messed with doing 2pc but holding the outside mains with starting clamps, until the crosses were in - after which I would tie off the mains in alternate locations. In the end, I concluded it wasn’t worth all the fuss.

It would appear that Wilson gave little (if any) consideration as to how the racquet might be strung, when they were designing it. (Or maybe they just wanted to punish stringers).
 
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