Category Archives: Good News!

Is your butt cap squeaking?

In the last few weeks, we have had an unusually high number of squeaky butt caps come in for repair.

In a couple of cases, we received a text message asking if we could fix a squeaky butt cap.  In most cases, the answer is yes, but we need to know which racquet is squeaking and which version it is.

What causes the butt cap to squeak?

Destroyed Butt Caps

In almost every case, the staples holding the butt cap in place are the cause.

Ruined grip pallet

This stapling method has been used for many years, but the staples seem to be becoming more aggressive and fracturing the foam molded on the pallet.

So how do we fix it?

Our method requires removing the shattered section of the pallet.  In this case, we remove 18mm of the racquet pallet.

Printed Pallet Section

We design a model to fit the racquet and print it using a special filament that weighs the same as the removed foam.

Clearing the way for a new butt cap.

You can see the holes the staples created in the carbon fiber shaft.

We use a chemical bond to secure the printed section to the racquet shaft.

Although the chemical bond sets quickly, we like to let it “cure” overnight, if possible, before installing the butt cap and grip.

So, if your butt cap squeaks, we can fix it!

What is “Soft”?

For many years, we have been testing string for elongation and subsequent power potential.

There is a new batch of strings that include the term “soft” in the promotional language, seemingly in an effort to mitigate the injuries associated with very stiff strings.

At some point, we can go into detail about how the soft version of a string compares to the non-soft version; however, for now, I want to reintroduce you to a post we did in 2016… almost ten (10) years ago!

Click on this link to go to that post

Thank you for reading this again.  It is important “Play Harder not Hurterâ„¢”

A Golden (actually gloss black) Opportunity!

We have four (4) Head Auxetic Radical MP SMUs (351.1), but this is the only one in gloss black!  All of them can be gloss black, but this is the only one that is currently available.

The racquet is totally “raw,” no weight, no grip, no swing weight, and no length, yet!

Head 351.1


This racquet will be set up to your specifications.

Your racquet will come with a complete specification document.

You can choose either a leather or a synthetic base grip.

Your racquet will be strung with Ashaway MonoGut ZX Pro (17-gauge), either black or natural, to introduce you to the benefits of PEEK.

The cost of this opportunity is $525.00, including tax and shipping in the United States.

Please contact us if you have any questions about this or any of our other SMU racquets.

 

 

We refer to these racquets as Special Make Up (SMU). Others may call them Pro Stock. Either way is OK with us!

The Consumer and SBS

Sting Bed Stiffness (SBS) could be considered alongside performance cars. In the simplest of terms, a high-performance car requires some understanding of what it is going to do; otherwise, you will end up in the trees or worse!

The same with String Bed Stiffness (SBS). If you don’t know what it is going to do, you may end up in the fence!