Tennis Stringing Machine

compact and easy to use

[Update] It has been 6 months since I strung my first racket on the MiStringer and like a fine wine, the stringer has aged beautifully over time. By this time, I have become adept at the craft of using the MiStringer and really enjoy stringing up rackets. I don't think anyone who is serious about their own stringing needs should fear getting the MiStringer since I think, over time, it will be natural to overcome the difficulties first encountered with its usage. And if it hasn't been clear with the reviews to date, the customer service at MiStringer is second to none. I originally had an issue with one of the clamps coming bent. I contacted MiStringer and they sent out a replacement. I have posted a picture of the new clamp next to the old bent one. In the distance, you can see the 3rd clamp as well (just to prove I got a new one). You know what they say, "Customer Service is the New Advertising." I waited a lifetime to purchase my first stringer and I am not disappointed! Thanks MiStringer! ------------------------- [Original] Context: I have been looking to buy a 6-point mount, fixed-clamp tennis stringer for the longest time, as my wife likes to say, since before we got married. Due to projected frequency of use, I had mainly been shopping drop-weights, not to mention I also had a lot of experience on my friends’ drop-weight machines. I never pulled the trigger largely because there isn’t so much closet space to store such a bulky item. So compactness was a premium to me. Given my patience, it shouldn’t be a surprise that I was content to let the sands of time resolve this issue for me. Then one day while browsing TW, I came upon the MiStringer. I was immediately drawn to the advertisement that “it only weighs 6 pounds and comes with a handy carrying bag.” Six pounds and fits in a bag?! I could throw that in my tennis bag, let alone any closet in the house! After seeing that it checked my must-haves box, I saw that it had an EZ-pull tensioner. Having known about LF’s constant-pull tensioning system, I got the basic idea that the EZ-pull would be an upgrade over a standard drop-weight. I was sold. I pulled the trigger on Prime Day, not because I got some special deal or discount, but because I was already blowing a whole ton of money that day. So what’s one more purchase? Ha ha. The irony is, I had an offer to purchase a used 602 II FC for less than the cost of the MiStringer but I declined it first because of the space-constraint issue and second because I wanted to support the innovative people behind the MiStringer. Review: To date, I have strung 2 rackets, one full-bed multi and one full-bed poly, both having an open string pattern. The rest of this exposition will discuss my experience and observations with using the MiStringer to string these 2 setups as well as my interaction with MiStringer’s customer service. Let me start by offering my general thoughts, which are the MiStringer gets the job done. And the job is as good if not better than a standard drop-weight. The EZ-pull tensioner definitely saved me time compared to a drop-weight. But weaving the crosses, as one might expect given the turntable, definitely took longer. The tool that is provided to help with the crosses is not that useful (more on this later). I would say that once I got through the racket mounting and making the first couple of pulls, it was pretty smooth sailing meaning no real issues. A couple of times, I couldn’t quite figure out which holes in the turntable to use for the clamps, but when the clamps were in, they held nice and tight- the turntable/clamping system is brilliant. Now, I do want to expound on the mounting system since that was a checkbox of mine. If you watch the MiStringer videos, the demo shows mounting the racket with the turntable already attached to the base. I think this is not the best way to proceed since it makes securing the 6 mount points MUCH more difficult. For the second racket (shown in the pictures), I mounted the racket to the turntable first and then attached the turntable to the base afterwards. At a minimum, this makes it easier to ensure the 6 mount points each securely touch the racket frame before tightening the nuts underneath. As for the mounts themselves, both to the frame and between the turntable and base...I think these could be done better, though I will admit I am not a mechanics expert. The main problem with the frame mounts is they do not slide in-and-out very easily. There is a lot of friction as metal rubs against metal. The result is, sometimes the mount stops moving not because it is up against the frame but because friction has stopped it from sliding all the way. After tightening, an inspection reveals the mount is not wholly against the frame and so a series of micro-adjustments need to be made before the frame is snug. The bolt that attaches the turntable to the base could be better as well. The main problem here is, due to the constant loading and unloading from the tensioner, the bolt gets loose over time and has to be re-tightened. I would estimate I re-tightened maybe 5 times over the course of a single job. I think maybe a bolt head with some sort of wedge-locking on its underside (i.e. custom-made bolt) mated appropriately at the base could work here. I know my rollerblades have this sort of custom-bolt for the wheel-axles. They are great for resisting vibration and rotation. Onto the clamps. As I have already said, the turntable/clamping system is brilliant. I think it takes time to figure out which holes are the best to insert into and sometimes, especially on the crosses, the clamps have to be jiggled to get them through the strings and into the holes. But once you get the hang of it, it works great. But I will warn, the video isn’t kidding when it demos turning the adjustment knob for the first time with pliers! For the first racket, I was getting string slippage so I had to tighten the knob but could not budge it one bit. It wasn’t until I pulled out my vise-grips that I was able to turn it. I guess I can see the point of not wanting the knob to move on its own. I just hope I don’t have to adjust it so much! The last comment on hardware I will make is the EZ-pull tensioner. Actually, there isn’t much to say since it works great and saves so much time! It does take a little getting used to with looping the string, making sure the string is within the clamp and then getting the arm position right. But by the second racket, I was flying on this aspect. By “getting the arm position right” I mean that I don’t think the arm can be in any position to pull the right tension. I read somewhere or maybe it was in one of the demo videos, the arm should have an angle of 60-90 degrees for best results, where 0 degrees represents horizontal and 90 degrees represents straight down. I am not 100% certain that this needs to be the case, but for the second racket, I made more sure that I was following this “rule” closely and it didn’t add any time to the job. And finally I will end with customer service. Kind of to my surprise, when I emailed customer service, I got responses back almost immediately during business hours. So I had a conversation with a representative who mentioned that MiStringer is working on a new tool to aid in weaving the crosses. Yes, there is no way around it- crosses on the MiStringer is tough because of the turntable; I can’t even imagine what it would be like on an 18x20. Though I was much further along the learning curve with the second racket, it took just as long as the first because the difficulty in weaving the poly was compounded by the design. Here’s hoping MiStringer comes through with a new innovation! Anyways, the reason why I contacted customer service in the first place was, one of the clamps at the tip/throat came bent (see close-up picture). It didn’t affect either string job but the principle of the matter is, I am entitled to a non-bent clamp! The end of the matter is, I have been promised that a new clamp will be sent to me soon. Yay! As for my rating, what can I say- I’m a hard grader. 5 stars implies perfection and well, if I am objective about it, I can’t say that the MiStringer is perfect. However, I do think it is a truly innovative stringer and checks all of the boxes for me, especially the size/storage constraint. Hopefully, more players will agree to support their innovation and maybe next iteration, we will see the perfect stringer!

May 29 2024 - Been stringing for years using a crank-pull Gamma stringer and bought this for my son to take to tournaments. Usually takes me 45 mins to an hour to string, the first job took me close to 2 hours after I got the machine set up. Finding a table to mount on took time it can't be too thick and there must be enough of an overhang beyond the legs at a corner for mounting so a round table won't work it must be a rectangular one. I used the string that came with the machine and it was quite flexible and easy to manipulate - I don't know how easy it will be with the string my son uses (Luxilon Alu Power 16L) but we'll see. As I was finishing up the crosses the base was shifting/wobbling slightly so tightening is necessary during the job. Figuring the loop to put in the tensioner was awkward at first but then no problems, the tensioner works very well when starting the pull with the arm at a slightly inclined angle the kick-out lever will engage (50 lbs). The clamps work well as long as you figure out the right holes for them to fit into on the turntable. I hope the clamps will last a while. For the crosses (Wilson Blade 16x18) there was very little room for the tie-off and less play in the mains near the end so I resorted to needle-nose pliers to grab the string for guiding under the mains rather than the supplied guide tool (although that works well otherwise). Mounting the racket to the turntable before mounting the turntable to the base is a good idea. Instructional videos are worth watching for sure especially the last one on maintenance. August 23 2024 - The table fastener has lost the rubber pad/stopper so am waiting for a response from MiStringer on a replacement. My previous comment on finding the right table to use is the biggest concern I have with this device. My son has used it for almost 20 stringjobs now and it seems to be holding up well otherwise.

It’s quite easy to setup and use. However the cross string takes a little longer than the typical machine stringing.

Hello Everyone I did twenty string jobs Hybrid on my 6 pieces of Babolat Aero Pro Drive. Babolat RPM blast 16G main and Wilson NXT 16G cross. The string jobs with this machine has cost me 5 sets of string ($100) where I just have to cut it off after stringing as the tension is not right. Please see the attached photo. If the string does not rest on the red circular plastic when the lever click, your tension pull is off. It could be as much as 10 lbs. I used Gamma tension meter to realize that, MiStringer company should have warned that in their manual. For the clamp to work when the tension is pulled and it does not slip, i have to tighten the clamp until when the clamp is release, the string is damage with clamping marks. I don't know what effect it has in long term on the string. I know it is not good. Once I got it to work, I used RacquetTune App on my iPhone to measure the finish string job tension, it varies 1-3Lbs after 20 string jobs.