It’s time for another edition of “Ask Squash Source”!
A question I get frequently is:
What’s the factory string tension of this racket?
This question could be asked about any brand of racket. Often someone will buy a racket and enjoy the feel of it. Maybe their strings break and they want to get it restrung as closely as possible to the original factory settings they enjoyed so much.
Most manufacturers I’ve asked about this will say the factory tension is 28 pounds, or thereabouts. But there’s a major caveat: the tension of the strings when they leave the factory is probably NOT the tension you ultimately end up with when you start hitting with the racket.
That’s because rackets lose string tension over time. When the racket is first strung, it’s sitting in a factory somewhere, let’s say China. The rackets are shipped by boat to a distributor in your country. Then they are shipped to a dealer. Then they are finally shipped to you, the happy squash player.
So they may string the rackets at 28 initially, but they have probably lost tension by the time you get your hands on them, just due to the transit time. There may be other factors as well, such as the temperature changes the racket went through on its long journey to you.
The bottom line here is you shouldn’t really rely on the factory string tension as a guideline. Instead, experiment with different tensions and strings when you get your rackets restrung, until you find a setup that you enjoy.
Hope that helps!
RasP says
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I totally disagree with the point saying that you should restring your new racket straight away. I believe it’s a point made by eager salesmen and stringers who want to see (=sell) a lot of strings through their hands.
If your new racket and the string in it doesn’t fit you after some playing time, where you have tried getting used to it – let’s say 5-8 times of playing – then I think it’s fair enough to consider a restringing.
I agree on the point about the inconsistency in the stringing jobs made – because they are made on different machines by different people. This does that you can buy two rackets from the same bundle but experience two (and too) different string tensions.
Some years ago I made inquieries with several manufacturers and only got answers from Tecnifibre (12.0 kg.) and Oliver (can’t remember the number currently).
I also read an estimate once, saying that a racket will lose about 10 % of its tension in the first 24 hours after stringing and from then on the tension loss was inconsiderably small.
People sometimes think that when it says “Recommended string tension” (e.g. 11 kg. +/- 2 kg) on the racket, then that’s the same as what the racket comes strung with. Don’t make that assumption. It just tells you how many kgs you shouldn’t go beyond.
Nick Down says
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Further to Pierre’s post above, which is spot on, rackets are strung very quickly by loads of stringers in the factories, so there will be a great deal of inconsistency in the finish. It is advisable, in any event, to re string any new racquet straight away, then you know when and where it was done. Some Brands use cheap nylon monofilament strings knowing that a lot of buyers will immediately cut them out and freshly string the racket. There are also some brands that put their own premium strings in their rackets! I guess that’s advertising.for you. So whether it’s been strung quickly at the factory and also stored in shipping containers, warehouses and shop storerooms, give your stringer a call sooner rather than later.
Tjeerd says
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Hi Nick,
Nice to see you join the conversation!
That’s probably also the reason that there are – although rarely – Tecnifibre Carboflex 125s sgut rackets for sale, reasonally priced and fitted with a synthetic gut string instead of their Dnamx top string?