Player or racquet ?
Published: 07 Feb 2012 - 22:11 by Theodore
Updated: 08 Feb 2012 - 23:26
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I've been playing for about four months now and I’m trying to find out if its me or the racquet that’s the problem. My strings are on the verge of braking. It looks like they are cutting into each other with fluff all over were they are crossing. Is this a usual thing? I've heard the strings should last me about a year for the amount I’m playing. I try to play about once or twice a week. My racquet is a Wilson ONE35 BLX and I haven’t restrung it before. If its me. Please suggest quality strings that would fit for purpose.
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From Adz - 08 Feb 2012 - 23:26
From Theodore - 07 Feb 2012 - 23:10
Thanks allot Adz.
I like to spin the ball a lot. so that might be the main cause. I stay in South Africa. Its summer here and was about summer when I bought the racquet also,but I dont leave my racquet in the car. Its to pritty. I asked this one guy and he gave more or less the same advice. So he sugested Ahaway Powernick Strings. The blue ones. Do you know anything about these strings or must I go for something else?
From Adz - 07 Feb 2012 - 22:50
Hi Theodore,
If the strings are wearing in the middle and beginning to fray then that is perfectly natural. Strings lasting for a year when playing 1-2 times per week is probably wrong advice that someone has given you. Let's say you play for 2-3hours per week which is 10 hours per month. If you have multifilament and soft strings then these would probably last between 3 and 6 months before fraying to the point of breaking, but lots of things can speed up or slow down that process. Do you cut the ball with your swing? That will cause the strings to move against each other slightly and increase the friction and the wear that is caused. Do you strike the ball hard or soft? Hard hitter means the strings "trampoline" more and are stretched further on each impact, again this will cause them to rub more against each other and wear quicker. Finally where do you live? Sound like a strange comment, but in the UK (or colder countries), rackets often get left in cars during the day in used at night. The lower temperature can cause contraction in the materials and constant temperature change of your strings can lower their life expectancy (I live in the UK and my sister lives in Oz - We have VERY different string life expectancies!).
You can also get problems with some rackets, but this tends to be strings breaking on the edge of the frame where poor grommets can cut into the strings and cause a catastrophic breakage. What you describe is more linked to natural wear, so I wouldn't think anything is wrong with the racket.
If you're concerned then you could always go for a less multifilament string (someting with a solid core maybe?). But multifilament strings tend to have excellent playability (but lower durability), so you might notice a performance decrease in your strings if you change.
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There is no good or bad string when it comes to the top makes/models, but there are strings that will suit you and your game better than others. The powernick blue (17 gauge) will be harder wearing than the string you currently have (I'm assuming it's a tecnifibre string or equivalent the way you described the fraying??), but there are a few Ashaway alternitives to try: Ultranick blue (18), Powernick Red (18), Powernick Black (19).
There's a lot of posts written about strings on these foums, including one I started called "One Stop String Shop" where other members have posted information about the strings they use and their characteristics. Have a read through and see if anything catches your eye. Right now I'm using the
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