Hi Folks, Haven't posted in quite a few years, but thought it would be fun to share the durability and longevity of my Wise 2086 purchased in January of 2012. Still working. Mounted on a Gamma 6004 (modified with XPider clamp base, toyozouki fixed clamps and Chudek side supports) Strung ~3900 badminton rackets to date Only maintenance I do is to clean the gripper and bearings for the gripper. Since I'm approaching 10 years with this machine, I figured i've already gotten more than my money's worth on this and am aware that the "new" Series 14 model will likely be my next purchase. Any user here still having a good ownership experience with the Wise (new and old) ? Cheers.
I would maybe wait till the next iteration if there is one. Internals between a Series 14 and Series 12 are almost identical. Main difference is the constant pull function jumps and clicks where as the Series 14 is a slow smooth pull. Also the prestretch returns to desired tension quicker (Biggest Improvements and was worth the purchase for me). Pretty much only the logic board and programming is different. I've been wanting to upgrade to maybe a VE-50 or a machine with a chain drive motor for more speed and quietness. Wish we could mod the wise to make the tensioner to return faster.
My series 10 died a while ago. It came up with error code. At that time I needed to string client rackets so I bought a series 12 as replacement. I kept the carcass of the series 10 around and took it out to see if it fixed itself after all these years. I can move around parts or shake it around and it will work fine, but it will 50% of the time not move the tension head or move it and throws an error. Even if moving, it didn't feel smooth. There must be a small sensor or the gear box sticky or some quick fix, but I'd need to spend hours on it try diagnose. I also noticed the motor is a DC motor and not a stepper. But that just means it has inferior software as it is not smooth operation. Series 14 smooth pull will be nice. Series 14 does sound really nice. But no reason to upgrade my series 12 at the moment.
First of all, great to see back Howard! I somehow missed this thread till now... I'm using my V12 WISE for pretty much exactly 5 years now and have done around 350 jobs with it. Which sounds sooo wimpy looking at your clock. I've updated it with @Chow Mein's amazing custom switch right in the beginning before WISE came up with something simlar themselves. I still love to hear that neat micro switch "click". Zero issues so far. I noticed during the past couple of jobs that the gripper occasionally didn't really bite the string and I had to re-pull. So I've took it apart and to clean the gripper plates and the bearings a couple of days ago for the first time. I was really pleased to see how quick and easy it was to disassemble the whole gripper unit. The fact that they use roller bearings makes the handling and cleaning so much easier. Took me less than 30 minutes, including the reassembly. I did the same thing with the gripper on my previous drop weight machine once and it was a nightmare to get all the small balls back in their places. The smooth pulling of the V14 looks nice, but I definitely don't plan an upgrade there. Edit: That's how the gripper plates were looking before cleaning, just as a reference:
My grip plate also shows a little bit of wear like yours. I wonder if: - WISE sells replacement - we can refresh it by gluing a layer of diamond dust.
I’ve simply cleaned it with some good old Isopropyl alcohol and it looked good as new again. What you see there seems to be some residue off the string coating coming off.
Updating Thread: ~4500 badminton rackets strung on a V11 Wise 2086 since 2012 (600 prior since 2007 with my stringway/laserfibre ML100 with double action clamps) -Been using since February the Glide To Activate tensioner upgrade that @s_mair recommended (love it) -I disassembled the machine in early April 2023 to clean the motor and relube it. -Machine was running a lot more smoothly since... ...A few days ago i got an Error Code 2 and according to Wise support, the circuit board and load cell are reaching its EOL at any moment. I'm fully aware where to purchase replacements parts for my V11 if needed, but I've asked whether it's possible to replace the boards and load cells with V12 components if it fits the same housing. I know V14 is out of the question because the internals and plugs are completely different (and i would have to order a brand new tension head - which i don't want to do). Hopefully I'm not one of few individuals here or in the tennis equivalent forums that have had an above and beyond experience with this product and its support. Truly phenomenal product from beginner, hobbyist or even enthusiast stringer. The value proposition is undeniable. I do have my sights for a more "ambitious" machine in the future (not near..but maybe in a few years - subject to CFO aka wife approval). **mini update: Turns out the display board and keypad in v12 are different too. This means that replacing all the internals might not be the most effective solution when compared to just replacing the board and load cell.
To me, the two most reasonable options are: 1) stick to the V11 and replace the load cell and board 2) treat yourself with a new V14 The solution to reign them all of course would be to go for a completely new and shiny machine. But with the number of jobs you clocked on your old setup, I wonder if that really makes sense at this point. I surely would have a maybe 3000 jobs ago.
Oh yeah, I fully forgot about that one! Might need some drilling to make it fit on the machine, but apart from that - great piece of gear! And currently on stock. Just sayin'.
Are you both referring to this? https://www.racquetdepot.co.uk/wise-2086-motor/ I couldn't find the motor on tennisman you are referring too **Update**... I see the misunderstanding in your use of "motor". You guys are referring to the new electronic tensioner sold by tennisman and competitor to the wise 2086 and not the literal wise 2086 replacement motor (oem or 3rd party) This: https://www.tennisman.de/en/Other/S...s/Tennisman-Electronic-Tension-Motor-A01.html I didn't consider changing the motor it as I had cleaned the it recently in April (first time i did it since purchasing) and it was operating smoothly. Additionally, I had already ordered the circuit boards will arrive in 2-4 weeks and i need the current boards to survive in that time frame (otherwise i go old school back to a the original gamma crank ....EEK). I can always order a new motor later and lump it with my string orders to save on shipping and have it ready at home if truly needed. Is there anything fundamentally different with the motor now than before? Smoother? Faster? Cheers.
If there's a rail mounted version of that tensioner maybe...i'd consider it. Simply refreshing the Wise 2086 internal components is still the most economical approach. Whatever savings I gain from that will be used towards the purchase of possibly an attainable dream machine (i'm sure most badminton stringers would know what the manufacturer of this said dream machine would be). I would consider both 2nd hand (more attainable) and (bank breaking) brand new....
In short: yes and yes. Although no data yet on longevity of course. If you need it rail mounted, than that option is invalid anyways. Sounds like a perfectly reasonable plan.
Hi @s_mair Do you have a chance to play with the new Tennisman tensionhead? How do you feel about it vs WISE? Would you be kind enough to make a review video like you did for the Stringmaster Deluxe? I am very much leaning to get the new Deluxe + tennisman tension system but I couldn’t find any review online.
In the meantime I've bought that prototype and sold my old WISE V12. So far around 20 jobs done with the new motor. I'm afraid I just don't have the free time needed to shoot and cut a proper review video these days. I did shoot a short video though in which you can get an impression of how the tension head performs in a standard badminton setting. I've just uploaded it to my channel: Trigger warning: I did not use the diabolo on purpose there. I'm currently doing some evaluations and testing if using the diabolo actually makes any kind of difference in the end result. But this will be topic of a whole different thread, so everybody please hold your horses and don't start rage-typing right away. The difference in terms of noise, speed and smoothness are obvious, especially compared to the old V12. But keep in mind that there is zero long-term experience with it yet. I honestly cannot make any recommendations if it really is worth upgrading if you already own a WISE V12 or V14. If you're thinking of buying your first electronic tension head or thinking of ordering the StringMaster with WISE or the new motor, I'd personally tend towards the new one. It's more expensive, but if you count in the glide-to-activate gripper it comes with stock, the prices are almost level.
Makes me want to sell my V14 and buy the new one but nothing that justify it except my GAS as my WISE is just around 300 stringjobs. Not a WISE decision
Actually, I think the difference to the V14 is not that big. Guess it comes down to a matter of budget and GAS level.
*Heavy breathing* That thing pulled tension like a champ didnt sound like it struggled and was smooth asf
Ordered July 18th and arrived this morning. V11 Circuit board and new load cell. Now I need to find some time to swap, install and then calibrate the machine. The only thing that is throwing me off is the "series 12". The board layout and pins match the v11. Wish me luck!
