In my experience, when using an app that can measure string tension, my tension will drop from 27lbs when freshly strung to ~25 lbs the next day and gradually settled in the 23-24lbs range after a week. And this is pretty consistent with any string/stringer/machine (have tried many). Yes you can pre-stretch but 99% of people don't do that. With that in mind, I have heard that it's reasonable intermediate males should use ~26lbs. Does it mean string it at 30lbs so it gradually settled at 25-26lbs after a week? Or does it mean string at 26lbs so it settled at 22-23lbs after a week?
Given tension is the weight that pulls on the string during stringing. Any tension loss after the racket is strung is nearly impossible to measure accurately and can be different depending on various factors. Therefore, it is not useful for stringers or players to use 'playing tension' as a reference rather than 'stringing tension' because 'stringing tension' is 100% knowable, whereas 'playing tension' is not. The pro's probably don't ask their stringer to string at 30 lbs, with the reasoning that it will lower to a specific playing tension that they want. Rather, they probably just like how their racket feels when it is strung at 30, whatever the actual tension is when they play with it. A racket strung at 30 will always be a racket strung at 30. If you ask someone what their string tension is, they won't measure it right there and then with whatever method and tell you the current tension. Instead, they will tell you what it was strung at. At most they might specify that it's a 'fresh' 30 if it was done this morning, or an 'old' 30 if it was strung months ago. The person that said 26 is a good tension for intermediates almost certainly meant that it is strung at 26 lbs. And in conversation that stringjob will always be referred to as a 26 lbs stringjob, and described as having 26 pounds on the strings.
Ahem. Some might. I used to be that guy! In fact it came up in conversation this week, someone asked the highest tension I'd tried. I agree though. Any sane, normal human being will refer to the tension the machine was set to. I've had maybe one customer using stringster to try to work on actual current tension of their strings. Sent from my SM-A315G using Tapatalk
From my experience, different stringer had different machine & different condition, like the machine not well calibrated or maintenanced. So i will just use my feeling & the number as just a number. I would use 26lbs as my standard measurement number to strung my racket. Everytime i strung, i will adjust the number acording to my feeling in the next stringing. To soft & i will add 1 or 2 lbs, or to hard & i will reduce 1 or 2 lbs. If after few stringing it still didnt fit, then i would consider the stringer are not very consistent & find another stringer. When someone ask me what tension i use? I normaly just say the number i ask the stringer to string my racket plus the stringer that do the job. So my 26lbs on stringer A might be 27lbs on stringer B, & possibly 25 lbs on stringer C. So if my friend want the same tension as mine, then just go to my stringer & ask the same number.
