Update on Gamma Hybrid

Hello everyone,

Sorry for the length between posts--I've been busy getting my new website up and running. I pulled my hair out for two days trying to go the technical route that my uber-computer-geek friends recommended before I decide to stick with a format I was familiar with. But I digress.


I had a chance to hit with my new Gamma ZO Magic/Live-Wire Hybrid. Here is the verdict:

It hit fairly well, but the ZO Magic was very stiff which one would expect from a poly-mono string, but considering it is one of their high-end mono strings, I was expecting a bit more from it. Overall, the hybrid hit like a slightly better than average synthetic gut--I'm sure the durability will far surpass that of a typical syn-gut however.

It could also be that I strung it too tight. I went a couple pounds higher than my Babolat Hurricane/Tecnifibre Hybrid. I might try it again and go down 2-3 pounds, which might make a difference. But for the price, which was in the range of my other hybrid, I can't say it's worth the money.

Also: as soon as I get my digital fish scale delivered (it was supposed to be here a few days ago) I'll try it out and take some pretty pictures and post about how it works--I'm afraid to know how off my tensioner is:)

A stringing video from Vinh

One of my valued readers, Vinh, sent me a link to his YouTube video. Even though he only filmed himself stringing the mains, he is lightning fast. I can't make out the machine brand/model, but hopefully Vinh will send me another message with the info. Here's a link to Vinh's YouTube page for anyone interested: Vinh's YouTube

Thanks again Vinh,

UPDATE: Vinh uses a Alpha Axis Pro, but replaced the lock out crank tensioner with a Head 2086 electronic constant pull machine. FYI

My Gamma Hybrid Experiment (w/ visual aides)

I decided I would go ahead and try a new hybrid with Gamma ZO Magic (16) in the mains and Gamma Live Wire (16) in the crosses. I've had such good luck with my Babolat Hurricane/Technifibre X-One Biphase hybrid, I figured it would be worth a shot. I haven't actually used any Gamma strings on my own racquets for a number of years. Some people swear by them, others despise them. I'll see where I stand tomorrow--perhaps later in the week as thunderstorms are expected.

Here are the Zo Magic mains completed. These were strung at 65 lbs.--not pre-stretched as that would be superfluous for mono-filament strings. As far as poly strings go, it was fairly flexible, quite similar to the Babolat Pro Hurricane. 

Here's the Live Wire going in the crosses at 63 lbs. I did pre-stretch these. They had a bit of an "oily" feel to them. Of course that could be the result of the leftover lasagna I had for lunch--usually a good idea to wash one's hands, but since this is for my racquet, I let such graces slide.

Here is the completed racquet. I put the other two halves in plastic baggies and labeled what they are--just in case I mistake it for a very long piece of spaghetti. The ease of stringing was quite excellent with this combo, my poorly constructed machine not withstanding. I will give an update as soon as I have a chance to go out and hit with it--hopefully on Har-Tru again; I've missed the dirt so much--my knees have missed it even more.

Until then; keep stringing and evolving!

To stretch or not to stretch

Happy May to everyone.

I get to go play on clay tomorrow (well, har-tru) for the first time in a while. It's nice to slide around on the dirt every now and again. But anyone who has played on properly maintained European Red Clay, knows that Har-Tru just doesn't cut it--like playing with natural gut and switching to cheap nylon. But I digress.

I ask the grand philosophical question for the ages: to stretch or not to stretch?

I was initially of the understanding, I'm not sure why, that typically pre-stretching wasn't a necessity except for
natural gut. I typically stood by that assertion for many years. That was until I talked with some more experienced and learned stringers who informed me that all strings should be pre-stretched. This made since based on their reasoning. It cuts down on tension loss (though very slightly); it makes the string easier to deal with--not so many knots to contend with; and it reduces the chance of "folding" or snagging going through the grommet. An unnoticed snag with natural gut could be disasterous.

I suppose I am still a subscriber to the virtues of pre-stretching as I still continue to do it. Better safe than sorry. Of course, with so many monofilaments/polyesters gaining favor, pre-stretching seems somewhat superfluous as they are already so rigid. One is much more likely to cause cause permanent circulation damage to the hand and fingers than to actually stretch the string. I don't even attempt pre-stretching with mono. In reality though, does stretching even multi-filaments actually do significant good, or is it just an old wive's tale? Again, preventing knots and snags is a plus, but can be avoided with a little extra care and attention.

As far as the notion of pre-stretched string holding the tension better, I am very skeptical. Keep in mind, my experience in the hard-sciences is limited to bio-chemistry and pharmacology. This isn't very applicable to string technology. Yet common sense tells me that any benefit of tension retention, if any, would be negligible. For one, the thousands of fibers comprising multi-filament string are intended to recoil after stress. Stretching simply "straightens" out the fibers that have been sitting in a package for who know how long. I don't believe that simply re-aligning the fibers does anything other than make it slightly easier to work with. Perhaps, a little resiliency could be lost by stretching the fibers twice--once before string, once again during stringing. As far as better tension retention; I'm sure studies have been done, but I would be surprise if the result was greater than a 1/2 pound.

But, I will probably still continue to pre-strech regardless of my skepticism. It's hard to let go of beliefs that we picked up at some time for some particular reason. It reminds me of having arguments with players who insist on using vibration dampeners for the purpose of reducing arm and elbow stress. In my mind it is both a marketing ploy and psycho-semantic. They do little other than block the noise--which for me, is not a result I I want. I can tell when I am hitting the sweet spot and when I am not. I can adjust accordingly. With a vibration dampener, anything other than hitting the frame goes unnoticed. As far as I'm concerned, use softer, more forgiving strings. These will provide slightly less vibration and be more forgiving on the arm--slightly. I'm still not sold on the pre-stretching, yet I can't turn my back on a ritual that I have been doing for years now, Right or wrong, it's just now a part of the routine.

Digital fish scales for tension calibration

Hello to everyone and anyone who follows me. Many apologies for the delay between posts. Between my other blog, playing tennis, marketing and so on and so forth, I have had little time to post. But, I just invested in a moderately priced digital fish scale which I am going to use for tension calibration--similar to the picture on the left.

The reason for this is twofold.

Reason one: price. Tension calibrators made specifically for racquet stringing calibration are very pricey compared to fish scales. Even the most most expensive fish scales are only about $25, where stringing specific calibrators start at about $30 and can go upwards of $75.

Reason two: accuracy. Just based on what I have read, the stringing specific calibrators--even the expensive ones--tend to be wildly inaccurate. The fish scales are accurate up to .01 pounds; well, according to the company specs. Whether or not this is true remains to be seen.

I've even read that the ATP tournament stringers are mostly using fish scales now as well. Again, this is here-say. I'll take is as fact when I actually talk to some ATP tournament stringers. Once I get the fish scale, I am going to test it with a known weight. I have some dumbbells of varying weights which I will use. I'm assuming the weight of the dumbbells are true--so we shall see how this works. I'm of the assumption that my Eagnas is  about 2-3 pounds too low; but I don't want to blindly compensate by going up 2-3 pounds.

Of course, I might be a little less concerned if I upgraded machines. As I stated in an earlier post, I was thinking about getting a Gamma 5003. But I was thinking about getting a Gamma X-ST tabletop. It is essentially the same as the 5003, minus the base. The reasoning for doing this, other than the lower cost, is that I believe I can take the top off and put it on my Eagnas base. I know for sure that the tension pull is compatible with the Eagnas. I most likely would have to rig up a new breaking system, but that isn't very difficult. In case anyone reading this has tried this, or happens to have a X-ST and can give me the diameter of the shaft; I would greatly appreciate your input. We'll see what happens. I truly need to get a set-up with nicer clamps. The Eagnas, while sufficient, pinch a little too much no matter how much I loosen them--I can't loosen them too much, or I'll get slippage.

I will update my fish scale experiment as soon as I receive it and try it out. I welcome everyone's comments if you have tried a fish scale.

Ode to the Prince Spectrum Comp 90

Ode to the Prince Spectrum Comp 90

You were my stick from 1994 to 2006

Prince manufactured you in 1986

So happy you made me with beams so narrow

You directed my shots like a speeding arrow....

OK, that's enough of my feeble attempt at tennis racquet poetry--just be thankful I don't start transcribing my high school poetry journal (you never know, there could be a market for twisted, poetic, emo racquet stringers).

The Prince spectrum comp was my stick of choice for many years. It was somewhat of a random occurance that I ended up using it at all. Through most of my high school days I played with a mizuno "reactor" I believe--too bad mizuno stopped making racquets; they were actually pretty nice sticks. I happened to be browsing around a sporting goods store on Oracle Road in Tucson, AZ when I came across a brand new Spectrum Comp 90 (with grey leather grip and all) on clearance for about $30. I needed an extra frame to keep as backup--I broke a frame or two on occasion back then; poor anger management skills (in fact, I need to check with an old buddy of mine who had saved a mutilated mizuno frame of mine from a memorable outburst at practice for posterities sake). 

I strung it up with Gosen OG Micro most likely (my string of choice for many years) and took it for a test hit. Let me tell you, it was night and day from any frame I had ever used. Even though it was 1986 technology and this was 1994, it felt and played better than any stick I had ever used. It was small; 90 sq. in. It was heavy; close to 13 oz. strung; but it was frickin' awesome. Having a 14x18 pattern, I generated a ton of spin. It was somewhat forgiving on shots toward the frame; but if you could get the sweetspot, then goodnight Mr. Penn.

I put an ad in the USRSA magazine classified section looking to buy more of my new love. I got a response fairly quickly from a gentleman who had three of them in pretty nice condition. I believe I paid about a hundred bucks for all three--not a bad deal, but slightly more than what I paid (per racquet) for a brand new one. These frames would last me the next 12 years or so. Through College tennis, teaching and other competitive play. Eventually, the grommets just got too worn out to continue to string. Believe me, I tried numerous times to find new bumper sets for my beloved racquets, but it just was not to be. The frames never showed the slightest hint of cracking, chipping, etc... They were built like frickin' tanks--other than the plastic bumper guards/grommets of course. 

It's just as well I suppose. As I've aged and grown--horizontally--I found my current Dunlop Vision 102s to be a little easier on the arm and a little more forgiving on mis-hits. I'm not even sure I could consistently hit the sweetspot anymore on a 90 in. frame as I'm so used to the extra 10 in. now. But I look back in fondness to my beloved Prince Spectrum Comp 90. They simply do not make them like that anymore.

A brave man once requested me; to answer questions that are key...

EB said...
Can we get a run down on your equipment? Stringing maching, tools, set-up, etc.? Also, maybe a run down on the type of player you are. This is a very interesting blog, glad I came across it.

I wanted to respond to EB and thank him for the kind words-- it's good to know that I'm presenting something interesting; at least to EB.

As for my playing pedigree: I'm 33 years old now and rated at NTRP 4.5-- although I might be closer to 4.0 considering the number of injuries and surgeries I've had the past couple of years that have caused me to gain a lot of weight. However, I'm back in playing condition now and losing the pounds rapidly. I played junior/high school tennis in Southern Arizona. I played two years of College tennis at Western New England in Springfield, MA. I'm USPTA certified and have taught off and on at clubs and independently since I was about 20; though I haven't given formal lessons in almost four years now. I played with the original Prince Spectrum Comp 90 from high school up until about three years ago when my frames became too beat up to continue to use. As for current racquets and string: I posted about that in an earlier blog.

I first began stringing at age 13 on a cheap TR stringer. I mentioned this in a previous blog (but I couldn't remember the model). At around 15, my then high school coach in Wyoming (right before I moved to Arizona) taught me almost everything I have needed to know about stringing on his Ektelon Model H. I believe, but am not certain, that he was USRSA certified. When I moved to Arizona, I "upgraded" to an Eagnas 800. It was actually a pretty reliable machine and I must have strung at least a thousand racquets before the tension pull crapped out about 8-9 years later. I was a member of the USRSA for about five years but never got my certification.

After that, I would use a machine at whatever club I was working at; occasionally I would actually have to pay out of pocket for stringing--a horror that I hope is never again bestowed upon me. As I mentioned previously, I've had a number of injuries the past 3 years and did not get back into stringing until about six months ago. That's when I found an Eagnas Hawk 800 on e-bay on the cheap. Yes, I know it's somewhat on the low end of the totem pole, but there is something to be said about South Korean racquet-machine-ripoff-technology. Actually I'm planning on upgrading to a Gamma 5003 in the near future-- or something a bit nicer if the right used machine comes along.

In essence, I'm by no means an expert authority on all things stringing. But considering I've strung off and on for the past twenty years now and have used about every type of machine, technique and string there is; I do have some useful knowledge to share. I guess I have what you would call a "home" stringing business. It's mainly a means of providing myself and my family with a little extra cash for bills and groceries. I truly do love all things tennis and find that the current stringing industry is pretty much the same as it has been the past twenty years. Other than the very high-end $5000+ stringers, I find most current machines to be no better and perhaps even of inferior quality as they were in the past. As for strings; other than the shift toward poly and hybrids, I don't see any significant advances in actual playability. For me, nothing will ever beat real cow gut string--however, that is a luxury for me.

More than anything, I would like this blog to be a little offbeat and unique. I'm not going to bore anyone with constant technical jargon and copy-and-pasted reviews of the newest, latest-greatest machine or string. You can find excellent tech. info on strinforum.net, grand slam stringers, talk tennis and of course the USRSA site. I make a good part of my living as a freelance writer and combining my love of writing with my interest in stringing seemed like an interesting concept for me to explore. Just so everyone knows, I tend to be on the philosophical and existential side when it comes to my writing, so be prepared for some posts that will be unlike other tennis stringing blogs. I have another blog as well: http://toddcurl.blogspot.com/ Everyone here is welcome to check it out. But some of my posts are of a political nature and I'm sure there is someone that will be offended by my political views--but hey, I'm open minded and this blog is not for politics or anything other than tennis stringing and things related to stringing/tennis. Republicans, Democrats, Fascists, Communists and neo-libertarian-marxist-keynesian-mutants all love a well strung racquet.

Thanks again to everyone who has stopped by and who will stop by and make this the most kick-ass esoteric/existentialist racquet stringing blog on the internet. I also welcome anyone to ask me to post on here any articles or reviews you may have written. Also, if you want me to share a link to something interesting and relevant to this blog, that won't be a problem--just nothing that I would consider a shameless plug for a product: IE: A Prince press release about the new "Fart-reducing Vortex 2.0" --remember the Vortex? (barf)
Personal reviews of any subject-related products are fine.

----I hope that answers some of your questions EB : )

-Todd

Link to my story on Andre Agassi and Meth

Hello everyone,

I wanted to give a link to a story I posted on another blog of mine about Andre Agassi's recent (well-somewhat recent) admission of meth-amphetamine use almost ten years ago. I know it's not stringing-related, but it is tennis-related, and I think it might be of interest to many of you. Thanks again for stopping by The Daily Stringer.

http://toddcurl.blogspot.com/2010/04/agassi-rational-thoughts-on-tennis-meth.html

When Good Stringers go Bad: The Head Flexpoint Radical and Me

Just a couple of weekends ago, I participating in my first league practice of the summer. Since this was my first practice and I had not met any of these guys before, I thought it an opportune time to perhaps cultivate a little extra stringing business. As one would imagine, a couple of my teammates broke a string and of course, I offered to string them if they didn't already have a regular stringer. One racquet was a Prince Shark OS, and the gentleman already had a reel of Prince Topspin with him-- you have to love that if you're a stringer; at least I do as I make the same profit whether they provide the string or I do. The second racquet was a Head Flexpoint Radical Oversize (as pictured above).

The flexpoint seemed a little unusual with the holes through the side of the frame, but nothing any more unusual than anything else I've seen. I was going out of town for a few days and wanted to get the racquets strung and out of the way, so perhaps I rushed a little more than I might have. I mounted the flexpoint and away I went. Things were smooth; just another typical stringing job, no different from the thousands I've done in the past. But out of nowhere; disaster strikes. I'm nearly half-way through the cross strings, when all of the sudden I notice a fracture at the 10:00 (or 2:00) position on the inside of the frame. It was about one inch long, not horrible, but still fairly noticeable. I went into near panic mode as I hadn't noticed it before I started stringing. I finished up as quickly and as carefully as I could.

I was just flabbergasted: this had never once happened to me before. Was this my fault? Was the crack there before and I just didn't notice it? Would it have happened no matter who was stringing it? I suppose to some degree, I still do not have the answers to that. I had to get the Prince Shark strung, and let me tell you, that was one tense and nervous stringing job--hell, they've all been a little tense and nervous since then.

I got in touch with the owner of the frame; well, I left him a message and e-mailed him I should say. I frantically explained what had happened, how sorry I was, etc..... Truth be told, the frame was pretty beaten up on the head from scraping the court too often. It might have been inevitable for this crack, and it might have been entirely my fault. One HUGE lesson I learned (I didn't learn it per se, it was just reinforced): don't get in a hurry; go over the frame with a fine-toothed comb before you even cut the strings. Before my customer even had a chance to respond, I found the exact same frame on e-bay for a very reasonable price and went ahead and bid on it, and won it. It was at my house three days later---ready to be strung again, but I didn't crack it this time though.

The customer was happy I took the effort and trouble to correct the problem, but also admitted that the frame had been used a lot and it might not have been my fault. Regardless, the frame was cracked somehow and that's just not something I want hanging over my (flexpoint) head. As for the fractured racquet; it's still playable and I found a nice plastic/carbon-type epoxy that I spread around the fracture. I told him, the racquet might last five minutes before it completely cracks, or it might last another five years. If that thing lasts until he breaks another string, I'll take out the grommets around the area of the fracture and inject that epoxy on the inside of the frame--if it makes it to that point, that should add considerable life to the frame.

I just though I would share my recent experience. I'm sure other stringers have had similar experiences at some point. I think I did the right thing, and ultimately, it might give me more business in the long run. I just hope this doesn't become common-place as I can't afford to be buying new frames all the time. But, considering this was one in about 2000-3000 racquets I've strung, the odds are fairly good.

Zen and the Art of Tennis Racquet Maintenance

So the thing to do when working on a [tennis racquet], as in any other task, is to cultivate the peace of mind which does not separate one's self from one's surroundings. When that is done successfully, then everything else follows naturally. Peace of mind produces right values, right values produce right thoughts. Right thoughts produce right actions and right actions produce work which will be a material reflection for others to see of the serenity at the center of it all.  (Robert M. Pirsig)

When stringing a tennis racquet, my mind is at ease in the process. Or at least I would like to believe that. Sometimes my mind drifts to other places during the process. Perhaps a phone call while tying off a string or a doorbell or a tricky grommet. I suppose it would be the ultimate destination to be at one with the string, the racquet and the process. Every pass through the grommet, every pull of the tensioner, every weave of the cross string through the main--a natural and organic congruence of events transpiring; bringing about the perfect stringing job. String that will bring good fortune and happiness to the person who uses that string to make the perfect shot.  

Realistically, for me at least, stringing isn't necessarily a Zen experience. I suppose peace of mind comes from a job well done and a little chunk of change to obtain some small necessities for life. But this peace of mind doesn't always produce "right values" to "right thoughts" to "right actions." Sometimes the stringing practice can try one's patience and frustrate and cause stress.

I first began stringing racquets at the age of thirteen. I invested--or at least my parents did--about one hundred dollars in a cheap table top stringer (the model escapes my memory). For the most part, I taught myself how to do it. I was fairly sharp and bright and after practicing on a few of my own racquets, I was ready to string the world. I put up some flyers at the university courts and got some business here and there; made a bit of pocket change--I beleive I charged around ten dollars which included the stringing and the string (Leona 66).

My stringing career, as it was, moved along smoothly for the most part. Then, I get a call from a gentleman responding to my flyer asking if I could string a Wilson T-1000. I did not know specifically what that was at the time, so being self-assured of my newly acquired string skills, I naively told him yes. When he dropped it off, I realized it was the classic Jimmy Connors racquet from the mid/late 1970s. Keep in mind this was around 1989/90, practically the entire world had moved on to modern graphite frames years ago. Well, suffice to say, I spent at least ten hours stringing and restringing and trying to figure that God-forsaken thing out. Even if I would have had access to the stringing instructions, I doubt it would have made much of a difference. It ended up somewhat the way it was supposed to be strung. Just a tad off, yet still playable. I was too embarrassed to even give the racquet back to the gentleman and collect what amounted to about 75 cents per hour of work--I had my mother take on that task.

In retrospect, that was indeed a valuable learning experience. I was humbled somewhat by the dreaded T-1000 and vowed to never touch, look at or be in the vicinity of that frame again. All in all, it may have been frustrating, yet in the end, a learning, or shall I say, Zen, experience. As time passed, I upgraded to a nicer upright machine and continued stringing for several more years. I have yet to find complete inner-peace from the process of racquet stringing, but I try to take the simplicity of stringing and use it as a mechanism to cope with and understand my life journey. But please, please, please; keep the T-1000 away from me!

-Todd Curl

My New Hybrid

                                  

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I Just started my new hybrid combination consisting of Babolat Pro Hurricane (17g) in the mains with Tecnifibre X-One Biphase (17g) in the crosses. I play with three Dunlop Vision 102 racquets all weighted to about 12 ounces.

I strung one racquet at 61lbs in the mains and 63lbs in the crosses. I thought I would need to keep the Pro Hurricane at a lower tension since it is a little rigid, but I found out it has excellent playability for a mono-filament string. My second racquet was strung at 63lbs in the mains and 62lbs in the crosses.

So far, they both play excellent. I'm getting nice power and control on my ground-strokes. However, the 63/62 seems to work a little better on the serves and when I string my third racquet with the same hybrid, I might go up to 65/63. So far, I'm more than happy, yet I can't speak for the durability as I've only played about two hours with each racquet.

---I'm a 4.5 rated, hard-hitting baseliner for the most part; just to give a little more background.

Welcome to The Daily Stringer!

Welcome to my new blog. I have been stringing tennis racquets since I was thirteen years old. I would like to use this blog to share my experiences, information and love of racquet stringing. Everyone is invited to give their own personal advice, anecdotes, reviews and anything you wish to discuss related to racquet stringing. If you would like to post, or would like me to link a previous post/blog/article written by you, just send an e-mail and I will most likely put it on the sight.


Thanks for visiting and I hope this modest site will eventually become an invaluable resource for the stringing community.