Last fall after the US Open one lucky Wilson Baiardo stringing machine got to leave the hustle and bustle of Flushing Meadow and make its way to the friendly confines of Suwanee, GA…home of Guts and Glory Tennis.  We welcomed our new machine with open arms and have been delighted to watch her grow and mature into a thoroughbred while sending our Star 5 out to pasture.

One of the few criticisms of this impressive machine is that the tool storage was limited.  Yesterday, as a complete surprise, a package from Wilson arrived.  In it was a nice note explaining that they have created two new tool trays to provide ample storage space.  The first tool tray is easily installed on the underside of the existing tool tray.  All it takes is an allen wrench and two screws that Wilson also sent.  We immediately installed ours, (see image to left) and we placed our beloved Stringway flying clamps in there to show the spaciousness of this tray.  We were initially concerned that it may need a lip for when the machine tilts foward, but so far there is no issue with tools slipping out.

The second tray clips into the existing cell phone holder on the side of the Baiardo.  No tools needed for installation.  It is divided into three sections (see image to left) which have enough depth to easily store awls, cutters and even grommet grinders.

We want to acknowledge Wilson and the excellent customer service for sending these extra trays to Baiardo owners at no cost.  It was a pleasant surprise.  The trays are made solidly and are extremely functional.  Kudos to WILSON Tennis!!!!  (Thanks Ryan and Ron!)

While we are on the topic of the Baiardo, I wanted to point out another feature this machine offers that is useful to us when stringing poly-based strings.  At the base of the tension pulling mechanism Wilson has installed a bristle-filled slot to prevent assorted stringing shrapnel from gunking up the puller.  In an earlier post when we talked about methods to install poly-based strings, we mentioned that the strings could benefit from being pulled at the slowest speed (30%) and waiting approx. 10 seconds before clamping off.  If you watch the bristles after the machine tells you it has reached full tension with a beep, you can see how the string continues to elongate by the movement of the bristles.  It is a cool visual aid that allows you to easily see the slow elongation and know when it has reached a point where it is ready to clamp off.