Final summer time (2019) I took the leap of religion and acquired the professional’s-pro Tomcat (with MT-400).
I’ve been utilizing it now for about 6 months and needed to share my expertise with you, since there aren’t any evaluations about it but.
Take my phrases with a grain of salt as a result of I by no means used one other machine at this degree or above earlier than and due to this fact I can’t actually make a comparability. I’d somewhat attempt to choose the machine by itself.
Nonetheless, I’m an expert craftsman, so I would know a factor or two about high quality of instruments and machines.
First off – Slightly extra Background.
I began stringing in Summer time 2018 with an inexpensive, used (and crappy) professional’s-pro Challenger I.
It was adequate to get me began however required some modding/tweaking (and persistence) to make it work.
After a few 12 months of stringing I received sick and bored with the unhealthy high quality of the machine and figured that if I wish to proceed stringing (which I did) I would want an honest machine, preferable an digital one.
Not solely to make stringing extra pleasurable but additionally to provide higher jobs.
I used to be solely stringing my very own rackets at the moment.
I used to be occupied with stringing for buddies and club-mates (with a greater machine) however since my membership already had a stringer I didn’t know if it will work out.
So I used to be nonetheless uncertain if a brand new machine was justified for me and did not wish to spend an excessive amount of cash.
After a variety of issues between all types of machines I lastly gave the PP´s Tomcat a shot as a result of on the time it supplied the very best worth for cash.
After my expertise with the Challenger I by no means thought I might purchase a machine from professional’s-pro once more however since their new machine was clearly one thing else (completely different manufacture) I lastly settled for it.
Order, Supply, Setup
I do know that professional’s-pro doesn’t have a repute for good buyer assist however at the very least with me all the things went alright. They answered my questions in an inexpensive means however since I had no actual points with the machine I can’t actually touch upon how they deal with such issues.
Supply went with out issues regardless of the load.
The machine got here in 3 packages (no.1: machine, no.2: pressure head, no.3: stand)
Though there was no guide or something it was apparent find out how to put the machine collectively.
I simply needed to join the baseplate with the stand, the turntable and the strain head through the use of the supplied screws. Some documentation (particularly in regards to the pressure head) would nonetheless be preferable.
The machine
I’ll attempt to hold this quick as a result of the entire thing is (so far as I can inform) made by AEF and precise the identical as different machines from that manufacturing facility. They’ve been reviewed earlier than and are already well-known, so I gained’t describe all options intimately however somewhat give attention to the issues I observed.
Major options are:
– 6-point mounting system
– self centering facet assist
– c-shaped facet helps
– self centering movable towers
– diamond dusted common clamps (5-teeth, adjustable)
– computerized clamp bases
The machine out of the field was nicely oiled up, too nicely…
After touching it I had greasy/slippery arms which is totally not useful for stringing.
I needed to swipe the opening machine (even clamps and bases) with fabric and particular cleaner to do away with it. The primary 2-3 jobs have been nonetheless a little bit slippery however after that all the things felt alright. I believe the final stays of the oil simply received carried out by my hand throughout the first jobs.
Every little thing else was working nicely from the beginning and I did not need to make main changes.
Earlier than I ordered the machine I particularly requested for badminton clamps (4-teeth) which I do know can be found from AEF. Sadly professional’s-pro does not supply them as choice and informed me that the clamps supplied are common use. I thought-about getting different clamps however after making an attempt the 5-teeth ones I figured there is no such thing as a want to exchange them. When doing the crosses on some rackets they will squeeze the mains a tiny little bit however that is about it. If I ever get a racket the place there is no such thing as a house for the clamps I’ll give it some thought once more however up to now it has been all good. Locking and unlocking the clamps and bases is a pleasure and provides a reassuring suggestions that all the things is working as meant.
General the standard and performance is incredible (particularly contemplating the value).
The helps are stable and maintain the racket very nicely. The clamps and bases work clean and maintain the string tight with out damaging it. The turntable rotates simply however does not bend or tilt in any route when pulling the strings.
Though at first the clamp-bases moved a bit clunky, it received means higher after a while. I am unsure whether or not the perimeters of the rails have been a bit tough and received grinded in or if I simply wanted a while to seek out the correct angle to maneuver the bases.
One small draw back of the linked (self centering) towers is which you can’t change the place of the side-supports an excessive amount of. The gap between tower and 6/12 o clock helps can solely be adjusted by about 1cm. That is completely tremendous however I simply needed the 6/12 arms to get extra room for changes, so I did modify them a bit and now have about 3 cm to work with. This was not crucial. Simply one thing I assumed could be good to have.
For the facet assist there are adapters (non-obligatory) for badminton. They’re c formed rubber items that you simply simply put over the common assist. I attempted it however discover them kinda ineffective. They restrict the entry to the racket a bit and are a little bit to tender for my style. I simply use the common (arduous) assist and by no means had issues with them damaging a racket. Nonetheless the perimeters of the helps had a little bit sharp edge. In all probability leftovers from the molding course of. They weren’t arduous or large enough to wreck the body of a racket however to be protected I sanded simply the small areas which might be involved with the racket.
To sum this up I can say that on the necessary elements this machine actually has nice high quality, nevertheless some small particulars and the general end are missing a bit.
The clamp bases might transfer a little bit smoother and there are some flaws within the paint right here and there however completely nothing to be fearful about.
Yet one more factor I wanna point out is the rubber mat that lies within the tool-tray. It had a loopy rubber scent and after a number of hours the room smelled like a tire manufacturing facility. I Put the mat on my balcony and it stayed there for six months. The odor lessened loads however I’ll wait some extra time earlier than I put it again in.
The stress head
Right here it will get attention-grabbing.
The MT-400 appears to be a brand new gadget solely for the professional’s-pro tomcat.
In case you have a look at the design of the interface it seems like it’s from the identical manufacturing facility because the MT-300, which is terrible just like the superstringer units (eg. E90) which once more is claimed to be popping out of the identical manufacturing facility because the well-known WISE2086.I by no means used a WISE so I can hardly evaluate it.
What I can say tho is that it really works completely tremendous.
You bought all of the options you want:
– prestretch
– pressure adjustment by 0.1 lbs or kg
– adjustable pull-speed
– knot perform
– fixed pull
– reminiscence perform
The gripper holds even the thinnest strings with out issues and the calibration is on level.
The stress course of feels clean and even 20 kg (44lbs) will not be difficult to the gadget in any respect.
General the tensioner performs higher than I even imagined. We´ll need to see the way it will stand the take a look at of time however up to now I’ve no considerations on this regard.
To start out the tensioning course of you might have three choice.
– 1 a button subsequent to the show (I by no means use that)
– 2 a swap proper behind the string gripper (I take advantage of that principally for launch)
– 3 simply shut the string gripper and it begins robotically
I do not know whether or not level 3 is commonplace on different machines however I simply discover that to be tremendous handy.
Here’s a quick video of the strain head:
The stand
Effectively, it’s a stand…
I imply it does its job in holding the machine in place but it surely simply feels a little bit low-cost.
You may regulate the peak however it’s a ache within the a** and I like to recommend getting somebody to assist with it.
Attempting to elevate this heavy machine with one hand whereas tightening the stand with the opposite was absolutely not one thing I’d love to do common.
Additionally, the adjustable top is sort of restricted. For me (about 1,9m tall) it sits on the highest place and is nearly the correct top. Would not damage to have the ability to get it even greater.
If it is advisable to change the peak of the machine repeatedly and even transfer it round you must undoubtedly get a special stand.
However is has a Hook to retailer some string reels which is useful.
