T15 Superstringer Tips?

Discussion in 'Badminton Stringing Techniques & Tools' started by hn8790, Jan 15, 2022.

  1. hn8790

    hn8790 Regular Member

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    Thanks to all the information and help on here I now have a T15 Superstringer being delivered soon. It's the drop weight version and I'll look at getting the Wise upgrade at a later stage.

    Does anyone have any recommendations on upgrades that make the machine work better, such as upgraded side supports, load spreaders that fit well or anything else that will make it work better for badminton or are they pretty well suited to badminton out of the box?
     
  2. s_mair

    s_mair Regular Member

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    The machine will be good to go for badminton rackets straight out of the box. It comes with well fitting load spreaders and the most recent side supports also seem fully okay.

    If you want to look for upgrades, I'd still say that the Chudek side supports would be top of my list. They are just awesome and not expensive. Apart from that, it's probably best to save up for the WISE, cause that will be the ultimate upgrade. :)

    But before you think of upgrades, just take some time to really get to know you new machine and to get used to it. That's when you really get the feeling if anything is really bothering you before rushing to any upgrades just because everybody else are getting them.

    Have fun with you new machine!
     
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  3. hn8790

    hn8790 Regular Member

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    Great advice thank you and it's good to know that when my new toy arrives I'm all set to start stringing!
     
  4. thyrif

    thyrif Regular Member

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    Be sure to set the towers and side supports up correctly for badminton (there are a few threads about this part already). And adjust the fixed clamps for your gauge of strings (often, at least check every time).

    The balls behind the gripper could use some graphite powder in my machine when I got it (T20, 5 years back), but the gripper has changed since then. I also rub some on the stems of the fixed clamps for smooth action. Be sure to clean the moving parts once or twice a year (for hobby use).
     
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  5. Pikachurin

    Pikachurin New Member

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    Hi,

    I'm new to this forum and have been interested in getting my first stringing machine for a little while now and have seen your name around a lot. Specifically in topics regarding Superstringer. You seem very knowledgeable so I wanted to ask what the difference is between this one (T15) compared to the S90?

    Thanks in advance!
     
  6. thyrif

    thyrif Regular Member

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    Main things that differ:
    - S90 is badminton only, T15 can do tennis as well (and probably squash?)
    - S90 has a smaller base, so there is less room for your hands to move around the racket
    - S90 has a single knob per tower to adjust two side supports (slightly easier), T15 has one per side support
    - S90 has built in load spreaders (I think T15 comes with a set you can use with badminton)
    - S90 is 22 kg, T15 is 29 kg

    Both have the semi automatic clamp bases, those are great.
    T15 you can choose the 5 tooth universal clamp or the 4 tooth badminton clamp (same as the ones that come with the S90)

    The T15 is a lot cheaper, but only in stock with universal clamps, unfortunately. Hard choice, both will be great and could later be upgraded with a WISE. Perhaps somebody can review the universal clamps for badminton? I've only got the badminton clamps on my T20.
     
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  7. hn8790

    hn8790 Regular Member

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    Although I heard the clamps that come with the T15 are quite good, I had in mind that I would consider upgrading them at some point. There seems to be a limited amount of clamps with a 12.2mm diameter, but I found these on AliExpress. Does anyone know if these would be worth changing to? Interestingly they do a 12.3mm diameter, I assume it's definitely the 12.2mm I would need?

    Screenshot_20220204-101626_AliExpress.jpg
     
  8. hn8790

    hn8790 Regular Member

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    I've actually taken a punt and ordered this slighty more expensive set, they look to be good quality but I'll report back once I get them in about a month!

    Screenshot_20220206-110711_AliExpress.jpg
     
    #8 hn8790, Feb 6, 2022
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2022
  9. Rimano

    Rimano Regular Member

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    Wow that's quick... What drove you to thinking you needed new clamps straight away?

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  10. hn8790

    hn8790 Regular Member

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    If I recall correctly from the countless hours of reading I did before deciding on the T15, I got the impression that whilst the supplied clamps are very good, there are better ones out there.

    There's also some evidence for this from the previous machine that I had for over 20 years. With it being my first machine, it's only in hindsight that I realise my previous fixed clamp was possibly better. It gripped strings with less slippage with much lighter pressure it seems.

    With the new clamps I feel like I'm gripping the strings with a lot more force and possibly crushing them in order to avoid slippage.

    It's just niggled me since getting the machine so I took the plunge.
     
    #10 hn8790, Feb 9, 2022
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2022
  11. Rimano

    Rimano Regular Member

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    Ah ok. I went from pros pros to T20, so it was always going to be a step up for me.

    Interested in how it goes, let us know if this works out well. Deliveries from AliExpress was taking ages over Xmas.

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  12. Rimano

    Rimano Regular Member

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    Just an update, I've went out and got the same clamps off AliExpress. Not strung anything with them but did the clamp string test already.

    Not sure if I see anything significantly better in terms of string clamping, I found I needed to still clamp pretty tight, but I'll see how the string looks under tension when I do a proper string job.

    It is significantly smaller and lighter than my T20 clamps and if it doesn't lose its tightness overtime then it's already worth it.

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  13. hn8790

    hn8790 Regular Member

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    This is a more general comment, when you mention the string clamp test, are you talking about the one where you directly apply the tension to the string? If so, I'm not entirely convinced that this is a good test to gauge how tight the clamps need to be during stringing. I've found in practice that the clamps don't need to be anywhere nearly as tight as they do in the "clamp test" for a real stringing job.

    I've become attuned to the clamps now and I go by feel and the resistance you get when closing the clamp. I'm very paranoid about using more force than is necessary.

    I also remember the guy from Tennisman who sells these machines losing his **** on this forum when he saw the videos of the "clamp test". I don't think he agreed with the method either.
     
  14. Rimano

    Rimano Regular Member

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    Yeah that same test and I also remember the same thread about tennisman disputing it, but was there a suitable conclusion to it?

    You're probably right about the real world test not requiring the same tightness since my previous clamps were both failing but we're ok during a string job.

    I'm guessing it's either the angle or grommets adding that bit extra resistance. I'll see if I can do a clamp test on a mounted racket.

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  15. s_mair

    s_mair Regular Member

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    I don't think there was. The problem is that with that kind of clamp test, the part of the string that is inside the clamp is untensioned. So you end up with a massive load peak right at the spot where the string leaves the clamp. So the first couple of mm of the surface inside the clamp will have to do most (all?) of the "holding work". In a real life situation during a string job, the load will be distributed to the full clamping surface since you are clamping an already tensioned string and not add more tension to it afterwards.

    However, the issue doesn't seem to be that critical in real life. I did exactly that test when I first got hands on the StringMaster clamps and they performed very well:


    What I don't really get is why the T20 clamps should be slipping. I've been using these clamps for a while without any issues and I know that they are still doing their job perfectly fine with their new owner.

    This. You can also easily check during the job if a clamp is slipping. Just place your finger at the point where the string leaves the clamp when you release the tension. You can feel if string gets pulled out of the clamp or not. Especially important when starting the crosses since there is less holding surface when only the teeth are actually in touch with the string.
     
    #15 s_mair, May 16, 2022
    Last edited: May 16, 2022
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  16. Rimano

    Rimano Regular Member

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    It's not really a slipping issue, for whatever reason one of my clamps loses tightness over time. I'm not sure why though, it's annoying because it's only just about enough to let the string slip. Was consistently happening on one side, so the other clamp was totally fine. Don't think I noticed on my first couple of years, but noticed during my new volume of string jobs after the whole COVID thing in the last few years.

    Good point about the string test being on untensioned string. I guess that's also why I switched to double pulling the mains at the start to prevent this...


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  17. s_mair

    s_mair Regular Member

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    I'm afraid that's completely normal and the reason why you have to check the clamps settings regularly in the first place. You need a kind of a locking mechanism on the adjustment wheel to prevent this from happening (as seen on the StringMaster clamps for example).
     
  18. Rimano

    Rimano Regular Member

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    Ah fair enough... Anyway enough of an annoyance for me to buy some new clamps.

    Just to give some rough timings, the slightly dodgy clamp would loosen after a couple of days, whilst I would hardly touch the other one. Probably got lucky with one and unlucky with the other one.

    Tried looking at the string master clamps. Where's this locking mechanism? Not clear from the initial pics I saw from a quick Google.

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    #18 Rimano, May 16, 2022
    Last edited: May 20, 2022
  19. s_mair

    s_mair Regular Member

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    It's a pretty simple kind of ratchet right underneath the adjustment wheel. Small pimples on the adjustment wheel and little dips in the clamp surface. Dead simple but highly effective:
     
    #19 s_mair, May 16, 2022
    Last edited: May 16, 2022
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  20. Rimano

    Rimano Regular Member

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    Ok two string jobs done with the new clamps. I'm starting to think my previous clamps were crushing the string too much and that these new clamps are a step up from the T20 clamps. I'm able to not crush the string as much and not have any slippage. Will need to do another test with aerosonics, but LN1 passed the test.

    Also these clamps are a lot thinner in size, so these can fit into smaller spaces. The lightness is pretty refreshing and it just feels nicer to move around and work with.

    Edit: measured a single clamp using my kitchen scales 320g Vs 198g.

    Pretty much the same conclusion that the op shared with me privately. I've been looking for new clamps on and off for a while now, so big thanks to him for taking the initial risk and then kindly sharing it with us.








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