Further Information on the New Tecnifibre X-Cord Stringing Machine

Shortly before the 2024 Rotterdam Open, Tecnifibre published some information on an upcoming X-Cord stringing machine. The X-Cord was then used by the Tecnifibre stringing team at the Rotterdam Open, where they provide the official on-site stringing service.

Now, thanks to having just seen the brochure for the X-Cord, we have further information, including confirmation of certain details.

The cover of the brochure proclaims the X-Cord “The best machine designed to maintain racquet integrity & string performance.” The third page shows Tecnifibre’s 40-year history of stringing machines starting with the SP11 (the model name is a nod to Spenle & Pizzera, the French OEM which manufactured Tecnifibre stringing machines until now). The fifth page touts the “unique & proprietary flat racquet support” and the simplified retailer-oriented after-sales service.

The seventh through tenth pages, titled “Benchmark,” show pictures of a previous Tecnifibre Ergo Pro stringing machine as well as pictures of the Babolat Racket Station, Wilson Baiardo, Yonex Precision 5.0, and Head TE-3600 stringing machines. Tecnifibre states, “All the leading brands have a similar stringing machine construction, with the accompanying pictures showing the Head TE-3600 mounting system, pulling head, and tension display. They show a chart of features titled “Similar Specifications” with the Tecnifibre Ergo Pro, Babolat Evolution, Wilson Baiardo, Yonex Precision 5.0, and Head TE-3600. Last, they point out that all their competitors’ stringing machines feature “suspension mounting” systems with the frame “suspended over the turntable,” risking frame deformation, tension distortion, decreased stringing quality/low-quality job, and customer dissatisfaction. Accompanying the page claiming that the suspension mounting system is deeply flawed is a picture of a Babolat Sensor.

On the 15th page, Tecnifibre proclaims their X-Cord “a machine built to respect the racquet” with “6 flat supports instead” of 6 “suspended points.” They claim that this results in “no bend,” “no flex,” maintaining the dimensions of the racquet and making it easy to remove from the machine after stringing, resulting in a “high-quality job” and customer satisfaction. Page 16 has Tecnifibre claiming that the X-Cord is “the best machine designed to maintain racquet integrity & string performance.”

Page 18 shows that it takes one click to position the adjustable towers. I found the tower locking mechanism of the Ergo Pro to be very, very good, and based on what I see I do not think that the tower locking mechanism of the X-Cord will be as good as that of the Ergo Pro.

Page 20 shows a close-up of the clamps, which are reasonably similar to the clamps of the previous Tecnifibre stringing machines yet differing in terms of a few noticeable details.

Page 21 shows the clamp base, which is locked by turning a handle and unlocked by pushing a button on the handle or by releasing the clamp and letting it fall onto the clamp base. The push-button release and “gravity” assist are both firsts for Tecnifibre stringing machines, though many other stringing machine brands have had both of these features for many years. We see that the clamp base rails of the X-Cord are essentially integrated into the turntable surface, as the rails of the French-made Tecnifibre stringing machines were.

Page 22 shows a closeup of the string puller. The X-Cord is the first Tecnifibre stringing machine to have a diabolo. Tecnifibre states that the diabolo results in “less stress for the string” and preserves “string integrity.” The diabolo is something else that has long featured on most other brands’ electronic linear constant pull stringing machines.

On page 25, Tecnifibre claims a maximum of 30 minutes of assembly/setup. On pages 27 and 28, they state that there is no need to repair anything, with everything being a matter of sending spare parts kept by Tecnifibre in their warehouses and following the manual and the Tecnifibre tutorial videos. They show pictures of nine of the 15 spare parts kept in their warehouse, and some of the nine parts shown are the display, the pulling head, the clamps, the clamp bases and clamp base rails, and the power supply and power cord.

Page 31 mentions that the X-Cord automatically engages the turntable brake when tension is pulled and that the warranty is a two-year warranty.

Now that we’ve had an overview of what’s in the brochure, some thoughts.

Though there are some brands that do the same, I found it strange just how much Tecnifibre focused on comparing the X-Cord to other brands’ machines and pointing out alleged deficiencies in the other brands’ machines.

Though their previous stringing machines made in France by Spenle & Pizzera were sturdy and generally reliable, Tecnifibre’s after-sales service was not a selling point. With the X-Cord made in Taiwan (I have reasons to believe that it is made by the same OEM that manufactures the Baiardo as well as at least some of Gamma’s more expensive machines), Tecnifibre seems to be better able to supply spare parts as part of a credible after-sales service.

On the previous French-made Tecnfibre stringing machines, including the Ergo Pro, I found it annoying that the button to activate the tensioner was not located on the string puller but on the base of the tension head when all other manufacturers had moved on from that design long before. Finally, with the Taiwan-made X-Cord, that is changing.

Tecnifibre provides the official on-site stringing service at the Miami Open. I have no reason to believe that they will be using a stringing machine other than the new X-Cord. Hopefully, with the Miami Open being as significant a tournament as it is, we will soon have a hands-on review from a member of the stringing team. Assuming that Tecnifibre has started sales of the X-Cord or will soon start sales, we may be able to see a hands-on review from someone other than a member of the Tecnifibre stringing team.

Last of all, I have yet to see any indication of the X-Cord pricing. The French-made Tecnifibre stringing machines were among the most expensive stringing machines, though the Ergo One was a reasonably good deal compared to some of the other stringing machines on the market. The prices of some fairly generic Taiwan-made stringing machines, such as the Yonex Precision 5.0 and the Dunlop 3.0, are enough to make some stringers consider stringing machines such as the Wilson Baiardo and Baiardo L, which also seem to be relative bargains.