Stringing Horror - Does Your Stringer Suck?

[@carlantaya175]

Another thing you can check is if the grommets have been compressed/opened up properly. If the sharp edge of the grommet is touching the string that will absolutely result in premature failure. They should have a cone shape on the inside with no edges touch the string. Very important for shared holes not as much for single string holes.

[@globalbadmintonnetwork9452]

Awesome video and explanation. My past issues was one stringer that would not give me the tension I asked for (10 to 12 kilos at the time on a Z-force) then there was another stringer that the strings were just always snapping. When its a miss hit, fine, it's life but normal play just snapping was being too frequent in such a short time. Due to lack of choice I decided to buy a cheap stringing machine and start my journey. It gets the job done but not at a level that I would string for other people. Stringing my own rackets also gave me more respect for stringers and their work.

[@saitenkiller]

If those two were the only available options, then you clearly did the right thing. I pretty much had the exact same situation happening in my area before I decided to start stringing. One shop just always strung with 10.5 kg, no matter what I'd ordered. Another guy scratched a brand new high-end racket with some sort of hook or ale. Just very frustrating. Stringing is no rocket science, just plain and simple craftsmanship. You can get a long way and achieve good results even with cheap equipment if you follow some basic rules. I've put together a playlist with some videos that might be useful as well: kzbin.info/aero/PLYrw9BAzfs6fJn8KltcIg98q6SaUY0sHV

[@globalbadmintonnetwork9452]

@@saitenkiller I will take a look for sure. Thanks and hope to see more content from you!

[@nellynelson965]

Pretty decent video. I am a little confused about how you were describing starting the crosses. There are 2 methods generally accepted and taught by ERSA, Yonex etc, both very similar, one more common than the other. 1st is to pull the second cross and not the 1st string with the starting knot. The other method is to start by the 1st clamp and string down to the throat and then tie off, and then continue up to the head. The reason given is there is more support in theory at the clamp area and less stress on the starting knot. I find this more of a hassle, so have always used the 1st method.

[@saitenkiller]

Hm… can you point out which point in the video you are referring to? In general, I also do the first option that you’ve decribed. More straight forward process and I never had any issues with the starting knot.

[@i_am_murshi]

The stringer in my area almost completely weives the racket by hand before even attaching it to stringing machine. And I think he starts tensioning the strings from the side instead of starting from the centre :/ he uses the 2 knot method. He uses a very old stringing machine. He uses just 1 manual clamp for the keeping the tensioned string in place. I also don't think he uses a load spreader. I need to replace the factory string in my racket but I don't feel comfortable giving him my racket. Most players in the area are Naive when it comes to stringing and praises the guy solely because of how long he's been stringing. How can I ask him to start tensioning from the middle and symmetrically? I don't think it's possible with just one clamp.

[@saitenkiller]

That doesn’t sound good at all - that dude pretty much checks all the don’t-do-it boxes. And there is truly no other stringer available in your area? Have you asked your club mates and friends if they know someone else? And serious question: Have you thought about becoming a stringer yourself? With such a bad competition around, this could become a decent side business. 🤓

[@i_am_murshi]

@@saitenkiller I guess I could look for another stringer, but how will I know if he is good enough without taking a risk. I don't think he'll appreciate me interviewing him before handing over my racket. People here get offended quickly. They'll simply answer ‘I've been doing this for a long time, I think I know what I'm doing...'. And a stringer myself? 😂 Well I have thought about stringing my own racket if a stringer allows me to use his machine, but that's pretty much it. There's no way I can afford a good stringing machine. The guy I mentioned earlier uses the spring loaded manual machine. So, I guess I have to go on a stringer hunt.

[@saitenkiller]

@@i_am_murshi It's a difficult situation, no doubt. I guess you have to take a bit of a risk and try out some stringers. If possible, watch them for a little bit. And don't be too fixed on the type of machine that a stringer is using. It's perfectly possible to deliver really good jobs with simple looking manual machines - and they are perfectly fine for anybody who wants to start stringing if you know what to look for. Good luck!

[@JMUDoc]

The age of the machine doesn't really matter, but bad technique does - I would rather go to a good stringer with a bad machine than the other way around. Side-to-side mains is a complete dealbreaker, IMO, and this is before the lack of load spreaders and the single clamp. I would avoid.

[@tehMyychael]

Great video s_mair! Keep up the good content

[@saitenkiller]

Thanks, mate! :)

[@teddaamen]

Hi, thx for this video! Question; when stringing the mains do you use the same kg/tension (when stringing with the same string, so no hybrid situation) or bit less or even a bit more. There are different stories going on online about that topic.

[@saitenkiller]

There are indeed different approaches here. The most important thing is that the frame shape remains unchanged when it's strung. And it mostly depends on the machine and setup, what main/cross ratio is optimal. Personally, I achieve the best results with main=cross, Yonex generally recommends to go +10% on the crosses. In the end there is no clear right or wrong - just go with the ratio that delivers the best and most consistent results for you. Hope this helps. :)

[@teddaamen]

@@saitenkiller Thanks for the quick reply. At the moment for myself I have Yonex Ezone (Skyblue version 2022). Machine probaby gonna be tennisman Stringmaster 4000 Electronis (Tennishead 2086)

[@saitenkiller]

@@teddaamen Just do some trial & error for yourself. Start with main=cross and see if the frame comes out more round that it is unstrung. If so, then go with +1 lb on the crosses. And so forth... If you mount the racket snug enough, there is a good chance you will get a good result with main=cross right away.

[@teddaamen]

@@saitenkiller THANKS!!!

[@raamine5898]

Please à tutoriel for the Knots my knots are bulky … thank you

[@saitenkiller]

Hi! I’m using this knot: kzbin.info/www/bejne/opWoeHeIrsiEapI Easy to do and holds really well both as tie-off and starter knot.

[@raamine5898]

@@saitenkiller thank you very much i am afraid to use thaïs knot as starting one for the horizontal strings i use à bulky knott that block the grommet and can not to incide it but it is bulky and not beautiful it seem like a bad job !!

[@saitenkiller]

@@raamine5898 just try using the knot from the tutorial. You'll see that it's not really big or ugly looking and it still doesn't sink inside the grommet too much. At least as long as you stay below 30 lbs. tension.

[@JebDigLato]

What about when the strings are not straight but slightly curved, like a rainbow. Is this normal?

[@saitenkiller]

Not necessarily a bad sign, but not a good one either. If they are heavily curved then that is a sign of the racket moving around on the stringing machine during the job. And in any case, it would only take seconds to straighten the strings afterwards to make it look nice. Your stringer apparently doesn't care if his work appears nicely to the customer.

[@gengadaranvm8]

Very nice sir

[@justiceman4989]

What if the stringer is stringing the racket slow but with good technique?

[@saitenkiller]

I'd always prefer a slow but careful stringer to a "quick and sloppy" one.

[@lebenmachtdurstig]

What is your suggestion to avoid crossovers? The racket you are showing looks to be strung in the Yonex style. You seem to be very much into the Haribito pattern. To be honest, I use the Yonex pattern a lot and never considered crossovers to be a bad thing.

[@saitenkiller]

Tbh, I think that crossovers are the least important point. I fully agree that it gets more difficult to completely avoid them when using a 2-piece pattern. However it is easily possible to try to reduce them best possible just by looking at how the strings are running on the outside and adjust the routing of the next string accordingly. I have seen absolutely flawless 2-piece jobs and managed to do them myself, but it takes more effort compared to a 1-piece Haribito.

[@КовальовОлег]

@@saitenkiller yeah, i have a same problem with Yonex stringing method. Mostly always have a crossover at b11-b12 on the side opposite to the starting knot... That always appears cause i never can predict how the crossstring should go thrue the shared b12 grommet: upwards or downwards...

[@imateapot51]

I did 4 tennis racquets in the time it took to string one Badminton racket. All those shared holes took forever to put a cross string through. Could not find the pattern anywhere, the USRSA digest or the internet in general. And the one badminton set we had broke in the bed and not the string being pulled, so there are six knots on it. If I was the owner and someone comes in with a badminton racquet I would tell them to leave. So am I a butcher? No the tennis racquets all came out fine. The only string I ever pulled and broke before was natural gut. So anyone out there can tell me what Badminton string would not break? Would not be so soft that it would not fit easily though shared holes?

[@saitenkiller]

See, that is the whole point I was trying to make. You need to change your stringing process and actually put in some research and effort to learn the bells and whistles of stringing badminton rackets. There are simple tricks how to deal with shared grommets for example (check out kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5WnYWuwf7mKZ7M or kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJOQkGqflMqZf6s)). Experienced stringers can finish a whole racket cleanly in 15-20 minutes. Tennis rackets need other special treatments, but at least the strings and frames are much more robust. If you're breaking badminton strings on a regular basis, then you are making some serious mistakes (clamps too tight? poked with an awl in a shared hole?). It happens to me maybe one out of 100 jobs that the string just snaps during the job. I'm uisng strings down to a 0.58 gauge. And frankly, if you still hand out a racket (and charge money for it) with 6-knots because you killed the string on the machine, then no, that is not okay. At all. Because it will play like sh*t. If you have so much trouble with badminton rackets, then just plainly refuse them. I know some tennis stringers who do just that and instead recommend their clients other stringers who have specialized in badminton (like myself). Nothing wrong with that.

[@imateapot51]

@@saitenkiller If it were up to me I would cut the strings off and give them back the racquet and tell them to find someone else. I am in the USA and we have 99.99% tennis racquets. Some racquetball, and just one badminton. But it is not up to me. I never stick awls in grommets even with tennis. The racquet I did I only saw on Amazon and you can get 2 for 29 dollars unstrung. So in my boss's eye it was not the same as stringing a 200 dollar tennis racquet.