Things that stringers may not tell you

The views, thoughts, ideas, and opinions represented here are entirely from my own experience and do not represent the views or opinions of any organization or business and does not contain nor any intent which might present a conflict of interest. Do feel free to add on your thoughts ^^


1) There are pros and cons between 2 knots and 4 knots. None of better than the other as it is a matter of individual preference and getting use to for both the player and the stringer. Some players feel that 4 knots are a little dull though an experienced stringer can negate this by understanding the shape and material of the frame and the capabilities of his stringing machine and making subtle adjustments. 2 knots can retain tension better if it employs a stringing pattern that can isolate the sweet spot and maintain a good distance and resistance between the sweet spot and tie offs. 4 knots can be more convenient to a stringer without lesser string excesses to deal than 2 knots. More knots may mean more points of potential tension loss so whichever stringer claims that their knot has no tension loss has to take it with a pinch of salt.

2) Pre-stringing is not a problem as long as at no point of the tensioning process it creates resistance between mains and crosses. It is perfectly fine to pre-string mains and then thread the crosses after the mains have been tensioned.

3) With the string, racket, tension and setup being equal, there are still a couple of factors that determine the feel of the strung racket. Stringing pattern, type of stringing machine that includes the mounting system, tensioning head, type of clamps, time taken to complete the stringing, grommet wear and tear, machine settings (pre-stretch, knotting, turntable locking, side support positions, type of top and bottom supports with adequate load spreading/lockdown) etc.

4) Communication with the stringer is a must. Let the stringer know exactly what end state you want the racket to be, your problems or the areas you wish to improve on. Unless you are using the same racket always and the stringer already knows exactly what you need.

5) You have every right to request for replacement of damaged grommets. A good stringer will always take the initiative to replace damaged ones which will also reduce the possibility of snapping strings during stringing resulting in unnecessary overheads for the stringer. Stringers usually does not charge additional for strings damaged during stringing. The stringer may choose to compensate you in some way for breaking BYO strings.

6) The 12 o'clock position is the weakest part of the racket and is exposed to the most stress especially when pulling mains. The risk is evident especially in medium and high tensions (~>26lb). Load spreaders are an absolute must in such tensions.

7) Fixed clamps is always better than flying clamps if properly adjusted no matter the mechanism as the resistance lies between the metallic structure between the clamp post, turntable, locking mechanism and machine structure as opposed to flying clamp’s reliance on locking tension by the resistance between 2 strings.

8) There are pros and cons to pre-stretch and it does not apply across all strings in all conditions. It all depends on what the customer needs and is used to. If the customer prefers a tauter feel, pre-stretch can be used but may reduce durability and degradation to feel more quickly especially for softer strings. Tension and humidity plays a part as well. The process is actually lengthening the fibers to stress test the Tensile Modulus and Strength of the string and is akin to living on borrowed time or borrowing from how much it is intended to do. To a stringer, pre-stretch could add an additional 10% of the stringing process duration.

9) The result of tensioning 2 strings in a single pull will reduced by around 50%. Such practice in name of protecting the vulnerable end points will likely result in a sudden huge gap in tension difference and may cause damage to racket structure depending on quality of materials. The better practice is progressive tension reduction if it is ever a concern.

10) Straightening awls (thick round end) are mostly unnecessary as stringing best practices, skills, in-process action and setup would be sufficient to ensure an acceptable appearance that only requires minimal adjustments by the use of your fingers. Preemptive action that requires minimal post completion adjustments is the best since the strings would have already sat well and biting microscopically onto the mains upon stringing. Excessive post stringing adjustments may attempt to move away from these fixtures and cause additional microscopic erosion between the strings.

11) Any unorthodox ways of applying additional materials on strings or tools such as string waxing are absolutely primitive and unnecessary. Any claims of reducing the friction between the crosses and mains, prolonging durability is ludicrous. Any form of modification is only going to change the intended performance of the string.

12) Adding 2LB or 10% to crosses does not apply to all. Factors that determines could be racket material strength, frame shape, type of side supports, tension, type of stringing machine, stringing method etc.

13) The first horizontal line of the head is more important than the one at the bottom of the frame. Although it is not used much, it does give protection to the strings and the weaker part of the frame especially on mishits. More crosses could also minutely harden the string bed.

14) Grommet widening using awls should be avoided and if absolutely necessary, should be done before stringing and not during stringing though there are times when there are little options available.

15) Tie-offs is a very important element in stringing as it can kill off a good job if the knots don’t help to keeping tension loss to a minimal. A proper knot ensures the string and tension goes a long way. Knots that does not wrap around the mains are merely acting as a stopper and may unduly stress the frame and the grommet. It doesn’t matter which grommet position is used to tie off as long as it is not overly lengthy (the longer it is the more tension loss and untidier) and have ample room for further tightening. However, nobody should claim that the tie off knot has no tension loss since on each tie off or clamp, the tension will start to drop as monofilament nylon fibers are stretchable materials and not high tensile materials like metal which are very capable of holding up.

16) The strings outside the frame should be in parallel and neat with no criss crosses. Criss crossing may likely to create kinks (twisting) and may reduce the string durability though some strings are more prone to such. It may also create more resistance and erosion between the criss crossed strings. It does takes a bit of time consuming to ensure it though.

17) Broken strings should be cut as soon as possible to prevent deformation but refrain from pulling out the broken strings to ensure grommets do not accidentally drop off during removal. It should be handled by the stringer.

18) Kinks must be avoided as much as possible as it stresses the string fibers causing damage to coating in some strings and degradation to durability.

19) In-process string alignments especially during the tensioning process does make a difference to the final tension. Even the method employed to align the strings matters and can be as huge as a 5% difference.

20) The actual significance between a manual crank and electronic constant pull machine is actually not that great as it can be compensated especially when using crank machine in high speed. Typically, constant pull machines result in 5-10% higher tension than crank machines. However, that can be compensated by adding 5-10% tension when done in a crank machines. Though that could pose a risk on high tensions or lower quality rackets. The only thing that cannot be offset is pre-stretch and long stringing time since whenever the string is clamped, tension starts to drop.