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Using Stringing Machines for Fun and Profit

It's safe to say the majority of tennis players will never give a thought to owning their own racquet stringing machine.

People who play often, though, will spend a good chunk of change having their racquet professionally restrung. If they have the patience to learn how to restring it themselves, a stringing machine might make sense.

A stringing business can be profitable, especially if you have contacts in local tennis circles. It could bring you a nice side income or some extra dollars in retirement.

Some tennis parents buy a stringing machine to help their son or daughter start a summer or college business.

If you're the manager of a pro shop, you already know the importance of having a knowledgeable stringing technician on hand, along with the proper equipment.

A stringing machine will not string your racquet (or anyone else's) for you. It takes patience, practice and some training to be able to restring a racquet in a professional manner.

Why Restring?

Racquet strings lose tension over time. They also break. Hence, the need for periodic restringing. That's where stringing machines come in.

There are several recognized makes and models of stringing machines. They vary in price and features--most significantly, in how they apply tension to the strings.

Manufacturers and sales reps for stringing machines argue over which design is best. If you're considering buying, gather all the information you can. This article will give you a start.

It Starts with Strings

When it's time to get our racquets restrung, most of us just give the job to the stringing technician at the local pro shop.

A general rule is to restring at least twice a year, more often if you play a lot. Of course, if a string breaks, you need to restring immediately. You'll find that main strings break more frequently than cross strings.

When you take your racquet to be restrung, discuss your preferred amount of racquet tension with the stringing technician. Tighter strings give more control, looser strings more power.

You should also discuss string type. There are different thicknesses and degrees of string stiffness. The trade-off is between durability and resiliency.

A common practice is to use stiff strings, such as those made of Kevlar, for the mains, and lighter, more flexible strings for the crosses.

Why Buy A Stringing Machine?

Like tennis ball machines, stringing machines represent a significant investment for most players. As an individual player, you certainly don't need to own one--even if tennis has become your life.

On the other hand, many people take up racquet stringing as a hobby. Once they learn how to do it, they find it relaxing. And since it takes a fair amount of skill and experience to do it well, those who become good at it take justifiable pride in their work.

Other people like being able to restring their family's and friends' racquets. Still others look to make some extra money by charging for their restringing services.

Becoming A Professional Restringer

Professional restringers are called stringing technicians. They may work for a tennis club, pro shop or sporting goods store, or they may work "freelance."

Racquet stringing basically consists of a series of steps in which sections of strings are tensioned and then clamped to retain the tension.

Even though stringing machines have become easier to use, you cannot expect to become a professional-level restringer in a single day, week or even month.

On the other hand, you can learn do a good job of restringing if you have desire, good instructions (or a good teacher), the right equipment, and lots of old or cheap racquets to practice on.

Practice is critical to becoming a good restringer. Without it, you can cause permanent damage to someone's expensive racquet through distorting its frame.

How long does it take to restring a racquet? Once you've gotten the process down pat, it should take you about 30 minutes to do one racquet. Restringers who've been doing it for years can cut that to as little as 15 minutes, but most of them still take enough time to make sure they do the best job possible.

Most stringing machines come with well-illustrated instructions. Some come with training videos.

There's also a U.S. Racquet Stringers Association that offers advice and discussion of both the technicalities and the business aspects of racquet restringing. The USRSA even has a certification program for restringers.

By the way, most tennis racquet stringing machines can also be used to restring squash and racquetball racquets. Some can also be used for badmitten rackets.

Stringing Machines: Quick Overview

The basic types of machines include:

Drop weight machines. These use a lever and weight to tension the string. To achieve a particular tension the weight is moved to a specific location on the lever. The string is attached to a gripper found at the lever's base. The user tensions the string by tilting the lever.

The primary advantage of drop weight machines is their low cost.

Lockout machines. These are more fully described as "lockout spring and brake machines." They use a hand-operated crank to pull the string and tension it. When a preselected tension is reached, a lever is tripped and the tensioning operation stops, with a brake used to hold the tension at that point.

Also known as "instant off" machines, lockout machines are especially accurate and facilitate fast stringing. For this reason they are often favored by pro shops.

Electric (or "electronic") machines. These have electric motors to tension the string, via a string gripper that is controlled by an electronic circuit.

Fun Box: There's a religious organization in Florida that gives teddy bears to disadvantaged youngsters around Christmas time. Big deal, you say?  Here's the twist: they also give the kids free tennis lessons.

They also are quite accurate as well as easier to use than purely mechanical machines.

Aside from being electrically run and electronically controlled, these machines differ greatly between the various brands and models--for instance, in the way they create tension in the string.

The main drawback to electric stringing machines has been their relatively high cost. As newer, more efficient versions have been developed, prices have dropped considerably for some models.

Other Considerations

Stringing machines also differ in the way they hold the racket while it is being worked on. The two most common mounting systems are "two-point" and "six point."

With two-point mounting, the frame is held at the tip and the throat. With six-point mounting, the frame is held at six different places around the frame.

Some claim that six-point mounting reduces the chance for accidentally bending or distorting the frame. Others disagree, or say that the additional safety margin is negligible.

Finally, there are also "outside" and "inside" mounting systems. This refers to whether the racquet is gripped on the outside or inside the frame's edges.

Which Stringing Machine Is Best?

All stringing machines represent trade-offs. In the end you will have to decide which is best based on the information you gather as part of your overall racquet stringing education.

One retailer of stringing machines answers the question this way:

"The best stringing machine is one that holds the racquet securely, has reliable and convenient means of holding the string for tensioning and for clamping, and applies tension in a consistent manner. There are many ways of achieving these characteristics ..."

Learning to restring racquets is a fascinating pursuit, and one that can even earn you a nice side income. If this is something that interests you, take your time deciding which stringing machine to buy. You'll be relying on it for many years to come.

Racquet Stringing Machines

Amazon.com
Amazon sells the widely recognized Gamma, Alpha and Prince brands of machines. Browsing their offerings will give you an idea of the range of features and prices available in today's stringing machines.