Why you want replace that head guard on your racquet

[LocNetMonster]

A guy I string for brought me his Khamsin yesterday after popping a string. I last strung it June and it did not look like this ... lol ... at that time I recommended he get a new head guard, which was nearly worn away then, for me to install and put duct tape over it to protect the structure until he did. Guess what he didn't do. With him standing in front of me, I pulled away the layer of duct tape he used and this is what we saw. Yikes! I was surprised it had not exploded out on the court.

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Another view . . .

There were to small hairline fractures running between three grommets on the inside (not pictured). The entire portion was pulled down inside the frame. When I took the string out, the sunken portion expanded up.

 

[CopolyX]

Good old top of the hoop abrasiveness is part of the game.
But over that is basic equipment awareness and possibly adding a little extra protection (optional).
Just like checking your vehicle or plane before a trip.
One of most neglected things on our vehicles is tire pressure. Which can cause some bad thing to happen.
So again it is just kind of common sense safety and awareness here all around.

As a matter of fact, last week we have a hot one here in new england. Say a playing tennis in flip flops....man...really....


Now when stringing, checking and cleaning the frame is a good solid best practice. ABCs
Especially all around the hoop.
Monitoring wear through and any cracks. I also have the option to use the rdc.
For me, I change my grommets once a year or more if required. I restring alot...
Head guard tape (Hockey tape) is always used and applied for extra protection (done at no cost if the client wants it).

oh that frame is trash...garage...
I give all of our "bye bye" frames to a local artist who uses them for structural art projects...

 

[Audiophile]

Wow. I've seen some bad wear before, but this is awful. This frame now belongs in the trash pile.

 

[TennisHound]

Khamsin is a Wilson? I had to check the date of the post.

 

[esgee48]

And the guy still expected you to string it AFTER you repaired it, right?

I wouldn't even accept frames in that condition especially if I told him to get a new grommet set. Just tell the Dork he needs to pay attention to his equipment, e.g. the Check Engine Light? If grommets are no longer available cheap I tell them to buy a new frame that you can get grommets for.

Some of my buddies asked me what it would take to repair that type of damage. Told them that there is No Way to do repairs. Time for them to buy some more frames.

 

[Imago]

Wilson rackets are the embodiment of endurance. I have strung 3 times a frame with grommets that looked like viaduct.

 

[skuludo]

Wilson rackets are the embodiment of endurance. I have strung 3 times a frame with grommets that looked like viaduct.

Are you sure about that? J011yroger managed to destroy around 17 K6.1 Tour 90s from constant stringing. All his rackets caved in to the point where he has no more stock left. The strings managed to dig right through the frame. He went through several iterations of the Wilson Tour 90s all with the same damage. That would make it over 30 frames that went to the garbage all with the same damage.

 

[Imago]

Are you sure about that?

Yes. I could see through the eaten up frame under the bumper of a PS100L.

 

[Irvin]

Why do you want to change grommets? Grommets cost 3% of the price of the racket. Grommets protect the frame from court wear and make the racket look better. I would rather buy a $6 grommet than a new racket assuming I liked the racket I was playing with.

 

[LocNetMonster]

And the guy still expected you to string it AFTER you repaired it, right?

I did string it. Put synthetic gut in it after I took a 3/8ths thick piece of hard foam (cut from an old shoe insole) that I drilled in to match the holes in the frame into the 'canyon'. Without it or something else the strings would have eventually been sawed by the rough edges of the frame.

 

[CopolyX]

not a playable safe frame...no matter what you do to it...

 

[LocNetMonster]

not a playable safe frame...no matter what you do to it...

I agree. I personally would have bought a new grommet kit so it would have never reached that stage. $8 to keep a $180 stick that I love playable for another year or two ... here and keep the change ... you know?

 

[esgee48]

Wow! Way beyond the Call of Duty. I hope the guy paid you double your normal rates because that probably took a lot of extra time. The most I would do is remove the bumper and FITTEX the entire top putting in power pads where needed. And probably charge the guy at least $75 just for that. Then tell him I would not want to ever see that frame again.

 

[frinton]

My friends racket looked worse, I think it was a Wilson Juice from 2010 or 2012 roughly... he followed my advice of upgrading to a new racket [emoji6]


...fail better!

 

[ONgame]

You really think a headguard is going to save the racquet from THAT? Headguards protects the racquet from light scratches, not a train wreck.

 

[LocNetMonster]

You really think a headguard is going to save the racquet from THAT? Headguards protects the racquet from light scratches, not a train wreck.

That's from probably 5 years of good ground scratching. No way would it have looked like that if he replaced the guards every other year at the very least.

 

[TennisCJC]

I strung for a friend once and her racket cracked at 10 o'clock the first time she used it after stringing. She had worn away a lot of the graphite at 10 and 2 o'clock. I hope she didn't think my stringing caused the frame to crack. I think it was the weak spots and a combination of a fresh string job at 55 lbs. it cracked right where the graphite was worn. I've strung hundreds of frames and that's the only one that cracked.

 

[Irvin]

I strung for a friend once and her racket cracked at 10 o'clock the first time she used it after stringing. She had worn away a lot of the graphite at 10 and 2 o'clock. I hope she didn't think my stringing caused the frame to crack. I think it was the weak spots and a combination of a fresh string job at 55 lbs. it cracked right where the graphite was worn. I've strung hundreds of frames and that's the only one that cracked.

Chances are it was the stringing that caused the frame to crack. But I could never prove that. When someone brings a badly worn frame for me to string they get my spill about replacing grommets. After the racket is worn badly replacing the grommets just causes the grommets to wear out quicker. They need to replace grommets sooner.

Anyway had you not restrung the racket (assuming the string wasn't broken) it may have lasted longer than it did. We will never know that for sure though. When you string the racket a lot of twisting and distortion takes place. It may break while you're stringing it. It may break shortly after. And it could last a long time. But when someone leaves me with an abused racket they know all that.

EDIR: I have one customer that grinds downs her rackets very badly and wears out grommets about every 2 years. She never replaces them. She continues stringing her rackets until 1 breaks and buys 2 new frames.

 

[LocNetMonster]

I strung for a friend once and her racket cracked at 10 o'clock the first time she used it after stringing. She had worn away a lot of the graphite at 10 and 2 o'clock. I hope she didn't think my stringing caused the frame to crack. I think it was the weak spots and a combination of a fresh string job at 55 lbs. it cracked right where the graphite was worn. I've strung hundreds of frames and that's the only one that cracked.

I inspect every racquet looking for stress fractures, cracks and grommet wear when the client hands me their frame. If there are any flags I discuss it with them and let them know if it will pose in problem on the stringer. In the case of this guy's sticks, I've warned him what would happen almost two years ago and suggested he get a new head guard or put a couple of layers of head tape on it and replace it as it wears. Last year, he started putting duct tape on it, but it was too late by that time. However, the good news is he did recently purchase a new racquet that we are now customizing.

 

[frinton]

My friends racket, still in great shape, for the shape it’s in [emoji23]

...fail better!

 

[LocNetMonster]

No way I string that! Yikes.

 

[Ronaldo]

Best check my Khamsin Five. And its bumper

 

[brownbearfalling]

If someone is putting wear like that on a Khamsin racquet, I would say they have outgrown the racquet. Time to go for something with a more durable frame. Not that it is any excuse to neglect the care for your racquet but Khamsin has a thin frame and big frame size for ultra power and lightweight.

 

[LocNetMonster]

Not that it is any excuse to neglect the care for your racquet ...

Yeah, it amazes me sometimes how little most people I play with/against or watch actually care about their racquets. I cringe every time I see someone toss their racquet bag in the trunk of their car ... lol