Have you guys had any issues with your tension head? I am finding that after tensioning, upon returning, the 2 sliding plates don't actually slide back and let go of the string. It's probably 50/50 if my head releases properly. I've tried loosening the bolts and tinker with the obvious. No idea how to service it, if it's oiled or what?
I personally haven't experienced it yet. I agree that the manual that came with the machine lacked cleaning and maintenance instructions. As a warning the factory seemed to have overtightened many of the preassembled sections of the machine so proceed with caution in disassembly.
How many rackets have you strung on this machine? You can lubricate the gripper a little bit. But if its too old or dirty, you must clean it and apply new grease and oil. Be careful when you disassemble the gripper. The ball bearings can easily be lost. You can have a look on a disassembled gripper in this thread: Toyozouki Otaku
So when you press the button to release the tensioner the gripper doesn't automatically slide back releasing the string? Very odd. As reference I've had mine since October 2023 and strung about ~250 rackets. I've cleaned clamps and rails, but have not touched the gripper. I do put the stringing machine cover on my machine at the end of the day. Definitely recommend disassembly if it's become annoying.
I've probably done about 1000 rackets on mine, got it about a year and a half ago. Glider is still smooth. I'd recommend taking the gripper apart and lubricating with PTFE. Mine actually had a different problem. The C side support clamps on upper half of the racket head, One of the clamps did not touch the racket. I used a tennis C Support on one of the arms and it worked out, but I wanted to actually fix the problem with the badminton Supports instead. I ended up layering Hockey Clear Sock Tap on top of each other so I can have the one badminton support sit properly with rackets.
You definitely have a more economical solution. I didn't have that issue but instead replaced all the supports with a badminton specific C Support: https://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/index.php?threads/victor-ve-50.190360/page-3#post-2878012
Yea I saw your post about those C Supports. I think my issue is the Support Arms themselves and not the C Supports.
Does the main tower centered? There should be a small play when untightened. I had to do that when I first got my Stringmaster
hmmm.. so the support arm is slightly misaligned. i guess disassembly is under the silicon pads at the head and throat. How un-Canadian of me to not consider using hockey tape on my original supports (i use them on the side of my shoe where i foot drag on lunges). *Update* I managed to disassemble the rails and remove the base clamp. The distance between the two screw holes for the base clamp rail attachment is larger than my XPider base clamps, so swapping is not possible for the time being. I know Ali sells those pieces and it's possible to get the right dimensions. At the moment I'm trying to see if it's possible to acquire the C-7032 Ultra 4 tooth clamps from Victor as a special order. If i'm able to get that then my experiment with the xpider clamp bases will be delayed as it's just for curiosity's sake.
Yep they are perfectly centered. There is no play when its untightened because there's 2 screws helping it align in the center. Would be nice if they can get those in. I would prefer those over the 5 tooth.
It is incredibly annoying. Just did a racket now and 8x out of 10 I had to push the slides back with my pinky finger to release the string. Very very annoying haha What is PTFE? I am a carpenter by trade and pretty handy but I'm definitely out of my comfort zone when it comes to vehicles or other "mechanical" this like this. My big fingers getting into tight spaces and dealing with little steel bearings. Any suggestions would be appreciated even if it seems like a stupid one. I'm all ears.
Tagged and linked you to this thread: https://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/index.php?threads/tension-head-gripper-issue.191567/
Awesome, thank you. Just purchased some lube. Has anyone ever videod redoing a tension head like the ve50 or similar to? I'd be going in blind. No idea what to expect in the least.
During a trip back to Vancouver I paid a visit to Yumo.ca's retail store. I had a brief chat with their stringer who uses the Victor C-7032 Ultra and mentioned how I wished I could get the Badminton specific 4 tooth clamp that comes with this machine for my VE-50 Pro. He mentioned that he's actually using the Aliexpress clamps from Allpha with the 14mm diameter instead!! Link: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002808674273.html I told him that i had my eye on those same clamps and asked why he preferred them over the stock ones. He said they are comparable from a functional standpoint but the key advantage of the Allpha clamp was far lighter in weight. I didn't know how much lighter it was until my order finally arrived today (see photos). Given his volume of stringing I could totally understand why the weight savings (less fatigue) compounds with volume. Although my Victor clamp is universal serving both Tennis and Badminton my new clamp is 50% less in weight! I can only assume when compared to the Victor 4 tooth badminton clamp there's probably a maximum of 40% (maybe 30% is a more conservative guess) in weight savings. The adjustment dial is a bit stiff. The height difference has no detriment. 2 main advantages: weight savings i can clamp the top most cross (especially for astrox rackets). Currently I would have to use a fly clamp I'll update this thread with my thoughts after I string a few of my own rackets before using them on client rackets. Credit goes to the Yumo stringer for passing his thoughts. I told him he should share it on the forums but he doesn't post much. I think i'm done with my upgrades now =)
Looks like some hard rubber/plastic. Not sure what it is there for. The clamps are longer but not an issue.
looks nice! I have the starting clamp from this company, most things made by them are really good quality.
