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FAQs
Q: What is the difference between a Crank and Electric Constant Pull machine?
A: The main difference is how the two machine reacts when the reference tension is establish during stringing. Q: Why should I change my strings?
A: Regardless of the racket you are using, new strings will always make the racket feel like new again. Not only will you have more pop in your shots, you will also be able to generate more spins (top, bottom, or side spin) in your shots. Q: How often should I change my strings?
A: A player should change their strings when they feel most of their shots are going out or cannot be controlled. As time progress tension on your stringbed will drop. Once string tension drops you begin to lose control and your shots will be long. If you play often (ie 4 times a week competitively) then your strings will become dead faster. Q: If my strings are dead why didn't they break yet? A: There are many playing style and not all players will break strings. Most players that break strings are players with enormous topspins, as you generate more and more topspin, the string bed will begin to shift and will slowly notch away at the strings. Sooner or later the stringbed will snap. Others are players with a powerful serve, the more power you have on your serve the higher chances you will snap your strings on your serves. And the last item is breaking your strings on an off center shot. If you hit a ball coming very fast at the top of your racket (the weakest point) your strings will snap. This is a common way of breaking you strings Q: What tension should I use and why? A: For recreational players or players experimenting with new strings should always string their racket mid tension based on the rackets recommendation. From there the player can decide to either increase tension (for more control however less power) or decrease tension (for more power however less control). Q: What are the different string gauge? A: Each type of strings has a different gauge. The higher the gauge(17g or 18g) the thinner the strings. Players use thinner gauges for a more softer feel, power, and spin however their durability will greatly decrease especially for topspin players. The higher the gauge (15g & 16g) have a higher durability however does not have the same power and soft feel as lower gauges. Q: What are the different type of strings and how are they beneficial? A: There are actually 4 main type of strings, 1) Synthetic, 2) Polyester, 3) Hybrid, and 4) Natural Gut. There are other type of strings within each listed: Nylon, Titanium, Multifilament, Structured, Kevlar, etc. 1) Synthetic strings are an alternative to the more expensive Natural Gut. They were designed for high durability and affordability. There are many different type of synthetic strings on the market to cater to different playing styles. 2) Polyester strings are the new high tech strings developed to give more power to the player and their racket. Polyester string has very little elasticity making these strings very stiff and rough feeling. Players are recommended to tension these strings 10% below their norm. One of the benefits besides greater spin and power, is the little to no string bed movements. However these strings have a very short playability compared to other type of strings. Normally the strings will feel dead in about 20 hours of game play. 3) Hybrid strings are the new wave of player's string customization. Hybrid strings are a combination of 2 different strings (one type on the mains and a different type on the crosses). Each player can customize their string to fit their exact playing style. Hybrid are recommended for players who wants to use Polyester strings however cannot handle the stiffness. Utilizing a mix of synthetic strings will soften the string bed greatly without compromising spin and power. 4) Natural gut is made from cow's gut. It is the choice of many top ATP Players, it has the soft feel of Synthetic strings, the power and spin of Polyester strings, and holds tension better than any other string type without compromising its soft feel. These strings are recommended for top players due to its price.
On a Crank machine, when tension is established the machine will lock out and clamps will be placed. During the time when the Crank machine locks out and clamped, tension would drop as the elasticity of the string begins to stretch. Even if the string is clamped immediately, tension is not always accurate as tension will flucuate if pulling the crank is not consistent (pulling fast vs pulling slow).
On a True Electric Constant Pull Machine when the string is tensioned the machine will keep pulling at the specified tension even when the string begins to stretch until the string is clamped and machine is disengaged. This will guarantee a consistent string job with accurate tension everytime. Due to this reason a Constant Pull Machine will yield a 10% higher in tension compared to a Crank machine.
