Rudy's Rackets

What tension to apply to your strings depends on several factors:

Your level of play

Typically the higher the tension you apply, the smaller the sweet spot becomes, if you are a beginner player, then you will still have timing issues and less likely to hit the smaller sweet spot compared to advance players. Unless you consistently hit the sweet spot you won't get the most out of the strings or worse you can pre-maturely break your strings from mishits. Below is a general guideline of tension recommendation based on your level of play:

• Beginner - < 24lbs
• Intermediate - 24lbs - 26lbs
• Advance - > 26lbs

Your racket specifications

Each rackets are built differently to handle different maximum tensions, older and lighter rackets usually handle a lot less tension compared to newer or heavier rackets, so it's good practice to know what your specific racket can handle and stay within the recommended max tension. Going beyond the recommended max tension can result in your racket breaking during the stringing process.

You can normally find the max tension specifications near the top handle of your racket, the racket frame or the racket shaft.

Typically 2 days from the day of drop off depending on the amount of rackets that also need to be completed.

Same day service is available for an additional express fee of $7 (*express service is subject to stringer's available schedule for the day).

The most common reasons strings break prematurely are due to one or more of the following:

1. Mishits - when you don't hit at the sweet spot of the racket (center) uncontrolled vibrations happens near the frames of the racket which can result in cutting of the string. This is especially more prevalent in higher tensions, bringing down the tension of the strings can help mitigate this.
2. Bad grommets (cylindrical plastic encasing that can be found on each racket holes) - the purpose of the grommets is to prevent the strings from making contact with the racket frame, but with all the vibrations the strings make after every shot, the grommets will inevitably wear down and may need to be replaced, otherwise the frame will be directly exposed to the strings.
3. Cracked frame - usually after colliding rackets with another racket during play, you can have a hair line crack within the frame without realizing. This crack on the frame can result in sharp edges protruding within the holes of the frame which then come into contact with the strings. Inspect thoroughly after each collision and look for hair line cracks within the frame.
4. Extreme climate - rackets and strings like many objects are subject to expansion and contraction when being heated or cooled. These movements cause a lot more rubbing of the strings within the grommets and/or holes which can speed up the wearing process of each grommet. Most of the time this is caused by leaving your gear in the trunk of your car after play, it's good practice to always bring your gear inside the house to always keep it at room temperature.

We don't string any racket that we find has a hairline crack during our inspection process. Because the structural integrity of the frame has been compromised, there's a greater chance for the racket to break when under tension during the stringing process.

If you find a crack on your racket, I advice you to look into claiming the warranty of the racket directly from the manufacturer provided that it's still within the specified warranty timeline.