Max Comfort: Dunlop AG200 + Multi / Syn Gut @ 35/33 lbs

I like to try new things. The more unusual it is, the more interesting. Venturing down the unbeaten path can throw up some "Eureka!" moments!

I have to give credit to whom it is due since I first read about this low tension experiment from a forum. (link) To the folks there who got this going and the many who kept it going, thank you! I appreciate your sharing.

I was searching for a comfortable setup since I slightly injured my wrist and elbow. (link) And then I chanced upon that thread...

After a lot of deliberation, and fears of how uncontrollable that trampoline stringbed would behave, I went for it. At the most, I cut out the strings and lose some tennis balls. Right?

Playtest:
- THERE IS NO TRAMPOLINE!!!
- comfort is the best I have ever felt. Everywhere on the strings felt like the sweetspot! Nothing is harsh.
- power level is very good and hitting deep is so easy
- I did not tell my playing partner anything before letting him try the racket and he loved it immediately!!!
- we would give volleys full marks for this stringbed. I could even volley shots effortlessly and accurately from baseline to baseline!
- spin is ridiculously crazy! We can see the ball curling left or right in mid-air like a ping-pong ball! No kidding! Topspin is more than any kevlar or poly setups I've tried.
- the only downside is a slight loss of directional control
- there is also a lot of string movement which does not bother me
- after about 30min of play, there is a strange vibration. I think it could be the vibrational frequency of the strings being aligned with the racket as mentioned in the forum. But it does not affect me.
- I think this setup is likely to become permanent in one of my rackets! Maybe even lower tension?

Here's how much ball fur was ripped off the balls after play.

Here's the string movement after about an hour.

13Feb2013 update:
- the racket was untouched after one session of play on  31Jan
- out of curiousity how it would play lighter, I removed all lead tape, leather grip and dampener and brought weight down from 366g to 339g
- it played very well again today
- we could not feel any drop in tension, spin nor control, just maximum comfort all the way
- the string vibration totally disappeared
- my partner liked this racket and string combo so much he "bought" (yea right! more like robbed!!!) this racket off me on court!!!

Strings:

Pro Supex Maxim Touch 1.30mm mains @ 35 lbs

Pro Supex Synthetic Gut Titan 1.25mm cross @ 33 lbs

Wilson PSC 6.1 + Poly/Multi @ 58 / 48-52-56-52-48 lbs

My tennis partners often chide me for being extravagant. They feel I cut strings out too quickly.

Sometimes it is a combination I don't like. Other times, the strings are dead. Or the tension is wrong. To them, I am a spoilt brat with an never-ending demand for fresh strings!

But that's why I bought a stringing machine isn't it? To facilitate my search for a suitable set of modern strings. Just trying to balance these three variables of power, control (spin) and comfort is enough to wreck havoc on anyone's mind.

I admit. Even with my personal stringing machine, I do feel a sense of wastage from cutting out some strings. But wouldn't it be MORE wasteful to continue to use the strings, and:
1. completely don't enjoy the tennis game, 
2. waste my partner's and my own time on court playing shabbily,
3. waste money on court booking fees and balls, 
4. deprive better players from using the courts, and/or
5. develop injuries (ie tennis elbow) due to severe discomfort?

Well...

I cut out only the crosses from the full Big Ace job (link) and converted into a poly/multi hybrid. The same varied tension for the crosses at 48-52-56-52-48 was applied.

For those still harbouring thoughts of stringing full poly above 52lb... about 12 hours after playing with the high-tension full Big Ace, both my wrist and elbow were sore and painful. That is very unusual for me. I still think Big Ace is a good soft poly, but at more than 55 lbs, it just does not work for me.


Playtest:
- even after conversion to poly/multifilament, the racket still feels incredibly low-powered. Out of 10 shots hit from my baseline, only 1-2 got to the other baseline. All the rest hit the net.
- every shot feels like a numb punch. There is no feel anywhere at all.
- spin is weak. There are no high-kickers nor wicked slices.
- direction control is very poor. I could not aim anywhere with confidence.
- dead centre volley shots feel no different from frame hits!
- it is a mistake to pull Big Ace this tight!
- however, I will definitely recommend this stringing tension and setup to my competitors who bet matches with high stakes! (Ha ha...)

Just before I cut out the strings, I noticed that the red line on the cross strings moved a little, maybe 1mm away from the centre. Look at the 4 cross strings nearest the dampener.

Strings:

Pro Supex Big Ace Revo 1.25mm mains @ 58 lbs

Pro Supex Maxim Touch 1.30mm cross @ 48-52-56-52-48 lbs

Wilson PSC 6.1 + Full Poly @ 58 / 48-52-56-52-48 lbs

I remembered to take a picture this time when I cut the strings. (link) Just as I suspected, both the Big Ace and Multifilament have "gone dead".

If you observe the picture below carefully, there is only a very small gap between each cut string for both the big ace mains and multifilament crosses.

Since I did not have any good feedback with stringing Big Ace at low tensions, I decided to pull it tight this time. So it's 58lbs for the mains!

I really like the feeling of a softer tension for the top and bottom few cross strings. Just that few pounds lower in tension removes the harsh feel and yet maintains excellent control on the stringbed. Even the sweetspot is slightly bigger too. 

So I did the top 2 crosses at 48lbs, next 2 crosses at 52lbs, next 10 at 56lbs, next 2 at 52lbs and last 2 at 48lbs.

I am also marking a red line as I am stringing to monitor if the differed tensions would even out.

So here's the completed racket!

Playtest:
- while I cannot feel it, but my hitting partner commented there was a lot of extra spin
- power is ridiculously low, much less than kevlar strings! I had problems hitting from baseline to baseline with topspin!!!
- strangely, control was very poor. The ball rebound off the stringbed was unpredictable. It went anywhere else other than where we aimed!
- serves were impossible with the poor control, even on perfect sweetspot hits! The ball either hit the tape or went straight out! Only 1 or 2 out of 10 serves were good. When I switched racket, my serve accuracy recovered.
- the varied tension of the crosses helped soften off-centre hits slightly and I don't think it is the reason for the loss of control at all
- overall, the stringbed feels like a very aged and dead multifilament string, minus all the power
- not an enjoyable setup at all
- will probably go back to a hybrid of big ace with multifilament

Strings:

Pro Supex Big Ace Revo 1.25mm mains @ 58lbs

Pro Supex Big Ace Revo 1.25mm cross @ 48-52-56-52-48lbs

Yonex RDS003v1 + Poly/Syn Gut @ 50/50 lbs

When I played using this racket, something just feels odd with the stringbed. Both M and I could not pinpoint exactly what's wrong. But it just didn't feel right! (link)

It's easy to "blame" the strings this time! With two similar model rackets fine-tuned exactly in weight, balance and grip size, the only differences left are the strings and serial number! And I don't think it is the serial number...

The mystery was solved when I cut the strings. The black fusion poly mains did not "snap apart" much when cut. There was only about a 5-10mm gap between each cut main string. Previously, I recall there was usually a 20-30mm gap when I cut black fusion. So the poly string could have been over-stretched at 54 lbs and lost its resilience.

I recall reading somewhere that poly strings should be strung below 52 lbs. And this was the first time I strung black fusion so tightly. The other racket done at 50/52 lbs turned out very well and comfortable. (link) So I will drop tension and re-string this racket.

Playtest:
- The harsh feelings completely disappeared! Even on off-centre hits!
- The large sweet spot came back and it was very easy to hit the ball
- Both forehand and backhand topspin and slices worked wonderfully well. So well, that my footwork and timing was completely thrown off by M's impeccably executed spin shots!
- A lot of ball fur stuck on the strings proves how well the poly is "biting" on the ball.
- Spin is so good that M can curl the ball down from his baseline to within my service box with a FULL HARD SWING!

Strings:

Pro Supex Black Fusion 1.19mm mains @ 50lbs

Pro Supex Synthetic Gut Titan 1.25mm cross @ 50lbs

RW5800 + Poly / Syn Gut @ 48 / 40-43-40

My last experiment proved that the different tension in cross strings would not normalise, even with almost 20 lbs difference. (link) 

In fact, my problem was the difference in tension held too well. I had anticipated some movement, so I strung the area with skipped crosses much tighter. But it stayed that way and hits near those areas felt harsh, naturally!

To reduce the variables, I did the mains at 48 lbs again. A full proportional stringing would mean the tightest cross strings be strung around the mid-30s. Psychologically, I cannot accept nor fathom how that would play. So I decided to take one step at a time. A small step...

The top and bottom 5 crosses are pulled at 40 lbs. The middle 8 crosses are pulled at 43 lbs. If there is any merit in proportional stringing, this setup would definitely show some. There is some chatter online about how Davydenko varied tensions in his cross strings. Google it if you are curious.

I marked the position of the cross strings like what I did previously. But with black cross strings, I cannot see the markings!!! I think I'll buy a silver-coloured felt tip marker next time!

Here's another pic where I re-marked the red line with a gold-coloured felt tip marker.

Playtest:
- Dead-on sweetspot hits were controllable, nice and soft
- Slightly off sweetspot hits still felt harsh
- Spin is very good and enhanced directional control
- The black fusion strings really "grabbed" the ball very well and a lot of ball fur was stuck on the strings after only a few minutes of topspin shots
- Since this frame is only about 90-92 sq in, the harsh feeling could be due to the very small sweetspot
- I did not like this setup. In fact, I have not liked any strings combo in this racket so far. So I think it could be due to the racket instead...
- The gold-coloured line on the cross strings remained intact after playing so there should not be any evening out of the varied cross tensions

Strings:

Pro Supex Black Fusion 1.19mm mains @ 48 lbs

Pro Supex Synthetic Gut Titan 1.25mm cross @ 40-43-40 lbs

Stringing Machines

My experience with crank and electronic machines are shallow. I have owned neither. And I was using them to help the owner string rackets in return for his tutelage. 

Day in day out, I was repeating the same thing on different rackets with different strings at different tensions. I did not get to try anything special or any out-of-the-world stringing methods.

So why did I settle on the Klippermate, which is merely a low-tech and manual dropweight?

I have been blessed with good hands that allowed me to pick up quite a few crafts. In my late teens, I was already taught how to strip down a vehicle engine completely for overhaul and then reinstall it. 

While I was staying at a rented house, I developed "green fingers" and learnt to trim bushes, prune plants and cook my favourite foods. 

Every now and then, I help my friends fix their bicycles, changing freewheels and aligning crank bearings. And re-wiring some electronic circuits was as familiar to me as spine-aligning a golf shaft.

I must thank the master mechanic that exposed me to such "hand" craft. His favourite question was "If your car breaks down in the desert, and you have no access to parts or tools other than what's available in the trunk, what are you going to do?"

What he was insinuating, was that our knowledge and our hands far exceed what tools can do for us. He taught me to think out of the box.

So, the reason for the simple dropweight is, I believe that the stringer matters more than the stringing machine. Plus, that thing is built like a tank. There are very few parts that can break down easily. Even regular calibration is not needed! Unless gravity changes of course!

Another lesser known reason is no over-tensioning. Almost all crank machines over-tensions the string before dropping off back below the poundage intended. 

In other words, to string a racket at 60 lbs on a crank usually means "cranking" the string at about 65 lbs and after the crank "locks" in place, the tension drops to about 55 lbs or less.

Some electronic stringing machines suffer this problem too. Especially when impatient stringers set the pull speed to fastest. It over-tensions about 5-10% but will settle back to the intended tension since it is a "constant-pull". A good and consistent electronic tensioner does not come cheap. And neither are all expensive electronic models accurate.

Ultimately, it is up to the stringer or player to determine if the string is damaged by this "over-stretch". Is playability or durability compromised?

A few of my playing partners and myself can definitely feel the difference.

Mystery Shopping...

While out shopping with my family a few weeks ago, I chanced upon a sports shop specialising in tennis equipment. I saw someone stringing rackets there too. So I stepped in to check out the latest gear.

Without asking what I was looking for, my level of play, or for whom am I intending to make a purchase, he pointed towards the BLX Pro Staff Six.One 90 (link) and recommended me to buy it.

"It's Roger Federer's racket!" 
"It's on sale now. Only S$XXX and with your string of choice!" 
"You should get it."

I have not even uttered a word! Clad in a round-neck T-shirt, bermudas and beach sandals, I certainly do not even look like a tennis player at all. Let alone trying to handle a 90 square inch tennis racket!

My first impression of this man and his shop is sealed.

I smiled, took up the racket for a closer look and asked what strings would he recommend with this racket. He replied nonchalantly that it's my choice. He cannot decide for me. So I asked how long he has been stringing. "Over twenty years" he replied. And he could recommend a racket within seconds but not strings?

Trying to hide my disgust by smiling more cheerfully, I asked what strings and tension is most commonly requested for the BLX Pro Staff Six.One 90 racket. "All sorts. Some asked for synthetic gut at 40+ lbs. Several full poly at about 65 lbs. All depends."

He caught me staring at some wood rackets in the shop and started telling me how similar the BLX Pro Staff and wood rackets would play.

"You like wood rackets?"
"Then you'll definitely like the BLX Pro Staff! They play exactly the same. You have to do all the work. Both rackets have NO flex. They are absolutely completely stiff. Full swing does it!"
"How? You want to buy?"

I thanked him for his advice and left.

I can understand they are running a business. There is a need to make profits. But isn't it detrimental to their reputation to push ill-fitted and inappropriate equipment? How many re-visit a shop that sold them a lemon? And full poly strings in a 90 square inch racket at 65 lbs?

Whatever you are shopping for, please be diligent and do your research before committing. Caveat Emptor! 

Another Oldie.... Wilson XT-80...

After being tucked away in some hidden corners for decades, one by one, these old rackets are being rediscovered. It's like a treasure hunt, except I know exactly what "treasure" it is but not where it is "hidden".

The Wilson XT-80 is "the other racket" given to me by my friend together with the Slazenger Woody. (link) That scrawny me then could not handle nor appreciate this racket's amazing plowthrough. 

Now that I take it out for another spin, it plays very very well indeed. And I am still using the original set of strings that racket was sold with probably three decades ago or more!!!

Spin is good. Directional control is excellent. With its weight, for as long as I can still swing that racket, the power is amazing! I wonder what strings and setup should I use to maximise the potential of this stick! But I would still prefer to know a bit more about the specs before re-stringing it.

However I searched online, I cannot find anything. I'm starting to wonder if this stick is legit or a dud. If anyone reading this has any information on the racket, please send me an email or post a comment. Thanks!