ABOUT THE RACQUET TUNE APP {2010}

By Vince Chiarelli, PTR, MRT and Owner of String Along With Vince in Largo

I got the racquetTune app a few days ago, and tried it on several racquets I had to string. The app requires input about the string used (which they call linear density) and about head size of the racquet in square inches (from 70 to 120). To get a precise reading, you must know the material composition and the gauge in millimeters of the string. Since there are thousands of combinations of string materials and gauges, it is virtually impossible to get a reliable answer. You can choose from the table of values provided, but you may not find your combination on the list. The app does allow for hybrid stringing, so you can enter values for both mains and crosses.

The racquetTune app does not take string pattern into account. In my experience and with thousands of measurements in my database, string bed density does make a difference in dynamic tension or string bed stiffness. This is easiest to detect when the same frame comes in 16 and 18 main string versions, both strung with the same string at the same tension.

racquetTune app does a passable job, compared to other measuring devices I use. My gripe is that this app purports to show an actual tension measurement in pounds or kilos.
Trying to match the “tone” of strings under tension to amount of tension actually pulled can only be approximate, because of other factors.

There are two things to look for when you measure a string job. The first is consistency from one stringing to the next, and the second is the relative drop in measurement over the life of the string job. Such metrics are better stated in units that have no direct translation to the reference tension.

In my opinion, the best way to use this app is choose the input variables closest to your string job, take a measurement, record that number and then use that number to determine consistency between like racquets strung at the same time or between string jobs on the same frame. You can then check unit change over time. Just don’t get hung up on the word “tension.”

One more thing; there can be differences of measurement between racquets that are supposed to be exactly the same because of the frames themselves. The best you can do is to make sure the same person does all the stringing, on the same calibrated machine, with good clamps, and professional techniques.

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