About ERR Badminton History
ERR Badminton Restring was founded in 2007, and our racket restringing services have a rich history of accomplishments and milestones. We began by providing professional racket restringing services internally, and have since opened up to the public in the Kuala Lumpur Melati Utama area.
Racket Restring Services Startup
Before starting ERR Racket Restring, our Certified Stringer, Mr. Eric Chuar, was also an experienced badminton coach in Malaysia. At that time, he had no intention of setting up ERR, to be honest. During that time, Mr. Eric was also a competitive badminton player who played very actively 3 to 4 days a week. His racket strings would break into 2 to 3 rackets a week, so he had no choice but to buy stringing machines and strings for his own use.
Since he got his stringing machine, when he saw his students keep asking their parents to send their rackets somewhere else to be restrung when the strings were broken, he could feel that the parents were having difficulty finding a good badminton shop, especially in the West area of Malaysia. At that time, there was no Google Maps, so people could only rely on recommendations from others to find good badminton shops. So Mr. Eric started to provide badminton restringing services for his students for free.
As well known at that time in 2007, the stringing services everywhere in Malaysia were really expensive, and the stringing quality was not that good. The stringing machine he purchased at that time was the newest type of FLEET Manual Crank Stringing Machine.
Manual Crank Stringing Machines Quality
In 2008, after our stringer had used the manual stringing machine for quite some time, he actually felt that the machine was not as good as expected. He still remembers that at that time, stringing a racket took about 1 hour. This might have been due to not being familiar with the stringing machine and lacking a foundation in stringing. The scary thing was that when many rackets came to him, as our coach was still not familiar with how to string properly, knots, and the basic concept of stringing. From that time onwards, he started to feel that stringing a badminton racket is not easy, especially when restringing a thinner string with high tension.
At that time, everyone liked Yonex BG66, so his students always asked for this string. Every time, the scary thing was that when he strung halfway, the string could break again and again. So our stringer started to feel that, just like badminton training, without a proper foundation, one would not be able to improve. Furthermore, the manual machine had too many weaknesses, so he decided to learn the proper foundation of badminton stringing.
Badminton Coaching and Racket Restringing
In 2009, our stringer continued his racket restringing and badminton coaching life as usual. Actually, he found that if he strung rackets on a daily basis, he gained more confidence in his ability. Luckily, during that time, his students at ST Badminton Academy always had a lot of rackets for him to restring. Although he knew that the stringing quality was not so good, he kept looking for a way to improve it.
Finally, he found a good stringing course instructor from China who was willing to teach him and provide him with more advice on how to use the machine and string the racket in a proper way. Slowly, he started to follow the proper procedure of using the manual stringing machine, ensuring that every step was done correctly. He started to believe that the so-called basic stringing foundation was useful to him. Why? After he followed all the steps correctly, the chances of the string breaking were reduced.
Proper Way of Badminton Restringing
In 2010, our stringer started getting used to his manual stringing machine for badminton restringing. The good thing was that he was no longer afraid of the string breaking halfway through the stringing process. This was actually due to the stringing clamp being too tight. That is the reason why he became motivated to learn the proper way of stringing, which could help him provide better quality badminton restringing services for his students.
At that time, no one believed in proper stringing service, as they thought that anyone who bought a stringing machine could start a stringing business. They also believed that if the person who strung the racket was an experienced player or coach, then their stringing was better and good. However, this was wrong. So our stringer continued to improve his stringing quality. His stringing teacher advised that if the string overlap was too much, it could hurt the nylon and reduce its durability. So our stringer tried hard to change the way he did stringing. It was never easy, to be honest.
First Stringing Services Provided to Public
In 2011, after years of using the manual stringing machine, our stringer started to receive good feedback from his students and friends. He found that actually, stringing is not just about how fast you can complete the stringing, but also about how much you understand the player’s habits and preferences, and how you can tailor the stringing to their needs. After gaining stringing experience from the members around him, he decided to make his stringing services more professional and offer them to the public. This photo was taken when he felt excited about sharing his stringing services with the public. Look at the logo, “Eric Racket Restring”. Now you guys know where “ERR” comes from.
Maybe other stringing services shops bought a normal Yonex string SP version, but our stringer insisted on buying all the strings directly from Japan. Actually, the paper packaging for the strings is the Japan version. He insisted on giving the public good stringing services, even if it meant the string cost was 3 times more expensive than the SP version. At that time, he knew nothing about string types. Not everyone is perfect from the beginning, but at least our intention of stringing was the right one.
Implemented Electronic Stringing Machine
In 2012, the brand new year for ERR, due to the increasing demand for badminton stringing, ERR decided to upgrade to a new electronic stringing tension head and table stand. Our stringer chose a table type of machine stand because, during his full-time coaching day, he had to stand for the whole day and his leg would sometimes cramp after coaching.
The manual crank machine had quite a few weaknesses, such as being slow, having inaccurate tension, and inconvenient clamps. As a stringer and a badminton coach, what he needed was quality to keep improving so that his students and friends could feel better when using his restringing services. He loved badminton so much that the word “rich” to him was always not just about money. “Rich” could mean being happy, healthy, enjoying life, and having real friendships around him. For people who enjoyed these few things, only the rich person could have them. This is why he loves to teach small kids proper badminton training and provide professional services to his friends.
Proper Way of Badminton Stringing Methods
In 2013, after using the electronic stringing machine, ERR’s stringers were able to increase their productivity compared to using the manual stringing machine. However, we understood that without using the stringing machine in the right way, the stringing quality would not be good. Hence, ERR started to focus on the proper way of badminton stringing methods.
I still remember that, at that time in the stringing service market, most of the stringers were thinking about how to string faster instead of providing quality. The worst thing was that the end consumer didn’t know that proper stringing could actually help them feel better on the court. The worst thing was that most sports badminton shops would offer 5 rackets for 1 free stringing, 2 rackets for a 5% discount, 3 rackets for a 10% discount, and more. Providing a discount is good if the stringing is done in a professional way. However, at that time, all stringing was not done in the proper way, and everyone fought for price instead of quality. This is why Malaysia’s stringing standard was bad for so many years. Why? Because our starting point was so low.
Imagine if everyone fought for quality instead of pricing, what would our standard be now? Everyone knows the answer.
In-House Calibration Process Before Re-Stringing Racket
In 2014, we still remember that no matter how busy the stringing schedule was, our stringer never missed daily calibration before starting his stringing services. Many people ask why the tension head needs to be calibrated on a daily basis. Actually, to a stringer that only has book knowledge, they will not understand much about electronic instruments and types of equipment. As our stringer has deep knowledge in all of this, he is a technical specialist in calibration.
Most of the stringing machine tension heads are made by load cells. Although the Wise 2086 Tension head is not a load cell, one might wonder if it will be accurate. The answer is no, especially when the tension head is used frequently over a period of time. The standard deviation can increase if not monitored, which means the tension is not accurate. Therefore, if the tension is not accurate even after self-cleaning, we have to send it to the laboratory to do adjustments.
External Calibration Ensure Tension Accuracy
In 2015, ERR understood that other than internal calibration, it was not enough as the stringing head is the core of our restringing services. For internal calibration, the calibration result might not be as accurate as we think. Why? As our tension calibration is not calibrated, and we cannot find the equipment accuracy of the tension calibrator.
To ensure the accuracy within tolerance, ERR decided to send it to the laboratory for calibration. This process is what we call external calibration. The good thing about external calibration is that the certificate is traceable to national and international standards, so-called NIST, which is a US standard. We can refer to the calibration result in a clear picture to ensure that our tension head is working accurately.
The cost of calibration is RM800 for yearly calibration. If we ask a sports shop or stringing provider to do this calibration, even a master class of stringer, they will bargain and say that it is not necessary for tons of reasons. In short, we are just wasting money. But to ERR, this is worth it, as we can know the accuracy of the machine in a transparent way.
Test Re-Stringing Services on New Yonex Stringing Machine
In 2016, while ERR provided proper badminton restringing services, we decided to implement a new stringing machine from the Yonex brand. Not sure if some people have the same behavior, but if we love and have passion for something, we are always willing to spend money on it regardless of how expensive it is. The same goes for our certified stringer, who loves badminton stringing and keeps moving forward in the way he wants, which improves his stringing to a higher standard.
Actually, when we bought this stringing machine, many of our stringing competitors felt that we were earning money from it. Actually, we are not. If you refer to our stringing prices list and how fast we keep implementing new updates, it is not possible to earn back so much money that ERR invested. This is just because our stringer is a pure badminton lover and feels it is worth it.
Providing Professional Badminton Stringing Services
In 2017, ERR started using the new Yonex stringing machine to provide professional badminton stringing services to members in the Kuala Lumpur area of Malaysia. At the time we started providing services to new members, most of them were not sure why we did so many steps for stringing services, as they only paid RM30 to RM50 for stringing prices.
But after they tried our stringing, they started to understand what professional badminton stringing services are all about. And especially when we kept mentioning “proper” stringing, players at a certain level could feel the difference between our stringing and other restringing services. Why? Because they can feel the hitting sound and consistency in the game.
Implement Internal Stringing Management
In 2018, ERR understood that if it wanted to serve its students and members better, the management side had to be improved. However, at that time, no one was willing to handle membership management, booking systems, and online bookings, as it was too costly, not just about 5 or 6k, but more than that, as we wanted a fully customized system. If this investment relied on stringing income, it would not have been possible to invest in it. Despite this, ERR’s stringer still decided to implement all these systems.
The reason was that he wanted all stringing to be maintained at a higher standard of quality. Without internal management, everyone would just rely on WhatsApp and come in randomly anytime, making it difficult for our stringer to focus on every stringing. At that time, we had not only a few hundred members, but about a thousand active members. If we did not implement a proper management system, we would be unable to provide higher quality stringing services to our members.
New Zealand Badminton Stringing Services Experiences
In 2019, our stringer went to New Zealand as part of his planned journey. As everyone knows, our ERR stringer, Mr. Eric Chuar, loves to learn new things, regardless of how busy he is. While in New Zealand, he continued his usual routine of playing badminton. However, one day, he had to send his racket for restringing due to a broken string. He found that the stringing service quality was not up to his standards, causing him discomfort and even difficulty sleeping.
The next day, he purchased a stringing machine from a friend and used DHL to send it to New Zealand. The cost of DHL shipping was 2.3k NZD, more expensive than the stringing machine itself. Despite the high cost, he felt satisfied as he could now string rackets on his own. After some time, he even started helping his New Zealand friend to string rackets, and everyone was pleased with his work. The photo above shows him during a busy day of stringing.
Understand the Member’s Need in Stringing
2020 was a year when ERR started spending more time with each member to better understand their stringing needs. This was beneficial for our Certified Stringer, who has dedicated his life to badminton, including racket restringing, playing actively, coaching, and more. He is grateful for the support of his friends and members in the badminton community.
ERR recognizes that even with high-quality stringing services, it’s important to work with players and understand their individual needs. Every player is unique, and our stringer must make the necessary adjustments to help our members perform better on the court. The year 2020 was a challenging time for everyone, especially in Malaysia during the Covid-19 lockdown in Q2.
Maintain High-Quality Standards of Badminton Restring
In 2021, we decided to allow normal members to use our badminton restringing appointment system to maintain the quality of our services. All appointments must be made online. Our stringer wants to ensure that the quality of his restringing is maintained, and we have had instances where people have come for stringing without booking an appointment, disrupting our schedules and impacting the quality of our services.
To benefit our members, we strictly reject such cases. We have rejected more than 500 persons to date. We do not compromise on quality for the sake of earning more money. As our members know, ERR always follows the rules that we have set, as we aim to provide quality stringing services to help people, not just for business.
High-Quality Stringing Tools & Materials
In 2022, we are continuing to improve our stringing services. We now serve a number of current national players, badminton coaches, competitive players, and more. As professional stringers, we strive to understand the needs of all these players. For casual and competitive players, most of them require high-quality stringing at a reasonable price. However, sometimes our stringer’s schedule is too full, and we advise our members to go to other badminton shops to complete their stringing.
However, every time they return to us after trying other places, and they provide feedback that the other stringers’ stringing is not up to our standard. They report feeling a difference in the stringing quality, that they are not used to it, that the stringing machine is old and the tools are outdated, and that the stringing is not good but still expensive. Our members know that we use high-quality materials and tools to provide the best possible stringing services.
Premium Racquet Stringing Services
In 2023, we face a new challenge as all premium badminton stringing services will be handled by our Master Racquet Technician, and his schedule is as tight as ever. We have many normal members who are unable to secure a stringing slot due to the high demand.
Most of the slots are already booked by our CPS members, who are able to book a day in advance. Nevertheless, ERR is actively seeking a better solution to provide more slots for our normal members, as we value their loyalty and support over the years. We hope to announce a new update in April 2023.
Professional Racquet Stringing and Sports Equipment Little Store
In the brand new year of 2024, our stringer has decided to return to his birthplace in Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia, primarily to spend time with his aging mother and family. He plans to open a racquet sports equipment store at a location closest to his family. This will not only provide him with a livelihood but more importantly, allow him to spend more time with his loved ones. In terms of sports equipment, he has earned the Master Racquet Technician certification, which includes the qualification of Professional Racquet Advisor (PRA), giving him an in-depth understanding of racquets and related equipment.
The renovation work is expected to be fully completed, and we plan to officially begin serving everyone in January or February of 2024. We hope that in the new year, everyone will be healthy and everything will go smoothly. Remember, wealth is material; happiness and family are what truly matter. We will also do our best to bring you the highest quality, most valuable, and cost-effective sports products. Let’s all work hard together and welcome a better future!
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